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Some info about Topping's incoming DX1 II

Not how I would describe snadge and others not even being able to use 48kHz and higher as it appears, I'd double down on saying broken instead of drawback, and doesn't appear to be some odd uncommon configuration either.
Why? If I connect a optical 48 kHz TV or listen to music a USB 48 kHz from NAS and I have no problems, is the issue with the 48 kHz, the DX1 II, or specific features of the Snadge?
 
Why? If I connect a 48 kHz TV or listen to music a 48 kHz from NAS and I have no problems, is the issue with the 48 kHz, the DX1 II, or specific features of the Snadge?
Rolling back firmware or lowering to 44.1kHz without changing anything else seems to both solve the issue, so.
Happens in Windows and Linux.
Appears to be happening over USB and with people in UAC 2.0, maybe other configurations as well, but this is how most people will use it and it should work. Can take hours.
Also as already said, switching to optical and back to USB magically fixes it for a bit.
Not being able to use new firmwares is not a real solution.
 
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It's always like this. Dissatisfied people are more willing to vent their dissatisfaction. Satisfied people simply take advantage and remain silent. I alone bear the brunt of the satisfied owners :) .
If this was one of those products which never got and was never intended to get and never could get firmware/software updates, I would agree with the dissatified, and I would never have purchased early.

When there apparently is nothing physically wrong with the design, hardware or assembly, and it is obvious that Topping acts upon feedback from this very forum, and provide fixes and updates, I just don't get it. Not abt 6 weeks after the release of a new product.
 
If this was one of those products which never got and was never intended to get and never could get firmware/software updates, I would agree with the dissatified, and I would never have purchased early.

When there apparently is nothing physically wrong with the design, hardware or assembly, and it is obvious that Topping acts upon feedback from this very forum, and provide fixes and updates, I just don't get it. Not abt 6 weeks after the release of a new product.
It's almost like my original "It's technically a broken product currently, but yea it can become a pioneering product once it's finished being developed." isn't incompatible with what you just said.
Even for people somehow not reporting this one issue, there are still other issues.
And for the people who are experiencing this one issue, it seems quite clear it is because of the firmware.
Peoples products literally broken in ability to function in ways because of the firmware. I can say it's flawless later if/when it is.

Also WHY are they introducing NEW issues with firmwares, that blow out peoples eardrums? Test... then release
 
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Even if it's eventually fixed, I'd be reluctant to give money to Topping. Their approach seems more appropriate for a kickstarter
Your post leads me to believe there's a pattern with this particular company's behavior, considering they do have tons of products out in the market. Do you have other examples or is your post standard internet hyperbole?
 
It's almost like my original "It's technically a broken product currently, but yea it can become a pioneering product once it's finished being developed." isn't incompatible with what you just said.
Not understanding if I was supposed to say something incorrect like it's a flawless product currently.
It's not broken - it is still buggy. As can be expected. Crushing a bug can lead to the revealation of the next, happens all the time.

Mind you, I don't know anything at all about the code and coding the programmers at Topping are doing. I don't know how well structured it is, and I don't know anything about their software test regime.

With good organisation and a good structure there will be better and better firmware/software and fewer bugs. With a bad structure it migh be happy go lucky and bug after bug after bug....

It's for Topping to proove which one they are, and at some stage you (and everybody else) can judge. Believe they still are well withing the benefit of doubt section.
 
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Also WHY are they introducing NEW issues with firmwares, that blow out peoples eardrums? Test... then release
Because these are rare errors. When this DAC had errors using the C1-C3 buttons, they were observed by everyone and quickly fixed. When some users have problems with the 48 kHz signal, while others don't, it's no longer a persistent Topping error, but an interaction error with other equipment, of which there are millions in the world. What should Topping do, if they don't see on their test benches what people are posting in videos? Should he go to their homes and visit them? I've had problems with USB flash drives not working with certain motherboards and USB controllers. Perhaps this is an issue with the flash drive manufacturer. But quickly troubleshooting such problems is very difficult. Perhaps more data should be collected on when, where, and with what problems are observed. You can provide Topping with more data on connecting the DAC to various computers, different operating systems, and configurations to pinpoint the problem. If you don't help the manufacturer in any way, like let them figure it out themselves, they may never find anything.
 
I can somewhat accept that streaming usb audio for an hour or two at 48khz on the latest firmware might be an obscure use case that not all users might encounter. It *is* easy to reproduce though. However, as I sit here and an email notification comes in and it rudely pops/crackles over the start of the notification sound on the line out. That's something that's super obvious that much more people should be able to notice and find annoying. It's done that on every firmware so far. Asides from those two issues (which are both annoying, one possibly even dangerous to hearing/equipment), it's a great product I'm sure. I'm personally going to reserve judgement and see if they will be fixed. I'm not screaming for a refund or seriously regretting my purchase. This DAC is extremely impressive, and has brought life to my Sennheiser HD6 Mix headphones, that I never could have imagined they would sound that good. I'm hoping these issues will get fixed. Is nobody using their unbalanced line ouputs or something?
 
I wonder where the respected community, which believes that Topping should be banned from selling such terrible equipment, finds alternatives to this bad product?
Not sure if your comment was directed at my post but if it was, I never said Topping should be banned from anything. My comments to date have been aimed at Topping's approach to releases, based on the DX5 II and the DX1 II, which AFAIK are the two most recent DAC/AMP combos they've released. I don't own either but have been relying on user reports to decide whether I would purchase either. Everyone has different criteria and thresholds for purchasing products. In my case, my threshold has not been met and and I would hope Topping takes the feedback on board for future releases. If the product has worked flawlessly for you then that's great!

Perhaps the conclusion of "permanent failure and a write-off" is as premature as the claimed prematurity of the product release ;)
Again, not sure if that's directed at my post, but I never said it was a "permanent failure and a write-off" and certainly not in any objective or general sense. Based on the DX5 II history, there's a decent probability Topping will eventually fix all issues but again, it's their approach that's problematic for me. If I buy a product at retail, I expect it to be fully functional with at most, minor issues. Sure, what is "minor" is for each to judge themselves but based on the user reports, I would not consider them minor but fundamental and I would expect to encounter issues in at least some of my usage scenarios, hence why I have not purchased it. Buying a product and waiting for it to be fixed is more akin to a preorder or kickstarter to me. Again, it's all about each individual's thresholds and expectations.
When there apparently is nothing physically wrong with the design, hardware or assembly, and it is obvious that Topping acts upon feedback from this very forum, and provide fixes and updates, I just don't get it. Not abt 6 weeks after the release of a new product.
It depends on whether you consider their approach to fixes to be adequate but for me, their history of fixing the noise/crackling falls short.
Your post leads me to believe there's a pattern with this particular company's behavior, considering they do have tons of products out in the market. Do you have other examples or is your post standard internet hyperbole?
I'm basing it on the DX5 II release and the user reports regarding the DX1 II and the history of attempted firmware fixes. IIRC, DX5 II user reports were on two threads:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-balanced-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.64264/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-dx5-ii.60996/

Whether those combined indicates a pattern is debatable but it's sufficient for me, as I expected them to learn from the DX5 II release and was looking forward to the DX1 II being a smooth, easy purchase decision.

Regarding tons of products on the market, I interpret the weight of that differently. Precisely because they have tons of products on the market and brand recognition, I expected better from both releases. If on the other hand it was a startup or a kickstarter, I'd be more inclined to be forgiving. I also have no way to tell if the company today is the same as the company that released previously successful products. It may be that key personnel are no longer with them.
 
Not sure if your comment was directed at my post but if it was, I never said Topping should be banned from anything. My comments to date have been aimed at Topping's approach to releases, based on the DX5 II and the DX1 II, which AFAIK are the two most recent DAC/AMP combos they've released. I don't own either but have been relying on user reports to decide whether I would purchase either. Everyone has different criteria and thresholds for purchasing products. In my case, my threshold has not been met and and I would hope Topping takes the feedback on board for future releases. If the product has worked flawlessly for you then that's great!


Again, not sure if that's directed at my post, but I never said it was a "permanent failure and a write-off" and certainly not in any objective or general sense. Based on the DX5 II history, there's a decent probability Topping will eventually fix all issues but again, it's their approach that's problematic for me. If I buy a product at retail, I expect it to be fully functional with at most, minor issues. Sure, what is "minor" is for each to judge themselves but based on the user reports, I would not consider them minor but fundamental and I would expect to encounter issues in at least some of my usage scenarios, hence why I have not purchased it. Buying a product and waiting for it to be fixed is more akin to a preorder or kickstarter to me. Again, it's all about each individual's thresholds and expectations.

It depends on whether you consider their approach to fixes to be adequate but for me, their history of fixing the noise/crackling falls short.

I'm basing it on the DX5 II release and the user reports regarding the DX1 II and the history of attempted firmware fixes. IIRC, DX5 II user reports were on two threads:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-balanced-dac-and-headphone-amp-review.64264/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-dx5-ii.60996/

Whether those combined indicates a pattern is debatable but it's sufficient for me, as I expected them to learn from the DX5 II release and was looking forward to the DX1 II being a smooth, easy purchase decision.

Regarding tons of products on the market, I interpret the weight of that differently. Precisely because they have tons of products on the market and brand recognition, I expected better from both releases. If on the other hand it was a startup or a kickstarter, I'd be more inclined to be forgiving. I also have no way to tell if the company today is the same as the company that released previously successful products. It may be that key personnel are no longer with them.
Sorry, as far as I'm aware, I never read anything from you promoting banning or advocating a writeoff, thus this response relates to the quoted comment above:

I did believe you got one though, my bad. I have been open with not having the DX1 II in my possession from my first introductory posting when signing up, I became aware of it 14th June, ordered it 15th, ready for shipment 17th and seemingly it only left China 26th. A bit slower than expected. I was well aware of the risks of bugs ordering early having followed the process for DX5 II which was my preference prior to DX1 II, and I believe the risk of bugs attached to ordering this one early is fairly obvious to anyone having followed the evolvement of DX5 II.

I don't believe anyone should be satisfied with a buggy retail product, not at all, and I do indeed agree that no one should pull the trigger on a product before he/she is satisfied the product fulfills the customer's expectations, and we agree that should be governed by the individual's threshold.

As stated elsewhere, I believe Topping should have labeled the shipped and all updated firmwares (not sure of the present iteration) as Beta. It would have been good for Topping, testers and early adaptors. To me at least, it looks like Topping decided to use ASR as part of the process of bugfixing, allocating their resources for rapid squashing, and I believe they have been agile and responsive to the feedback from ASR testers and community. It will keep them and us, the customers, from discovering serious bugs in the future, when everyone will and should expect flawless performance and fully working features within the nature of DX1 II.

I do believe they have learned a lot from DX5II and uses the DX1 II to improve their processes, which future products will profit from. They are not there yet, but they will get better. As such, I believe Topping did the right thing, and if they had labeled the firmware "Beta" (which I thought it was when ordering) we wouldn't have had these discussions. Individuals have different perspectives, many sees it as a finished and complete product from day one, I see it as an early iteration for early adaptors for another couple of months. Perhaps it's mainstream in november. Pretty confident it will be fully cured :)

As for the general state of the union, I believe Topping has been pristine with DX1 II (apart from the lack of Beta labels for the firmware) compared to e.g. Tesla (panel gaps, laquering, electronics, self driving and what not), Microsoft's Copilot and their final Windows release (10), previous gen of Intel CPU's, Apple's AI/SIri, countless EV model software/electronics/range and so on and so on and so on. Seconds ago I got reimbursed for a product I spent almost 3 months fighting the manufacturer and the sellers about.
 
OK. So, the 48khz has been replicated after about 1h 10-15 minutes in.
Here's a clip, the sound volume in this clip is low, so don't worry about blowing your ears off, but remember to LOWER the volume before you play something else

The massive distorsion occurs from about 0:10 to 0:16

PC (Win11, latest build) USB --> Topping DX1 II (-4dB, V15.69.22.69) ---> Topping MX3s ---> Audioengine A5 ---> Xiaomi 15 Ultra

Sometimes it lasts a lot longer. Sometimes it "just" creates short burts of distortion. There is some variation. But once it starts occurring the only way to fully get rid of it for a while is to do as before, change to optical in and then back to USB. As it is now, I won't use until new firmwares are released.
More confirmation the firmware is broken from someone reputable vs all these (3?) people with less than 100 posts who I almost wonder if even own the device or check things before speaking.
Also Topping themselves have said they believe this to be a firmware issue instead of hardware.
 
More confirmation the firmware is broken from someone reputable vs all these (3?) people with less than 100 posts who I almost wonder if even own the device or check things before speaking.
Guess that was a poisoned one for me. Not aware of anyone claiming firmware is/has been bugfree.
 
Not aware of anyone claiming firmware is/has been bugfree.
What some people do is reply to a specific issue with "but I have no issues" without even trying to replicate the issue / the conditions that cause it, and even further start talking about what they feel might be the more likely cause. Waste of time.
Topping will see through the noise and replicate for themselves if they're competent and there will be a firmware fix, thankfully.
 
More confirmation the firmware is broken from someone reputable vs all these (3?) people with less than 100 posts who I almost wonder if even own the device or check things before speaking.
You were simply asked not to generalize. And yet you generalize again. And then you complain about being poorly received. I have over 100 posts and over 6 years of forum old, can I speak? No one has accused you of lying or making things up. Some people got errors, some didn't. I don't rule out the possibility that I have this one too. But I haven't listened for 1-2-3 hours at 48 kHz on USB on... on... etc. Windows has tens of thousands of registered errors. Does that somehow interfere with its use? And if you regularly experience this error, why don't you resample to frequencies where the error doesn't occur? If you're interested in result. I can confidently say that I don't experience anything like this at 176 and 192 kHz on usb and at 48 rHz on optic, even though I listen to music for hours. But I didn't time it, so maybe I didn't get it :) .
 
Okay, let's start with an engineering approach :) . The DAC is in LO DAC mode. I set up listening to Radio Paradise at 176 kHz overnight. With a different volume control. Of course, at a low volume. I didn't wake up to the grinding noise. In the morning, seven hours later, the music played as if nothing had happened. So, with my existing 176 kHz equipment, I can assume there are no problems. Or maybe they were there and then went away. Today, I'll take the DAC and ADC to work, run the generator, and try recording a 48 kHz signal for a few hours. Maybe I'll get lucky. Or maybe not :)?
 
Well, here we go. DAC DX1 II, USB, room correction enabled. Generator REW, 48 kHz sampling, 997 Hz signal, -1 dB, ASIO output exclusive. ADC E1DA, 10V limit. At this limit, it's possible to catch short power outages, the signal from which will exceed 7 Volt peak. Audacity recording 48 kHz, mono. Left channel recording. 15 minutes - everything is fine :) .
 
Hooray! I caught it. Exactly an hour later. I'll continue recording to see if the problem goes away on its own. I'll post some photos later. I was most worried it was the power supply flickering. That would be really dangerous for the amplifier and speakers. But the signal is within 5 volts, so it's nothing more than a annoyance listening. Well. If this problem occurs so stability, the chances of fixing it increase dramatically.
 
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