DAC Shootout Starts This Weekend
@metaldetektor Sorry for the delay in responding. It has been a hectic week here.
I am using the "Direct Connect" via ethernet from my Antipodes Oladra server. This should be virtually identical to feeding it from an Antipodes K41. I tested the internal renderer and the AES input from the Oladra clock and found them to be pretty similar so I defaulted to the onboard player. I am waiting on the MPS-X to arrive. I ordered one in April and they are so backordered it still isn't here yet. |
Here is a new review of the Topping D90LE. I am sure this is going to annoy a segment of the community here and they are not going to want to hear this. I found this demo supremely disappointing because of the hype associated with this product. If you ignore the hype and looks at this as an ~$1000 DAC with a good feature set, it is a good DAC at that price. I plugged this in and connected it to my Antipodes Oladra via I2S and via AES. I tested both and I2S was superior. AES had significant smearing in low frequencies and I2S had less so I stuck with I2S. In a Sentimental Mood sounded good. Drum rolls were crisp. Music was enjoyable. Stage seems smallish but this is not a large sounding song. Be Still My Beating Heart sounded small. Image was concentrated between the speakers and was centered maybe a foot behind the speakers. This is a song that sounds huge and can be quite immersive with some effects coming from behind you in certain moments. Liberty again, sounds small. The effects were not coming from the distance, but between the speakers. Her voice had an edge to it, not sibilant but close. This is quite impressive as many units drift into painful territories on that song. In the opening of Duende there was still significant smearing in the bass notes that we hear in Levin’s solo. Drum rolls are good and dynamics are okay but the image is very centered. Good separation and intimacy on the Berg piece. This is a fine $1K DAC. It seems particularly good for acoustic music. It would be interesting to hear this compared to the modestly priced Cambridge, Peachtree and Musical Fidelity DACs. It is not interesting and not fair to compare it to units that are more expensive. You get a lot more in terms of staging and clarity at higher price points. If you are in the market for $1000 DAC, this should be on your list as it does a lot of stuff well. Don't think you are going to trade down and it will deliver the same listening experience as a more premium unit. |
Interesting that you would throw this into the mix given the obviously better units that typically cross your doorstep. I agree with you regarding the hype when it comes to Topping, and I think your comments and evaluation are fair. I think it would be interesting to compare against a Musician’s Pegasus as they are in the same price range. |
the topping d90 was one of the first dacs i tried on my long road with dacs -- i concur 100%... it is a clear sounding unit but with poor timbre, flat soundstage and a notably robotic quality to its sound... it was in and out within a week |
@verdantaudio , thank you for the write-up on the Weiss Helios. It seems like it's pretty fantastic. Now to start my daily checks to try to find a deal on one... |
