The Topping D50 DAC at just over $150 offers supposed excellent USB implementation. Some are claiming it also has top drawer analogue circuitry and high quality sonics to go with high performance digital implementation. Sure it gets terrific reviews from users, but what would an old studio hound think of it compared to a known "HiFi" overachiever like a Benchmark DAC? Specifically an older Benchmark DAC1 (the original version from 2003) with USB supplied by the new top rated Schiit "Eitr" USB/SPDIF convertor. The Benchmark is an excellent sounding DAC with well known sonic attributes (very clean highs) and the Schiit Eitr gets top reviews at taking USB and making it work well with a SPDIF only DAC. The Benchmark-Eitr combination really sings together and both are very well known and reviewed numerous times on line. I have been using them together over the last three months and found the sound quality to be first rate. On the other hand I really liked that the new Topping D-50 reads out the actual incoming sample rate for confirmation of what your USB signal is putting out. The Benchmark goes up to 24/192 but won't tell you if you have it set right or not (I DO have it set right!). Preliminary testing by other web zines makes the claim that the Topping is also no slouch at USB implementation in its own right. Some folks actually buy it just for the USB connection! Suffice it to say I matched levels and checked input settings confirming I had a true unrestricted 24/192 signal off Qobuz to play with for both units and setups. I matched cables etc and ran everything through my well calibrated trusty desktop nearfield setup with a Rogue Cronus II/Spendor S3/5s and matched pair of M&K desktop subs. Would a $150 Topping compare well to a known older DAC with "high end" cred? It is Chi-fi after all.... The Benchmark ran $975 when it was current and the circuitry has been updated but never really changed the last 15 years (some may disagree---but it is still shows good sonics at the very least). So we are talking $150 versus using an older $1000 DAC with a $200 USB add-on from Schiit. Now to listen to the difference. Very close. Surprise! I was pretty darn happy with the upgraded Benchmark BEFORE hearing the new Topping. Yet the Topping offers slightly extended highs beyond even what the Benchmark is know for. Reverb tails just a little clearer. Massed brass had a little more "bite." Vocals just a little more "life." Conclusion: Wow! It seems to my ears this Topping D-50 is a real deal bargain DAC. It has classic tones like a Benchmark but clearer yet. It has excellent read out display. It can do higher than 24/192, in fact it goes up to 32/384k. I'm going to move the Benchmark downstairs to my music rehearsal room PA system and keep the Topping in the more important (sonically) control room area from now on. Color me impressed.
My D-50 cost $199.00 with free shipping and no tax. I love the display on front too. Sound is impressive but I’ve yet to try each setting. I may end up liking it even more.
I have not heard the Topping D-50 but your conclusion does not surprise me. Digital has come a long way since 2003. A dac that used to be top of the line ten years ago, today it cannot compete with an entry level device. It's just the nature of the beast, I guess.
I guess what really surprised me was how much the tonal quality of the little D-50 was spot on. Great tone typically used to take great circuitry and in my experience was reserved for higher priced units. Precise digital implementation with clearer highs was NOT a shock as technology is getting better with digital as many have noted. But how this inexpensive little unit delivers so much tone (?) is beyond me. My next test will be to put it up against the Bryston DAC in my far field setup. Out in that room I can hear how "three dimensional" images are delivered. That is something my nearfield system doesn't provide nearly to such a degree. If the Topping is a fully 3D sounding device I may actually replace a three thousand dollar unit with one that costs $150!
I've had a Topping D-70 for a few weeks now. It's their highest-end standalone DAC (no amplification component) at $500, though they frequently go on sale for $400. I can only compare it to the internal DAC in my Bluesound Node 2i, but it's a massive improvement. It's substantially smoother, less edgy, bigger bass, richer midrange, less grainy highs. More separation around the instruments too. I'm an analog guy first, but it's gotten my digital setup pretty close overall for a (quite small) fraction of the cost. I'm a huge fan. I've got no desire to spend more on a more expensive DAC. If you believe the folks running measurements and listening tests over at Audio Science Review, it sounds indistinguishable from the Chord Qutest, which costs nearly four times as much.
It will be a while as I'm in no hurry to tear apart my big rack as it works so well at this point. Fiddling around with my nearfields was easy... But moving the big rack even one inch will change the tone! And I like how the Bryston sounds----big and bold and clear. And if I screw with the wiring it will really tick me off if I break something! EVERYTHING is part of the finished picture!
I believe the D50 has dropped in price because of the D50S which is out now (adds bt among other things). @Doctor Fine no problem, I understand messing around with a very good sounding system can be daunting and not something I would look forward to as well. @Jeremy Bunting The D70 is actually on my radar, so any info is welcome. Not a lot to be found yet on the internet...but I like the words you're using to describe the sound of it!
There's great info over in this thread and the pages of comments. A couple people have reported units dead on arrival, but I've had no issues with mine (yet). I love it! And shipping from China was remarkably fast, four business days sent via DHL. Review and Measurements of the Topping D70 DAC
Do you mind if I ask who you purchased your Topping through ? Is there a preferred seller for these units ?
You didn't ask me, but Amazon will get you the best return policy in the event you need to return. I personally don't like risks when the price is over $35.
I'm not at all surprised by your findings. I have a Topping D20 that has been a great little unit. I recently got a $400 Pro-Ject DAC that I prefer to my Line Magnetic DAC which retailed for $1800 only 6 years ago.
I got my D50 around 4 months ago and I connected it to a Pioneer SC LX-76 A/V receiver with a Yaqin SD-CD3 tube buffer in between (with NOS RCA 6SN7 GTB tubes with black plates from the 1960's) and it sounds great this way. A week ago I tried it on my same Pioneer A/V receiver but WITHOUT the tube buffer and it sounded a bit thin and with music with plenty of high frequency content it also sounded a little harsh. I opened a thread about op-amps and if they are Hi Fi or not as I know the analogue stage of the D50 is all op-amps based and I blamed them about its sound. One forum members talked about lowering the output level of the D50 and to be honest while playing music with the D50 connected to the Pioneer receiver I saw that sometimes the "OVER" message showed on screen, indicating saturation on the inputs of the receiver. I also lowered the output level of my D50 to -3 dB and it sounds much better this way. It's impressive what this unit can do with only 5 Volts and around 450 mAh (measured with an USB multimeter).
The two things I cherish with DACs are clear clean highs AND three dimensional full size palpable holographic imaging. The little Topping D-50 seems to have both qualities. Spent five hours yesterday listening to the finger chime opening of Steely Dan "Babylon Sister" using different top end filtering schemes (the Topping has 7 different filters). Favorite settings so far are 4 and 5. Very impressed with what this little unit brings to the table up against some well known over performers.
I decided it was a bit crazy to own two PS Audio DirectStream DACs, so I sold one and replaced it with the $120 Topping D30. I'm not going to say there was no drop off at all, but I'm very happy with the D30 in my second system, where I use it as the lone source for my Luxman L509X. If I were to replace it, it would likely be with the D70 that offers balanced outputs. I find the D30 to have a very "clean" sound that pairs well with high power solid state amps like the Luxman. I definitely like it better then more expensive DACs I've used such as the Schiit BiFrost. Basically, I'm starting to reach the opition with DACs that you should either spend a lot (several thousand) or not very much at all (Topping), but there isn't much excitement at the $300-$1000-ish level.
Exactly. I used to be a big skeptic of any wall-wart DAC, and figured to get the best results you need a big box full of large capacitors and power supplies and stuff. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all DACs sound the same or there was nothing the PS Audio did better, but what Topping delivers at these price points is just absurd.
Sabre DACs can do a style of spatial soundstage and imaging. It's a general trait of the Sabre sound present in many Sabre based DACs. That style of Sabre spatialness initially sounds neat. Eventually I heard what it was doing and I found it was a wrong style of imaging for me. It's hard to explain how we perceive imaging. The way that I describe the Sabre imaging is to think of the boundaries of the soundstage as a balloon. The Sabre DACs spray most of the imaging out to the skin of the balloon. That gets sounds to seem like they're out there and over there. But what it sounds like to me is that the sounds are coming from the skin of the balloon rather the center where the musicians are supposed to be. The center imaging gets lost, the ability to hear precise locations of instruments gets lost. You get a neat spatial sound that sounds big and gets the walls of the listening room (or boundaries of the headstage for headphones) to disappear, but that comes at the expense of imaging in the center area of the soundstage where the actual musicians and music is. That is not a trade-off that I'm happy with. I prefer DACs that put 3D imaging in the center body area of the balloon where you can count and place the musicians, even if that means the overall soundstage isn't as spacious and large.
BIG generalisation here! I have a sabre dac in my cocktailaudio and it doesn't have a soundstage like you are describing, in fact it is more closed in compared to my non-sabre dacs (bel canto dac 3 & arcam irdac) !
The D50 uses Sabre chips. It's a relevant general observation about the way the imaging seems to sound with Sabre based DACs. The D70 uses AKM chips. It has a good chance of avoiding the general Sabre sound and imaging style.
