TOPPING DX9！

[Roland68]

First look at the Fiio K17 just susses me out. At that price point you'd expect Neutrik XLR connectors but instead they are ZWEE.

The DX9 is essentially a D90 Balanced and A90 Discrete plus two extra NFCAs in one box.
The D900 and the A900 are the same size as the DX9 so they will for sure make a DX90 or DX900 that's a little bigger than a DX9. The DX9 isn't especially big either for a piece of gear in the audio world.

The A900 and D900 aren't especially crammed on the inside either:

View attachment 481372View attachment 481373

They could easily half the number of amplifier outputs to save space. The challenge would be to make it look good on the inside so it would be pretty with a glass top.

Most people don't realize how little of the end-user purchase price reaches the manufacturers. Every €/$ adds up to the final price by a factor of four, and that doesn't even include profit. Therefore, they cut costs wherever possible on all devices.
With XLRs, signal transmission occurs only via the three pins/sockets, so the rest isn't that important, even if the mechanical fit of the housings isn't good. I once measured the inexpensive XLR plugs/sockets, which you can buy for well under €/$1 each, under load, and the contact resistance was perfectly fine.

The DX9 is a bit more complex. Completely separate and very low-noise power supplies for analog and digital, completely separate amplifier circuits, not just NFCA, the AK4118 ensures the best compatibility with other devices, etc.
If Topping had added analog balanced and SE inputs, they could have easily sold five times as many DX9s, or more. But since it was limited, it doesn't matter.

 

[HD800Fan]

Most people don't realize how little of the end-user purchase price reaches the manufacturers. Every €/$ adds up to the final price by a factor of four, and that doesn't even include profit. Therefore, they cut costs wherever possible on all devices.
With XLRs, signal transmission occurs only via the three pins/sockets, so the rest isn't that important, even if the mechanical fit of the housings isn't good. I once measured the inexpensive XLR plugs/sockets, which you can buy for well under €/$1 each, under load, and the contact resistance was perfectly fine.

The DX9 is a bit more complex. Completely separate and very low-noise power supplies for analog and digital, completely separate amplifier circuits, not just NFCA, the AK4118 ensures the best compatibility with other devices, etc.
If Topping had added analog balanced and SE inputs, they could have easily sold five times as many DX9s, or more. But since it was limited, it doesn't matter.

I am sure new ZWEE connectors are just as good, it's just not something you put on a flagship.

I would imagine Neutrik is the industry standard because of how durable and reliable they are, able to be connected and disconnected thousands of times with very low failure rate among the thousands of units they produce. This of course matters mostly to audio professionals and not home audio, but still, you use something like Neutrik for your flagship products.

It's just a red flag because if Fiio cheapened on XLR connectors then who knows what inside they also cheapened on.

 

[Roland68]

I am sure new ZWEE connectors are just as good, it's just not something you put on a flagship.

I would imagine Neutrik is the industry standard because of how durable and reliable they are, able to be connected and disconnected thousands of times with very low failure rate among the thousands of units they produce. This of course matters mostly to audio professionals and not home audio, but still, you use something like Neutrik for your flagship products.

It's just a red flag because if Fiio cheapened on XLR connectors then who knows what inside they also cheapened on.

Even the cheapest XLR connectors will survive thousands of mating cycles, even in pro audio applications. This isn't a problem for a home device.

Which devices in this price range feature genuine Neutrik?
And I haven't seen a device up to at least €5,000/$ that hasn't skimped on all sorts of components. Connectors are really the least of the problems, or even a non-issue.

If these are warning signs, the selection of devices becomes extremely limited.

 

[HD800Fan]

Even the cheapest XLR connectors will survive thousands of mating cycles, even in pro audio applications. This isn't a problem for a home device.

Which devices in this price range feature genuine Neutrik?
And I haven't seen a device up to at least €5,000/$ that hasn't skimped on all sorts of components. Connectors are really the least of the problems, or even a non-issue.

If these are warning signs, the selection of devices becomes extremely limited.

Maybe the DX9 is just a standout.

 

[Ahmonge]

"DX9 has independent LINE OUT and preamplifier output, and its XLR interfaces all adopt NEUTRIK, so the flagship performance is within reach"
(From Topping DX9 description)

 

[Mike_Trueman]

Nice specs

DX9 Discrete - TOPPING AUDIO

www.toppingaudio.com

 

[ruumis]

The long wait is over! Any word about the price?

 

[Mike_Trueman]

The long wait is over! Any word about the price?

 

[HD800Fan]

My DX9 just became worthless

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

My DX9 just became worthless

No worries I can take it from you

 

[Mike_Trueman]

Why do they not make a DX9 class-D GAN FET amp for speakers

 

[HD800Fan]

Seems crazy that the D90 III Discrete is $1000 but for $300 more you can get the DX9 Discrete.

 

[WeekendWarrior]

I posted this in one of the other DX9 threads, hoping that it meant separate PEQs could be applied to each output of the DX9 D, and thus a high pass filter to XLR outputs and a full range signal to RCAs, enabling some form of subwoofer management.

I asked Topping, but unfortunately the DX9 Discrete can't output different PEQs to different outputs simultaneously. They have previously said it's something they'd consider, but not yet.

Would have been a useful feature.

 

[Roland68]

Seems crazy that the D90 III Discrete is $1000 but for $300 more you can get the DX9 Discrete.

What's crazy about that?

 

[Roland68]

I posted this in one of the other DX9 threads, hoping that it meant separate PEQs could be applied to each output of the DX9 D, and thus a high pass filter to XLR outputs and a full range signal to RCAs, enabling some form of subwoofer management.
View attachment 484665
I asked Topping, but unfortunately the DX9 Discrete can't output different PEQs to different outputs simultaneously. They have previously said it's something they'd consider, but not yet.

Would have been a useful feature.

You need a DAC channel for each PEQ channel, so your wish isn't possible with a stereo DAC.
These will be completely different devices in the future, with multiple complete channels, a separate device class for precisely those buyers who need multi-channel outputs with crossover functionality.
So, basically, what MiniDSP already offers.

 

[HD800Fan]

What's crazy about that?

For $300 more you get an overkill headphone amp, a better preamp I assume, two color displays and a much more premium unit.

 

[Roland68]

For $300 more you an overkill headphone amp, a better preamp I assume, two color displays and a much more premium unit.

I completely agree with you there, plus a few other things that aren't so common with other DACs/HPAs.
And yet, many users consider it overpriced (I don't).

 

[LETRA]

In the 15th, what I consider best is the four-channel AK4499EQ DAC and the HPA. I consider them top level. But I was a little disappointed with the preamplifier when I bought a Topping pre90 and saw that it was quite a bit better than the DX9 connected to a pair of Neumann KH310s. Even so, finding individual components that can improve on those of an all-in-one is not unusual. The DAC and HPA are worth their weight in gold. And the connectivity options are extraordinary. Dual XLR and RCA DAC and Pre output pairs. I2S connector. Excellent displays. For me, it's the best device on the audio market and the one I recommend to anyone who wants to build an audio system. I don't have the same expectations for the new Discrete model. Topping has not excelled in these models so far. Topping's philosophy is that it pairs perfectly with a chip like the AK4499EQ. That's why they chose it for their 15th anniversary flagship.

 

[swim]

sorry, I'm not going to contribute much with my first post. I just gotta vent at this point. I made an account here because I've been tirelessly researching to try and find a dac amp that will make me happy for a few years. It's come to the dx9 vs dx5 ii vs the rme adi-2. I have two used dx9 15th anniversary additions I can buy for around 900, one silver one black. But then I wonder, if the discrete winds up reviewing neck and neck with the 15th anniversary, maybe it'd be worth it to buy that new and at least have some sort of support in case something goes awry. But then I read comments like Letra's, and I start thinking I'll really regret it if I pass up either of these used dx9's and the discrete ends up being even more of a rip off than the dx9 already is lol. So then I start thinking screw it, I'll just get the dx5 ii, surely it'll be an improvement over my cheap interface I mean people have great things to say about it, did I mention its cheap, and it looks like they're sorting out the catastrophic bugs by now. But wait, will that even be worth it?

I've been using my motu m2 for far too long and now that I don't really need to have a mic, I want to get a piece that's more tailored to actually listening to my music rather than a utilitarian solution. I want to feel confident that the sounds I'm hearing are that much closer to where they were intended to land. I want to experience the feeling I got when I switched from the audio out on my motherboard and even a wave xlr, to a motu m2 and heard things in music I like in a way I didn't before. but the audio world is so strange to navigate.

Anyway I will be keeping my eye here for any future updates about the discrete

 

[Roland68]

sorry, I'm not going to contribute much with my first post. I just gotta vent at this point. I made an account here because I've been tirelessly researching to try and find a dac amp that will make me happy for a few years. It's come to the dx9 vs dx5 ii vs the rme adi-2. I have two used dx9 15th anniversary additions I can buy for around 900, one silver one black. But then I wonder, if the discrete winds up reviewing neck and neck with the 15th anniversary, maybe it'd be worth it to buy that new and at least have some sort of support in case something goes awry. But then I read comments like Letra's, and I start thinking I'll really regret it if I pass up either of these used dx9's and the discrete ends up being even more of a rip off than the dx9 already is lol. So then I start thinking screw it, I'll just get the dx5 ii, surely it'll be an improvement over my cheap interface I mean people have great things to say about it, did I mention its cheap, and it looks like they're sorting out the catastrophic bugs by now. But wait, will that even be worth it?

I've been using my motu m2 for far too long and now that I don't really need to have a mic, I want to get a piece that's more tailored to actually listening to my music rather than a utilitarian solution. I want to feel confident that the sounds I'm hearing are that much closer to where they were intended to land. I want to experience the feeling I got when I switched from the audio out on my motherboard and even a wave xlr, to a motu m2 and heard things in music I like in a way I didn't before. but the audio world is so strange to navigate.

Anyway I will be keeping my eye here for any future updates about the discrete

May I ask how you came to the conclusion that the DX9 15th Anniversary is a rip-off?