Topping DM7 8-Channel DAC Review

[sarumbear]

Just curious about the balanced outputs.
Are most commentators now using balanced equipment, or are people converting outputs to unbalanced?
In my case, I'd need unbalanced, so unfortunately this piece of equipment is not right for me.

Do you read what you wrote. If you ask the question: "are people converting outputs to unbalanced" it means you know that they can be converted. However on the next sentence you said this equipment is not for you?

 

[Rednaxela]

Tea time @sarumbear.

 

[sarumbear]

I am obliged to mention that Mac -> USB -> multichannel DAC -> active speakers does work for atmos in apple music and tv because it is a niche (corner?) use case that matters to me. I don't make the rules.

Can you please explain where channels are set? I.e. speakers are set up?

 

[abdo123]

Can you please explain where that is set?

What are you asking exactly?

 

[abdo123]

I am obliged to mention that Mac -> USB -> multichannel DAC -> active speakers does work for atmos in apple music and tv because it is a niche (corner?) use case that matters to me. I don't make the rules.

What about things like Netflix and Disney plus? Do you at least get 5.1 output?

 

[Trell]

This thread has gone off the rails. It looks like a device like multi-ch DAC is above the knowledge level of many members and their questions are so whacky that it is impossible to answer.

It’s off the rails because so many wants so much more than what is offered from a simple eight channel DAC in a HT environment use case.

So questions are asked and they find out they need to learn how to use a software stack to take advantage of it, no small task in it self, really. No HDMI sources that has any copy protection will work and codec decoding is a major issue as well.

For most of these posters an AVR is the better choice and the chances are that you won’t hear any difference either.

Edit: I use an AVR in my HT, and for home office I explicitly don’t want to mess with various software for EQ on Windows so Genelec GLM for my monitors/subwoofer and RME ADI-2 DAC FS for headphone amp as well as DSP.

Could I do it all in software on my PC for my home office? Absolutely! I’ve been a professional software developer for over thirty years as well programming since I was a child. In my time I’ve used many operating systems and various programming languages.

I’ve contributed to several open source projects, including testing on unusual hardware, run servers at home etc.

Now I quite simply wants things to work at home as simply as possible: I want to watch a movie or listening to music, not spend time on poorly documented software and whatnot.

 

[sarumbear]

What are you asking exactly?

I am asking where the speakers are set. The minimum Atmos speakers setup is 5.1.2, which this DAC can theoretically support, but where on the MacOS those speakers are set, how do we know which of the 8 outputs go to which speaker?

 

[mkt]

Can you please explain where channels are set? I.e. speakers are set up?

Audio MIDI setup

 

[mga2009]

Excellent performance again!

This was tested with ASIO, but does it work with WDM? E-APO does not work (out of the "box" at least) with ASIO api.

If this works "easily" with E-APO then this is an awesome product for those (like me) who use PC as media source. It's just the best soundcard ever. Also, as stated before in the thread, it might also work with Rpi+CamillaDSP for a music streamer with dsp+active XO; couple this with some HypeX amps (BuckEye) and you can build a 100% active system with SOTA performance under USD$1500ish + speakers (active 3 ways + 2SW).

 

[sarumbear]

Audio MIDI setup
View attachment 218089

That is sick - as a 72yo will say

What happens when you play a film with an Atmos track, does the audio track gets decoded similarly? Or, is decoding only available for Apple Music tracks?

 

[Enkay25]

Kodi on PC -> DM7-> amplifier

 

[mga2009]

Audio MIDI setup
View attachment 218089

I have a question for you (if that picture was taken from your system)...

When you play -in your MAC with atmos support- an MKV file with atmos (I think they exist) or you stream a show with Atmos suppor (netflix, appleTV, or whatever) do you really get ATMOS audio?

The video a few posts back explains that some ATMOS audio streams do work in apple music, but what about video?

 

[mga2009]

Kodi on PC -> DM7-> amplifier

That would work, but limited to movie/audio files played within KODI. If using E-APO as EQ, room EQ, XO, etc. you can use it system wide (games, stream services, etc.)

 

[Whoareyou]

Do you read what you wrote. If you ask the question: "are people converting outputs to unbalanced" it means you know that they can be converted. However on the next sentence you said this equipment is not for you?

Perhaps this will help you understand my comment.

In other DAC reviews, I thought I'd seen @JohnYang1997 comment that you should not convert between balanced to unbalanced (maybe I'm not remembering correctly). Not a big deal, since most of Topping's DACs have some variant with the outputs you need to use with your existing equipment.

This DAC only has the balanced version, so no choice here.

This DAC is not for me if outputs shouldn't/can't be converted due to some technical limitation.

 

[Atanasi]

Be assured that unless it is asked to do, software works on mathematical formulae to process the digital signal and no noise or artefacts are added.

There are no ideal digital filters even in theory unless you can accept infinite latency (non-realtime processing). Digital filters are compromises between distortion, computational complexity and latency.

 

[sarumbear]

Perhaps this will help you understand my comment.

In other DAC reviews, I thought I'd seen @JohnYang1997 comment that you should not convert between balanced to unbalanced (maybe I'm not remembering correctly). Not a big deal, since most of Topping's DACs have some variant with the outputs you need to use with your existing equipment.

This DAC only has the balanced version, so no choice here.

This DAC is not for me if outputs shouldn't/can't be converted due to some technical limitation.

There is no technical limitation to convert a balance output to unbalanced. You simply use one half of it! You must have misinterpreted what is said.

 

[sarumbear]

There are no ideal digital filters even in theory unless you can accept infinite latency (non-realtime processing). Digital filters are compromises between distortion, computational complexity and latency.

Why is everyone so argumentative? Those digital "errors" will be below the resolution of the output signal if the math applied correctly. That means there are no added artefacts to the signal that can be found at the output.

 

[mkt]

I have a question for you (if that picture was taken from your system)...

When you play -in your MAC with atmos support- an MKV file with atmos (I think they exist) or you stream a show with Atmos suppor (netflix, appleTV, or whatever) do you really get ATMOS audio?

The video a few posts back explains that some ATMOS audio streams do work in apple music, but what about video?

My experience is that I only get atmos through Apple Music and Apple TV. I don't recall success through safari or local files :-(

 

[mkt]

That is sick - as a 72yo will say

What happens when you play a film with an Atmos track, does the audio track gets decoded similarly? Or, is decoding only available for Apple Music tracks?

My experience is that I only get atmos through Apple Music and Apple TV. I don't recall success through safari or local files. (I get 5.1 for local files).
EDIT. Sorry for the repeat reply

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Hi hum….another great product…what i want is the panther in the garden…HOW ARE THINGS IN THE GARDEN panther wise.