Review and Measurements of Topping DX3Pro DAC and Headphone Amp

[jani80k]

I have the Dx3 pro and the M500, and I can't hear any difference between them...fwiw.

I even had 2 different units of DX3 Pro and the P50 LPS.
On my IEMs: DX3 Pro had no bass, M500 totally fine.
On my 58x: DX3 Pro had bass, but didnt extend as low as M500. Voice was presented in front of music. M500 presented voice more as part of the music with fuller bass.

There was clearly and audible difference.

 

[Veri]

I even had 2 different units of DX3 Pro and the P50 LPS.
On my IEMs: DX3 Pro had no bass, M500 totally fine.
On my 58x: DX3 Pro had bass, but didnt extend as low as M500. Voice was presented in front of music. M500 presented voice more as part of the music with fuller bass.

There was clearly and audible difference.

DX3 has 10 OHM output impedance, so of course it can affect IEMs. It's not the DAC you are hearing... it's the output circuit.

 

[jani80k]

DX3 has 10 OHM output impedance, so of course it can affect IEMs. It's not the DAC you are hearing... it's the output circuit.

If you read my statement a few posts above that is exactly what I said. V2 headphone out sucks.

 

[Veri]

If you read my statement a few posts above that is exactly what I said. V2 headphone out sucks.

I only heard V1 which sounded good, would be sad for V2 to be that bad. I hope it is still acceptable with >= 80ohm headphones..

 

[BDWoody]

If you read my statement a few posts above that is exactly what I said. V2 headphone out sucks.

I should have clarified I have the V1, use HD650's...haven't used them with iem's... For normal headphones it shouldn't make a difference.

 

[jani80k]

I only heard V1 which sounded good, would be sad for V2 to be that bad. I hope it is still acceptable with >= 80ohm headphones..

Oh, it's definitely acceptable. I just wouldn't recommend it as it has that flaw. I recently upgraded my 58x to LCD2Cs and they would even be impacted having 70ohms impedance. To me a device that only works well in some of the cases, is not worth recommending. You're just throwing people a curve ball especially newbies coming here for advice.

 

[jani80k]

I should have clarified I have the V1, use HD650's...haven't used them with iem's... For normal headphones it shouldn't make a difference.

V1 kicks ass with IEMs , I am sure. 1 ohm of output impedance is insane.

 

[dwa]

Oh, it's definitely acceptable. I just wouldn't recommend it as it has that flaw. I recently upgraded my 58x to LCD2Cs and they would even be impacted having 70ohms impedance. To me a device that only works well in some of the cases, is not worth recommending. You're just throwing people a curve ball especially newbies coming here for advice.

LCD2c being planars have flat impedance throughout frequency range. High output impedance doesn't matter with those.

 

[jani80k]

LCD2c being planars have flat impedance throughout frequency range. High output impedance doesn't matter with those.

Ah ok. Which headphones does it matter on?

 

[Veri]

Ah ok. Which headphones does it matter on?

Non planars. Like all dynamic headphones and earphones.

 

[dwa]

Ah ok. Which headphones does it matter on?

I can recommend piece written by solderdude, available here.

 

[jani80k]

I can recommend piece written by solderdude, available here.

TL;DR, thanks tho...

 

[Gray]

I only heard V1 which sounded good, would be sad for V2 to be that bad. I hope it is still acceptable with >= 80ohm headphones..

oh boy...
V1 doesn't even have headphone protection, has a LOT of reliability-issues and when that happens it could very well fry your headphone, just read the topic.
Sure, you can get good specs with zero protection in place, but do you want to take that risk of frying your expensive headphones or your ears?

That's why they made a V2, a successor for V1 with headphone-protection (and some additional settings) but also with a 10ohm output impedance.
V2 is not bad at all, I got one and it's been reliable since 8 months of everyday use.

 

[ZenTraveler]

Another thing. I don't understand why people has so bad opinions on V2. As far as I know only output impedance is worse (around 10ohms). So if you really have low impedance headphones it may not be for you. On the other hand if you plan to buy some more expensive headphones M500 makes sense. Buying $400 dac/Amp just for one $200 headphones is an overkill imo.

I have V2 and use 16ohm T2 iem to compare V2 and NX4DSD, both sound the same. Don't understand what's the fuss about. Maybe if it's maximum volume then can hear difference, but I'll be deaf so no thank you.

 

[Jrel]

I just bought a "new" used one off of Ebay. It looks like it might be a first version, but serial # starts with a 1903. It appears the USB IN isn't working. I've got the DX3Pro driver installed in Windows 10, but Windows can't start the driver (I keep getting an error code 10 even after a full computer restart). I know the USB cable works because it works fine with my PC powering up and connecting to a Maschine controller. The Bluetooth connection to my PC works, and I'm getting an optical cable soon to see if I can connect it it to my PC that way. Any ideas on why the USB won't work? It just blinks continously when I have USB selected. I also just tried a factory reset. I think the USB connection doesn't work.

 

[Veri]

I just bought a "new" used one off of Ebay. It looks like it might be a first version, but serial # starts with a 1903. It appears the USB IN isn't working. I've got the DX3Pro driver installed in Windows 10, but Windows can't start the driver (I keep getting an error code 10 even after a full computer restart).

That seems like a PC issue, not with the DX3. Can you try a laptop or a mac or something? In any case yeah, optical/coaxical would be a work-around.

 

[Jrel]

I tried with a laptop. Same problem. No one I know with a Mac either unfortunately.

 

[Yuno]

I've got the DX3Pro driver installed in Windows 10, but Windows can't start the driver

Then for starters uninstall it because you don't need any driver for dx3 pro on windows 10. This is plug and play device. If it doesn't work as plug and play and your windows 10 version is relatively new then either something is wrong with your pc, or usb is broken on your unit. If it happens on multiple devices running up to date version of windows 10 then it's 100% broken.

 

[Jrel]

Yeah, I think the USB component on it isn't working. I tried it first without installing any drivers. Well, I'll hope the SPDIF connection will work once I get the cable in a few days.

 

[g_t_j]

Guys, can someone please point me to the ''upgrade tool'' to check my firmware version and possibly upgrade to the latest one? I can't seem to find it anywhere.