TOPPING DM7 8-CH DAC : what can replace it?

[charlielaub]

@VeerK It is also possible (and probably less expensive) to use MiniDSP's MCHstreamer configured for ADAT, plus an ADAT audio interface. It's just as much of a hack as the DIO-8 plus four stereo DACs...

 

[architect]

charlielaub, did you choose an a product ? i use an opendrc-da8 now and it is noisy. the software is great though. i am looking for improvement when it really makes for an improvement

 

[charlielaub]

No. At the moment I have several interfaces so I am not rushing out to get another one. But I always try to keep my eyes open for what is coming along...

 

[architect]

ha, me too - i also keep my eyes open
Underneeth my ongoing project :
B&C 18SW115
SEAS W22 Excel
Scanspeak 10F 8424G00
Mundorf 17D2.2
Rpi 4B Spotify - Opendrc-DA8 (a bit noisy) - 8 Hypex UCD 180 and 400 class D ampmodules

 

[architect]

charlie can i ask you for chances for improvement ?

 

[Daverz]

ha, me too - i also keep my eyes open
Underneeth my ongoing project :

View attachment 419177

Is that your own design? Very impressive.

I started out with the Hifiberry 8x hat for my project, but I found the physical layout of the outputs to be fragile. Single-ended and no volume control.

I'm now using a Motu Ultralite Mk5, but while you can set up the master volume to control all your output channels in Cuemix, there's no remote (except using Cuemix on your phone or laptop, which is awkward).

 

[charlielaub]

charlie can i ask you for chances for improvement ?

I had problems with noise and hum when I used DACs with single ended outputs (e.g. RCA interconnects). After I switched to balanced equipment (line level and amplifiers) that was gone. I assume your Hypex amps have balanced inputs, so the issue is probably (as you suspect) with the miniDSP Opendrc-DA8. If you like the miniDSP platform you could try their Flex HTx, which has balanced outputs:
https://www.minidsp.com/products/ht-series/flex-htx
It's a good product and has an IR remote control.

By the way, nice speakers!

 

[architect]

the flex htx seems to be without FIR
phase-aligning the drivers and making Rephase phase corrected FIR crossovers is what i like about the opendrc-DA8
i have been thinking about using a raspberry pi with usb 8ch-dac, but it would take time and money
i am open to improvements but i can also enjoy the music as it is now
last improvements are :
1. the 3d printed front/back of 10F and 17D2.2
2. lower order crossovers + meassuring diffuse field upright at the lissening position + less tilt in the frequencyslope than i used before

 

[dziemian]

Fosi Audio is working on multichannel dac

Fosi Audio

We are designing the form factor for a multi-channel DAC. Here are four preliminary designs. -A and D uses a smaller screen so the body will be slimmer. -B and C uses a larger screen so the body...

www.facebook.com

 

[dartinbout]

FYI , I just got this from EBay alerts. I still thonk this the best addition to my audio chain, I have thousand of MC albums and 90% of my tv and movies are 5.1 or above. For those of you who also enjoy this format this device is priceless in my experience.

Pardon Our Interruption...

It says it's faulty, but i would bet a reset, or firmware might solve it. It could be that the previous owner tried to use faulty XLR to RCA adapters.

 

[Sokel]

FYI , I just got this from EBay alerts. I still thonk this the best addition to my audio chain, I have thousand of MC albums and 90% of my tv and movies are 5.1 or above. For those of you who also enjoy this format this device is priceless in my experience.

Pardon Our Interruption...

It says it's faulty, but i would bet a reset, or firmware might solve it. It could be that the previous owner tried to use faulty XLR to RCA adapters.

???
"Item was brand new and sent out to a customer who returned the item saying that there was a hum through the speakers and an error message"

Are we serious here?This should be priced 10 euro tops for someone curious to gut it or something.

 

[dziemian]

If it displays ERR the unit is defective and I dont think it is going to be easy fix. I would rather wait for Fosi Audio multichannel than loose money on this.

DAC ERR

Unit may be defective

Disconnect all the inputs and outputs of DM7 and reboot. If that still not works, unit is considered defective.

 

[dartinbout]

If it displays ERR the unit is defective and I dont think it is going to be easy fix. I would rather wait for Fosi Audio multichannel than loose money on this.

DAC ERR

Unit may be defective

Disconnect all the inputs and outputs of DM7 and reboot. If that still not works, unit is considered defective.

Well obviously there is a certain amount of risk but, if it was shipped locally (eliminating the onerous charge to the US), it would be a gamble. I still think that there is a good chance of user error. Funky USB cable, re-flash the firmware, verification on the proper XLR cable connections. As the unit rarely come up for re-sale. Your individual opinions as to the quality the unit not withstanding, I still insist the unit is unique enough to be worth the gamble if your local music collection and amplifiers are capable of realizing it's worth. Just my opinion obviously my but it's after spending the $$ on various multichannel pre-pros and soundcards, this thing is the bomb!

 

[dziemian]

The seller runs a shop with hifi equipment I an pretty sure he has checked that dac before putting it on ebay. It does is defective. The question is if it is serviceable, at what cost if ppssible at all. In that case it is a simple waste of money. How much are you going bet?

 

[dartinbout]

The seller runs a shop with hifi equipment I an pretty sure he has checked that dac before putting it on ebay. It does is defective. The question is if it is serviceable, at what cost if ppssible at all. In that case it is a simple waste of money. How much are you going bet?

If I didn't have a DM7 already, I'd simply ask the seller if the previous steps had been taken. Otherwise, I'd just get an Okto Research DAC9 Pro for $1400. Every couple of months I get a glitch when I try to play native MC DSD and get only buzz through all channels of the DM7. I reset the unit and reinstall the latest driver and Viola all fixed. I think it's a buffer issue but I'm not overly worried about it.

 

[Roland68]

Well obviously there is a certain amount of risk but, if it was shipped locally (eliminating the onerous charge to the US), it would be a gamble. I still think that there is a good chance of user error. Funky USB cable, re-flash the firmware, verification on the proper XLR cable connections. As the unit rarely come up for re-sale. Your individual opinions as to the quality the unit not withstanding, I still insist the unit is unique enough to be worth the gamble if your local music collection and amplifiers are capable of realizing it's worth. Just my opinion obviously my but it's after spending the $$ on various multichannel pre-pros and soundcards, this thing is the bomb!

No dealer will sell a functioning DAC for that price without having checked the fault.
Three of my friends have already failed (and been refunded), which is why I decided not to buy them.

 

[dartinbout]

No dealer will sell a functioning DAC for that price without having checked the fault.
Three of my friends have already failed (and been refunded), which is why I decided not to buy them.

$125 ain't a "buy it now" price. I'm following it to just see what it goes for. I'm curious if somebody would take a gamble. I have mine and love it. If I didn't get the DM7, when it was on offer, I would have kept the Okto DAC 8 Pro (which also had the same glitch as my DM7, I mentioned earlier). If Topping produced a "DM8" with some added feature set (Atmos, ARC or a complementary "handie") at a fraction of the Okto, I might consider an upgrade. In the meantime, I'll keep enjoyting the 1000's of 5.1 channel, TV and movies available. Naysayers, IMHO, can sit in a circle and relish coating a cracker, for a snack.

 

[SeanTek]

I have also been looking for a 7.1 multichannel DAC 8-channel multichannel DAC for 7.1 surround sound, which led me to the (now long-) discontinued Topping DM7. I ended up looking through several threads and compiling this updated (12/31/2025) list, if it helps anyone:

There is no clear winner, with a mix of many price points and certain features that are there or are omitted. I was a little surprised that the maximum bit rate and frequency values are quite different with different products, and with different price points as well. The red items (Topping DM7 and Creative Sound Blaster X3) are discontinued but I put them in the table anyway for comparison.

 

[welwynnick]

I think the MOTU Ultralite Mk5 is one of the best performance / price bargains around, so if you think that's too expensive, you won't like my list (and I deleted several PrismSound, AVID, DAD and DirectOut converters because they were so expensive):

The best value options IMHO are in bold.
I would resist the temptation to consider Glennsound, Behringer, Crestron, Ferrofish, Tascam, Penta or Dangerous Music

 

[Roland68]

I have also been looking for a 7.1 multichannel DAC, which led me to the (now long-) discontinued Topping DM7. I ended up looking through several threads and compiling this updated (12/31/2025) list, if it helps anyone:

Manufacturer	Model	Channels	Connectors	12V Trigger	DAC Chip	USB Max	DSD/DSP/Notes	bit/kHz	Price (List)
Topping	DM7	TRS	In, Out	ES9038PRO	?	DSD128, DoP64	32/192
Okto	dac8 PRO	XLR	Out	ESS?	Async, UAC2.0	DSD128	24/192
MiniDSP	Flex HT	RCA	Out	ADI ADSP21489 @400MHz	UAC2.0, ASIO	DSP, DIRAC, HDMI e-ARC	32/96 [32/48]
MiniDSP	Flex HTx	TRS+RCA	Out	ADI ADSP21489 @400MHz	UAC2.0, ASIO	DSP, DIRAC, HDMI e-ARC	32/96 [32/48]
Creative	Sound Blaster X3	3.5mm	None	Asahi Kasei AKM AK4458VN DAC	ASIO	DSP	32/192
Creative	Sound Blaster X4	3.5mm	None	CIRRUS LOGIC CS4382	ASIO	DSP	24/96
Creative	Sound Blaster Audigy Fx V2 + V2 DBPro	3.5mm	None	Realtek ALC1220	(PCI-e) ASIO	DSD256	24/192
MOTU	UltraLite mk5	TRS	None	ESS Sabre32	UAC, ASIO	DSP	32/192
Focusrite	Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen.	TRS	None	CS chip	ASIO	DSP	24/192

[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$599

[/td]
[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$1,500

[/td]
[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$599

[/td]
[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$949

[/td]
[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$99.99

[/td]
[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$139.99

[/td]
[td]
8

[/td]
[td]
$72.98

[/td]
[td]
10

[/td]
[td]
$699.95

[/td]
[td]
10

[/td]
[td]
$749.99

[/td]​

These were too expensive (in my opinion):

exaSound	s88 Mark II	XLR+RCA	Out	ES9038PRO	DSD512, DXD 352.8	32/384
MOTU	USB 3.0
MOTU
RME	Fireface 802 FS
Trinnov	Nova

[td width="53pt"]
8

[/td]
[td width="68pt"]
$7,223

[/td]
[td]
828

[/td]
[td]
$1,095

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[td]
1248

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[td]
$1,495

[/td]
[td]
$2,299

[/td]
[td]
6

[/td]
[td]
$4,200

[/td]​

There is no clear winner, with a mix of many price points and certain features that are there or are omitted. I was a little surprised that the maximum bit rate and frequency values are quite different with different products, and with different price points as well. The red items (Topping DM7 and Creative Sound Blaster X3) are discontinued but I put them in the table anyway for comparison.

Don't confuse 8-channel DACs like the DM7 or DAC8 Pro with surround sound formats like 7.1.
They are completely unrelated.