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Topping DX7 Pro DAC and Headphone Amp Reviewed

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amirm

amirm

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@amirm - is there a setting to disable ASRC or jitter correction like that in the Matrix DACs? Do you have permission to peek inside to see if the DAC chip has a heat sink? 9038Pro need to dissipate up to 500mW. The nudes on the Topping web-site don't show a heat sink.
I don't recall any such option. I will open it at some point but too busy right now. :)
 

veeceem

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Question about the "bad points" about this DX7 pro:
1/ ESS IDM DAC hump: is it audible in real-world use?
2/ "The gain setting I suspect is just a digital attenuation so doesn't get a chance to reduce the noise level like an analog control in a dedicated headphone amplifier could." : Is this a bad thing to sound quality in real world use?
3/ High output impedance: only affect headphone with lower than 60 Ohm? No worry if, for example, use dx7 pro as preamp thru rca/xlr outputs?
4/ In other word, will DX7 pro a perfect fit to be used as a DAC-preamp combo to power amp?
Thanks
 
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amirm

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This is the second best DAC I have tested. Don't hesitate to use it that way for a moment.

The IMD Hump comment is a positive, not negative as usually the DACs using ESS have a large bump there. The DX7 Pro shows slightest amount because it is otherwise so excellent.

Output impedance is only a thing for headphones, not when used as a DAC/pre-amp.
 

Schackmannen

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Question about the "bad points" about this DX7 pro:
1/ ESS IDM DAC hump: is it audible in real-world use?
2/ "The gain setting I suspect is just a digital attenuation so doesn't get a chance to reduce the noise level like an analog control in a dedicated headphone amplifier could." : Is this a bad thing to sound quality in real world use?
3/ High output impedance: only affect headphone with lower than 60 Ohm? No worry if, for example, use dx7 pro as preamp thru rca/xlr outputs?
4/ In other word, will DX7 pro a perfect fit to be used as a DAC-preamp combo to power amp?
Thanks
1. In this DAC it's definitely not audible because even with the slight "hump" it's still excellent performance.

2. Unless you have some really sensitive IEMs so you hear some noise it won't matter at all.

3. Yes, the output impedance only affects the headphone outputs so it does not matter if you use it as a preamp.

4. Yes
 

SoundsGood2Me

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Thanks for all the effort Amirm! Your graphs speak multitudes of Truth our ears can't even hear, yet once you've heard it you can't go back...
 

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I'm using a Topping DX7. I wish this product would be a improvement. Actually, it is. But high output impedance...... It makes it difficult for me to choose headphones and IEM.

It seems that DX7 pro has IEM jack in the photo.
 
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imagidominc

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Good to see Topping topping all their previous records. Sorry for the dad joke.
 

MediumRare

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Then you are good to go.
Thanks. Can you point me to the one or two key measurements I can compare to SOTA headphone amps that are indicators of audible quality? To be honest I am having second thoughts and might still go for SOTA separates.
 

Category 5

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So I was waiting before picking up an RME. At $400 less, this is attractive, but for me sound quality at the XLR outs is my only concern.

Subjectively, is this as good as, or better sounding than the ADI-2 DAC?
 

Dj7675

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Does topping off any eq capabilities in any of their products? I haven’t seen it mentioned before, but it seems like adding some form of eq would be ideal if they don’t.
 

MediumRare

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So I was waiting before picking up an RME. At $400 less, this is attractive, but for me sound quality at the XLR outs is my only concern.

Subjectively, is this as good as, or better sounding than the ADI-2 DAC?
I'll give you my opinion; others can share theirs: A. This is basically equal to the best-testing XLR-output DAC; 2. I don't believe the difference with the ADI-2 would be audible except for IEMs (noise).
 
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JohnYang1997

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I also really don't know why low output impedance is the victim. The v1 actually has short circuit protection. If plug my plug half way in while I'm playing music it will turn off. It's been quite a few months now. Still going nicely.
 

JohnYang1997

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Topping DX7 Pro Balanced DAC and Headphone Amplifier IMD Audio Measurements.png

Topping D50s DAC IMD Audio Measurements.png
BTW here's an interesting comparison. DX7PRO shows more prominent hump because its noise is lower. D50s has higher noise masking the imd hump. It's still much much better than first gen performance (d50 , dx7s , smsl d1).
And they both have increased ultrasonic noise when input is high frequency sine.
But matrix's products don't show that. There may be yet another design consideration that's omitted.
 

VeerK

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I wish there was a DAC only version of this so I could pair it with the Monolith 887
 
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