Review and Measurements of Topping DX3Pro DAC and Headphone Amp

[airs]

Starting to regret my massdrop order the other day..hmm. Wonder if I can/should cancel.

 

[peterq]

No, I don't regret bought my dx3 pro, the SQ is really good and the price is very reasonable. I just need to know the root cause of this problem and then I know how to avoid the problem.

@TP-Wong
If you see my post about BT issue, please response.

 

[daftcombo]

Starting to regret my massdrop order the other day..hmm. Wonder if I can/should cancel.

I heard the vicar of Notre-Dame got his DX3 Pro on Massdrop too.

 

[airs]

I heard the vicar of Notre-Dame got his DX3 Pro on Massdrop too.

Sorry, what?

 

[daftcombo]

Sorry, what?

Don't worry, it's a good product and you would be unlukcy if it didn't work properly, especially since Topping is aware of the problems previously encountered.

 

[amirm]

I bought it from AliExpress, should I bother the seller or contact TOPPING directly?

Definitely go through Topping. They will take care of your expenses of shipping and will get a faster chance at figuring out what is going on with such units.

FYI, both of my units continue to function reliably including the second one that was supposed to be broken as said by the member.

I am pretty sure there is some kind of race condition that causes failure that has to do with how the unit is used. Figuring this out will be very hard for Topping.

 

[amirm]

I really enjoyed the functionality and sound quality of this device but QC is probably the worst I've ever seen when it's actually breaking people's equipment.

It is not a QC problem when the unit fails after you buy it. It is some corner case design issue that is causing failure in some units.

 

[Wolven]

Definitely go through Topping. They will take care of your expenses of shipping and will get a faster chance at figuring out what is going on with such units.

FYI, both of my units continue to function reliably including the second one that was supposed to be broken as said by the member.

I am pretty sure there is some kind of race condition that causes failure that has to do with how the unit is used. Figuring this out will be very hard for Topping.

I sent my unit to topping because of the turning off issue. Topping rep has been very supportive through the process.
I hope there is a revised version of this DAC.

Speaking of usage pattern, lets see if there is one.
USB connection, newest topping drivers, etc. , win 7. ASUS motherboard. Native on board Realtek® ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC.

I switch between Foobar and youtube a lot.
Playing Foobar and using wasapi event (I think) driver DAC mode, 6 failures.
Using youtube 1 failure.
Doing nothing 1 failure.

Another, thing that happened after 3 months of use, I got static on and off coming from the speakers using RCA.
It wasn't there always just sometimes. The cables were not at fault. I'm running on board chip now, seems ok.

 

[amirm]

Thanks. Is the static from the RCA very faint or loud?

 

[Wolven]

Thanks. Is the static from the RCA very faint or loud?

It is like a radio antenna, if you listen to a station and move the antenna, you can get a loud noise, like crumpling paper. That's the best description, I can come up with. Some kind of interference.

 

[amirm]

That's pretty nasty. If it occurs frequently, you should sent it to Topping for analysis.

 

[amirm]

BTW, I had that happen with Khadas Tone board (I think) and traced it to a bad USB cable/connection.

 

[Wolven]

That's pretty nasty. If it occurs frequently, you should sent it to Topping for analysis.

I did. Thanks

 

[EfectoHall]

Hello guys, the amplifier that carries the DX3 Pro is powerful enough to drive the somewhat k612, thanks

 

[kukocz]

Have the same amp lol, i red that its preamp is not that good and that is worth to bypass it, please test it and write back (i have a Tannoy revolution xt6f which i admire and recommend every time)

so i have this setup now and after a while i must say that it is performing much better with Topping as preamp, dac added more detailed sound (compared to dacmagic 100) and i can hear more from the same tracks. Preamp gave very balanced sound and overall i'm super happy with this trio (nad tannoys and topping).

Eventually I've got Tannoys XT 8F and I'm really happy too. Indeed DX3 Pro performs better as a preamp with NAD C356. Better bass control and more detailed mids and highs.

Here the video showing my problem:

Aliexpress seller wants to send the device back but shipping costs could be quite high. I'm also waiting for Topping's feedback if there is any other solution possible.

Finally I send back my unit directly to Topping, and it will be replaced with new unit. They suggested it's most probably problem with OPA2140 too. I could replace it by myself but I have no guarantee that it's the only one thing to be replaced in dac. Therefore I decided to wait for the new one.

I have already ordered a self-learning remote to mitigate risk that speakers accidentally burn my ears. It rather looks easy to (at least) disable possibility to enable fixed line-out via remote. Or maybe the menu section (and remote controller part) is hardcoded in other place than firmware - then indeed it wouldn't be possible wothout hardware changes (I still keep my fingers crossed it could be somehow changed with another firmware release)

What about filters bug? There are 6 options available via remote (F1-F6) and only 5 via settings menu (F1-F5). It hasn't changed after update to 1.04.

I've got two self learning remotes to prevent accidental switching to DAC mode.
Both works flawlessly. In my opinion the one with blue buttons is better quality. Really recommend

 

[Yuno]

Hello guys, the amplifier that carries the DX3 Pro is powerful enough to drive the somewhat k612, thanks

It is, with a lot of power to spare.

 

[gypsygib]

It is not a QC problem when the unit fails after you buy it. It is some corner case design issue that is causing failure in some units.

What's a corner case design issue? Would that mean if my unit doesn't have that issue I shouldn't worry and how would I know if it does?

Only real concern is it breaking my headphones, speaker too but to a lesser extent. I was at the point that I wouldn't even care if my DX3 broke, it would be disappointing but it's not expensive so overall, whatever. I just don't want to risk suffering collateral damage to more expensive components.

I really just want to stop thinking about this device and just enjoy my set up. I've never spent so much time monitoring a device's QC before lol. Most of the time I just read/watch reviews, buy a thing, enjoy it then stop thinking about it forever until I want an upgrade. But this has not been a great purchase experience. Is it normal for dac/amp combos to break components attached to them? I'm inexperienced in these types of things but it seems very strange for any consumer device these days to break anything else attached to it when it malfunctions.

 

[EfectoHall]

[QUOTE = "Yuno, post: 169010, miembro: 4016"] Es, con mucha energía de sobra. [/ QUOTE]
gracias, fue porque había leído a algunos usuarios que decían que el amplificador era débil.

 

[JohnYang1997]

I do. Do you want the 6 kHz at -6 dB too?

Yes please!

 

[amirm]

What's a corner case design issue? Would that mean if my unit doesn't have that issue I shouldn't worry and how would I know if it does?

Without knowing the exact design issue, there is no way to know what triggers it. If you have had yours for a few months with no problems, chances are good that you will be good as I have been with the two I have.