Topping DX3 Pro

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Vtory, Feb 24, 2019.

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  1. Majestyk

    Majestyk Acquaintance

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    BTW, I forgot to mention, I reversed the connectors on the switch to rule out one input being better than the other and I still hear the same results.

    When it comes to DAC comparisons ones ears (and brain) can definitely deceive you.
     
  2. Majestyk

    Majestyk Acquaintance

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    Well this is going to make Vtory's day. I'm beginning to think there is some merit to his assessment of the ADI-2. I was all excited to play my nice new DAC today and had my Transporter all packed up and ready to sell. I turned on the ADI-2 and started listening to some tunes, and there it was...that 'in your face' sound that I was describing before. I had this overwhelming desire to constantly turn the volume of the ADI-2 up (yes up) and when I did it was ear crushing loud and boomy. It was like I was trying to compensate for something. So I dug my Transporter out of the box that I had all taped up and started listening to the same tracks and that's when I realized the mid range magic that the Transporter processes...or perhaps the lack of mid range of the ADI-2.

    • Acoustic and naturally recorded stuffs sound less realistic than I'd believe them to sound.
    • Low level dynamics often seem to be compressed than played via better devices.
    • Some strange things going on in the higher treble.
    • Music/sound stream doesn't feel convincingly continuous.

    I don't know about points 2 and 4 but I now agree with 1 and 3. Cymbals, especially, sound tinnier on the ADI-2 than the Transporter.

    Why did I choose the ADI-2 when comparing with the switch? Who knows. Both units sound better without the Zektor switch, so obviously it's not a good way to compare music.

    By the way, the ADI-2 has an amazing number of options and tweaks so who knows what it can be capable of, but I'm not the tweaking kind of guy so I'm going to stick with my old fashioned Transporter.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
  3. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    I nabbed one of these units today (the LDAC version), and I'm not sure if I got a dud or if the manual is incorrect.

    There are supposed to be 4 output modes:

    - Headphone only
    - Headphone/DAC variable volume
    - DAC variable volume (preamp mode)
    - DAC fixed volume

    The last mode doesn't seem to be an option on my unit. I can only switch through the first three modes using the knob or remote, but there is no fixed-output DAC mode, which was one of the big selling points so I didn't have to change the volume drastically switching between output to my preamp and headphones. Either I have a bum unit or there was some false advertising. Can anyone else confirm on their unit?
     
  4. Garuspik

    Garuspik Tovarisch Ukrainian Terminator MOT - Verum

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    I've ordered on Drop and received today Topping Dx3pro. I've ordered it mostly because I needed some inexpensive all-arounder to understand what exacly my customers with lower-end gear will hear when they receive Verum. And on ASR i've read a review that DX3pro is almost a holy graal and "highly recommended product".

    I've listened to it for ~ 1 hour (with breaks) cause I simply can't listen to this primitive shit. Now at least I understand why some customers call Verum 1 lean and dark.
    From my point of view - it's one of the most disgusting audio products i've ever heard.

    Без имени-1.jpg


    p.s. Such dongles as Ibasso DC02 sounds much better as a dac!
     
  5. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    Lmfao destroy it with a T-84, Garuspik. A dongle better than that crap LOL.
     
  6. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Topping is dogshit digititus. They use expensive chips yet what comes out is cornstarch thickened city chicken high fructose corn syrup sauce worse than the MOTU and Apogee ES9016 boxes.
     
  7. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    @Garuspik : when you are done torturing yourself I'd be willing to acquire the DX3 Pro from you for measurements.
     
  8. Aiibo

    Aiibo New

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    Wow, you nailed it with the picture. :)

    I had DX3 pro for two weeks. I hooked it to my old Harman Kardon HK6500 + AE Aegis Evo 3 speakers. To my ears, it sounded thin, sharp and compressed. The sound coming from it's pre-out was comparable to cheap dongles like SMSL Idea. I was still trying to post at ASR at the time so I mentioned that. People started saying I had a faulty unit, my ears couldn't possibly detect faults in its perfect response, etc.

    Anyway, I'm apologizing to the happy owners for my bluntness but it was the worst hifi purchase I ever made. The second one would probably be D50 with its grainy digital sound.

    Disclaimer - I'm not Topping hater. I recently tried D50s which is a huge, huge, improvement over these two and I really liked it. It's much more full-bodied and smooth sounding.
     
  9. Garuspik

    Garuspik Tovarisch Ukrainian Terminator MOT - Verum

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    That's exactly what I wrote on ASR and that's exactly what I was told + they said I've sold soul to SBAF :D

    I don't apologize to the happy owners ot Topping. They should be unhappy with their purchases cause I'm pretty sure that this thing prevent them from enjoying music and they'll be in constant search of new headphones\cables\recording etc. Everything but not listening to music.
     
  10. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    LOL Garuspik I swear you are arguing with bots on that site. All they listen to are test tones and sine waves. What you claim is scientifically impossible, does not compute with the perfect unquestionable results from audio laser x5555555 precisizor anal-yzer!!!!

    Where's MCP...err Amir to END OF LINE you
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
  11. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    Say the folks who've enslaved their souls to measurements.
     
  12. Garuspik

    Garuspik Tovarisch Ukrainian Terminator MOT - Verum

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    I do believe in corellation of meusrements and what we hear, but almost all measurement on ASR is like: lets test a car on moon and after tests we'll predict how it will behave on highway on earth.
    All ASR DAC measurements don't answer main question - how precise this digital-analogue conversion. To see this we need measurements like in Stereophile - different waveforms. For example 2 waveforms of -90db undithered signal:

    DAC 1

    [​IMG]

    DAC 2

    [​IMG]

    And we clearly see what is closer to reconstruction of sinewave. Needless to say DAC 2 can have better imd\noise floor etc?
     
  13. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    D50s is the best of the bunch mentioned, then? That's interesting. I wonder about the "huge" improvement :) D50 I once heard was really bad.
     
  14. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    I guess this measurement proves the holo spring is a really good DAC :D!

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Garuspik

    Garuspik Tovarisch Ukrainian Terminator MOT - Verum

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    Sure it is! Exceptional R2R dac, i heard it. By the way it measures very good for R2R, but topping still much better on THD+NOISE, especially on high frequencies.

    From your point of view, can I make a small revolution on ASR and explain their main problems - they don't measure dacs main function : accurate digital-analogue conversion.

    For example @Hands dac measurements shows different waveforms. In fact, that the only thing that matters in 2020. Noise and harmonic distortion are at inaudible level even on onboard realtek codecs.
     
  16. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    That's an interesting point of view :)
     
  17. Garuspik

    Garuspik Tovarisch Ukrainian Terminator MOT - Verum

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    Lets compare dac testing to tv.
    Shape of waveforms = how accurate is color rendition. And imagine if all those tests focus about megapixels and contrast. Then 8k 10000000:1 TV with awfull colors will be a winner.
     
  18. Aiibo

    Aiibo New

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    About that huge improvement. First of all, it doesn't sound rough and grainy at all like D50 did. I could easily listen to let's say cymbals and raw sounding saxophone without squinting. Secondly, vocals and instruments have much more body and chestiness to them. Some other qualities like a sense of instrument separation and placement are improved too. I could easily listen to it for hours without having any serious complaints. In a nutshell, it simply sounds bigger, fuller and smoother than D50 ever could.

    For example, I found Schiit Modi 3 vastly superior DAC to DX3 pro. D50 is not as bad as DX3 pro to my ears, but it is still inferior to Modi 3. Now I feel D50s is clearly better not just from D50 but from Modi 3 too. Connected to my Cyrus 8vs2 + KEF LS50 I have a sense of bigger and more realistic soundstage with weightier and more present vocals and instruments.
    I'm currently using Burson Playmate for my everyday listening. D50s is not as accomplished (lacks a bit of scale and richness) as Playmate but to my ears, it's closer to it than to Modi 3.

    That's why a repeated "huge" two times. It went from D50 that was raw and sorely lacking finesse to D50s which matured so much that I quite enjoyed listening to it. I honestly can't say that I heard anything better for the price so far (haven't heard multibit yet). I sold it to a local guy, he heard it at my house and was quite happy with the presentation.

    Funny thing is that I never wanted to try it (after DX3 pro and D50), but people kept spamming me at YT channel to try it out. So when I saw a good deal on Drop I finally succumbed. :) Now I'm glad I did but it's kinda shame many people will think it's just a D50 with BT and a remote.
     
  19. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    I See. Thanks for elaborating!
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2020
  20. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I am eager to start using "healthy man gear" as a phrase/descriptor in more writings and thank @Garuspik for adding that to my vocabulary.
     

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