Topping DX3pro+ LDAC Headphone Amplifier - ES9038Q2M XU208 NFCA Bluetooth5.0 Audio Decoder USB/Opt/Coax DAC AMP Pre Amplifier with Remote Control (Black)

I've purchased a lot of audio equipment over many decades and this component has to be the most refined. Superlative specs is just the start of it. I'm using it with an SVS 2.1 set of speakers on my Windows 11 PC. Music reveals itself from a dead silent soundstage with ultra clear stereo separation, detailed dynamics and a super wide frequency range. The difference was stark between my windows audio (Realtech) which was decent and this pro DAC. It's solid construction, high grade potentiometer, top notch ports all signal high end attention to detail. Composing music with Studio One becomes more enjoyable when every nuance of the instruments can be heard from subsonic moving air to crystal clear highs. It's very easy to use especially with the small remote that lets you select phones, line out or both with a press of a button. It has volume control,, mute and 5 other functions. The display is large, bright, easy to read, and can be dimmed. Truly a quality product!

📏 Dimensions: 4.7 x 1.1 x 3.1 in ⚖️ Weight: ~370g (0.8 lb) 🔌 Inputs: USB, Optical, Coax, Bluetooth 5.0 w/LDAC 🔊 Outputs: RCA Pre-Out, 6.35mm Headphone Out 💡 Chipset: XMOS XU208 + ESS ES9038Q2M DAC 📶 Amp Power: ~700mW @32Ω | THD+N: 0.00013% --- ✅ Objective Breakdown: Topping’s DX3 Pro+ is a feature-dense DAC/AMP combo built for the desktop. The ESS chip delivers an ultra-clean, low-noise output, supporting PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz and native DSD512. It boasts Bluetooth 5.0 with LDAC, aptX HD, AAC, and SBC codec support. The bundled remote is responsive and allows easy switching between inputs and modes. The amp drives most headphones with ease (up to ~250Ω), and the preamp function works seamlessly for powered monitors. --- 💭 Subjective Breakdown (HiTekHQ testing): 🎮 Gaming: Imaging is pinpoint, especially in FPS titles. Footsteps, reloads, and reflections sound separated and clean—almost surgical. No added warmth—this is dead neutral. 🎧 Audiophile: Detail retrieval is chef’s kiss. Not lush or romantic—this is reference tuning through and through. If your IEMs are tuned well, they’ll shine. If not… you’ll hear every flaw. 👨‍💼 Everyday User: Plug-and-play via USB. Use the remote to switch between Bluetooth, PC, and TV audio. You don’t have to understand what “ES9038” means to hear the clarity. 🧠 HiTekHQ Verdict: My daily driver for both content editing and gaming. It doesn’t color the sound—it just reveals it. Combine it with a clean amp stack or use solo—either way, it punches above its class.

I bought this Dac/amp for gaming purposes, so take my opinion on this from that perspective. I am using Moondrop kato and HD6xx for my gaming. I have played all day on RS6 and omg i was missing tons of sound qs. Now i am able to hear new things that I didn’t even hear before on fiso k5 dac, the depth the range of footsteps and gunshots are way clearer than ever. I am able to spot footsteps 2-3 rooms away if they are sprinting. I can hear many thins at the same time. Pros: The sound is clear, clean and crisp nothing fun at all. It gives natural sound with great depth. Has decent 1.8 watt power to drive my gears. Remote control and BT. Nice features to have for this price. Cons: No bass control, it’s okay for me since i am only using it for gaming, but not so much for music. The filters settings seems to be useless, couldn’t tell the difference at all. No battery provided in the box, so you have to buy AAA size. If you are going to use it for gaming and music that’s the best option for $199. If you are here for music, I would say invest more money and buy something else, it lacks bass control, and some other features like balanced output and it’s only 3.5mm headphone jack.

It's a solid headphone DAC. The clicky volume knob is one of those nice touches that makes it feel just a bit more premium. It powers both my Sennheiser HD 600 and my LCD-X without problem (though for the Senns, the high gain setting is necessary). Although I don't use it this way, you can connect to it wirelessly via Bluetooth. The screen is nice and bright, but not intrusive. It doesn't take up a lot of space on my desk. There's not much to the little box, but that's alright - it's straightforward, and what it does, it does well. The sound is clean, and it's a pretty good value if you catch it on sale. You're not gonna get any tubes or anything here, but if you're looking for a simple DAC that just does its job, this is a solid choice.

Great piece of kit. Well made and enough outputs for most HiFi uses.

Per il suo prezzo è sorprendente, molto moltissimo dettaglio e potenza in uscita non ne manca... sconsiglio con cuffie molto analitiche o brillanti... io alimentavo delle ananda nano, la prima settimana effetto wow dopodiché la troppa brillantezza stanca... inoltre alimenta dignitosamente delle planari (umane in richiesta potenza) ma non rende onore... per un uso senza pretese assurde è ottimo, veramente ottimo...

Sound is really good to me. I really like the look and slim design. Few less positive things: - Navigating in the menu/settings is old fashion and cryptic because lcd is very basic - I couldn't find from the menu how to disable bluetooth to use less power because it's a bit warm. I tried to do what they mention in the manual and I entered the DFU mode which I think is to reprogram the unit :( - I would have preferred a 6.35 jack - Could use a pixel matrix lcd screen to have better readibility Those negative things said, it's a device to play music, not to have fancy menu/display. Worked out of the box with Ubuntu 22.04. Pulse audio configured to play at 96Khz Happy so far of this buy.

Super clean and works like a charm. Controls are simple be can even be used with Bluetooth devices.

This little DAC and amplifier sounds fantastic, even for £400 I'd be happy with the performance but at £150 it's fantastic value. It's as good as anything I've heard at much higher prices, up to £400 or more. I bought it to use at work, connected to my MacBook pro by USB. I've got several headphones to use when working and this device drove them all exceptionally well, even my Sennheiser HD650. Music sounds very neutral, nothing is pushed forward, the bass is reasonably warm and deep and the whole feel is reasonably relaxed. For example, some Joni Mitchell songs can make cheap equipment sound a little bit shrill or coarse, but this Topping DX3 pro+ works really well, even the song My Old Man is rendered well. The song He Needs Me by Nina Simone has beautifully soft and rich vocals which come through so well, really lovely to listen to. I found myself pausing work to listen to Star 6 & 7 8 9 by The Orb, the birdsong and gentle synth punctuated by the very deep bass made me smile. This is a great little amp, I'm very pleased with it and would highly recommend it at just £149.