Topping DM7 8-Channel DAC Review

[Dave Bullet]

Sadly- my laptop crashed inbetween backups. I had v1.18 (and used it successfully on my DM7) but no longer have the .bin file

 

[dartinbout]

Hi, does anyone have the DM7 FW available to share? I downloaded the FW from Toppings website and it turns out, it was for the E70. They linked it incorrectly so now I have a DM7 with the "MCU no FW" message.

@TOPPING-Service any help?

Yikes! I saw that as well, but i didn't install it as my firmware is already 1.18. I did see the E70 filename. The download support page is all jacked up with "File Not Found" for multiple entries. Everything I was interested was all dated 5\21\2024 anyway. Sadly, I don't have the proper bin file either.

 

[boxerfan88]

Hi, does anyone have the DM7 FW available to share? I downloaded the FW from Toppings website and it turns out, it was for the E70. They linked it incorrectly so now I have a DM7 with the "MCU no FW" message.

@TOPPING-Service any help?

Here you go: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qxBfskzPJLgsbSMzRkdtWey4ubOBUduH?usp=sharing

uploaded both copies from my archive -- 1.17 and 1.18 firmware.

 

[dartinbout]

The firmware download page appears to have been corrected with right bin file. https://www.toppingaudio.com/zh-download/dm7-v1-18gu-jian-sheng-ji

 

[dped90]

The firmware download page appears to have been corrected with right bin file. https://www.toppingaudio.com/zh-download/dm7-v1-18gu-jian-sheng-ji

Pardon the off topic question, but have you found a remote volume/mute solution that works better for you
than the DM7's highly directional remote?

 

[Ncesar]

This is a superb product for those looking to do active crossovers on a PC, or decode 7.1 surround sound and run home theatre without an AV receiver. Other 8 channels DAC's cost drastically more, and/or perform worse.

How can we decode 7.1 surround sound and run home theatre without an AV receiver?
What is needed?

 

[radeon]

How can we decode 7.1 surround sound and run home theatre without an AV receiver?
What is needed?

Any Apple device can do it. Plug the dac into an Apple device and assign the proper channels in the Apple sound settings, then use VLC for playback. Not so easy with windows, but most likely still possible.

 

[levimax]

How can we decode 7.1 surround sound and run home theatre without an AV receiver?
What is needed?

With windows it will cost you $400 per year (and a lot of work setting it up) https://professional.dolby.com/product/media-processing-and-delivery/dme---dolby-media-encoder/

How To Decode and Play Dolby TrueHD Atmos on Windows and macOS

Yes, you read the title correctly. Here is a little background and all the information you'll need to decode and play lossless Dolby TrueHD with Atmos on a Windows or macOS computer, without the need for HDMI output. Housekeeping There are two codecs used with Dolby Atmos content. Lossy - Dolby D...

audiophilestyle.com

 

[MWC]

Foobar is able to do channel mapping so I think it may well be possible to do this in Windows, & with a free player.

 

[levimax]

Foobar is able to do channel mapping so I think it may well be possible to do this in Windows, & with a free player.

There is more to it than channel mapping, you need to decode the Dolby encoded audio and you need to pay to do it on a PC anyway.

 

[MWC]

There is more to it than channel mapping, you need to decode the Dolby encoded audio and you need to pay to do it on a PC anyway.

So can one decode the Dolby encoded audio as in the 'How To' you linked to using MakeMKV & mkvtoolnix which are free apps., to produce .mlpa files which one could convert to PCM via apps like xRecode3?
I just tested this hypothesis & ended up with an 8ch flac file that seems to sound fine, but maybe the process is limited to 7.1.

 

[ernestcarl]

There is more to it than channel mapping, you need to decode the Dolby encoded audio and you need to pay to do it on a PC anyway.

Besides the complexity of setting up the DSP, VLC/media player classic can already play the usual 5.1 and 7.1 files for a long time... and there's makeMKV for discs. One used to be able to stream multichannel audio via the Disney+ and Netflix apps in Windows. Now they have deprecated those features probably due to piracy -- just a guess. Fewer reasons for me to use Windows...

 

[levimax]

So can one decode the Dolby encoded audio as in the 'How To' you linked to using MakeMKV & mkvtoolnix which are free apps., to produce .mlpa files which one could convert to PCM via apps like xRecode3?
I just tested this hypothesis & ended up with an 8ch flac file that seems to sound fine, but maybe the process is limited to 7.1.

I think you are right but don't know for sure. The old Dolby 5.1 and 7.1 have been hacked already, I didn't know about "xRecode3" but it looks pretty useful. As far as I know Atmos has not yet been hacked so you have to pay Dolby for the time being at least. History would say it is just a matter of time.

 

[MWC]

I think you are right but don't know for sure. The old Dolby 5.1 and 7.1 have been hacked already, I didn't know about "xRecode3" but it looks pretty useful. As far as I know Atmos has not yet been hacked so you have to pay Dolby for the time being at least. History would say it is just a matter of time.

Re hacking. The Dolby Reference Player is available if one was to go looking for it.
Re xRecode3. This useful app., is ridiculously cheap to buy a lifetime license which gives one free updates for life too.

 

[dreadknot]

does anyone know if plugging the dm7 into the nvidia shield will handle/decode all audio output for my amps , id be using 1/4 to xlr cables
would i get from the app's like prime video,netfilx,disney+, an apple tv+ ?

 

[AudioJester]

does anyone know if plugging the dm7 into the nvidia shield will handle/decode all audio output for my amps , id be using 1/4 to xlr cables
would i get from the app's like prime video,netfilx,disney+, an apple tv+ ?

Probably better off with an AV processor

 

[Kal Rubinson]

does anyone know if plugging the dm7 into the nvidia shield will handle/decode all audio output for my amps , id be using 1/4 to xlr cables
would i get from the app's like prime video,netfilx,disney+, an apple tv+ ?

It is a digital-to-analog converter. It does not do any decoding.

 

[formdissolve]

does anyone know if plugging the dm7 into the nvidia shield will handle/decode all audio output for my amps , id be using 1/4 to xlr cables
would i get from the app's like prime video,netfilx,disney+, an apple tv+ ?

I sold my Shield, but I'm pretty sure that USB out only supports 2 channel in PCM mode.

 

[dartinbout]

I sold my Shield, but I'm pretty sure that USB out only supports 2 channel in PCM mode.

My multi-channel wave files play perfectly (5.1 and 7.1) out my pc's USB via the Toppings driver (as well as DTS, DSF and DFF). I do have to use WASAPI for my quad files though, as 4 channel gets mis-mapped with Toppings ASIO.

 

[formdissolve]

My multi-channel wave files play perfectly (5.1 and 7.1) out my pc's USB via the Toppings driver (as well as DTS, DSF and DFF). I do have to use WASAPI for my quad files though, as 4 channel gets mis-mapped with Toppings ASIO.

I was referring to the Shield's USB output mode