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Anyone Review Topping D90III Discrete / D90 III Sabre yet ?

What I'am concerned about that there is possibility they can not. According to specs on Topping website, frequency response graph for XLR output is not so flat for Discrete as for Sabre. Sabre is near table like flat till 20k, on the opposite Discrete is very similar to Centaurus which one is alredy described as not so resolving even on audiophile websites. Only Amir's check and review could us tell if its any sense to pay a bit more to get this boutique impementation in case of D90 III Discrete.
 
The discrete is having PEQ option when Sabre is not. I want to use new dac both with headphones and speakers. Currently im using Burson Conductor cv2+ with Elac Vela fs407 and Hifiman HE1000V2. Amp for the speakers is AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S400ET. I want to try PEQ for slight room correction and try it out for the HEKs. Also according to reviews Discrete is having more soundstage.

The case is that there are known measurements for the Sabre version, but for Discrete there is no than only provided by Topping. Also there are many reviews of both devices but none of them does not contain direct comparison between these two. Like there is no permisson to do that, to not cannibalize these products between them.
 
Sir Sanders Zingmore said:
Most likely this “texture” is in the reviewer’s imagination.
The two DACs will sound identical.
Click to expand...
I chose the D90 III Discrete over the D90 III Sabre only because it has the PEQ. My ears, as good as I think they may be, should not be able to hear any differences in an A/B test.
 
D90 III Discrete is on the way to me. When I will got it I will scratch some words about it. Also in the meantime I recieved a good offer of preorder of new Topping D900. Basing only on measurements of Topping website, will D900 perform sonically better than D90 III Discrete? How about adding Sabre in that equation- is lack of PEQ for trade off for ultimate performance make sense here if I will decide choose back Sabre?
 
The Columbian said:
D90 III Discrete is on the way to me. When I will got it I will scratch some words about it. Also in the meantime I recieved a good offer of preorder of new Topping D900. Basing only on measurements of Topping website, will D900 perform sonically better than D90 III Discrete? How about adding Sabre in that equation- is lack of PEQ for trade off for ultimate performance make sense here if I will decide choose back Sabre?
Click to expand...
At this point, picking one over the other comes down to features, not sound quality. I doubt any human can hear the sonic difference between the two in a true A/B test. The D900 has the dedicated balanced line out that is appealing. But other than that, the ROI vs. the D90 III (Sabre or Discrete) isn't there for me.
 
MBO said:
I use DDC Gustard U18 with external Clock.
Preamp: Gustard P26 and Topping A70Pro.
About analog outputs: I use my ears as a tool and 30 experience in High End Audio, about measurements I apply to ASR, but there is no test yet...
Click to expand...
How do you connect the U18? Which cables are connected to it? thanks.
 
The Colombian said:
D90 III Discrete is on the way to me. When I will got it I will scratch some words about it. Also in the meantime I recieved a good offer of preorder of new Topping D900. Basing only on measurements of Topping website, will D900 perform sonically better than D90 III Discrete? How about adding Sabre in that equation- is lack of PEQ for trade off for ultimate performance make sense here if I will decide choose back Sabre?
Click to expand...
As I wrote, I would like to give my impressions about Topping D90 III Discrete.
At first- whether is better than Burson Conductor cv2+ used as a DAC with AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S400ET amp and pair of Elac Vela fs407? Yes.
I want to avoid audiophile jibberish but the sound is not better directly per se. At first what I noticed the overall sound is more polished than Burson which in comparison sounds a bit grainy which I didn'n notice before I had Topping.
Other thing is soundstage- I did not expect to have bigger soundstage as Burson's becasue there is a limit when you will perceive bigger soundstage as artifical echo. And in my opinion the natural sound of soundstage depends on speakers localization. The Topping advantage is that sound sources are more in place, more static I would wrote. Its similar thing with mentioned grain, where in case of Burson the sources are moving a tiny little bit in space, when with Topping I can predict when I am listening the same track once again where the exact snare or other sound will appear.
Also with Topping the color of sounds is more joyus despite famous Topping's neautrality.
 
The Colombian said:
As I wrote, I would like to give my impressions about Topping D90 III Discrete.
At first- whether is better than Burson Conductor cv2+ used as a DAC with AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S400ET amp and pair of Elac Vela fs407? Yes.
I want to avoid audiophile jibberish but the sound is not better directly per se. At first what I noticed the overall sound is more polished than Burson which in comparison sounds a bit grainy which I didn'n notice before I had Topping.
Other thing is soundstage- I did not expect to have bigger soundstage as Burson's becasue there is a limit when you will perceive bigger soundstage as artifical echo. And in my opinion the natural sound of soundstage depends on speakers localization. The Topping advantage is that sound sources are more in place, more static I would wrote. Its similar thing with mentioned grain, where in case of Burson the sources are moving a tiny little bit in space, when with Topping I can predict when I am listening the same track once again where the exact snare or other sound will appear.
Also with Topping the color of sounds is more joyus despite famous Topping's neautrality.
Click to expand...
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but unless your comparisons were done under properly blinded conditions, the differences you heard are almost certainly caused by other factors.
 
Heads up. Topping has released v0.54 of the firmware.

Change Log:
=================
V0.54 (September 29, 2025)

Fix: When the device is turned on from standby mode, the USB input automatically switches to AES input.
Fix: After switching between C1/C2 channels, the PEQ (Parametric Equalizer) function becomes invalid, and Tune cannot read device information.
 
Hello everyone!

deitrick said:
Heads up. Topping has released v0.54 of the firmware.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear from you! I was just about to google the issue with the input switching when exiting standby.

I also want to ask: when I turn on the power, the DAC doesn't send a signal through the 12V trigger immediately. I have to switch the DAC to standby each time, and then turn it back on. Is this the same for everyone, or am I doing something wrong? Do I really have to press the power switch on the back panel every time, instead of just switching the device to standby and disconnecting the power strip?
 
Le_Passager said:
Hello everyone!



Glad to hear from you! I was just about to google the issue with the input switching when exiting standby.

I also want to ask: when I turn on the power, the DAC doesn't send a signal through the 12V trigger immediately. I have to switch the DAC to standby each time, and then turn it back on. Is this the same for everyone, or am I doing something wrong? Do I really have to press the power switch on the back panel every time, instead of just switching the device to standby and disconnecting the power strip?
Click to expand...
I do not have that same behavior, but typically all of my components are powered all the time. I just use remote to shut it off. All 12v triggers work normally for me.
 
Topping has released new firmware.

Change Log:
=================
V0.57 (November 18, 2025)

Fix: Abnormal display of PEQ configuration
Fix: Local configuration modification of filtering not taking effect
Fix: When EQ is turned off but still connected to the computer via USB, noise during adjustment can still be heard when opening Tune for adjustment
Fix: Preset EQ1 and EQ5 have issues; the combined filter gain exceeds 0dB, causing distortion during playback
Fix: The preamp gain of preset EQ5 exceeds 0dB when connected to the host computer
Fix: After restoring the device to factory settings, opening PEQ to download 5 configurations, waiting for a while, then closing PEQ and using the remote control to switch configurations to the left results in no sound from the device

For me, all updates after version 0.39 sound worse when streaming from USB to RCA from my MacMini. I have tested each of them and keep coming back to version 0.39.
 
nevermore said:
Topping has released new firmware.

Change Log:
=================
V0.57 (November 18, 2025)

Fix: Abnormal display of PEQ configuration
Fix: Local configuration modification of filtering not taking effect
Fix: When EQ is turned off but still connected to the computer via USB, noise during adjustment can still be heard when opening Tune for adjustment
Fix: Preset EQ1 and EQ5 have issues; the combined filter gain exceeds 0dB, causing distortion during playback
Fix: The preamp gain of preset EQ5 exceeds 0dB when connected to the host computer
Fix: After restoring the device to factory settings, opening PEQ to download 5 configurations, waiting for a while, then closing PEQ and using the remote control to switch configurations to the left results in no sound from the device

For me, all updates after version 0.39 sound worse when streaming from USB to RCA from my MacMini. I have tested each of them and keep coming back to version 0.39.
Click to expand...
Can you upload v0.39? i can't find anymore.
 
RichB said:
I upgraded from firmware 0.39 to firmware 0.49 and noticed the volume is much lower.

At the same volume of -22.5, the voltage drops from 2.67 volts in firmware 0.39 to 1.02 volts.
That is less than half the voltage.

0.39 Firmware Volume -22.5 Voltage is 2.67 volts
View attachment 443645

0.49 Firmware Volume -22.5 Voltage is 1.02 volts
View attachment 443646

Not looking good for the 0.49 release.

In other news, Topping has reproduced the IIS voltage that is overdriven when switching to IIS from AES and other inputs.
Voltage output seems to be an issue with this product.

I have reverted to 0.39 firmware.

- Rich
Click to expand...

nevermore said:
I send you PM.

From Topping faq (https://topping.audio/faq):
Click to expand...

Hi Nevermore,

I recently updated D90 D from version 0.38 to 0.57, and I've noticed that the sound feels flat and lacks the passion and emotion that I loved in version 0.38.

Could you please share firmware version 0.39 with me? I tried the link above, but it has expired.

Thank you very much!
 
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