Topping or JDS Labs - Longevity?

[ichliebes]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a DAC+AMP combo for DT1990Pro or HD660S (I'm not sure which one I'll keep). After reading some posts and measurements here and on reddit, I think DX3Pro+ from Topping or Element III from JDS Labs might be right for me.

I want to use this set for at least 5 years, but I'm not sure if they'll last for that long... Does anyone have any experience with these two manufacturers?

 

[audiofun]

Electronics fail randomly.

JDS Lab has twice as long warranty support time as Topping.
So choose JDS Labs if you care about warranty support.

If you live in the US, go for the Element. They have good customer support.
Same reason to choose Topping if you live in China.

Worst case scenario --- what if fixing them is not viable? For instance, what if they go out of business? Or, if you live in Europe, mailing back to either US or China may incur a lot of trouble.
In this case, you may want to fix the unit yourself.
All chips in Element III are known and off the shelf --- so you can fix it yourself if things are broken.
DX3Pro+ is different --- they hid the digital signal routing chip, and the screen is specifically made. So if these parts are broken (many people report dx3 screen failure), you have no way but to mail it back to China.

Element III costs more though --- You can buy two DX3 Pro+s, one for use and one for backup and still have $50 left.

 

[ichliebes]

Thank you for your detailed reply!

I'm actually living in Europe, so shipping to US is a little bit easier.

Just one more question: Do you think they will sound differently or same?

 

[audiofun]

Thank you for your detailed reply!

I'm actually living in Europe, so shipping to US is a little bit easier.

Just one more question: Do you think they will sound differently or same?

They sound the same in default settings. But the experience (industry design, knob feel, generated heat) and functionalities (auto gain, deemphasis, etc) are different. Topping for instance, does not have auto gain switch. Nor can it do deemphasis (which is required to play some old CDs). Under the latter case, they will sound very different.

Choose based on look/feel, customer support, and user experience / functionality.