New Topping D90SE DAC

Topping. IFI. Hidizs — all rated highly by measurements. All sound mediocre to me. 
Schiit does neutral very well. If that’s what you want. Otherwise RME, Chord Qutest, Mytek. In that order. 
You nailed it — measurements mean little.

And the one that beats these for the most analog sound is the Wyred for sound 10th anniversary dac. These other dacs here are not even in the same league.

I owned a Topping D90 a couple of years ago. Neutral, clear, precise, sterile, boring! I bought it based on the glowing reviews by the likes of ASR and really tried to like it. Eventually sold it to a friend who is still enjoying it. 

If you’re in the market for a new DAC it’s worthwhile considering a Denafrips Ares II, it’s definitely a DAC that has had hugely positive reviews so much so I bought one and it’s very very good and the build quality is amazing. 

@vanson1 Do you like a detailed neutral sound or some warmth?  That should help you decide if you get the Topping D90SE. What else is in your system. Any warm components?

I have a CODA 07x preamp and that is a sonically warm preamp and likely mate well with the Topping D90SE because it sounds great with my similar measured Benchmark DAC3B. So a neutral DAC and warm preamp.

With regards to measurements, In my case, measurements do mean a lot. Today, I am listening to a classic 20 year old Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD player modified by Vacuum State to Level 5+. This is a warm player and has a great sound. The best sound I ever got from it were with 2 preamps that currently have the best measurements of any gear I have seen published. They are the Topping pre90 and the Benchmark HPA4. I have been saying the HPA4 is the best preamp I have "not heard" and now the Topping pre90 is in the same class for me. They measure almost the same and these measurements indicate that they do not impart a sound on things connected to them. Measurements matter in this case where I want the exact sound of the source.

I do not like the SONY SCD-1 paired with the CODA 07x. Warmth on top of warmth not fun for me. So measurements mean a lot when used for specific purposes.