Topping DX5II Balanced DAC and Headphone Amp Review

[ziggurcat]

Yeah it is all the way in. It isn't so loose that it could come off by itself but it is significantly more loose than in my other gear.

Maybe it's my luck again and I got what's called a "Monday piece" around here.

Mine is such that I need to hold the unit to pull the connector out without dragging the whole DAC off of the little shelf it's on.

And when I first plugged my headphones into the 4.4mm, I thought it was all the way in, but I found out it wasn't when sound only came out of one channel. I thought my HPA was defective at first.

 

[SoyotaTupra]

Not much left to iron out. Are you looking at something specific?

Well, I will be using the PEQ feature on the DX5 II, and there seems to be some small problems with that currently. Not a dealbreaker as I'm used to messing around with Equalizer APO + PEACE, and Wavelet + Squig.link EQ exports already, but it would be nice to select different profiles and compare the EQ accuracy between Equalizer APO and the integrated one on the DX5 II.

I'm honestly just wanting to retire my old Schiit Modius and get something more All-in-one so I can simplify things and run my IEMs through it, and maybe my custom-made headphones if it'll handle a 4ohm impedance through the balanced outs.

 

[Hapo]

...this DX5II is tempting but I am just going to stick with my schitt...

 

[liupublic]

Just bought a silver version on Amazon from toppinaudio seller on 8/5. Shipping directly from China to USA. Looking forward to try it out w Sennheiser hd660s2.

Received the silver unit on 8/15. About 10-11 working days. Upgrade to the latest firmware immediately.

Upgrade to Topping DX5 II from Fiio K5 Pro.

Started with HD660s2 w/ unbalanced cable with ipad pro 13 and Apple Music as source. Staying with low gain for now. Working well so far. Pretty easy to set up. First thing I noticed is the clear and effortless power. Will try this out for a while and then try balanced cable later.

 

[ngs428]

Had mine for a few days now. Loving it and have had zero issues. I am using USB with PEQ and balanced out.

 

[magor34]

Mine is such that I need to hold the unit to pull the connector out without dragging the whole DAC off of the little shelf it's on.

And when I first plugged my headphones into the 4.4mm, I thought it was all the way in, but I found out it wasn't when sound only came out of one channel. I thought my HPA was defective at first.

My 4.4mm barely fits. I have to use actual force to get it in completely for it not to lose one channel.
I'll have to test with another cable but its really snug. Using an XLR to 4.4mm adapter now cause its easier to use.

 

[sansenri]

Only argument is convenience - if something happens to that type b cable, it's far less likely you'll have a spare lying around. Meanwhile everyone has type c out their ears.

depends really, also how long you are in PCs, how careful you are with your gear, and what type of devices you have owned. I have far more type B connectors than type C and some are heavy duty cables... granted if you want new cables, type C is now easier to source, but quality (I mean durability) is disputable (some really flimsy stuff out there)

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

My 4.4mm barely fits. I have to use actual force to get it in completely for it not to lose one channel.
I'll have to test with another cable but its really snug. Using an XLR to 4.4mm adapter now cause its easier to use.

Have you tried the 6,35mm output?

 

[magor34]

Have you tried the 6,35mm output?

My headphones are all 4.4 or XLR these days. The provided 6.3 adapter seems to fit ok, however I haven't used the output itself.

I'll find a single-ended headphone/cable to use and get back to you.

 

[staticV3]

The headphone amp is extremely powerful; I am able to drive even my demanding cans at -28dB on low gain.

My RME ADI-2 DAC FS struggles often with me going to 0.0dB and still not loud enough.

The DX5II 4.4mm/XLR output can play 5dB louder than the ADI-2 DAC FS and the 3.5/6.35mm output can play 1dB quieter than the ADI-2 DAC FS.

Any discrepancy that exceeds these values is simple operator error.

 

[staticV3]

Isn’t the output like 1.5W per channel @ 32ohm on ADI-2 DAC FS via 1/4in and 6.4W per channel @ 32 ohm on Topping via 4.4mm? Isn’t that more than a 5dB difference?

At 33Ω, the level difference "at the knee" is 10*log10(5.842/1.485)=5.95dB

At higher load impedances, the DX5II's advantage shrinks to 4.90dB.

And that is only if you use the balanced headphone output. 1/4" vs 1/4", the RME has the advantage.

 

[staticV3]

Hmm, that doesn't match my experiences. The RME ADI-2 DAC FS is much quieter on optical than my DX5 II.

Again: operator error.

You can use a basic multimeter to measure your Amp's output voltage.

Most likely, this will reveal a gain switch or volume control improperly set on the RME, limiting its output.

 

[respice finem]

Again: operator error.

You can use a basic multimeter to measure your Amp's output voltage.

Most likely, this will reveal a gain switch or volume control improperly set on the RME, limiting its output.

There is indeed gain setting in the menu, accessible via buttons.
RTFM really helps a lot with the RME stuff. Page 13, 23 of the latest manual (look for Hi-Power).
The default options are OK, but some may have special use cases, and can modify them as needed.

 

[liupublic]

Received the silver unit on 8/15. About 10-11 working days. Upgrade to the latest firmware immediately.

Upgrade to Topping DX5 II from Fiio K5 Pro.

Started with HD660s2 w/ unbalanced cable with ipad pro 13 and Apple Music as source. Staying with low gain for now. Working well so far. Pretty easy to set up. First thing I noticed is the clear and effortless power. Will try this out for a while and then try balanced cable later.

Switched to 4.4mm balanced cable today. Even more power. Not a lot of sound quality difference. Maybe slightly darker background. Could be my imagination.

 

[barza]

I am thinking about getting one of these units and using it directly as the audio output from my windows PC/DAW via USB as I understand there is an ASIO driver available. Most of the time I am working entirely in the box so don’t need any audio inputs, and this unit offers all the PEQ/headphone amp/preamp for active monitors I need. But something that matters for me is whether the USB ASIO driver for this unit can work with modestly low latency (so a sample buffer of say 256 samples). That information is hard to come by. If anyone here is using the unit in windows with the ASIO driver could you let me know if a buffer setting as low as 256 samples or below is available in the control panel, and whether the low buffer settings appear to work?

 

[jodrim]

I am thinking about getting one of these units and using it directly as the audio output from my windows PC/DAW via USB as I understand there is an ASIO driver available. Most of the time I am working entirely in the box so don’t need any audio inputs, and this unit offers all the PEQ/headphone amp/preamp for active monitors I need. But something that matters for me is whether the USB ASIO driver for this unit can work with modestly low latency (so a sample buffer of say 256 samples). That information is hard to come by. If anyone here is using the unit in windows with the ASIO driver could you let me know if a buffer setting as low as 256 samples or below is available in the control panel, and whether the low buffer settings appear to work?

Playing a 44.1 kHz track in foobar2000 with ASIO works for me with USB and PEQ enabled and supports these buffer sizes:

I don't know what safe mode is but it seems to more than half the output latency (at least according to the control panel).

For David Elias - The Window for which I have DSD 2.82 MHz and 88.2 kHz PCM it supports down to 16 samples:

 

[Barncore]

Bought myself a DX5 II before this review (took a few weeks to arrive), i'm happy to see it review favourably!

I'm yet to put it through its paces, but i was surprised how good the VU meter looked. The movement looks really nice and smooth. I was not expecting that cos usually Topping cheap out on the displays. Not the case for this unit.

Assuming it stays durable i wont need to buy another DAC/Amp again, i'm sorted now. End-game for my purposes. Looks great, has on board EQ (important when you're using DAWs, cos systemwide EQs don't apply to DAWs/Asio on Windows), transparent clean non-hyped sound (good for mastering), plenty of power for any kind of headphone i ever intend on owning. And it didn't cost me $1,000+. I'm pleased.

Lets hope no problems arise (touches wood)

 

[barza]

Jodrim - thanks very much for the reply, just what I needed and really useful.

 

[pl4w]

Firmware V1.62 was just released: https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/dx5-ii-version-v1-62-firmware-update

6. What's updated​

• 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

 

[Berwhale]

Firmware V1.62 was just released: https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/dx5-ii-version-v1-62-firmware-update

Awesome! I was getting DC abnormal dropouts playing Portal 2 with my son yesterday!

After upgrade...

Not so awesome! The DX5 II looses all it's settings after the flash to 1.62 Fortunately, I knew all the old settings by heart and had my PEQ stored in Topping Tune.

I hope this FW fixes my PEQ memory issue!

*Update*

I'm beginning to wonder if Topping Tune is the problem, rather than the DX5 II. I have the PEQ for my iLoud MTMs (calculated in REW) stored as a local config. When I store this PEQ to the DX5 II it all looks good. If I export the stored filters, they match what I have in the local config...

Preamp: -2.4 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 104 Hz Gain -6.2 dB Q 16.197
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 119 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 2
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 131 Hz Gain -7.6 dB Q 7.741
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 183 Hz Gain 5.6 dB Q 7.464
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 194 Hz Gain -7 dB Q 1.485
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 326 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 2.658
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 333 Hz Gain -9.5 dB Q 4.995
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 366 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 1.159
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 469 Hz Gain -8.5 dB Q 3.686
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 665 Hz Gain -4 dB Q 3.218

If I close Topping Tune completely (not to task bar) and then re-open it, the filter gains for the stored settings have all been rounded to 0.5dB...

Preamp: -2 dB <-- gain rounded down 0.4
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 104 Hz Gain -6 dB Q 16.197 <-- gain rounded down 0.2
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 119 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 2
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 131 Hz Gain -7.5 dB Q 7.741 <-- gain rounded down 0.1
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 183 Hz Gain 5.5 dB Q 7.464 <-- gain rounded down 0.1
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 194 Hz Gain -7 dB Q 1.485
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 326 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 2.658
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 333 Hz Gain -9.5 dB Q 4.995
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 366 Hz Gain 6 dB Q 1.159
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 469 Hz Gain -8.5 dB Q 3.686
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 665 Hz Gain -4 dB Q 3.218

Very strange! The change due to rounding on these gains is too small for me to hear, so I don't know if the filters on the DX5 II are rounded as well.