Post by Bigman80 on Dec 7, 2023 18:33:20 GMT
Once upon a time, three DACs entered my system in a bakeoff that ended with one clear winner. Vinyl.
The three DACs in question were variants of the Chinese DAC manufacturer, Topping. The D10, D50 and D90 were all scoring high points in the measurement tests, and were also finding their way into systems all over the UK. My experience of these DACs was not favourable, and whilst the D90 was by far the best of the three, it was still some way short of wowing me. At the time, i had discovered R-2R DACs like the Soekris 1541, 2541, and other types of DAC like the Pecan Pi from other manufacturers. These DACs made music, and they made a convincing argument for the inclusion of digital replay in a system that had been previously dominated by vinyl.
I must openly say that i probably based my feelings for anything with a Sabre or AKM chip on the experiences id had with the Toppings, not only them, but the Sabaj, the Soncoz, the SMSL-9u, Gustard x16...They just did not work for me. So attached to this experience am i, that when i did need to buy a new DAC a few months back, i literally ruled out ANYTHING with AKM or SABRE chips inside. After all, up until something arrives here that changed my mind, the experience i had was solid in it's fact that modern DAC chips are not for me.
Well, a DAC may finally have arrived to dislodge my long held aversion to modern DAC chips.
The Topping E30 MKII came my way as a loaner whilst i in turn sent my modded Aqvox to a member here. We had been conversing on the idea that i may visit with it, but in the end i knew that i just didn't want to drive 3.5hours for a digital bakeoff, especially when there were other variables still being worked out in that system at the time. In the end, i just boxed it up and posted it down. In a bid to prevent me from being music-less, he posted his Topping E30 MKII up to me.
I was obviously in no rush to plug it in and get it playing, as i set it up with its LPSU and just checked for sound. However, a few days later, i was finally at a loose end and sat down for a listen to this little dac.
The Topping is ridiculously small. It isn't going to inspire some kind of cult following for its design cues, but it does have the much loved orange LED display, and due to it's size it is quite anonymous on the rack, which is nice. It has Coax input, and two RCA output sockets, and i think there may be toslink, but i cant remember. I will have to look.
Pressing play on the X50D to have a listen to Lambchop's "What Another Man Spills" album, i was initially surprised by how smooth the sound was. The guitars played from a "black enough" background, which, whilst not as outlined or sharply etched into the ether as it is via the Aqvox, were still nicely separate from the other instruments starting in the background. The soundstage was, again, wide enough, high enough and deep enough, without being AS wide, deep or high as the Aqvox. The tonality of the vocals was excellent, and conveyed a real "human" presentation. There was no humanoid or artificial tinge on the vocal at all, which really pleased me.
As the album played through, i noted that i was thinking less and less about the DAC, and more about how different the music sounded to normal. It was definitely smoother. Drums in particular seemed to have less impact and propulsion, were less dramatic, but in a weird way, it felt more natural in the way it sounded. Obviously, it's hard to convey these things, but it's like the drummer is playing a bit lighter, or not hitting as hard. This gave the Topping a real capability to do thing in a gentler way, a less propulsive way. Drum rolls were excellently resolved and moved cleanly in the space between speakers, and they never got too much for the room. It worked great on albums like What Another Man Spills, and Damien Rice's "O"
However, when i was blasting through Gary Moore, i did feel a little sense of loss. Maybe the Aqvox is a bit of a dramatic dynamic beast and Topping is more even handed, but when you are used to hearing things a certain way, it stands out.
The Topping also does emotion really well too. Listening to Eva Cassidy was very enjoyable. Her vocals seem to be ever so emotive to me, so i tried a few other female artists like Carole King and Carly Simon. Everything i listened to on the Topping appeared to be excellent, but not the same. For instance, TalkTalk can sound a little hot, and so it did through the Topping. Same for Fleetwood Macs first versions of their albums, and again, so they did through the Topping. However, never did it become strident, edgy or shrill. I played Eric Clapton and J.J Cale - Road to Escondido, and that recording just took off! A great recording that was obviously better than the others, and the Topping delivered it exceptionally well.
Whatever i played had obvious differences, some good, some bad, but that has been my experience of them via the Aqvox, so it's fair to say the Topping is sufficiently good enough to portray differences between recordings too. Which again, for a DAC of this price, it's a phenomenal achievement.
I found myself listening to more and more music over the couple of weeks the Topping was here, and the more i listened, the more i enjoyed it. Only by listening over time have the Toppings merits become so apparent. It's not a DAC that is made to impress you, it's a dac that is designed to do the job correctly, and it does it's job exceptionally well. It's a DAC that you forget is there. It isn't imparting a particular flavour, it isn't highlighting itself in the music, and it doesn't demand your attention, it just exists in the rack and lets you access the depth of music that appeal to the soul.
As the inevitable call came to ask for a price for the Aqvox, i found that i had become very attached to this little DAC. So much so that we negotiated the price to allow me to keep it here, which i was very keen to do. I now own the Topping, which pleases me greatly. Ok, for me, it's not a DAC that i think will dislodge a modded Aqvox, or a Soekris 2541, or maybe some of the other dacs that have the ability to create ultra clean holographic shapes in the soundstage, but it's certainly a DAC that should be seriously considered by anyone looking for an outstanding DAC that is genuinely an enjoyable listen, with spades of detail, tonality, clarity and really good resolution, regardless of price.
I am severely impressed with this DAC.
I have a D90 with AKM chips currently undergoing repair surgery with Tony @coherent....i may have to start putting some pressure on him to get it repaired!
The E30 MKII is great DAC, for an even greater price.
Highly recommended.
The three DACs in question were variants of the Chinese DAC manufacturer, Topping. The D10, D50 and D90 were all scoring high points in the measurement tests, and were also finding their way into systems all over the UK. My experience of these DACs was not favourable, and whilst the D90 was by far the best of the three, it was still some way short of wowing me. At the time, i had discovered R-2R DACs like the Soekris 1541, 2541, and other types of DAC like the Pecan Pi from other manufacturers. These DACs made music, and they made a convincing argument for the inclusion of digital replay in a system that had been previously dominated by vinyl.
I must openly say that i probably based my feelings for anything with a Sabre or AKM chip on the experiences id had with the Toppings, not only them, but the Sabaj, the Soncoz, the SMSL-9u, Gustard x16...They just did not work for me. So attached to this experience am i, that when i did need to buy a new DAC a few months back, i literally ruled out ANYTHING with AKM or SABRE chips inside. After all, up until something arrives here that changed my mind, the experience i had was solid in it's fact that modern DAC chips are not for me.
Well, a DAC may finally have arrived to dislodge my long held aversion to modern DAC chips.
The Topping E30 MKII came my way as a loaner whilst i in turn sent my modded Aqvox to a member here. We had been conversing on the idea that i may visit with it, but in the end i knew that i just didn't want to drive 3.5hours for a digital bakeoff, especially when there were other variables still being worked out in that system at the time. In the end, i just boxed it up and posted it down. In a bid to prevent me from being music-less, he posted his Topping E30 MKII up to me.
I was obviously in no rush to plug it in and get it playing, as i set it up with its LPSU and just checked for sound. However, a few days later, i was finally at a loose end and sat down for a listen to this little dac.
The Topping is ridiculously small. It isn't going to inspire some kind of cult following for its design cues, but it does have the much loved orange LED display, and due to it's size it is quite anonymous on the rack, which is nice. It has Coax input, and two RCA output sockets, and i think there may be toslink, but i cant remember. I will have to look.
Pressing play on the X50D to have a listen to Lambchop's "What Another Man Spills" album, i was initially surprised by how smooth the sound was. The guitars played from a "black enough" background, which, whilst not as outlined or sharply etched into the ether as it is via the Aqvox, were still nicely separate from the other instruments starting in the background. The soundstage was, again, wide enough, high enough and deep enough, without being AS wide, deep or high as the Aqvox. The tonality of the vocals was excellent, and conveyed a real "human" presentation. There was no humanoid or artificial tinge on the vocal at all, which really pleased me.
As the album played through, i noted that i was thinking less and less about the DAC, and more about how different the music sounded to normal. It was definitely smoother. Drums in particular seemed to have less impact and propulsion, were less dramatic, but in a weird way, it felt more natural in the way it sounded. Obviously, it's hard to convey these things, but it's like the drummer is playing a bit lighter, or not hitting as hard. This gave the Topping a real capability to do thing in a gentler way, a less propulsive way. Drum rolls were excellently resolved and moved cleanly in the space between speakers, and they never got too much for the room. It worked great on albums like What Another Man Spills, and Damien Rice's "O"
However, when i was blasting through Gary Moore, i did feel a little sense of loss. Maybe the Aqvox is a bit of a dramatic dynamic beast and Topping is more even handed, but when you are used to hearing things a certain way, it stands out.
The Topping also does emotion really well too. Listening to Eva Cassidy was very enjoyable. Her vocals seem to be ever so emotive to me, so i tried a few other female artists like Carole King and Carly Simon. Everything i listened to on the Topping appeared to be excellent, but not the same. For instance, TalkTalk can sound a little hot, and so it did through the Topping. Same for Fleetwood Macs first versions of their albums, and again, so they did through the Topping. However, never did it become strident, edgy or shrill. I played Eric Clapton and J.J Cale - Road to Escondido, and that recording just took off! A great recording that was obviously better than the others, and the Topping delivered it exceptionally well.
Whatever i played had obvious differences, some good, some bad, but that has been my experience of them via the Aqvox, so it's fair to say the Topping is sufficiently good enough to portray differences between recordings too. Which again, for a DAC of this price, it's a phenomenal achievement.
I found myself listening to more and more music over the couple of weeks the Topping was here, and the more i listened, the more i enjoyed it. Only by listening over time have the Toppings merits become so apparent. It's not a DAC that is made to impress you, it's a dac that is designed to do the job correctly, and it does it's job exceptionally well. It's a DAC that you forget is there. It isn't imparting a particular flavour, it isn't highlighting itself in the music, and it doesn't demand your attention, it just exists in the rack and lets you access the depth of music that appeal to the soul.
As the inevitable call came to ask for a price for the Aqvox, i found that i had become very attached to this little DAC. So much so that we negotiated the price to allow me to keep it here, which i was very keen to do. I now own the Topping, which pleases me greatly. Ok, for me, it's not a DAC that i think will dislodge a modded Aqvox, or a Soekris 2541, or maybe some of the other dacs that have the ability to create ultra clean holographic shapes in the soundstage, but it's certainly a DAC that should be seriously considered by anyone looking for an outstanding DAC that is genuinely an enjoyable listen, with spades of detail, tonality, clarity and really good resolution, regardless of price.
I am severely impressed with this DAC.
I have a D90 with AKM chips currently undergoing repair surgery with Tony @coherent....i may have to start putting some pressure on him to get it repaired!
The E30 MKII is great DAC, for an even greater price.
Highly recommended.
