Hey I’m new to the High end side of audio equipment and am looking to get a new amp and dac setup. Right now I’ve been looking at the topping dx9 but there is very little reviews on it. I currently have hd660s and the focal clearMG. I was leaning towards an AIO Solution which is why I looked at the dx9. It may seem a little overkill for the headphones I have but I plan to get a set of utopias in the future so I wanted something that could power those well. I want something around that 1000-1500 price range.
The music I listen to is mainly rock, alt rock, but I still enjoy female vocals and jazz from time to time. For example Metallica, deer tick, RHCP, the white buffalo and from time to time Haley Reinhardt PMJ songs or other female vocals. The things I like most are separation and detail but lively, full and clean bass and guitar strings.
I guess the main questions are is the dx9 a good pickup for that kind of music. What are some other options in that price range I could look at. And how much does the dac amp setup affect the sound of the music. I hear from a lot of topping reviews that it has great detail but can lack fullness and make the music sound dull in a sense.
From what I’ve gathered the dx9 AIO sounds good. The Hifiman Serenade aims for a warmer sound, but would be comparable. The Fiio R9 looks impressive too (adds a streamer)
The Schiit Mjolnir 3 or Aune S17 Pro are just amps, but more to my taste. Add a Geshelli DAC or MMB2 and you’ve in business. They’ll both be punchier and warmer than the dx9. I prefer this for rock
Thanks! I’ll have to look into the aune and I hear really good things about those geshelli DACs. Yeah the topping from the two reviews I watched say it’s good but Id hate to buy it then just send it back cause it was good but not like anything special or worth the price point. What kind of music are you typically into?
These days I’m mostly listening rock, classic rock, country, and some electronic and rap. With classic rock and country i prefer some warmth and lushness. I’ve had a jotunheim 2 and bifrost 2 for a while. The jot2 isn’t perfect (small stage, etc), but I like the punchiness and it hyfeels immersive (i preferred it to the Sa-1). I’ve been thinking about upgrading.
The MJ3 is supposed to be a big step up from the Jot2. The S17 seems to be going for a similar sound, though probably can’t really compete with the MJ3.
