Ask me questions.

[PaperBoat]

Why is the sky blue?

Because of your cheap sunglasses?

Why is the sea salty?

Maybe somebody p** in the sea?

 

[nawfal07]

Same here. I was about to buy a couple of LA90D to use them as monoblocks, but the reported issues prevent me from go with the purchasing. @JohnYang1997 , I think that if Topping can identufy what's the problem and launch a fixed version of the product, many of us are willing to give it an opportunity. LA90D is such a winner product, that only needs to recover the trust of consumers.

Looks like @JohnYang1997 only pick questions that he can have good answers to. Doesn't give me good confidence to consider the product.

 

[Eldus]

I would love to see a DAC (with volume control) with two sets of outputs with a variable crossover. I do my room mode EQ with Equalizer APO. All I am looking for is a DAC with such a crossover filter. I have loved using my E50 with my PA5 and using the RCA out to go to my subwoofer (being able to set it to just the speakers is nice at night), but still am missing a crossover.

 

[antcollinet]

As I've been suggested by some knowledgeable that I should give up my DSD (DSD = *Don't Submit Dat* in ASR) concerns and stick to the PCM (PCM= *Post it Countless and Meaningless* in ASR) instead. But if you have the time, I would like to ask something related to PCM to DSD Upsampling. I'm currently using JRiver to upsample my huge PCM collection to Native 4xDSD on the fly to feed my IFI Zen V2 DAC which is hooked up with a pair of JBL 305p MKii monitors sitting in my lounge. Is there any good reason to upgrade to the HQPlayer for its various quality PCM to DSD Upsample filters/modulators? Is JRiver DSD encoding that bad?

It is utterly pointless to upsample from PCM to DSD in the way you are doing.

Apart from anything else Sigma Delta DACs will do that internally anyway. You can't extract any additional sound quality - any limitations due to sample rate or bit depth are already baked into the PCM file, and cannot be removed by upsampling. Further any processing step can only degrade sound quality (even if only inaudibly)

 

[antcollinet]

I would love to see a DAC (with volume control) with two sets of outputs with a variable crossover. I do my room mode EQ with Equalizer APO. All I am looking for is a DAC with such a crossover filter. I have loved using my E50 with my PA5 and using the RCA out to go to my subwoofer (being able to set it to just the speakers is nice at night), but still am missing a crossover.

Mini dsp flex?

Thing is as soon as you have a DAC with the DSP to do crossover, it will also be capable of Room EQ. It is unlikely anyone will build one that can only do crossover.

Why don't you do crossover in equaliser apo, then output to a multi channel soundcard/dac or two identical dacs?

 

[Sokel]

Mini dsp flex?

Thing is as soon as you have a DAC with the DSP to do crossover, it will also be capable of Room EQ. It is unlikely anyone will build one that can only do crossover.

Why don't you do crossover in equaliser apo, then output to a multi channel soundcard/dac or two identical dacs?

That's a nice and easy way but not safe,at all,unless safety measures are taken,downstream.
Glitches,volume control faults,etc can happen without notice.

 

[antcollinet]

That's a nice and easy way but not safe,at all,unless safety measures are taken,downstream.
Glitches,volume control faults,etc can happen without notice.

Of course - I forgot about Windows

 

[PaperBoat]

It is utterly pointless to upsample from PCM to DSD in the way you are doing.

You can't extract any additional sound quality

Further any processing step can only degrade sound quality (even if only inaudibly)

I know there is no chance to get "better" sound quality from my lossless PCM files... But it's actually not for getting further better sound "quality" at all. PCM to DSD Upsampling gave me a different taste of tune that native PCM failed to deliver. I know this is subjective but it's also true that PCM has a 'hollowness' in its signature, it's dynamic and edgy, and listening to PCM is fatiguing experience at least as per my hearing from my rig. On the other hand, Upsampled DSD is solid, more like 'analog', bass is deep, treble is smooth, but the midrange is slightly depressed, it has a euphonic sound signature.

Apart from anything else Sigma Delta DSCs will do that internally anyway.

any limitations due to sample rate or bit depth are already baked into the PCM file, and cannot be removed by upsampling.

I don't trust my IFI Zen V2 DAC's reconstruction filter.

 

[Galliardist]

I know there is no chance to get "better" sound quality from my lossless PCM files... But it's actually not for getting further better sound "quality" at all. PCM to DSD Upsampling gave me a different taste of tune that native PCM failed to deliver. I know this is subjective but it's also true that PCM has a 'hollowness' in its signature, it's dynamic and edgy, and listening to PCM is fatiguing experience at least as per my hearing from my rig. On the other hand, Upsampled DSD is solid, more like 'analog', bass is deep, treble is smooth, but the midrange is slightly depressed, it has a euphonic sound signature.

I own a Marantz SA-10. Every single bit of what I play from disc, streaming, or connected TV is converted to DSD (and not some different decimation in a DAC chip), and I don't recognise this euphonic sound signature at all. EIther you are interpreting the sound that way in your head, or you are doing something other than an accurate conversion.

 

[Jimbob54]

I know there is no chance to get "better" sound quality from my lossless PCM files... But it's actually not for getting further better sound "quality" at all. PCM to DSD Upsampling gave me a different taste of tune that native PCM failed to deliver. I know this is subjective but it's also true that PCM has a 'hollowness' in its signature, it's dynamic and edgy, and listening to PCM is fatiguing experience at least as per my hearing from my rig. On the other hand, Upsampled DSD is solid, more like 'analog', bass is deep, treble is smooth, but the midrange is slightly depressed, it has a euphonic sound signature.

When you compare PCM vs converted to DSD are you increasing the output level on the DSD playback? If not, the converted DSD will be quieter.

 

[PaperBoat]

EIther you are interpreting the sound that way in your head, or you are doing something other than an accurate conversion.

Nope. absolutely not. Both JRiver and HQPlayer (test phase) end up with the same result. There is NO other DSP (EQ and whatever) processing at all. And it's not only me... Others (some of my friends and family) also attested to that discrepancy.

I own a Marantz SA-10. Every single bit of what I play from disc, streaming, or connected TV is converted to DSD (and not some different decimation in a DAC chip), and I don't recognise this euphonic sound signature at all.

I don't know about your device but my IFI Zen V2 is capable of native 4xDSD without upsampling/reconstruction.

 

[PaperBoat]

When you compare PCM vs converted to DSD are you increasing the output level on the DSD playback? If not, the converted DSD will be quieter.

Yep...

 

[Martin]

I love my E70 DAC. Happy you moved away from OLED displays. The D70 Pro SABRE looks interesting. Are you working on a D90 Pro / E90 SOTA DAC?

Martin

 

[pos]

Hi @JohnYang1997,

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions here!
Two questions if I may, sorry if these were already addressed.

Has there been a shift in focus towards reliability and durability over pure measured performance now that (1) good (enough) performance is now a given for both DACs and amps, and (2) bad experience from previous designs have been reported? I ask this because I am very tempted by your new TP power amp, for both mid/high duties in an active system and small stereo systems. I'd love to know extra care has been taken to ensure that it does not destroy my speakers and drivers in case of failure, or if its volume setting get reset.

Second question, maybe a bit far fetched: do you have any plan for a current loudspeaker amp (transconductance, high output impedance)?
I bet people running full-range driver would love such a product (even if a bit of EQ would probably serve them better there), but for me the most interesting use is in active systems, as current drive does drastically reduce the distortion measured at the driver (which is orders of magnitude higher than the one measured at the amp, let alone the dac).
Having a variable/tunable output impedance would be even better in order to be able to damp the driver at Fs with a low impedance, and then go high impedance for the rest of the range.

@JohnYang1997, regarding my first question, what is the factory default volume setting? Is it 0dB, or -Inf dB, or something like -60dB maybe?
I ask this question because this is the volume the amp might revert to if it does loose (or fail to load) its user settings.

 

[Galliardist]

Nope. absolutely not. Both JRiver and HQPlayer (test phase) end up with same result. There is NO other DSP (EQ and whatever) processing at all. And it's not only me... Others (some of my friends and family) also attested that discrepancy.


I don't know about your device but my IFI Zen V2 is capable of native 4xDSD without upsampling/reconstruction.

You are still converting somewhere if you start with a PCM file. That conversion uses a reconstruction filter and, as you are going to DSD, noise shaping. I let my player do the converting.
I can't find what the chip in the iFi player is actually doing, either. It will be bypassing the PCM filter if you feed it DSD, but it may not be one bit in the last stage of conversion.

This is not the thread for that comparison, though, so I'm going to shut up now.

 

[JayGilb]

John,

Topping has conquered the low power amplifier with distortion specs far below the level of human audibility, are there any plans on producing amplifiers with high power output
> 300 watts/channel 8 ohms ?

 

[BlackTalon]

I will NEVER buy another Topping product that has a remote. I bought a TOPPING E70 Velvet DAC and the remote absolutely sucks! My old SABAJ D5's remote works great. Also, the D5 actually sounds much better than the E70V too. I did a clean swap to the E70V and it sounds cold/lifeless compared to the D5. Worst remote controlled DAC purchase I ever made.

I read your post a few times and wasn't able to figure out the question you had for John.

 

[DACslut]

I read your post a few times and wasn't able to figure out the question you had for John.

That was a reply to what dartinbout said:

Mr. Yang,

Thank you for answering our myriad questions. I have but one request. Your remote controls put out a weak IR signal and are highly directional. My extensive Topping stack, sits across the room from my main listening position. There may be unknown benefits from contorting my frame to activate various features, using the included RC, but I'm not as flexible as I once was. Please consider improving them.

I've got $30 Roku devices that have a much better functioning remote than Topping's E70V. I guess I assumed any reasonably perceptive individual would interpret my reply as an inferred question along the lines of why is the remote for this $450 DAC so thoroughly inferior?

 

[dartinbout]

Looks like @JohnYang1997 only pick questions that he can have good answers to. Doesn't give me god confidence to consider the product.

That was a reply to what dartinbout said:

Mr. Yang,

Thank you for answering our myriad questions. I have but one request. Your remote controls put out a weak IR signal and are highly directional. My extensive Topping stack, sits across the room from my main listening position. There may be unknown benefits from contorting my frame to activate various features, using the included RC, but I'm not as flexible as I once was. Please consider improving them.

I've got $30 Roku devices that have a much better functioning remote than Topping's E70V. I guess I assumed any reasonably perceptive individual would interpret my reply as an inferred question along the lines of why is the remote for this $450 DAC so thoroughly inferior?

I would hope that I didn't inspire such hyperbole. Although, I would obviously appreciate some improvement, "thoroughly inferior" was not the sentiment I I sought to convey. The trade off between performance and the mild inconvenience of having to adjust the angle, and a few repeated button pushes, has not stopped me from stacking one Topping "atop" another. If you are dissuaded, then you are more easily deterred then I.

 

[ampguy]

Congrats, PA5 II is out!! Again, can’t decide on regular or plus! I may get both!