Camel x3 price drop notification.
https://au.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B09HBS8SLJ
In black or white.
Addicted to Audio has it normally at $299
Review and detailed specs:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/t…
CamelCamelCamel.
Is it earthed, the power plug I mean?
Im into topping
You're diss cuss thing
My parents said the same sing
They must have been singing a pretty popular song if it was the same as some random's online.
Shenzhen is pretty good. Fast shipping. They are good at price matching too. They also gave me 10% refund due to one of my orders being delayed due to manufacturing. Although just realised this post was for their Amazon listings. But I have bought from both the Amazon store and direct.
Whoa, this is actually something I’ve been camping out for and never expected to see pop up in a deal. Thanks OP!
I have this and my only gripe is the complicated remote control system. Great bang for the buck for all the features you get.
The remote of my Topping MX3 doesn't even work. It died within a year with hardly any use.
I changed the battery in mine and all good.
I have a cambridge audio amp already, so will adding this make it so much better?
imo, no. Most amps are largely the same, certainly at the inexpensive/generic end of the spectrum. Some people obsess about minor changes to gear, but that's typical of the review forum that's cited in the OP- missing the forrest for the trees, misunderstanding the whole concept of 'science' and how and what to 'measure'.
If you want different sound, use EQ or change your speakers/headphones.
FWIW, I did have a Topping. Bought it as a convenient, small amp for speaker builds. It was okay. Gave it to a niece who's happy with it. I've also run SMSL and some fancy boutique headamps. Differences are minor, and vastly outweighed by changing the last part of the chain (the drivers).
+1 for those looking into upgrading their audio who isn’t a true audiophile – can’t tell the difference between my affordable SMSL vs some of the more expensive stacks I’ve bought over the years (matrix, schiit, etc).
I’m powering a pair of Q-acoustics that are hooked up to my pro-ject turntable with those SMSL and they sound amazing in my fairly small living area. Tech has just improved over the years, I feel like the differences are getting smaller and smaller and the cost to fill that gap has also fell off.
Running SMSL M200 + SP200 combo here with a pair of Monoprice M1570 and Alessandro MS Pro-e headphones along with a pair of JBL305P II monitors and LSR310S sub…absolute bliss for my desktop setup.
If your amp already has Bluetooth input you probably won't want this.
This pre-amp supports Bluetooth, usb and optical inputs. Personally I like the usb audio output from my PC.
Any comment on how this performs vs the Audioengine D1?
Better..ASR has reviewed both for comparison.
Will this be able to drive my KSC75s?
Yes, easily :)
That first image in the Audio Science review posted by OP is hilarious: a statue of the Pink Panther playing golf next to the DAC is obviously more useful than a ruler because Americans Will Measure With Anything Except the Metric System
Audio Science Review is a pretty disturbing internet phenomena- it's a bit of a rabid cult of personality and the guy behind it has been caught out a load of times for really basic misunderstandings of how audio works, how (basic) electronics work, and how his own fancy measurement gear works.
Back when I used to pay attention to this stuff, there was a great Youtube clip where he was at a presentation from the company that made his fancy measuring gear, and he asked for 'a button to make everything easier'. The presenter's mildly stunned but tactful reaction was priceless.
Any chance of digging that clip up? Sounds golden
Urgh, it's been years, and there is so much drama surrounding ASR that it's just too painful to wade through to find that needle in the haystack.
I was a bit of a budget audio enthusiast for a while, explored a bit of the headphone world, prototyped and built some speakers, dipped my toes into the measurement world, figured out what worked for me and what didn't and now I'm happy with my modest home setup. Very happy to stay away from the really dumb stuff like ASR which is the audio equivalent of Tiktok and Tide Pods.
@rumblytangara: People are worried about stuff they can't hear on that forum.. it's interesting and generally good info but agree shouldn't really hang off their every word, and just get what you think is best and works for you. Great if you can audition stuff (Amazon free returns etc).
@G-rig: Back when I used to read up on this stuff… it was mostly the same people saying the same things over and over again, and very little independent critical thinking backed by experimentation. Everyone was falling over themselves to buy the exactly same cheapass audio gear and (Atom, Topping, can't remember what else) and pointing to the holy scripture measurement graphs on the site, which were sometimes wrong or highly suspect, and oftentimes showing stuff that was totally irrelevant to human listening. Seriously, who cares about SNR figures after a certain point- it's inaudible.
Very few people seemed to want to test a wide range of gear, even fewer bothered to measure or explored different audio technologies. Decent measurement gear is not expensive- I bought a simple headphone measurement rig, and a calibrated mic for speakers. Tried a bunch of solid state and tube amps. Tried building some speakers. All this could be done quite cheaply (foam board is amazing for prototyping). Made a bunch of mistakes and learned what I don't like- sold the gear at no great loss. Learned what gear makes a difference to me and what differences in gear I am oblivious to.
Total opposite of that ASR site where people want to be spoon fed information (that is sometimes just wrong and badly researched) then be able to point at fancy graphs on the internet to congratulate themselves on how smart they are for buying cheap gear, when I suspect the reality is they just don't have the money for expensive stuff and are secretly jealous of old retired dentists or whoever it is that buys pricey audiophile stuff.
Maybe it's better these days… but I kinda doubt it. Websites, online communities, these things seem to stay the same or get worse over time.
Personally, I thought that one of the best review sites was the noaudiophile guy, but he didn't do many reviews. Great writeups though.
@rumblytangara: Yeah mate tend to agree and people get very defensive and take it personally about their purchases and seem to think all these Chi-Fi brands are the pinnacle just because of the specs on paper.
A lot of the dacs are good offerings such as Topping ones but the price has gone up substantially over the years (eg smsl su9 I was looking at was 600-800$ but ended up getting a rme adi 2 fs from my mate for $1k).
The big brands are more reliable and less quirky but most people are willing to risk it for better sound quality for cheaper.
ASR has a problem. It really oversimplifies the process of testing equipment and relies purely on measurements and signal to noise ratios to measure gear to determine that the lowest distortion and lowest snr (even if differences are not able to be detected by the humam ear) will represent what was orgiinally concieved by the producer artist. ASR fails to properly understanding that there is more to measurements to determine if something is good or not as you can have a DAC or amp that measures flat on the frequency curve with low distortion and good SNR ratios that sound terribly because they could be "too slow" or "too fast" amd don't synergise well with your headphones or speakers as even those have their own characteristcs.
For example, I prefer to listen to HD650s on a DAC/Amp combo that is more lean, because the HD650 is quite warm and slow. But too lean, on some other gear means harsh sibliance, which I cannot stand.
Further if you want to have an absolute representation of how the artist/producer wanted the music to be heard, one effectively needs to rebuild the recording studio to the exact equipment and settings for that particular track.
Also, vinyl is hugely popular and many people perfer the sound of vinyl to CDs, and vinyl has way worse SNRs and many distortions.
I used to be on the chifi wagon, and I'm not any more but it does have it's place.
Well now we know it's about knee-high to a Pink Panther, if you want to get scientific.
Could someone please confirm if casting music from my phone to it through Bluetooth and let it output as a pre-amp to my receiver (I have a Yamaha RX-V6A) will give better sound than playing via AirPlay or directly from Apple TV to the receiver?
Dude, no, don't waste your time - the V6A sounds amazing already - airplay is 44.1/16 which is completely sufficient to listen to music at great detail and quality.
The V6A already has a preamp, etc - although IMO the headphone port sucks.
This device is ore suited towards somebody who is looking to play music on a high-end hi-fi system with a $1000 amp, $2500 dollar speakers, etc.
Or to amplify some high quality headphones.
It makes no difference for a 'all in one' like a V6A.
I have a nice receiver too, pity the headphone jack arent good.
Thanks for the detailed explanation, and saving me $254.15!
It's not like it's a waste of money - not if you're serious about your hifi. It's actually quite cheap for what it is. Most of the Topping range is INCREDIBLE value for money. I, myself have a D10S. The SNR on this range is nuts. This can easily be your 'next big purchase' IMO.
@BargainHunterJohnnyB: Thanks for the comment. I already have the FiiO E10K USB DAC which seems to be in the same league of the D10S. So maybe I won’t be able to see much difference with the D10S? I will be tempted if the DX3 Pro+ drops under $200 though.
It's almost the opposite isn't it - Bluetooth will sound WORSE than AirPlay/Chromecast (LDAC apparently is good though but not universally supported).
Have this connected to JBL LSR's + AKG headphones and been very happy with it, esp at this price point.
I have FX-Audio TUBE-03 and FX Audio DAC-X6
Will getting this deal better for my setup?
I use Hifiman he400 and bookshelf speaker.
I have this already and pair this with a fidelio x2hr but found it lacks "oomph"…(excuse the technical audiophile terminology). Does anyone else found this also? or is it a user error?
I have the same, the Fidelio X2 is quite a loose bass response. It goes deep but not fast./2c
I like the combo though, more than say the hd58x
For those looking at this and not signed up to Picodi consider the recent Picodi/Amazonoffer of 15% cashback.
Should bring the cost of the $254.15 back to $219.15 ($35.00 cap) after cash back - allow 48hrs to track.
I have this and a pair of Sennheiser x Massdrop HD6XX.
Reviewed here: https://youtu.be/cllKgwSNsY8
Very happy with this combo. More than enough for me. I have USB-C to USB-B (the printer style) to I get hires music streamed from my MacBook Pro via Apple Music.
I did have an LED segment fail during warranty and swapped over at addictedtoaudio. Not major, but mildly annoying.
I have the HD6XX paired with a (cheaper) EVO 4 and its a great pairing too. Yours would be nicer but its tough times financially.
only issue I have is the HD6XX squeeze my melon like head like a, er, melon.
Yeah mine a bit too but all h/p do that to me at the start. I should add for anyone considering, the EVO 4 comes with an XLR input for xlr mics which is why i went for it as well. Very convenient if thats your thing.
You'll probably find Beyerdynamic more comfortable. I've got the dt1990, but not long ago got the dt880 edition from umart for $300, bit more of a knock around pair and more comfortable. Before people mention the treble spike I did the toilet paper mod, look that up :P.
You fix this by leaving the headphones slightly stretched out with a stack of books, or the sports ball of your choice, overnight. Well, that's what most people on the internets say anyway. Personally, I never bought into this advice as I can't see how the plastic headband can stretch safely.
I found that fully extending the metal sliders then bending them out very gently with my fingers worked a treat. 3 minute fix.
Would this be good for HD800s or something a bit more advanced?
Depends what you're running your 800s on. If it's just powered by your phone / laptop, yeah this will be a fantastic upgrade (depending of course what laptop you;'re using, some have good dac / amp built in).
I got a jds atom amp for my headphones years ago, incredible difference, ymmv, each to their own.
do you feel the JDS atom has enough power to drive the 800s? I'm using fidelio X2 or Hifiman 400i with the DX3 Pro (old version) and feel the DX3 lacks power…yes the improved clarity is there but the power feels a bit weak
Sorry haven't used 800s, but 600s work well on them, and they're both 300ohm headphones, so should be fine. That said, pop into a local audio place that has one maybe and have a listen, see if you like it.
quick google just showed me this as well:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/r…
That might be good for you too :)
There are a few threads there and reddit wiht the 800 and atom setup. It'll easily power them, just whether you like the sound from the combo. I'm using Behringers and it's powers them well,and I really like the sound.
It'll… drive… the HD800S, but personally I found most amps were not that pleasing as the 800S has that weird treble spike. I had to try a bunch of amps before I found something that worked well with those headphones. I guess if you're okay with the spike then pretty much any headamp should be okay.
I thought the treble spike was a HD800 thing, and 800S was supposed to have fixed that?
It's been a while since I paid attention as I sold my HD800S last year, but the S was definitely still on the bright side. I usually ran with a hefty chunk of EQ. Took ages to get used to them without EQ even with a lot of faffing about on the amp side of things. I the end, I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle of ownership.
I've got the older DX3 Pro - awesome value for money.
Since it's Shenzhen Audio, there are also a few Moondrop products on sale as well.
Although you would have to check if it works out as cheaper than their Ali store + coupons during the upcoming sale.
How does this compare to the Qudelix 5k that I use with my Focal Clears?
I have my Qudelix at my desktop pc always, if I want to listen to music on the go I use my Sony XM5s,
So I use this as a preamp with another amp for turntables?
Good choice for a dac/ampp combo if you don't wanna break the bank
I have Topping DX3 Pro+ units in both my main and secondary hi-fi systems. Both systems were pretty resolving and transparent across the full audio range to begin with, but introducing the Topping DACs took them to a new level of detail, dynamics and clarity. This DAC has been the most high-value and outstandingly cost-effective investment I have made to my audio systems to date.
In each case, I use a bit-perfect digital stream from Tidal, Qobuz and my own CD-ripped files to one of the two coaxial inputs of the DX3 (up to 192kHz sampling rate). I also use the optical input on one DX3 from the optical output of my TV (limited to 48kHz sampling rate from the TV). The DX3s also accept USB (PCM up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512) and Bluetooth (most codecs) as inputs. Engineering specifications and technical measurements are all at near state-of-the-art levels. Due to their location in my hifi systems I haven't used the headphone amplifier portions of the DX3s much, but measurements and reviews indicate high performance in that functionality as well. The remote control is of course very useful for input selection and volume control.
Full measurements and independent review of the Topping DX3 Pro+ can be found (amongst numerous other expert, technically-detailed, thorough and unbiased reviews of other components) at the Audio Science Review site - see also the ASR video channel. A Google search will provide numerous other positive reviews of the Topping DX3 Pro+ from other reviewers. (I also recommend the Archimago blogspot website for other detailed technical reviews and discussions of aspects of digital audio.)
Got the old version for many years now and love it.
But if you don’t need the extra power, Bluetooth or toslink, you might want to look at DX1 and save $125 https://www.amazon.com.au/Topping-Support-Settings-Headphone…
A/B tested iem on both, can’t tell a difference. The DAC chip is newer too. Not sure about headphone with high impedance though. Someone on reddit claims it can drive HD6xx…
Or a D10S
Yes was going to suggest the D10S, but you need a headphone amp. Either would be a good PC-as-source upgrade with USB.
Personally I've got the iFi Zen DAC v1 connected to a THX-789 and have never felt the need to upgrade the DAC on that setup.. another one to consider if you don't need all the I/Os.
RE: DX3 PRO +
How does I control if I want the headphone output or the RCA output to my amp>speakers?
Is it a matter of plugging/unplugging the headphone input?
Thanks
The DX3 Pro+ does allow you to select Line Out only, Headphone Out only, or Line Out Plus Headphone Out modes.
(All selections can be carried out from the remote.)
It also has 2 Headphone Amp Gain settings to match headphone sensitivity (controlled from the remote) as well as normal continuous Volume control (remote or front panel knob).
Thanks for your reply. It'd be cool if there was a button on the amp but I think doing it via the remote is soemthing I can live with
Shenzenaudio is a great seller. Ordered my desktop setup from them.
I have an portable amp (FiiO E12 MONT BLANC Portable Headphone amp) connected to my PC motherboard (ASUS TUF Gaming X570-PRO) for my gaming headphones (HD 560S)
Will using this DX3 be a step up in terms of audio quality? I'm a bit of a newb so would appreciate any input
I wanna just plug in some logitech Z623s into my tv should I get this Topping DX3 Pro+ or will something like this get the job done for me?
Not sure i wouldn't spend too much on a DAC in that case as it costs as much as your speakers (both cheap though).
Depends if you want to get better speakers down the track, but main thing is you need a remote (if the Logi doesn't have one).
The Topping would be good for PC setup with headphones et, price showing $299 now.
The dac from aliexpress actually has a remote as well and tbh the speakers are pretty great as is. I dont think I will upgrade for a while. Just want something that works. The Z623 are loud as hell for the space the TV is in already.
Way down the track I would like to a DAC and some nice book shelf speakers for my PC setup but it's not a priority tbh. I currently use an ES100 MK2 for my Sennheiser 598 and Sony MDR 1RNC and they do me great as is.
No, not worth it for those PC speakers :)
Just get a DAC and headphone amp later for a good listening setup.
How does this compare to the SMSL M6? Is it worth an upgrade?
SU9 would be an upgrade.
To be honest they are all similar comes down the features and connectivity etc.
Can always sell stuff though and change your setup, fun testing different things or return on Amazon.
God DAYUM these are amazing. My headphones just had a huge upgrade over the default PC/headphone combo and I'm getting an eargasm. Each melody, sound and beat is enhanced 1000x fold. Thanks OP
I have this. Absolutely love it