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Topping DX7 Pro DAC and Headphone Amp Reviewed

earlevel

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Price drop on Amazon from all suppliers, 15% this week—now $509.99. Maybe a Black Friday thing, maybe permanent, I don't know. I ordered and received one last week, $599.99, happened to look last night and saw the drop. I ordered another, will send this one back when I get it (I chatted with Amazon to see if there was a better way to get the new price, they said no, just send it back for refund—actually have till the end of January for returns, free shipping). $98.55 difference for me with California tax.

Besides being very happy with the sound, having a knob right in front of me is extremely useful. Previously, when I wanted to listen to high quality audio, I'd switch audio (2019 Mac Pro) to my digital mixer and studio monitor speakers via digital interface, but that system is behind me (need to turn around for serious listening). Recently, I bought a pair of iLoud MTMs as alternate, small speaker monitoring and to have in front of me at the computer display (XDR). Initially, I was feeding these from the mixer as well, but soon decided to try a DAC, and found this one. It's such a big improvement in convenience, for the MTMs and headphones, which I also used to run from the mixer.
 

earlevel

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Is it possible that DAC mode has better dynamics or overall sound quality than Pre mode?

"At this mode, in order to achieve the best performance and cooperate with other devices in the system, headphone amp will be turn off and the volume will be uncontrollable"

Why they are connecting volume controlling with performance? Or maybe my English is not good enough and I understand this in a bad way.
They are some opinions, not only about DX7 Pro regarding pre amp, that digital control volume need to be very good made to not affect sound.
Thinking about this for a minute, it makes sense. Consider using it purely as a DAC (meaning the output will route into a preamp—you might want a preamp so you can serve TV audio, a turntable, etc., as well). You now have two gain controls, and if you have no knowledge or respect for gain staging, you could make the sound less than optimal. For instance, if you turn the DX7 Pro's digital gain down to -48 dB, then turn up your analog preamp to compensate, you'd really be listening to something like 16-bit quality instead of the original 24. Of course, if you were smart you'd put the DX7 Pro's knob to 0 dB and turn down the preamp, so this is mainly protecting you from your own mistakes. But you also lose volume control for the headphones, so that output has to be disabled for safety.

But if the DX7 Pro is the only thing you have connected to your amp or powered speakers, then of course you want its volume control active, for both line out to speakers and the headphone output.
 

Shtruckk

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Hello,

I own a topping dx7 pro and I'm thinking to buy a mini pc with android os, to be used like a streamer, only with Tidal.
The dac will be connected to the USB port from the mini-pc.
I want to ask if the topping will be recognized by the android os, or I must buy a mini pc with windows os.

Thank you for your help.
 

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HoJ76

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I can't get dx7pro work with apo eq on tidal with exlusive mode.

I know people who has rme adi-2 dac can do it...
 

Veri

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I can't get dx7pro work with apo eq on tidal with exlusive mode.
Exclusive mode means all processing is bypassed, including apo eq which is part of the default effects stack... that's what "exclusive" means.
 

HoJ76

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Exclusive mode means all processing is bypassed, including apo eq which is part of the default effects stack... that's what "exclusive" means.
Well... my friend with rme can adjust with apo on "exclusive"..
 

Veri

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Well... my friend with rme can adjust with apo on "exclusive"..
It can only mean the RME driver is not working in a real exclusive mode since processing should be bypassed. Same with windows volume, should be bypassed. I've had other devices that also showed this behaviour in exclusive mode, if anything it's a sign of a malfunctioning driver. It shouldn't work this way. (just being pedantic, exclusive is exclusive...)
 

HoJ76

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It can only mean the RME driver is not working in a real exclusive mode since processing should be bypassed. Same with windows volume, should be bypassed. I've had other devices that also showed this behaviour in exclusive mode, if anything it's a sign of a malfunctioning driver. It shouldn't work this way. (just being pedantic, exclusive is exclusive...)
Ok thanks.
 

ReaderZ

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It can only mean the RME driver is not working in a real exclusive mode since processing should be bypassed. Same with windows volume, should be bypassed. I've had other devices that also showed this behaviour in exclusive mode, if anything it's a sign of a malfunctioning driver. It shouldn't work this way. (just being pedantic, exclusive is exclusive...)

Tidal uses windows volume to do volume normalization even in exclusive mode.
 

Veri

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Tidal uses windows volume to do volume normalization even in exclusive mode.
Didn't know that, is that desktop Tidal app or Web app? For example with foobar2000 you can use its internal volume in exclusive mode but not Windows one. But I don't have any active Tidal subscription, can't test it haha :)
 

ReaderZ

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Didn't know that, is that desktop Tidal app or Web app? For example with foobar2000 you can use its internal volume in exclusive mode but not Windows one. But I don't have any active Tidal subscription, can't test it haha :)

Desktop app, don't think web page one can even force exclusive mode.
 

tinytea

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Hello guys, I'm seeking some clarification regarding the DX7 Pro as a combo DAC/Amp and the logistics of using its Bluetooth Receiver mode.

If I understand correctly for DX7 or combo DAC/Amp while it is being used as a DAC, has no amp functionality. So:
  • Equally, while it is being used as an Amp, has no DAC functionality?
  • Not neccesarily a problem:
    • I have Tempotec Sonata HD Pro and I am happy with its transparency.
    • So if I want to use DX7 Pro as Amp and if I am not happy with onboard PC or audio source DAC, then I can use the Tempotec as DAC.
Am I missing something here?

  • Regarding Bluetooth
    • If I have connection as such: PC --> Tempotec --> DX7Pro --> Headphones and I want to switch to Bluetooth receiver mode to receive signal from DAP, then do I have to remove the PC & Tempotec as such? : DAP -->BT connection to --> DX7Pro --> Headphones
      • This sounds like a pain.
      • Or can I just use remote to change DX7 Pro to Bluetooth mode and it will ignore both the PC as a source and the Tempotec as the DAC.
        • Also, in this case the DX7 pro will be the DAC obviously right?

Thanks for your help in advance.
 

SRKRAM

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The
Hello guys, I'm seeking some clarification regarding the DX7 Pro as a combo DAC/Amp and the logistics of using its Bluetooth Receiver mode.

If I understand correctly for DX7 or combo DAC/Amp while it is being used as a DAC, has no amp functionality. So:
  • Equally, while it is being used as an Amp, has no DAC functionality?
  • Not neccesarily a problem:
    • I have Tempotec Sonata HD Pro and I am happy with its transparency.
    • So if I want to use DX7 Pro as Amp and if I am not happy with onboard PC or audio source DAC, then I can use the Tempotec as DAC.
Am I missing something here?

  • Regarding Bluetooth
    • If I have connection as such: PC --> Tempotec --> DX7Pro --> Headphones and I want to switch to Bluetooth receiver mode to receive signal from DAP, then do I have to remove the PC & Tempotec as such? : DAP -->BT connection to --> DX7Pro --> Headphones
      • This sounds like a pain.
      • Or can I just use remote to change DX7 Pro to Bluetooth mode and it will ignore both the PC as a source and the Tempotec as the DAC.
        • Also, in this case the DX7 pro will be the DAC obviously right?

Thanks for your help in advance.
The DX7 Pro has got a SOTA DAC, so why would you want to use some other DAC with it. Besides, you can't use the DX7 Pro as only an amp.
 

tinytea

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The DX7 Pro has got a SOTA DAC, so why would you want to use some other DAC with it. Besides, you can't use the DX7 Pro as only an amp.

Oh. I'm not understanding combo DAC/Amps then. So if I have:

  • Audio source --> DX7Pro --> Headphones

DX7 Pro will be acting as both DAC and Amp?

  • So you're saying it is only possible to have:

Source ---> DX7Pro --> Separate Amp or direct connection to --> Output

  • and NOT:

Source --> Separate DAC or direct connection to --> DX7Pro --> Output

  • If my audio source is via wired connection to DX7 pro, will I have to disconnect it to receive Bluetooth input from my DAP (a different audio source)?
 
Last edited:

ReaderZ

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Oh. I'm not understanding combo DAC/Amps then. So if I have:

  • Audio source --> DX7Pro --> Headphones

DX7 Pro will be acting as both DAC and Amp?

  • So you're saying it is only possible to have:

Source ---> DX7Pro --> Separate Amp or direct connection to --> Output

  • and NOT:

Source --> Separate DAC or direct connection to --> DX7Pro --> Output

  • If my audio source is via wired connection to DX7 pro, will I have to disconnect it to receive Bluetooth input from my DAP (a different audio source)?

DX7 pro won't take input from another DAC, it has no analog input. You do not have to disconnect wired connection for BT to work. It can be used as headphone Amp and still output line level sig to XLR and/or RCA at same time.
 

domiji

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Hello,

because of this wonderful review i bought a Topping DX7 Pro and i am totally happy with it. I changed the OP Amps in the PO section to Burson V6 Classics and the sound is absolutely amazing.

Am i correct that the high and low gain setting is just a software gain setting and i should just leave it at low gain for best performance?

Best
Dominik
 

renoxd

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Heya people, so my DX7 Pro just got here as an upgrade to my trusty D50.

I have it configured like this atm, connected to an integrated amp:
AUTO (OFF), Output (LO), LO Mode (DAC), Line Out (RCA), BT (OFF), PCM FIR (MODE5)

I seem to have an issue with OPT, it's configured as OPT->RCA (DAC mode), but when playing some video content on the TV (OPT source), I get dropouts where the display shows ---kHz and then comes back with 48kHz, like it lost connection for a second or something...
I never had that issue with the D50.

Just wondering if anyone else using OPT saw dropouts like that?


Did you solve the problem somehow? I already asked few times Samsung support and Topping for software update but with no effect.
I don't know why for Topping this is a big deal. Arcam and Audiolab introduced "wide" mode, where more signal interruptions from high jitter sources are accepted. Is it not possible to implement this solution?
 

Martin

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Hello,

because of this wonderful review i bought a Topping DX7 Pro and i am totally happy with it. I changed the OP Amps in the PO section to Burson V6 Classics and the sound is absolutely amazing.

Am i correct that the high and low gain setting is just a software gain setting and i should just leave it at low gain for best performance?

Best
Dominik

You likely degraded the headphone amplifier performance by swapping opamps. To each their own.

The gain switch is a digital attenuation so it should be set to high (no attenuation) for best performance.

Martin
 
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