Review: TOPPING DX3Pro+ LDAC Headphone Amplifier

For my newly built Windows 11 PC, I initially planned to install an Xonar Essence STX PCIe audio card, but it is no longer manufactured. As a replacement, I decided to purchase a standalone DAC and headphone amplifier to use with my Sony MDR-7506 headphones.

• 【High-Resolution Wireless Audio】 Supports LDAC, aptX-HD, aptX-LL, AAC, and SBC via Bluetooth 5.0 using the QCC5125 chipset, with decoding handled by the ES9038Q2M DAC for superior wireless sound quality.
• 【Plug-and-Play HiFi DAC】 Powered by the 2nd-gen XMOS XU208, the DX3Pro+ supports PCM 32-bit/768kHz and DSD 512 native, fully compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android systems.
• 【Optimized NFCA Headphone Amplifier】 Delivers ultra-low noise and distortion with 1800mW x2 @32Ω output, easily driving both sensitive IEMs and high-impedance headphones.
• 【Dual Gain Settings】 Switch between +6dB low gain and +19dB high gain to match different headphone sensitivities and achieve ideal performance.
• 【High-Performance ES9038Q2M DAC】 Achieves extremely low distortion (THD+N 0.00015%) for accurate, detailed, and natural sound reproduction.
• 【Versatile Output Modes】 Offers four output modes: Headphone Amp, DAC, Pre-amplifier, and Headphone Amp + Line Out, adapting to a variety of audio setups.
• 【Perfect Pairing with PA3s Amplifier】 Pairs seamlessly with the TOPPING PA3s power amplifier for a complete, high-performance desktop audio system.

USB/ASIO Driver for bit-perfect playback in Windows

• Official TOPPING downloads page — that’s the canonical source for the unified USB/ASIO driver. Look for the “V5.74 driver for most of TOPPING DACs” (or the newest driver listed):
• topping.audio

Topping DX3 Pro+ Firmware

• The DX3 Pro+ firmware/update page also links to the required drivers/tools for Windows — useful if you’re updating firmware too: 
• topping.audio

TOPPING DX3 Pro+ DAC Review

Positives

• Standalone DAC with excellent audio specs, SNR (120dB), THD 
• Supports all the latest audio standards
• High-power headphone amplifier
• Remote control
• Bluetooth streaming support
• Reasonable price ($200)
• Clear, unfiltered sound over USB
• Automatic power-on/off when the CPU is turned on/off
• When playing a new song, it briefly displays the bitrate

Negatives

• The USB-B cable supplied is very short
• The A/C power adapter supplied is very short
• Using an iPhone, the Bluetooth streaming quality is sub-par (iPhone's IOS does not support the higher-end audio standards)

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Review: Sonicake Travel Guitar QGT-01

To enable practicing guitar while traveling, I purchased the Sonicake Travel Guitar QGT-01. It was 30% off during the Amazon Black Friday sale ($209.99) and seemed like an excellent alternative to the Yamaha SLG200s series of silent travel guitars. It had received positive reviews on YouTube and was worth trying. I had tried two Donner Travel guitars previously: Hush I Pro and Hush C, but was not satisfied with their handling or sound.

• Advanced Digital Pre-amp： High-quality digital front-end with multiple Body-Shape simulations, high-quality Reverb and Chorus effects, Resonance Enhancement effect, 2-band EQ adjustment, and excellent tone shaping ability.
• Rechargeable Lithium Battery: Equipped with a 2000mAh rechargeable lithium battery, long endurance of 10 hours, and designed with energy-saving power to easily cope with various scenarios.
• Classic Acoustic Guitar Body Design: Traditional design restores the original guitar feel, bringing you excellent balance and a warm playing experience.
• Ultra-Lightweight Portable Body: Detachable wooden frame; the assembled guitar weighs around 1.7kg, ensuring complete portability. Travel-friendly companion, designed for the musician on the move.
• Solid Rosewood: Solid rosewood fingerboard and bridge, restoring the classic feel of an acoustic guitar.

Sonicake Travel Guitar Review

Positives

• Extremely portable, with removable wooden frames that make it very easy to take on an airplane
• Built-in headphone amplifier for quick connection to headphones
• Low price ($209 during Black Friday)
• Output to an external amp
• Built-in rechargeable Lithium battery (10 hours of play time)
• Reasonably decent acoustic sound
• Electronic settings to simulate 8 acoustic guitar bodies (OM, Concert)
• Free Accessories include a gig-bag, a digital guitar tuner, a truss-rod adjuster, and a USB-C charging cable

Negatives

• The bolt that holds the removable wooden frames could be easily lost. I would have preferred a better system (the Donner Hush series had much better attachments)
• No guitar strap included

Links

• Sonicake Travel Guitar QGT-01

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Review: Kindle Colorsoft 16GB

When I showed Inna the newly available Amazon Colorsoft (Color E-Ink) Kindle ebook reader, she was eager to try it and upgrade from her older Paperwhite. There was an Amazon Black Friday sale that made the new Kindle device ($169) an attractive purchase option.

• Read in color – The new 7" Colorsoft display is high-contrast and easy on the eyes, with paper-like color that brings covers and content to life.
• A brand-new experience – The Kindle Colorsoft display is optimized for color reading and differs from the Kindle Paperwhite display, which is optimized for black-and-white reading.
• Color your pages – Highlight your favorite scenes in yellow, orange, blue, and pink.
• Marathon reading – A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 8 weeks.
• Read in any light – Adjust the display from white to amber to read in bright sunlight or in the dark.
• Waterproof and worry-free – Take your stories by the pool, in the bath, or anywhere in between.
• Massive selection – Instantly access over 15 million titles in the Kindle Store worldwide, and add a Kindle Unlimited subscription for all-you-can-read access to a catalog including best sellers.
• Try the Page Color feature to invert the black text and white background of pages inside books. While different than Dark Mode, it enables comfortable reading while still displaying colorful images and covers.

Kindle Colorsoft Review

Positives

• 7" color screen (nice to browse book covers in color!)
• Low price ($169 during Black Friday)
• 16GB of storage

Negatives

• Clarity is slightly lower than the existing black & white Paperwhite version

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Review: Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken Tour

On Wednesday, November 26, I found some reasonably priced tickets ($200/ticket for floor-4 seats in Masonic using StubHub) to Sarah McLachlan's Better Broken Tour at The Masonic in San Francisco (for Friday, November 28, 2025, at 8:00 p.m.)

Though I have been a fan of Sarah's music for a long time, I was not sure what to expect at her concert.

Here is a video clip of Sarah playing "Gravity" on the grand piano:

Better Broken Tour setlist

• Better Broken 

• Possession

• Only Human

• I Will Remember You

• Adia

• Building a Mystery

• Reminds Me 

• Wait

• World on Fire

• One in a Long Line

• Sweet Surrender 

• The Last to Go

• Answer

• Elsewhere (with guest)

• Ice Cream

• If This Is The End… 

• Fear

• Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Encore:

• Gravity 

• Angel 

Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken Tour Review

Positives

• Sarah was in top form, playing piano and both acoustic and electric guitars, and singing all her favorite songs.
• Despite her age (58), she was able to hit many high notes.
• The band wasn't overly loud (or annoying)
• Sarah played for two hours (non-stop)
• Favorite songs included:
• Adia
• Gravity
• Angel
• Building a Mystery
• World on Fire
• Sweet Surrender

Negatives

• Almost all of her songs are sad/depressing (except for Ice Cream), setting a somber mood.
• The concert started 20 minutes late.
• A lot of people were arriving late (after the concert had already started) and disrupting our view

Links

• Sarah McLachlan
• StubHub (concert tickets)
• Masonic

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Hike to Lands' End, San Francisco

After seeing the beautiful Manet & Morisot exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum, we decided to hike to the Lands' End trail nearby.

See the Google Maps link for directions.

We started our hike around 15:30 from the grounds of the Legion of Honor Museum, following the coastal trail. There were lots of people on the trail (probably families trying to burn off excess calories from the previous day's Thanksgiving dinner)

The weather was a bit chilly (colder than the 55°F showing on my iPhone). Luckily, the trail was not very muddy. There was a beautiful view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

We saw the Sutro Baths and walked by them (but did not stop).

On reaching Ocean Beach, we saw a few surfers trying to catch the large rollers coming from the Pacific Ocean. A couple were successful, but most were missing the fast-moving rollers.

After finishing the hike, we drove to the Sutter/Stockton Parking garage to be closer to the Sarah McLachlan show, playing at the Masonic, nearby.

Inna had made dinner reservations for 6:00 pm at the nearby Parthenon Greek restaurant. After a short walk from the garage, we were seated near the window and ordered the following items:

• Drinks: Golden State Apple Cider, Hot Tea x 2
• Appetizer: Pita Bread, Greek Salad, Manitari (mushrooms)
• Boris: Pomegranate Ground Beef Souvlaki
• Inna: Lamb Souvlaki

The Manitari (mushrooms) were excellent, as was the Greek salad and pita bread. I liked the Pomegranate Souvlaki, but Inna's Lamb Souvlaki was better.

Links

• Legion of Honor Museum
• Lands' End
• Sutter Stockton Garage
• The Parthenon (Greek restaurant)

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Legion of Honor: Manet & Morisot Exhibit

For our day out in San Francisco (Friday, November 28), we decided to stop at the Legion of Honor Museum to see the new exhibition of Manet & Morisot. 

This is the first major exhibition dedicated to the artistic exchange between French Impressionists Édouard Manet (1832–1883) and Berthe Morisot (1841–1895). Manet was the era’s great pioneer of modern painting, and Morisot, the only woman to exhibit under her own name in the original Impressionist group. Unfolding over a period of 15 years (1868–1883), this exhibition traces the evolution of a friendship between two groundbreaking artists. The story of their relationship has often been told through Manet’s early portraits of Morisot, with Morisot’s own work treated as an offshoot of Manet’s. Recent scholarship reveals that, by the final years of his life, Manet increasingly followed Morisot’s example — her choice of subjects and colors, and even her rapid, fluttering brushstrokes. Rich in new research, the exhibition recasts this celebrated artistic friendship — and, by extension, the story of modern art — in a fresh light.

Since tickets were $30/person, Inna decided to become a Legion of Honor Member ($129/year), which entitles her to bring one guest free (me).

The collection was small, with 3 extensive galleries occupying most of the paintings. We were able to walk through it in about an hour.

1. While Manet never actually joined the Impressionist group, Morisot was a founding member.
2. Manet painted Morisot at least 10 times.
3. Manet and Morisot collected each other’s work.
4. While Morisot started out as Manet’s model, he later took inspiration from her work.
5. Together, they painted the four seasons.
• Morrisot's Summer is one of my favorite paintings by her.

After the visit, we stopped by the museum's cafe for coffee.

Links

• Manet & Morisot
• Legion of Honor Museum

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Thanksgiving Dinner at Lele

For Thanksgiving, Inna decided against cooking and instead selected the nearby Lele Kitchen restaurant for the main dinner. She made reservations for Thursday, November 27, at 16:00.

We ordered the Thanksgiving "Trust the Chef 7-Course Menu" as follows:

• Bread (freshly baked from a 38-year-old starter)
• Pie Tees x2 (Boris, Inna)
• Oysters x1 (Alex)
• Chestnut Soup x3
• Trout Draniki x2 (Boris, Alex)
• Mushroom Draniki x1 (Inna)
• Diestel Turkey x2 (Boris, Alex)
• Scallops x1 (Inna)
• Pear Cake x3
• Apple Cider x3

The meal started out with the delicious Pie Tees and Oysters (along with a tiny sample of freshly baked bread). The Pie Tees were unique and tasty (though a bit small).

We continued on to Chestnut Soup. It was delicious.

After soup, we sampled Trout and Mushroom Draniki.

For the main meal, Alex and I ordered "Diestel Turkey" - a more traditional Thanksgiving entree. Inna selected scallops. The turkey was perfectly cooked and delicious.

For dessert, we each ate a chocolate pear.

The overall dinner was excellent (though costly).

Lele Kitchen's Thanksgiving menu was as follows:

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Review: Donner Hush C Travel Guitar

For silent practice and travel, I decided to purchase the Donner Hush C Nylon Electro-acoustic guitar from Amazon. This guitar can be easily disassembled, fit into a minimal, thin travel case, and be brought with me on flights. It has a built-in headphone amp, powered by a removable 9V battery.

According to Donner:

• 【Comfort & Versatility for All Players】With a 46mm nut width, C-shaped neck, and smooth satin finish, the HUSH-C Nylon Acoustic Electric Classical Guitar offers fast, fatigue-free play for both beginners and pros. Rounded fret ends ensure comfort with every chord.
• 【Ultra-Portable & Travel-Ready】Weighing only 2.0kg with a headless, compact design, the HUSH-C Nylon Acoustic Electric Classical Guitar fits in a backpack for music on the go. Perfect for travel, commutes, or quiet jam sessions—just plug in your headphones and play anywhere.
• 【Multi-functional for Effortless Performance】Keep your HUSH-C Nylon Acoustic Electric Guitar perfectly tuned with the built-in tuner and low-battery alert. The HPS-II system offers 2-band EQ and volume control, while the AUX input and hidden hex wrench make practice and setup effortless.
• 【Practice with Headphones, Natural Classic Sound】The HUSH Custom Piezo and HPS-II system deliver natural nylon-string sound with zero feedback. Play silently through headphones or plug in for crystal-clear stage tone—ideal for both quiet practice and live performance.
• 【Premium Craftsmanship Meets Modern Aesthetics】Crafted from okoume wood, with a neck-through design and a carbon-fiber-reinforced neck, the HUSH-C Nylon Acoustic Electric Guitar delivers rich resonance and lasting stability. A natural bone nut, abalone inlays, and tool-free roller truss rod add pro-level tone and convenience.
• 【Nylon String Tip】New nylon strings may go out of tune during the first few days as they naturally stretch — this is entirely normal. Gentle daily stretching for about three days can help them stabilize and improve tuning consistency.

Donner Hush C Review

Positives

• Extremely portable, with removable pieces that make it very easy to take on an airplane
• Built-in tuner
• Built-in headphone amplifier for quick connection to headphones
• Reasonable price ($275 during Black Friday)
• Output to an external amp
• A variety of practical accessories are included, including a nice case, earbuds, and straps.

Negatives

• Uncomfortable to hold and play in Classical guitar position
• The sound does not match a fine nylon Classical guitar (brittle sound)
• The built-in tuner is not very precise

I decided to return my Donner Hush C because it was uncomfortable to hold and play. In addition, the sound did not impress me. 

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Review: Машина времени Мы рядом

Today, Inna and I attended a concert by Mashina Vremeni (Машина времени) at the Fox Theater in Redwood City. The concert was scheduled for 20:00, and we were looking forward to seeing the group again.

I had never been inside Fox Theater, and it's not a bad venue. Parking was relatively easy to find. Inna purchased excellent seats in row G, and we had a perfect view of the band. 

The band started out a bit sluggish (as if the musicians were weary) with "Birthday." Many of the songs chosen were also lesser-known (at least to me).

Here is an iPhone video from the concert:

The second half of the concert focused on more popular songs, such as "Марионетки и Поворот." We enjoyed the second half much more, and the band opened up. Inna ended up singing along to many of the iconic songs.

This is an iconic rock group (like the Beatles for Americans) to Russians. Inna knew the lyrics of most of their songs by heart.

Mashina Vremeni (Машина времени) is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and bard's song. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrei Makarevich (founder, principal singer-songwriter, public face of the band), Alexander Kutikov (bass player and producer/sound engineer), and Evgeny Margulis (guitarist/songwriter).

Концертная программа "Мы рядом" included the following songs:

• Поворот
• Марионетки
  
• Наш дом
• Ты или я
• Флаг над замком
• Старый корабль
• Родной дом
• Скачки
• Самая тихая песня

Here is a short video clip from the concert:

Mashina Vremeni Tour Dates 2025-2026

Nov 02 - Edmonds, WA - Edmonds Center for the Arts
Nov 04 - Redwood City, CA - Fox Theatre
Nov 06 - Los Angeles, CA - Wilshire Ebell Theatre
Nov 10 - Duluth, GA - Gas South Theater
Feb 12 - London, UK - Indigo at The O2
Feb 14 - Horgen, Switzerland - Schinzenhof Horgen
Feb 16 - Prague, Czech Republic - Hybernia Theatre
Feb 18 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
Feb 21 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle Offenbach
Feb 23 - Mülheim, Germany - Stadthalle
Feb 25 - Berlin, Germany - Urania
Mar 01 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometers of Vienna

Links

• Mashina Vremeni Tour

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Dinner at Orchard City Kitchen

After a short stroll around Vasona Lake, on a beautiful fall day in San Jose, we decided to eat an early dinner at our favorite Orchard City Kitchen in nearby Campbell. I booked the 17:15 time slot on OpenTable, but it was unnecessary since that time was not busy.

After sitting outdoors, we looked at the updated menu and ordered the following items to share:

• Appetizer: Chanterelles & Parsnips
• Salads: Frisee & Spinach
• Boris: Bone Marrow Pasta
• Inna: Grilled Salmon
• Dessert: Butterscotch Pudding

All of the dishes were outstanding. Inna especially loved the Chanterelles. I really enjoyed the Bone Marrow Pasta.

Links:

• Orchard City Kitchen 

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Review: Some Like It Hot!

My wife purchased tickets to the Some Like It Hot! musical playing at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, October 25, 2025.

Before attending the performance, we decided to stop by Scott's Seafood in downtown San Jose for dinner. While traffic was light, we had difficulty finding inexpensive parking. The outdoor parking lot near the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts had a more reasonable price of $10/day (while many others charged as much as $30).

We arrived at Scott's Seafood a bit late. Inna had made reservations for 17:15, but after parking nearby and walking to the restaurant, we arrived at 17:30 (and our reservation was cancelled). However, the restaurant was not busy and quickly accommodated us.

After looking at the menu, we ordered the following items:

• Inna: Cup of Lobster Bisque, Large Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
• Boris: Seafood Saute (shrimp, scallops, rice)
• Drinks: Sparkling Water

Inna liked her Lobster Bisque and Ahi Tuna Salad. I thought my Seafood Saute was excellent.  After dinner, we walked around, noticing celebrations for the Diwali festival nearby.

Eventually, we strolled back to the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts and sat down in our seats (row 6) for the musical. Inna and I both really liked the movie, Some Like It Hot, with Marilyn Monroe, and we were looking forward to the musical.

Fortunately, the musical was excellent and closely followed the movie's plotlines. There was a 20-minute intermission at around 21:00, and the show was surprisingly long (over 2.5 hours).

Both Inna and I really liked the show, as it was fast-paced, entertaining, and light-hearted. We would definitely be happy to see it again.

Some Like It Hot Review

Highlights

• Excellent singing, dancing, staging, and decorations (close to a Broadway-quality show)
• Well-paced, with lots of interesting dialogue
• Favorite song: Let's Be Bad
• The actor playing Osgood was clever and funny

Lowlights

• Initially, I had difficulty understanding the words being sung (maybe more clarity in the sound system would have been helpful)
• Not too many catchy songs except for Let's Be Bad.

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Suzuki No. 34 Classical Guitar

As I started playing more classical guitar music on my Yamaha FG830 acoustic (metal-string) guitar, I ran into difficulties with the narrow string spacing common to most metal-string acoustics. Unlike modern acoustics, classical guitars are strung with nylon strings, with the strings further apart to allow more space for plucking.

I decided that to perfect the classical guitar technique, I really needed to learn on a Classical, nylon-string guitar and started my search online.

At first, I looked at new instruments only, focusing on the following classical guitars:

• Yamaha CG192C Classical Guitar ($679 on Amazon.com). Made in China
• Yamaha CG172SF Flamenco Guitar ($439 at Starving Musician Made in China
• Cordoba C7 CD Classical Acoustic ($599 on Amazon.com or Sweetwater) Made in China

I really liked the Yamaha CG172SF Flamenco guitar with its low action and beautiful tone, and I was ready to purchase it if I could not find a better used guitar.

I was hesitant about the Cordoba brand due to mixed reviews about quality issues, particularly since all guitars are made in China. 

I looked at some used classical guitars on the local, SF Bay Craigslist and found the following:

• 2020 Cordoba C10 ($699) at Starving Musician. (Sold before I could consider it)
• 2021 Cordoba C9 CD Luthier Series ($700) Made in China
• 1975 Suzuki Violin No. 34 ($250) Made in Japan

Both the Cordoba C9 and the Suzuki Violin No. 34 looked and sounded excellent. I decided to purchase the Suzuki, as it was extremely light, sounded beautiful, and was made in Japan (specifically in Nagoya). Japanese luthiers are well known as among the best in the world.

After purchasing the Suzuki, I took it into my local Music Village (Union Ave.) to have the guitar examined and re-strung with new strings.

Luis Gonzalez (the shop's luthier) examined the guitar and installed D'Addario Pro-Arte Classical Carbon Strings (EJ45FF) in normal tension. The guitar sounds beautiful with these strings, and I look forward to playing it.

Suzuki No. 34 Classical Guitar Review

Highlights

• Extremely light (solid woods)
• Like-new condition (well taken care of)
• Made by the Suzuki Violin Company in Nagoya, Japan, in 1975, Serial: 750417
• Used price of $250 (very reasonable)
• Leather case included

Lowlights

• Original nylon strings were a bit rusty and needed to be replaced with D'Addario Pro-Arte Classical Carbon Strings (EJ45FF

Classical Guitar Learning

Name	Focus / What Makes It Good	Notes / Cost & Feedback
Classical Guitar Corner (CGC)	Very structured curriculum (grades 1–8), video lessons + PDF downloads + community & live workshops	Paid membership, but good mix of free lessons too (Classical Guitar Corner)
This Is Classical Guitar (Bradford Werner's site)	Free lessons, suitable for beginners and intermediate players — technique, repertoire, etc.	A strong "always available" resource. (Classical Guitar)
Classical Guitar Shed	Practical tutorials, tips on technique, strategies for learning pieces, etc.	Some free content, more with "premium" plans. (Classical Guitar Shed)
ArtistWorks – Jason Vieaux Course	Video‐based lessons + video submissions & feedback from a master guitarist	More expensive, but valuable for personal feedback. (ArtistWorks)
Berklee Online – Classical Guitar 101	A formal course from a respected institution covering basics, repertoire, and technique	Has deadlines and structure (more "course-like") (Berklee Online)
Tonebase	Hundreds of tutorials + courses from top classical guitarists	Especially good for intermediate/advanced players; paid subscription. (tonebase)
LAGA Classical (Los Angeles Guitar Academy Online)	Structured lessons from beginner → advanced, with faculty feedback	Suitable for students who want guided growth. (onlineguitaracademy.net)
EliteGuitaristClassical.com	Extensive video library, piece-by-piece tutorials, technique modules	Helpful in picking specific repertoire and detailed breakdowns. (ELITE GUITARIST)
iClassical Academy	Focuses on masterclasses and advanced-level courses	Suitable for when you want to learn from big names in classical guitar. (Wikipedia)

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