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Topping DX5 II

Jimster480 said:
Any Idea on the date of the release?
Click to expand...
All we have heard is that it'll be released on the 3rd anniversary of the original DX5 release..
 
It matches with the date of the ASR review.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Topping DX5 Review (DAC & HP Amp)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping DX5 balanced stereo DAC and (unbalanced) headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $449. As you see the industrial design is all new. I like the large display and the feel of the volume control which is much...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com
 
Berwhale said:
Would you categorize a personal computer as a calculator or typewriter?
Click to expand...
More as a calculator honestly.
It contains electronics.
 
Jimster480 said:
That is just being silly. We aren't calling the product a semiconductor.
Click to expand...
The point is that there is no real reason to not call it a DAC.
What I call a DAC at work is (a small) part of an IC design.
What I call a DAC in my hobby is a box which has the main function of converting digital audio to analog audio. It can have more functions than that.
(I'm typing om my pocket computer/phone and I hate it, so l'm not going to elaborate now.)
 
RHO said:
The point is that there is no real reason to not call it a DAC.
What I call a DAC at work is (a small) part of an IC design.
What I call a DAC in my hobby is a box which has the main function of converting digital audio to analog audio. It can have more functions than that.
(I'm typing om my pocket computer/phone and I hate it, so l'm not going to elaborate now.)
Click to expand...
Right, I mean right now they are called DAC's because we don't have a name now for this new category of Combo units containing various different features.
DAC + PreAmp + DSP + HPA, etc
Some places call this DAC/Amp, but that is also not correct.
SMSL SU-1 is a DAC, this is much more.
 
Would it be an idea to start a separate thread on what makes a DAC a DAC and what doesn't?
 
Rednaxela said:
Would it be an idea to start a separate thread on what makes a DAC a DAC and what doesn't?
Click to expand...
No need for me. I've said all I wanted to say on the topic.
 
24ee4c58d04696cc3b22be883f732ec0.jpg
 
evanft said:
I think this is just a blogspam site reposting an old article for some reason.
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It's a Dutch retailer of (among other things) Topping products. They often post links to ASR reviews for products they sell.

But that particular post is a couple of years old it seems. Probably from around the time of the release of the first DX5. You can tell because the last post in their news list is from the 19th of March. About the xDuoo X5 DAP.
So I am not expecting a March 26th release date yet.
 
johny_2000 said:
With such output power, it clearly cannot work only from a USB connection. Apparently there is an external or internal power supply. But these are just rendered images for now.
I wonder if they learn from their mistakes or continue to connect the amp outputs directly to the headphone jacks? Many of these Topping / SMSL units have already burned out due to the lack of output short circuit protection.
Click to expand...
On which topping devices should the headphone jacks be connected directly to the amplifier outputs?
 
Berwhale said:
I would stick with the USB cable provided by Topping unless you have a need for something longer. When it comes to audio cables, 'nicer looking' will at best have the same performance as the stock cable and can often lead to worse performance. Why spend any money on this?
Click to expand...
I'm not doubting performance would be the same in terms of sound, I've never believed in sound of cables... however, reliability is another matter, I have very bad experience in terms of reliability of cables (mostly for other uses, PC, phones, etc.) I mostly buy these online, such as on Amazon, and most of the recent ones I have bought have failed within few months (it's always the connectors that fail causing unreliable use), I have had to change a whole bunch of them recently. The QED I showed I am quite sure is longer lasting...
So the reason to spend more money could be reliability. Trusting the Topping cable would be better quality in terms of reliability.
 
ziggurcat said:
@JOCoin So I realized that VMWare was made free for personal use, so I downloaded that, and installed windows through that. Got Topping Tune running, and applied my headphone EQ settings. I now have presets for speakers and headphones (though I have yet to run REW, and measure my speakers to apply EQ to them). I don't think there's much, if any, difference between the EQ through the DAC vs. the EQ through the eqMac app I was using for my headphones.

As it relates to the DX5 II - to try to stay on topic - I hope they don't limit its application to 32-bit 192kHz. I was only slightly disappointed that I couldn't keep my D50 III DAC set to 32-bit 384kHz.



I certainly understand the want to have aesthetically-pleasing cables; it's how I came to build my own speaker cables. The last build for my system are made with Mogami 3103, which are comically thick at a 3/4" diameter. I know they don't sound any better than the ones I made out of Canare 4S11, Monoprice or even Amazon Basics, but I enjoy the aesthetics of having something so ridiculously thick. For reference, these are the cables:

3IGICI1.jpg


FWIW, I rarely use the stock USB cables myself because I can't stand having all of that (unnecessary) extra length, and with so many cables being run everywhere behind the computer, DAC, HPA and power amp, I usually replace them with ones that have enough slack to pull things forward without being too long. That is not to say that there's something wrong with the stock cables, but I certainly get the desire to use different cables for practical and/or aesthetic reasons.

EDIT:

Does anyone know when Topping plans on releasing the DX5 II? I know end of March, but will it be, like, next week or the last week of March?
Click to expand...
plus, besides the look, which does play a part, we all know, and the practicality of having cables of the needed length, reliability in use, which may differ if the cables are good quality or even self made (I have made my own cables at times, but USB... too fussy...) is not secondary either.
(apologies for pushing discussion somewhat OT...)
 
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