Topping DX7 Pro+ Review (DAC & HP Amp)

[theREALdotnet]

Error in power formula, should be "Power = Volt * Current/impedance".

Making the unit of power ampere squared?

 

[milosz]

How many products is Topping going to come up with? Amazing.

Maybe they will make an A/V pre-pro! Wouldn't that be great?

 

[Koeitje]

How many products is Topping going to come up with? Amazing.

Maybe they will make an A/V pre-pro! Wouldn't that be great?

Doubt that will happen anytime soon, A/V processors are far more complex and all the licensing you need is pretty insane.

 

[beagleman]

I don't see why would a state-of-the-art performance device be “overpriced” at merely $699, many thousands of dollars of equipments were not as good as this.

Simply cause it does not cost $700 bucks to make something that does what this does??

A bit "too much" emphasis is put on SINAD here.

A SINAD of even a good bit less, would sound just as good in reality, so in some ways "State of the art performance", really adds nothing to what you hear or do not hear.

 

[gvl]

It is totally overpriced. Who are they trying to kid? Maybe $299 is fair.

Spend just $200 more and get a 185wpc (tested at 4R) a tier one brand Yamaha amplifier with a heap of inputs, full remote, two pairs of speakers, headphone, a phono stage and including inbuilt USB Dac of good quality.

View attachment 228369

I know which one I would buy if I was in the market...

Which brings the question, how can Yamaha provide much more of a product at a comparable price despite all the corporate overhead. Economies of scale?

 

[noel_fs]

i think we are peaking

 

[Prince Valiant]

I don't see why would a state-of-the-art performance device be “overpriced” at merely $699, many thousands of dollars of equipments were not as good as this.

Compared to other options at lower prices. Their own DX5 is $250 less and you drop some inputs, an output, and a trigger.

 

[Kollin]

We are approaching a limit point beyond which it makes no sense to improve performance.
By analogy with processors on desktop PCs.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Which brings the question, how can Yamaha provide much more of a product at a comparable price despite all the corporate overhead. Economies of scale?

I believe most of what you're paying for with this model Topping is R&D and engineering, not the physical parts. Parts are probably $100 tops.

With the Yamaha, parts are probably 3x the cost of the Topping, but it's just an iteration of 30 years of HT receiver designs without nearly the same attention to detail.

 

[bt3]

Last few years think Topping's most affordable desktop devices good enough. Wake me when Topping adds onboard EQ to desktop device under $350. Until then a big yawn with these releases.

 

[sam_adams]

We are approaching a limit point beyond which it makes no sense to improve performance.

If we use Zed Brookes' blog post from thirteen years ago as a guide, we can see quite clearly, that we have passed the point where any further reduction in SINAD is pushing the bounds of electronics—and probably physics itself—a long time ago.

 

[gvl]

I believe most of what you're paying for with this model Topping is R&D and engineering, not the physical parts. Parts are probably $100 tops.

With the Yamaha, parts are probably 3x the cost of the Topping, but it's just an iteration of 30 years of HT receiver designs without nearly the same attention to detail.

I doubt Yamaha’s R&D effort on a new model release is any less than Toppings, even if it’s an evolutionary and lesser performing design.

 

[Bernd]

My first dedicated DAC/Headphone amp was a Topping DX7s, which I liked very much. After going through a lot of other DACs I ended up with the ADI DAC 2 FS, because of the integration of the DSP section, which is essential for me. If Topping could just bring themselves to produce a DAC/DSP or DAC/DSP/HPAMP combo with an consumer friendly interface (similar to the way you can control the DSP of the E1DA DACs)..... in that case I would have look at. Until then they may continue to produce measurement champions like there is no tomorrow...... It will not stir my interest an inch!

 

[jhaider]

why?

RME does things that offer potential sonic improvements.

Wake me up when one the new darling pointless me too whatevers is distinguishable in controlled listening from a decent product from ten years ago, or earlier. Put another way, query what the latest-greatest darling pointless me too whatever offers that, e.g., a ca. 2005 Benchmark DAC/headphone amp does not? Jacks for all the newfangled “balanced” headphone connectors, 12V trigger, and a different look are all I can come up with.

We are approaching a limit point beyond which it makes no sense to improve performance.

No we aren’t, because when driving most actual headphones this one, like most of the category, will unfortunately perform quite poorly. I guess as a preamp it’s fine, because you can put the important stuff (bass management, equalization) downstream. But where it counts (sound at the ears) as an integrated headphone driving product it doesn’t have the capabilities required to maximize fidelity.

So it makes a lot of sense to keep improving performance. Or, to put a finer point on it, start improving performance.

 

[Kollin]

No we aren’t, because when driving most actual headphones this one, like most of the category, will unfortunately perform quite poorly.

My words related to the DAC, you are writing about the amplifier. I agree with the amplifying part.

 

[Bernd]

Concerning the amplifying. I also think that there is some room left for further developments and improvements.

 

[Jimster480]

We are approaching a limit point beyond which it makes no sense to improve performance.
By analogy with processors on desktop PCs.

Desktop PCS still have a long way to go. I agree that performance of basically every CPU is good enough today for a person who does nothing but just browse the web. But there are many more things to accelerate if you actually do heavy work. In the case of DACs and Amps; we have reached the limit of where there is no need for more performance regardless of who you are. We can already Drive every single headphone to perfection and listen to every track made without real distortion.

 

[Jimster480]

My words related to the DAC, you are writing about the amplifier. I agree with the amplifying part.

But this is just false in basically both ways. The DAC is perfect and the amp while not being the best amp ever is also more than good enough for basically anything you need to do. Sure you can buy a better amp on paper but I honestly doubt you'd be able to hear the difference unless you have the 1% of headphones that could need more than this provides.
Honestly if you want to listen to super sensitive iems then the cheapest amp being the L30 v2 is actually the best performing device. And everything else need not apply.

RME does things that offer potential sonic improvements.

Wake me up when one the new darling pointless me too whatevers is distinguishable in controlled listening from a decent product from ten years ago, or earlier. Put another way, query what the latest-greatest darling pointless me too whatever offers that, e.g., a ca. 2005 Benchmark DAC/headphone amp does not? Jacks for all the newfangled “balanced” headphone connectors, 12V trigger, and a different look are all I can come up with.


No we aren’t, because when driving most actual headphones this one, like most of the category, will unfortunately perform quite poorly. I guess as a preamp it’s fine, because you can put the important stuff (bass management, equalization) downstream. But where it counts (sound at the ears) as an integrated headphone driving product it doesn’t have the capabilities required to maximize fidelity.

So it makes a lot of sense to keep improving performance. Or, to put a finer point on it, start improving performance.

Where in God's green earth do you think that this will perform poorly driving headphones? You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about and can absolutely not back it up with science in any possible way. This will power 99% of headphones without a single hiccup to literally ear bleeding levels without any real distortion.

 

[Gounsbairg]

"not chart topping"

Error in power formula, should be "Power = Volt * Current/impedance".

For DC: Power = Voltage * Current

Also: Resistance = Voltage / Current.
So: Current = Voltage / Resistance

Power = Voltage * Voltage / Resistance.

 

[jhaider]

Where in God's green earth do you think that this will perform poorly driving headphones?

Because you’re trapped by their native frequency response.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about and can absolutely not back it up with science in any possible way.

Read basically any of @amirm’s headphone reviews. Ok, maybe not Stealth.

This will power 99% of headphones without a single hiccup to literally ear bleeding levels without any real distortion.

True, but that’s a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.