Topping DX5II Balanced DAC and Headphone Amp Review

[magor34]

Hello ASR,

I have heard this DAC/AMP is REALLY good for the price. Like really really good.

And I want to change my old, ODAC O² Combo. Is it worth ugprading to this Topping ?

I'm listening (for the moment) with a DT770 Pro 250ohms and DT990 Pro 250ohms.

Thanks for your reply.

While there's nothing wrong with the ODAC O², nor any other older device, I believe this to be a worthwhile upgrade for you just looking at the numbers. With that being said, numbers aint everything BUT it is the main purpose of this forum.

I hope this is a satisfactory answer to your question.

 

[ziggurcat]

One thing I wish they implemented on the DX5 II was the ability to switch between XLR/4.4mm HPA outputs individually.

And forgive me for being a complete noobie, but how does one import a PEQ profile that has filters for the Left and Right channels individually?

 

[Mutex]

And forgive me for being a complete noobie, but how does one import a PEQ profile that has filters for the Left and Right channels individually?

You don't. You need to separate that file into two individual filter files for the Left and Right channels.

Once you've switched from L+R to L/R mode you'll see the Left / Right switches. You can then activate each individual channel and import the profile for that channel.

Basically, you import one while the "Left" channel is selected, and the other while the "Right" channel is selected.

 

[Guetta]

Hello everyone. How is the overall quality of this device? Has anyone experienced it stopping working after some time? Also, how does its inner components build compare to JDS Labs products for example?

 

[ziggurcat]

Hello everyone. How is the overall quality of this device? Has anyone experienced it stopping working after some time? Also, how does its inner components build compare to JDS Labs products for example?

Device quality is very good. There's always going to be a certain amount of device failures -- that is "normal." Teardown thread is here:

Topping DX5II teardown

@kevin gilmore has the circuit diagram posted here. Here's the full pcb board. First, the digital part You can see the bluetooth module on the top left. On the middle right is the MS8422N, which is a chip to do routing, replacing LC89058W on earlier topping devices. The signal then...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

One particular feature that I think we should keep on bitching about to Topping is an affordable All-In-One such as this with an Analogue In! I for one would be glad to pay an extra $100 for it!

Agreed. And it really wouldn't cost an extra $100, either.

 

[mackat]

One particular feature that I think we should keep on bitching about to Topping is an affordable All-In-One such as this with an Analogue In! I for one would be glad to pay an extra $100 for it!

This is the only reason why I haven't bought one!

 

[Bauhaus]

One particular feature that I think we should keep on bitching about to Topping is an affordable All-In-One such as this with an Analogue In! I for one would be glad to pay an extra $100 for it!

Could you clarify what you mean? can you show me an example?

 

[Highvoltage]

Hi guys i'm new here!

Just bought a DX5 II, to have more power for the (VSX) planar phones i have ordered.

However i get a short audible click followed by a brief audio dropout (few milliseconds) at a perfectly periodic interval of exactly 9 minutes 35 seconds at 44.1 kHz and 6 minutes 13 seconds at 48 kHz.
This timer resets every time i reboot the Topping, so it heavily suggests that the issue is specific to the DX5 II S/PDIF input path, not the source.

I'm using a Babyface Pro FS as a clock source -> SPDIF -> DX5

This occurs even when no audio is playing,
the interval is repeatable and consistent
The periodic timer resets whenever the DX5 II is rebooted
No visible S/PDIF errors reported by the source

This occurs at different sample rates (44.1 / 48 kHz)
This occurs at different DX5 II S/PDIF compatibility (1 & 2) modes
This does not occur in USB mode

Is this behavior known ?

LLM says this
Behavior strongly suggests: internal S/PDIF receiver re-initialization, a firmware timer, watchdog, or channel-status revalidation rather than signal integrity or clock instability.


Edit:
I have since read 20 pages back, and i might have the same - or very related - issue as described by @ziggurcat.
My pop is sometimes VERY loud, to the point that i'm affraid to listen to music on a medium loud volume.
I have not even put batteries in my remote, so i never have used the C buttons.
I will try the SPDIF-1-2-1 switch to see if it helps.

 

[Morla]

@Highvoltage so I guess it's not happening using BT either, right?

 

[Highvoltage]

@Highvoltage so I guess it's not happening using BT either, right?

Have not tried it, but im sure it won't, everything points to a SPDIF timing / reset problem

But now i can confirm setting SPDIF compatibility from 1 to 2 and back to 1 solves it. (Hopefully)
I have actually just set it back from 2 to 1 and restarted the device. So far so good.
I've been listening to music for 30+ minutes and no clicks and pops. It happened every 9,5 minutes every single time before.

 

[ziggurcat]

Hi guys i'm new here!

Just bought a DX5 II, to have more power for the (VSX) planar phones i have ordered.

However i get a short audible click followed by a brief audio dropout (few milliseconds) at a perfectly periodic interval of exactly 9 minutes 35 seconds at 44.1 kHz and 6 minutes 13 seconds at 48 kHz.
This timer resets every time i reboot the Topping, so it heavily suggests that the issue is specific to the DX5 II S/PDIF input path, not the source.

I'm using a Babyface Pro FS as a clock source -> SPDIF -> DX5

This occurs even when no audio is playing,
the interval is repeatable and consistent
The periodic timer resets whenever the DX5 II is rebooted
No visible S/PDIF errors reported by the source

This occurs at different sample rates (44.1 / 48 kHz)
This occurs at different DX5 II S/PDIF compatibility (1 & 2) modes
This does not occur in USB mode

Is this behavior known ?

LLM says this
Behavior strongly suggests: internal S/PDIF receiver re-initialization, a firmware timer, watchdog, or channel-status revalidation rather than signal integrity or clock instability.


Edit:
I have since read 20 pages back, and i might have the same - or very related - issue as described by @ziggurcat.
My pop is sometimes VERY loud, to the point that i'm affraid to listen to music on a medium loud volume.
I have not even put batteries in my remote, so i never have used the C buttons.
I will try the SPDIF-1-2-1 switch to see if it helps.

I have reported this issue to Topping, and they have fixed it. They have not released a new FW update yet, but the test FW they sent me does fix the problem. The workaround I figured out you can do until the FW is released to the public is to simply go to the SPDIF Mode settings, and flip it back and forth (from 1 to 2, then immediately back to 1 again, and exit the menu).

Do note that the workaround is output-dependent -- meaning, if you do it with HPA BAL, and switch to any other output type (HPA SE, LO BAL, LO SE, etc...), you need to do the workaround again. Once it has been done on the selected output type, you do not need to do it again. If you can also avoid using the C1 or C2 buttons to select a preset because doing that resets the bug, and you will have to do the workaround all over again for each output you use.

I do not know when they plan on releasing the new FW, but I did find another problem with the test FW that they probably need to fix before they do because it's a nasty bug (won't get into it because the new issue is not on the publicly-released FW).

 

[ziggurcat]

@Highvoltage so I guess it's not happening using BT either, right?

No, the issue is specific to the SPDIF inputs (OPT and COAX). It does not happen with USB or BT inputs.

 

[Highvoltage]

I have reported this issue to Topping, and they have fixed it. They have not released a new FW update yet, but the test FW they sent me does fix the problem. The workaround I figured out you can do until the FW is released to the public is to simply go to the SPDIF Mode settings, and flip it back and forth (from 1 to 2, then immediately back to 1 again, and exit the menu).

Do note that the workaround is output-dependent -- meaning, if you do it with HPA BAL, and switch to any other output type (HPA SE, LO BAL, LO SE, etc...), you need to do the workaround again. Once it has been done on the selected output type, you do not need to do it again. If you can also avoid using the C1 or C2 buttons to select a preset because doing that resets the bug, and you will have to do the workaround all over again for each output you use.

I do not know when they plan on releasing the new FW, but I did find another problem with the test FW that they probably need to fix before they do because it's a nasty bug (won't get into it because the new issue is not on the publicly-released FW).

Thanks for the info!

 

[Cataudio]

Hello everyone, one question about this unit: can it work with the display completely turned off?

 

[Bauhaus]

mmmm the screen is always on.

 

[Cataudio]

mmmm the screen is always on.

Thanks for the replay. Interesting choice of design...

 

[ziggurcat]

FW v1.93 has been posted on the website

DX5 II version V1.93 firmware update - Topping audio

Changelog:

V1.93 (December 23, 2025)

*Fixed: Several known issues

EDIT:

Also, the Topping Home app that is shown in the E50 II product page will be made available for iOS users next month, apparently (I asked them about that, and that is the response I got). Currently, it is only available for Android users.

EDIT 2:

And can someone please confirm this: I have tested for the data streaming popping with v1.93 and I cannot hear anything using HPA BAL or LO BAL outputs (I could hear the pop with these outputs before). It's a Christmas miracle.

 

[JIW]

FW v1.93 has been posted on the website

DX5 II version V1.93 firmware update - Topping audio

Changelog:

V1.93 (December 23, 2025)

*Fixed: Several known issues

EDIT:

Also, the Topping Home app that is shown in the E50 II product page will be made available for iOS users next month, apparently (I asked them about that, and that is the response I got). Currently, it is only available for Android users.

EDIT 2:

And can someone please confirm this: I have tested for the data streaming popping with v1.93 and I cannot hear anything using HPA BAL or LO BAL outputs (I could hear the pop with these outputs before). It's a Christmas miracle.

The popping is still present both on LO BAL and HPA SE. Did you run any software other than the audio player?

 

[ziggurcat]

The popping is still present both on LO BAL and HPA SE. Did you run any software other than the audio player?

I have no other software running. I will reboot my Mac, but I did make sure I didn't have Qobuz or @CuriousAli 's Keep Mac Audio Alive app running. I have tested Low and High gain settings on the DX5 II as well.

Edit: Restarted my Mac, and the popping is still present. False alarm but it was legit gone for me, and I really did check to make sure I had no other apps running.