Topping DX5 Review (DAC & HP Amp)

[Bel Canto]

Anyone else experienced this issue with DX5 Lite. In settings, I set LO (line out) to Dac as I'm using it with an integrated amp.

Where the issue comes in is if I change to Headphone out, it will not allow volume adjustment of my headphones. This seems to be a design flaw as this setting works perfectly on my DX3PRO +.

Any idea how to fix this? And please don't say put it on pre and adjust volume to full as I'd then need to remember to change volume everytime I wanted to listen to headphones.

Product needs to do what it says on the box.

 

[Alamei]

I just bought a DX5 Lite and set it up today, and while I'm overall very happy with the unit's performance, it's driving me slightly crazy that it turns off its audio output after about 3 seconds of not playing any sounds, then clips the first 100ms of the next audio that plays when it kicks back on while it re-engages the output. Is there any way to adjust that behavior through the device's settings? I already have its "standby" and "auto" settings disabled, so neither of those appear to be the culprit. I've used several other DAC/amp devices on this machine, and none of them have experienced this same issue, so it wouldn't appear to have anything to do with the sound settings on the computer itself.

EDIT: It appears to be a very similar problem to what this user is describing with their E30: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...re-cut-short-pops-after-playback-stops.27644/

I also found that if I switch the output to anything higher than 96KHz, I can actually hear the exact moment that the output cuts itself out with a brief pop sound, exactly as the user with the E30 describes.

 

[staticV3]

@Alamei if you're on Windows, then you could give this fix a try: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...os-driver-settings-for-no-cutoff-delay.25838/

 

[Alamei]

@Alamei if you're on Windows, then you could give this fix a try: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...os-driver-settings-for-no-cutoff-delay.25838/

Thank you for sharing that resolution. This forum is a godsend for audio troubleshooting. After swapping that setting, it appears that the only time there's a cutoff in starting playback is when the system is switching bitrates, which is such a rare occurrence in my workflow that it's of no meaningful concern.

 

[Blackfyre]

@Alamei if you're on Windows, then you could give this fix a try: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...os-driver-settings-for-no-cutoff-delay.25838/

If I have USB Suspend Disabled in both Windows Power Plan and in the BIOS, is this still necessary?

I ordered the DX5 Lite for my Focal Clear and it will arrive in a couple of weeks. So glad I checked the forum here before it arrived for troubleshooting issues like this lol

 

[staticV3]

If I have USB Suspend Disabled in both Windows Power Plan and in the BIOS, is this still necessary?

You may still get pops and clicks even with USB Suspend disabled.

 

[Blackfyre]

DX5 Lite arriving 8th of August, I have a few questions. Not sure whether to start a new thread or just ask here.

I want to connect 4 devices total to the DAC/AMP

The PC will connect via USB to the DX5 Lite. That's the input device.

The three output devices are:

1. Focal Clear via 4-pin-XLR headphone output.

2. Sennheiser HD660S via the 6.35mm headphone output.

3. Edifier S360DB speakers via the XLR outputs at the back.

First question is, can I have all these connected and switch between them using the remote?

More important question is;

I could have just purchased RCA to RCA and connected the powered speakers. But heck, I thought might as well use the balanced XLR output at the back (seeing its great results in the review) and purchased 3-pin XLR to RCA for connecting the speakers. Would this cause any issues? Or should be fine, just like RCA to RCA? For reference, I purchased the following XLR to RCA cables:

https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B000V1RLI2/

 

[staticV3]

First question is, can I have all these connected and switch between them using the remote?

You can switch between Line out/Headphone out/Line out + Headphone out with the remote.
You cannot switch between 4-pin XLR and 1/4" Headphone out.

I could have just purchased RCA to RCA and connected the powered speakers. But heck, I thought might as well use the balanced XLR output at the back (seeing its great results in the review) and purchased 3-pin XLR to RCA for connecting the speakers. Would this cause any issues? Or should be fine, just like RCA to RCA? For reference, I purchased the following XLR to RCA cables:

Please don't use those cables with the DX5 Lite.
They short Signal- to GND, which can potentially damage the DAC.
If your speakers only have single-ended RCA inputs, then please use the corresponding single-ended outputs of your DAC.

 

[Blackfyre]

Please don't use those cables with the DX5 Lite.
They short Signal- to GND, which can potentially damage the DAC.
If your speakers only have single-ended RCA inputs, then please use the corresponding single-ended outputs of your DAC.

Thanks, cancelled the order before they ship it.

So I should buy RCA to RCA for the speakers yes? That would be line out correct?

Regarding the first point. If I connect both Focal Clear and Sennheiser HD660S, it will play audio through both? So I only connect one, there's no point of connecting both. And then I switch to line out when I want speakers and headphones out when I want the connected headphone.

 

[Berwhale]

Regarding the first point. If I connect both Focal Clear and Sennheiser HD660S, it will play audio through both? So I only connect one, there's no point of connecting both. And then I switch to line out when I want speakers and headphones out when I want the connected headphone.

The XLR and 6.35mm HP connections are wired together inside the DX5, the different connectors are just for convenience (My Topping EX5 is the same). If you connect headphones to both sockets, the sound will play through both headphones.

What's not the same as the EX5 is the way you switch output modes. The DX5 can output to both headphones and line out at the same time, which I think is a terrible idea (it's mentioned further up this thread)

 

[Blackfyre]

The XLR and 6.35mm HP connections are wired together inside the DX5, the different connectors are just for convenience (My Topping EX5 is the same). If you connect headphones to both sockets, the sound will play through both headphones.

What's not the same as the EX5 is the way you switch output modes. The DX5 can output to both headphones and line out at the same time, which I think is a terrible idea (it's mentioned further up this thread)

Thank you for the replies.

Yep, that's not a problem, as my plan now is to only run either DAC (Line-Out), or Headphones. Not both at the same time. That should be possible from my understanding now.

And only use one headphone, connected to the front XLR output (not balanced, I am aware, but should still be cleaner than the 6.35mm output as far as I know).

Please don't use those cables with the DX5 Lite.
They short Signal- to GND, which can potentially damage the DAC.

And then connect the speakers via RCA to RCA at the back, as they will not have the problem mentioned above, right?

I'll buy these in 2 meters:

https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Stereo-Theater-Consoles-Systems/dp/B00B2HOY4S/

EDIT:

Also, I assume my unit would just come with the firmware update that fixes the "ESS IMD Hump" mentioned in the review on the first page. As the DX5 Lite just came out this year, and shouldn't have the same problems that came out with the earlier release of the DX5 itself.

 

[staticV3]

And only use one headphone, connected to the front XLR output (not balanced, I am aware, but should still be cleaner than the 6.35mm output as far as I know).

No. The DX5 Lite's front XLR and 6.35mm outputs carry the same exact signal. There is no difference between them. One is not cleaner than the other.

And then connect the speakers via RCA to RCA at the back, as they will not have the problem mentioned above, right?

Right.

 

[Veri]

And only use one headphone, connected to the front XLR output (not balanced, I am aware, but should still be cleaner than the 6.35mm output as far as I know).

It's really not; it's the same signal output.

 

[Berwhale]

Yep, that's not a problem, as my plan now is to only run either DAC (Line-Out), or Headphones. Not both at the same time. That should be possible from my understanding now.

The concern is that you accidentally switch to HP Amp + Line Out and have the volume set too high for either your headphones or speakers and damage them or your hearing (or just annoy the neighbours).

I'm not sure, but I think the middle button (4-8) cycles between the Output Channel setting...

 

[simmconn]

It's really not; it's the same signal output.

Well, the constructions of the two connectors are different. In the 6.35mm TRS, the return current of the two channels have to go through the same path of solder lug->barrel->barrel contact to the jack; whereas in the 4-pin XLR, they have completely separate connections. So theoretically the XLR gives better channel isolation if the headphone cables going to the drivers are balanced as well. The difference should be measurable with low impedance loads. Whether it is audible would be a different question.

 

[Alamei]

The concern is that you accidentally switch to HP Amp + Line Out and have the volume set too high for either your headphones or speakers and damage them or your hearing (or just annoy the neighbours).

I'm not sure, but I think the middle button (4-8) cycles between the Output Channel setting...

View attachment 301518

View attachment 301519

As someone that recently purchased a DX5 Lite and was worried about the dual-output mode being something you had to toggle through to get to other modes (like some revisions of the DX3), I can say confidently that it's not an issue with the DX5, since you just hit the headphone (4-4) or Line Out (4-11) buttons on the remote to get to straight to the mode you want. 4-4 sets you into headphone out (with no further toggles available, since both phone outputs are simultaneously active, as multiple posters have noted above), while 4-11 initially sets you into line out mode from whichever output you last had it set on, after which repeated presses of the same button toggle between XLR out, RCA out, and XLR+RCA out. 4-8 (the middle button) does put you directly into the combined output (headphones + line out) mode and uses whichever line out mode you set with 4-11, but I've never bothered hit that button (intentionally or unintentionally) after my initial test of the remote, because I can't see what purpose the mode would serve and it's not easy to accidentally bump. I suppose the dual-output mode could be useful in rare circumstances where you wanted to be able to monitor a mix via headphones while playing it out to others through speakers, but since there aren't any other DJ-oriented monitoring features available with the hardware, it's not entirely clear to me why they bothered including the dual output option at all, other than that it happens to be standard on most Topping devices.

EDIT: Also, Topping was nice enough to have volume levels stored separately for each output, so when you toggle from headphones to speakers or vice-versa, it always goes back to the volume level you last had set for that device (which seems to be the standard behavior for any quality amp/DAC these days, since my Element III does the same). The dual-output mode is considered a third, entirely separate mode in the volume context, so you can also just set it to -99 and leave it there to be ultra safe if you never expect to legitimately use the mode.

 

[Veri]

So theoretically the XLR gives better channel isolation if the headphone cables going to the drivers are balanced as well. The difference should be measurable with low impedance loads. Whether it is audible would be a different question.

While true, I'd be damned if the difference is anything more than negligible.

 

[Berwhale]

As someone that recently purchased a DX5 Lite and was worried about the dual-output mode being something you had to toggle through to get to other modes (like some revisions of the DX3), I can say confidently that it's not an issue with the DX5, since you just hit the headphone (4-4) or Line Out (4-11) buttons on the remote to get to straight to the mode you want. 4-4 sets you into headphone out (with no further toggles available, since both phone outputs are simultaneously active, as multiple posters have noted above), while 4-11 initially sets you into line out mode from whichever output you last had it set on, after which repeated presses of the same button toggle between XLR out, RCA out, and XLR+RCA out. 4-8 (the middle button) does put you directly into the combined output (headphones + line out) mode and uses whichever line out mode you set with 4-11, but I've never bothered hit that button (intentionally or unintentionally) after my initial test of the remote, because I can't see what purpose the mode would serve and it's not easy to accidentally bump. I suppose the dual-output mode could be useful in rare circumstances where you wanted to be able to monitor a mix via headphones while playing it out to others through speakers, but since there aren't any other DJ-oriented monitoring features available with the hardware, it's not entirely clear to me why they bothered including the dual output option at all, other than that it happens to be standard on most Topping devices.

EDIT: Also, Topping was nice enough to have volume levels stored separately for each output, so when you toggle from headphones to speakers or vice-versa, it always goes back to the volume level you last had set for that device (which seems to be the standard behavior for any quality amp/DAC these days, since my Element III does the same). The dual-output mode is considered a third, entirely separate mode in the volume context, so you can also just set it to -99 and leave it there to be ultra safe if you never expect to legitimately use the mode.

Thanks for explaining how this works on the DX5. The 4-8 button does nothing on the EX5 (apart from select items when in the menus). I have an IR controlled mains switch trained to the 4-8 button to turn my MTMs and Sub8 on an off, it works really well. I also have an FLIC adapter in my PC and it's trained to switch PEACE/eAPO PEQ profiles on the Headphone and Line out buttons on the remote

 

[Blackfyre]

View attachment 301500

As I will be using RCA to RCA for the speakers, via Line-Out DAC, I just noticed it says there is no volume control for that. So it's a bypass from the PC directly to the speakers, which means I have to control the volume via the speakers correct?

Does that mean that Windows Volume does absolutely nothing for the speakers? And they have to be controlled either via the speakers themselves or the DX5?

If this is the case, I will return the RCA cables, and just keep the Soundblaster Z soundcard to control the speakers, and use the DX5 only for the headphones. That way, I can just switch between them from inside Windows itself, making the whole process easier.

I just wanted to use the DX5 because it definitely has a better DAC than the rubbish Soundblaster Z.

Windows controlling my volume is essential for me, as I have a keyboard with a volume knob on it.

As someone that recently purchased a DX5 Lite and was worried about the dual-output mode being something you had to toggle through to get to other modes (like some revisions of the DX3), I can say confidently that it's not an issue with the DX5, since you just hit the headphone (4-4) or Line Out (4-11) buttons on the remote to get to straight to the mode you want. 4-4 sets you into headphone out (with no further toggles available, since both phone outputs are simultaneously active, as multiple posters have noted above), while 4-11 initially sets you into line out mode from whichever output you last had it set on, after which repeated presses of the same button toggle between XLR out, RCA out, and XLR+RCA out. 4-8 (the middle button) does put you directly into the combined output (headphones + line out) mode and uses whichever line out mode you set with 4-11, but I've never bothered hit that button (intentionally or unintentionally) after my initial test of the remote, because I can't see what purpose the mode would serve and it's not easy to accidentally bump. I suppose the dual-output mode could be useful in rare circumstances where you wanted to be able to monitor a mix via headphones while playing it out to others through speakers, but since there aren't any other DJ-oriented monitoring features available with the hardware, it's not entirely clear to me why they bothered including the dual output option at all, other than that it happens to be standard on most Topping devices.

EDIT: Also, Topping was nice enough to have volume levels stored separately for each output, so when you toggle from headphones to speakers or vice-versa, it always goes back to the volume level you last had set for that device (which seems to be the standard behavior for any quality amp/DAC these days, since my Element III does the same). The dual-output mode is considered a third, entirely separate mode in the volume context, so you can also just set it to -99 and leave it there to be ultra safe if you never expect to legitimately use the mode.

Thanks, that's a lot of good information to know before my unit arrives.

If the above is true, then I might not even use line-out. If you can comment on it or test it, that would be great. Can you control the line-out volume with Windows Volume going up and down?

 

[staticV3]

As I will be using RCA to RCA for the speakers, via Line-Out DAC, I just noticed it says there is no volume control for that.

By default, there is volume control for the DX5 Lite's RCA Line out:



You can go into the settings and change the Line Out mode from PRE to DAC and that will lock the DX5 Lite's volume at 100%.