DAC / AmpOverreview

Topping DX3 Pro+

The ~$200 desktop DAC/amp that keeps winning on measurements, power and features — with one asterisk for very sensitive IEMs.

8 sourcesUpdated
$199Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

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Topping DX3 Pro+

The short version

What to know.

A compact desktop DAC/amp built around an ESS ES9038Q2M DAC, priced around $199. Reviewers broadly agree it measures superbly — top-tier SINAD and vanishingly low distortion — over a neutral, uncoloured presentation, with a genuinely strong 1.8W-into-32Ω headphone stage for the size, a feature set that punches well above the price (LDAC Bluetooth, dual coaxial plus optical and USB inputs, an RCA pre-out, four output modes, two gain settings and a remote) and a solid CNC-aluminium build. The recurring gripes are a single-ended 3.5mm-only output with no balanced or 6.35mm jack, no MQA, and a fiddly setup menu. The one real fight is background noise: with headphones and most IEMs the background is dead-silent, but the most sensitive, very-low-impedance in-ears can surface hum or hiss tied to the ungrounded external 15V supply. It also trips its protection circuit on the hardest low-impedance loads.

About this product

The '+' revision (2021): ESS ES9038Q2M DAC, Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth 5.0 with LDAC, and a single-ended 3.5mm headphone output. Not the original DX3 Pro or the DX3 Pro LDAC/V2, which used dual AKM AK4493 DACs.

Topping's DX3 Pro+ arrived in late 2021 as a compact all-in-one desktop DAC/amp — an ES9038Q2M DAC, an NFCA headphone stage, LDAC Bluetooth and a remote, all in a small aluminium box aimed squarely at the first-upgrade market.

It replaced one of the most-recommended budget combos going, and quickly became a default answer to "what DAC/amp should I get for my HD 600s?" — praised for class-leading measured performance while carrying the usual argument about whether a transparent little box like this changes the sound at all.

A good fit for

  • A first desktop DAC/amp for full-size headphones (HD 6-series, Sundara and the like) on a budget
  • Anyone who wants LDAC Bluetooth plus a DAC and preamp/line-out hub in one small box
  • Listeners who value measured transparency over a coloured 'house sound'

Think twice if

  • You need a balanced or native 6.35mm headphone output, or MQA decoding
  • You mainly run extremely sensitive, very-low-impedance IEMs and want guaranteed dead silence (and can't easily ground the supply)
  • You have exceptionally hard-to-drive low-impedance loads that push a small amp into its protection limit
  • You want a DAC/amp to add warmth or 'musicality' — this one is deliberately neutral

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

1 / 7topics divide opinion
powerbuildvaluetransparencyfeaturesergonomicsnoise
3 Strong agreement3 Mostly agree1 Divided opinions

Common ground5

  • Class-leading measured performance for ~$199 — top-tier SINAD and vanishingly low THD+N (ASR-confirmed)
  • Strong power for the size — 1.8W into 32Ω drives most full-size headphones, planars and 300–600Ω loads with headroom
  • Neutral and transparent — it doesn't impose a sound of its own

Points of contention3

  • Background noise: dead-silent with headphones and most IEMs, but the most sensitive very-low-impedance in-ears can pick up hum/hiss tied to the ungrounded 15V supply — real for a minority, absent for everyone else
  • Whether a box that measures this transparent audibly changes anything at all — most owners hear more detail and call it a clear upgrade, a measurement camp calls the difference inaudible, and a minority find its ultra-clean presentation flat or compressed
  • The 3.5mm-only output: a non-issue to some, a dealbreaker for anyone wanting balanced or a native 6.35mm jack

A closer listen.

7 topics · 1 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Transparency

PositiveMostly agree
Reviewer sentiment5 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

The core of its reputation: measurably transparent and consistently described as neutral and uncoloured. The measurement-minded call any 'sound' inaudible; a small minority of owners find the ultra-clean presentation flat, but the weight of both graphs and impressions lands on 'it doesn't add a character of its own.'

“you can expect the DX3 Pro+ to have a wonderfully neutral and distortion-free sonic presentation”

Prime Audio

“With a neutral-sounding signature, the Topping DX3 Pro+ is a good entry point for budget-conscious audiophiles who want a taste of a well-implemented ESS chip”

Headfonics

Measured

ASR measured worst-case distortion products at -125 dB and THD+N of 0.000146 (matching Topping's 0.00015 spec), putting SINAD in the top tier of all DACs tested — i.e. audibly transparent by any normal standard.

Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Form factor
Desktop
DAC
ESS ES9038Q2M · Delta-sigma
PCM
768 kHz / 32-bit
DSD
DSD512
Amplifier
Solid-state · NFCA

Output

Output power
Single-ended: 1,800 mW @ 32 Ω · 900 mW @ 64 Ω · 250 mW @ 300 Ω
Gain settings
2
Signal-to-noise
122 dB

Connection

Digital inputs
Optical, Coaxial, Bluetooth
Line outputs
RCAvariable (preamp)
Preamp output
Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC
Power
External power supply

Physical

Dimensions
165 × 120 × 40 mm

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from apos.audio, hifigo.com, headphones.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 8

1–6 of 8 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 5

  1. A read of where the reviews land as of July 2026 — the budget desktop DAC/amp field moves quickly, and firmware or later revisions can shift some of the fine details here.

  2. Whether you'll hear any background hiss depends a lot on your specific in-ears and your outlet's grounding — the most sensitive, low-impedance IEMs are the ones that occasionally surface it.

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