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Topping DM7 8-Channel DAC Review

Rate this DAC:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 7 2.2%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 18 5.7%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 52 16.4%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 241 75.8%

  • Total voters
    318

Music1969

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It looks like it’s driverless on the Mac, which ‘should’ mean it’s class compliant. Since it’s just a straight 8 out device with no routing or mixing, there’s a good chance it’ll be ok.
Yeh Focusite is class compliant too.

Just ask anyone who uses it on Linux for multichannel, if it works.

It doesn't.

So class compliant almost means nothing to me. from practical experience

We need to know what Linux kernel version was tested (if tested) for 8 channel support.

Or wait for someone to buy and test
 

thorvat

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i dont think so. this would send a full range signal to the lxminis. it has no internal dsp for each channel

DSP has to be done on the player side and then processed channels are passed via USB. To be able to do this DAC has to be recognised by ALSA as multichannel. It would come handy if @amirm can test this.
 
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restorer-john

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Please excuse my ignorance but what or how would an 8 channel DAC be used?

It's a new Topping innovation- spare DACs inside the box. When one DAC fails, you've got some spares. Should last quite a few years. ;)
 

respice finem

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The DAC seems fine enough (in fact measures amazingly well), but is the left button askew?
That's why it's safer to have round buttons :cool:

Sidenote: It has become common (with smaller devices and clean, minimalistic designs) to have only the manufacturer and model printed on the box.
No problem with one, but if you build a "tower" of several different ones, it might become confusing which is which (and which remote is for which, if the remotes are equally "minimalistic".
 

digicidal

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It's a new Topping innovation- spare DACs inside the box. When one DAC fails, you've got some spares. Should last quite a few years. ;)
Shots fired! :)

Personally I think this is great and I'll definitely order one. Not sure if/when I'll move to a 100% PC-based front-end in my media room... but being able to use it for a mix of multichannel audio and gaming in my office will be much appreciated. Plus I'll have a better justification for all these powered monitors I keep buying because of reasons. :D
 

da Choge

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I am not sure I understand the model numbering though. DM7?
I guess 7.1 = 8? This may just be the very affordable multichannel DAC I've been looking for. But not nearly enough information, as of yet. Can it handle multichannel DSD over USB? For those of us that have .dsd/.dsf files from SACD rips, this could be the ticket for multichannel music. For those looking to Atmos spacial surround music formats, well that may be another thing down the road.

You could send your front L & R channels through your balanced stereo amp, but the remaining 5.1 (or 3.1) channels might have to go through your AVR multichannel inputs for amplification/routing. Still have to deal with the slightly problematic balanced to single-ended conversion cables, but I'm really interested in this unit. If this is Linux-compatible and you use Roon/JRiver and have a powerful-enough processor to do DSP/convolutions, then you may have all the multichannel-music processing you need. Just thinking . . .
 
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respice finem

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Interesting to see people still wanting coax/spdif inputs.
Stopped using those years ago. Wouldnt want to pay more for outdated legacy connectivity.
I still have good use for at least toslink, for a very basic stereo "living room setup": active speakers (JBL 308), a TV, a bluray player and a HTPC. Thus, I don't have to get an AVR for it.
 

martijn86

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Thanks for a 12v trigger and build-in power supply! But with only a USB input, will this even work with a MiniDSP Flex Digital? That would be a perfect stack if you ask me!

Sidenote for @amirm : The jitter graph seems broken. There is nothing recorded in the 100-140dB band, no skirt around the signal... It looks like your overpriced measuring equipment was testing an internal loop.
 

Rja4000

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In the simplest case is for multichannel music or movie playback (if you can decode the latter prior to sending it the DAC). Another application is building multi-way active speakers. Then you need 2 or more channels for each speaker.
Sure
But then why didn't they include inputs for such use ?
I expect at least an HDMI input, and/or a TOSLink/ADAT input...
 

restorer-john

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That's why it's safer to have round buttons

Actually, the round buttons are worse- they rotate!

It's all about tolerances and care. It's most likely just a 2 cent plastic button sitting on top of a 1 cent tactile PCB switch.

Hardly up to the standards of old, where the entire power switch 'experience' meant a damped metal mechanism, springs, guide rails and sealing felt etc all attached to a lit switch, flush with the escutcheon,* where the LED shone through the 'power' letters. Probably cost as much as this whole little box of DACs.

* everyone should use the word escutcheon at least once in their lives. :)
 

respice finem

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Actually, the round buttons are worse- they rotate!

It's all about tolerances and care. It's most likely just a 2 cent plastic button sitting on top of a 1 cent tactile PCB switch.

Hardly up to the standards of old, where the entire power switch 'experience' meant a damped metal mechanism, springs, guide rails and sealing felt etc all attached to a lit switch, flush with the escutcheon,* where the LED shone through the 'power' letters. Probably cost as much as this whole little box of DACs.

* everyone should use the word escutcheon at least once in their lives. :)
Price is a factor... I've never noticed that the round ones rotate, but it seems obvious that they may.
Would hardly annoy me, but slanted rectangular switches would. They make stuff look like a "garage build" somehow.
 

AudioJester

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I still have good use for at least toslink, for a very basic stereo "living room setup": active speakers (JBL 308), a TV, a bluray player and a HTPC. Thus, I don't have to get an AVR for it.

Understood. But for a 2 channel setup, why an 8 channel dac?
I have a similar HT setup 5.3.2, with multiple sources, projector etc. An AVR is much more useful than a multichannel dac there, I have an Okto 8 as well.

If I was buying now would probably save money and pick the Topping over Okto, doubt there would be an audible difference in my multichannel speaker setup.
 

Doodski

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Actually, the round buttons are worse- they rotate!

It's all about tolerances and care. It's most likely just a 2 cent plastic button sitting on top of a 1 cent tactile PCB switch.

Hardly up to the standards of old, where the entire power switch 'experience' meant a damped metal mechanism, springs, guide rails and sealing felt etc all attached to a lit switch, flush with the escutcheon,* where the LED shone through the 'power' letters. Probably cost as much as this whole little box of DACs.

* everyone should use the word escutcheon at least once in their lives. :)
The Japanese standards for front panel manufacturing make this look like amateur hour. I guess the machining of the switch hole is difficult as compared to casting a high accuracy plastic panel with a bazzilion holes in a front panel assembly and with mounts for the switching assemblies. /sarcasm_off. :D
 

Neslo1108

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Any info on the type of opamp (OPA 1612) used? It has balanced output so quite a few are needed
What clock is used?
Can it run in kernel mode from PC?
 

ppataki

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(Very) Long awaited product! :)
Excellent job @JohnYang1997
KUDOS!

If I may add that it would be really awesome to see multichannel amplifiers too....especially FDAs (Full Digital Amp) with a USB input and available with different channel count so it would be scalable for the customer
 

DavidMcRoy

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I'm struggling to understand how this device can be used in a multichannel surround system. Can it do anything that can or cannot be done by an AVR or surround processor? Is there software that allows it to be used as a DSP incorporating high-pass and low-pass filters, PEQ, channel levels, phase and delay so that it acts like a miniDSP or Dayton Audio DSP-408 but with digital input? How do I get a Dolby Digital 7.1 stream into it? Can it decode that? (Obviously it doesn't support Dolby Atmos in any way, as far as I can see.)
 

Blumlein 88

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Actually, the round buttons are worse- they rotate!

It's all about tolerances and care. It's most likely just a 2 cent plastic button sitting on top of a 1 cent tactile PCB switch.

Hardly up to the standards of old, where the entire power switch 'experience' meant a damped metal mechanism, springs, guide rails and sealing felt etc all attached to a lit switch, flush with the escutcheon,* where the LED shone through the 'power' letters. Probably cost as much as this whole little box of DACs.

* everyone should use the word escutcheon at least once in their lives. :)
Those actually seem to give more trouble with age than say a good quality toggle switch from C&K. The C&K switch felt okay, and was reliable. Should it fail was easy to source and replace for a reasonable price.
 

Doodski

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Those actually seem to give more trouble with age than say a good quality toggle switch from C&K. The C&K switch felt okay, and was reliable. Should it fail was easy to source and replace for a reasonable price.
With the Japanese gear they commonly used the same AC switch behind that assembly of push buttons, spring and push shaft etc. So the switches could be ordered from many manufactures or old parts units could be cannibalized. It was pretty easy to deal with.
 
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