Topping DX7 Pro DAC and Headphone Amp Reviewed

[Vovgan]

If you used RCA outputs don't forget that if I'm not mistaken the Qutest outputs 3V by default which isn't by any means standard and it may even affect the behavior of upstream gear.

Thanks Jimmy, but I have it configured for 2V output.

 

[BDWoody]

Well now there’s no point for me to continue comparing the two because it would look like I’m trying to make my wife change her opinion and I see no potential benefit in trying to do it

I sense a strong streak of wisdom reflected in that comment...

 

[tarikuz]

Hi all,
I have a Rotel RB1552 MkII power amplifier, can I use the Topping DX7 Pro DAC as DAC/pre with volume control with my amplifier (i don't have a pre).

Idea is to connect it to XLR output.

P.S: volume control should be done with the topping.

Many thanks for the help!

 

[Alou]

Hi all,
I have a Rotel RB1552 MkII power amplifier, can I use the Topping DX7 Pro DAC as DAC/pre with volume control with my amplifier (i don't have a pre).

Idea is to connect it to XLR output.

P.S: volume control should be done with the topping.

Many thanks for the help!

Yes it works excellent ,i use now the DX7 pro to feed my 2 Monoblocks via XLR ,volume controll is very good and lossless since its digital!

 

[veeceem]

Hi all,
I have a Rotel RB1552 MkII power amplifier, can I use the Topping DX7 Pro DAC as DAC/pre with volume control with my amplifier (i don't have a pre).

Idea is to connect it to XLR output.

P.S: volume control should be done with the topping.

Many thanks for the help!

Yeah that's what I use. DX7 Pro as DAC+Pre.
Superb! I'd say

 

[Category 5]

@Vovgan tbh, after buying Anthem STR preamp, use its DAC and its room correction feature (ARC). Qutest and DX7 Pro is now eating dust cant live without RC now I guess. Next purchase for my bed room setup will be NAD C658 or MiniDSP SHD or anything with RC biggest improvement ever since I started this hobby

IK Multimedia sells an ARC product that can work under any VST, or AU client, in the event a PC or MAC is your source.

Sonarworks is another good one. Not sure what algorithms it uses but the IK product uses Audyssey which is pretty great.

So there are options that can be used with any DAC.

 

[Alou]

How do you get the DX7pro to go all the way to 32bit 768khz ? Windows Sound control panel has the Topping Dac only up to 384khz & the \TO control panel only have the option 32 bit or 24 bit .The asio driver goes up to 192 khz.

 

[tarikuz]

Found excellent price here https://www.smsl-topping.com/new-ar...8pr-dsd1024-with-remote-control-p2321268.html

Did anybody try this seller ?

Thanks

 

[Veri]

How do you get the DX7pro to go all the way to 32bit 768khz ? Windows Sound control panel has the Topping Dac only up to 384khz & the \TO control panel only have the option 32 bit or 24 bit .The asio driver goes up to 192 khz.

Just push the sample rater over 384kHz over WASAPI push mode for example. Just need exclusive control.

 

[Alou]

Just push the sample rater over 384kHz over WASAPI push mode for example. Just need exclusive control.

Just got a reply from Topping it cant do it.

"Due to the limitations of Windows, DX7Pro can only implement 32bit768k on the foobar player "

So its not a real 768k, the plugin in the player does software oversampling ,so why do they advertise 768k if the dac is only 384k.
I dont mind because i dont listen to such high sample rates beyond 192k and didn't buy it for that
but when the hardware is up to 384k dont advertise it as 786k its misleading.

 

[Veri]

"Due to the limitations of Windows, DX7Pro can only implement 32bit768k on the foobar player "

So its not a real 768k, the plugin in the player does software oversampling ,so why do they advertise 768k if the dac is only 384k.
I dont mind because i dont listen to such high sample rates beyond 192k and didn't buy it for that
but when the hardware is up to 384k dont advertise it as 786k its misleading.

What? I don't understand what you're saying. Windows is limited to 384k in Windows Settings panel is what Topping is trying to explain to you, it's a Windows issue. Any application can send over 384k via exclusive control like WASAPI, not just foobar, as long as the DAC chipset supports it. Which this device does no problem.

To illustrate, on OSX you can just select 768K under settings, no problem. The device is fully capable of this. I've had another DAC that accepted up to 16-bit 1.536kHz under OSX panel, and windows could do the same, but only over exclusive WASAPI/ASIO mode. NOT under windows settings. Again, windows limitation.

Don't blame the device when you need to properly configure your OS and software, mate.

 

[Alou]

First i am not blaming the device , i truly like the DX7 pro and is very well made ,
besides i don't use DSD excpet some little files i have that occasionally play through Jriver Player which supports DSD very well.
They way i wrote my post was wrong in the way that it apperared was blaming Topping (Thesycon in this case) ,no that was not the intention ,
just waned to know why the drivers don't go up when the protocol supports it.

I was just discussing the implementation of the drivers for DX7pro tif they have have been written to supply 768 over ASIO.

Of course native windows USB audio drivers are generic and very limited ,you need custom developed drivers to operate your hardware
A professional device does not depend on an application to operate ,the application sees the drivers and does opreate with what the drivers tell them.In some DAW applications that you can not record at high sampling rate you are binded by the software limitation.
If your DAW is transparent and depending only in the driver like the Pyramix virtual studio you can record in what the drivers tell you and all the way up to exxremely high rates (Not needed anyway).
Even of windows does not support over 384k (obviously a driver limitation) the asio drivers could support it ,they din't add the support in the drivers.
The on board dac chips do support very high sampling rates but you need drivers to implement that other wise the system wont know what the device can do.
In the studio i use A/D & D/A converters that their ASIO drivers can can record over 1.536 khz (not that i will anyway).
If you look at specs of the USB 2.0 windows protocol you will see :

Audio 2.0 Class Driver for Windows

supports Audio class 1.0 and Audio class 2.0 devices
supports standard sampling rates (depending on device capabilities):
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz, 352.8 kHz, 384 kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz, 1411,2 kHz, 1536 kHz
supports USB Audio Type I sample formats:
PCM 16 bit, PCM 24 bit, PCM 32 bit, FLOAT 32 bit
supports stereo and multi-channel configurations with as many channels as the device implements

and also ASIO 2.0 protocol from Steinberg SDK which i used in the past allot to create drivers you will see :

ASIO 2.3.1 compliant driver DLL
sample formats (depending on device capabilities): PCM 24 bit, PCM 32 bit, Float 32 bit
bit-perfect playback and recording through ASIO
playback mix (simultaneous ASIO and WDM playback)
supports both 32-bit and 64-bit ASIO host applications
multi-client support (multiple ASIO applications in parallel)
configuration of ASIO buffer depth via driver control panel
ASIO DSD mode supported (playback and recording), see below DSD Support

So if the drivers are written to support up to 768khz and the device supports it will ,
if only the hardware or only the drivers do it wont work.

But then again i might be wrong and the driver might work if the host (like jriver or foobar) support DSD khz rates the driver will work,
so i will have to install the drivers at my DAW workstation and check if they go higher ,just for the test.
DX7pro is for my home use and i truly like its sound and was perfect purchase for me and for the rates i listen music to the drivers are very stable and sound superb.

 

[veeceem]

@Alou from reading your 1st comment, I knew it's more of a question than a complain so it's alright I think no worry

 

[Category 5]

You can select up to 768Khz in MacOS and it works properly so indeed the limitation is with windows. USB use in MacOS does not require a driver.

 

[Veri]

You can select up to 768Khz in MacOS and it works properly so indeed the limitation is with windows.

Thank you for confirming, that's what I thought.

 

[Alou]

You can use any device in Windows as well with no drivers with the generic usb audio drivers ,the same is in OSX.
A Power Mac workstation i have will work with some USB AD/DA converters but control panels settings etc wont work until you install
the OSX drivers.
I Haven't tried with the DX7pro but the D10 plays 256 DSD files in the Pyramix DAW studio alright!
It detects the ASIO driver as 384k so i guess it will work with the DX7pro as well (Same driver).
ASIO drivers need an ASIO host so they don't run over windows volume ctrl.

Besides now if you select 384k in windows audio control panel , and listen to anything that comes from the web (stream quality) you will be doing a software oversampling which is not proper acoustically because you add digital dither.Besides untill now there is no web browser thats ASIO compatible.If you sound card driver supports it youcan do a pseudo ASIO bridge to your ASIO device with virtual cable or similar app but its not true ASIO, works quite well though ,not perfect but good for a good listening.

Windows limitation does not matter that much for me as long as the ASIO works well .
True high res files will need a high res player in order to be 1:1 , thats what was Topping was telling with the Foobar and Jriver player.
My question was about the ASIO drivers but seems to be ok if you ASIO host supports it ,this was just a question to see the limits of the driver.
Its easier and more convenient if you want to listen to Hi Res to use a commercial or free(Foobar etc) player for that .
There are also similar apps for the MAC ,i now AMARRA is one but i dont use MAC except for one App only so i dont know much but i guess you all know allready all that.

 

[Alou]

How high can you lock ??
DX7pro ASIO driver via Merging Pyramix DAW

 

[Gradius]

Found excellent price here https://www.smsl-topping.com/new-ar...8pr-dsd1024-with-remote-control-p2321268.html

Did anybody try this seller ?

Thanks

FYI, good price is max $520.

 

[maxxevv]

Found excellent price here https://www.smsl-topping.com/new-ar...8pr-dsd1024-with-remote-control-p2321268.html

Did anybody try this seller ?

Thanks

The website name doesn't seem legit to me.

Topping and SMSL are separate companies. I hear alarm bells ringing in the background.

To ADD:

I do not see a legit office address. I do not see a legit contact telephone number.

All a major red flags for a scam in my experience.

 

[tarikuz]

Bought on Amazon... slow delivery... it should arrive 17th dec.

But it should be safe place to buy. Price 599 is high.. I'm on time to cancel the order if anybody can suggest me any good European shop.

Thanks