Topping DX1 II review

What do you think when you hear the word ‘Topping’? Maybe it conjures images of pizza toppings, or reminds you of the sort of thing Bertie Wooster might exclaim after receiving a rare slice of good news. Maybe the name was chosen because, like its range of DACs, amps and accessories, this is a company that aims to add a delicious extra layer – or ‘Topping’ – to your music.

Having only been founded in 2008 – making it a relative newcomer in hi-fi terms – the Chinese outfit has wasted no time in spreading its net as wide as possible, from desktop DACs to stereo amplifiers, preamps and network music players.

There have been signs of real quality, too. We recently reviewed the more premium Topping D900 DAC, and while it stopped short of the full five stars, its combination of versatility and appealing audio ability hinted at a brand heading in the right sonic direction.

The Topping DX1 II is smaller and cheaper than its D900 DAC counterpart, but if it can showcase a similar range of abilities, it could confirm Topping as one to watch for the future.

Build & design

Thanks to its neat design, the DX1 II DAC and headphone amplifier doesn’t take up much space. Viewed from the top down, it’s barely larger than your average wallet, and it’s only slightly bigger than the diminutive Chord Mojo 2 by virtue of its greater height. If you’re relatively au fait with DACs, the DX1 II sits somewhere between the smaller iFi hip-dac 3 and the larger Chord Hugo 2 on the size chart.

This is a purely desktop DAC, so you’ll need to have it plugged into a power source via its USB-C port in order to use it. That USB-C port doubles as an audio input, meaning you can use your laptop as both your audio and power source, or enhance your gaming sessions by plugging the DAC into a PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch. A mere iPhone, however, won’t be able to power the DX1 II on its own.

Alongside its dual-purpose USB-C port, the Topping houses an optical input and output, while analogue outputs include stereo RCA and balanced 4.4mm. For personal listening, standard 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outputs are also provided, but you can’t connect via Bluetooth.

For seeing exactly what you’re playing and how you’re playing it, the DX1 II has an LED display, from which you can view your source’s file rate, current inputs and the volume at which your tunes are playing. That display is easily legible even from a distance, and the rotary dial is responsive and precise in its operation.

Adjusting key parameters such as volume and your desired inputs can be performed via the dial, but we’d recommend using the supplied remote instead, as doing so via a single rotary knob can be fiddly and requires quite a bit of practice before you become familiar with its various functionalities.

Features

The DX1 II supports hi-res PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz alongside DSD256. Internally, the digital-to-analogue stage is built around an ES9039Q2M ESS DAC chip, featuring a dual-DAC architecture which combines twin digital-to-analogue converters to process left and right audio channels independently. This, says Topping, helps reduce noise and distortion, thus improving the resultant sound.

The Topping also harnesses a 16-core XU-316 XMOS chip to handle input-signal processing, aiming to deliver “exceptionally high dynamic range and ultra-low noise” while minimising channel crosstalk. The analogue stage features a fully balanced architecture, again with the aim of minimising unwanted audio distortion.

To make the most of your experience, it’s worth using the Topping Home Web control platform, which can be done by plugging the DAC into your computer and accessing the platform online. From here, you can perform the standard tasks of adjusting your volume, inputs and gain settings, as well as accessing the eight provided digital filters.

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That’s a lot of filters, and it’s worth experimenting to find the one that suits you and your headphones best. We prefer the well-balanced, forgiving profile of the standard ‘Minimum Phase’ option for our testing. The DX1 II also provides a headphone gain button to match the power sent to your headphones with their sensitivity.

The Topping desktop app lets you tinker with a 10-band parametric equaliser, from which you can also adjust frequency, gain and bandwidth across left and right channels, all while saving three of your chosen profiles to the DAC itself.

This is all rather in-depth stuff that may be beyond the needs of many of the DX1 II’s more casual users, but it’s impressive to have such a comprehensive tuning tool for a DAC that costs less than £150 / $150.

Sound

At this kind of money, we’re not expecting the DX1 II to be paired with the most expensive wired headphones you can get your hands on. To ensure we test the full range of connections, we do connect a pair of high-end Sony MDR-Z1R over-ears to the provided 4.4mm balanced output, as well as a pair of Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Gen) (£699 / $999 / AU$1599) plugged into the 3.5mm port.

Still, the bulk of our testing is performed using more price-compatible headphones, such as the closed-back Røde NTH-100 (£149 / $149 / AU$249) and the open-backed Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X (£189 / $199 / AU$399).

With the Topping DAC connected via USB-C to our Lenovo ThinkPad laptop at one end and a pair of the ever-revealing DT 990 Pro X slotting into the 3.5mm output, it’s time to see what the Topping can do. The DX1 II and DT 990 Pro X combine to produce a sound that benefits from ample textural detail and a refreshingly uncluttered presentation, providing a noticeable improvement over the performance of the Lenovo’s built-in DAC chip.

If a clean, analytical sound is what you desire, then the DX1 II does a decent job. The DAC digs into the myriad textures and twists across alt-J’s Every Other Freckle playing at 16-bit/44.1kHz via Tidal, revealing those fuzzy hums, meaty synth pulses and clattering percussive hits with considerable precision.

That said, we plug a pair of the DT 990 Pro X straight into a MacBook Pro 2026, and in terms of pure detail resolution, it’s actually a pretty close-run thing. The Topping might be a little more spacious and analytical, but the MacBook actually delivers a more articulate and expressive midrange than the budget DAC can manage.

Resolution levels aside, the DX1 II operates across a clear and uncluttered soundscape. We switch to the closed-back Røde NTH-100, and while the resultant signature is a little less open than before, our music remains open, well ordered and easy to follow.

This is a DAC that leans towards poise and precision, yet be warned that this can come at the expense of full-blooded thrills. That analytical leaning becomes starkly apparent when we play a DSD64 version of Michael Jackson’s mega-hit Billie Jean. We all know how this one goes – it should sound snappy, propulsive and relentlessly effervescent – but the Topping struggles to express the tune’s vivacious energy as enthusiastically as Jackson originally intended.

To get that feeling of energy and effervescence, you’ll have to spend a little more cash and spend £149 / $149 / AU$249 to grab the five-star iFi hip-dac 3 or the former Award-winning AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt (£179 / $200). On both Billie Jean and a 24-bit/96kHz recording of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, the hip-dac 3 grants a richer, smoother performance than that of its Topping rival, while the portable DragonFly Cobalt injects more energy and spark into the music we feed it.

This, then, is where the DX1 II’s limitations become most apparent. There’s something to be said for the Topping DAC’s clean, clinical reproduction, but its key rivals’ more engaging handling of rhythms and dynamic shifts leaves the DX1 II sounding somewhat listless and mechanical by contrast. As a result, the plucky Topping fundamentally fails to engage with us on an emotional level.

We can accept that the DX1 II might fall short against costlier rivals, but even in absolute terms, it doesn’t offer enough over a laptop to justify the outlay. Even at its reasonable price, a DAC such as this needs to have more dynamism and expressiveness to be worth considering.

Verdict

The Topping DX1 II shows signs of promise. Like its more premium D900 counterpart, it’s a versatile, well-made DAC that earns plaudits for its clear, uncluttered and reasonably detailed reproduction.

Where it falls down is with regard to its flattened dynamics and poor sense of timing, both of which limit the extent to which we feel engaged by our music. It may be an appealing budget proposition on paper, but a lack of drama and musicality prevents us from giving the DX1 II our full seal of approval.

Review published: 11th September 2026

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Build 4
• Features 4

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Read our review of the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt

Also consider the iFi hip-dac 3

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