Review and Measurements of New Topping D50s DAC

[Toku]

Question for those who have used the digital volume control on the D50s: any discernible sound degradation? I'm planning to feed this into an amp that does not a volume control.

I purchased the D50 and D50S immediately after launch and I'm using them directly connected to the power amplifier.
Digital volume is very comfortable and there is no problem with sound quality.

 

[LuckyLuke575]

I purchased the D50 and D50S immediately after launch and I'm using them directly connected to the power amplifier.
Digital volume is very comfortable and there is no problem with sound quality.

Using the Topping DACs with a power or integrated amplifier is the best, as they essentially act as digital receivers given the range of inputs and screen (compared to a Khadas Tone Board for example). They're especially convenient when the amplifiers are older versions that don't come with remote controls. I'm a huge fan of Topping given the performance and functionality they've designed into their products.

 

[joffpiste]

Looking for a DAC/preamp (volume control with remote, and at least one each of USB/coax/Toslink) to go directly to a power amp, but I'm torn.

D50s seems perfect - and about the max I'm willing to pay at this time - but I see issues reported with the coax input from several users. So I spent way too many hours reading through the DX3Pro thread, which scared the hell out of me from a quality standpoint. V2 seems to have fixed everything, but it may or may not sound as good?

So for this use, do you have a recommendation? I really just want it to work, and being in Canada, I don't want to have to deal with sending things back to China if there are issues. Price between these 2 is essentially identical from Amazon with Prime shipping (DX3Pro is ~$12 more). Or perhaps there's another option in the same price range with inputs/volume/remote and will be sufficiently transparent?

Even better would be a DAC/preamp with analog input for home theatre bypass, but I don't see anything tested here on ASR so far.

(first time poster so pls go easy on me if I'm just repeating the same question that's been asked 100 times)

 

[GeorgeWalk]

Looking for a DAC/preamp (volume control with remote, and at least one each of USB/coax/Toslink) to go directly to a power amp, but I'm torn.

D50s seems perfect - and about the max I'm willing to pay at this time - but I see issues reported with the coax input from several users. So I spent way too many hours reading through the DX3Pro thread, which scared the hell out of me from a quality standpoint. V2 seems to have fixed everything, but it may or may not sound as good?

So for this use, do you have a recommendation? I really just want it to work, and being in Canada, I don't want to have to deal with sending things back to China if there are issues. Price between these 2 is essentially identical from Amazon with Prime shipping (DX3Pro is ~$12 more). Or perhaps there's another option in the same price range with inputs/volume/remote and will be sufficiently transparent?

Even better would be a DAC/preamp with analog input for home theatre bypass, but I don't see anything tested here on ASR so far.

(first time poster so pls go easy on me if I'm just repeating the same question that's been asked 100 times)

I have the D50s. I like it a lot. I have had issues with the coax; it seems to be finicky about the cable impedance. I have one high-end video cable that it works with. I tried about 10 other "quality" audio coax cables and they worked intermittently at best. But, I don't usually use coax anyway. I mostly connect with USB or sometimes optical. I use the D50s with my JDS Labs Atom amp for headphones and I drive my Bose desk speakers with it the rest of the time. They all sound great and I don't miss the coax at all. I bought my D50s on Apos Audio. If you wait until Drop has a sale, Apos will match it and ship must faster.

I have been considering a DX3 V2 LDAC for a second system, but I am not ready to pull the trigger on that system yet. I may actually get a second D50s for that.

I think either way, you can't go wrong. Look at the features and your intended use. Either one will work beautifully from an audio point of view.

 

[Toku]

Looking for a DAC/preamp (volume control with remote, and at least one each of USB/coax/Toslink) to go directly to a power amp, but I'm torn.

D50s seems perfect - and about the max I'm willing to pay at this time - but I see issues reported with the coax input from several users. So I spent way too many hours reading through the DX3Pro thread, which scared the hell out of me from a quality standpoint. V2 seems to have fixed everything, but it may or may not sound as good?

So for this use, do you have a recommendation? I really just want it to work, and being in Canada, I don't want to have to deal with sending things back to China if there are issues. Price between these 2 is essentially identical from Amazon with Prime shipping (DX3Pro is ~$12 more). Or perhaps there's another option in the same price range with inputs/volume/remote and will be sufficiently transparent?

Even better would be a DAC/preamp with analog input for home theatre bypass, but I don't see anything tested here on ASR so far.

(first time poster so pls go easy on me if I'm just repeating the same question that's been asked 100 times)

Certainly there is a problem with the COAX input of D50 and D50s.
I purchased 2 D50 and 1 D50s, but none of them recognized the coaxial output of the SONY DVD player. Other DACs can be connected without any problems.
Furthermore, D50/D50s has a problem with PCM384kHz playback.
These cases have been reported to Topping in detail, but are not improved yet.

 

[Roberto]

I used a cheap 75 ohm coax cable to connect my Bluesound Node 2 to a D50.

https://www.kenable.co.uk/en/video-...vk0crkBiNxMR12Xo-bBCdTzjNesM-kzRoCHiQQAvD_BwE

Worked no problem. However, a good quality audio phono cable wouldn’t work at all.

Guess the key is to buy a purpose built cable. Even a cheap one works ok.

 

[Toku]

I used a cheap 75 ohm coax cable to connect my Bluesound Node 2 to a D50.

https://www.kenable.co.uk/en/video-...vk0crkBiNxMR12Xo-bBCdTzjNesM-kzRoCHiQQAvD_BwE

Worked no problem. However, a good quality audio phono cable wouldn’t work at all.

Guess the key is to buy a purpose built cable. Even a cheap one works ok.

I think there is a problem with the D50/D50s signal level setting, not the cable issue.
I purchased and tried the COAX cable recommended by everyone, but I still couldn't connect to a Sony DVD/BD player. At this time, if I switch the COAX cable to another DAC, I can connect normally, so I think that the signal level setting of the COAX connection of D50/D50s is misaligned.

 

[Roberto]

Maybe I just got lucky with my Node 2 - coax cable - D50 combination.

 

[Toku]

I want to ask ASR members.
Does the following symptoms occur on your D50 / D50s?

When you switch to a PCM384k song after playing a song other than PCM384kHz, a big pop noise always occurs first.

 

[Error415]

Apos doesn't seem to ship outside of the US. That is a great deal on Drop but holy fk, what is happening there ? https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.massdrop.com Look at those reviews, I never seen so many 1 stars in my life for anything. Is Drop really that scammy ? Is it better to order from aliexpress/shenzenaudio? Does Drop even have warranty for the D50s ? The terms says if the product page doesn't list the warranty, it has a 30 day return warranty only.

Most of the one star reviews are over shipping issues and their un-Amazon like return policy. I've had zero issues with the headphones and keyboards I've ordered from them. But be aware you can't return gear because you don't like it or you found 8t cheaper somewhere else.

 

[joffpiste]

I think there is a problem with the D50/D50s signal level setting, not the cable issue.
I purchased and tried the COAX cable recommended by everyone, but I still couldn't connect to a Sony DVD/BD player. At this time, if I switch the COAX cable to another DAC, I can connect normally, so I think that the signal level setting of the COAX connection of D50/D50s is misaligned.

Well, my plan is to use coax for a Sony UBP-X800 4k player (its only other output is HDMI which goes to my receiver). Seems to work well as a streamer (other than no gapless), it's my only CD player for when I'm in the mood for physically handling a disc and it even outputs SACD as PCM over coax. If the D50s is flaky/sensitive, especially on Sony, then perhaps I should try the DX3Pro instead.

Any real drawbacks to the DX3Pro, other than the fact that v2 hasn't been tested by Amir? Seems like you get a bonus headphone amp for the same price, and virtually indistinguishable output, assuming the line out is as good as the original.

 

[NemoReborn]

You need a balanced DAC, like the Grace Design Balanced Dac:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...asurements-of-grace-design-balanced-dac.8201/

why he need a balanced dac !?? thats statement is purely random ... cause the amp have xlr capablity , dsnt mean it NEED to be used with xlr cable ... i have the thx 887 and and sabaj d5 and i found no sound difference using xlr ... if u dont need that +6 db .. than the d50s using rca is perfectly fine ... and to mention the d50s measure better than the grace dac balanced ... SO whats the point ?

 

[NemoReborn]

The SP200 has both balanced and unbalanced inputs. If the D50s with unbalanced connections measures better than the SDAC with balanced connections, why would you buy the SDAC? (assume that there are no other requirements for unbalanced e.g. ground loop issues)

haha well exactly what he said , i didnt see this answer or i would not have answered cause this is exactly what i meant

 

[eKayze]

Hello guys, new here and just came across this post through googling.

Ive been doing some research and this looks like a very good dac for the money and pairing it with the Atom like everyone's choice.

Now my question is, how much of it is an upgrade compare to my Creative X7? I know many people are not familiar with this but would like to hear peoples opinion.

 

[Berwhale]

Hello guys, new here and just came across this post through googling.

Ive been doing some research and this looks like a very good dac for the money and pairing it with the Atom like everyone's choice.

Now my question is, how much of it is an upgrade compare to my Creative X7? I know many people are not familiar with this but would like to hear peoples opinion.

I don't think you will be able to hear any difference in a truly objective blind test.

 

[NemoReborn]

question regarding your d50s unit ... i had the d50 version before and as far as i can remember , the display was bright ... i received the d50s and the display even at 100% is nowhere near what the other one was ... and the white seems blueish ... how is yours ?

 

[Berwhale]

question regarding your d50s unit ... i had the d50 version before and as far as i can remember , the display was bright ... i received the d50s and the display even at 100% is nowhere near what the other one was ... and the white seems blueish ... how is yours ?

Turned off most of the time because it's OLED and will suffer from burn-in if left on.

 

[Toku]

question regarding your d50s unit ... i had the d50 version before and as far as i can remember , the display was bright ... i received the d50s and the display even at 100% is nowhere near what the other one was ... and the white seems blueish ... how is yours ?

The D50s display has been changed from white to blue OLED.
Certainly the brightness has dropped and it has become difficult to see.
I prefer the D50 white display.

 

[junk88]

hey brothers, would this wire connect my galaxy s9 + to the d50s to play mp3

 

[Veri]

hey brothers, would this wire connect my galaxy s9 + to the d50s to play mp3

Just wondering, why not use BT with D50s and phone?