Topping DX5II Balanced DAC and Headphone Amp Review

[KokoCollie]

I just want to chime in on my experience regarding the DX5 II's PEQ issues that I've been having.

I got the device back in early October (9th I believe) and the second I got it I updated its firmware. From there I downloaded the Windows driver, Topping Tune (which then immediately prompted me to update it upon installation) and then set up my PEQ profiles. I noticed some quirks, such as values not sticking or the L/R or L+R selection menu changing, but it would only become an issue upon opening TT. I was okay with just setting the EQ profiles and then forgetting it.

A few days ago, I updated the firmware on my DX5 II because I was on a version before 1.76 / 1.78 and I saw that we were now a couple versions ahead. I jumped onto 1.78 and everything was fine. I wanted to play around with my EQ some more, and started by changing the names, which I noticed didn't stick upon turning the device off and on. No matter how many times I tried to change the name (removing characters such as "-" or "." from the names I inputted), it would not stick upon restarting the device.

That's when I made the awful mistake of deleting my PEQ profiles and recreating them. Now nothing sticks upon restarting the device. Sometimes it'll remember the first PEQ profile that I created, but not profiles following it. I tried rolling the firmware back to the oldest version they have on their site (only 1.76 sadly), no luck. I tried reinstalling Topping Tune, no luck (though I'm about to try that again but by also deleting the Windows driver. I'm at a loss). I tried factory resetting, adding the EQ in a different way by right clicking a locally created config and moving it to the device, no luck. I seem to have the best odds when I "manually" create it under user config directly on the device, but even then the profiles just do not stick upon power cycling the DX5 II.

I can get TT and the DX5 II to sync up very consistenty. I can set different EQ profiles that I add on the device to different outputs, and switch EQ profiles with the A button on the remote, and it'll show the EQ profiles cycling in TT and on the DX5 II's display flawlessly, without any issues.

But the moment I power cycle the DX5 II, it just loses it. It doesn't matter if TT is running or not when I power cycle, I tested power cycling with the DX5 II connected to my PC and not connected to it, and results are the same. To clarify, what I mean is I will set up the EQ profiles in TT, correctly get them to work on the device and then shut down my PC and disconnect the DX5 II from it by disconnecting the USB cable. The EQ profiles will continue to work flawlessly, meaning that they ARE on the device and they ARE working, but power cycling will immediately cause them to dissapear (usually aside from the first profile, however).

Has anyone had issues like this? I'm still not entirely sure what caused it, but I can only guess it was a combination of updating the firmware on the DX5 II and then trying to change the PEQ profiles (how dare I, I suppose).

I saw some people mentioning that orders got delayed due to a recall to fix some issue regarding the PEQ, is it possible I got a faulty unit? It worked fine before albeit it with some quirks, but profiles did save to the device and remain after power cycling. This is a new issue that has come up.

I'm going to keep experimenting. I'll try and install TT on a different Windows machine in case my reinstalling efforts have caused some old files conflicting with new ones. I've contacted Topping and they got back to me explaining the difference between "Local configurations" and "User Configurations", and how one saves to the device and the other doesn't. I've now sent a follow up, making it clear that I understand how it is *meant* to work, and that in my case, it simply doesn't. I also requested an older firmware version to test with, and an older version of TT just in case. I want to cover all my bases and narrow this issue down so I can provide Topping with the information required to fix this.

 

[Bernard23]

What's worse is that people immediately declare it a bug and warn others about a problem with the device without even asking first or reading the manual.
These results then appear when someone searches for the device and bugs on Google, or they become part of the information that AI analyzes.

I was at a manufacturing conference last week and the topic of data quality for AI / ML came up repeatedly. It's a real concern and always has been but is now being amplified because compute power is changing how we use it. Sorry OT I know.

 

[Mike_Trueman]

Anyone running this amp with the Hifiman arya organic and is it a good match?

 

[ziggurcat]

What's worse is that people immediately declare it a bug and warn others about a problem with the device

No. I said "potential bug."

And the only thing in the manual is Mode 1 = better DAC performance, and Mode 2 = greater SPDIF compatibility. The only other thing is in the FW changelog (because this is a feature they added a month or so after the release of the device in FW v1.62) says, "Spdif Mode: 1 (default, high-performance mode); 2 (high-compatibility mode)", so if you would care to explain how an end user could glean anything about stuttering with one mode vs. the other out of that information, I'm all ears.

The irony, of course, is that the greater/high-compatibility mode is the one that is incompatible.

 

[ziggurcat]

I just want to chime in on my experience regarding the DX5 II's PEQ issues that I've been having.

I got the device back in early October (9th I believe) and the second I got it I updated its firmware. From there I downloaded the Windows driver, Topping Tune (which then immediately prompted me to update it upon installation) and then set up my PEQ profiles. I noticed some quirks, such as values not sticking or the L/R or L+R selection menu changing, but it would only become an issue upon opening TT. I was okay with just setting the EQ profiles and then forgetting it.

A few days ago, I updated the firmware on my DX5 II because I was on a version before 1.76 / 1.78 and I saw that we were now a couple versions ahead. I jumped onto 1.78 and everything was fine. I wanted to play around with my EQ some more, and started by changing the names, which I noticed didn't stick upon turning the device off and on. No matter how many times I tried to change the name (removing characters such as "-" or "." from the names I inputted), it would not stick upon restarting the device.

That's when I made the awful mistake of deleting my PEQ profiles and recreating them. Now nothing sticks upon restarting the device. Sometimes it'll remember the first PEQ profile that I created, but not profiles following it. I tried rolling the firmware back to the oldest version they have on their site (only 1.76 sadly), no luck. I tried reinstalling Topping Tune, no luck (though I'm about to try that again but by also deleting the Windows driver. I'm at a loss). I tried factory resetting, adding the EQ in a different way by right clicking a locally created config and moving it to the device, no luck. I seem to have the best odds when I "manually" create it under user config directly on the device, but even then the profiles just do not stick upon power cycling the DX5 II.

I can get TT and the DX5 II to sync up very consistenty. I can set different EQ profiles that I add on the device to different outputs, and switch EQ profiles with the A button on the remote, and it'll show the EQ profiles cycling in TT and on the DX5 II's display flawlessly, without any issues.

But the moment I power cycle the DX5 II, it just loses it. It doesn't matter if TT is running or not when I power cycle, I tested power cycling with the DX5 II connected to my PC and not connected to it, and results are the same. To clarify, what I mean is I will set up the EQ profiles in TT, correctly get them to work on the device and then shut down my PC and disconnect the DX5 II from it by disconnecting the USB cable. The EQ profiles will continue to work flawlessly, meaning that they ARE on the device and they ARE working, but power cycling will immediately cause them to dissapear (usually aside from the first profile, however).

Has anyone had issues like this? I'm still not entirely sure what caused it, but I can only guess it was a combination of updating the firmware on the DX5 II and then trying to change the PEQ profiles (how dare I, I suppose).

I saw some people mentioning that orders got delayed due to a recall to fix some issue regarding the PEQ, is it possible I got a faulty unit? It worked fine before albeit it with some quirks, but profiles did save to the device and remain after power cycling. This is a new issue that has come up.

I'm going to keep experimenting. I'll try and install TT on a different Windows machine in case my reinstalling efforts have caused some old files conflicting with new ones. I've contacted Topping and they got back to me explaining the difference between "Local configurations" and "User Configurations", and how one saves to the device and the other doesn't. I've now sent a follow up, making it clear that I understand how it is *meant* to work, and that in my case, it simply doesn't. I also requested an older firmware version to test with, and an older version of TT just in case. I want to cover all my bases and narrow this issue down so I can provide Topping with the information required to fix this.

Sounds a lot like what @Berwhale has experienced. I would definitely mention this to Topping (I don't believe anyone has reported this to them yet).

 

[Berwhale]

Sounds a lot like what @Berwhale has experienced. I would definitely mention this to Topping (I don't believe anyone has reported this to them yet).

My custom PEQ profiles persist after a power cycle and the PEQ memory continues to apply the correct setting as I switch outputs.

It's only when I run TT and select a PEQ setting that the 'fun' starts. I did this earlier, with only EQ1 and EQ2 present on the DX5 II and sure enough TT reported the presence of 5 default EQs instead of my 2 custom EQs. However, the EQs were still on the DX5 II which I confirmed by switching outputs several times. I then selected a PEQ config in TT (I think it was a local one), and EQ1 and EQ2 on the DX5 II were replaced with the default configs. I then added my custom settings as EQ6 and EQ7 and left the default ones in place.

I ran TT just now and you can see that it lists the 5 default EQs and none of my custom EQs. But you can also see the DX5 II display showing both EQ6 and EQ7 (and I can switch between them using PEQ memory and they sound fine)...

 

[KokoCollie]

My custom PEQ profiles persist after a power cycle and the PEQ memory continues to apply the correct setting as I switch outputs.

It's only when I run TT and select a PEQ setting that the 'fun' starts. I did this earlier, with only EQ1 and EQ2 present on the DX5 II and sure enough TT reported the presence of 5 default EQs instead of my 2 custom EQs. However, the EQs were still on the DX5 II which I confirmed by switching outputs several times. I then selected a PEQ config in TT (I think it was a local one), and EQ1 and EQ2 on the DX5 II were replaced with the default configs. I then added my custom settings as EQ6 and EQ7 and left the default ones in place.

I ran TT just now and you can see that it lists the 5 default EQs and none of my custom EQs. But you can also see the DX5 II display showing both EQ6 and EQ7 (and I can switch between them using PEQ memory and they sound fine)...

View attachment 491253View attachment 491252

Thank you for sharing!

I spent most of today reinstalling Windows. I wanted to make sure my issue wasn't due to some weird file confliction while reinstalling Topping Tune, plus I wanted to move from 23H2, so I figured I'd get it over and done with.Unsurprisngly, this did not solve my issue, though now I have a much more consistent idea as to what is happening.

I'll run you through my experience:

First, I factory reset the DX5 II and opt to remove the PEQ profiles stored to the device, which reverts it to it's 5 pre-included PEQ profiles of Bass 1, Bass 2, Airy, Warm and Dynamic (in that order). I see this reflected perfectly in TT, and the profiles persist between different outputs. I then delete a couple of the preincluded profiles and rename + reconfigure the remaining 3, as I only have 3 EQ profiles I flip between.

This all works perfectly. They show on the device with the correct name and they sound exactly as I configured it. Switching EQ profiles via the remote works as expected and it shows me flipping between them within TT too, it also keeps my selected EQ correctly between different outputs.

Now for my own "fun". Regardless of whether or not I decide to keep TT open, or if I close it (that is to end its task within task manager), OR if I entirely disconnect the DX5 II from USB so that there's no way TT can mess with the profiles; power cycling the device messes up the profiles (I'll explain specifically how in a moment). I can set up my profiles in TT, shut down my PC and I will still be able to properly switch between EQ profiles on the device. It is entirely disconnected from TT and my PC and yet the EQ profiles are stored properly (or at least, they seem to be stored properly). The moment I turn the DX5 II off and on, the profiles are messed up.

When I say messed up, it messes up in a very consistent way. The device will think that it still has its 5 default profiles, and if I power cycle the device while TT is open, TT will acknowledge the device is disconnected, then realise it's reconnected when I turn it on, and it still thinks that the 3 profiles I saved to the device are still on it; though when I cycle through them on the DX5 II, it's very clearly 'out-of-sync' with what TT believes is stored on the device. Following this, if I restart TT, it then correctly shows the 5 default profiles saved on the device.

It's hard for me to specifically narrow down what I did that could have caused this. The only thing I've recently done is update the firmware on the DX5 II, everything still worked as normal, and then when I went to make changes yesterday, it wouldn't stick. It is currently impossible for me to store my custom PEQ profiles on my DX5 II.

Out of curiosity, when you open TT, what "Device Hardware Version" does it say your DX5 II is? Mine is V0.15, running Software version (firmware) V1.78.

I'm at such a loss. I've reported the issue from TT's problem feedback option under "help", though not in as much detail as I have here. I'm also waiting for them to respond to my prior email, where I've asked for a previous firmware version in case that is the issue.

 

[KokoCollie]

Thank you for sharing!

I spent most of today reinstalling Windows. I wanted to make sure my issue wasn't due to some weird file confliction while reinstalling Topping Tune, plus I wanted to move from 23H2, so I figured I'd get it over and done with.Unsurprisngly, this did not solve my issue, though now I have a much more consistent idea as to what is happening.

I'll run you through my experience:

First, I factory reset the DX5 II and opt to remove the PEQ profiles stored to the device, which reverts it to it's 5 pre-included PEQ profiles of Bass 1, Bass 2, Airy, Warm and Dynamic (in that order). I see this reflected perfectly in TT, and the profiles persist between different outputs. I then delete a couple of the preincluded profiles and rename + reconfigure the remaining 3, as I only have 3 EQ profiles I flip between.

This all works perfectly. They show on the device with the correct name and they sound exactly as I configured it. Switching EQ profiles via the remote works as expected and it shows me flipping between them within TT too, it also keeps my selected EQ correctly between different outputs.

Now for my own "fun". Regardless of whether or not I decide to keep TT open, or if I close it (that is to end its task within task manager), OR if I entirely disconnect the DX5 II from USB so that there's no way TT can mess with the profiles; power cycling the device messes up the profiles (I'll explain specifically how in a moment). I can set up my profiles in TT, shut down my PC and I will still be able to properly switch between EQ profiles on the device. It is entirely disconnected from TT and my PC and yet the EQ profiles are stored properly (or at least, they seem to be stored properly). The moment I turn the DX5 II off and on, the profiles are messed up.

When I say messed up, it messes up in a very consistent way. The device will think that it still has its 5 default profiles, and if I power cycle the device while TT is open, TT will acknowledge the device is disconnected, then realise it's reconnected when I turn it on, and it still thinks that the 3 profiles I saved to the device are still on it; though when I cycle through them on the DX5 II, it's very clearly 'out-of-sync' with what TT believes is stored on the device. Following this, if I restart TT, it then correctly shows the 5 default profiles saved on the device.

It's hard for me to specifically narrow down what I did that could have caused this. The only thing I've recently done is update the firmware on the DX5 II, everything still worked as normal, and then when I went to make changes yesterday, it wouldn't stick. It is currently impossible for me to store my custom PEQ profiles on my DX5 II.

Out of curiosity, when you open TT, what "Device Hardware Version" does it say your DX5 II is? Mine is V0.15, running Software version (firmware) V1.78.

I'm at such a loss. I've reported the issue from TT's problem feedback option under "help", though not in as much detail as I have here. I'm also waiting for them to respond to my prior email, where I've asked for a previous firmware version in case that is the issue.

I fixed it!

Or well... I managed to get it to work exactly how it used to. There's still some bugs, such as the fact that opening Topping Tune shows that the gain, frequency and filter values for one of my EQ profiles is radically different than how I set it, but as long as I don't touch the values in the profile, opening TT doesn't actually change the sound, it's just out of sync with what the profile on the DX5 II *actually* is (so, very similar to your issue @Berwhale)

All I did was change the UAC version in the DX5 II to 1.0, then I tried to change profiles only to find that the profiles I was making were actually retaining after power cycling. I, step-by-step, created my profiles 1 at a time, power cycling between each one to make sure my changes were sticking; and they actually were!

I then changed the UAC version back to 2.0 within the DX5 II and my EQ profiles retained, I was even able to adjust the EQ profiles while in UAC 2.0 mode without any issues, meaning I had gotten it back to how I had it before, with the only issue being the occasional incorrect information displayed by TT.

I'm surprised this worked, as I had previously toggled to UAC 1.0 mode and back to 2.0 mode without any success, my guess is that actually playing with storing EQ profiles to the device in UAC 1.0 mode and then switching back somehow un-scrambles its brains and helps it correctly store profiles again! I had also factory resetted several times before trying this, which also didn't fix my issue; so manually selecting UAC 1.0, playing with the EQ profiles and then switching it back to 2.0 seems to be the correct way to fix this weird issue I somehow ran into after updating my device's firmware.

I'll be sure to let Topping know, maybe this is why TT struggles to stay in sync at displaying EQ profiles stored on the device; some kind of UAC 1.0 vs 2.0 conflict perhaps?

EDIT:

Nevermind, I'm still suffering from some issues it seems. The UAC swithing method is giving me more luck in getting profiles to store, especially when powering off the unit as normal, but powering it off using the rear switch causes my profiles to audibly change even without TT being open, and opening TT shows some gain values shifting a *lot*, usually going all the way down to the maximum / minimum gain values of -12 / +12 dB.

This has been such a headache. I may end up switching back to Peace until this can be solved. The idea of not being able to trust that what I'm hearing is what I configured is always itching in my mind.

 

[Berwhale]

@KokoCollie - I switched my DX5 II off an on using the rear switch and it's kept both my user configs (EQ6 & 7). TT is out of sync, but I expected that as doing a full power cycle of the DX5 seems to ensure this.

Your comments regard UAC version made me consider the cable i'm using, which is 2m long as my DX5 II sits on an electric standing desk and my PC is on the floor. I may experiment with shorter cables tomorrow (but not with the desk raised!)

I'm running the following versions...

 

[KokoCollie]

@KokoCollie - I switched my DX5 II off an on using the rear switch and it's kept both my user configs (EQ6 & 7). TT is out of sync, but I expected that as doing a full power cycle of the DX5 seems to ensure this.

Your comments regard UAC version made me consider the cable i'm using, which is 2m long as my DX5 II sits on an electric standing desk and my PC is on the floor. I may experiment with shorter cables tomorrow (but not with the desk raised!)

I'm running the following versions...

View attachment 491296

Your hardware and software versions are all identical to mine, I figured as much, but seeing both of our issues being similar but not identical is certainly strange.

I plan to just keep TT running at all times and to fix my profiles whenever I turn the DX5 II off and on, as I cannot trust my profiles to remain the way I configured them. Hopefully when Topping gets back to me, I can relay my findings to them in detail and come to some sort of conclusion, because this has been such a nightmare for me.

Again, interesting to see different (but related) problems on identical hardware and software. I hope my unit hasn't developed some sort of fault...

 

[Berwhale]

@KokoCollie - I never turn my DX5 II off (unless testing), it just goes to sleep with my PC. I've turned off autostart for TT and only run it to check if there's a new version in the vain hope that it's been fixed!

I also have the Distill web monitor add-in setup in my browser to inform me when Topping have updated their download page...

 

[KokoCollie]

@KokoCollie - I never turn my DX5 II off (unless testing), it just goes to sleep with my PC. I've turned off autostart for TT and only run it to check if there's a new version in the vain hope that it's been fixed!

I also have the Distill web monitor add-in setup in my browser to inform me when Topping have updated their download page...

View attachment 491312

Gotcha, I should do the same and just let it sleep and wake with my PC.

Hopefully they can push a fix soon, I really really like this thing but going from a device that can consistently save PEQ profiles despite losing power, to one that can't, is really annoying. I'm not used to updates that remove functionality from the device I bought!

 

[ziggurcat]

Hopefully they can push a fix soon

That won't happen until someone formally reports this to them.

 

[KokoCollie]

That won't happen until someone formally reports this to them.

As I said in a previous post, “I’ll be sure to let Topping know”, I’ve been waiting for a response.

They just got back to me asking for some more details, specifically regarding firmware and software versions for my DX5 II and TT.

I wrote a summarised response of my findings (which was decently hard, as some of my ‘findings’ have been rather inconsistent), along with a link to a video I recorded demonstrating the issue, *and* a link to this page, for this product discussion, on this forum.

 

[ziggurcat]

As I said in a previous post, “I’ll be sure to let Topping know”, I’ve been waiting for a response.

They just got back to me asking for some more details, specifically regarding firmware and software versions for my DX5 II and TT.

I wrote a summarised response of my findings (which was decently hard, as some of my ‘findings’ have been rather inconsistent), along with a link to a video I recorded demonstrating the issue, *and* a link to this page, for this product discussion, on this forum.

Great, then I hope they can figure it out soon.

 

[KokoCollie]

Great, then I hope they can figure it out soon.

Good news!

They got back to me a few hours after I sent the email:

“Hello,

Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback, and for taking the time to create the video and provide the discussion link. This has been a tremendous help to our technical team in locating the problem. We sincerely apologize for the issue with the DX5 II failing to save configurations after a power cycle and the abnormal EQ settings, as this has undoubtedly severely impacted your user experience.

Based on the information you provided, we immediately arranged for testers to reproduce the issue and have successfully confirmed its existence.

Please rest assured that we have prioritized this issue and have officially documented it. Currently, we are expediting the development engineering team to fully analyze and fix this problem. Once the issue is resolved, we will push the fix to you via firmware update as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your patience and support.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this device has caused you. We promise to continue following up until the problem is completely resolved.”

I also got a response to another email I sent at a slightly earlier date. I didn’t provide as much information as I did the first time, but I think it’s worth including as that outright said “the fixed version should be available this week”:

“Thank you for contacting TOPPING support. We are happy to assist.
Don't worry, this is most likely due to some bugs that appeared after the software update. We will arrange a fix immediately, and the fixed version should be available this week. We have registered your information and will contact you immediately if there are any updates!
Thank you for your understanding and patience!”

 

[SorenTyson]

@KokoCollie : thanks for taking the time to collect all this information and submit to topping. This will help all of us, even if we don't have this problem, I will of course appreciate that it gets fixed

 

[KokoCollie]

Topping Tune gave me a notification that there's a new version, V1.14 (previously 1.09).

I updated to it, and while my EQ profiles still change on power cycle, it isn't as inconsistent as it used to be; moreover, TT is now behaving much more expectedly!

I set up my profiles, all sounded well and then I closed TT and power cycled the DX5 II. A couple of my EQs reverted their names to "DevConfig1" and "DevConfig2" and the sound was definitely changed, but the number of EQ profiles I saved was 3, and the amount on the device was 3, which was an improvement as before it would almost always remove my third profile.

Upon opening TT with the DX5 II, it read the device's 3 on board profiles and then somewhat fixed the EQ configuration? The names were still out of sync (TT thought the names were what I set them to, but the DX5 II thought they were named DevConfig), but the moment I opened TT it 'fixed' the EQ profiles I saved back to the way I intended.

Restarting TT a second time (without re-power cycling the DX5 II) shows this too. Everything is in sync between TT and my DX5 II, though power cycling the DX5 II still causes issues, such as EQ profile names reverting, and EQ configuration (frequencies, gain values, filters) altering.

The first email they sent me did outright say "we will push the fix to you via firmware update as soon as possible", so it's possible that they're making changes / fixes to both the TT software *and* the DX5 II's firmware to help them properly communicate to one another. Fingers crossed!

I'll continue to post my findings / conversations with Topping here, I just send them a follow-up email detailing how my DX5 II interacts with the new TT V1.14 update.

 

[Berwhale]

I've installed the new version of TT. It seems more stable than the previous versions. I see the DX5 II updating consistently when I change PEQ in TT, the DX5 II seemed to ignore many changes using the old version.

 

[Bauhaus]

How can I automatically wake up my device when I turn it on on a PC or MAC?