Topping D90SE Review (Balanced DAC)

[Gianni]

Hi all, hi @amirm, what is the best filter to use, considering both frequency response and THD+N performance?

 

[nikosidis]

Hi all, hi @amirm, what is the best filter to use, considering both frequency response and THD+N performance?

Do you hear any difference?
I have big problem to hear it.
The filters are roll off filters at very high frequency.

 

[staticV3]

Hi all, hi @amirm, what is the best filter to use, considering both frequency response and THD+N performance?

Best frequency response is in modes 1, 6, and 7:


Regarding distortion, if your hearing is limited to 20KHz, then it doesn't matter which filter you pick.
If you can hear up to 90KHz (and down to 0.0002% THD+N), then modes 3, 5, and 7 will give you the most consistent distortion performance:


All measurements courtesy of WolfX-700 over on L7Audiolab.com.

 

[nikosidis]

Well, no human can hear over 20kHz so I guess it is no problem
Adults over 30 will not hear anything close 20kHz.

 

[srkbear]

Hey Steve,

I may have missed a post here, but what were the results of you installing the I2S board from oppomod in your Oppo? I ask, because I just installed mine tonight, and I have an issue when playing SACDs on my Oppo 103 and outputting via the oppomod I2S board into my Topping d90se’s I2S input:

I’m only getting the right channel speaker to output sound. No audio on the left channel speaker. This is with my oppo’s sacd output set to DSD.

I can only get both left and right channels to play when I set sacd output to PCM.

I’ve been going back and forth with Jaehong from oppomod about this, and he tells me that the Topping d90se has a “unique dsd flag signal”. I have played with the I2S pin settings on the Topping using its settings menu and have not been successful in getting stereo output with the oppo’s sacd output set to DSD.

Are you able to get stereo output from your Topping D90se through your I2S port connected from your oppo through the oppomod i2s board and sacd output set to DSD?

Hey, you may have the ribbon cable going from the mod to the main board in backwards. Try flipping it over with the gold (I believe) part facing outwards and see if that fixes it…

If not email the seller—he usually responds very quickly and he’ll help you sort it out. I’m using the same DAC you are and it seems to work.

 

[Roland68]

Thank you. Roland68.

I looked everywhere on oppomod’s web site about the I2S board not sending the DSD Flag signal. Can you please provide the link to the description that you’re referring to? Is this perhaps implied somehow/somewhere in the description of the board that it’s not passing the DSD Flag signal?

For the two circuit boards on Aliexpress, would you mind sending me the links to them? Do you know of anyone having good results with them and the Topping D90SE?

I checked with Topping that it is actually only a 3.3 volt signal that toggles the DSD flag bit.
You should contact oppomod first if they can help you, the board is expensive enough for that. Pin 14 does not seem to be connected on the OPPOMOD i2s board, but there is a trace for pin 15. Apparently, Jae Hong Lee also makes special modifications, see the picture in the link.
It would be enough if you could manually activate the 3.3 volts via an external switch.
If you dare, ask Jae Hong Lee where you can find 3.3 volts on the board and connect it with a switch to the (probably) free pin 14 of the HDMI port.
OPPOMOD i2s modification

Alternatively, the two boards, you need a 5 volt power supply.
The boards are only connected to each other. On the D90SE side, you don't need a cable, just an HDMI male to male connector.
HDMI i2s extraction board
i2s to HDMI/LVDS converter board

 

[Roland68]

Hey, you may have the ribbon cable going from the mod to the main board in backwards. Try flipping it over with the gold (I believe) part facing outwards and see if that fixes it…

If not email the seller—he usually responds very quickly and he’ll help you sort it out. I’m using the same DAC you are and it seems to work.

Could you please post a picture of your OPPOMOD i2s board?

 

[skYfIrE]

Hi,
I don't know how to integrate this DAC into my stereo/Home Theater system.
I've made a diagramm to show where is the problem :

The Trinnov preamp is a good one but the Topping DAC is better, that's why I would like to integrate it.
If it's too complicated, I'll use only the Trinnov.

The problem is to play Front Left and Right signal with my Home Theater system, because the channels are already used for the Topping DAC :/

 

[Roland68]

Hi,
I don't know how to integrate this DAC into my stereo/Home Theater system.
I've made a diagramm to show where is the problem :
View attachment 192417

The Trinnov preamp is a good one but the Topping DAC is better, that's why I would like to integrate it.
If it's too complicated, I'll use only the Trinnov.

The problem is to play Front Left and Right signal with my Home Theater system, because the channels are already used for the Topping DAC :/

I don't know the Trinnov Altitude 32 well enough.
If this AV preamp could output the front channels digitally (AES, perhaps as a trick via digital crossover?) and then feed them into the D90SE, you would have the perfect integration.
In addition, you could extract the audio signal from the HDMI stream of the OPPO for stereo recordings and feed it into the D90SE. Look here.

 

[skYfIrE]

Guten Tag Roland,
Danke für deine Antwort

I can get the AES output from the Trinnov :

I think the loss in the AES communication should be very low.
I've never used this digital AES, is it the same cable compare to an XLR analog cable ?
I'm not a fan of High End cables. I use Mogami ones.

 

[Roland68]

Guten Tag Roland,
Danke für deine Antwort

I can get the AES output from the Trinnov :
View attachment 192423

I think the loss in the AES communication should be very low.
I've never used this digital AES, is it the same cable compare to an XLR analog cable ?
I'm not a fan of High End cables. I use Mogami ones.

Basically the same cable, but with a 110 ohm characteristic impedance.
Many XLR cables meet this requirement, you can simply try it out. If you have dropouts, then you need a different cable.
Since I make my own cables, I use Sommercable and Mogami.

 

[Angsty]

The Topping D90SE was (finally!) reviewed in the April 2022 edition of The Absolute Sound. A highly favorable review worthy of the tested performance by ASR.

"... if a neutral, high-resolution, modern, well-configured DAC that sounds as true to source material as any I've ever heard is something you are seeking, the D90SE could easily qualify as your new reference DAC."

Hoping to see the D90SE win as "digital component of the year" or "budget component of the year", or both!

 

[mocenigo]

The Topping D90SE was (finally!) reviewed in the April 2022 edition of The Absolute Sound. A highly favorable review worthy of the tested performance by ASR.

"... if a neutral, high-resolution, modern, well-configured DAC that sounds as true to source material as any I've ever heard is something you are seeking, the D90SE could easily qualify as your new reference DAC."

Hoping to see the D90SE win as "digital component of the year" or "budget component of the year", or both!

Interesting news, I would like to read it myself but I cannot find it online.

 

[ackata45]

 

[J Ratcliffe]

Apologies for being too lazy to read 117 pages of this post, but I have gone as far as Pg.5 and haven't seen any comments yet about how this DAC sounds. I am looking for a DAC to replace my Metrum Acoustics Musette in my headphone station. Considering the Denafrips Ares II, Metrum Acoustics Onyx and this Topping D90SE.

My first DAC was the AudioLab M-Dac that also used Sabre and was very bright. I sold it pretty quickly as I found listening to music with it gave me a headache. Wary of repeating that experience with the Topping, but hopeful that things have moved on also.

My HPA is currently the THXAAA789 which I like very much. Headphones are Sundara.

Thanks for thoughts and owner feedback.

 

[staticV3]

Apologies for being too lazy to read 117 pages of this post, but I have gone as far as Pg.5 and haven't seen any comments yet about how this DAC sounds. I am looking for a DAC to replace my Metrum Acoustics Musette in my headphone station. Considering the Denafrips Ares II, Metrum Acoustics Onyx and this Topping D90SE.

My first DAC was the AudioLab M-Dac that also used Sabre and was very bright. I sold it pretty quickly as I found listening to music with it gave me a headache. Wary of repeating that experience with the Topping, but hopeful that things have moved on also.

My HPA is currently the THXAAA789 which I like very much. Headphones are Sundara.

Thanks for thoughts and owner feedback.

Any distortion the D90SE produces is below threshold of human hearing. Therefore the DAC doesn't sound like anything. It outputs the music signal and nothing else.

 

[Marc v E]

Apologies for being too lazy to read 117 pages of this post, but I have gone as far as Pg.5 and haven't seen any comments yet about how this DAC sounds. I am looking for a DAC to replace my Metrum Acoustics Musette in my headphone station. Considering the Denafrips Ares II, Metrum Acoustics Onyx and this Topping D90SE.

My first DAC was the AudioLab M-Dac that also used Sabre and was very bright. I sold it pretty quickly as I found listening to music with it gave me a headache. Wary of repeating that experience with the Topping, but hopeful that things have moved on also.

My HPA is currently the THXAAA789 which I like very much. Headphones are Sundara.

Thanks for thoughts and owner feedback.

The way I usually deal with that is eq the sound to my liking.

 

[MalinYamato]

this DAC is overkill for headphones, right?

 

[Tachyon88]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a mint black d90se if anyone is looking to sale. Shoot me a PM, thanks.

 

[J Ratcliffe]

Any distortion the D90SE produces is below threshold of human hearing. Therefore the DAC doesn't sound like anything. It outputs the music signal and nothing else.

Thanks.

I'd still like to hear from anyone that has compared the D90SE to the Ares II.

Where do you guys buy the D90SE from? A Google search throws up a few possibilities; Shenzhen Audio etc.