Axel Endriss
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- Apr 30, 2021
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Due to curiosity and the good reviews, I bought both the PreAmp A70 and the DAC D70 Pro Octo from Topping. Since I could imagine that others are also considering this, I would like to share my experience with it here.
Hoping for a sonic improvement over my current system. I'm quite happy with it, but why not if you can do better
My current system consists of a Raspberry PI5 with Allo's HAT DAC Piano 2.1/Kali as a streamer. I had an old Linn Wakonda as a preamp, Audiphonics HPA-S400ET as a power amp and Vocal Temptation speakers, also old but refurbished about 5 years ago, supplemented by a Nubert SM310 subwoofer. There's also a Linn LP12, but it's out of competition (especially as the A70 unfortunately doesn't have a phono input). I use Volumio as my streaming software.
First of all, the A70 arrived. It immediately scored points with its significantly increased transparency and spatial resolution compared to the Linn Wakonda. What is striking is how much clearer the difference is between the various resolutions. While up to now I didn't notice any significant gain with resolutions higher than 44.1/16, I now realized that it sounds even more airy and silky. 192/24 sounds much more like LP12 than 44.1/16.
Then the D70 Pro Octo arrived and I was very excited to see if it could be topped again. During the first test with my “small” system in the cellar (Raspbi P3 as streamer, Allo Volt+ D as amp and Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 speakers) I also found it “audibly” better than with the Allo Boss (V1.2) mounted on the Raspbi. However, I didn't make an A/B comparison there and the listening experience may also have benefited from the half bottle of wine I consumed on the side.
Today I made A/B comparisons on my “big” system, comparing the Octo with Allo's Boss. And what can I say, no matter what resolution or type of music, it sounded fantastic with both, but I couldn't tell the difference. Not even a nuance!
I think both the A70 and the D70 Pro Octo are very good products. However, since I can't hear any gain in the Octo compared to my previous DACs, I probably wouldn't buy it again. Of course, it would be interesting to hear how the Octo sounds in preamp mode connected directly to the power amplifier compared to the Octo -> A70 -> power amplifier setup. I will probably try this out too, but unfortunately an A/B test is hardly possible. If so, I will report on it
Hoping for a sonic improvement over my current system. I'm quite happy with it, but why not if you can do better
My current system consists of a Raspberry PI5 with Allo's HAT DAC Piano 2.1/Kali as a streamer. I had an old Linn Wakonda as a preamp, Audiphonics HPA-S400ET as a power amp and Vocal Temptation speakers, also old but refurbished about 5 years ago, supplemented by a Nubert SM310 subwoofer. There's also a Linn LP12, but it's out of competition (especially as the A70 unfortunately doesn't have a phono input). I use Volumio as my streaming software.
First of all, the A70 arrived. It immediately scored points with its significantly increased transparency and spatial resolution compared to the Linn Wakonda. What is striking is how much clearer the difference is between the various resolutions. While up to now I didn't notice any significant gain with resolutions higher than 44.1/16, I now realized that it sounds even more airy and silky. 192/24 sounds much more like LP12 than 44.1/16.
Then the D70 Pro Octo arrived and I was very excited to see if it could be topped again. During the first test with my “small” system in the cellar (Raspbi P3 as streamer, Allo Volt+ D as amp and Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 speakers) I also found it “audibly” better than with the Allo Boss (V1.2) mounted on the Raspbi. However, I didn't make an A/B comparison there and the listening experience may also have benefited from the half bottle of wine I consumed on the side.
Today I made A/B comparisons on my “big” system, comparing the Octo with Allo's Boss. And what can I say, no matter what resolution or type of music, it sounded fantastic with both, but I couldn't tell the difference. Not even a nuance!
I think both the A70 and the D70 Pro Octo are very good products. However, since I can't hear any gain in the Octo compared to my previous DACs, I probably wouldn't buy it again. Of course, it would be interesting to hear how the Octo sounds in preamp mode connected directly to the power amplifier compared to the Octo -> A70 -> power amplifier setup. I will probably try this out too, but unfortunately an A/B test is hardly possible. If so, I will report on it
