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Topping E30 DAC Review

Tiller

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That's completely wrong. The polarity reversal that we are discussing has nothing to do with spherical versus planar.

Take (as an extreme example) the cannon shot from the 1812 Overture. That's an outgoing spherical wave, whose leading edge is overpressure, not underpressure. The polarity-reversed version would have a leading edge which is underpressure.

This has nothing to do with where you happen to be sitting, or which way you happen to be facing.
Now you are beginning to understand. The cannon behaves like a spherical beamer. If a drum of vertical membrane is hit from behind you get an overpressure wave front in front of it and an underpressure front sitting behind it.
 

tankas

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That page (https://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_polaritycheck.php) tests totally different thing, stereo polarity, and not absolute polarity. Obviously you are going to hear a difference. The out of phase samples make you feel like your brain is sucked out through your ears. I really doubt that G6 has stereo polarity issues... Everything would sound horrible.
Yeah, sorry, this is the correct link for 'Absolute Polarity Blind Listening Test'
https://www.audiocheck.net/blindtests_abspolarity.php
 

Robbo99999

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Yeah, sorry, this is the correct link for 'Absolute Polarity Blind Listening Test'
https://www.audiocheck.net/blindtests_abspolarity.php
Well I tested myself, and with that sample of music and I can't tell the difference between them, how representative that sample is for showing any characteristic difference between original & inverted absolute phase I do not know. The main reason why I couldn't differentiate between the two, was because I couldn't really identify where in the sample the inverted differed from the original....at times I felt like I could hear a difference but it didn't really stay constant from one playback to the next...this was when I was trying to 'train' myself by listening to the original a number of times and then switching quickly to the inverted. From listening to the samples I developed a 'theory' that the original had a bit more attack in the pluck of the guitar and perhaps a few more prominent notes in some places...but I couldn't reliably latch onto that when listening to the unknown samples, and I also don't know if my theory was correct anyway.
Absolute Phase Test..jpg
 
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samsa

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Now you are beginning to understand. The cannon behaves like a spherical beamer. If a drum of vertical membrane is hit from behind you get an overpressure wave front in front of it and an underpressure front sitting behind it.

Both of which are moving outwards from the source. No matter where the listener is, and what direction they happen to be facing, the overpressure arrives first, followed by the underpressure.

In the polarity-inverted wave, the opposite is true: no matter where the listener is located, the underpressure arrives first, followed by the overpressure.

Hence, your statement that polarity-reversal is just like sitting behind the orchestra, facing away from it, is completely wrong, as is the statement that "If there are only (ideal) sherical beamers in the orchestra no polarity revesal effect can be heard."
 
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samsa

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yejun

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Now you are beginning to understand. The cannon behaves like a spherical beamer. If a drum of vertical membrane is hit from behind you get an overpressure wave front in front of it and an underpressure front sitting behind it.

Unless you sit inside drum, you will not hear the other side of the membrane. Planar wave is just unrealistic, you need to produce with a huge membrane and a wall of phase aligned speakers.
 

Robbo99999

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Maybe it's time for a "real" example, which is as polarity-asymmetric as any instrument in the repertoire: the trombone. Here's
  1. A pair of .wav file with a trombone note and its polarity-reversed version.
  2. A 30 second snippet from Villa Lobos Choros #4 for 3 horns & trombone, and its polarity-reversed version.
Both illustrate the extreme asymmetry of the trombone. See if you can ABX them.
I find it very hard to find a difference to those two. If you had to force me to notice a difference I would say it's at about 22 seconds into the track where the trombone shoots up in volume and does a quick rising 'sweep' of a number of notes...I would say the original sample has a bit more of an 'edgy timbre' than the inverted one....if you had to force me to notice a difference, ha!

So, if any difference can be expected, what difference would there theoretically be in those two samples?
 

samsa

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I find it very hard to find a difference to those two. If you had to force me to notice a difference I would say it's at about 22 seconds into the track where the trombone shoots up in volume and does a quick rising 'sweep' of a number of notes...I would say the original sample has a bit more of an 'edgy timbre' than the inverted one....if you had to force me to notice a difference, ha!

Foobar2000, ABXTester.app.
 

Migel83

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Yeah, sorry, this is the correct link for 'Absolute Polarity Blind Listening Test'
https://www.audiocheck.net/blindtests_abspolarity.php

My impression when i listing this the Original comes more from Left and the invert more from the right side.The first impression is you don`t hear it,
because if you do not know how it was mixed I would classify it as not disturbing.Otherwise it is if you already know the music and know that this is on the left and that is on the right and suddenly it is different then it can be perceived as disturbing. I am totally keen on the E30, reason tells me to wait until it has been completely resolved.What I have done now, I was able to cancel my order.No matter for me to wait 14 days until it arrives and possibly back what takes another 14 days and maybe 7 days until it has been fixed and send another 14 days to send it back. Then I can just as well wait another 2 months until it has been completely fixed. I would classify an official statement of topping as professional and clarify it So that the dilemma ends :).
 

Migel83

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No only of the Link from the Guy.I take a look on the Abx nothing find for windows 10.But for is clear with this test what is mean.
 

LeandroFlu

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Maybe it's time for a "real" example, which is as polarity-asymmetric as any instrument in the repertoire: the trombone. Here's
  1. A pair of .wav file with a trombone note and its polarity-reversed version.
  2. A 30 second snippet from Villa Lobos Choros #4 for 3 horns & trombone, and its polarity-reversed version.
Both illustrate the extreme asymmetry of the trombone. See if you can ABX them.
I heard no difference ...
 

jevenator

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Just wanted to give an update for anyone that is still thinking of ordering.

I placed my order with Apos on the 25th in the evening. Shipment was received and processed by DHL on the 29th. It's due to arrive on 6/3 to CA and already cleared customs in Hong Kong.

I'm excited for it and it's good to hear that it's a slightly better DAC than the Modi 3.
 

raif71

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this guy describes the topping e30 as more spacious sounding and better clarity than the d50s... any thoughts.?
from 7:40 to 9:00
Could he have heard the inverted polarity and liked it ?
 

yodog

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Guys, I can’t make up my mind which FIR setting sounds better. #1 or #4??? Using small REL T/5i subs (Dual)...
 

samsa

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Could he have heard the inverted polarity and liked it ?

:facepalm:

Guys, I can’t make up my mind which FIR setting sounds better. #1 or #4??? Using small REL T/5i subs (Dual)...

As a purist, I go for linear phase and as little ultrasonic leakage as possible (i.e. #1). Many prefer minimum phase ("short delay" is AKM's euphemism) and/or more ultrasonics ("slow rollof")
 
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