Topping MX30 or DX30 or D30/A30 Kit?

Hallo audio people !!!

I am watching Z-Reviews for about a year now and thanks to him I finally found the courage to buy my
first proper audio setup.

Until now I always used the “gaming” headsets (like Logitech G430) and I was actually really fine with them but I guess I would like to hear and feel a proper audio setup.

For this I choose the Audio Technica ATH-M40x as my entry headphones,
mostly because of the price (80€) and because they are closed-back.
I am like 90% sure that I will buy them but I am also open for suggestions!

Now that I found my headphones, I really quickly came to a next problem:
What AMP and DAC or AMP/DAC combo should I get?

After few hours of watching Z-Reviews, I reduced my search results to

  • Topping MX30 (130€)
  • Topping DX30 Pro (220€)
  • Topping D30 and A30 Kit (210€)

(I even considered the Topping D10 and JDS Labs Atom AMP but the price for this combo is a little bit higher :frowning: )

What I learned here is that there are minimal differences between MX30, DX30 and D30 DACs sound quality-wise
and that later I can connect a separate AMP to DX30 and MX30 if I want.
Bluetooth on MX and DX are nice functions but not a necessity.
And I think I will use them with optical cable.

I just do not know how to choose.

At the same time I have a microphone problem.
I would like someday to have a proper microphone (like Audio Technica 2020 at 90€) but for that I would need an interface or pre-amp, if I understood that correctly?

So what do I do now?
Should I even consider above mentioned products? And later get a separate kit for microphone?
Or should I just get an interface for the microphone for the future?
I see that we can use headphones without problems with almost any interface.

I am open for advises and suggestions !

Thanks in advance!
MJ

How much can you get a fiio k5 pro for? It’s an excellent all in one for 150 usd

Hi!

Almost impossible to get in Austria or German amazon.
There is the FiiO K5 Dock but no Pro version.
(Edit: There is only one seller for the fiio k5 pro for 130€ but I do not really know about that seller, never head about them, looks like audio only seller but I do not know)
There are other products from FiiO like the K3 or Q1 Mark II.

The FiiO K5 Pro is a myth/legend here.

Br,
MJ

Ah, the topping d30 and a30 kit is pretty nice for sure. Plenty of power and pretty good sound

By dx30 do you mean dx3 pro?

HI!

Yes, I mean the the DX30 Pro, I edited the list

And regarding the mic, you would need an interface like a Behringer UM2 or focusrite scarlett solo for the xlr version of the at2020. There is also a usb version of the 2020 that only needs a usb connection to the pc to work. If you want more information about mics and stuff just ask, because you can get a cheaper mic setups that are still great. Just depends on the use case you want

So I did understand it correctly.
I was already looking at the Scarlett Solo and Behringer UM2 because of the XLR but my question still stands:
Should I get an interface right aways where i can connect a mic and a headset even if I will get a mic later or go for a separate AMP/DAC like mentioned above for the audio output?
The at2020 was just my pick after hearing it over the internet, i am open for advice on mic setup and headphones setup.

My use case is pure gaming and music.
Maybe someday when I upgrade my audio setup i will gift my old setup to my sister that streams from time to time.

So, if you want to focus on mic quality, you can get the focusrite and use it’s headphone out, but the sound from the headphones will be subpar. If you went with the topping stack and the um2, your mic would only be a slight bit worse but the headphones would be a fair bit better, but you do lose latency free monitoring buy using the separate dac amp setup.

If you wanted the best of both worlds, you could buy the scarlett solo, and a headphone amp like the a30 and use the scarlett as a dac with it’s line out to the a30, and you could still latency free monitor and have great sound for the headphones.

What will you be using the mic for? Streaming? Podcasts/Youtube? Just casual talk? Studio work?

And do you have a proper environment for recording or mic usage? Carpet floors, quiet, not alot of echo or reverberations? Large windows? Noisy pc or air conditioner?

Ah I see.
I did not think about mixing Scarlett Solo with Topping A30. That sounds interesting.

When will I be using the monitoring? How important is that?

I will use the mic mostly for playing games and casual talk over TeamSpeak / Discord.
Later this setup (if i ever upgrade) will go to my sister that likes to stream from time to time.

I did not think about the environment at all, i completely forgot about that.
Well, there is no carpet in the room, there are 2 big walls in front of me and behind me that are naked, when I clap my hands I can hear a slight high pitched echoish sound, there is a large window next to my left that is covered by light curtain, PC can get a slightly noisy but it is amount 1.5m (about 5f) away from me, no air conditioner.

Now when i think about it, my room is not really set up for a microphone.
I never noticed any noise over mic, I guess that is because of the low priced mics on the headsets.

So latency free monoring can be helpful as it can allow you to hear your own voice through your headphones with no delay (so you don’t speech jam yourself), and if you are recording or streaming it allows you to make sure you are correctly talking into the microphone and not picking up background noise. A nice feature to have if you want to prioritize good mic technique.

I would personally suggest getting a dynamic microphone like a Shure SM48-LC, because it is very good at rejecting background noise. This microphone will have a warm tone, more like a radio or broadcast tone with slightly rolled off highs. The at2020 is going to have more of a studio clear tone with a more balanced signature, but will pick up a ton more and be more noisy, so that’s the main trade off. I’m sure there are countless demos of the SM48-LC on youtube or elsewhere, so I would go listen to see if you would like that or would want to go with a condenser like the at2020. But your room is very important in how you will sound and you may get a better sound because of the reduced background and room noise with the Shure compared to the audio technica. Just something to take into account.

If you did want a condenser and wanted to make your room more suitable for a mic there are easy ways to do that, but it is more effort.

And also would you be getting a mic arm?

Shure SM48-LC is available but it is a 100€ mic without shipping, with shipping it would be 115€, so 25€ more than at2020 (90€ with free shipping).

I could get the SM48 non LC for 64€ but it is from a one (1) star seller, yikes…
And there is the SM48-S which i guess the only difference is the switch on the side, for 80€ , 85€ with shipping from a music store across the whole country.

I will definitely get a mic arm, just not sure if I should get a desk mounted one or the one that is on the floor. Looking around myself, I guess the desk mounted arm would make more sense for me.

A desk mounted arm would be a great choice, as they are easy and work well, you can also find them pretty cheap

How much is the shure sm58 where you are?

95€ without shipping and it is from the same 1 start seller, oof…
or 120 from a 5 start seller, also without shipping.

The SM58-S is 120+.

What I can see is that a majority the popular products here are about 10-25% more expensive than in other countries like USA. So unfair…

And the Behringer UM* whole series is just not in stock, anywhere.

Can you get an MXL BCD-1 or Rode Procaster?

Yeah the Behringer UM stuff has actually been in short supply in the us as well

Edit: also what about the sE Electronics V7 or V3?

Both are around 150€.

Question about connections:
The optical audio does not need drivers right?

You have to use usb in order to use the microphone and power the device. You can not send the microphone signals to the pc through optical

If you can get a rode procaster for 150 that’s a pretty good deal and a super solid mic. Also check on those sE Electronics V7 or V3 to see what you can get those for

Honestly the procaster and shure sm58 are super solid mics that will serve most people really well

V7 is 100€ and the V3 is 75€ both in stock and both with shipping.

The Rode Procaster is actually 165, (didnt see it correctly the first time) that is above my budged limit.

But now that you helped me find the sE Electronics V7 and V3 and after few quick video, I honestly like how they sound and price is good :slight_smile:
The V7 has my full attention :slight_smile:
Thanks for that !

But, I still dont know about the sound output, the DAC/AMP kerfuffle.
Still not sure on what to get.

Get the Scarlet Solo and the V7 mic right now and later the just an AMP?
Or get the DAC/AMP for audio output now and later scarlet solo and v7 mic?

You said that it is not possible to send audio to the PC through optical cable, ok.
What about the optical output from the PC to the DAC?
Does that need a driver?

And are the AT M40x fine as my very first proper headphones?

So if you went with the d30 and a30 stack you could use optical with no drivers.

I would recommend that if you plan to use a mic in the near future, to get the scarlett solo and the headphone amp, but wait on the mic. You would have a hard time telling the difference between the dac in the solo and the d30 using the a30 amp. The headphone amp makes the bigger difference. If you wanted to get the mic right away, you could get the scarlett solo and the mic, and just use the included headphone out, but you would be sacrificing headphone quality until you got an amp.

The m40’s are pretty nice, and if you get nice pads they can be more comfortable too. Another option would be the cooler master mh751, but if you plan on getting the dedicated mic setup, the m40 might be the better option. They are a very capable and durable pair of headphones, so I don’t think you would have any issues

So, after thinking about possible combinations, i came to the following 2 possible solutions for me:

  • Combinations 1:

    • Audio Technica ATH-M40x (79€)
    • Topping A30 AMP (109.99€)
    • Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen (114€)
    • sE V7 (93€)
      • Total cost = 395.99€
  • Combination 2:

    • Audio Technica ATH-M40x (79€)
    • Topping MX30 (129.99€)
    • Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen (114€)
    • sE V7 (93€)
      • Total cost = 415.99

Both combos have own pros and cons:

  • Combo 1:

    • Pros
      • Cheaper by 20€
      • Extra AMP
      • No latency when monitoring
    • Cons
      • Does not have optical connection
      • I would need to get M40x, A30 and Scarlett Solo at the same time for 302.99€ and later the sE V7 for 93€
  • Combo 2:

    • Pros
      • Bluetooth connection
      • Remote control
      • Has optical connection
      • I would need to get M40x and MX30 at the same time for 208.99€ and later the Scarlett Solo and sE V7 for 207€
    • Cons
      • More expensive by 20€
      • No extra AMP, possible extra cost in the future
      • Possible latency issues when monitoring if not using the monitor connection on Scarlett Solo directly

Those are the pros and cons that I as an amateur can think about.
I am still a little bit unsure.
The second combinations looks better for me because I am getting more features and I need to spend less at the beginning but at the same time i am not sure about the missing dedicated AMP and how much that would create problems in the the future.

I will wait for a bit, maybe a day or so because somebody else here has some advises for me.
If I do not get any answers, I will most likely got with the combo #2.

@M0N Thanks a lot for the advises and your time !!!

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Here you have all FiiO product.

https://fiio-shop.de/dac-mit-kopfhoererverstaerker/873/fiio-k5-pro