Ever wondered whether upping the sound quality of your PS5 might improve your gaming chops? If so, Topping’s cheap new DAC is worth an audition

• Topping has unveiled its new and compact desktop DX1 II DAC
• It's relatively affordable at £119 (about $160, AU$240)
• Multiple inputs and outputs, some clearly designed for gamers

If you've been considering buying one of the best headphone DACs, it's probably because you want to connect them to an audiophile-friendly hi-fi system — or even to your phone or dedicated music player on the commute. But Topping's latest option aims squarely at a very different audience: gamers.

The Topping DX1 II is a new piece of kit which is slowly being released in different regions; it's just been released in the UK from Electromod. It costs £119 (about $160, AU$240), so it undercuts many other options save for models built specifically for smartphones or digital audio players.

The DX1 II seems to have a specific user in mind though. The DAC is designed for all budget-conscious, audiophile-curious buyers, but it does feel aimed at gamers more than most. And that is thanks to a few key considerations that seemingly make it a good pick for enhancing your games' sound.

For example, while the DAC has two headphone outputs (3.5mm and 4.4mm), they're two-way, so you can use headsets with microphones. It can also switch between USB Audio Classes, allowing you to use it alongside the Nintendo Switch and PS5 which are some of the few gadgets only using UAC 1.0.

A DAC is for life, not just for gaming

Despite some gaming features being the headline tools, the Topping DX1 II seems to be a solid all-rounder too — and given how much we loved the larger and more expensive Topping DX5 II, it's well worth taking a closer look.

The DAC can input from USB-C as well as optical, and output to optical, stereo RCA, 3.5mm or 4.4mm. There's support for 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD 256, so high-quality audio won't be a problem. There are also EQ tools as well as filter and gain settings.

A built-in amp can deliver up to 1,000mW audio, and since it's quite compact at 10x10x3.2cm, it'll fit into various existing set-ups — and that glossy white casework will make it look right at home next to a PS5.

As a prolific gamer, I'm not sure that I can see a DAC being crucial to a hardware set-up — although I absolutely recommend any one of the best wired gaming headsets. That said, the Topping is still very useful as an affordable entry-level DAC for my music that can get double use for gaming.