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Topping DX5 Review (DAC & HP Amp)

Rate this product:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 16 4.1%

  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 8 2.0%

  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 91 23.2%

  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 277 70.7%
  • Total voters
    392
Well, forcibly trying to pull/bend it didn't break it off, so at least it's well secured on there... I probably subjected it to a lifetimes worth of force yesterday, so I'd like to think that it would've broken already if it were going to do so. I bought the RC-22 following @Berwhale's recommendation & I think I can live with its small foibles once the naff remote is banished. The sound quality is great & that's the main thing. After my little tantrum & misunderstanding yesterday, I momentarily switched back to the iFi Zen DAC and it sounded veiled in comparison. The Zen is now meditating in the spare room...

Thanks to all that helped out & sorry to the rest for the spam. ;)
 
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Hopefully my final question now: Does anyone else experience a faint pop immediately before playback & 5 seconds after stopping? Furthermore, I'm getting a faint double-pop when sample rates change. It comes from both channels, but heavily weighted to the left and it's more prominent via PO than LO at normal listening levels, though you can hear it via LO if you listen loud or close. Would never have noticed with LO to be honest, but PO is really distracting... I thought the firmware updates were supposed to address this but I'm guessing it was just the DX5 and not the lite? Basically, I just want to know if this is defective?
 
JimmyKing said:
Hopefully my final question now: Does anyone else experience a faint pop immediately before playback & 5 seconds after stopping? Furthermore, I'm getting a faint double-pop when sample rates change. It comes from both channels, but heavily weighted to the left and it's more prominent via PO than LO at normal listening levels, though you can hear it via LO if you listen loud or close. Would never have noticed with LO to be honest, but PO is really distracting... I thought the firmware updates were supposed to address this but I'm guessing it was just the DX5 and not the lite? Basically, I just want to know if this is defective?
Click to expand...

I have never experienced that with my unit even at very high volumes.
 
Thanks. Starting to think that they're not so entirely equal minus MQA. I've contacted support to see what they say...
 
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With a little help from PayPal, the DX5 Lite is going back to HifiGo for a full refund. Meanwhile, I got a regular DX5 for same price locally (sods law I find it afterwards) and it performs perfectly - no wonky knob & no pop sounds. It was even packaged better (in two topping branded padded boxes, rather than one). The RC-22 also arrived & it's great - looks and feels much better than the default remote - highly recommended!
 
Does this device switch off the pre-amp outputs automatically when headphones are plugged in?
 
RHO said:
Does this device switch off the pre-amp outputs automatically when headphones are plugged in?
Click to expand...
It does not, but there are dedicated Line out/Headphone out/Line+Headphone out buttons on the remote.
 
I also found that you can quickly double press the knob to change your output if you want to avoid the remote. The rc22 is my preference though
 
Thanks for the input. I'm looking for a replacement for my DX3pro and would've liked it to switch to PO automatically. I don't really see a reason to have LO active when phones are connected.
 
Hmm, I am using Qobuz on Windows and when setting the bit depth and sample rate matching the source, it does sound the best (does sound better in exclusive mode too - but no EQ then - so I match it myself :) ).
I tried this with multiple songs on multiple days (I know, this is not scientific..), but can someone hint me why this could be? All I can find on reddit and elsewhere is that I should not be able to hear the difference...
Also using EAPO with a -6.3dB preamp.
Does this relate to the low dithering setting on the DX5?
 
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Hey, I am interested in buying the lite version. Is the wobbling knob described above, a common issue? Are there any other differences, apart from the MQA rendering?
 
The lite version I had presented several issues: The wonky knob and audible noises when starting/stopping playback & when changing sample rate. The regular version I replaced it with had none of these issues and I found it at the same price locally to what the lite version costed from China. Easy choice. This may just be Chinese QC rather than model specifics but I don't think the lite version has the same firmware fixes as the regular dx5.
 
Hey all, I have received my DX5 unit and I am very happy overall!
I have one question: when entering the setup menu, I am missing some settings, according to manual. Specifically I do not have Step 12 (sound mode setting), 13 (channel balance setting) and 14 (bandwidth setting). After Step 11 (volume step below -50bd), I see Step 12 (save & exit) and Step 13 (factory reset).
I haven't downloaded any drivers. In Device Manager-Other Devices there is an entry "Topping DFU" with a small orange caution triangle, which indicates that "the drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)" , I have win 10 if it matters
Any ideas? Thanks.
 
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Seems that I had to download drivers for win 10. As for the disappearance of some steps from the setup menu, it was a matter of upgrading to the latest firmware. Eventually, all good:)
 
second_face said:
The story is that I bought a topping dx5 lite used, but in good condition. Everything worked fine, when connecting install the driver, updated the firmware to the latest version 1.14, everything worked fine. Today I turned it on and I see that "incorrect fw ver" is written on the screen. The firmware was required from the official website, it was installed without problems, it worked properly and here it is. I tried to remove the drivers, reinstalled them and the firmware again, installed on another PC... Nothing changes. I found on the forum that people encounter this when the light is turned off, but I have it connected to the armored personnel carrier. Has surge and battery protection. Later, I wrote to the topping company, asked to provide an old version of the firmware in the hope of rolling back, they reset version 1.10. After successful installation, there are no changes either. The screen flashes only 1 time and the inscription returns. Then I asked for version 1.08, no changes either. I don't understand what to do with it, the services refuse to repair it. The version with the fact that the firmware is not installed in this version is excluded, since it was updated from the official website, after the update everything worked properly.

I also happened to notice that after another attempt to "successfully" update the firmware (no changes occurred), pressing the knob entered the dfu mode. This is the first time that the diver and the firmware installer sees the device in this mode. Shows version 1.06. There was also an attempt to update the firmware in the dfu mode (also no changes). The version did not change, it continued to show the 1.06 version. After restarting the device, it was not possible to repeat this procedure. In the dfu mode, the device is not detected. I will attach the screenshots for reference.

Has anyone experienced this and is there any solution? Don't just throw it away...Thank you
Click to expand...
Was there any update on this one ? My device seems to behave the same, except that I can’t upgrade the firmware (different errors when trying, if dfu mode, device not seen, etc.).
 
Refresh incoming.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Topping DX5 II

Dual DAC, hybrid powerful HP amp, large screen and PEQ in all inputs. Of course should measure excellent as all modern DACs and HPs amps from Topping do. And it looks very nice too! Seems like a winner to me. No idea on pricing yet. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BKo2xSQcy/ *Dual typo
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com
 
Do it required drivers for windows 11 in usb 2 mode?
Seems to be working without any issues.
What utility should I use to adjust EQ on this device?
 
czAudiophile said:
Do it required drivers for windows 11 in usb 2 mode?
Seems to be working without any issues.
What utility should I use to adjust EQ on this device?
Click to expand...
The DX5 does not support on-device EQ.

You can use Equalizer APO or SoundSource, which run on your computer.

The DX5 II supports on-device EQ.
It can be configured only using Topping Tune for Windows: https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/topping-tune-3
 
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