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.
I had read very positive review results on the Topping DX3 Pro+ on the AudioScienceReview website, where laboratory measurements are done in a controlled environment.
I really enjoyed the DX3 Pro+ DAC headphone amp, but I replaced it with the slightly better Topping DX5 II DAC/headphone amp.
I found no issues in Topping DX3 Pro+. It worked out of the box and sounded beautiful. The amber display was clear. It went to sleep and woke up automatically. The only feature missing is the balanced output (which is helpful for many high-impedance 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.
- 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):
- The DX3 Pro+ firmware/update page also links to the required drivers/tools for Windows — useful if you’re updating firmware too:
- Standalone DAC with excellent audio specs, SNR (120dB), THD
- Supports all the latest audio standards
- A high-power headphone amplifier that drives my Sony MDR-7506 easily
- Remote control
- Bluetooth streaming support
- Reasonable price ($199)
- 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
- No balanced headphone output (a big miss)
- 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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