Additional Info: According to a mail I got from Topping Pro, the input impedance has been increased to 1.5 kOhm in the second batch run. That would be a nice improvement, just be aware that depending on your point of purchase you might or might not end up with the newer batch.
I know most of you won't care, but I bought a Topping E2x2 to test on Linux and it works out of the box. I haven't tried it on Ubuntu interim versions, LTS releases or other Debian derivatives, but on distros like Fedora and Solus it works out of the box without issues. EDIT: I can also confirm that the gain range on the mic input is really weird. It jumps up suddenly when you approach the end of the dial, so it does make it more difficult to set appropriate gain staging. The headphone output power is unheard of for a audio interface. The numbers remind me of the Objective 2 amp, where that amp was somewhere around 613 mW @ 32 ohms, and this isn't that far off. While more power doesn't hurt and does help for songs mastered at a low volume, it does become a bit silly when headphone amps pursue this chase of more power than what is necessary for the vast majority of headphones on the market.
The behavior of the dial for the input gain that you are explaining is quite common. It's due to the quality of the potentiometers that are essentially the dials for the gain. It's a really common thing and usually you don't want to be on the end range of the dials (your mic is too weak and you could use a cheap fethead).
Man, honestly cool to see Topping jump to the interface world. Their DAC/Headphone amps are exceptional so I'm not too surprised to see it kill at those specs. Let's see if FIIO and the others decide to make the same jump.
6:02 dynamic range mic input: 116.7 dB(A) 6:39 preamp noise mic input: -131 dBu(A) 8:43 dynamic range line input: 116.7 dB(A) 9:30 dynamic range main output: 115 dB(A) 11:34 headphone output noise floor @ min gain: -123.4 dBV(A) Thank you for such a wonderful review!
Your review is worth its weight in gold for Topping. Calling attention to very fixable, but serious, shortcomings is just what a newcomer to a market needs. I hope they take your observations seriously, Julian. Ergonomics, particularly, are poor and though expensive to change, do not involve major engineering time. Given your careful review, I would expect a much-improved line of interfaces from Topping in the near future. Excellent job!
Topping has been KILLING it in the audiophile DAC and amp market for for years, so I'm really excited for them to be getting into pro audio interfaces as well. Let's hope they revolutionize this market too!
Yeah, nice to see the first interface with flawless headphone output, hope this will raise the bar and other manufacturer follow. for ergonomics, you may put a small volume knob on it.
Thank you. As always a topping presentation. Your hack at 4:15 made my day. I have never laughed so much at a sound interface presentation. Remove the knob and you can operate the volume control without any problems. Great solution. From then on I had problems to follow your, as always, excellent presentation. Thank you, you are so great. Keep up the fantastic work. I think we all, all subscribers, appreciate this more than you can think of. One question, does it make sense to use the Sound Device Mix Pre 3 Mark II or 6 Mark II as a pure sound interface? Yes, because of the 32bit ... yes I know 32 bit float ... but that just appeals to me. Best regards from Bavaria
The work you do is amazing…Have been recommending your channel to all my musician friends…I learned a lot that I’ll take into my gear choosing for life
Hi Julian, Im not that into audio gear and am currently learning about how I can upgrade my current setup. Your videos are a great for me beacause of your easy to understand explanations while having more in depth analysis than most reviewers. Always thankful for your videos when I come across one!
Outstanding technical review! I too am a fan of having an on-off switch and LED Meters. No need to have the audio interface powered up if not in use. I have a MOTU M4, and I am extremely happy with it. I'd certainly consider one of these Toppings if I find myself in need of another interface. Good Job Julian!
Hi Julian, Im not that into audio gear and am currently learning about how I can upgrade my current setup. Your videos are a great for me beacause of your easy to understand explanations while having more in depth analysis than most reviewers. Always thankful for your videos when I come across one!
Nice to see topping enter the market. They do a heck of a job with the numbers. I'd like to see inserts and midi connectivity but it's exciting to see a company that competes on price and specs in the market. I would expect/hope to see updates and new models at the same rate as their other hardware.
As always, wonderfully thorough and objective as possible. Very nice to see how a device's performance aspects compare in your charts. Thank you, Julian.
The headphone output gain's a great thing other manufacturers should pick up on. Many times, we've been unable to push the volume on high impedance headphones. I love that the software it has, comes with a slew of monitoring and boosting options. It seems the manufacturer really wanted to help you see what's happening directly with your recording, real-time and on playback. The preamps are looks like a clean performer too.
Very interesting! I think this fills a niche that's historically been pretty underserved, that being the headphone enthusiast on a budget that's getting interested in home recording or content creation and thus has a need for a real interface, but isn't satisfied with many of the options in the sub-$200 category. Obviously connecting a dedicated headphone amp to an interface's outputs has always been a solid option, but I'd imagine theres got to be more than a handful of people who, for whatever reason, just prefer a more compact/all-in-one solution. Or maybe needs something a bit more portable. Curious to see if we get more offerings like this down the road, hopefully with more extensive and robust I/O options. Or personally, I'd be very interested in a hyper-portable solution (similar to those new Zoom interfaces or the iRig line) with just like a single input, solid headphone amp, and proper ASIO driver.
I was just about to place the order for a Motu M2/4 for my 37 ohm Slate VSX headphones when I saw this. Immediately ordered the Topping. It's perfect for my setup at such a great price! ILY
The work you provide to us audio heads is priceless....I appreciate all your efforts with your reviews. Keep them coming my friend! I am digging this Topping E2x2....but a 2x4 or 4x4 would be dope too.
I was just considering selling my motu m2 but was struggling to find a good replacement with better pre amps, but topping e4x4 has ticked all the boxes, assuming it performs the same as the e2x2. Thanks again for all your hard work! I couldn't make an educated purchase without you!
This functional and simple design of the enclosure and basic quality of life feature like a power switch make this such a nice device. i have to plugout my audient iD4 type C cable to restart it when linux has issues or want to power it down , specific switch for IEM vs high resistance headphone makes so much sense , more devices should do this
Wow, they got _better than datasheet_ dynamic range out of the codec's ADC, that's remarkable. (I never would have guessed that it could be ahead of the CS4272 by this much.) 900 ohms Zin is definitely too low though, and the noise generated when adjusting levels seems to bother some people. DAC performance is probably limited by the chip, at 115 dB(A) DR and -100 dB THD+N it's exactly hitting its specs. The headphone amplifier section is the star of the show as expected. It beats a Topping DX1 and scores roughly like an O2 amp with a bit more _oomph,_ definitely not at all shabby. The _chipfuscation_ seems a bit silly when you can comfortably count the number of potential candidates on one hand (and that's with woodworking accidents already included). And speaking of counting, 30 pins narrows it down a lot more... We really are living in a golden age for good inexpensive audio interfaces right now. Only a few years ago I preferred a contraption involving a used small external mixer (first a Behringer, later a Mackie 402VLZ4) run into an Asus Xonar D1 over the likes of a 2nd gen Scarlett... it sure was cheaper and not a whole lot worse. Mind you, this may still be a good option for those who have solid onboard audio. A bunch of sub-$100 audio interfaces have converters that don't even compare to an ALC1200 ADC, let alone an ALC1220.
Yeah, glad the CS4272 times are over, although I have the feeling it will still stick around in the one or other product. It's definitely crazy how good of an audio quality you can get these days for little money.
@@johnyang799 Looks more like 105ish tops to me, or right around the chip spec of -102 dB at -1 dBFS. Again, probably as much as you can possibly ask for under these circumstances. BTW, are you _the_ John Yang...?
@@JulianKrause I mean, I certainly don't mind the CS4272 if it's being squeezed out as well as we've seen in recent years, topping out at 111-112 dB(A) on the input. It was only 106ish back then. The output also definitely requires some attention to ultrasonic noise suppression (the Minifuse headphone out really upset Amir's AP, and you don't want to be looking at a Behringer UMCxxxHD output on a scope either).
Thanks very much for this Julian! Really valuable to get totally unbiased measurements and impressions. I'm very familiar with Topping, being a headphone enthusiast. Their M.O. for headphone amps is spectacular technical numbers, but with things like quality control, design, user experience and customer support being a relative afterthought. Not necessarily terrible, just much less of a point of emphasis. That can translate into them reviewing well, among the reviewers who get free test units and only live with them for a day, but not necessarily being good value in the long run. Their technical spec superiority is more placebo than anything, because it's well beyond human perception (or as relates to power output, is well beyond safe listening levels). This unit fits those expectations for the most part, although the fact that the mic numbers are just "good" rather than "great" (especially that frequency response at high gain, yikes) suggests that this is more of a "why not" product for Topping, rather than an aggressive attempt to assert themselves in this market. They have a lot of the parts already, and maybe even a surplus of chips from older generation headphone amps. Those chips are only "average" for a headphone amp, but still exceptional for a an audio interface, so there's a niche for them to carve out as "the audio interface with the best headphone amp".
7:41 "Btw, the noise of E2x2 is pretty much the same of that of the Cloudlifter or the FetHead, and that means it's literally no benefit in using these devices with the E2x2 in terms of the preamp noise" -- very important point, thank you!
Thank you i have been looking for a good audio interface and thanks to you i have finally found one i think fits my setup. I have several highend headphones and iems aswell as 2 presonus eris 8xl studio monitors and my electovoice microphone has been difficult to drive with cheaper interfaces.
Your reviews are so good. If they come out with a slightly more upscale version similar in build to their a30pro i might finally retire my 2i2 2nd gen :)
Julian, I love your approach to all things sound. I found you first while trying to understand the headphone-to-box impedance mismatching problem. Now I feel like I'm ready for another bite of knowledge. 🤔 Please bear with me for being a total noob. My kids showed me, during COVID, how much RUclips evolved between 2014 and 2020! Now it looks like a basic skill everyone will need. (Even dads!) Please explain how to think of the chain of gear that comes after the microphone. I can see I need an audio interface with very low noise and prolly twice as many mic ports as I think I could ever need... Right now I'm thinking of the SSL-12. But then I realized you could come at this as "portable..." Tascam DR-70D... And then I finally realized I will be producing and storing and doing version control on SOUND FILES! 🤦♂️ Thank goodness I'm not recording/mixing music! I guess the assumption is that files go on the computer to get edited in the DAW... But then I realized I could look at the Rodecaster Pro II, which seems to be a mashup of interface plus file storage plus some in-box processing... Does that connect to DAW or am I still pulling files down to a dedicated device? Don't we have cloud solutions for all this storage? Or is this another round of filing systems? I really don't want to build another RAID box. I thought that was over with...?🤪 Then I realized I am again looking at a string of components -- like audio playback. And then I realized I'm such a noob that I have no idea. Do I just plug a SSD into the interface and call it good (for sound files) or do I need to think again? (I liked the SSL-12 because it has an ADAT port and 32bit float... Forward-compatible enough for me to climb the learning curve before the technology changes away? But am I seeing this food chain fully?) Yesterday, I saw somebody plug their microphone into their CAMERA and I about fell outta my chair! SD card? Really?! (don't tell me about lav mics...) So I need an overview before this gets completely outta control?! 🤪🙏👀 I learned on actual film. But I assume nothing from then is still true.
You mentioned in the video that a cloudlifter isn't necessary for dynamic mics because the noise level of the preamps is already very low, but due to the recessed highs when the preamp gain is turned way up, wouldn't a cloudlifter help dynamic mics in terms of flattening the frequency response by not needing to turn the gain up?
Correct. Besides, if a Cloudlifter or Fethead is a bit rich for your blood, one of the cheap Klark Teknik mic boosters should do much the same while being a much more justifiable expense.
Definitely nice to see something with better headphone output. There are definitely some headphones out there that won't get enough juice from the Topping but 99% of use cases should be covered here. For example, the Heddphones would want more.
1:50 the Arturia 16Rig has a gain setting in the software, at least that's what I think it does under the hood. You can select a resistance range for your headphones between < 50, 50 < 150 and > 150.
MOTU's windows drivers? From my research nothing but issues there. Why I didn't buy the M2 and still shopping. RME on the other hand very good reputation, I just can't justify the cost right now.
@@_BangDroid_ At least for me, Motu has been solid for the past few years I've been using it on PC. Of course, RME is still the gold standard for drivers, for a professional device, the cost is absolutely worth it.
RME is better. Motu on the other hand can't be said the same. I'm not trashing Motu but my M2 certainly has more problems than others including focusrite rme audient on low buffer settings. Never had issues with my old 828es tho.
Julian, everyone knows you're the Marques Brownlee of audio interfaces, but given your remarkable skills as an audio tech analyst, I reckon you should start reviewing other kinds of audio gear, both professional and Hi Fi.
two channel minimum two headphone outs Mix Bluetooth ? two line in's now levels for mix software mix and rout to headsets ! Then 4 in 4 out plus two for speakers ? Or just make some more headset ports ! Great start Julian said great headset so give us 4 headsets and routing software @@_BangDroid_
I got the Topping E2X2 OTG and unfortunately have experienced a litany of issues. The instrument inputs cut out randomly , instability at 96k+, inconsistency with the OTG output. Maybe I just received a bad unit. I updated the firmware, plugged the interface to power, and use the Windows software. Also, while the headphone amp is indeed loud, my 2i2 Scarlett’s headphone amp sounds clearer (although too quiet against high impedances 🤨). Disappointing as I was hoping this would be the cheap interface that had an A+ headphone amp. Hope others have better luck 🫡
Topping DAC's and headphone amps have great technical measurements. Would a Topping DAC and headphone amp actually perform better than an audio interface for monitoring playback from a DAW?
I always thought that E1DA would be the first in Chifi to make it to pro Audio, but not surprised a larger company like Topping made it to here first~ Would love to see more high performing Chifi Interfaces. I'll consider it when they make a 2x4 or 4x4 interface. Topping does have quality control issues across a broad number of products making the reliability not particularly good in the pro audio scene.
So, a great headphone amp with a nice 2-channel audio interface built in? This is really interesting! Might be the right device for me! I wish the roundtrip latency was a bit better, this is also pretty important for me. My main application would be practicing/recording electric bass/guitar with software amp simulation plugins via a 600 Ohm Beyerdynamic DT880, and driving the same headphone for casual and critical listening.
Hello! how good works your set? Dt 880 get enough power? I just want buy same gear as you, but saw this guy say topping amps l30 and a90 is "piercing" ruclips.net/video/iDaUsS2rFrk/видео.htmlsi=sUIi_iI57-MZjxCb 10:55 Can you agree this with e2x2? Thanks
Your audio interface videos have been a lifesaver! Do you have any plans on trying out the ART USB interface? I've been seeing them in all the places that sell interfaces, and I know they have kind of a niche following for certain analog gear, but I can't find ANY info anywhere about whether their audio interfaces are any good. Apparently most people don't realize they even exist? But they're very affordable and can even do 32-bit, which (even if it's unnecessary) is rare at that price-range, so that makes me curious if they're kind of a sleeper.
Topping now have a new model E1x2, with 1 input and 2 outputs still. I like that they did this as it makes the uni a lot smaller if you don't need two inputs. But still sad to see that they didn't fix the bad ergonomics present here, otherwise I would've definitely purchased one.
It seems fitting that Topping came in and blew all other headphone output measurements out of the water. I'd love to see them team up with a company like Audient or MOTU to make the ultimate audio interface with Topping handling the headphone out stage. Maybe someday!
Bus-powered interfaces are intentionally designed to have a restricted headphone output. This unit is the same if you don't use high-powered USB-C or external power. It's not like all these companies are failing and not realizing it.
@@erinburke9711 it seems like many others still have higher output impedance than desired, though. Regardless of power. Also, plenty of the interfaces on this list have the option for external DC power yet still fall short in some way with regards to the headphone output.
Nice professional review but please do include the product DRIVER review too. Its like no matter how great the product but if the driver is not detected or working with some DAW then its something bad.
Hi Julian it was a wonderful review.Can you please review the new scarlet 2i2 4th gen mic pre amp please.I just wanted to know how is stacking up with topping , motu and other devices.Thanks.
Hmm... Surprisingly good newcomer. It definitely has some "Motu M" vibes in design. I hope they will make second revision one day (maybe after your video, who knows).
Hey, this has to do with the analog volume control. This uses a potentiometer and at low volume settings it is tricky to get the same resistance on the for the left and right channel. What you could try is to use the low gain setting and then you don't need turn down the volume so much and have a better channel matching. For gaming it's probably not a huge deal as you typically game at normal volume and not with very low volume settings.
@@JulianKrause Yooo He replied fr. Thank you for you! Really interesting! I use unsensitiv iems for gaming though, so i'm a bit scared about bad Channel balance.
@@pantemann Sadly, it’s a bit luck in the end as channel balance has quite a bit of unit to unit variation. If you have an issue with it, you could reduce the Windows or game volume and turn the volume dial on the interface slightly higher to get better channel balance.
I know that some people mix projects on IEMs, but I think that is pretty rare. For those that know, why else might you be using IEMs with an audio interface? I typically think of people using them on-stage in performance. But you wouldn't be using an interface in that usage.
12:24 Is it correct, that adding digital gain will also increase preamp mic noise level, while normal (analog) gain won't? so, applying +20 dB of digital gain means increasing preamp noise level from -131 dBu(A) to -111 dBu (A)?
Hi Julian, thanks for the great, informative review. Why on earth would Topping and other audio interface makers do the direct monitoring of the microphone's audio digitally? This implies AD - DA conversion of the microphone signal that un-necessarily affects signal quality and latency. Would greatly appreciate your insight.
I always feel the slightest tinge of sadness/sympathy for the Steinberg UR22C when it inevitably appears as the last interface in the preamp noise test...
@@erinburke9711 There's some more real turkeys out there in the world of budget audio interfaces that Julian just hasn't tested. The ESI Neva Uno / Duo sound absolutely terrible with the SM7B, like a lo-fi tape recording (no kidding). The Swissonic Audio 1 is surprisingly low-noise with the SM7B but distorts with a TLM102, while the Audio 2 is fine with the condenser but quite hissy with the SM7B.
Best review I've seen. Thanks. Just wondering about your perspective on class a transistor amps. My understanding is that with an isolated toroidal transformer per channel and large capacitor overhead they can quickly respond to changes in volume. Could you add a dynamic range response time/impulse derived cross talk response graph to the amp part of the review or is it pointless?
Hi Julian, I have been intensively watching your videos and still unsure if what audio interface I should consider as an upgrade from my M-Audio Air 192/4. Can you please suggest me Audio Interface that checks all these boxes: 1) Atleast two mic inputs (to record my guitar in stereo) 2) Less preamp noise (as I also use a sm58) 3) good headphones output power (that can drive headphones like dt770) 4) good dynamic range 5) works with windows pc (and also with Mac if I make any future upgrades to apple) 6) good microphone gain levels I hope you understand my concern abd please help me out, much respect for your knowledge 🙌🏻
Purchase this if you can afford to take a chance and it’s not a problem if it overheats and doesn’t last. ?? It’s great Topping is pushing the bar higher as we have all been paying much higher prices for a decent interface for to long with these kind of specifications. The big disadvantage is obviously they are not in our music stores yet and for that simple reason with no quality guarantees I will stick with Audient or possibly Arturia for a good interface at an affordable price with reasonable headphone output on a budget. To end, no mention of how this integrates with IOS devices which is the growing market now I know Arturia work great straight out the box with iPad although if you purchase the 4 channel iPad will not recognise inputs 3and4 so firmware update required, the 1and two channel modules as with Audient are plug n play fine as for topping it’s a bit of hope for the best. As ever thanks to Julian for the excellent presentations
Would be super interesting if you could measure the Headphone output on the Yamaha MG10XU too. I feel like it's almost up there with the E2x2 with a 300ohm load. Possibly. Would love to know though!
great review as always julian. are the mic input and preamp noise measurements really comparable between models? it seems the measurements are at minimum and maximum gain, the ranges of which vary model to model. is there a way to standardize and compare units at a typical gain of say +30dB?
I was gong to purchase the Focusrite 4th Gen Audio Interface due to humming when 48v Phantom power was engaged. The recorded vocal had humming, very disappointed, then I had a light bulb moment, let me wipe down the interface and cable connection and voila!!! No more humming!
It's a proprietary two stage design hint by the NFCA-LE. Opamp+discrete to be exact. It's a cost down version of the amp circuit in Topping G5 and NX7.
Additional Info:
According to a mail I got from Topping Pro, the input impedance has been increased to 1.5 kOhm in the second batch run. That would be a nice improvement, just be aware that depending on your point of purchase you might or might not end up with the newer batch.
Wow. That's great. Couple days ago at aliexpress seller didn't tell me anything useful about this. Thanks for sharing!
Julian, you do an amazing job reviewing these audio interfaces. Thankyou so much. Do you know if Topping will release a 4x4 audio interface as well?
@@tstein88 I have heard rumors about a 4x4 and it seems likely that they would release such a version. But I have no further info on that.
@@JulianKrause 已经确定会在今天发布了
This is an excellent channel thank you , topping is a rising brand but i would like to see uad apollo twins results in your channel too.
I'm surprised that Julian still hasn't made a website for his stats. Would love to have it for quick reference.
or just a spreadsheet
I'm not, 90% of people can't even be bothered to Subscribe or even like this video so they don't deserve it, me included.
no youtube ad revenue if you just get all the stats from a spreadsheet
@@lwrncl8329 Patreon or RUclips membership and then put it behind a paywall. That would be perfect and help those out who are serious about this gear
That would be great!
Best interface review channel in the history of the internet
Julian you always do the best reviews! Thanks ever so much for another amazingly detailed and insightful review!
I know most of you won't care, but I bought a Topping E2x2 to test on Linux and it works out of the box. I haven't tried it on Ubuntu interim versions, LTS releases or other Debian derivatives, but on distros like Fedora and Solus it works out of the box without issues.
EDIT: I can also confirm that the gain range on the mic input is really weird. It jumps up suddenly when you approach the end of the dial, so it does make it more difficult to set appropriate gain staging. The headphone output power is unheard of for a audio interface. The numbers remind me of the Objective 2 amp, where that amp was somewhere around 613 mW @ 32 ohms, and this isn't that far off. While more power doesn't hurt and does help for songs mastered at a low volume, it does become a bit silly when headphone amps pursue this chase of more power than what is necessary for the vast majority of headphones on the market.
I just want to reply to say that I'm interested in the Linux support, as I will use my AI exclusively on Linux.
The behavior of the dial for the input gain that you are explaining is quite common. It's due to the quality of the potentiometers that are essentially the dials for the gain. It's a really common thing and usually you don't want to be on the end range of the dials (your mic is too weak and you could use a cheap fethead).
so you can easily power 2 high impedance headphones with a simple splitter then?
Man, honestly cool to see Topping jump to the interface world. Their DAC/Headphone amps are exceptional so I'm not too surprised to see it kill at those specs.
Let's see if FIIO and the others decide to make the same jump.
6:02 dynamic range mic input: 116.7 dB(A)
6:39 preamp noise mic input: -131 dBu(A)
8:43 dynamic range line input: 116.7 dB(A)
9:30 dynamic range main output: 115 dB(A)
11:34 headphone output noise floor @ min gain: -123.4 dBV(A)
Thank you for such a wonderful review!
Your review is worth its weight in gold for Topping. Calling attention to very fixable, but serious, shortcomings is just what a newcomer to a market needs. I hope they take your observations seriously, Julian. Ergonomics, particularly, are poor and though expensive to change, do not involve major engineering time. Given your careful review, I would expect a much-improved line of interfaces from Topping in the near future.
Excellent job!
Topping has been KILLING it in the audiophile DAC and amp market for for years, so I'm really excited for them to be getting into pro audio interfaces as well. Let's hope they revolutionize this market too!
Yeah, nice to see the first interface with flawless headphone output, hope this will raise the bar and other manufacturer follow.
for ergonomics, you may put a small volume knob on it.
Wow - this is an amazing value interface for the money. A real contender in a busy market!
Thank you. As always a topping presentation.
Your hack at 4:15 made my day. I have never laughed so much at a sound interface presentation. Remove the knob and you can operate the volume control without any problems. Great solution. From then on I had problems to follow your, as always, excellent presentation. Thank you, you are so great.
Keep up the fantastic work. I think we all, all subscribers, appreciate this more than you can think of.
One question, does it make sense to use the Sound Device Mix Pre 3 Mark II or 6 Mark II as a pure sound interface?
Yes, because of the 32bit ... yes I know 32 bit float ... but that just appeals to me. Best regards from Bavaria
The work you do is amazing…Have been recommending your channel to all my musician friends…I learned a lot that I’ll take into my gear choosing for life
Hi Julian, Im not that into audio gear and am currently learning about how I can upgrade my current setup. Your videos are a great for me beacause of your easy to understand explanations while having more in depth analysis than most reviewers. Always thankful for your videos when I come across one!
I just got this I'm very happy with it was looking at getting an amp from them for a while now and randomly wondered if they had a full interface.
Outstanding technical review! I too am a fan of having an on-off switch and LED Meters. No need to have the audio interface powered up if not in use. I have a MOTU M4, and I am extremely happy with it. I'd certainly consider one of these Toppings if I find myself in need of another interface. Good Job Julian!
Hi Julian, Im not that into audio gear and am currently learning about how I can upgrade my current setup. Your videos are a great for me beacause of your easy to understand explanations while having more in depth analysis than most reviewers. Always thankful for your videos when I come across one!
Awesome work Julian, as always. I was looking forward to this review. I am glad it was purchased by you privately. No special tweaked review versions.
Nice to see topping enter the market. They do a heck of a job with the numbers. I'd like to see inserts and midi connectivity but it's exciting to see a company that competes on price and specs in the market. I would expect/hope to see updates and new models at the same rate as their other hardware.
Wow Topping making audio interfaces. Should be exciting seeing if they are going to push this tech forward. Need more inputs, optical and coaxial.
As always, wonderfully thorough and objective as possible. Very nice to see how a device's performance aspects compare in your charts. Thank you, Julian.
The headphone output gain's a great thing other manufacturers should pick up on. Many times, we've been unable to push the volume on high impedance headphones. I love that the software it has, comes with a slew of monitoring and boosting options. It seems the manufacturer really wanted to help you see what's happening directly with your recording, real-time and on playback. The preamps are looks like a clean performer too.
Nice review! I rarely watch RUclips but your reviews are an exception. Well done!
Amazing! Thanks for your job, I have waited its review for a long time.
Danke!
Gleichfalls, vielen lieben Dank Reiner!!
Excellent review once again! Thank you Julian.
You do the best audio hardware reviews anywhere! Thanks for another one. Were you hoping the Topping would “top” the charts too? 😂
Very interesting! I think this fills a niche that's historically been pretty underserved, that being the headphone enthusiast on a budget that's getting interested in home recording or content creation and thus has a need for a real interface, but isn't satisfied with many of the options in the sub-$200 category. Obviously connecting a dedicated headphone amp to an interface's outputs has always been a solid option, but I'd imagine theres got to be more than a handful of people who, for whatever reason, just prefer a more compact/all-in-one solution. Or maybe needs something a bit more portable.
Curious to see if we get more offerings like this down the road, hopefully with more extensive and robust I/O options. Or personally, I'd be very interested in a hyper-portable solution (similar to those new Zoom interfaces or the iRig line) with just like a single input, solid headphone amp, and proper ASIO driver.
I was just about to place the order for a Motu M2/4 for my 37 ohm Slate VSX headphones when I saw this. Immediately ordered the Topping. It's perfect for my setup at such a great price! ILY
I also trust them because of the DX3 Pro+
Great review. Thank you, Julian.
Hi Julian.. Fluid Audio also interesting too. Your review will help alot of musician. Thank you Julian
Thanks Julian. You are the best.
The work you provide to us audio heads is priceless....I appreciate all your efforts with your reviews. Keep them coming my friend!
I am digging this Topping E2x2....but a 2x4 or 4x4 would be dope too.
I was just considering selling my motu m2 but was struggling to find a good replacement with better pre amps, but topping e4x4 has ticked all the boxes, assuming it performs the same as the e2x2. Thanks again for all your hard work! I couldn't make an educated purchase without you!
A new interface! Since it's marketed on the headphone output I am definitely interested how it compares to the MOTU M2.
Same!! Would it perform better that the motu for the hd800?
muuuuuch better in all cases@@nhbjhbbhbhgvb
@@nhbjhbbhbhgvbI would think so, the M2 wasn’t good enough for me with HD600’s… I’m ready to try this thing.
Overall this is much better not only among its price range but higher. Wish they'll come with more outputs
Been a long time since I asked them to make an audio interface. Glad it measures well (Topping reliability issues aside)
This functional and simple design of the enclosure and basic quality of life feature like a power switch make this such a nice device.
i have to plugout my audient iD4 type C cable to restart it when linux has issues or want to power it down , specific switch for IEM vs high resistance headphone makes so much sense , more devices should do this
Wow, they got _better than datasheet_ dynamic range out of the codec's ADC, that's remarkable. (I never would have guessed that it could be ahead of the CS4272 by this much.) 900 ohms Zin is definitely too low though, and the noise generated when adjusting levels seems to bother some people.
DAC performance is probably limited by the chip, at 115 dB(A) DR and -100 dB THD+N it's exactly hitting its specs.
The headphone amplifier section is the star of the show as expected. It beats a Topping DX1 and scores roughly like an O2 amp with a bit more _oomph,_ definitely not at all shabby.
The _chipfuscation_ seems a bit silly when you can comfortably count the number of potential candidates on one hand (and that's with woodworking accidents already included). And speaking of counting, 30 pins narrows it down a lot more...
We really are living in a golden age for good inexpensive audio interfaces right now. Only a few years ago I preferred a contraption involving a used small external mixer (first a Behringer, later a Mackie 402VLZ4) run into an Asus Xonar D1 over the likes of a 2nd gen Scarlett... it sure was cheaper and not a whole lot worse. Mind you, this may still be a good option for those who have solid onboard audio. A bunch of sub-$100 audio interfaces have converters that don't even compare to an ALC1200 ADC, let alone an ALC1220.
Yeah, glad the CS4272 times are over, although I have the feeling it will still stick around in the one or other product. It's definitely crazy how good of an audio quality you can get these days for little money.
Also the THD+N. E2x2 achieved -110dB THD+N for the input.
Yep, 900R input impedance is way too low.
@@johnyang799 Looks more like 105ish tops to me, or right around the chip spec of -102 dB at -1 dBFS. Again, probably as much as you can possibly ask for under these circumstances.
BTW, are you _the_ John Yang...?
@@JulianKrause I mean, I certainly don't mind the CS4272 if it's being squeezed out as well as we've seen in recent years, topping out at 111-112 dB(A) on the input. It was only 106ish back then.
The output also definitely requires some attention to ultrasonic noise suppression (the Minifuse headphone out really upset Amir's AP, and you don't want to be looking at a Behringer UMCxxxHD output on a scope either).
I come here to watch interface reviews!
Thanks very much for this Julian! Really valuable to get totally unbiased measurements and impressions.
I'm very familiar with Topping, being a headphone enthusiast. Their M.O. for headphone amps is spectacular technical numbers, but with things like quality control, design, user experience and customer support being a relative afterthought. Not necessarily terrible, just much less of a point of emphasis. That can translate into them reviewing well, among the reviewers who get free test units and only live with them for a day, but not necessarily being good value in the long run. Their technical spec superiority is more placebo than anything, because it's well beyond human perception (or as relates to power output, is well beyond safe listening levels).
This unit fits those expectations for the most part, although the fact that the mic numbers are just "good" rather than "great" (especially that frequency response at high gain, yikes) suggests that this is more of a "why not" product for Topping, rather than an aggressive attempt to assert themselves in this market. They have a lot of the parts already, and maybe even a surplus of chips from older generation headphone amps. Those chips are only "average" for a headphone amp, but still exceptional for a an audio interface, so there's a niche for them to carve out as "the audio interface with the best headphone amp".
7:41 "Btw, the noise of E2x2 is pretty much the same of that of the Cloudlifter or the FetHead, and that means it's literally no benefit in using these devices with the E2x2 in terms of the preamp noise" -- very important point, thank you!
Thank you i have been looking for a good audio interface and thanks to you i have finally found one i think fits my setup.
I have several highend headphones and iems aswell as 2 presonus eris 8xl studio monitors and my electovoice microphone has been difficult to drive with cheaper interfaces.
It would be interesting to add the Apollo interfaces, to see what results are obtained.
Good job!!!!🙋🏻♂️
Julian you are my Superman
I'd love to see a review from Amir from AudioScienceReview, I've used his reviews buy chi-fi products due its measurements.
That looks awesome
Your reviews are so good. If they come out with a slightly more upscale version similar in build to their a30pro i might finally retire my 2i2 2nd gen :)
Upgrade to a Presonus Studio 24C
@@Jason75913 The 24C unfortunately doesn't have the headphone out performance that I'm looking for.
Julian, I love your approach to all things sound. I found you first while trying to understand the headphone-to-box impedance mismatching problem. Now I feel like I'm ready for another bite of knowledge. 🤔
Please bear with me for being a total noob. My kids showed me, during COVID, how much RUclips evolved between 2014 and 2020! Now it looks like a basic skill everyone will need. (Even dads!)
Please explain how to think of the chain of gear that comes after the microphone. I can see I need an audio interface with very low noise and prolly twice as many mic ports as I think I could ever need... Right now I'm thinking of the SSL-12. But then I realized you could come at this as "portable..." Tascam DR-70D... And then I finally realized I will be producing and storing and doing version control on SOUND FILES! 🤦♂️ Thank goodness I'm not recording/mixing music!
I guess the assumption is that files go on the computer to get edited in the DAW... But then I realized I could look at the Rodecaster Pro II, which seems to be a mashup of interface plus file storage plus some in-box processing... Does that connect to DAW or am I still pulling files down to a dedicated device? Don't we have cloud solutions for all this storage? Or is this another round of filing systems? I really don't want to build another RAID box. I thought that was over with...?🤪
Then I realized I am again looking at a string of components -- like audio playback. And then I realized I'm such a noob that I have no idea. Do I just plug a SSD into the interface and call it good (for sound files) or do I need to think again? (I liked the SSL-12 because it has an ADAT port and 32bit float... Forward-compatible enough for me to climb the learning curve before the technology changes away? But am I seeing this food chain fully?)
Yesterday, I saw somebody plug their microphone into their CAMERA and I about fell outta my chair! SD card? Really?! (don't tell me about lav mics...) So I need an overview before this gets completely outta control?! 🤪🙏👀
I learned on actual film. But I assume nothing from then is still true.
No one is topping this review!
Rim shoot 🥁
Ba-dum-tsss
You mentioned in the video that a cloudlifter isn't necessary for dynamic mics because the noise level of the preamps is already very low, but due to the recessed highs when the preamp gain is turned way up, wouldn't a cloudlifter help dynamic mics in terms of flattening the frequency response by not needing to turn the gain up?
Fair point.
Correct.
Besides, if a Cloudlifter or Fethead is a bit rich for your blood, one of the cheap Klark Teknik mic boosters should do much the same while being a much more justifiable expense.
Definitely nice to see something with better headphone output. There are definitely some headphones out there that won't get enough juice from the Topping but 99% of use cases should be covered here. For example, the Heddphones would want more.
what would we do without you, always top :)
1:50 the Arturia 16Rig has a gain setting in the software, at least that's what I think it does under the hood. You can select a resistance range for your headphones between < 50, 50 < 150 and > 150.
Very nice! My biggest worry are the ASIO drivers stability, which is why I tend to stick with MOTU and RME on windows.
MOTU's windows drivers? From my research nothing but issues there. Why I didn't buy the M2 and still shopping. RME on the other hand very good reputation, I just can't justify the cost right now.
@@_BangDroid_ At least for me, Motu has been solid for the past few years I've been using it on PC. Of course, RME is still the gold standard for drivers, for a professional device, the cost is absolutely worth it.
RME is better. Motu on the other hand can't be said the same. I'm not trashing Motu but my M2 certainly has more problems than others including focusrite rme audient on low buffer settings. Never had issues with my old 828es tho.
@@_BangDroid_Nothing but issues? I have an M4 on Win 10. Never a single hiccup. Rock solid & beautiful interface.
After upgrading to the latest driver, I have not had any problems with stability in the more than 1 month I have been using it.
Julian, everyone knows you're the Marques Brownlee of audio interfaces, but given your remarkable skills as an audio tech analyst, I reckon you should start reviewing other kinds of audio gear, both professional and Hi Fi.
Julian, you are helping them ! We want more headphone ports and mix perimeters ?
Performer headset-Mix engineer headset-other musicians headsets-producer headset etc...
@@lamasteve6905Kind of asking a lot from an entry level interface
two channel minimum two headphone outs Mix Bluetooth ? two line in's now levels for mix software mix and rout to headsets ! Then 4 in 4 out plus two for speakers ? Or just make some more headset ports ! Great start Julian said great headset so give us 4 headsets and routing software @@_BangDroid_
I got the Topping E2X2 OTG and unfortunately have experienced a litany of issues. The instrument inputs cut out randomly , instability at 96k+, inconsistency with the OTG output. Maybe I just received a bad unit. I updated the firmware, plugged the interface to power, and use the Windows software. Also, while the headphone amp is indeed loud, my 2i2 Scarlett’s headphone amp sounds clearer (although too quiet against high impedances 🤨). Disappointing as I was hoping this would be the cheap interface that had an A+ headphone amp. Hope others have better luck 🫡
I'm gonna get the E2x2 on sept 19 and write a comment how my unit performed
(I'm coming from the classic Mainboard realtek audio)
@@PittGG good luck, I hope you get a better functioning unit than the one I received. Let me know how it goes if you get a minute after review!
Topping DAC's and headphone amps have great technical measurements. Would a Topping DAC and headphone amp actually perform better than an audio interface for monitoring playback from a DAW?
This thing giving me Black Lion Audio vibe.
I always thought that E1DA would be the first in Chifi to make it to pro Audio, but not surprised a larger company like Topping made it to here first~ Would love to see more high performing Chifi Interfaces. I'll consider it when they make a 2x4 or 4x4 interface. Topping does have quality control issues across a broad number of products making the reliability not particularly good in the pro audio scene.
Great audio interface!!! 😮 price/quality the Best.
Wunderbar. 👍
Great review as always. Can you also review some Sound Blaster audio interfaces like the Sound Blaster X5 and the G6?
Thanks!
I don't get the insistency of audio brands with front controls on devices not meant to be used in a rack, if it's for a desk then put it on top...
So, a great headphone amp with a nice 2-channel audio interface built in? This is really interesting! Might be the right device for me! I wish the roundtrip latency was a bit better, this is also pretty important for me. My main application would be practicing/recording electric bass/guitar with software amp simulation plugins via a 600 Ohm Beyerdynamic DT880, and driving the same headphone for casual and critical listening.
Hello! how good works your set? Dt 880 get enough power? I just want buy same gear as you, but saw this guy say topping amps l30 and a90 is "piercing" ruclips.net/video/iDaUsS2rFrk/видео.htmlsi=sUIi_iI57-MZjxCb 10:55
Can you agree this with e2x2? Thanks
Your audio interface videos have been a lifesaver! Do you have any plans on trying out the ART USB interface? I've been seeing them in all the places that sell interfaces, and I know they have kind of a niche following for certain analog gear, but I can't find ANY info anywhere about whether their audio interfaces are any good. Apparently most people don't realize they even exist? But they're very affordable and can even do 32-bit, which (even if it's unnecessary) is rare at that price-range, so that makes me curious if they're kind of a sleeper.
Topping now have a new model E1x2, with 1 input and 2 outputs still. I like that they did this as it makes the uni a lot smaller if you don't need two inputs. But still sad to see that they didn't fix the bad ergonomics present here, otherwise I would've definitely purchased one.
so it's the same but Les inputs and smaller right
It seems fitting that Topping came in and blew all other headphone output measurements out of the water. I'd love to see them team up with a company like Audient or MOTU to make the ultimate audio interface with Topping handling the headphone out stage. Maybe someday!
Bus-powered interfaces are intentionally designed to have a restricted headphone output. This unit is the same if you don't use high-powered USB-C or external power. It's not like all these companies are failing and not realizing it.
@@erinburke9711 it seems like many others still have higher output impedance than desired, though. Regardless of power. Also, plenty of the interfaces on this list have the option for external DC power yet still fall short in some way with regards to the headphone output.
can't wait for more interfaces to get AES67 and built-in DSP
Nice professional review but please do include the product DRIVER review too. Its like no matter how great the product but if the driver is not detected or working with some DAW then its something bad.
Let's hope you'll have a chance to test some Schiit Audio DACs for their headphone support quality...
Thanks for the very informative review of the E2X2. One question though. Does E2X2 have an ASIO driver? For online jams, ASIO is required.
Hi Julian it was a wonderful review.Can you please review the new scarlet 2i2 4th gen mic pre amp please.I just wanted to know how is stacking up with topping , motu and other devices.Thanks.
Hmm... Surprisingly good newcomer. It definitely has some "Motu M" vibes in design. I hope they will make second revision one day (maybe after your video, who knows).
Julian I have an idea - you should include information of country of origin of given hardware - for example Topping is from China
Google is your friend.
Nice Video! You know, why channel balance get's worse with low gain? Idk if I should care about it for gaming.
Hey, this has to do with the analog volume control. This uses a potentiometer and at low volume settings it is tricky to get the same resistance on the for the left and right channel. What you could try is to use the low gain setting and then you don't need turn down the volume so much and have a better channel matching.
For gaming it's probably not a huge deal as you typically game at normal volume and not with very low volume settings.
@@JulianKrause Yooo He replied fr. Thank you for you! Really interesting! I use unsensitiv iems for gaming though, so i'm a bit scared about bad Channel balance.
@@pantemann Sadly, it’s a bit luck in the end as channel balance has quite a bit of unit to unit variation. If you have an issue with it, you could reduce the Windows or game volume and turn the volume dial on the interface slightly higher to get better channel balance.
I know that some people mix projects on IEMs, but I think that is pretty rare. For those that know, why else might you be using IEMs with an audio interface? I typically think of people using them on-stage in performance. But you wouldn't be using an interface in that usage.
"topping on the cake" OMEGALUl :P
12:24 Is it correct, that adding digital gain will also increase preamp mic noise level, while normal (analog) gain won't?
so, applying +20 dB of digital gain means increasing preamp noise level from -131 dBu(A) to -111 dBu (A)?
Hi Julian, thanks for the great, informative review. Why on earth would Topping and other audio interface makers do the direct monitoring of the microphone's audio digitally? This implies AD - DA conversion of the microphone signal that un-necessarily affects signal quality and latency.
Would greatly appreciate your insight.
I always feel the slightest tinge of sadness/sympathy for the Steinberg UR22C when it inevitably appears as the last interface in the preamp noise test...
I feel you, but it's not a huge noise difference in reality. Check out the AudioBox 96 review to feel better (horrid noise).
@@erinburke9711 There's some more real turkeys out there in the world of budget audio interfaces that Julian just hasn't tested. The ESI Neva Uno / Duo sound absolutely terrible with the SM7B, like a lo-fi tape recording (no kidding). The Swissonic Audio 1 is surprisingly low-noise with the SM7B but distorts with a TLM102, while the Audio 2 is fine with the condenser but quite hissy with the SM7B.
Topping is good for cheap DAC. And now making audio interface!
Best review I've seen. Thanks. Just wondering about your perspective on class a transistor amps. My understanding is that with an isolated toroidal transformer per channel and large capacitor overhead they can quickly respond to changes in volume. Could you add a dynamic range response time/impulse derived cross talk response graph to the amp part of the review or is it pointless?
Any idea where to buy this in europe?
Toppings ali store does not ship to Germany and can't find any alternative shops.
Ever heard of Google? >> Audiophonics in France (EU).
Hi Julian, I have been intensively watching your videos and still unsure if what audio interface I should consider as an upgrade from my M-Audio Air 192/4. Can you please suggest me Audio Interface that checks all these boxes:
1) Atleast two mic inputs (to record my guitar in stereo)
2) Less preamp noise (as I also use a sm58)
3) good headphones output power (that can drive headphones like dt770)
4) good dynamic range
5) works with windows pc (and also with Mac if I make any future upgrades to apple)
6) good microphone gain levels
I hope you understand my concern abd please help me out, much respect for your knowledge 🙌🏻
2:54 definitely something to get excited about! so julian. thoughts, this or the new scarlet gen 4s?
Different prices different needs.
It's possible to integrate a midi port or midi in midi out?
Purchase this if you can afford to take a chance and it’s not a problem if it overheats and doesn’t last. ??
It’s great Topping is pushing the bar higher as we have all been paying much higher prices for a decent interface for to long with these kind of specifications.
The big disadvantage is obviously they are not in our music stores yet and for that simple reason with no quality guarantees I will stick with Audient or possibly Arturia for a good interface at an affordable price with reasonable headphone output on a budget.
To end, no mention of how this integrates with IOS devices which is the growing market now I know Arturia work great straight out the box with iPad although if you purchase the 4 channel iPad will not recognise inputs 3and4 so firmware update required, the 1and two channel modules as with Audient are plug n play fine as for topping it’s a bit of hope for the best.
As ever thanks to Julian for the excellent presentations
Would be super interesting if you could measure the Headphone output on the Yamaha MG10XU too. I feel like it's almost up there with the E2x2 with a 300ohm load. Possibly. Would love to know though!
I love you!
when it comes to topping I never really like their highend DAC, tho their D10s is the best cost performance DAC you can ever buy imo
great review as always julian. are the mic input and preamp noise measurements really comparable between models? it seems the measurements are at minimum and maximum gain, the ranges of which vary model to model. is there a way to standardize and compare units at a typical gain of say +30dB?
I was gong to purchase the Focusrite 4th Gen Audio Interface due to humming when 48v Phantom power was engaged. The recorded vocal had humming, very disappointed, then I had a light bulb moment, let me wipe down the interface and cable connection and voila!!! No more humming!
It would be fun to know what ic it uses for the headphone output.
It's a proprietary two stage design hint by the NFCA-LE. Opamp+discrete to be exact. It's a cost down version of the amp circuit in Topping G5 and NX7.
This interface is a driver nightmare... Popping like crazy with highest Buffer in windows 11
That is most likely already taken care of.. My W11 OS is not complaining at all.
@@InFiNiGhTe I'm gonna recieve my unit on sept 19 and reply back if i had any issues
wow! Is this really such a good interface?
Amazing! Thanks for your job,
If the microphone is using Bate58a, is there a big difference in the experience of topping e22 and id14?
I love power switches!
does the brand offer a headphone amplifier that matches the quality of the one in inisde the interface? Pretty awesome.