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Pressing the volume turns the unit on and succeeding presses will cycle through the five input choices displaying the sample rate briefly before showing the volume. Hitting the button twice will switch the output modes between RCA, 3.5mm, or both which is important to remember since choosing the last option will send a signal on both outputs at all times. I assume that everyone of you already have a smartphone – you may even be reading that review with one – which mean that you have a very potent source in your hand. Give this source the gift of a (short) lifetime, and pair a FiiO Q7 with it/him/her, it’ll be worth every penny. So if it's primarily going to be used with headphones it's a great product, but if line-out is something you find important and often used I can't recommend it because there are better sounding DACs to choose from. The display is large and easy to read. The selected input mode is shown in blue and everything else is a warm orange colour. In terms of what information the screen shows, it tells you the currently selected input, the output mode (headphone amp, headphone amp + DAC, DAC, and preamplifier) the volume and sample rate. I like listening to female vocals so clearly this has it's benefits. Also I pair it with a Lehman with Burson V6 discrete opamp. Which in turn does open up the sound. Without the Lehman the DX3 Pro outs are a bit more narrow and less sparkly.
Topping DX3 Pro+ ES9038Q2M Bluetooth 5.0 LDAC Audio Decoder
You get the lovely precision and clarity from the 1-Bit Resistor Ladder DAC, combined with an excellent technical level and great dynamics. The Cayin RU7 delivers a precise and immersive sound, with a wonderful timbre and lovely harmonics. Cayin has managed to deliver a small, well-designed and top-performing DAC/AMP dongle, using the popular 1-Bit tech. As this technology and the advantages it has, is super popular for the moment, I am sure we will see many more 1-Bit and R2R dongles in the near future. The question will be if they can reach the RU7’s performance and quality, as Cayin has certainly set the bar very high.The overall balanced signature of the DX3 Pro+ allows the staging to breathe without any specific regions competing against one another with only an honest reproduction that moves far or near depending on the song. Layering could be better but the 1.8W amplifier is helping in the dynamics. DAC The front dial/button controls the volume. In addition, a short press on the button cycles through the input modes and a long press powers the unit On or Off. All of the other functions are only available via the included remote control. Using the remote, you can mute/unmute, change the volume, cycle through input modes, select the digital filter mode, set the gain mode, change output mode and set the brightness level of the display. Internals I started my testing with Sennheiser HD-650 in high gain mode. Here, there was plenty of power and no hint of strain from the amplifier. Tonal response remained constant up to max volume which was quite loud. But not loud enough to make the cups flap in the wind. As standard with Topping, the DX3 Pro+it comes in a white cardboard box with generous foam inserts to keep the contents secure. The unboxing is a straightforward experience with not that much to complain about. Treble just continues what has been started by the midrange. Airy, crispy, neutral and pretty direct. A lot of late devices by other companies tend to focus mainly on clarity and detail retreival, and the Topping DX3 Pro isn’t any different.
DX3 Pro | Page 6 - Head-Fi.org TOPPING DX3 Pro | Page 6 - Head-Fi.org
For my testing, I had the TOPPING DX3 Pro+ connected to my Windows 11 PC via USB. The KALI LP-8’s were hooked up via RCA to XLR cables. I played a variety of FLAC and DSD files with JRiver Media Center and Foobar2000, along with some playlists on Spotify Premium. For the majority of testing, I left the filter at its default setting of 3 (Fast roll-off). Sound Obviously, for testing purposes, I want something easy to access and swap and if I like it I'll solder it in more reasonably permanent as close to the PCB as possible.I'm very happy with look and feel of this unit. It has remote, wireless connection, all types of inputs and outputs... It also worked great connected to my phone by Bluetooth, no hiccups, loss of audio quality or any other problems that I've noticed. So both build and versatility of DX3 pro is great My linear power supply for the DX3 Pro arrived today and I replaced the Topping D50 in my computer based HiFi system with the DX3 Pro + linear power supply. I'm listening to it as I type this post. The sound is beautiful. I preferred the Topping D50 in my headphones system. However, I prefer the DX3 Pro in my speaker-based system.
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The DX3 Pro+ bass doesn’t carry a lot of weight in sending deep notes but keeps a tight image not overly emphasized and well managed. Depending on the song, this region can get a bit unexciting although it tells how it leaves the lower region untouched if not for its slight cut-off in the sub-bass which pulls the room-filling energy of drums.What a nice little unit the Angel is! EarMen promised a lot but in this case they absolutely delivered. Internally, the DX3 Pro+ is centred around the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip. An XU208 supports up to PCM32bit768kHz and DSD512 native via USB. As expected, the build quality of the device is quite good and the device offers an aesthetic design compared to the D series. The price difference between the D10B and the DX3 Pro+ is totally negligible considering you get a much nicer-looking chassis, a great NFCA amp module, and LDAC capability along with other features. I can’t see any milling or assembly imperfections anywhere on the unit. Topping seems to have designed a very competitive product for the market with the DX3 Pro+. Controls & UI
DX3 Pro+, or Something Else Just For An Amp? Topping L30, DX3 Pro+, or Something Else Just For An Amp?
It hurts me a little to say this, but since the Hugo TT2 has been installed as my main two-channel DAC I have somewhat questioned my headphone inventory. Don’t get me wrong, I still like to listen to my full-sized headphones at home, but I deeply enjoy listening to my LS50’s a whole lot more now. The Hugo TT2 has given me a perspective on the speaker set-up that I didn’t think I could get in our small living room in the apartment. Chord’s TT2 has transformed my listening experience at home drastically. The Hugo TT2 is by no means a cheap product, but I don’t regret having spent a single Cent. In fact, it made me very curious to hear what Hugo M Scaler would do to the sound. The chase of the white audio rabbit continues… In the heart of the device, there is a well-known Sabre DAC chip ES9038Q2M. That’s a change from the original model that was using AK sourced DAC chip. The amplification section is also revamped and now offers almost twice the power compared to the original. With 1800 mW into 32 Ohm and 250 mW into 300 Ohm loads, nobody should feel wanting for more. XMOS XU208 powered USB input supports up to 768 kHz PCM and DSD512 native. If you’re into wireless, Pro+ supports LDAC, AAC, SBC, APTX, APTX LL, and APTX HD protocols. Sound (Headphone Out) First thing’s first – DX3 Pro can run quite a lot of different headphones on the market with ease, but dont get too excited – it won’t drive everything. Very demanding headphones, especially planar magnetic one’s surely need something even more powerful, like the A90. If you want reference quality sound from a transportable unit, the Angel now is one of the main units to look at. It plays (more than) well with everything I hooked up to it, and it does so without a sweat!I had to turn the subwoofer gain up a tiny bit - around 2-3 degrees of the rotary gain control. The mids are more forward. Vocals, once again, are beyond imaginably good! Listening to Lindsey Webster singing "Those Three Words", it seems like she's in my listening room! Vocals are very, very smooth. Now I hear the 'velvet sound' of the AKM DAC chips in the DX3 Pro. Treble is a little further away. Pausing the music and holding my ear to the speakers and subwoofer, all are 'dark' with no interference noise. Soundstage is a little narrower than the D50 (as was the case with my headphones system), and instrument separation is less too. Overall, the sound is very musical and great for me as I work from home a lot so it's lovely to listen to for several hours a day. It's nicer to listen to for long periods - less fatiguing. As expected, the digital volume control produces perfect response with essentially zero imbalance until you get to max volume attenuation of 99 db. No headphone amplifier using analog volume control comes remotely close to this kind of performance. The only downside I can see is the power delivery for full-sized headphones, so do take that into account.