Some people say digital music can sometimes feel a bit cold and clinical, especially when compared to vinyl records. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if digital music could have the warmth of vinyl, but without the downsides of physical media and those pesky pops and clicks?

Audio brand Topping has addressed this problem with the launch of its DX1 II, a DAC and headphone amplifier designed to bring hi-fi sound with power, detail and analog character at an affordable price.

Every digital music player we have, like our TVs, smartphones or computers, needs a digital-to-analog converter. This converter takes the digital bits and bytes from a music stream and turns them into a complicated analog signal. Then, we need to amplify this signal to make it sound through speakers or headphones.

The Topping DX1 II is an entry-level DAC upgrade offering improved sound quality for listening to music, playing games and enjoying other forms of audio and AV content, such as podcasts or YouTube. Despite its compact size and low price, Topping says the internal design of the DX1 II delivers “engagingly crisp, detailed and dynamic sound for under $150.”

Measuring just 10 x 3.2 x 10cm and weighing 275g, the DX1 II is small and light enough to be portable. It’s aluminum casing is designed to be robust so it can be put in a work bag. The device’s DAC and headphone amp can upgrade the basic audio stream from a laptop, desktop, games console, media streaming devices and smartphones.

The DX1 II doesn’t need its own power source as it can draws its power and audio data from the host device before converting and amplifying analog audio signals that drive a pair of headphones, powered speakers or hi-fi amplifier with passive speakers.

The DX1 II offers a range of connections including a USB-C port, an optical input which is t twinned with an optical output. By offering both USB and optical inputs, the DX1 II can be used with a wider range of digital devices such as CD players, TVs and games consoles, as well as PCs/Macs and Android/iOS devices.

The USB-C input can be switched between USB Audio Class 1.0 and 2.0 using a control on the back. While most connected devices will be compatible with UAC 2.0, some devices, like PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, rely solely on UAC 1.0.

The DX1 II has two headphone outputs for 3.5mm and 4.4mm connections, the latter is for balanced connections with a suitable pair of headphones. Many DAC/headphone amps claim to be good for gamers, but few include a microphone input for handling gaming headsets.

The 3.5mm socket supports two-way communications. As well as delivering audio to the headset, it can also receive audio from the headset’s mic. This is a handy feature for online gamers and offers clear voice communication between players. The mic input on the 3.5mm socket can also be used for making voice and video calls.

In addition to the headphone outputs, the DX1 II has line outputs in stereo RCA and balanced 4.4mm flavors, so it can be connected to an external amplifier and speakers. These can be used in fixed-level mode, to feed an integrated amp or preamp, or preamp mode, which engages the DAC’s built-in volume control to link directly to a power amp or active speakers.

Topping offers a variety of DACs, with prices beginning just under $200 and going up to $2,000. The DC 1 II features a digital-to-analog conversion stage that uses the ES9039Q2M, a cutting-edge 32-bit chip from ESS Technology’s Sabre 32 Reference series, which is commonly found in much more expensive DACs.

The ES9039Q2M chip features ESS’s latest HyperStream IV technology and Dual DAC architecture, which integrates two individual D-to-A converters on a single chip to process the left and right audio channels separately.

The DAC works beautifully with Topping’s pre- and post-DAC components. These include a top-notch, 16-core XU-316 XMOS chip for handling the input signal. This setup gives you a wide dynamic range and incredibly low noise, all while eliminating channel crosstalk. The analog signals that the DAC sends through are fully balanced, which helps keep the channels separate from the start of the digital-to-analog conversion. This reduces the noise floor and distortion.

The headphone amp stage has four independent channels for separate left and right signal paths, the full benefits of are realized through the 4.4mm balanced output. This provides power and control, but also improves resolution, dynamics and imaging.

It’s a challenge to design a low-cost headphone amp that has plenty of power. But designing one with a genuinely quiet background, without a high price tag, is a bigger ask. Topping claims it has gone to great lengths with the DX1 II’s amp design to lower the noise floor to exceptionally low levels for a clean, silent background, even when paired with the most sensitive IEMs.

The DX1 II takes its power from the connected source device over USB, keeping cable clutter to a minimum. To optimize performance, Topping developed its own low-noise internal power supply circuitry that provides independent, clean and stable power to the critical DAC and analog amplification stages.

The DX1 II can handle incoming digital audio signals to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD256 over its USB-C input. The optical input supports 24-bit/192kHz PCM and DSD64 (DoP). These specs mean the DAC can handle compressed audio streams as well as lossless hi-res files. Even the mic input on the 3.5mm headphone socket supports 24-bit/192kHz audio for clear voice comms.

The technical performance beats some DACs that cost much more. There’s a Signal-to-Noise Ratio of 128dB @ 1kHz, which is the same for both the balanced line and headphone outputs, while the dynamic range is also spot on. The THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise) is as low as <0.00007% on the balanced line output.

The headphone amp stage generates sufficient power to drive demanding loads, such as planar magnetic headphones, delivering 2 x 1000mW into 32Ω and 64Ω, and 2 x 230mW into 300Ω.

Topping has been rolling out its Parametric EQ system in all its new-generation DACs and the DX1 II is no exception, despite its low price. PEQ allows precise control of frequency, gain and Q (bandwidth) across ten customizable bands. This enables the sound to be precisely tuned to suit the connected equipment and differing characteristics of digital sources and acoustic environments.

There are two ways of operating the PEQ facility. The first is to use Topping’s free Tune app for PCs and Macs, enabling owners to dial in values or import target curves and save up to three custom profiles directly to the DX1 II’s hardware memory. The second is the new Topping Home Web online control center, accessible via any internet browser. This features a drag-and-drop interface for easier tuning, along with the ability to apply community-shared profiles.

The provision of an optical digital output allows the DX1 II to be used as a signal processor between the source device and another DAC. This means the benefits of 10-band PEQ tuning can be applied to any setup, even if the DX1 II’s DAC and headphone amp are not required.

In addition to the PEQ system, the DX1 II offers eight user-selectable digital filter settings for subtle sonic tuning. The headphone amp supplies two gain settings, tailoring the amount of amplification applied to the input signal to suit the varying sensitivities of headphones and IEMs.

For Music, Games And More

Topping claims the DX1 II’s sound is transparent and finely detailed with strong dynamics, excellent transient response and a spacious soundstage. Bass is taut and clean, midrange clear and expressive, and treble crisp and extended for a high definition performance with all manner of music.

Flanked by headphone sockets and a multifunction rotary control, the DX 1 II has a central LED display that shows volume level and sample rate in large digits, accompanied by other information such as input/output selection, DSD format indication, PEQ setting and headphone gain.

The display can be set to various brightness levels or turned off completely. A remote control is supplied, making it easy to engage a useful range of features from any position in the room.

Pricing and Availability:

The Topping DX1 II will be available from July 2026 in a choice of black, white or silver finishes. It’s priced at $110 / £119. The DX1 II will be available from Electromod , Topping’s United Kingdom distributor.

  • DAC: ES9039Q2M chip ‘Dual DAC’ processing.
  • Amplifier: Four-channel 1000mW into 32 and 64Ω.
  • Digital Connections: USB-C ; optical input; optical output.
  • Line Outputs: Stereo RCA; balanced 4.4mm.
  • Headphone Outputs: 3.5mm; balanced 4.4mm.
  • Gaming Ready: Headset microphone input; dual-mode USB works with PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
  • Digital Support: 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD256.
  • EQ: Parametric EQ; 8x digital filter settings; 2x gain settings for headphones.