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Topping DX5 II

Morla said:
For that price? My opinion? Just buy one
Click to expand...
The price is not that high indeed but this doesn't mean I like to waste money. If it's just to wait for a proper firmware release is not a huge problem but if there's hardware related problems maybe better to consider different paths
 
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I think the issues you read about are exaggerated. Like.. how many headphones do you plan to attach at the same time? You did not disclose your use case and in what way you think you are affected by those issues.
 
What are you missing in thisfirmware?

I have the DX5 II since the Summer (must be the 2ndbatch after the initial release ware sold out in a few days) - for me everything works fine, and with newer firmware there are some nice improvements.

If you need something special or like bigger and heavier Amps than you need to spend a lot more. Like FiiO K19 oder Luxsin X9 (both were also not free from some inital bugs)
Or need more features than a RME ADI-2 Pro FS R
 
Actually I've a Sundara and what I need is exactly what dx5 II has, good power, good sound performance and a peq for room/headphone correction. Just wonder if its a device that probably won't last 2 years or will have longer lifespan
 
I think a fair statement to make is you're typically always taking risks on these cheaper units regardless of the brand. It's not surprising to see the failure rate of DX5IIs, it also wasn't surprising to see it with the Heresy a few years back or with the slew of Fiio failures. There's clearly QC compromises going on at these price points across all brands, that's just ultimately the gamble you take unfortunately. I haven't seen these issues with the Atom 2, but I know JDS seems to value build quality over features, inputs etc so that doesn't surprise me that those things are actual tanks.
 
Mocie said:
I think a fair statement to make is you're typically always taking risks on these cheaper units regardless of the brand. It's not surprising to see the failure rate of DX5IIs, it also wasn't surprising to see it with the Heresy a few years back or with the slew of Fiio failures. There's clearly QC compromises going on at these price points across all brands, that's just ultimately the gamble you take unfortunately. I haven't seen these issues with the Atom 2, but I know JDS seems to value build quality over features, inputs etc so that doesn't surprise me that those things are actual tanks.
Click to expand...
For me it was the price to functionality ratio what made me to buy dx5 ll. Another option would probably be FIIO k17 or K19 (but that's completely different price segment), and if I get refund instead of replacement or get nothing I'll probably buy k17 and won't buy any Topping product later. As for my DAPs and portable Amps, I'm an iBasso fan for over 15 years and for a reason - any issues encountered were resolved in time and I got all the support I needed.
 
Mocie said:
It's not surprising to see the failure rate of DX5IIs, it also wasn't surprising to see it with the Heresy a few years back or with the slew of Fiio failures.
Click to expand...
Do you have numbers from bigger retailers?
Would be a nice thing to compare the % of defects for Topping to shiit, ifi or other other bit higher priced not chinese companies

Only know some of the numbers from a small headphone store here in Vienna and they don't sell Topping

 
Viper780 said:
Would be a nice thing to compare the % of defects for Topping to shiit, ifi or other other bit higher priced not chinese companies
Click to expand...
Nothing concrete and there's no way those numbers are getting disclosed, but the overwhelming amount of issues that seem to be reported for Schiit/Topping/Fiio et al on here, Reddit, and other forums all seem to fall under this $100-$300 price bracket so I don't think it's too insane of a leap to imagine what sacrifices are being made. IIRC the Heresy was missing pretty cheap DC protection, and the teardown of the DX5II left a lot to be desired.
 
Tassadar said:
Hello folks, I'm thinking if buy a new dx5 II! Are the problems I'm reading just software related are both hardware related and it's better to wait a while before buying?
Click to expand...
Mine was hardware related. Distorted lows in left channel in both balanced and single ended outputs. Replacement came with older firmware than the original flawed one, updated it and it was perfect before and after the update.
 
:facepalm:
 
Mocie said:
Nothing concrete and there's no way those numbers are getting disclosed, but the overwhelming amount of issues that seem to be reported for Schiit/Topping/Fiio et al on here, Reddit, and other forums all seem to fall under this $100-$300 price bracket so I don't think it's too insane of a leap to imagine what sacrifices are being made.
Click to expand...
Without numbers there are only rumors.
This devices are sold sooo many times and only a few complaints are repeated all the time. Don't worry to much.
Mocie said:
IIRC the Heresy was missing pretty cheap DC protection, and the teardown of the DX5II left a lot to be desired.
Click to expand...
I'm just looking at my DX5 II and I don't know what could be made better that it is worth the additional cost.
Everything is soldered properly and the layout is neat and well designed.
Look at Burson Amp 10x the price - they are not as good layouted and manufactured.

As always you get what you pay for - it isn't a 10k Zähl HM1
 
rafaunivega said:
I was listening to music through Tidal and the left channel started making strange noises.
A couple of minutes later, the left channel stopped working completely, and when I connected the three headphones I had connected to the inputs of the Topping Dx5ii on my Qudelix 5k, the left earpiece failed on all of them.
I had Hifiman Arya Stealth connected via XLR, Focal Elegia via 4.4mm, and B&W P7 via 6.35mm.
Click to expand...

I have tried to modify my first post to clarify the error I see being interpreted from my words (English is not my native language).

Every time my problem is mentioned, people say that I was listening through all the headphone outputs at the same time, and that is not the case.
The DX5 II has a switchable output selector (supposedly), and nowhere does it say that you can't have two headphones plugged in and select between them.
To connect and disconnect headphones, I turned off the DX5 II with the rear button, and to update the firmware, I disconnected all headphones just in case.
I bought this device after asking Topping and being told that I could switch between one headset and another using the two profiles, each with one output active and the others deactivated.

FYI:
A coworker is experiencing the same issue with a DX5 II that is less than a month old and only has DCA Aeon RT Closed headphones connected.
 
Hi guys, I ordered a dx5 ii from AliExpress recently. As with many things there are a lot of similar listings and sellers. Just wondering (hoping) it is genuine. I haven't received just yet but in the description the brand says SHANLING. That seems to be a shop that sells a bit of high end stuff so hopefully ok and not too many cheap copies floating around. They could well be the same anyway if from the same factory but it's still called a topping dx5 ii and has all the same promo pics.

Should be a decent upgrade from the iFi Zen dac v1 for the desktop but I expect some issues with these kind of brands and it's a gamble buying a cheaper one from AliExpress instead of a proper distributor here but worth a go.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
rafaunivega said:
I have tried to modify my first post to clarify the error I see being interpreted from my words (English is not my native language).

Every time my problem is mentioned, people say that I was listening through all the headphone outputs at the same time, and that is not the case.
The DX5 II has a switchable output selector (supposedly), and nowhere does it say that you can't have two headphones plugged in and select between them.
To connect and disconnect headphones, I turned off the DX5 II with the rear button, and to update the firmware, I disconnected all headphones just in case.
I bought this device after asking Topping and being told that I could switch between one headset and another using the two profiles, each with one output active and the others deactivated.

FYI:
A coworker is experiencing the same issue with a DX5 II that is less than a month old and only has DCA Aeon RT Closed headphones connected.
Click to expand...

I have had a pair of headphones connected to the SE out and a pair connected to the BAL out (up until a few months ago, it was the 4.4mm connection, but now I have a nice 4-pin XLR cable I use) almost the entire time I've had my DX5 II, and have switched between the two outputs countless times. No issues. I have even unplugged/plugged them in countless times (never while content is playing, though) with no issues.

The 4.4mm connector, in particular, is pretty tight, and when I first connected a 4.4mm cable to the device the day I got it, I thought it was defective (sound only from the right channel, and crackling in the left). I then disconnected the cable, and I pushed the connector in a little more (it was maybe a difference of less than 1mm or 1/32"), and it worked fine. Because of that, I made sure to push the 4.4mm connector in more firmly (even holding the device from the back), and there's been no problem ever since. That is not saying that that's what happened in your case, but it could account for some of these reports, especially with the 4.4mm connection.
 
4.4mm worked fine for me cause i left an 4 pin XLR adapter plugged.
In the 6.35mm SE an 3.5mm adapter always plugged.
Everything worked fine till the disaster day
 
rafaunivega said:
4.4mm worked fine for me cause i left an 4 pin XLR adapter plugged.
In the 6.35mm SE an 3.5mm adapter always plugged.
Everything worked fine till the disaster day
Click to expand...

Remind me of what exactly stopped working correctly? Did the SE and XLR HPA outputs still work normally?
 
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