I’ve had the Topping DX5 II for nearly a month now, and I still find it hard to believe that domestic little DAC/amps have already come this far…
Thinking back to 2010, I was selling a pure headphone amp called the M600 in my shop, and it sold pretty well. In hindsight, that amp’s main strength was its relatively steady sound — whether driving the HD600 or the DT880, it could deliver a reasonably normal scale, decently organised detail, and a sound that wasn’t harsh or piercing. Yes, that alone was already quite good, because meeting all three at the same time was no small feat back then. At that time, there were plenty of cheap amps that were just plain bad — some sounded completely off, including many RA1 or Lehmann clones, which you could only describe as “listening to music through a damp, worn‑out quilt.”
As for looks and design — don’t even go there. They gave you a case, what more could you ask for?
Then let’s fast‑forward to today, fifteen years later. This Topping DX5 II sitting beside me catches your eye the moment you see it — clean, elegant design, with a colour scheme that fits right in with modern desktop aesthetics. The surface coating feels great to the touch and is surprisingly scratch‑resistant. Ergonomics are excellent — in fact, it’s up there with the best domestic products and can hold its own internationally; you could even call it a “no‑brainer” in terms of ease of use. And it’s not just a DAC/amp combo — it’s fully balanced. The connectivity is comprehensive: on the front you get 6.35mm, 4.4mm, and 4‑pin XLR outputs; on the back, optical, coaxial, and USB inputs, plus dual XLR and dual RCA outputs. All this in a compact, well‑rounded little machine — and how much does it cost? 1,999 RMB.
Times have truly changed, my friend.
To be honest, for Topping as an audio brand, the DX5 itself has always been one of their flagship products. The cumulative sales of the previous generation were undoubtedly among the best in its class, and it enjoyed a very solid reputation as well. So it goes without saying that the second‑generation model of this series would be equally important to them and heavily focused on.
In terms of hardware, the Topping DX5 II is equipped with two ES9039Q2M DAC chips, and uses a self‑developed I/V conversion circuit to push the DAC performance to its limit, achieving a dynamic range of 133dB@1kHz. On the amplifier side, it adopts a three‑stage hybrid amplifier architecture called X‑Hybrid, delivering a signal‑to‑noise ratio of 133dB@1kHz and an output power of an astonishing 7600mW×2@16Ω — figures that simply don’t look like they belong to a device this compact. It also supports 10‑band high‑precision PEQ adjustment, with independent saving of EQ and volume settings.
Just talking about everything the DX5 II offers beyond sound — if I had to describe it, I’d say this is a small device that has truly achieved completeness. Completeness is hard to come by, because in the past, compact machines under 2000 RMB either looked unrefined, which turned off audiophiles and made regular consumers pass at first glance; or they got the ergonomics wrong, so that even after two weeks of use, you’d still have to dig out the manual to figure out some function; or they lacked certain features, making them only a part of the chain rather than a full solution. The Topping DX5 II has none of these issues — it has solved them all. Whether you’re an audiophile or not, if you’re an average consumer who walks in wanting a good‑looking, affordable, versatile device that can drive both active bookshelf speakers and headphones, with stable Bluetooth to boot — you can just pull the trigger on this one, and you’ll be satisfied. Being able to bring the aesthetics, usability, and feature completeness of consumer electronics to HiFi gear is a clear sign of a very mature and powerful product proposition.
And as for the sound, it too achieves a certain completeness.
I think it’s worth comparing the DX5 II to some of the shortcomings and flaws I remember from many older sub‑2000 RMB products. Back in the early days of DAC/amp all‑in‑ones, manufacturers had to wrestle with a key question: should we really put serious effort into the headphone output? Because once you invest too much there, the DAC section and expandability — both in design and component choices — end up constrained. And the more frustrating part is that even if you did put serious work into the amp stage, many brands just couldn’t achieve much with it. In the end, even meeting the three basic points I mentioned earlier — a reasonably normal scale, decently organised detail, and a sound that isn’t harsh or piercing — was often a struggle to achieve all at once. As a result, I’d hear many devices in this class with soundstages that felt constricted, scales that never opened up, and drive that was thin and weak. Some were either too sharp and harsh, or they had this strange plasticky timbre — yes, not even just digital, but downright plastic‑sounding. You have to understand that manufacturers faced very different constraints in different eras, but it’s still a hard truth that these low‑priced all‑in‑ones from years past were rarely well‑rounded in sound.
Now, with the DX5 II, the performance in terms of scale, detail, and tonal character is as follows:
First, the sense of scale is quite satisfying. The soundstage isn’t cramped — it’s what you might call “nicely open” — but more importantly, there’s a naturalness to it that feels completely effortless. It’s not that forced stretching that gives you width but leaves an artificial imprint; instead, on first listen, you might not even notice it, which is rather interesting. Only when I A/B it with some larger, more expensive desktop gear do I realise: “Wow, little guy, your scale and spatial presence are actually quite substantial!” The three‑frequency balance follows a similar philosophy — the extension across the spectrum is excellent, yet it never tries to steal the spotlight. In other words, the whole framework of this machine punches well above its weight, while the sonic foundation remains well‑organised and composed. The background is clean and even — clearly beyond its class — and the presentation is neither flashy nor overbearing. It’s steady, and there’s even a touch of true flagship poise about it.
Second, its level of detail is genuinely impressive for the price — the kind of excellence you notice on first listen. The bass carries a solid sense of weight, paired with a rather unrestrained vigour and punch, while relaxed, open harmonics lay down a lively atmospheric foundation. Dynamic expression also hits the mark effectively. The midrange, while unfussy, offers excellent definition of note outlines and smoothness — it never falls into the cliché of “rough-sounding midrange on a budget device.” And despite that smoothness, its grain texture is surprisingly good, with separation and dynamics in the midrange being both refined and precise. Meanwhile, the treble extension is crisp and transparent, providing direct support for the overall soundstage, and its retrieval of high-frequency information is also among the more substantial in its price class.
In terms of tonal character, the Topping DX5 II theoretically falls into the category of devices with a clean background, an open soundstage, and well‑extended three‑frequency balance — a setup that typically emphasises separation and definition of note outlines. In other words, it’s not going for a tube‑amp flavour, but rather fits the classic solid‑state positioning. Yet in actual listening, you rarely perceive it as thin‑sounding. This is because, on one hand, the bass is given enough “breathing room” — that spaciousness is well judged, providing a naturally relaxed atmospheric foundation. On the other hand, the lower midrange retains a very solid thickness, without sacrificing transient response or resolution, and the treble is neither harsh nor lean. Another factor is that the overall sound is polished to a high degree of smoothness — and once that smoothness is in place, many of the common complaints associated with budget gear, such as digital harshness or plasticky timbre, simply don’t appear. Moreover, the tonality is fundamentally honest and neutral, with no tendency towards over‑softening or artificial colouration.
Overall, this machine offers a wide soundstage, excellent three‑frequency extension, and a clean background, underpinned by a genuinely impressive sense of scale. On top of that, its detail is fine yet solid, with good resolution and definition of note outlines. It delivers strong technical performance while maintaining a sound that is serious without ever being dull — and these observations are all made relative to its own price point of 1,999 RMB. If you go on to compare it with some higher‑priced DAC/amp all‑in‑ones, or even certain more expensive standalone amplifiers, you’ll find it can still hold its own. Just how strong its overall sound‑to‑price ratio is should be clear from that alone.
This brings us to another natural question: how should a device like the Topping DX5 II be used?
First, I strongly recommend using it primarily for direct headphone driving. Whether you pair it with a desktop CD player or a computer — and if it’s a computer, the DX5 II is all you need — it is currently my top recommendation in this price bracket. It has two major strengths: one, its driving power is genuinely formidable; two, it’s not fussy about what you plug into it — dynamic or planar over‑ears, or various IEMs, they all sound decent straight away. That said, after trying a range of headphones, I’d still advise against pairing it with flagship‑level full‑size headphones in the five‑figure range, as the balance would feel a bit lopsided; some aspects of imaging density and airiness wouldn’t be fully realised. Headphones from a few hundred to a few thousand yuan would be a much more natural match.
Second, you can easily place it next to your computer and also hook up a pair of bookshelf speakers — a versatile setup that makes perfect sense. Its colour scheme already fits well with the popular desktop speaker aesthetics on the market today, and Topping even offers their own bookshelf speakers, so you could build a complete matching system if you like. Of course, if you’re not a computer user, that’s fine too — just use your phone, whether via USB or Bluetooth. The DX5 II’s Bluetooth supports LDAC and is well tuned; I’ve tested it multiple times with phone connections and never experienced dropouts or stuttering. The sound comes through clean and coherent — which, by the way, isn’t something every compact device can pull off. Some just include Bluetooth as a checkbox feature, and without proper tuning, they tend to suffer from frequent disconnections and weird sound.
Dual Hi‑Res certification — one for wired, one for wireless — not bad, wouldn’t you say?
Third: using it as a pure DAC, paired with a separate headphone amp or power amp.For this purpose, I would only recommend it if you already have a system that is specifically missing a DAC. Because here’s the awkward thing: if the amp and headphones you intend to pair it with are flagship‑level five‑figure gear, then this sub‑2000‑yuan DAC, despite its capable performance for the price — and it does deliver fairly clean and well‑organised information — will still risk being the bottleneck. In that case, I’d suggest you stretch your budget a bit and go for the Topping D90 III Discrete instead. It will give you a clear upgrade in refinement, smoothness, and resolving power.On the other hand, if your amplifier is in the sub‑5000‑yuan range, then routing the signal through a separate DAC instead of just using the DX5 II’s direct output might not be a clear win — you’d really need to listen for yourself to decide which route sounds more convincing. In some cases, the direct headphone out from the DX5 II might actually give you a more cohesive sound.
To sum it up simply: the Topping DX5 II is a fully balanced DAC/amp all‑in‑one that delivers on looks, delivers on sound, is dead‑simple to operate, offers comprehensive connectivity, and boasts an outstanding sound‑to‑price ratio — all for just 1,999 RMB. Put it on your desk, plug it into a computer, a phone, or a CD player, drive over‑ear headphones, IEMs, or active speakers — it does it all. It’s genuinely a product that I’d recommend to a very, very wide range of people.
Source: Headphone Lin sir
