Topping DX1 Mini Stereo DAC Headphone Amplifier Combo - 280mW x2 Powerful Output Two-Stage GAIN Switch USB Chargable Discrete LNRD AK4493S XU208 384kHz/32bit Native DSD256 HiFi Home Audio (Black)

The caveat is that while Topping DX1 works spectacularly with my Bose Acoustimass mini cube speakers DX1 fails miserably with my Sony SS CS5 bookshelf speakers. If anything, I would have expected exactly the opposite since audiophiles hate Acoustimass while mostly liking the CS5.Before I explain the above in detail, let me describe what I love about the feature set of the DX1:You don't pay for unwanted/unnecessary features. Specifically, DX1 doesn't have optical or coax input, no Bluetooth, no external power brick, no LED to display bit rate or mode, no remote control, and no on/off switch.Long story short, the DX1 sound signature is slightly on the bright side. Which makes it OK with dark or warm speakers (e.g. Bose Acoustimass) but NOT OK with bright speakers like the Sony SS CS5 (not only are the Sony bright, but CS5 has a super tweeter making it really bright).With dark/warm speakers, DX1 produces sound which is smooth as silk yet detailed (without any harshness) and full of harmonics.With bright speakers DX1 sound is harsh, sibilant and fatiguing.DX1 and Bose Acoustimass is great with sustained notes/chords (fermata). Vocals and instrumentals are so detailed that I sometimes get actual chills which has never happened before. With that thought in mind here are some Youtube videos I auditioned with DX1:1) More Than Words (Extreme) ~ 2 male vocalists, solo acoustic guitar2) Hot & Cold (Kai, Seulgi, Jeno, Karina) ~ smooth vocals3) Instant Crush (Daft Punk) ~ chill EDM ~ male faux falsetto4) Twist In My Sobriety - extended version (Tanita Tikaram) ~ female low register5) Calm Down - (Rema with Selena Gomez) ~ Mesmerizing vocalsMy hifi setup:Laptop->Topping DX1->[upgraded]Aiyima A3 Pro->Aiyima A07->Bose Acoustimass 7

This is my first foray into audiophile word. As a beginner, this product works wonderfully. I'm pairing it with my HD600s. At frirst I was a little concerned about the max volume, as they don't get quite as loud as my previous gaming headphones, but I'm finding the absolute clarity means I'm never maxing them out, anyway. Low gain is fine for some very casual listening, but I do have to keep them on high if audio is a focus on what I'm doing. That said, I haven't experienced any distortion or hissing even cranked to max, and it only ever gets warm to to touch.The design is minimalistic, sleek, and feels premium. Has a nice little weight to it. At this price point, I don't think there's better.Lemon for scale

Paired with a Drop/Epos PC38X, this thing made an incredible difference. I was using an $18 UGreen DAC, but that had no amplification. The Topping DX1 gives a real power boost and remarkable clarity. If you've been using headphones on your PC and wished that you had more volume, especially on certain tracks - this is the answer.Turn Windows volume up to 100, and use the vol knob on the DX1, and remember the low/high gain switch on the back of the DX1. I put mine on high gain, set it and forget it. Gaming? fire up Trepang 2 - some of the best gun audio effects you'll ever hear.

Sounds pretty good, doesn't stand out to me as an exemplary product, but it is an absolutely valid buy. For 99 dollars you get a moderately powerful dac+amp combo that runs easily off of a USB. Has a good weight to it, especially for it's modest size, volume nob is also very pleasing to use, is very smooth and really lets you dial in how loud you want your playback to be. Packaging was secure and it came with everything i needed to use it. In my opinion it has more of a neutral sound that sounds good on a wide variety of headphones.If you want one thing that does it all, this ought to be your pick, as it seems like it's very high quality for not too big of a price. Will be buying more Topping products in the future.

Two months in, and I have this DAC + Amp combo paired with an Aune AR5000 as my headphones. I had a pretty decent sound system before with the audio interface my high end motherboard offered, but as I'm sure you know, in order to get the most out of higher end headphones with stricter ohm impedance and thus higher requirements to properly drive, you need to get an amp no matter what. Since my finances were somewhat limited at the time, I needed a budget option for an amp and a DAC. I'd already tried and returned so many models, but this one stands out as the holy grail somehow. I've already recommended it to a few friends, who all stand by the quality of this system.==THE GOOD==The Topping DX1 is a beautiful, little device that is USB-powered, and supports both 6. 35mm and 3.5mm headphone output; I have tested both and they are of equal performance. The quality of the case looks professional, the system does not overheat, and the volume adjustment knob moves satisfyingly smooth. The AK4493S is a pretty good sound chip at the price range, and I can't complain. This is just a solid device all around that works as advertised, and downloading the drivers is a must.==THE BAD==(!! Please read updated segment first !!)If you are using this DAC + Amp combo on a Windows platform, not only will you have to configure the device to disable the Windows "sound enhancement" and properly configure the audio frequency and fidelity, but you will need to accept the fact that some applications just do not register this device. The most common culprits are not the ones you'd expect. For example, in gaming, Fortnite does not recognize this device and will not play audio through it, while Marvel Rivals detects it just fine. For audio listening, Winamp, Audacity, and WACUP do not register this device, while Spotify and YouTube pick up the device just fine.I'm sure a simple driver update by Topping would fix this issue, and I sincerely hope they are willing to read this review, but until then, it is my one complaint. There is no reason why this device shouldn't work on every application, especially the ones specifically designed with music listening in mind. Would I recommend it? Yes, as long as you are willing to switch back and forth whenever you find an application that doesn't recognize it... a bit cumbersome.After Topping fixes the driver issue, this will be an amazing device.====Update (2025.05.25)Recently, a friend informed me about how to solve my issues. As it turns out, some applications (INCLUDING WinAmp) are finicky and either only support up to 24 bit depth (This device is 32 bit depth), or only transmit audio up to 192khz (Device is 384khz). This isn't Topping's fault, and just requires a simple change in your settings to adjust for the appropriate applications. I have now used this amp + DAC combo to drive three different open back headphones with varying ohm impedance, and it's been pretty stellar. For an entry level device, this is about as good as it gets, but you will obviously need something more powerful if your reference headphones are rated near or above 250 ohms. Updating my score to 5 stars to reflect this.

This is an excellent little headphone amp/dac. Plenty of headroom and a neutral sound. Works great but i do wish it had a on/off switch.

Excellent budget amplifier. No bells or whistles and a nice neutral sound profile. Does exactly what I needed it for (powering 300ohm headphones).

I've had both HiFiMan Deva Pros hooked up to this as well as AKG K553 Mk.IIs. Cranking the volume knob on the high gain mode will 100% leave your ears ringing after a few minutes. Most impressively, you wouldn't be able to pick out much, if any at all, distortion through this unit. Everything is clear, concise, energetic and fun. Bass is pretty reference-level on this unit so if you're one of those bassheads looking for a fun amp, don't buy this. It's fairly clinical in sound but I much prefer that surgical tough.

筐体が肉厚のアルミ板で丈夫です。音質も問題なし。ゲイン切替で多くのヘッドホンやイヤホンに対応します。

Der TOPPING DX1 hat viel mehr Beachtung verdient als bisher... Das Gerät ist relativ unbekannt, aber in gleich mehrfacher Hinsicht ein VOLLTREFFER. Leider sieht es mit der Lieferbarkeit in Deutschland schlecht aus; vermutlich auch der Grund für diese Missachtung.Der DX1 ist der kleine Bruder und ein Nachzügler in der DAC/KHV Reihe von TOPPING. Da TOPPING sich auf DACs und KHVs (Kopfhörerverstärker) meist getrennt spezialisiert hatte, fehlte noch die kleine und preiswerte KOMBO.Der DX1 ist bestens gelungen, was die REDUKTION auf das Wesentliche bei zugleich maximaler MUSIKALITÄT angeht. Die Technik-Füchse werden es wissen: es gibt eine kleine Rivalität zwischen AKM (Japan) und ESS (USA) um die Krone des besten DAC-Chip Herstellers, und sie geht, wie ich meine, an die Japaner. Ich bevorzuge AKM wegen der Musikalität, d.h. der Wärme, der räumlichen Tiefe und der Harmonie-Sicherheit, wie sie aus den besten Musikstücken ganz zweifelsfrei hervorgeht. - Aber es gibt auch dramatisch orientierte oder auch "techno-phile" Hörer, die sich leidenschaftlich für die ESS einsetzen. Das ist wie in der Politik: man kommt nicht leicht zusammen.Der DX1 hat alle 3 Stufen eines DAC/KHV gut im Griff. Der USB-Controller ist ein Chip von XMOS; der Wandler ein AK4499, von AKM; und die Ausgangsstufe sind Operationsverstärker von RiCore, mit der Typenbezeichnung RT6863. Die RiCore haben ebenfalls nicht den Ruf, den sie verdienen. Es ist ein exzellentes Bauteil, wenn man sie nicht mit Strom überfordert.Der Betrieb ist eingegrenzt auf IEMs (low gain) und niederohmige Kopfhörer (high gain), aber das ist kein Qualitätskriterium. Im Gegenteil: den richtigen Schallwandler vorausgesetzt, kann man hier ein kleines Wunder erleben. Man muss sich die Schlichtheit der Architektur nur einmal vor Augen führen, während man das Ergebnis abhört. Denken Sie wenigstens einmal darüber nach, wieviele tausend Euro Sie in eine Wohnzimmer-HiFi Anlage investieren müssten, um ein ähnlich bezauberndes Erlebnis zu bekommen. Den DX1 bekommen Sie für schlappe 100€. Das ist eine ganze Größenordnung, wenn nicht zwei...TOPPING hat also geschafft, worauf sich seit Jahren eine ganze Anzahl von Kleingeräte-Herstellern spezialisiert hat. Ein ästhetisches Musikerlebnis auf den Schreibtisch zu zaubern, das der unscheinbaren Rechenmaschine (Computer) ein Stück weit Glanz verleiht.Der Vertrieb dieses kleinen Wunders geschieht auf verschiedenen Wegen. Es gibt die internationalen Plattformen von LINSOUL und von SHENZHEN Audio, und natürlich AMAZON. Bei den Händlern auf AMAZON muss man acht geben, denn die meisten liefern von CHINA aus. Dauert natürlich gut 10 Tage. Der Vertrieb HIFI College macht es genauso, aber es gibt auch eine Anzahl von Geräten, die sofort lieferbar ist, innerhalb der EU. Der Kunde muss acht geben: welche Lieferzeiten werden angegeben?! Welche Standorte werden genannt?! - Bei unklaren Bedingungen gibt es eine Faustregel: unklar heißt immer China!!FAZIT: wer die Entwicklung in der Branche (Desktop-Geräte) verfolgt hat, wird dem DX1 eine besondere Bedeutung beimessen. Es ist ein kleiner Stromfresser, wohlgemerkt. Diese Eigenschaft macht es nötig, ein besonders hochwertiges USB-Kabel einzusetzen. Ich bevorzuge das Kabel von OTTERBOX. Das ist vielleicht das einzige Manko, das mir einfällt. Aber ich will es ausdrücklich erwähnen. Es wäre nämlich schade, wenn Sie den DX1 unter Wert einsetzen. Bitte, geben Sie dem kleinen Gerät ein gutes Kabel. Dann spielt es wie ausgewechselt in der Oberliga der DAC/KHV. Kaufempfehlung! Kaufempfehlung!

Rispetto ai dongle USB costa un pò di più - ma neanche tanto a seconda dei casi - ma va immensamente meglio. Essendo in fascia relativamente economica bisogna sottostare a qualche compromesso ma nulla di grave. La costruzione è solida, interamente in metallo ed il chip AK4493S invece degli inflazionati e discutibili CS43131/43198 lo pone ad un livello qualitativo superiore. E' ottimizzato per lavorare in corrente su cuffie ad impedenza bassa. Ha birra sufficiente a far suonare anche le mie Beyerdynamic DT880 300 Ohm ma non suonano bene come cuffie ad impedenza inferiore. Da 80 Ohm in giù è meglio dosare con molta cautela la manopola del volume se non ci si vuol ritrovare sordi precocemente. Per impostazione sonora rende al meglio con cuffie monitor, dalla risposta neutra. Cuffie con curva di risposta in frequenza a V suonano troppo enfatizzate. Eccellente.

I got this little beauty to complement my Sennheiser HD560 headphones.The headphones are pretty good in their own right, but with the addition of this DAC they have entered the stratosphere of sonic delight.One great feature is the low/high gain switch on the back, meaning the Topping will power just about any set of cans.There are also standard RCA connectors, allowing you to use bypass the, most likely, inferior DACs in your blu ray player or laptop.If you're serious about hearing music in true high fidelity, you need a box of Chinese electronic magic, such as the Topping.It really is the tops!

Great little dac/amp.comes in a very decent box, with a usb cable included. Build quality is pretty good, it feels very worth it. The volume knob feels good and smooth. all connections are good and over all it works as expected. i installed the driver and was good to go within a minute or 2.sound quality is good, i have been using my audio interface as a dac so sound quality wise i havent been able to detect any differences. not that i believe in that very much.. high quality is high quality. this little amp surely has the quality. it is build well and the design is also nice.i have been using it with Sennheiser hd650's these are 300 ohm headphones and they need an amp. This DX1 drives them nicely. Although, it can't get it super loud, as in.. You can turn up your music to a point where It's too loud to listen to... but you are then also nearly maxed out on volume. so with the hd650 you are on pretty high volume. not that its a problem. Any headphone with less impedance will do more than fine and surely can make you deaf if you want it to.The size is also great.. If you move around with your laptop and need a DAC/amp.. You can literally put this dx1 in your back pocket. Can recommend this thing :)