Topping DX7 Pro

[Labjr]

Same goes for those neutrik jacks we wish we had, which would increase cost for zero audible benefit, and minimal functional benefit.

I'd pay extra for Neutrik connectors. At least for the ones which will get frequent use such as the headphone jacks. I've serviced pro audio equipment for decades and I see cheapo connectors failing frequently. I think there's more benefit from quality jacks than a CNC machined chassis.

 

[Category 5]

I'd pay extra for Neutrik connectors. At least for the ones which will get frequent use such as the headphone jacks. I've serviced pro audio equipment for decades and I see cheapo connectors failing frequently. I think there's more benefit from quality jacks than a CNC machined chassis.

It would probably be easy enough to find one that would fit and replace the cheap one.

FWIW, I heated the crap out of the one on a DX7s to separate the jack from the daughterboard, and it survived without damage.

You could also remove the existing jack and just hardwire a neitrik to the contacts on the PCB very easily, but you'd have to find a way to secure it to the front plate. Either way, I'm guessing if you waited for a failure to do the retrofit you'd be replacing the DAC before you got a chance to warm up a soldering iron.

 

[trl]

I purchased SMSL M500, but I am very shocked that some fatal problems occurred.[...]

You might want to write down about this issue on the dedicated thread: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/new-smsl-m500.8857/. I'm curious now...

 

[trl]

Looks like LM49720 into AD8397. Lots of hate for TPA6120 but for the majority of cases it's fine. Such a high performance DAC with an improved headphone out as most people want would be prohibitive to the price point Topping is able to meet here. Same goes for those neutrik jacks we wish we had, which would increase cost for zero audible benefit, and minimal functional benefit.

Anyway, I am curious as to how well the new headphone design will improve upon the TI monolithic design, since it likely incurred a decent cost penalty of its own. I'm guessing it will be less of an issue, but still invite some complaints.

I am tempted to pre-order one of these, but I know it will be a short time before we see these sub $500, so I'll wait for that.

You eagle eye...it's AD8397, indeed. I was following audiofonics.fr webpage about this product and they have the TPA in their specs, so they're definitely wrong.

Never seen a headamp with these opamps in output buffer, although battery powered Fiio and AMB used that in the past. I expect about 7V RMS on the single ended jack.

 

[Labjr]

It would probably be easy enough to find one that would fit and replace the cheap one.

FWIW, I heated the crap out of the one on a DX7s to separate the jack from the daughterboard, and it survived without damage.

You could also remove the existing jack and just hardwire a neitrik to the contacts on the PCB very easily, but you'd have to find a way to secure it to the front plate. Either way, I'm guessing if you waited for a failure to do the retrofit you'd be replacing the DAC before you got a chance to warm up a soldering iron.

Not sure I could find Neutrik jacks with the same footprint. But I wouldn't risk damaging the PCB unless the part was bad. If I think I have a weak connector, I'll leave the cable plugged in when not in use. I've found the best way for me to remove difficult components is with a hot air station.

BTW, the headphone jack appears to be made by Zwee. They cost about 20 cents.

 

[MrRalph]

Is there any clarity on output operation? Do you think the headphones out and XLR out can be individually set to a volume level? Will they both be active at the same time or switchable between outputs? I assume the XLR outputs are variable as well.

 

[trl]

DAC out & headphones out should work together.

Hard to say about the different volume, but I think that the volume is digitally and built-into the ES9038PRO, so the volume rotary controller will most likely take care of both DAC & headphone amp at the same time.

I do see couple of relays nearby the headphones plugs, so there's probably a way to deactivate the headphones from the menu. Let's wait for the first owner to put hands on this combo and share some info with us.

 

[trl]

Found the manual here: http://www.tpdz.net/wdzn_detail/newsId=90.html and there're some interesting AP measurements in there, see attached pics and the below:

 

[gvl]

Some popped up on ebay already, $600 shipped. Socketed opamps. Fancy oscillators. Seems three isn't a heatsink on the DAC chip, I thought the Pro chip runs hot given the power specs.

 

[Veri]

Anyway, it seems to be a simpler design than the the Sabaj D5, the Sabaj includes an Altera Max FPGA which is probably used at least for upsampling

There is no upsampling on the D5, the Altera is for receiving and synchronisation of the digital inputs, typically.

 

[Jimmy]

There are cheaper solutions for that purpose but yes, the FPGA can be used in that way, too.

I guess that seeing both the D5 and DX7 Pro price should be similar, the DX7 has a more appealing industrial design, but probably at the cost of cramping up things too much, there's almost no clearance between the HP outputs and the power transformer (which looks like a rebranded talema), but it may be harmless since it's shielded.

Anyway, let's wait for reviews and measurements to see how it performs.

There is no upsampling on the D5, the Altera is for receiving and synchronisation of the digital inputs, typically.

 

[JohnYang1997]

BTW they already have the apx555B which is the noise performance upgraded version.

 

[Toku]

D90 has been announced from Topping.
Wow, DAC is the latest AK4499! ! ! I can expect it.
But like DX7 Pro, it doesn't support MQA.

http://www.tpdz.net/news_detail/newsId=95.html

 

[maty]

And without headphone amp, for now. To put a cheap one, better to spend money on other things. DAC and very good preamp with at least two different gain (low and high) and not only digital volume would be a good idea, to connect it with very good poweramp, I think.

And if two harmonic profiles are allowed, a winner. Hummm, AKM may not allow it like last ESS.

D90 has volume control function so it could serve as a DAC or a DAC + Pre-amplifier.

 

[Veri]

D90 has been announced from Topping.
Wow, DAC is the latest AK4499! ! ! I can expect it.
But like DX7 Pro, it doesn't support MQA.

http://www.tpdz.net/news_detail/newsId=95.html

Ha, Cool very fast, Topping.

 

[trl]

[...]
And if two harmonic profiles are allowed, a winner.[...]

Now you're hard to please.

It might be really interesting to be able to choose your own "sound flavor" based on different harmonics profile: normal, tube-like, warm a.s.o. It's somehow similar with picking up the digital filters. I wonder if that would actually be possible...perhaps with relays that choose different NFB resistors or different Class-A biasing resistors?

 

[mmicko]

From my POV should DAC and AMP sound as transparent as possible. Final sound profile we can change by selection of Headphones or Speakers.
If DAC or AMP are adding their own "character" the it is too much variables in game...

 

[maty]

With ESS ES9038Pro you can modify, at least, the H2 and H3 levels, by software.

If only one, unless the harmonic profile is monotonously decreasing, H2 is above or below 90 dB. I do not think that is a lot to ask now, at the design stage.

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/aksa/294346-brand-super-aksa-saksa-85-a-post4878481.html

by Hugh Dean (AKSA)

[ 3. Most pleasing musical instruments tend to promote even order harmonics over odds. The harmonic profile is highly complex, giving us 'tone', or 'timbre', and this gives a belief that distortion from a sound system needs to depress ALL harmonics. But if some harmonics are present, they should be even orders rather than odds, and the reality is that all systems generate unwanted harmonics, even the best systems. As it happens, H2 adds warmth to the sound, while H3 adds the sharp, highly 'clean' sound; a sense of resolution. H4 adds a bit of body, and higher than these we really do not like them at all. These are all subjective observations but they explain a lot about tube amplifiers and why people like them.

4. If a sound system promotes H3, H5, and H7 but no others, it will be sound resolving but tend to sound 'machine-like', as some describe as 'digititus', or sterile. There are some people who like this sound, however... ]

 

[Labjr]

Maybe the next wave should be AKM and ESS combination DAC + THX headphone amp.

 

[mkawa]

gee.. it would be awesome to have a 9038pro based tone board or similar. we could take an MCU board like the VIM3 or that ESS MCU unit that was linked in the tone board thread to explore the pro options..