@flaxxer
Trying to find the perfectly unobtrusive high quality volume control/attenuator/etc solution that doesn’t lose resolution, etc can get expensive quickly. There’s a still a good chance that you may be happy with the Topping D90 on its own (it comes down to how unforgiving your ears are). Hence, you could start there. If you’re happy with it, you wouldn’t need anything else.
Like I mentioned, the 750 dollar Topping D90 hit the peak of diminishing returns on DS dacs for my ears. However, there is another budget oriented option, the Topping E30 that sounds pretty good, while costing only a 150 bucks. My daughter who also happens to be a golden ear bat uses it on her desktop hifi setup and is quite happy with it. You can always return it if it didn't cut it for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Topping-E30-Optical-Coaxial-Portable/dp/B0865Y9F6R/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=topping+e30&qid=1614442985&s=electronics&sr=1-3
I have some of NPass’s older gear and as you may know, most Class A gear made here can cost an arm and a leg. When a) the wallet is not happy and b) you’re not too picky on the country of origin w.r.t gear, the Chinese Dragon can often offer a rescue package for many golden ear bats out there. You could try to get your hands on a Jungson (Zhongshen) class A preamp on its own (600 to 700ish USD) at a later time.
https://www.amazon.com/JUNGSON-Balanced-PREAMP-Standard-JungSon/dp/B086WVXC8T/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jungson+ja1&qid=1614442572&s=electronics&sr=1-1
There are ways to get stuff like this cheaper directly from China. But, amazon's protection could be worth it.
One couldn’t even build/DIY gear of this caliber in the US at prices like these, let alone try to sell if for a profit. A couple of vulture pricing companies i know here contract these guys at Jungson to design/make their gear. Once it reaches our shores, it gets a different brand name and a 1500% markup.
Trying to find the perfectly unobtrusive high quality volume control/attenuator/etc solution that doesn’t lose resolution, etc can get expensive quickly. There’s a still a good chance that you may be happy with the Topping D90 on its own (it comes down to how unforgiving your ears are). Hence, you could start there. If you’re happy with it, you wouldn’t need anything else.
Like I mentioned, the 750 dollar Topping D90 hit the peak of diminishing returns on DS dacs for my ears. However, there is another budget oriented option, the Topping E30 that sounds pretty good, while costing only a 150 bucks. My daughter who also happens to be a golden ear bat uses it on her desktop hifi setup and is quite happy with it. You can always return it if it didn't cut it for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Topping-E30-Optical-Coaxial-Portable/dp/B0865Y9F6R/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=topping+e30&qid=1614442985&s=electronics&sr=1-3
I have some of NPass’s older gear and as you may know, most Class A gear made here can cost an arm and a leg. When a) the wallet is not happy and b) you’re not too picky on the country of origin w.r.t gear, the Chinese Dragon can often offer a rescue package for many golden ear bats out there. You could try to get your hands on a Jungson (Zhongshen) class A preamp on its own (600 to 700ish USD) at a later time.
https://www.amazon.com/JUNGSON-Balanced-PREAMP-Standard-JungSon/dp/B086WVXC8T/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jungson+ja1&qid=1614442572&s=electronics&sr=1-1
There are ways to get stuff like this cheaper directly from China. But, amazon's protection could be worth it.
One couldn’t even build/DIY gear of this caliber in the US at prices like these, let alone try to sell if for a profit. A couple of vulture pricing companies i know here contract these guys at Jungson to design/make their gear. Once it reaches our shores, it gets a different brand name and a 1500% markup.