TOPPING DX3 Pro+ ES9038Q2M DAC, USB/Optical/Coaxial/Bluetooth 5.0 to RCA DAC, 3.5mm Headohone Output DAC with 1800mW*2, DSD512 PCM32Bit/768kHz Hi-Res Audio DAC, Digital-Analog Converter (Black)

Product Information

With its engaging mid-forward presentation the hip-dac 2 is a great companion for a music lover or a starting audiophile. There’s better detail and better separation than the first version as well.

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I'm leaning heavily towards the K5 Pro ESS, but if there is anyone here who has tried both, I would be interested in hearing your opinion. Or if there are any other glaring reasons why I should choose the DX3 instead of the K5 (or if my pros/cons list is inaccurate) I'm all ears. So yes, this DAC/AMP goes directly in our recommendation list, and if you’re out for a TOTL on the cheap, you should definitely try this one first, or at least add it to your list. In terms of overall sound signature, DX3 Pro is very neutral, almost transparent with great dynamics and detail retrieval.

Packaging & Accessories

The silver color reviewed here has a very sleek appeal with four fairly tall feet holding the unit upright giving a floating effect that further accentuates the polish of the metal. What a nice little unit the Angel is! EarMen promised a lot but in this case they absolutely delivered. The SMSL C200 is based on the ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC chip. It appears like just one DAC chip is used, which would make the C200 incapable of “true” balanced audio – which would require two DACs to process the signal in parallel. On the other hand, though, amplification is managed by four OPA1612A chips, which are able to output an overall 2.6 W of power – quite a large amount for a device this small. Sound

DX3 Pro Plus - A Giant Killer DAC/AMP? - iiWi reviews Topping DX3 Pro Plus - A Giant Killer DAC/AMP? - iiWi reviews

I won’t spend your time here as DAC outs have the same general tonality as the headphone output. But while the headphone amplification section stands out with high power and great drive compared to similarly priced devices, DAC out doesn’t have much going for it. It’s simply another highly detailed, analytical, sharp, thin-sounding DAC. Comparisons It replaces EX5 with its great design, very good performance, and extensive feature list, earning the HFN Recommendation Award from us! Internally, the DX3 Pro+ is centred around the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip. An XU208 supports up to PCM32bit768kHz and DSD512 native via USB. The only downside I can see is the power delivery for full-sized headphones, so do take that into account.

The soundstage is pretty wide and deep, with good layering and imaging. While not ground-breaking or breathtaking in any ways, it’s pretty good for the price, just nothing worth going crazy about. I really like the K7 and I congratulate FiiO for their amazing job. If you need a solid, powerful DAC & AMP for your headphones and you are on a budget, the K7 can make you very happy. As you can legitimately expect, the SMSL C200 has a perfectly neutral signature, which means it’s indistinguishable from most other solid-state devices out there. I deem this a good thing as it means the device is not going to add its own flavour to your music, staying instead out of the way and letting you concentrate on the music itself (or on the headphones, if you wish to do so). There’s a remarkably low noise floor and there’s no hiss nor buzz, despite other devices on my desk having it – which appears to be proof of a good job done by SMSL in managing the power. I find transients to be quite fast, which is especially appreciable with fast headphones like the aforementioned HE-560 or the Edition XS. Final Thoughts Yes, do test again with the LPS in place. You might be surprised. Apart from that. I do know what you mean by the DX3 Pro having a more centered sound and more pronounced vocals.