Sub-$1250 DAC w/ built-in Headphone Amp
Just got the new Topping D70s MQA version in the mail from HiFiGo today. I got it on sale, and used some points. But they have all sorts of ways to earn points/credits, like joining will get you a $5 credit, and re-tweeting, joining their Instagram etc. Will get you a little more too. It's $650US shipped normally, but if you do all their little stuff you'll probably get like $15, $20 bucks off. Then you an get a sweet Schiit headphone amp, or maybe a topping to match with the rest of your budget. It took right about two weeks from China to Rhode Island for shipping BTW. This thing is serious! It is not a mild upgrade from either my Sabaj D5, nor my Audio Gd NFB 28.38 either. Or my Scott Nixon tube DAC, my Starting Point Systems DAC 3, my Topping D10, any of my headphone/DAC dongles, the Grant Fidelity Tube DAC 11 I had, or my Parasound Zdac either. I know that's TMI, but I'm trying to make a point here. None of these compete with this DAC, and I doubt anything at it's price, or less will. I'm not so sure about many more expensive ones either. And I've done constant research on DACs for years now. I know just about everything out there, and seen or read every review I can find. I'm absolutely tireless when it comes to getting my money's worth, and getting the sound I'm looking for without going beyond, and I picked this. That should say a lot right there. Check out the review from Soundnews, and then check out his other reviews too. He's dead on when it comes to this DAC. He describes it's sound perfectly. And if that seems like a sound signature you would like. I highly recommend you try it. I bought it because of that review, and am absolutely ecstatic about it! It's exactly what I've been searching for all along. Or really what I've been waiting for, because it just came out recently. Which is another bonus about buying this one. It's the freshest, and will stay that way the longest. And we all know how DACs just keep getting better all the time. But at some point, you've got to try and find a sweet spot to buy in on one. This is that spot IMHO. It's basically the same sound quality as the D90, and the SMSL 400. Only it doesn't cost as much. It's basically got every option you'll need, including some other DACs don't have, like auto shutoff for instance. It's also 2.5 volts SE, and 5 volts Balanced. It drives my Ncore amp perfectly with no other preamp. Without suffering from a huge loss of dynamics like some DACs do in the same situation. It's got real punch, and a very well built power supply. Along with a couple of Femto Clocks. MQA support, the best XMOS USB receiver, etc. Just read the review, as there's too much to get into. It was the only one that ticked every box for me, including AES. And even a high performance Bluetooth card for convenience. Yes you can turn it off if you want. And like I mentioned the sound is exactly as he describes it. Similar to an R2R, and absolutely chest pounding bass. I have a MiniDSP SHD Studio, and I'm considering getting another one so I can have 4 matching DSP capable channels of the best sound for the money I've been able to find. It would have cost thousands to get this level of performance a few years ago. And even the packaging is top notch. For whatever that's worth. Lol Sorry I can't help myself. I'm so excited about this unit! I've finally got the DAC I've been after for about 5 years now. And I want to shout it out to everyone! I just absolutely love this thing. BTW if you're anywhere near the NE Massachusetts, and RI border. I'll be happy to bring it somewhere not too far from me to let you hear it. I mean that too. I'll even bring my 3 other best ones to compare it with, and you'll see. I can't have anyone over right now, but I'll come to you, and wear an N95 mask too. It won't take long. I assure you. I'll just hook the Topping D70s MQA up last, and within a couple of songs you'll be pulling out the CC to order one. Lol Either way. Good luck. And I recommend you check out the same reviewer's many headphone amp reviews before you make a decision. As he's really into them, and a good reviewer IMO. But it seems you can't ever go too wrong with Schiit in that department. That seems to be their single best item they make, and certainly the best selection IMO. I'm not a HP guy, but I think they're just killing the HP Amp game. And I'm not the only one. Good luck either way. I hope you find your Unicorn also. ✌️ |
The Bifrost sounds like a great choice (and add a separate amp like Valhalla)! I have only heard a Ragnarok (an amp) but that was great so I trust Schiit as a company. They also have many great reviews. I think you will notice big improvement in SQ. I have an iFi Nano and a Dragonfly Black but prefer my separate dac through the Ragnarok. If you go with Valhalla to keep the price down you can always upgrade the amp later and keep the Bifrost. Other brands to check out could be Okto or iFi (with their more expensive solutions). https://www.stereophile.com/content/okto-dac8-stereo-da-processor https://ifi-audio.com/products/neo-idsd/ |
