Topping DX7 - DAC and balanced headphone amplifier
Dec 15, 2018 at 5:33 PM Post #361 of 468
Got my massdrop delivery yesterday.
Opened the case and inspected heat sinks....all were tight and I saw full contact on the surfaces. Probably no heat goop but I decided to reassemble as is.
I did loose one of the tiny bottom screws..
 
Dec 15, 2018 at 9:08 PM Post #363 of 468
I am going to be hooking up the Topping to a new Windows 10 PC. What software/ music player do you recommend to work well with the Topping??
The only loaded software right now is Plex media server.
Make sure you install the driver, otherwise you might get broken audio on Windows (Mac OS X worked out of the box for me). As a player, I use foobar2000 with ASIO.
 
Dec 16, 2018 at 5:26 AM Post #364 of 468
I am going to be hooking up the Topping to a new Windows 10 PC. What software/ music player do you recommend to work well with the Topping??
The only loaded software right now is Plex media server.
I use 3 players, depending on mood or specific purpose: Foobar200, MusicBee and JRiver Media Center. Each has its own pros and cons but I feel that MusicBee is a really underappreciated app that deserves more attention.
 
Dec 17, 2018 at 10:34 PM Post #365 of 468
I have the Topping DX7 (for the audio of my video electronics) and the Kitsune Level III DACs for my audio electronics...and I use JRIVER 24 for playback of FLAC and 320 kb/sec audio, as well as DSD output. To rip CDs, I find that MediaMonkey is very good. JRiver gives you extensive control over more aspects of your audio (and video) libraries than anything else I've found, and unlike MediaMonkey, JRiver is ported to Linux and works well in my Archlinux O/S.
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 4:15 PM Post #366 of 468
Needs some help.....
Finally connected the DX7S to my new W10 PC. I had installed Foobar2000 to try out. Started everything up and the Topping screen said USB PCM 44.1kHz.
So, I played a 24bit 192khz Flac file on foobar and heard it ok but...the screen still said 44.1khz....so I assumed I needed the Topping driver.
Went to the Topping site and downloaded everything read the instructions for driver install...even though it did not match the driver install process.
Restarted the PC as well as the Topping and the screen is still the same.....44.1khz....but now when I play Foobar…..I get absolutely no sound out !!!!

I checked the Topping app on the PC and it also says 44.1khz. On the screen the little arrow is pointing down so it should be the Headphone amp working

What the heck did I do wrong??
 
Dec 19, 2018 at 4:45 PM Post #368 of 468
Sounds ok and should work.
Did you select asio-topping on foobar2000
preference->playback->output: DSD: ASIO: Topping USB audio device
I looked and it didn't have an option for DSD.....although I also tried to play a DSD (DSF) file with no luck.

I then went into tray and USB devices....didn't see the Topping so I opened devices...turned the Topping on and off, found it and after playing around in the options, figured out that needed to set it as the default output and not the Realtek audio speakers... Viola....I got sound....then further digging in the Device settings I reset the output from 44.1khz to 24bit 192khz9Maximum) and now I read 192 on the Topping screen....and heard Miles Davis/Kind of Blue... in more detail through my Massdrop Sennheiser 6xx headphones.!!

BTW, wrt to the preference settings in Foobar, although there was no DSD setting I saw, I did find and ultimately changed it from, DS:primary sound driver to ASIO:Topping USB audio device

I am guessing I need to add the SACD plugin next in Foobar to be able to play DSD files.

Thanks
 
Dec 20, 2018 at 12:43 AM Post #369 of 468
I looked and it didn't have an option for DSD.....although I also tried to play a DSD (DSF) file with no luck.

I then went into tray and USB devices....didn't see the Topping so I opened devices...turned the Topping on and off, found it and after playing around in the options, figured out that needed to set it as the default output and not the Realtek audio speakers... Viola....I got sound....then further digging in the Device settings I reset the output from 44.1khz to 24bit 192khz9Maximum) and now I read 192 on the Topping screen....and heard Miles Davis/Kind of Blue... in more detail through my Massdrop Sennheiser 6xx headphones.!!

BTW, wrt to the preference settings in Foobar, although there was no DSD setting I saw, I did find and ultimately changed it from, DS:primary sound driver to ASIO:Topping USB audio device

I am guessing I need to add the SACD plugin next in Foobar to be able to play DSD files.

Thanks
DS is for DirectSound, which means foobar2000 will send the audio as is to Windows, and Windows will resample it as needed, based on that playback device's settings. So if you set it to 24/192 in Windows, but play a 16/44.1 file, Windows will upsample it to 24/192 kHz before sending it to the DX7s.

If you want foobar2000 to set the sample rate as needed (and bypass any audio "enhancements" Windows offers), use ASIO (as you do now) or WASAPI. For DSD, additional hoops are needed on the foobar2000 side, but I don't use DSD.

Edit: for WASAPI, you'll have to allow exclusive mode in the Windows device settings (should be on by default, though). You will not see the sample rate change in the Windows settings even when everything is working correctly, which is why it's really helpful to have DACs that indicate the sample rate like the DX7s.
 
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Dec 20, 2018 at 5:18 PM Post #370 of 468
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.

Played a bit today and all Flac files are being played ok so far and Topping is reading the files correctly, ie, 44.1 vs 88, 96 or 192 khz.

I have also loaded Plex on this new PC and tried playing Flac files, which it does via USB BUT....the Topping sees everything as being 192khz.....I assume that Plex is running everything through Windows and windows is upsampling to 192khz. Anyway to bypass that??
Also, if its doing it in Plex on my PC, does that mean that everything will be "processed" and streamed that way to the other Plex devices around the house?
 
Feb 16, 2019 at 12:34 AM Post #371 of 468
I moved the DX7 to room with TV. And using the optical out it cuts out randomly for 1 second. Then comes back on in maybe when it goes quite in a scene. Is there a way to fix this I remember someone mentioning this before. Is there any firmware update? I only see a firmware update for DX7s not the DX7.
 
Mar 15, 2019 at 10:38 AM Post #373 of 468
Hi owners of DX7s, presently I have the D50, would DX7s be an upgrade.
Would like to try out the balance feature of this DAC. Tks.
I have the DX7s and D50. As DACs go, I cannot with my ears tell a difference running through the same amp in SE (stay away from the DX7s high output impedance headphone jacks). Maybe there is a bit more heft to the balanced, but then we are also changing the amp so another variable.

My combos are: DX7S/THX-789 all balanced), D50/JDS Atom, and DX3PRO. I like them in that order, but the difference between #1 and #2 is small (heft/body to the sound, more power but #2 has plenty of power). Really a close race.
 
Mar 16, 2019 at 1:13 AM Post #374 of 468
I believe the 789 is a decent step above the Atom. Just me though, just has a more natural sound to it. Tested using HD6XX SE, DX7s as source on both. The Atom is a great little amp though.
 
Mar 17, 2019 at 11:24 AM Post #375 of 468
I believe the 789 is a decent step above the Atom. Just me though, just has a more natural sound to it. Tested using HD6XX SE, DX7s as source on both. The Atom is a great little amp though.
You definitely could be right! Like I said, I think I hear a small difference between the 789 and the Atom, especially when the 789 is used with balanced inputs and output. My thinking is that for non-critical listening (sitting at your desk working, or laying back and relaxing) it might be hard to pick up those differences. But, since they are there, and the 789/DX7S is such a relatively reasonably affordable combo, good to have if it is within someone’s reach! :)
 

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