Topping E30 DAC Review

[half_dog]

Guys, Quick Charge capabilities are only activated if both devices are compatible. If not, the charger will output only 5V and its capability current...

Don't have any issues with samsung charger on E30. About a year now.

Me too and what I could find about it this is one of the cleanest smartphones chargers around...

 

[Megaken]

I recently bought an E30
I use it in DAC mode with USB connection.
I first connected the original non aftermarket iphone charger 5V/1A it worked fine for a while.
After disconnecting the power it no longer worked with the iphone charger nor the two samsung chargers.
Plugged into the usb port of my computer 3.0(900 mA=0.9A) or 2.0(500 mA=0.5A) worked perfectly but here I hear some noise.
Can anyone recommend me an external power supply that works properly without noise?

literally any 5v/1a thing works just fine. Maybe your issue is the cable?

 

[pinyuszka]

Semmi gond nincs az E30 samsung töltőjével. Körülbelül egy éve.

literally any 5v/1a thing works just fine. Maybe your issue is the cable?

it should work ...
As soon as I plug it into my computer, the same usb cable is immediately lit by the indicator LED.
As I wrote only for a short time but it worked with the apple charger, after powering it no longer worked.
Factory reset done, no change.
I will try to replace the cable to see if this is the solution.

 

[mk333]

I suspect there is some kind of overvoltage protection on the PSU. 5.6V for a short amount of time is probably not a real issue, especially as you indicate that the unit is still working without issues. It would be another thing if you were to feed it with something like 20V.

Topping representative confirmed the overvoltage protection for E30.

 

[Saponetto]

Topping representative confirmed the overvoltage protection for E30.

It depends on which type of overvoltage protection is actually embedded in.

The problem met by pinyuszka remembers me that other people had to face similar issues after a brief supply overvoltage on their E30 and D50.

Perhaps some line protection diodes did not survive to a brief overvoltage causing troubles, and aiming at any solution this is for sure a good question for Topping representative...

 

[Atanasi]

It depends on which type of overvoltage protection is actually embedded in.

The intention was to tolerate 15 V AC consumed by L30. The oldest revisions of E30 did not include this protection, but it was added to more recent ones, produced some time after the introduction of L30.

The maximum voltage specified for standard USB power supplies is 5.5 V at the source. The voltage specified for the device connector is lower, because there is a reservation for voltage drop at cables and connectors. Some power supplies emit a somewhat larger voltage than 5.5 V at the source, like that one with 5.6 V. The idea is that after cable and connector drops the voltage at the device would not exceed 5.5 V, and devices should tolerate cable and connector losses that are smaller than specified.

 

[Saponetto]

Good explaination, it fits on the unfortunate events I mentioned, all of these referred on early production batches of E30.
Far off from me to test feed my E30 with 15VDC, it is anyway reassuring that some caution was added to avoid fatal issues.

 

[MJgooner]

I'm considering the E30, but I've never owned a standalone DAC and want to make sure I know how to implement it. I've currently got a Linux PC that serves as my media center (flac library, Netflix, etc.) hooked up to a Marantz SR7000 via spdif, powering a 2.1 system.

I would basically power the E30 and connect the PC to it via USB, then run analog out from the E30 into the Marantz, right? Then anything played from the PC through my 2.1 setup or headphones (through the front of the Marantz) would be handled by the DAC?

 

[Saponetto]

If you manage the E30 analog output as a stereo (2 channels) source for your Marantz AV receiver, then I don't see any problem.

 

[voodooless]

If you manage the E30 analog output as a stereo (2 channels) source for your Marantz AV receiver, then I don't see any problem.

Except that the thing with digitize analogue sources except in the pure direct modes. Those usually also don’t offer any decent bass management, so you might lose the .1 (check the manual). All in all it’s probably not worth the trouble.

 

[Saponetto]

Of course, that's why I specified analog stereo 2 channels...
Imho, the .1 is a minimal loss, but if the main purpose is to maintain AV (2.1 or more) capabilities, then it forcibly needs other solutions.

 

[MJgooner]

Of course, that's why I specified analog stereo 2 channels...
Imho, the .1 is a minimal loss, but if the main purpose is to maintain AV (2.1 or more) capabilities, then it forcibly needs other solutions.

Sorry for my ignorance, I'm trying to follow along. Basically the E30 wont work for systems with a subwoofer, and I need to look for DACs that do? Or have I misunderstood?

 

[voodooless]

Sorry for my ignorance, I'm trying to follow along. Basically the E30 wont work for systems with a subwoofer, and I need to look for DACs that do? Or have I misunderstood?

The DAC is not the problem. It’s the AVR that will redigitize the analog audio to do bass management. Digitizing defeats the whole purpose of an external DAC.

 

[MJgooner]

The DAC is not the problem. It’s the AVR that will redigitize the analog audio to do bass management. Digitizing defeats the whole purpose of an external DAC.

Okay, so I need to get a receiver that doesn't redigitize analog to do bass management. How can I know which amps do that and which don't?

Also, my SR7000 has a "source direct" mode wherein the tone control circuitry and bass management are bypassed. Would putting the receiver in this mode resolve this issue?

Edit: I just tried source direct mode and it does indeed not use the subwoofer. I guess that would leave me with the problem of figuring out how to use the subwoofer with a DAC. Is this an uncommon thing im trying, do most people not use a subwoofer?

 

[dandreye]

Hi All, I've only managed just over the first 70 pages of this thread so far and it may be a while before I get a chance to read it any further. Could anyone please confirm the final status of the inverted polarity issue? It'd be great to hear it's fixed for all 3 inputs in batch 2012 that my E30 is from. Thanks in advance!

 

[csepulv]

Hi All, I've only managed just over the first 70 pages of this thread so far and it may be a while before I get a chance to read it any further. Could anyone please confirm the final status of the inverted polarity issue? It'd be great to hear it's fixed for all 3 inputs in batch 2012 that my E30 is from. Thanks in advance!

FWIW, I searched polarity in this thread and it seems 2004+ units are okay. There is also a thread dedicated to the issue

Topping E30 Polarity discussion

Could this be the way we unclog the review thread of all the repeated discussion over the Polarity output of the Topping E30?

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[voodooless]

Okay, so I need to get a receiver that doesn't redigitize analog to do bass management. How can I know which amps do that and which don't?

There is no such thing. AV Receivers are digital boxes by nature. Just save the $€ 130 and enjoy what you have.

 

[tonynguyen98]

I opened up my E30 today, the display seemed too complicated for me to remove (it seems glued and screwed from within), so I just detached the display ribbon cable from the PCB using a long flat head screw driver. It can be a real pain to get it back in its socket later.

Here are some photos (you can zoom in).

Could you please share more detail about how to open the display? Which tools did you use to open it?

 

[the_brunx]

Could you please share more detail about how to open the display? Which tools did you use to open it?

I did not, I open the back side and detached the ribbon cable from its socket with a long flat head screw driver.

 

[tonynguyen98]

oh, wow! That is such a pain in my butt. Thank you so much for your reply.