Topping DX5 II

[yorkieaudio]

Dead unit?

Think he was likely asking what Antagron was trying to say as it just seemed like gobbledygook. E.g. the only A70 I know of are the Aiyima Amp and an old Samsung phone, both of which you couldn't use to flash the DX5 II.

 

[Berwhale]

Think he was likely asking what Antagron was trying to say as it just seemed like gobbledygook. E.g. the only A70 I know of are the Aiyima Amp and an old Samsung phone, both of which you couldn't use to flash the DX5 II.

Maybe they meant Topping A70 Pro... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-a70-pro-hp-preamp-review.44636/

 

[yorkieaudio]

Maybe they meant Topping A70 Pro... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-a70-pro-hp-preamp-review.44636/

Ahh so they possibly meant something like.

'This is like my faulty Topping A70 which boots directly into DC protection mode. Resets and firmware flashes didn’t help fix the fault with that unit.'

Really odd to bring that up though when talking about DC protection on the DX5 II though, especially given the DC protection is only being aggressive due to one of the early users on here saying it wasn't being aggressive enough, so the last firmware made it very sensitive.

 

[ziggurcat]

Think he was likely asking what Antagron was trying to say as it just seemed like gobbledygook. E.g. the only A70 I know of are the Aiyima Amp and an old Samsung phone, both of which you couldn't use to flash the DX5 II.

There was definitely a syntax thing going on that my idiot brain was struggling to figure out when I responded, yes.

I think whatever issue is/was going on with their A70 isn't close to being the same as the DC protection kicking in with the DX5 II.

 

[feconicu]

Is the EQ/PEQ feature fixed? I would like to get this instead of the JDS Labs Element 4. Let me know your thoughts on a comparison between the two.

 

[ziggurcat]

Is the EQ/PEQ feature fixed? I would like to get this instead of the JDS Labs Element 4. Let me know your thoughts on a comparison between the two.

It has been largely fixed, yes, but @Berwhale has noted an issue with the PEQ profiles deleting, still. I have not been able to reproduce it myself, though I am not importing profiles into Topping Tune, so it could very well be related to that method.

 

[Antagron]

Dead unit?

Very dead. One day it just went into that error state and cannot exit it. My only recourse is to send it back go China for repair.

 

[ziggurcat]

Very dead. One day it just went into that error state and cannot exit it. My only recourse is to send it back go China for repair.

Well, I think I can say that I've seen a handful of people here mention that they received the DC protection message on the screens of their DX5 IIs, and they've all continued to function as expected. It could be that whatever happened to your A70 was different enough for it to warrant sending it in for repair.

 

[cleicher]

I have found an album that is causing loads of 'HP DC abnormal' errors. It doesn't require a reboot, but it does cause dropouts in the audio when it happens which is really annoying.

My understanding is that this only affects headphones; is that correct? If so, shouldn't this only be triggered when the output is set to one of the HPA options, and not LO?

For those interested, the album is Ellipse by Imogen Heap. Most tracks do it, but I was getting quite a few on the first track - First Train Home.

Checked the song on Spotify and i think this is a coding error in the stream. to be exact at eg 2.44, 2.55, 3.10, 3.15 3.20 . The unit should handle these errors better.

 

[wilhelm2015]

I haven't compared but would be nice to have the most neutral going on all the time. So, which one is it?

for the record, here is its description in the manual which no one reads

F-1：Minimum Phase (Default)
F-2：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off Apodizing
F-3：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off
F-4：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off Low Ripple
F-5：Linear Phase Slow Roll-Off
F-6：Minimum Phase Fast Roll-Off
F-7：Minimum Phase Slow Roll-Off
F-8：Minimum Phase Slow Roll-Off Low Dispersion

id say use f6 if you cant hear above 16k like me ...

 

[Bleib]

for the record, here is its description in the manual which no one reads

F-1：Minimum Phase (Default)
F-2：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off Apodizing
F-3：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off
F-4：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off Low Ripple
F-5：Linear Phase Slow Roll-Off
F-6：Minimum Phase Fast Roll-Off
F-7：Minimum Phase Slow Roll-Off
F-8：Minimum Phase Slow Roll-Off Low Dispersion

id say use f6 if you cant hear above 16k like me ...

I can't hear above it either but some visitors might ..

 

[ziggurcat]

for the record, here is its description in the manual which no one reads

F-1：Minimum Phase (Default)
F-2：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off Apodizing
F-3：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off
F-4：Linear Phase Fast Roll-Off Low Ripple
F-5：Linear Phase Slow Roll-Off
F-6：Minimum Phase Fast Roll-Off
F-7：Minimum Phase Slow Roll-Off
F-8：Minimum Phase Slow Roll-Off Low Dispersion

id say use f6 if you cant hear above 16k like me ...

How would F-6 audibly differ from F-1, F-3, and F-4 since they all roll off as fast at virtually the same spot?

 

[Antagron]

Well, I think I can say that I've seen a handful of people here mention that they received the DC protection message on the screens of their DX5 IIs, and they've all continued to function as expected. It could be that whatever happened to your A70 was different enough for it to warrant sending it in for repair.

Right. If the music data have some DC levels temporarily that’s one thing. I’m concerned about long term (I know this is a new product) reliability before I would hop on the Topping train again for an amp.

 

[ziggurcat]

Right. If the music data have some DC levels temporarily that’s one thing. I’m concerned about long term (I know this is a new product) reliability before I would hop on the Topping train again for an amp.

That's totally fair. The abnormal DC screen message, etc... was a thing that was added in a FW update, so it (apparently) wasn't properly kicking in when the DX5 II launched. There have been minor debates whether they made it too sensitive, though.

I have not encountered the DC protection kicking in yet, but as I have mentioned, I'm also probably not turning the volume up high enough.

 

[cleicher]

That's totally fair. The abnormal DC screen message, etc... was a thing that was added in a FW update, so it (apparently) wasn't properly kicking in when the DX5 II launched. There have been minor debates whether they made it too sensitive, though.

I have not encountered the DC protection kicking in yet, but as I have mentioned, I'm also probably not turning the volume up high enough.

Try: Spotify album Ellipse by Imogen Heap. first track - First Train Home. at 2.44 2.55 and 3.10 It's related to the stream.. i think

 

[ziggurcat]

Try: Spotify album Ellipse by Imogen Heap. first track - First Train Home. at 2.44 2.55 and 3.10 It's related to the stream.. i think

Unfortunately, I don't have or use Spotify

 

[Barncore]

New firmware released today, v1.62: https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/dx5-ii-version-v1-62-firmware-update

 

[sw55]

Thanks for the heads up. v1.62 installed an working. I don't have a laptop but the update worked using files on my iPad.

 

[yorkieaudio]

Firmware changes -

• New: Menu -> Input Settings -> Spdif Mode: 1 (default, high-performance mode); 2 (high-compatibility mode)

• Adjustment: Optimized HP DC abnormal detection scheme to reduce false triggers

• Fixed: Resolved an issue where the left and right channel VU meter levels could occasionally swap on the FFT interface.

• Fixed: Resolved several other known issues

Seems to fix the few things people have raised, although the 'HP DC abnormal detection scheme to reduce false triggers' change is the third time its been changed, so question is it now at a level that makes most people happy.

 

[Barncore]

Ok i just set up and have been listening for a couple hours. Early impression: I don't know what it is, but i could swear my previous stack of D50 III + L30 II sounded a bit better. It could be my imagination, this isn't a scientific test, but something feels like it's missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. DX5 II a tiny bit less clear? Or a bit less front-back depth? Or a smaller soundstage? I don't know what it is, but music isn't hitting me the same way. The previous setup's sound made me smile, but this doesn't feel that way.
Maybe it's the filter i'm using? (i don't remember what i used on the D50 III, damn). Or maybe some sort of setting? It wouldn't make sense that it would sound different, cos on paper it's the same DAC. But it does.
It's a shame i don't have the D50 III anymore to compare.
Anyway this is just based gut feelings and this place is literally called "audio science review", so don't take me too seriously obviously. I just wanted to put it out there to see if anyone felt the same way.