Topping DX5 II

[G-rig]

What's the app meant to do, just easier than using the remote?

 

[Bleib]

What's the app meant to do, just easier than using the remote?

Here it's used with Topping E50 II

 

[Bauhaus]

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/s/O3E8GdsOij

Someone got the Luxsin X8 pretty early.
It seems to be a really beautifully well built device. (Price is much higher)
The interior is really clean looking. I am impressed
What do you all think about it?

 

[JOCoin]

Good news for DX5ii owners who use headphones. A user here had noted that the product page now lists crossfeed as a feature. I had emailed topping service to confirm this and received this back.

"Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.
Yes, we will add this feature later. The firmware hasn't been officially released yet, so it's not available at the moment. Please wait about a month; we will add this feature in a firmware update on the official website."

 

[Bleib]

Good news for DX5ii owners who use headphones. A user here had noted that the product page now lists crossfeed as a feature. I had emailed topping service to confirm this and received this back.

"Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.
Yes, we will add this feature later. The firmware hasn't been officially released yet, so it's not available at the moment. Please wait about a month; we will add this feature in a firmware update on the official website."

Oh excellent

 

[satanicek666]

Good news for DX5ii owners who use headphones. A user here had noted that the product page now lists crossfeed as a feature. I had emailed topping service to confirm this and received this back.

"Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.
Yes, we will add this feature later. The firmware hasn't been officially released yet, so it's not available at the moment. Please wait about a month; we will add this feature in a firmware update on the official website."

Good news for DX5ii owners who use headphones. A user here had noted that the product page now lists crossfeed as a feature. I had emailed topping service to confirm this and received this back.

"Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.
Yes, we will add this feature later. The firmware hasn't been officially released yet, so it's not available at the moment. Please wait about a month; we will add this feature in a firmware update on the official website."

What exactly is crossfeed???

 

[Bleib]

What exactly is crossfeed???

To be lazy, here's the AI answer but it's accurate

Crossfeed
in audio is mixing a little bit of the left channel into the right, and vice versa, to create a more natural, speaker-like sound when using headphones, reducing the extreme separation that can sound unnatural.

Some brands like Holographic Audio make this adjustable

There's also software solutions for this:

Crossfeed for headphones

I've been experimenting lately with crossfeed with my headphones. The main issue I'm trying to resolve is avoiding sounds that are hard panned to one side. In headphones it sounds unnatural and irritating because it's isolated to only one ear. Of course, in speakers there is some leakage to the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Berwhale]

What exactly is crossfeed???

When listening to speakers, your left ear will pick up sounds from both left and right speakers (your right ear will do the same). Crossfeed emulates this experience for headphones by mixing some of the right channel into the left channel and some of the left channel into the right. There are various different approaches to doing this and some people claim more benefit than others.

 

[satanicek666]

thank you very much. the sound is as if more natural??? doesn't it degrade the sound??

 

[Mocie]

thank you very much. the sound is as if more natural??? doesn't it degrade the sound??

Depends on the implementation and whether your ears actually enjoy it. Not for everyone, but cool for people who do like it. It also helps for older recording which have ONLY left or right sound.

 

[Berwhale]

thank you very much. the sound is as if more natural??? doesn't it degrade the sound??

In some ways, crossfeed is trying to replicate the experience you would get from a binaural recording made specifically for headphone listening. Some artists, Jean-Michel Jarre being one example, release tracks or albums in both standard and binaural versions. This means to can compare your experience with both formats (no crossfeed required)...

Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxymore Standard:

Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxymore Binaural:

I'm not sure, but I suspect Jarre is mixing the binaural version electronically, rather than playing it back through a HATS and re-recording, so this would be the equivalent to applying crossfeed at the mixing stage.

 

[ohezeba]

Ok, a small guide is needed here as it seems.

So>
First get a DMM, even a cheap one will do.
Set it to measure DC, like this:

I followed your instructions, my measurements (200mV DC scale, volume 0, no signal):
4.4MM
0.3mV L
1.7mV R

XLR4pin
0.2mV L
1.6mV R

6.35MM
0.1/0.2mV (+-) L
0.8mV R

Also tested RME Babyface pro fs: 0.0/0.3mV (3.5mm) and 0.1/0.4mV (6.35mm).
Using super cheap multimeter (€10), zero experience, are these values safe? Can I draw any conclusions from this data? Are these good values or should I be concerned? Thanks!

 

[Sokel]

I followed your instructions, my measurements (200mV DC scale, volume 0, no signal):
4.4MM
0.3mV L
1.7mV R

XLR4pin
0.2mV L
1.6mV R

6.35MM
0.1/0.2mV (+-) L
0.8mV R

Also tested RME Babyface pro fs: 0.0/0.3mV (3.5mm) and 0.1/0.4mV (6.35mm).
Using super cheap multimeter (€10), zero experience, are these values safe? Can I draw any conclusions from this data? Are these good values or should I be concerned? Thanks!

Judging by your Babyface results, you did really good at measuring!
So, to know, the ideal is 0.0mV of course, Babyface can be considered really close to it, you wish for nothing better.

Same for the L channel of DX5 II.
R channel though, not so nice, I would like to see a comparable to L result.

Safe though, as it is, nothing worrisome but better have a look from time to time.

 

[ziggurcat]

I know some people have mentioned the Luxsin X8, but seeing that it uses the Cirrus Logic 43198 chips, I would be concerned about this:

On the Distortion of Cirrus Logic CS431xx-Based Devices: A Comparative Review

TL;DR / Changelog [5/20/25] Eleven DAC/HP amp combo devices adopting either the Cirrus Logic CS43131 or CS43198 were tested, and seven of them were found produce the distortion dubbed a "Cirrus hump." Based on measurements from multiple sources (including this review), a list of...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Unless, of course, Luxsin has addressed that problem.

Edit: And I just saw the reddit thread for the device, and they do mention it has a NOS mode, so that's very good news as it renders the distortion issue moot.

 

[G-rig]

I know some people have mentioned the Luxsin X8, but seeing that it uses the Cirrus Logic 43198 chips, I would be concerned about this

I don't know much about Cirrus Logic chips but I've got a DJ controller that uses that brand of Chip. Max resolution 96,000Hz sounds pretty good. Not sure if they are meant to be better than other entry level PC DACs but it's easier using that as my sound device instead of some pass through or XLR splitter cables. ESS seems like the desirable standard now for DACs I assume.

 

[Jimster480]

I don't know much about Cirrus Logic chips but I've got a DJ controller that uses that brand of Chip. Max resolution 96,000Hz sounds pretty good. Not sure if they are meant to be better than other entry level PC DACs but it's easier using that as my sound device instead of some pass through or XLR splitter cables. ESS seems like the desirable standard now for DACs I assume.

Cirrus Logic has always been a big player in the PC and in general the audio market. Toppings original D30 from more than a decade ago was using a CS4398. I think they mostly just shrunk those chips while improving them and made them for the portable market.

 

[Rewind]

It's not as easy as you might think if you want it to work well.
There are now many devices that have integrated 2.1, but hardly any of them work properly. Good implementations only start at four-digit prices, or in inexpensive AVRs or devices like the miniDSP or t.racks from Thomann.

Analog is far too complex. Take a look at the ZinAmp Active Crossover with Phase Correction, for example. It would require two and would have to be completely set up and adjusted. Many people probably fail because of this.

Digital makes much more sense.
But it would only make sense before the D/A conversion. That means a DSP that outputs at least 3-4 channels, is of sufficient quality and powerful enough (computing power). This would then require 3-4 output channels or multiple DAC chips for the DAC.
And this would also have to deliver good measurement values.
Added to this are significantly larger enclosures, just for the connections and additional circuits. A reliable volume control also needs to be integrated.
And the whole thing has to be developed, which isn't exactly cheap.

But good luck using it with high res files. I don’t often listen to DSD 512 but it is nice to have the option, since my Gustard X16 can handle it.
Most DSP tap out at 48KHz, the expensive ones st 96kHz.

 

[Roland68]

But good luck using it with high res files. I don’t often listen to DSD 512 but it is nice to have the option, since my Gustard X16 can handle it.
Most DSP tap out at 48KHz, the expensive ones st 96kHz.

Sorry, but I can only laugh at such a statement.
First of all, there are hardly any labels and recording studios that can record DSD512, and even fewer that can process it properly. Furthermore, a large portion of the available DSD512 material is simply upsampled, which is ridiculous.

Secondly, I don't know anyone who can distinguish DSD512 from 96kHz PCM in a blind test. Over the years, we've conducted numerous blind tests, including with musicians, sound engineers, recording engineers, and even conductors. Only two or three of them achieved 6/4 to 7/3, and even then, not reliably. This wouldn't have been possible on a standard hi-fi system.
So, how important is this?

Thirdly and most importantly, DSD512 hasn't been a problem for years, provided you have sufficient processing power. Software like Acourate, among others, is clearly superior to conventional solutions.
But anyone who has ever heard a fully calibrated active system with recordings in CD quality will never give a second thought to something like DSD512 on a normal system.

 

[Sokel]

Sorry, but I can only laugh at such a statement.
First of all, there are hardly any labels and recording studios that can record DSD512, and even fewer that can process it properly. Furthermore, a large portion of the available DSD512 material is simply upsampled, which is ridiculous.

Secondly, I don't know anyone who can distinguish DSD512 from 96kHz PCM in a blind test. Over the years, we've conducted numerous blind tests, including with musicians, sound engineers, recording engineers, and even conductors. Only two or three of them achieved 6/4 to 7/3, and even then, not reliably. This wouldn't have been possible on a standard hi-fi system.
So, how important is this?

Thirdly and most importantly, DSD512 hasn't been a problem for years, provided you have sufficient processing power. Software like Acourate, among others, is clearly superior to conventional solutions.
But anyone who has ever heard a fully calibrated active system with recordings in CD quality will never give a second thought to something like DSD512 on a normal system.

You probably haven't noticed the trend.
It's not about already recorded, at all.

The trend, using HQ player and the shorts is upsampling the existing, whatever material to DSD512 and some even to DSD1024.

Sure, some gear can handle DSD better, some don't though.

What most people don't get though, is that DSD got it's reputation not from the format itself but from the nice masterings that was destined for it.
Anyhow you upsample or transcode a bad recording, it will remain a bad recording.

Edit: the funniest? They think that device-EQ still works while playing DSD. It doesn't.
If it does, they don't play DSD.

 

[Jimster480]

You probably haven't noticed the trend.
It's not about already recorded, at all.

The trend, using HQ player and the shorts is upsampling the existing, whatever material to DSD512 and some even to DSD1024.

Sure, some gear can handle DSD better, some don't though.

What most people don't get though, is that DSD got it's reputation not from the format itself but from the nice masterings that was destined for it.
Anyhow you upsample or transcode a bad recording, it will remain a bad recording.

Edit: the funniest? They think that device-EQ still works while playing DSD. It doesn't.
If it does, they don't play DSD.

I never understood the interest in DSD. PCM is the standard and gets the job done.