Topping DX5II Balanced DAC and Headphone Amp Review

[kyuu]

Which phone is this?

Both are Google Pixels.

 

[Jimster480]

Both are Google Pixels.

Ah, I've never had one. Maybe they have bad charging ports. I've just owned HTC, LG, Motorola and Sony phones. None of them have had any failures on USB ports even the cheap Moto E and G devices I have had.

 

[Chagall]

Looks like you have lost the plot. Visualizations like spectrum analysis are bonuses, not core features of a DAC. 99.999% of DACs out there don't have any spectrum analyzer. The Topping does. And it is very useful to know that content you expect to be playing, is playing. This puts it ahead of vast majority of its peers that don't have such functionality. Fact that doesn't go down to 20 Hz is a minor thing and not to penalize the product for.

As for your concerns regarding reliability, I have been running mine non-stop since review and it has been solid as a rock. Some of the concerns raised such as overheating are not at all there as mine runs near room temp.

We want the polls to properly represent the product's evaluation, not represent random bias against it. If you are so situated, it would do us all well if you didn't vote.

I'm sorry, Amir, but I think some clarity is needed here.

Topping will certainly continue improving the product, but consumers deserve to be aware of what they’re stepping into when buying something so new.
Many users accept that bug fixing is part of the process - that’s reasonable for a tech-savvy, science-oriented audience. But the general consumer expects plug-and-play reliability. Both expectations are valid.

While I understand your intent is to shield the product from unfair criticism, I do find it a bit unclear. Where exactly is the line between a “valid” and “invalid” vote? Many voters factor in price when rating - is that more legitimate than a concern about long-term reliability? If we vote strictly on measurements, then almost every new DAC will end up rated “Great” by default, so what is the point then?

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Where exactly is the line between a “valid” and “invalid” vote?

No such line. There is a very prominent line between utter nonsense and reasonable voting. It is there for everybody to see.

This why I love that two people came out explaining their "poor" vote, as well as others that explained their reasoning is based on hearsay from that infamous other DX5II thread. Always interesting to see what is going on in other peoples mind. Unfortunately this is what social media is all about.

ASR usually provides a great signal to noise ratio. Does not seem to be the case here. Not sure what is triggering people.

 

[Crook]

Topping have clearly had a close look at the RME before producing this unit and for anyone who does not want drop nearly £1k on the RME, I think this represents a fabulous price to performance/functionality ratio. Yes, QC, warranty and product support is likely not as good, but a £600 saving is a big chunk of change. I've had a few Topping products and never had any issues, but I always waited for a while after first release before buying, to make sure any issues were ironed out.

 

[Matias]

Topping have clearly had a close look at the RME before producing this unit and for anyone who does not want drop nearly £1k on the RME, I think this represents a fabulous price to performance/functionality ratio. Yes, QC, warranty and product support is likely not as good, but a £600 saving is a big chunk of change. I've had a few Topping products and never had any issues, but I always waited for a while after first release before buying, to make sure any issues were ironed out.

It has been out for 1 month now, no hardware issues reported. Software had issues but that is easier to iron out just by updating firmwares. No reason to delay the purchase if you are interested, imho.

 

[Chagall]

ASR usually provides a great signal to noise ratio. Does not seem to be the case here. Not sure what is triggering people.

I can only speak to what’s triggering me personally - the tendency to dismiss user reports (excluding the obvious nonsense) as “noise” and sweep them aside.
But more importantly, how do I reconcile the value of a great-measuring product with not-so-great real-world experiences? If reliability doesn’t hold up, what is the actual value of the product - and why would I buy it?

 

[Guddu]

Thank you @amirm as always.

While PEQ implementation/features are completely software dependent, this appears more like "testing in production" but nothing wrong if consumers are happy to do that.

 

[daniboun]

I don't think this is universally true. I know several companies, including large major software companies, who employ many many QA engineers, and have complex processes to try and ensure that the customer gets the best experience. Companies don't view the customer as the beta tester, but they are also realistic; there isn't any way as software becomes more and more complex, that every possible use case can be covered and some bugs will end up escaping.

One approach that many companies employ, is to release beta versions so that early adopters can willingly contribute to the beta testing. This feels honest to me, but even with this process, some bugs will end up escaping.

To classify this behaviour as the customer being the beta tester feels unfair to me. It suggests an intent, rather than an unfortunate reality.

I have been a Support specialist for over 30 years and I have worked for very large multinationals (Atari / Infogrames / Cognizant / Sanofi etc etc). I can tell you that Microsoft, for example, has done everything to complicate the user experience and it is even worse for the Support experience... I have never identified so many bugs since the transition of many applications and interfaces from On Premise to the Cloud (for obvious business reasons, to remain dependent and very dependent)... To cite another example related to our passion, Fiio has never corrected the bug related to their PEQ (impossible to save settings) on the BR13 or other devices of their brand so that Audiophonics was forced to announce it to its customers.
Believe me, we pamper the business and attract customers...

 

[ziggurcat]

Welp, my DX5 II has shipped this morning, so it's only another week or so, now.

 

[The Noob Guy]

Mine shipped as well I hope it comes quick, cant remember the last time I waited so long for a product haha. On the plus side seems like nearly all the bugs have been squashed during my wait

 

[ziggurcat]

Mine shipped as well ... On the plus side seems like nearly all the bugs have been squashed during my wait

I ordered through Amazon, and a big part of why I chose the later delivery option is for that exact reason.

 

[creepy crow]

People hi

Imo, perhaps Topping was in a hurry to release this device because they (surely) know that SMSL will respond with a device that is just as capable (or better) and without any hassles or need for firmware updates.

Topping will thus have been able to sell a product while limiting the 'loss of market share': the future will tell us (or not)...

From what I understand, the reason Topping managed to squeeze the DX5II into such a small package is their new headphone amp tech. So, if SMSL tried to make the same thing, it would end up way bigger than the DX5II. Unless they manage to repeat what they once did with the NFCA .

 

[Whiskey the Cat]

I voted the “golfing partner” based on the performance and price, but I had some doubts that this was the right choice. The nearest equivalent to this that I own, is my Benchmark D3 HGC, which as well as driving my DCA Stealth ‘phones and and a power amp, can take the analog input and the three digital inputs I have connected to it. (And it has a better remote!). I know it costs much more, but surely Topping could close the gap by simply adding a more compete set of inputs? There are work arounds I know through andding other Topping components, but it makes the whole thing quite a fiddle – beyond the tolerance of my other family members. As someone has said, the user interface and manual are where Topping needs to get to work.

 

[chappy8p]

I voted the “golfing partner” based on the performance and price, but I had some doubts that this was the right choice. The nearest equivalent to this that I own, is my Benchmark D3 HGC, which as well as driving my DCA Stealth ‘phones and and a power amp, can take the analog input and the three digital inputs I have connected to it. (And it has a better remote!). I know it costs much more, but surely Topping could close the gap by simply adding a more compete set of inputs? There are work arounds I know through andding other Topping components, but it makes the whole thing quite a fiddle – beyond the tolerance of my other family members. As someone has said, the user interface and manual are where Topping needs to get to work.

You are effectively comparing a Toyota to a Bentley (8x price difference) and complaining about the lack of creature comforts or power in the Toyota. You know the Bentley cost much more, yet demand the Toyota to match in features and quality. You know you can work around the short comings of the Toyota but of course it’s quite a fiddle.

They both serve their purpose but no one cross shops between the two. There are many happy Toyota owners, but they won’t be the ones who are used to their Bentleys.

 

[Palladium]

You are effectively comparing a Toyota to a Bentley (8x price difference) and complaining about the lack of creature comforts or power in the Toyota. You know the Bentley cost much more, yet demand the Toyota to match in features and quality. You know you can work around the short comings of the Toyota but of course it’s quite a fiddle.

They both serve their purpose but no one cross shops between the two. There are many happy Toyota owners, but they won’t be the ones who are used to their Bentleys.

Making comparisons between products without considering the price differential is such an inane argument it makes me lol.
What's next, are we gonna fault a $5 Jcally dongle for not having balanced outs or multiple inputs?

Anyway voted Great. SMSL C200 is cheaper and still sonically perfect, but it has no PEQ with serious QoL deficiencies with the BT implementation and the UI.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Topping have clearly had a close look at the RME before producing this unit...

They had a close look at the capabilities of the XMOS XU316 Chipset and added their unique powerful headphone amplifier.

It lacks most of RMEs features while adding unique capabilities of its own.

 

[Roland68]

Topping have clearly had a close look at the RME before producing this unit and for anyone who does not want drop nearly £1k on the RME, I think this represents a fabulous price to performance/functionality ratio. Yes, QC, warranty and product support is likely not as good, but a £600 saving is a big chunk of change. I've had a few Topping products and never had any issues, but I always waited for a while after first release before buying, to make sure any issues were ironed out.

The DX5 II, by the way, is nothing more than an affordable combination of the L70 and the D50 III, with minor compromises due to price and case size. This has nothing to do with the RME ADI DAC, but is simply a combination of two Topping devices.
Topping simply recognized that many people are looking for an AIO device with these key features at an attractive price. It's not only tough competition for their own L30 II/E30 II and L50/E50 combo devices, but also for their Chinese competitors.

What was Topping looking at with the RME ADI? Case size? Design?
These two devices are technically completely different in every respect. The RME devices offer significantly expanded features and functionality that have nothing to do with the DX5 II.

The DX5 II is a fantastic and powerful DAC/HPA/PreAmp combination with PEQ capability, not just for the price, and exactly the device the market has been waiting for.
But that's exactly where the functionality ends. There's no powerful remote app or measurement options.
Nor is there a repair option after the warranty period; only time will tell if Topping changes that.

 

[Tano]

Well, Im sad to report that the firmware didn't fix the settings reset issue. I just turned it on to listen to some music and all was gone again. So I will be sending my unit back and keep my SMSL C200.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Well, Im sad to report that the firmware didn't fix the settings reset issue. I just turned it on to listen to some music and all was gone again. So I will be sending my unit back and keep my SMSL C200.

Unlucky you.