Topping DM7 8-Channel DAC Review

[dartinbout]

Geez, everyone, this is a box of finger paints to play with. Here's some ASR heresy to gag on. You can run 2 channel music as 2.1, 3.1 all the way through 7.1. I'm listening to live Billie Holiday right now as 5.1, and the imaginary room the DM7 paints, is wonderful. I also like to listen to 5.1 music but, symphonic music gets a boost in the rear channels, some jazz gets a reduction in center channel. Action movies get boosted rear\side channels. Rom-coms get a center channel boost. I use the DM7 to smear colors all over my MLP. Audio is frequently treated in these pages as if they're "Satanic Rituals" and one false move will raise Beelzebub who'll eat your face. I thinks we forget these are toys and we are all just 8 years old, playing in the basement, until Mom calls.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Looks perfect for implementing a Linkwitz LX 521.4 or any other DIY speaker need a 4 way crossover.

 

[Hamishn]

A new firmware supporting independent channel volume control is coming.

Thank you very much for having built almost exactly what I need for my 4-way stereo speaker system. I have purchased a DM7 and I look forward to integrating it into my system. I note, though, that in an active 4-way system with DSP crossovers, any time one wants to make a change to the crossover or to the system equalization, one needs at least one input as part of the same ASIO device that is driving the speakers in order to have sample-accurate readout from the measurement microphone. I will have to continue using my old 8-output RME Multiface II for that function, and when I am happy with new crossovers and equalization, I would switch all 8 channels over to the DM7. But if there were one not terribly high performance line (or microphone) input, I would never have to remove the DM7 from the loop. Now that I think about it, even a word clock input or output would allow me to tie together an adc with a microphone input, but of course that assumes I have an adc with a microphone input and word clock in my drawer.

 

[Mowz]

Does this advice not to connect it to an unbalanced amp include subwoofers? I have svs 3000s that run unbalanced to which I want this connected. Is that a mistake? Thanks.

 

[dartinbout]

My powered Paradigm S15 SW works fine. Power cycling the DM7 does make it go "Womp" though

 

[Mowz]

That was m

My powered Paradigm S15 SW works fine. Power cycling the DM7 does make it go "Womp" though

That was my experience today (first day with it) but I'm not noticing any distortion. I'm not a fan of the womp. I wonder if these will help?

https://www.fullcompass.com/searchresults.php?search_simple=true&txtAll=NA2F-D2B-TX

They were mentioned 1,095,8150,918 posts ago as a second best solution to a much more expensive solution, and one that would probably work best with tub amps/subs where distortion would be less obvious.

 

[Ibanez]

There is an Dac that has inbuilt DSP for at least active crossovers, Danville Signal DSPNexus 2/8 or 2/16 but as soon a good DSP is implemented the price will increase pretty much, like Dsp Nexus 2 in 8 out (2 XLR and/or USB in and 8 XLR out), $3000, hefty price, but if one considering an Okto Dac 8 pro and Acourate convolver and crossover, the price does not differ very much if you need to buy a decent pc €1000, Windows Licence, Acourate Convolver €150, Acourate Tool Box €340, Okto Dac 8 Pro with Apple remote 1686 €, then the Danville DspNexus 2/8 complete solution is not far way even if importing it to eu. The this new from Topping withiut any dsp software, which is not really needed when there is both free and paid programs for thand problably it sounds as goood as my Okto Dac 8 Pro, i wouldn't be suprised if it did.

There’s no consumer codec available for spatial audio (Atmos, etc.)

No there is not any software codec that lets you route to specifi channels, but a codec exist in windows for connecting to AVR or compatible heasphones , Dolby Access and DTS:X Ultra apps, to decode the given spatial audio in games and movies. But i think this will come in time when people will buy multichannel dacs for multi purpose enetertainment in livingrooms, not just as it is now, for multi-way speaker systems in an extremem hobbyist world or for movies most often with an avr. And why i belive that is gonna happen is that all consumer AVR:s dsp:s tend to downsample everything to 48khz, and they actually dont sound that good with music, had an Marantz Sr7010, sold it in favour of the Okto,

Stay as far away as you can from that train wreck

Deqx is still the proven all in 1, they have a new series about to launch that is even simpler to use. Very expensive though. Hopefully Amir can get his hands on one sometime

Danville Signal DSP Nexus 2/8 or 2/16 is another DAC with DSP all in one box. but only targeted for active crossover i believe.

 

[pos]

My powered Paradigm S15 SW works fine. Power cycling the DM7 does make it go "Womp" though

Am I getting this correctly: you mean turning the DM7 (or attached computer) off and on produces a noise on the outputs?

 

[dartinbout]

I just get the "Womp" from the the rca connected powered sub. It's not horrible but the sub is HUGE and I have it's volume set too high (probably, but I like the slam). There is no other noticeable sound from the other channels during a change in signal (power or when I switch DACs with the a 3 into 3 stereo XLR switch). The Okto Dac 8 Pro did the same. All things considered, the DM7 is perfect for my large multichannel music library and my voracious appetite for surround TV\Movies.

 

[Fedde]

How does this per channel volume work? I presume this is relative to master volume (e.g. -6 dB for channel1 and +2 dB for channel2 relative to master volume)? Is it also possible to set volume (directly) per stereo pair, so for channel1+2, 3+4, 5+6 and 7+8?

Secondly, any feedback on device driver stability? Are the drivers solid enough?

 

[Mowz]

Am I getting this correctly: you mean turning the DM7 (or attached computer) off and on produces a noise on the outputs?

I am on the RCA terminated connections to 2 powered subwoofers. Not an issue on proper xlr connections to the amps for my passive speakers.

 

[pos]

OK so that noise/DC is supposedly taken care of with balanced signals.
That means that any less-than-ideal input stage (eg low CMRR) or failure mode might let some of that noise through.
That is not something I would be comfortable with in an active crossover setup with digital volume control.

Balanced connections are not meant to cover for deficiencies in the devices themselves...

 

[dartinbout]

How does this per channel volume work? I presume this is relative to master volume (e.g. -6 dB for channel1 and +2 dB for channel2 relative to master volume)? Is it also possible to set volume (directly) per stereo pair, so for channel1+2, 3+4, 5+6 and 7+8?

Secondly, any feedback on device driver stability? Are the drivers solid enough?

There is a manual for the updated firmware. https://www.tpdz.net/newsinfo/664554.html.

 

[dartinbout]

OK so that noise/DC is supposedly taken care of with balanced signals.
That means that any less-than-ideal input stage (eg low CMRR) or failure mode might let some of that noise through.
That is not something I would be comfortable with in an active crossover setup with digital volume control.

Balanced connections are not meant to cover for deficiencies in the devices themselves...

I wouldn't characterize this as distortion so much as the way rca signal is passed. One "Whomp" and it's over.

 

[pos]

One "Whomp" and it's over.

So is your driver if it is fragile (eg a tweeter or compression driver in an active crossover scenario).

 

[dartinbout]

Don't know. Everything else in the chain is balanced connected. I don't do any active crossovers in the chain. I do the crossover in JR and have multiple zones set for different kinds of use. I've been running a surround setup since the 90's and my library loves it.

 

[pos]

Yes it is most probably safe for your use case, but for me this is a design flaw that rules it out of any active crossover duty.

 

[MCH]

@JohnYang1997 commented about using unbalanced amps a few pages back. Not very encouraging:

Post in thread 'Topping DM7 8-Channel DAC Review' https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...g-dm7-8-channel-dac-review.35661/post-1264672

 

[dartinbout]

I'm still really unclear as to why people want to turn this fairly unique device into something it is not. If you don't have a balanced multichannel amp, to connect directly to this dac, it's not for you. If you are looking to create a complex set of of hardware crossovers, using a MINIDSP, a bicycle attached to a sewing machine powered by a Krug coffee maker, have fun but no magic fairy dust will make the DM7 do anything in this hardware chain. One of ASR geniis might find a way but it is sure to be a convoluted mess. In the meantime, I'll be watching Top Gun and ducking when little Cruizee strafes my hairline later today.

 

[Fedde]

Fully agree. And I would always use a protection cap for an expensive tweeter anyway. And probably a series resistor to make (effective) SNR better and to reduce driver distortion.