Topping D90 Balanced USB DAC Review

[EchoChamber]

I care I see people fretting over USB cables, and I say, "Who cares?", but to each his own of course. Where does it say that the DAC doesn't handle 16bits natively?

To satisfy your curiosity, the D90 MQA with firmware v1.23 offered me the following bit depth and sampling rate options:

 

[burma]

If you put a 16 bit number 10 in a 24 bit integer the result will also be 10. It will stay bit perfect. A 16 bit number or a 24 bit number or a 32 bit number is only a container to put values in. If you put number 10 from a 16 bit container into a 24 bit or 32 bit container it still will be number 10. Any modern DAC (including the D90) nowadays operates with 24 or 32 bits (because the processors are designed that way). But if you put a 16 bits number into it, it still will be the same number. Again, in other words: it will stay bit perfect.
That is why I don't care , because there is nothing to care.

It is like putting something in a slightly oversized box. The thing in the box will stay exactly the same even if the box is bigger.

Yes, you are 100% correct, and I get it. My questions have more to do with how the DAC interacts with the OS (Windows or macOS), and why different OSs, different firmware versions, etc. show different properties for the same DAC. For example Windows was showing 16/24/32bit up to 384000Hz, my macOS shows 24/32bit up to 768000Hz in the latest firmware, but 16/24bit in the prior firmware, etc. So I'm curious as to why, and how (if at all) any of this may impact things.

 

[burma]

To satisfy your curiosity, the D90 MQA with firmware v1.23 offered me the following bit depth and sampling rate options:View attachment 71896

Yes, you said before, but thanks. See my post above - small things like this interaction between OS & DAC, different firmwares behaving differently, etc. cause me to have small questions. That's all.

 

[Veri]

Let me try to summarize all my posts regarding cables so far in this thread below:
(these are my preferences today, as I write this post, based on experimentation and my subjective observations - not all are backed by science or data)

XLR vs RCA => XLR (balanced)
Length of cable => shortest possible for the task at hand
Shielded vs unshielded => shielded
Cable capacitance => lowest available
Cable geometry => star quad
Pro cable brands in order of preference (I only use those for XLR connections and DIY headphone cables, I use Supra Cables in other parts of my systems):
1- Van Damme
2- Canare
3- Mogami (I haven't had Mogami cable in my system in a long time)

If I were you, I'd get this:
Van Damme Starquad Microphone Cable, part number 101-072-001RP - look for a distributor in your country. In the US, you can order here.

If I lived in a world that only had Mogami cable available, than I'd go for an assembled XLR cable using their star quad microphone cable, the Neglex No. W2534.

I personally recommend world's best cables on Amazon. They are flawless and offer all kinds of brands.

 

[burma]

I personally recommend world's best cables on Amazon. They are flawless and offer all kinds of brands.

I plan to get 2 of these to connect the A90 XLR out to active studio monitors. One will be closer, so wondering if I should get both 6ft or one 3ft and one 6ft. I’ve never had to think about this mismatch before. Is OK?

https://www.amazon.com/Mogami-Microphone-XLR-Female-XLR-Male-Connectors/dp/B0002E1G7K

 

[EchoChamber]

I plan to get 2 of these to connect the A90 XLR out to active studio monitors. One will be closer, so wondering if I should get both 6ft or one 3ft and one 6ft. I’ve never had to think about this mismatch before. Is OK?

https://www.amazon.com/Mogami-Microphone-XLR-Female-XLR-Male-Connectors/dp/B0002E1G7K

I love stereo symmetry, so I’d get both the same length (my OCD side). Or move your source to a more central position...

 

[hmscott]

Let me try to summarize all my posts regarding cables so far in this thread below:
(these are my preferences today, as I write this post, based on experimentation and my subjective observations - not all are backed by science or data)

XLR vs RCA => XLR (balanced)
Length of cable => shortest possible for the task at hand
Shielded vs unshielded => shielded
Cable capacitance => lowest available
Cable geometry => star quad
Pro cable brands in order of preference:
(I only use those for XLR connections and DIY headphone cables, I use Supra Cables in other parts of my systems)
1- Van Damme
2- Canare
3- Mogami (I haven't had Mogami cable in my system in a long time)

If I were you, I'd get this:
Van Damme Starquad Microphone Cable, part number 101-072-001RP - look for a distributor in your country. In the US, you can order here.

If I lived in a world that only had Mogami cable available, than I'd go for an assembled XLR cable using their star quad microphone cable, the Neglex No. W2534.

I personally recommend world's best cables on Amazon. They are flawless and offer all kinds of brands.

Thanks for the suggestions, I found these premade RCA Mogami 2534 1.5 foot / 0.5 foot sets ( 4 wire) and premade RCA Mogami 2549 (2 wire) 1.0 foot as a jumper between the A90 / D90 MQA - see their Construction and Specifications images for more details:

0.5 Foot – Directional Quad High-Definition Audio Interconnect Cable Pair Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2534 Wire and Amphenol ACPR Die-Cast, Gold Plated RCA Connectors
by WORLDS BEST CABLES
https://www.amazon.com/0-5-Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect/dp/B01ALHT7CI

1.5 Foot – Directional Quad High-Definition Audio Interconnect Cable Pair Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2534 Wire and Amphenol ACPR Die-Cast, Gold Plated RCA Connectors
https://www.amazon.com/1-5-Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect/dp/B01ALHUSYE

Mogami 2534 vs 2549 - EMI shielding vs "Sound"...?

1 Foot – Directional High-Definition Audio Interconnect Cable Pair Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2549 Wire and Amphenol ACPR Die-Cast, Gold Plated RCA Connectors
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ALFR02Y

Robert R 5.0 out of 5 stars Brand Lives Up To Its Name
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
"Very nice high quality interconnect. I did some research and the Mogami 2549 in this offering seems to be a better option vs. heavier shielded cable also offered by WBC which only improves EMI resistance. Some posts claim that the wire in this cable sounds better vs heavier shielded counterparts. At the end of the day, this is a high-quality well soldered interconnect with excellent packaging and presentation. It's serving my needs well in between my E30 DAC and 789 Amp."

The 0.5m XLR cables from SKW are working fine - no noise even at H Gain 100% volume... so for now I'll stick with those. Amazon has SKW 1.5m as the shortest length; the 0.5m length I sourced from Hifigo in China:
https://hifigo.com/products/skw-hif...ixer-amplifiers-1-pair?variant=32043150934065
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33034630648.html
https://www.amazon.com/SKW-Balanced-Female-Microphone-2-Pack/dp/B07Q8Q16F9

Has anyone with the D90 / A90 / ? fixed or substantially improved the RCA connection "noise" by shortening RCA cables or buying better shielded RCA cables? How about better shielded USB cables?, or some other method of reducing the PC noise brought in through the USB cable? If you've debugged your noise problem to root cause + solution, please let us know the details.

Before I spend $ on new RCA / USB cables or other solutions, I'd like to know if it's worth the effort. I'd like to use RCA output from the A90 to drive power speakers, but I could put the extra $ instead into better powered speakers + XLR cables.

 

[smallricey]

Would anyone be able to translate these specs? Especially the second and third row. I couldn’t find the full specs translated on the AliExpress page...
View attachment 71797

2nd row is capacitor
3rd row is resistor
4th i am guessing it's grounding.
5th is resistor use for grounding.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Would anyone be able to translate these specs? Especially the second and third row. I couldn’t find the full specs translated on the AliExpress page...
View attachment 71797

Contact capacitance
Contact resistance
Rated breakdown voltage/Isolation voltage
Isolation resistance
Rated current
Rated voltage

 

[EchoChamber]

Contact capacitance
Contact resistance
Rated breakdown voltage/Isolation voltage
Isolation resistance
Rated current
Rated voltage

Thank you!

I guess the capacitance value is useless since they don’t relate to a specific length of cable...

 

[EdW]

Hi, I’m new to this site and I’ve really enjoyed reading the various forums over the last week or two. A breath of fresh air. I was getting very tired of the subjectivist web reviews and the complete garbage fed to me by local hifi shops which offended my engineering background.
Looking for advice on the D90.
1. Whether to buy the D90 or the D90 MQA? I won’t be using MQA but:
Are the 2 DACs identical in terms of measured audio performance?
Other than MQA support can the XMOSXU216 interface conceivably offer any future enhancements which might give a little future proofing?
2. In DAC O/P mode is the D90 prone to intersample overs (with correctly sampled music compliant to Whittaker/Shannon sampling theorem) causing an overload? Should I use the volume control set at -3dB, for example, to prevent this. I understand that Chord dial back their DACs by approx. 2.75dB to prevent this issue.
I look forward to your advice

 

[JohnYang1997]

Hi, I’m new to this site and I’ve really enjoyed reading the various forums over the last week or two. A breath of fresh air. I was getting very tired of the subjectivist web reviews and the complete garbage fed to me by local hifi shops which offended my engineering background.
Looking for advice on the D90.
1. Whether to buy the D90 or the D90 MQA? I won’t be using MQA but:
Are the 2 DACs identical in terms of measured audio performance?
Other than MQA support can the XMOSXU216 interface conceivably offer any future enhancements which might give a little future proofing?
2. In DAC O/P mode is the D90 prone to intersample overs (with correctly sampled music compliant to Whittaker/Shannon sampling theorem) causing an overload? Should I use the volume control set at -3dB, for example, to prevent this. I understand that Chord dial back their DACs by approx. 2.75dB to prevent this issue.
I look forward to your advice

1, Get the non MQA version if you don't use MQA.
2, If you are afraid of intersample overs, dial down the volume a few dB til you feel comfortable. Or if you don't hear it, why bother.

 

[EdW]

Many thanks, John. You have confirmed my reading of the datasheets, so I can save $100 with no penalty. Sadly, I won’t be putting the money saved towards an overpriced USB interconnect
I shall follow your very practical advice on intersample overs

 

[Dclone]

1, Get the non MQA version if you don't use MQA.
2, If you are afraid of intersample overs, dial down the volume a few dB til you feel comfortable. Or if you don't hear it, why bother.

So. I bought the MQA version of D90. No problem with it at all (still firmware 1.23 because of vacation) Did I do a big mistake? I do not use MQA files. Have I bought a bad produkt for 100 dollars extra?

 

[AndyLu]

So. I bought the MQA version of D90. No problem with it at all (still firmware 1.23 because of vacation) Did I do a big mistake? I do not use MQA files. Have I bought a bad produkt for 100 dollars extra?

No it is just as good. You paid extra for MQA functionality. That is the difference. Why would the D90 with MQA be bad compared to the D90 without MQA? You just paid extra for something you don't use. It does not make the product bad

 

[EchoChamber]

Looking for advice on the D90.
1. Whether to buy the D90 or the D90 MQA?

If you don't ever intend to subscribe to Tidal, then just get the regular D90. MQA is mostly for Tidal subscribers.
I listen to Tidal a lot and was curious about MQA, I never had an MQA DAC before. I like master tracks on MQA, but I don't have a non-MQA D90 to compare to though... Master tracks will also sound good on non-MQA devices since they are usually 24 bit and sometimes at a higher sample rate.

 

[smallricey]

If you don't ever intend to subscribe to Tidal, then just get the regular D90. MQA is mostly for Tidal subscribers.
I listen to Tidal a lot and was curious about MQA, I never had an MQA DAC before. I like master tracks on MQA, but I don't have a non-MQA D90 to compare to though... Master tracks will also sound good on non-MQA devices since they are usually 24 bit and sometimes at a higher sample rate.

I don't really get it. Is hardware decode better than software decode when your CPU is up for the task?

 

[UCrazyKid]

Thanks for the suggestions, I found these premade RCA Mogami 2534 1.5 foot / 0.5 foot sets ( 4 wire) and premade RCA Mogami 2549 (2 wire) 1.0 foot as a jumper between the A90 / D90 MQA - see their Construction and Specifications images for more details:

0.5 Foot – Directional Quad High-Definition Audio Interconnect Cable Pair Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2534 Wire and Amphenol ACPR Die-Cast, Gold Plated RCA Connectors
by WORLDS BEST CABLES
https://www.amazon.com/0-5-Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect/dp/B01ALHT7CI

1.5 Foot – Directional Quad High-Definition Audio Interconnect Cable Pair Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2534 Wire and Amphenol ACPR Die-Cast, Gold Plated RCA Connectors
https://www.amazon.com/1-5-Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect/dp/B01ALHUSYE

Mogami 2534 vs 2549 - EMI shielding vs "Sound"...?

1 Foot – Directional High-Definition Audio Interconnect Cable Pair Custom Made by WORLDS BEST CABLES – Using Mogami 2549 Wire and Amphenol ACPR Die-Cast, Gold Plated RCA Connectors
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ALFR02Y

Robert R 5.0 out of 5 stars Brand Lives Up To Its Name
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
"Very nice high quality interconnect. I did some research and the Mogami 2549 in this offering seems to be a better option vs. heavier shielded cable also offered by WBC which only improves EMI resistance. Some posts claim that the wire in this cable sounds better vs heavier shielded counterparts. At the end of the day, this is a high-quality well soldered interconnect with excellent packaging and presentation. It's serving my needs well in between my E30 DAC and 789 Amp."

The 0.5m XLR cables from SKW are working fine - no noise even at H Gain 100% volume... so for now I'll stick with those. Amazon has SKW 1.5m as the shortest length; the 0.5m length I sourced from Hifigo in China:
https://hifigo.com/products/skw-hif...ixer-amplifiers-1-pair?variant=32043150934065
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33034630648.html
https://www.amazon.com/SKW-Balanced-Female-Microphone-2-Pack/dp/B07Q8Q16F9

Has anyone with the D90 / A90 / ? fixed or substantially improved the RCA connection "noise" by shortening RCA cables or buying better shielded RCA cables? How about better shielded USB cables?, or some other method of reducing the PC noise brought in through the USB cable? If you've debugged your noise problem to root cause + solution, please let us know the details.

Before I spend $ on new RCA / USB cables or other solutions, I'd like to know if it's worth the effort. I'd like to use RCA output from the A90 to drive power speakers, but I could put the extra $ instead into better powered speakers + XLR cables.

Whatever you choose to buy, make sure it comes with a return policy. I would not over think this cabling too much. We are talking about very small distances.

 

[EchoChamber]

I don't really get it. Is hardware decode better than software decode when your CPU is up for the task?

It doesn’t seem to send the MQA music file the same way. For example, whith Tidal in exclusive mode, some MQA tracks will play at 88.2 kHz on non-MQA DACs and 44.1 kHz on MQA DACs... Why? I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a reason and if I take the time to study MQA implementation I’ll know. My point is that it does things differently, I don’t have a D90 non-MQA to compare against my D90 MQA. If Topping wants to lend me one for 2 weeks, I’d be happy to report my subjective impressions. ;-)
What I can tell you is that the D90 MQA in my main speaker system sounds amazing, and when playing MQA master tracks even more amazing.

 

[mocenigo]

I personally recommend world's best cables on Amazon. They are flawless and offer all kinds of brands.

I also bought from them. Impeccable confectioning.