Topping redefines best budget... again DX1 II Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn5vcLPrSks

Yeah, new day new amazing budget gear coming from east. And it seems like every year we can start to repeat ourselves, and it probably will again in 6 months. We have a constant influx of new gear that pushes what is possible in this cheap budget price range. We are surprised, amazed and always appreciative of the technological progress of these companies, and once again Topping is trying to redefine what is possible in this price range. Topping is trying to redefine best value. Let's talk about it.

Specs, Features and Build Quality

The original DX1 already set an uncomfortable benchmark for everyone selling a $99 desktop DAC/amp. The second generation does not refine that formula so much as gut it and start again: new DAC silicon, a fully balanced signal path, a 4.4mm output on both the front and the back, optical in and out, and a 10-band parametric EQ, all for $119 and all powered off a single USB-C cable. On paper it reads like a spec sheet that escaped from a product two price tiers up. The interesting question, as always, is what survives contact with actual listening.

The heart of the unit is ESS's ES9039Q2M, the same converter Topping uses in the considerably dearer DX5 II, fed by an XMOS XU316 USB receiver. That gets you PCM up to 384kHz and DSD256 over USB, with the optical path capped at 24-bit/192kHz and DSD64 over DoP. Topping quotes a 128dB dynamic range and THD+N down around 0.00007%, which is the sort of number that stopped being meaningful for human ears a long time ago but still tells you the engineering is tidy.

The amplifier is the real headline. It is a four-channel fully balanced design running independent left and right architecture from the DAC stage through to the output, rated at 1000mW per channel into 32 ohms from the 4.4mm jack. For context, the original DX1 managed 280mW. That is not an incremental bump, that is nearly four times the muscle, and crucially Topping pulled it off without a wall wart. Outputs are generous for the class: 4.4mm balanced and a 3.5mm TRRS headset jack with mic support up the front, RCA single-ended plus a 4.4mm balanced line out around the back, and that independent optical I/O. Noise floor is quoted at 0.9µVrms on low gain, there are two gain settings, and the whole thing ships with an IR remote. It is, frankly, an absurd amount of connectivity for the money.

The chassis is the usual Topping recipe and that is a compliment. Machined aluminium, clean tolerances, smooth edges, and a multifunction volume knob that handles most on-device control without feeling cheap. At roughly 275g and about the footprint of a chunky power bank, it sits between desktop and portable, which is genuinely useful if you move it between a desk and a backpack. Black, silver, and white finishes are on offer, and the black is the stealthy one.

What I might say is rather difficult is controlling this DAC. While simple volume continuation and switching between optical and USB is rather easy, gain output, input selection and all other option selection is nightmarish and very unintuitive. Without the instruction manual it is very difficult to know what you are doing. It is a big problem when you have just one button on the device and it needs to control so many things.

Now regarding the sound quality.

Sound Quality

This is where you separate spec-sheet romance from listening, and the DX1 II lands more or less where its lineage tells you it will: clean, fast, and honest, with very little editorial coloration of its own. Honestly, that could be an entire review in its own right. Very clean, open sound with minimal colorations is what you want your DAC to do in this price range. You want it to organise the music better, to show it more present and with better timing and transparency.

Tonally it is neutral with a faint lean toward the analytical. The ES9039Q2M does what good modern ESS implementations do, which is get out of the way. Treble is crisp and well extended without tipping into glare, and there is real resolution in the top end for the price; cymbal decay and air come through cleanly rather than smearing. The midrange is where the "honest" character shows: vocals are present and accurately placed, but the DX1 II will not flatter a thin recording or add body that was not tracked in. If you want a warm hug, this is not the device that gives it to you. The bass is tight, controlled, and textured rather than inflated, and the four-channel amp stage clearly helps here. On the 4.4mm output, low frequencies have a grip and a sense of authority that simply embarrasses dongles and a fair few combos at this price.

The balanced output is also where the unit finds its scale. Run through 4.4mm, the soundstage opens up noticeably, with better left-to-right separation and a more convincing sense of layering. Switch to the single-ended 3.5mm and you get a flatter, more intimate, slightly more congested picture. The difference is real and consistent enough that I would treat the 4.4mm as the main event and the 3.5mm as the convenience port. That said, even balanced, staging is good for the money rather than holographic. Depth and height stay modest, and instruments are placed precisely but within a fairly compact room. This is the honest ceiling of the category, not a knock specific to this box.

Drive-wise the 1000mW figure is not marketing fluff. Sensitive IEMs sit on a dead-silent background thanks to that sub-1µV noise floor, with no hiss to speak of even on low gain. Step up to demanding planars or higher-impedance dynamics and the DX1 II has enough headroom to take them to satisfying volume with control intact. It will not turn a 300-ohm flagship into its best self the way a dedicated desktop amp would, but it gets genuinely close to "enough" for most of what people will actually plug into a $119 unit.

The 10-band PEQ deserves a mention in this section rather than the spec dump, because it changes how you should think about the sound. The native tuning is neutral, but the DSP is good enough that you can shape the response meaningfully for a specific headphone without the artifacts you would expect at this price. For anyone who lives in EQ, that effectively turns a clean, slightly clinical DAC/amp into whatever signature they want. It is the single most underrated thing about this product.

Competitiors

vs. Fiio K11 R2R

Against competitors. Against the FiiO K11, its most direct rival, the choice comes down to flavor and flexibility. The K11 hits harder on raw single-ended power and runs off its own supply, and to my ears it is the slightly warmer, more forgiving of the two. But it is single-ended only, has no balanced line out, and gives you nothing like the DX1 II's optical I/O or parametric EQ. If you have IEMs or balanced headphones and you value the cleaner, more resolving presentation, the Topping is the more complete and more future-proof box. If you run full-size single-ended cans and want the last bit of grunt, the FiiO still makes a case.

vs. iFi Zen DAC

Against the iFi Zen DAC family, the comparison is really about philosophy and price. The Zen DAC leans warm and musical, with iFi's XBass and XSpace tricks that some listeners adore, and a genuinely engaging analog character. But the current versions sit above the DX1 II in price, and the Topping outresolves them and outconnects them, especially once you factor in the optical loop and the PEQ. You are choosing iFi's deliberate coloration versus Topping's transparency.

vs. SMSL PS200 PRO

If you ust need a clean DAC feeding an existing amp, want the cheapest entry point: PS200 PRO is a great thing. As both of them have same chip and architecture. But if you Want headphone driving power, balanced output, EQ flexibility, and console/gaming compatibility in one box: DX1 II is the more complete product, and the extra $30 buys a lot of functionality (amp stage, balanced output, PEQ, optical I/O). So you have to think what best suits your needs in this price point.

Conclusion

The honest competitive summary is this: nothing at $119 matches the DX1 II on sheer functionality, and very little beats it on cleanliness. What it concedes is warmth and that last 10% of soundstage depth, which is exactly what you would expect it to concede.

The Topping DX1 II is a device that is really easy to recommend. Its versatility in a small size, its inputs and its sonic quality make it easy to slot into an integrated system, or a desktop connected to a laptop, or connected to your favourite gaming console to improve the sound of movies, games and integrated streaming platforms. Just tuck it away invisible, and very usable and useful.

The Topping DX1 II is the kind of product that quietly resets expectations for a price bracket. It is a transparent, well-driven, ruthlessly well-connected DAC/amp that does more than anything else near its money, and its 4.4mm output and parametric EQ give it a genuine ceiling above its price. It is not warm, it is not romantic, but if you want an honest source that drives almost anything, disappears on sensitive IEMs, and bends to your tastes via DSP, this is one of the easiest recommendations in budget audio right now. Buy it for the transparency and the flexibility, EQ in the character you want, and enjoy spending the money you saved on better headphones.

Pros:

• ES9039Q2M DAC chip, same as used in the pricier DX5 II

• Fully balanced four-channel amp stage, 1000mW into 32 ohms via 4.4mm, nearly four times the output of the original DX1

• 4.4mm balanced output on both front and back, plus 3.5mm TRRS with mic support

• Optical in and out, independent of USB

• 10-band parametric EQ with genuinely usable, low-artifact implementation

• Dead silent noise floor (0.9µVrms low gain), no hiss even with sensitive IEMs

• Clean, neutral, resolving sound with real top-end extension

• Tight, controlled, well-textured bass

• Machined aluminium chassis, solid build for the price

• Bus-powered off a single USB-C cable, no wall wart needed

• Compact size that works equally well on a desk or in a bag

• IR remote included

• Exceptional value at $119, arguably outconnects and outresolves pricier competitors

Cons:

• Single-button control scheme makes menu navigation and setting changes genuinely unintuitive

• Hard to operate confidently without the manual on hand

• Tonally analytical rather than warm, will not flatter thin recordings

• 3.5mm single-ended output is noticeably flatter and more congested than the 4.4mm

• Soundstage depth and height stay modest even balanced, not holographic

• Optical input capped at 24-bit/192kHz and DSD64, lower ceiling than USB

• Won't fully unlock demanding high-impedance or planar headphones the way a dedicated desktop amp would