[MonoJon]

Hello Forum,

I have been considering the following DAC/amp/bluetooth options. My current IEMs are all 16-32 ohm, and I am considering purchasing AKG K553 MKII for my first full-size cans (also 32 ohm). I want a combo of DAC, amp and bluetooth receiver that can drive these at low to moderate listening levels while also being suited to 300+ ohm models should I decide to upgrade in the future.

I am feeling pressure because the Topping DX3 Pro is back on sale on Drop for $180. Will this suit my needs well, and should I pull the trigger on this now or wait until the 11/11 sale on AliExpress?

Other options I am considering are:

- Topping D30 + Topping A30 + 3rd party bluetooth receiver
- Schiit Modi 3 + Schiit Magni 3 + 3rd party bluetooth receiver

In summary, which of the three options is best suited to my needs, and should I jump on the DX3 Pro now or wait for 11/11 sale?

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

[buke9]

Sorry but this makes little sense to me. What is the purpose of the Bluetooth receiver?

 

[MonoJon]

Sorry but this makes little sense to me. What is the purpose of the Bluetooth receiver?

Oh, that's just for if I am laying in bed and want to stream a podcast or Spotify to my Klipsch 2.1 channel powered speakers, or if I'm feeling too lazy to get up and walk three steps to the album library to grab a CD and instead want to stream lossless files from my cell phone (my phone is Sony and supports all the latest codecs, including LDAC).

 

[PurpleAngel]

I've listened to a Schiit stack and it does sound nice.
But I like an all in one unit, so I vote Topping DX3 Pro LDAC.
Also check out the Massdrop Sennheiser HD58X (150-Ohm) headphones.

 

[MonoJon]

@PurpleAngel Thank you for your thoughts. There is a lot of appeal in an AIO unit as my desk space is at a premium. I have two 27" 2k monitors for photo editing work, and for my 9-5 gig in data analysis, so don't want a bunch of other do-dads on my desk if I can help it. I will research the Sennheiser HD58X. What kind of response/profile does it have? I am a fan of pretty much all types of music, so I want something that is a great "all-rounder".

 

[PurpleAngel]

@PurpleAngel Thank you for your thoughts. There is a lot of appeal in an AIO unit as my desk space is at a premium. I have two 27" 2k monitors for photo editing work, and for my 9-5 gig in data analysis, so don't want a bunch of other do-dads on my desk if I can help it. I will research the Sennheiser HD58X. What kind of response/profile does it have? I am a fan of pretty much all types of music, so I want something that is a great "all-rounder".

I've bought about 30-40 headphones over the past 8 years, but currently using my HD58X for TV and computer listening.

 

[MonoJon]

I just learned that the new version of the Topping DX3 Pro (V2) has much worse headphone output specs that the V1 version - 10 ohm output impedance and -70 dB crosstalk. I don't think it will be suitable for my low-impedance headphones, so I am left to wait for them to improve it or consider another option, unfortunately.

~ Jon

 

[PurpleAngel]

I just learned that the new version of the Topping DX3 Pro (V2) has much worse headphone output specs that the V1 version - 10 ohm output impedance and -70 dB crosstalk. I don't think it will be suitable for my low-impedance headphones, so I am left to wait for them to improve it or consider another option, unfortunately. ~ Jon

Ok
Check out the Xduoo XD-05 Plus.
https://drop.com/buy/xduoo-xd-05-plus

 

[MonoJon]

Ok
Check out the Xduoo XD-05 Plus.
https://drop.com/buy/xduoo-xd-05-plus

Thank you, @PurpleAngel. That is a product I have not seen before, and a compelling one at that. I'm not sure it's quite what I am looking for though. It doesn't have native function as a bluetooth receiver, so if I were to add one, that would take up one of the two digital inputs, leaving me with only one. I need two (one for my PC and one for my Blu-ray player). Also, I expect that I would be using this 99% of the time as a desktop dac/amp, and not a portable, so unless there is a way to bypass or limit the battery charging, it would sit at a 100% state of charge almost all of the time, thereby degrading the battery over time, even if the battery is not used (LiPO batteries "age" fastest at 100%, and a 50% charge is best to preserve the life of a battery).

This leaves me thinking about either picking up an "open box" unit of the "version 1" Topping DX3 Pro (without LDAC) for the low headphone output impedance, despite the poor reliability reputation of this version, or getting the Schitt stack and adding a bluetooth receiver. ...or waiting for something better to come along. Advice?

One additional bluetooth question regarding AptX HD vs. LDAC that maybe I should start a new tread for: I am not likely to listen to music in excess of Redbook CD resolution (16 bit/44.1 Kbps). My music collection has been ripped from CDs and stored in ALAC. Will AptX HD allow me to listen via bluetooth at true "CD quality" or would I need LDAC for this?

~ Jon