Topping M62 Portable Audio Interface Review

[daniboun]

Any information on this DSP01 IC? Is this the first Topping-branded chip?
View attachment 558711

The DSP01 processor is a custom digital signal processor from Topping.
So it's a proprietary chipset from the brand

 

[dananski]

I can't actually figure out how to get this to record on my phone easily. If they could make a way to plug in a USB stick to the OTG port to record - it would make this 100x better, or a way to plug a DAC into it for two extra outputs would also make this 100x better.

Hmm, seems I'm still confused about what OTG is. I thought it was so the device could instead be a host to other devices. If you can't use USB mass storage or audio devices on the M62, what are you supposed to plug into the OTG port?

 

[Roland68]

Why is there 3 USB C ports for charge, otg, and usb-c? It seems kinda confusing...

It is actually self-explanatory, especially given its use as a mobile device. It isn't confusing; rather, it is a forward-looking, future-proof design.
The separate charging port makes perfect sense, particularly when on the go or using the device with a phone or tablet.
The OTG port is exactly what is needed—and intended—for operation with a phone or tablet.
The standard USB port is designed for conventional computer use, but it can also be used with a computer alongside a phone or tablet, or even with a second phone or tablet, allowing for a second music source or additional recording capabilities.
It offers exactly the features one needs in a mobile device of this kind—features that many other devices, even more expensive ones, fail to provide.

 

[sam_adams]

Frequency response is flat as you want it:

With such limited bandwidth, I'm not surprised:

 

[wwenze]

With such limited bandwidth, I'm not surprised:

View attachment 558742

Flat to 10Hz is pretty good

 

[CedarX]

Why is there 3 USB C ports for charge, otg, and usb-c? It seems kinda confusing...

It is actually self-explanatory, especially given its use as a mobile device. It isn't confusing; rather, it is a forward-looking, future-proof design.
The separate charging port makes perfect sense, particularly when on the go or using the device with a phone or tablet.
The OTG port is exactly what is needed—and intended—for operation with a phone or tablet.
The standard USB port is designed for conventional computer use, but it can also be used with a computer alongside a phone or tablet, or even with a second phone or tablet, allowing for a second music source or additional recording capabilities.
It offers exactly the features one needs in a mobile device of this kind—features that many other devices, even more expensive ones, fail to provide.

Note that the OTG port can be set to "discharge" (i.e. charging a device from the M62) or "off" (i.e. not charging that device). The USB-C port can be set to "charge" (charging the M62 from a device, e.g. a laptop), "discharge" (charging a device from the M62), or "off" (neither charging or discharging). The charging port can only be used to charge the M62. Only one port can be used to charge the M62 at a time (either the charging port or the USB-C port, on a first connected basis). The M62 can be charging and discharging at the same time. Charging is up to 5V/2.5A (no PD), discharging is 5V/1A (no PD or PD pass-through).
This is not related to the USB-C "logical" signals direction. The charging port is only that, charging; the OTG port can be configured to be a digital audio-in or digital audio-out; the USB-C port is, I believe, digital audio-out only (the intended "recording" port) and logic control (from the Topping M Control Center software).

Hmm, seems I'm still confused about what OTG is. I thought it was so the device could instead be a host to other devices. If you can't use USB mass storage or audio devices on the M62, what are you supposed to plug into the OTG port?

The OTG port is either a digital audio-in or a digital audio-out (configurable). With the later setting, M62 should acts as any other USB digital audio host (not tested; I just received my M62...).

 

[amirm]

With such limited bandwidth, I'm not surprised:

View attachment 558742

oops. Seems like I missed the K. I will remeasure....

 

[sm5]

The OTG port is either a digital audio-in or a digital audio-out (configurable). With the later setting, M62 should acts as any other USB digital audio host (not tested; I just received my M62...).

I tried plugging into the OTG port with an apple headphone dongle, E1DA headphone dongle and DX1 II and no M62 mode has any sort of sound coming out of anything through the OTG port with or without discharge on. I'd guess the OTG is just for connecting directly to phones or tablets -aka the Topping is the OTG device you connect to your phone/tablet as the 'accessory' and not the main device you can connect DAC's/etc to.

It would be amazing though if you could connect your DX1 II to the OTG port as it would then allow this to have dedicated speaker (analog or digital) outputs. With an aggregate device on a Apple Mac it can sort of work reasonably, but you can't for example use DIRAC room correction to calibrate with the M62 and aggregate DX1 II as an an output - so to calibrate your speakers you need to use the M62 headphone outputs.

 

[Roland68]

I tried plugging into the OTG port with an apple headphone dongle, E1DA headphone dongle and DX1 II and no M62 mode has any sort of sound coming out of anything through the OTG port with or without discharge on. I'd guess the OTG is just for connecting directly to phones or tablets -aka the Topping is the OTG device you connect to your phone/tablet as the 'accessory' and not the main device you can connect DAC's/etc to.

It would be amazing though if you could connect your DX1 II to the OTG port as it would then allow this to have dedicated speaker (analog or digital) outputs. With an aggregate device on a Apple Mac it can sort of work reasonably, but you can't for example use DIRAC room correction to calibrate with the M62 and aggregate DX1 II as an an output - so to calibrate your speakers you need to use the M62 headphone outputs.

According to the manual, the OTG port also functions as an output.
Did you actually set the OTG port to "discharge"?
Did you test an OTG cable?

 

[Multicore]

I see the product includes built in PEQ and dynamics compression. Again, these are feature that are very capably covered in all the popular DAW apps and with VST plugins. These built in effects had better be excellent, or they're unnecessary duplications of functions that already exist.

They are common features in audio interfaces. They are not for recording -- that would be daft. They are for a low-latency monitor mix.

 

[recovering audiophile]

@amirm Why is this in the Pro Audio Forum instead of Audio Interfaces (ADC & DAC)?

 

[amirm]

@amirm Why is this in the Pro Audio Forum instead of Audio Interfaces (ADC & DAC)?

Pro forum was created long after the ADC forum. So the plan would be to move the ADC reviews to it; time permitting.

If someone thinks that is a bad idea, speak now!

Thinking out loud, we have the same issue with pro monitor reviews...

 

[yukij]

Hi. I measured my M62 (Cosmos ADC on the headphone out, an SMSL DAC as mic input) and just compared it with this review. Most of it lines up, but a few things are really different and I can’t figure out why.

The J-test is the weirdest one. amirm has a whole comb of jitter sidebands around 12 kHz, the biggest at about -108 dBc. On mine there’s basically nothing there, everything near the carrier is below -137 dBc. He was stuck in Mobile mode and I was in Pro mode, but I have no idea if that matters.

The mic input doesn’t match either. amirm says it clips above 2.2 V (-6 dBFS), but on mine a -1 dBFS tone at 48 kHz is clean. At 96 kHz mine clips a bit earlier, around -3 dBFS. His SINAD at -6 dBFS is 114.4 dB and I get about 110 dB. What confuses me is that my noise floor matches his own dynamic range number (around 116 dB), and with that much noise I don’t see how you get 114 dB SINAD at -6 dBFS.

SMPTE IMD on the headphone out is 3 to 7 dB worse on mine (it flattens out around -97 dB, his goes down to -101 to -104). On the mic input mine is actually better, -110 vs -104. So it goes both ways.

At low output levels my SINAD is 2 to 3 dB lower than his, for example 99 vs 102 dB at 0.7 V. A-weighted, the noise is the same, so this one might be my setup.

Into 32 ohms I get about 500 mW before clipping and he got 465 mW. Near max power my distortion is a bit higher though, -104 vs -108 dB.

The rest matches pretty well: max SINAD 113.5 vs 114.7 dB, dynamic range 119.2 vs 119.7 dB, 80 vs 83 mW into 300 ohms, flat frequency response.

Any idea what could cause this?

 

[lewdish]

Would be nice if topping made something like this but battery or usb C powered and could connect it to a camera via 3.5mm and had multiple inputs for xlr and 3.5 lavs and mics

 

[Bob101]

I gave it 'fine', because of the lack of any line-outputs.

 

[Roland68]

Would be nice if topping made something like this but battery or usb C powered and could connect it to a camera via 3.5mm and had multiple inputs for xlr and 3.5 lavs and mics

You have three microphone inputs and an AUX input, after all; you just need the appropriate cables or connectors for XLR microphones or a camera.
The device has a 5000mAh battery, and you can power or charge it via either the USB-C power port or the standard USB-C port—using a computer or a power bank, for example.
What’s missing?

 

[drumphil]

As I posted elsewhere about latency being okay, but not state of the art:

Would be OK if those figures were at 44.1kHz or 48kHz.

 

[M.C. Logan]

Indeed.

Poopcasters.

 

[LuckyNat]

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?

There are also nice mid/side stereo condenser mics with balanced outputs that can be used directly with the other inputs. I would go with those instead!

I'm not so sure how "nice" a mid/side mic using 2.5V plugin power on a 3.5mm jack really is .... They're often tiny, use very very cheap capsules, prone to a ton of handling noise etc .

I don't think you could use them though with this: you need the plug-in power from the mono 3.5mm input to power the elecrets in the mic .. but you'd also need to select the 1/4 inch jacks for your input so that 3.5mm plug-in power won't be available.

A lot of fully balanced mid/side mics are not that cheap unfortunately .. but I would not be surprised if one of those tiny diy-type brands like Clippy or Lom Audio did a cheap mid/side too. There's another brand I can't remember the name of, who:s mics are often houses inside XLR housings .. I think begins with "L" .

Otherwise there are products like this adapter available in the world (not available from this guy though .. he's always sold out due to popularity in Facebook field recording groups etc )

Uši phantom adapter

Adapter for connecting older (non-modular) versions of Uši or other plug-in powered microphones to phantom powered (48V) XLR inputs. The output is balanced, which allows for long cable runs. Tech specs Phantom powered XLR adapter for plug-in powered microphones Operating voltage: 24-48V Cable...

store.lom.audio

Basically it consists of step down circuitry within the XLR housings of the phantom power to 2.5V plug-in power . Maybe with a search, you might find 1/4 inch jack versions to save the extra adapters.

 

[M.C. Logan]

It is actually self-explanatory, especially given its use as a mobile device. It isn't confusing; rather, it is a forward-looking, future-proof design.
The separate charging port makes perfect sense, particularly when on the go or using the device with a phone or tablet.
The OTG port is exactly what is needed—and intended—for operation with a phone or tablet.
The standard USB port is designed for conventional computer use, but it can also be used with a computer alongside a phone or tablet, or even with a second phone or tablet, allowing for a second music source or additional recording capabilities.
It offers exactly the features one needs in a mobile device of this kind—features that many other devices, even more expensive ones, fail to provide.

Every OTG capable device I've ever come across has a single port which works with standard and OTG hosts, there is absolutely no need for two separate ports. Labelling a port as OTG implies it's use as an OTG HOST, which is confusing. Are you sure it supports concurrent USB audio inputs, that would be highly unusual?