Topping DM7 8-Channel DAC Review

[sarumbear]

I get that, and that's great for anyone with the patience, but it strikes me as a rather kludgy approach.

This device is not a replacement for an AVR. The only thing similar is, this DAC and an AVR both process more than two channels.

What the world needs is a "popular priced" 7.1.4 AV switcher/processor with DAC performance that approaches this box and that supports Dolby Atmos. I've been limping along with the pre-outs of a dodgy Pioneer AVR for that for too long.

What we indeed need is for the AVR companies to up their game by offering better specifications -- full stop!

 

[poopy]

I think the multi channel market would go crazy if there was a good, easy to use DSP package for room correction, active crossover and surround etc. But seems like multi channels DACs are for multichannel audio playback only.

There exists already such a solution: JRiver with Dirac multichannel VST plugin. You use whichever multichannel DAC you want.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Edit:Forgot to post how you choose:

Good to know but, since I do not use foobar, you should tell that to the guy who told us that it would not.

 

[monkeyboy]

A HDMI capture card might get you there, but you have HDCP to deal with. You’ll probably won’t get bitstream audio out of it.

SPDIF should work though, I currently use a 2 ch DAC w/ the SPDIF from the TV...I think it's limited to 5.1 I though, but I'd only be doing 3.1

 

[Kal Rubinson]

6.950 AUD but with all the others you get also this:

View attachment 217992

N.B.: Please note that due to supply chain shortages this product is not currently available for purchase !

 

[Sokel]

N.B.: Please note that due to supply chain shortages this product is not currently available for purchase !

I hope the chain supply shortages will last a long time,specifically for things like that

 

[levimax]

It is a fun project but it is still in beta, and looks to be abandoned. The last and only activity is a bug report that was not commented from seven years ago. It was written for an OS that was introduced in 2004, and reached EOL in 2014. A lot have changed at OS level during the last two decades...

Yea it looks like a better option is a VST plugin like this https://www.kvraudio.com/product/cr...ver is a plug-in,can also create bass-effects.

 

[suttondesign]

USB have enough bandwidth for multichannel.

Okay, help me here. Each channel going out from the Topping 8-channel DAC must go to an individual driver in a Linkwitz speaker. Therefore, it must have the EQ and crossover filters applied. If there is only one USB input into the DAC, where does the EQ and crossover filtering occur?

 

[sarumbear]

Yea it looks like a better option is a VST plugin like this https://www.kvraudio.com/product/crossover_by_rs_met#:~:text=CrossOver is a plug-in,can also create bass-effects.

On that page there is the following, which can be used for crossover among other processing options. Its publisher looks to be more trustworthy. It supports VST2, VST3 or AU.

 

[sarumbear]

If there is only one USB input into the DAC, where does the EQ and crossover filtering occur?

In the computer. The USB will carry the 8-ch signal.

 

[Holmz]

Imagine if future ones have wifi || bt lossless digital sent to it.. i could use my laptop from my couch for all of this + dsp/roon streaming,
Then i'd buy it, though i need only 2 channels, i know, rpi does this, but still..

8 channels is more than 2 channels.
So you have overkill.

If you had active XO, then those two channels would be 4,6 ,8 or 10 channels.

Exemplary performance as we've come to expect. Sure it is a hair off the top offerings, but if you only use USB as an input and can do with having only TRS outputs, this is such a steal even within Topping's own range.
…

After all the hoopla I order one the Topping amps.

The thing hissed like I was attending a Pentecostal revival.

 

[MenloBob]

Probably easier to show the path.

View attachment 217961

Nice. This is very hard to accomplish with the convolver outside of Roon, which is what you need if you have non Roon sources. It's such a shame Roon hasn't added input sources for RoonBridge.

 

[AudioJester]

If you are looking for a all in one solution ... there you go https://analog-precision.com/home/upp/

But don't say it is to expensive because otherwise you would need 2-4 different hardware and software units to do the same thing.

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

 

[amirm]

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

I thought I tested one and DAC quality was not great.

 

[amirm]

This is a super capable 2 channel DAC as well as 8 channel. You can get it for stereo use and have the option to play with multichannel stuff in the future. This is what I would buy it for.

 

[amirm]

The MOTU UltraLite-mk5 is also class compliant, and yet only seems to work with Linux kernels 5.10 and above.

What does that have to do with topping? Topping has created and shipped huge number of DACs that are class compliant. I see only a tiny possibility that they got this wrong.

 

[gvl]

Okay, help me here. Each channel going out from the Topping 8-channel DAC must go to an individual driver in a Linkwitz speaker. Therefore, it must have the EQ and crossover filters applied. If there is only one USB input into the DAC, where does the EQ and crossover filtering occur?

As someone answered already you do your crossover filters on a computer and assign them to multiple channels, and connect amps/drivers accordingly. I know you can use JRiver for this, I’m sure there are other software tools for this as well.

 

[RichB]

I am not sure how to use a 6 channel DAC unless it could be paired with something to extract HDMI audio and have separate level adjustments and basic bass management.

Still, a SOTA USB DAC that has a remote and trigger, be still my beating heart

- Rich

 

[suttondesign]

As someone answered already you do your crossover filters on a computer and assign them to multiple channels, and connect amps/drivers accordingly. I know you can use JRiver for this, I’m sure there are other software tools for this as well.

i truly cannot see how you assign eq’d channels in the topping 8 channel dac. there is one usb input. every output channel wil be identical. therefore, this cannot feed the linkwitz speaker individual drivers.

 

[mkt]

As someone who uses all 8 channels of a Okto Dac8 Pro (but would have preferred to not have waited so long), this thread is sort of a riot.