Topping M62 Portable Audio Interface Review

[jzagaja]

which mobile device like this one do you reccomend for speaker measurements with self written software on Android phone? Loopback and DSP off, battery inside.

 

[Jorge]

I see there is an input labelled "3.5 mic". Is this a stereo or mono mini jack?
I'm asking because there are some nice and simple mid-side stereo mic with 3.3 mm jacks. Would it be possible to test this input?

 

[Rja4000]

Thanks for this review !

This one was on my To-Do list for quite some time...

 

[Rja4000]

I think the product is aimed at mobile content producers in local market. There, I think by far the application is to use a mobile phone, not a laptop.

Indeed.

 

[beeface]

This is what CEntrance should be doing.

I forgot CEntrance even existed

 

[LTig]

I computed the EIN when using multiple gain levels resulting in the value that I reported. My regular dynamic range measurements are for line level and hence the 0 dB gain. If I am missing something there, please explain and i will add.

I missed the EIN, sorry. Should be enough.

I found the manual here:

https://manuals.plus/m/2719890203d56a32b99efc0455005068dab0f2642f6bce9959d88988531f065e

The spec for EIN is -129.5, so very close to your value.

 

[Music1969]

Is this still Johny Yang? He still there?

 

[LTig]

No, 2.2 Volt is correct. That value is not seen by the AP as it only sees digital samples. Hence the reason I manually wrote that.

I think you may be confused by the scope display. The values there are in "D" or digital. Scope is showing peak to peak 0.5 full scale value which when converted to RMS becomes the -6 dBFS you see in the meter below. It has no relationship to any voltage as again, AP is only seeing digital samples, not analog waveform in ADC testing.

Yes, I was confused.

Net, net, 2.2 volt at 0 dB gain is pretty good although I would have wanted to see 4 volt if one were to use that as line input.

I found the manual here:

https://manuals.plus/m/2719890203d56a32b99efc0455005068dab0f2642f6bce9959d88988531f065e

According to the specs the maximum input voltage for the Mic inputs is 8.4 dBu, which is 2.0 Vrms. You used 2.2 V rms and it still shines. Funny though that the Aux input can handle only 2.6 dBu = 1 V rms input voltage.

 

[LTig]

I see there is an input labelled "3.5 mic". Is this a stereo or mono mini jack?
I'm asking because there are some nice and simple mid-side stereo mic with 3.3 mm jacks. Would it be possible to test this input?

According to the manual it's a 3.5 mm monojack with 2.5V supply. Use a short adapter cable 3.5mm TRS female to 2 x 6.35mm TS male, e.g. like this.

 

[LTig]

I think the product is aimed at mobile content producers in local market. There, I think by far the application is to use a mobile phone, not a laptop. I have not looked at the recording apps on mobiles but I assume effects/processing is more limited than what the M62 is providing. I would also think a limiter on the device would work better than one in the host as it has no latency to deal with. Ditto for monitoring although other interfaces provide local loopback for that.

I think for our general audience here, you could use this box as both a desktop DAC+headphone app and an interface for measuring your room and such. Other interfaces in its price range have much lower performance especially in headphone department. And inclusion of the battery means it will work well listening on a train and such if the size and weight is not a concern.

I can also see it be used for desktop voice recording for content creation. Yes, you won't need the battery there but you are not paying for it either seeing how this is not more expensive than typical desktop interfaces with lower measured performance.

I would use it to record a stereo source (either a good ORTF mic or the output of my mixing console) into my smartphone for catching videos of concerts. Currently I use a cheap Behringer interface but this has no VU meter and no battery, so it drains the battery of the smartphone.

 

[Jorge]

According to the manual it's a 3.5 mm monojack with 2.5V supply. Use a short adapter cable 3.5mm TRS female to 2 x 6.35mm TS male, e.g. like this.

Thanks for the suggestion. However, I understand that the two 6,35 mm mic inputs are balanced, so TRS. Could be some kind of problem in connecting a mono TS to a balanced TRS input?

 

[Billy Budapest]

I forgot CEntrance even existed

It wasn’t THAT long ago that these were reviewed here:

Centrance DACport Pro Portable DAC & HP Amp Review

This is a review and measurements of the Centrance DACport Pro portable balanced DAC, monitor controller, and headphone amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $350 (discontinued?). The recessed dip switches require a tool to adjust so if that is something you are going to want...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Centrance R4 Portable Audio Interface Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Centrance R4 portable audio interface/mixer. It is on kind loan from member and cost US $449 when it was available. The R4 is well built and controls have a quality feel to them. There useful indicators and lots of functionality: I am going to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

CEntrance Hifi-M8 V2 Review (DAC and headphone amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the CEntrance Hifi-M8 V2 portable headphone amplifier and USB DAC plus Bluetooth. It was kindly sent to me a member who waited over a year for it to ship! The Hifi-M8 V2 costs US $750. Yes, popcorn blew out of my nose too when I saw that price...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Cbdb2]

Is the HP out the only analog output?

 

[Rja4000]

Noise performance is extremely good:

I suppose your EIN figure is dBu A-weighted, correct ?

 

[amirm]

Is this still Johny Yang? He still there?

He is. I was hoping to meet him while in China but he was either working or on vacation. I am not sure if he was involved in this device though.

 

[amirm]

I suppose your EIN figure is dBu A-weighted, correct ?

I will have to check but pretty sure the answer is no.

 

[amirm]

Is the HP out the only analog output?

It is all I could find.

 

[Arthur Edwards]

One challenge for the Topping Pro line in the United States is the lack of a physical warehouse in the USA to sell the line, which will cause issues for customers to deal with shipping and tariff issues. Returns also become problematic.

Apos sells the Topping consumer lineup and is based in Oakland, CA 94608, providing direct customer support and contact information, including by phone. Similarly, Deer Creek Audio and Parts Express distribute miniDSP products from US facilities.

On Amazon, the Topping M62 is listed as shipped and sold by the vendor, while some Topping home products ship from Amazon, indicating these items are stocked in the United States and eligible for Amazon's return and refund policies.

I prefer purchasing from Apos because I'm concerned about Amazon's commingling problem, where products from various sellers may be stored together, potentially leading to receiving a product from a 3rd party that ended up in the bin meant for Topping factory-fresh products. Additional information regarding Amazon commingling risks is available online.

 

[LTig]

Thanks for the suggestion. However, I understand that the two 6,35 mm mic inputs are balanced, so TRS. Could be some kind of problem in connecting a mono TS to a balanced TRS input?

No. Just make sure to use a TS connector, which connects the minus pin with the ground Pin.

 

[CedarX]

Teardown see attached files

Any information on this DSP01 IC? Is this the first Topping-branded chip?