Need a DAC Recommendation.

Toppings makes great products. 

There is a review by Amir that he reviewed the schiit DAC and found some flaws. 

He worked with the company and they made changes to improve their product. 

Facts are facts. 

Measurements are Measurements 

Enough said 

Toppings makes great products.

There is a review by Amir that he reviewed the schiit DAC and found some flaws.

He worked with the company and they made changes to improve their product.

Facts are facts.

Measurements are Measurements

Enough said

blah blah blah

it’s about the music, the magic of the performance, the emotional connection ... measurements may instruct at some rudimentary level but do not even capture a half of it

I have the Topping D90se DAC (the latest) and it is rather good. It is in the neutral camp so I think it would pair well with some warm electronics or speakers. I actually use them with Benchmark AHB2 (which are not warm) but this combo is in the camp of adding nothing to the sound. It is the opposite of my other system so it is a nice change of pace for me.

The D90Se is $899 (or 599, I forgot). Another DAC that is also a great buy at $1350 (on sale now) is the Gustard X26 Pro. This is a warmer DAC and a DAC people should try on home trial before they spend more money. There are 4 filters and NOS/OS mode to tailor the sound.

The Gustard 'X-22' is a brilliant DAC ! ($1099. USD). It is a much better DAC than the Chord 'Qutest' -and by a wide margin. 

Similarly, the 9038PRO/ESS chip-set is head/shoulders above Gustard's older 9028-PRO chip set (i.e. 'X-20PRO'). The resolution/layering, fluidity of playback is immediately and obviously improved in the 9038/Gustard implementation. 

pj