Topping D50 III Balanced DAC with EQ Review

[Bow_Wazoo]

With the s25 ultra at least, it works without any obvious problems...

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

@TOPPING

When will Topping Tune be available for Android?

Wait, what? And I thought it would ONLY be available for Android it being the (I believe) most used mobile platform.

How's the PEQ supposed to be configured, with a pc only?

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

Yes sir

 

[ziggurcat]

Wait, what? And I thought it would ONLY be available for Android it being the (I believe) most used mobile platform.

How's the PEQ supposed to be configured, with a pc only?

Topping Tune is only on PC.

 

[Vamp898]

Not yet. I'd be interested to know, if and to what extent the measurement results change, if you don't use an external power supply.

This depends on the source. If i plug it directly into my PC, the results are very noisy (around -60db), if i use the DSD Box in between, the results are as good as with the external power supply but, it gets _very_ got (The DSD Box), to the point where it randomly shuts down.

I can not say how clean the USB from your smartphone is, that is something you have to measure yourself^^ but as long its clean, it should be no issue. Expect an hot phone though.

 

[Barncore]

Just ordered the D50 III, and the EQ is a big reason for that (along with clean sound and reasonable price). I do mastering work in DAW's and wanted a system-wide EQ at the start of the chain. APO/Peace is great but it doesn't support ASIO, and so switching between apps was a pain cos the headphone EQ would change.

Basically just posting this here to register my support for on-board EQ's in DACs haha

If my current DAC (E30 II Lite) had on-board EQ then i probably would've stuck with it. But hey, i don't mind having better quality DAC chips now.

 

[ziggurcat]

Just ordered the D50 III, and the EQ is a big reason for that (along with clean sound and reasonable price). I do mastering work in DAW's and wanted a system-wide EQ at the start of the chain. APO/Peace is great but it doesn't support ASIO, and so switching between apps was a pain cos the headphone EQ would change.

Basically just posting this here to register my support for on-board EQ's in DACs haha

If my current DAC (E30 II Lite) had on-board EQ then i probably would've stuck with it. But hey, i don't mind having better quality DAC chips now.

Just be aware that the PEQ is limited to USB input only. And also with the D50 III, you cannot apply PEQ to the left and right channels independently - that is a function that is only available, so far, on the Topping Centaurus DAC and the brand new DX5 II DAC/HPA.

 

[Barncore]

Just be aware that the PEQ is limited to USB input only. And also with the D50 III, you cannot apply PEQ to the left and right channels independently - that is a function that is only available, so far, on the Topping Centaurus DAC and the brand new DX5 II DAC/HPA.

Yeah I'm aware of those favtors. That's not a problem for me.

What I wasn't aware of though, is the existence of that DX5 II.
I thought the D50 III was the only unit in my price range that had the onboard PEQ.
Hmmm, ok that changes things...

What would be a better combo do you think:
A) D50 III DAC + L30 II amp,
or
B) DX5 II DAC/amp

For matching with Hifiman Ananda Nano headphones.

I bought the D50 III off Amazon so I can always return it without opening the box and sell my L30 II (which I've owned for 6-12 months), and buy the DX5 II.
Hmm.
It is appealing to have the DAC and amp in one unit.
But most important thing is the sound quality, as clear/clean as possible and as much depth and instrument separation as possible (within my price range)

Hmmm...

 

[ziggurcat]

Yeah I'm aware of those favtors. That's not a problem for me.

What I wasn't aware of though, is the existence of that DX5 II.
I thought the D50 III was the only unit in my price range that had the onboard PEQ.
Hmmm, ok that changes things...

What would be a better combo do you think:
A) D50 III DAC + L30 II amp,
or
B) DX5 II DAC/amp

For matching with Hifiman Ananda Nano headphones.

I bought the D50 III off Amazon so I can always return it without opening the box and sell my L30 II (which I've owned for 6-12 months), and buy the DX5 II.
Hmm.
It is appealing to have the DAC and amp in one unit.
But most important thing is the sound quality, as clear/clean as possible and as much depth and instrument separation as possible (within my price range)

Hmmm...

The DX5 II was just released on June 10th, so it hasn't been available for very long (planned release of this has been known since around February, though).

We won't really know how it performs until there's a review here. Given Topping's record, though, I don't doubt that the DX5 II will perform phenomenally well. The HPA section seems to be pretty beefy, but I honestly cannot make heads or tails when comparing to the L30 specs.

I just ordered a DX5 II a few days ago to replace my D50 III + L50 HPA in an attempt to reduce the amount of crap in my desktop system. Ordered through Amazon Canada, and it's arriving in August (there's a shop that has it arriving in July, but I picked the longer time frame because it's the cheaper option, and Amazon won't charge until it's been shipped).

EDIT: FWiW, the D50 III is a great DAC, and it will have a new home in my bedroom along with the 3e Audio A7 I just got, so it's not going anywhere.

 

[Vamp898]

Just ordered the D50 III, and the EQ is a big reason for that (along with clean sound and reasonable price). I do mastering work in DAW's and wanted a system-wide EQ at the start of the chain. APO/Peace is great but it doesn't support ASIO, and so switching between apps was a pain cos the headphone EQ would change.

Basically just posting this here to register my support for on-board EQ's in DACs haha

If my current DAC (E30 II Lite) had on-board EQ then i probably would've stuck with it. But hey, i don't mind having better quality DAC chips now.

I do use the D50III for Mixing/Mastering but i do not use its EQ as i do not use (global) EQ anyway.

My recommendation, instead of searching for a DAC that has EQ, i would use Hearphones/IEM that do not need EQ to begin with.

 

[Barncore]

I do use the D50III for Mixing/Mastering but i do not use its EQ as i do not use (global) EQ anyway.

My recommendation, instead of searching for a DAC that has EQ, i would use Hearphones/IEM that do not need EQ to begin with.

I'm sure i'm preaching to the choir here but there's more to a headphone than just its frequency balance. Depth, soundstage, transient clarity, power, resolve, etc. Hifiman's Planar magnetic headphones take EQ very well with no distortion, so EQ'ing them is no big deal. Buying headphones with the primary intention of the frequency balance being "perfect" or flat or whatever your preference is, you'll come away overlooking the other areas its great and come up short. I think you'll find it near impossible to find headphones that don't need at least a little bit of EQ, and if they exist they'll either be thousands of dollars or they'll suck in other areas. Or both.

For me, my Ananda Nano's come up great with a little EQ. They're extremely good headphones in other areas like clarity and resolve, so with a bit of EQ you can transform these headphones into something that punches 3x against its weight/price.

Since i already own great headphones, your suggestion to source different headphones instead of searching for a DAC isn't exactly optimal

 

[Barncore]

Btw it appears the D50 III and the DX5 II have the same DAC chip: Dual ES9039Q2M

 

[Vamp898]

'm sure i'm preaching to the choir here but there's more to a headphone than just its frequency balance. Depth, soundstage, transient clarity, power, resolve, etc. Hifiman's Planar magnetic headphones take EQ very well with no distortion, so EQ'ing them is no big deal. Buying headphones with the primary intention of the frequency balance being "perfect" or flat or whatever your preference is, you'll come away overlooking the other areas its great and come up short. I think you'll find it near impossible to find headphones that don't need at least a little bit of EQ, and if they exist they'll either be thousands of dollars or they'll suck in other areas. Or both.

Most Studio Reference Headphones that are actually used by musicians to Mix/Master Music i know cost around 500$.

Sennheider HD 490 Pro, Audio Technica ATH-R70xa, Neumann NDH-30, Shure SRH1840 or FitEar Monitor-1 are all roughly in that price range. There are some more expensive ones, that is true, but if you're looking for a tool that does the job, you do not need to spend that much money.

For me, my Ananda Nano's come up great with a little EQ. They're extremely good headphones in other areas like clarity and resolve, so with a bit of EQ you can transform these headphones into something that punches 3x against its weight/price.

Since i already own great headphones, your suggestion to source different headphones instead of searching for a DAC isn't exactly optimal

But you have to understand, that its a natural answer because EQ can be unreliable, especially EQ that depends on an DAC and additional software to fine tune it. You are using an Headphone that was intended for consumer use and you try to use it in an professional environment. That doesn't mean you can not reach that target with the Headphones you have, you can EQ them to make them do what you want, but it is very time consuming.

To EQ them to sound correct, you have to use an reference (Usually calibrated flat speakers) in an well setup studio and painstakingly listen back an forth to noise, sweeps and music, take regular breaks to prevent fatigue and so on. That easily can take several days and after you're done, you always need that EQ reliably with you, wherever you are (Because you usually are not in that Studio ŕoom because you could just use the calibrated speakers then).

So you have to admit when someone says "I want to do Mixing Mastering", that "Get Headphones that can do that" is an intuitive answer.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

The DX5 II was just released on June 10th, so it hasn't been available for very long (planned release of this has been known since around February, though).

We won't really know how it performs until there's a review here. Given Topping's record, though, I don't doubt that the DX5 II will perform phenomenally well. The HPA section seems to be pretty beefy, but I honestly cannot make heads or tails when comparing to the L30 specs.

I just ordered a DX5 II a few days ago to replace my D50 III + L50 HPA in an attempt to reduce the amount of crap in my desktop system. Ordered through Amazon Canada, and it's arriving in August (there's a shop that has it arriving in July, but I picked the longer time frame because it's the cheaper option, and Amazon won't charge until it's been shipped).

EDIT: FWiW, the D50 III is a great DAC, and it will have a new home in my bedroom along with the 3e Audio A7 I just got, so it's not going anywhere.

Although this topic is about D50III, I noticed this on the Audiophonics website when looking for information on DX5II as you were talking about it:

I have no idea what "shortly" means in Topping/Audiophonics advertising jargon but I hope it will be tested and updated, and the app released before or at the same time the actual products start to roll off the line.

Just thought to add this piece of info here - I did not find anything considering the ongoing testing on the Topping website.

edit: just to make clear - the aforementioned screenshot is from Audiophonics Topping DX5 II page.

 

[staticV3]

For matching with Hifiman Ananda Nano headphones.

The Ananda Nano is an easy to drive
headphone, so both combos will be more than sufficient and audibly indistinguishable.

 

[Barncore]

Most Studio Reference Headphones that are actually used by musicians to Mix/Master Music i know cost around 500$.

Sennheider HD 490 Pro, Audio Technica ATH-R70xa, Neumann NDH-30, Shure SRH1840 or FitEar Monitor-1 are all roughly in that price range. There are some more expensive ones, that is true, but if you're looking for a tool that does the job, you do not need to spend that much money.

But you have to understand, that its a natural answer because EQ can be unreliable, especially EQ that depends on an DAC and additional software to fine tune it. You are using an Headphone that was intended for consumer use and you try to use it in an professional environment. That doesn't mean you can not reach that target with the Headphones you have, you can EQ them to make them do what you want, but it is very time consuming.

To EQ them to sound correct, you have to use an reference (Usually calibrated flat speakers) in an well setup studio and painstakingly listen back an forth to noise, sweeps and music, take regular breaks to prevent fatigue and so on. That easily can take several days and after you're done, you always need that EQ reliably with you, wherever you are (Because you usually are not in that Studio ŕoom because you could just use the calibrated speakers then).

So you have to admit when someone says "I want to do Mixing Mastering", that "Get Headphones that can do that" is an intuitive answer.

Except i didn't ask about EQ, i asked about DAC+Amp combos, so your point is redundant. I've been using EQ'd Nano's for over a year and they work great for me.

I can't be bothered debating headphone EQ today but i get my headphones knowledge from Emrah Celik (mastering engineer with billions of streams) who has a youtube channel now so i'll leave the link here in case you're interested in a different point of view: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEyTJtQpzS56V1dnoQyVPwA

The Ananda Nano is an easy to driver
headphone, so both combos will be more than sufficient and audibly indistinguishable.

Thank you for answering the question.
You're probably right. DX5 II would be more of a logistical upgrade (less wires etc) than a sound one

 

[ziggurcat]

Btw it appears the D50 III and the DX5 II have the same DAC chip: Dual ES9039Q2M

Yes, that is correct.

 

[ziggurcat]

Although this topic is about D50III, I noticed this on the Audiophonics website when looking for information on DX5II as you were talking about it:

View attachment 457780

I have no idea what "shortly" means in Topping/Audiophonics advertising jargon but I hope it will be tested and updated, and the app released before or at the same time the actual products start to roll off the line.

Just thought to add this piece of info here - I did not find anything considering the ongoing testing on the Topping website.

edit: just to make clear - the aforementioned screenshot is from Audiophonics Topping DX5 II page.

It's hard to say how accurate that is, and that caveat is not on the Topping site or any other retailer (Shenzhen Audio, etc...) to my knowledge. Granted, it is a brand new product, only on the market for a week so far, so it is common that not everything is ready right away (some AVRs that support Dirac didn't have it available when they were launched, for example). I know there are people who have their DX5 IIs already, so they would be the ones to confirm whether Audiophonics' information is correct.

@Yersinia Bestmate it is also possible that that caveat is in reference to the mobile version of the Topping Tune app.

 

[Musictech77]

Hi
Iam interested to buy a Dac with eq.
Are still topping D50 iii and wiim pro plus the best option?
Do they need dedicated drivers to work as usb dacs?
Can the eq be applied to all inputs in both?
I ve read few months ago that eq is availiable only on usb input in d50iii. Have they fixed it in any firmware update?
Are there better options under 300 than those 2?I may y be to go a little higher if there is a good reason...

 

[VientoB]

The D50 iii will always just be USB I believe.