Topping DX5II Balanced DAC and Headphone Amp Review

[Bleib]

Topping Tune 1.08 is out, update with the app itself

 

[Berwhale]

Topping Tune 1.08 is out, update with the app itself

Update within the app is not available for me, I will download from the Topping website and try that way...

*edit* not available on the website yet

*edit2* I had to switch Topping Tune to 'Exit program' in settings (see below), then close Topping Tune and re-open it to get prompted for the update which I then went through and completed.

I lost one of my custom User Config PEQs after the Topping Tune update. I added it back in by selecting the Local Config and then hitting the '+' next to User Config. The User Config was created in Topping Tune, but did not register on the DX5 II itself (I was unable to get the DX5 II to 'remember' this setting for an output). So, I deleted the User Config in Topping Tune and re-added it by right clicking on the Local Config and selecting 'store to device'. The custom user config is recognised by the DX5 II and is remembered for the corresponding output.

I think both the DX5 II firmware and Topping Tune software have improved a lot since the DX5 II was released, but there is still some room for improvement!

 

[Nicosea]

Topping Tune 1.08 is out, update with the app itself

Changelog?
Any chance that they fixed the PEQ with possibility to save 0.1 steps in db gain rather than 0.5?

 

[Bleib]

Changelog?
Any chance that they fixed the PEQ with possibility to save 0.1 steps in db gain rather than 0.5?

Don't know what they have changed. No info yet

 

[Mario1969]

what is the difference between LOCAL CONFIG and USER CONFIG???

 

[Timbo2]

what is the difference between LOCAL CONFIG and USER CONFIG???

In Topping Tune?

Local are PEQ settings stored on your PC.
User are the 10 PEQ curves stored on the device.

You can have more than 10 Local settings. Not sure how many more than 10, however. You can move your local curves to the device.

 

[Berwhale]

Changelog?
Any chance that they fixed the PEQ with possibility to save 0.1 steps in db gain rather than 0.5?

All my PEQ go quantized to 0.5dB when I resent them to the DX5 II after the Topping Tune 1.08 update, so I don't think this has been fixed.

 

[Nicosea]

All my PEQ go quantized to 0.5dB when I resent them to the DX5 II after the Topping Tune 1.08 update, so I don't think this has been fixed.

That's really a pity, and I am afraid it will never be fixed because it might be a limitation in the hardware/chip.
Really a pity.

 

[Minato]

Can anyone really perceive differences of less than 0.5 dB? It's the usual forum problem: endlessly looking for problems!
Anyway the sound is great with the PEQ and I enjoy listening to music on my DX5 II without any worries.

 

[Mario1969]

Can anyone really perceive differences of less than 0.5 dB? It's the usual forum problem: endlessly looking for problems!
Anyway the sound is great with the PEQ and I enjoy listening to music on my DX5 II without any worries.

You made me laugh... As a sound engineer with 30 years of experience, I can assure you that you will NEVER achieve the right sound if you are limited to 0.5 dB steps in EQ. If you are deaf, it may not bother you at all, but 0.5 dB in each of the 10 points results in a completely different sound... of course, if someone doesn't care about the right sound, just add bass and treble, then OK. But we're in the 21st century and things like 0.5 dB steps are not acceptable, at least for me, so I hope they correct this error in the near future.

 

[staticV3]

You made me laugh... As a sound engineer with 30 years of experience, I can assure you that you will NEVER achieve the right sound if you are limited to 0.5 dB steps in EQ. If you are deaf, it may not bother you at all, but 0.5 dB in each of the 10 points results in a completely different sound... of course, if someone doesn't care about the right sound, just add bass and treble, then OK. But we're in the 21st century and things like 0.5 dB steps are not acceptable, at least for me, so I hope they correct this error in the near future.

You do realize that .5dB steps result in at most 0.25dB deviation right?

And that stays true even when distributed across ten filter bands (unless the filters are configured in a stupid way).

Now look at Genelec's brand new flagship Main monitor and realize how irrational complaining about a 0.25dB EQ error is:


No it's not audible.

 

[Mario1969]

You do realize that .5dB steps result in at most 0.25dB deviation right?

And that stays true even when distributed across ten filter bands (unless the filters are configured in a stupid way).

Now look at Genelec's brand new flagship Main monitor and realize how irrational complaining about a 0.25dB EQ error is:

These are the speakers I use, Genelec 8341, and I can assure you that you can hear every EQ move, especially the 0.5 dB ones, so stop theorizing, because a graph is one thing and hearing is another, especially with headphones. ......By the way, I'm not sure if you know what this graph shows.

 

[olieb]

No it's not audible.

I agree, and there are too many other influences (channel difference, unit deviations, measurement error...) to make 0.5dB steps a problem even if it were audible (it actually is under clinical conditions of headphone ABX and low Q filter).
But nevertheless it is kind of weird to not use 0.1 steps if you have tenth anyway.
And look what they do with the definition of Q factor! (at least in Topping Tune, no idea what is the actual value in the dac)

 

[Jcrow]

You made me laugh... As a sound engineer with 30 years of experience, I can assure you that you will NEVER achieve the right sound if you are limited to 0.5 dB steps in EQ. If you are deaf, it may not bother you at all, but 0.5 dB in each of the 10 points results in a completely different sound... of course, if someone doesn't care about the right sound, just add bass and treble, then OK. But we're in the 21st century and things like 0.5 dB steps are not acceptable, at least for me, so I hope they correct this error in the near future.

I thought you were being sarcastic at first, but then I realised you were being serious. I think for the price it’s still pretty good. Even in the 21st century.

 

[Mario1969]

I thought you were being sarcastic at first, but then I realised you were being serious. I think for the price it’s still pretty good. Even in the 21st century.

for the price the DX5 II is excellent,... it doesn't have all the features and stability of the RME ADI-2, but there is potential and... more power than the RME .... I hope that with time the Topping Tune will be improved

 

[Mario1969]

I need to clarify something... of course, moving one of the 10 filters by 0.5 dB does not have to be audible, although in the high frequency range it can be... but moving all 10 filters at the same time by 0.5 dB is very audible, that's what I meant... for example... if you use Harman Target Curve and change all 10 filters, the difference will be significant and very audible, at least for me

 

[Nicosea]

I need to clarify something... of course, moving one of the 10 filters by 0.5 dB does not have to be audible, although in the high frequency range it can be... but moving all 10 filters at the same time by 0.5 dB is very audible, that's what I meant... for example... if you use Harman Target Curve and change all 10 filters, the difference will be significant and very audible, at least for me

Db is a scale logarithmic, so I guess moving from 0 to 0.5db is hardly audible when you go really from 0 to 0.5, but when you set a gain of 6.2 and topping saves 6.0, that 0.2db difference is more audible, because we are at 6db starting point, not 0. Correct? Due to the logarithmic scale.

Anyway I am happy with my DX5 II, for the price I paid it (euro 258) is super fine and I use CamillaDSP for PEQ. Recently also discovered that it is possible to apply DSP (FIR filter) directly to shairplay, so even more simple than CamillaDSP.

It is although a contradiction and quite confusing to have possibility to go on 0.1db and than save on 0.5db… just allow what you can get.

 

[Ahmonge]

Db is a scale logarithmic, so I guess moving from 0 to 0.5db is hardly audible when you go really from 0 to 0.5, but when you set a gain of 6.2 and topping saves 6.0, that 0.2db difference is more audible, because we are at 6db starting point, not 0. Correct? Due to the logarithmic scale.

We use a logarithmic scale for sounds because our auditory system behaves approximately like a logarithmic compressor. Thus, measurements expressed in decibels represent approximately linear increments for our auditory perception. In other words, an increase of 0.5 dB seems to us to be the same increase in sound, regardless of the volume at which it occurs.

 

[Nicosea]

We use a logarithmic scale for sounds because our auditory system behaves approximately like a logarithmic compressor. Thus, measurements expressed in decibels represent approximately linear increments for our auditory perception. In other words, an increase of 0.5 dB seems to us to be the same increase in sound, regardless of the volume at which it occurs.

Thanks! I have learned something new

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I made a simple brackets (3d model to print) for DX5 II for under the desk mounting, if anyone is interested you can get it from printables.

ps. I "just" bought a 3d printer, it's my first design and the first time I touched any CAD-like software... so any suggestions are welcomed