Review and Measurements of the Topping D70 DAC

[mkawa]

ah, ok cool. quite nice that the sunfire takes stereo rca (and presumably sums internally).

you don't need to pay 500$ to split the signal.. the splitting part of the my post-dac circuit (ie, i split then sum one end for mono to the sub) is about 5$ worth of screw terminals and less than a foot total of hook-up wire. i haven't even bothered soldering anything yet.

also strong agree with dave. you have to trim the volume by hand to get the balance between sub and monitors right regardless. just hook everything up and adjust the knobs until it sounds good.

 

[j-j-lucifer]

Thanks @dreite and @mkawa for the feedback. Now I need to figure out the units on the Sunfire's volume control knob ( no labels other than 0db in the center lol ) .
Also, what would guys consider "long" cables? My desk is 5 feet wide, and when you include its height, the longest RCA cable I use is 6ft (speaker furthest from the sub), and I use that length for the closer speaker just to be consistent. If I use the balanced output of the D70, that cuts the length down to 3ft since it will sit in the middle of both speakers. Do you think the reduction in length + going balanced is enough to make any noticeable difference in sound quality?

 

[mkawa]

don't think too hard about volume pot taper. wiggle it until it sounds good in your room. moving the sub around could help as well.

6ft is not particularly long. things get nasty at like 25ft.

even though these are nearfield monitors, the shape of your room, ears, etc. cause more distortion than a couple feet of cable.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

you don't need to pay 500$ to split the signal.. the splitting part of the my post-dac circuit (ie, i split then sum one end for mono to the sub) is about 5$ worth of screw terminals and less than a foot total of hook-up wire. i haven't even bothered soldering anything yet.

also strong agree with dave. you have to trim the volume by hand to get the balance between sub and monitors right regardless. just hook everything up and adjust the knobs until it sounds good.

Who said anything about spending $500 to split the signal? This whole splitting/summing thing has you confused and it's a non sequitur for this query and application.

The D70 has two different (RCA and XLR) output routings and you can select either or both with the remote control. So, any signal fanning out you might want to do is already capable in the internal workings of the D70.
The only issue here, as noted by lucifer, is the 6db signal level difference between the two. But, as I said, you should be able to trim that with level control adjustments on the Sunfire subwoofer. Regarding how much volume knob rotation this would take....I don't know. I would just adjust until the balance sounds correct. Job done.

The cabling distances are a non-issue.

Dave.

 

[mkawa]

oh, right, I completely forgot the d70 could do this (drive two outputs). I grok question now.

 

[locoliberty]

thoughts on how much difference it will matter between the SMS SU8 and the D70? This is going to be a dedicated DAC in my stereo setup.

 

[locoliberty]

A little mod...

Any more info on what mods youve done?

 

[lodex]

Hi there!

I just discovered this communtiy and have a kinda noob question:

I'm using the D70 on my PC through USB. When trying to avoid the rising distortion at >-12dBFS, does it make a difference if I set the D70 to Pre-Amp mode and reduce the volume to let's say -15.0 dB or set it to DAC mode and reduce the volume in the OS?

 

[imagidominc]

Hi there!

I just discovered this communtiy and have a kinda noob question:

I'm using the D70 on my PC through USB. When trying to avoid the rising distortion at >-12dBFS, does it make a difference if I set the D70 to Pre-Amp mode and reduce the volume to let's say -15.0 dB or set it to DAC mode and reduce the volume in the OS?

I used the remote to lower the volume to -12dB on the D70. I leave the volume on my Mac at 100%.

 

[imagidominc]

Skimming through this thread and seeing people complaining about the D70's sound/modding it has got me confused.
The D70 is a phenomenal product that fills every requirement I could ever possibly need for a DAC. I understand that people like different sounds, but at that point wouldn't you just EQ or swap headphones to your liking? The D70 is transparent and that's all that matters to me. Even with the rising distortion it is still among the best DACs.

 

[Toku]

Hello everyone,
Not much time has passed since the launch of the D70, but the top model D90 has already been announced.
DAC can be expected with the latest AK4499.
But like DX7 Pro, it doesn't support MQA.

http://www.tpdz.net/news_detail/newsId=95.html

 

[Veri]

But like DX7 Pro, it doesn't support MQA.

Not a big deal for us non-Tidal users

 

[777]

Hello everyone,
Not much time has passed since the launch of the D70, but the top model D90 has already been announced.
DAC can be expected with the latest AK4499.
But like DX7 Pro, it doesn't support MQA.

http://www.tpdz.net/news_detail/newsId=95.html

Ohhhhhh.... They might, must, use AD8397 op-amp in the I/V conversion stage or OPA1612+buffer(LME49600) for example. AK4499 has a large output current if I remember correctly.

 

[Majestyk]

They better put some vents on that thing.

 

[Jestercow]

super-excited for this!!!
http://www.tpdz.net/news_detail/newsId=95.html

Just realized I'm a hair late to this party, but excited none-the-less...AK4499 here I come

 

[CJH]

Has anyone been able to play their D70 at 768Hz. Mine will play for about 15 seconds then I get a blast of noise at full volume no matter the volume setting? 705 is fine and 384 is fine.
CJH

 

[Toku]

Has anyone been able to play their D70 at 768Hz. Mine will play for about 15 seconds then I get a blast of noise at full volume no matter the volume setting? 705 is fine and 384 is fine.
CJH

I have the same experience with D50, DX7s, DX3 Pro.
The situation was reported to Topping and then improved with a firmware update. I think D70 also needs to be updated.

The SMSL M500 purchased the other day plays with a distorted sound when PCM768k is played. Also with DSD2.8 suddenly big noise reproduction. Please watch the video below.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B07X4FM42B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am worried about not only PCM but also DSD11.2 and DSD22.5.

 

[Veri]

I have the same experience with D50, DX7s, DX3 Pro.
The situation was reported to Topping and then improved with a firmware update. I think D70 also needs to be updated.

The SMSL M500 purchased the other day plays with a distorted sound when PCM768k is played. Also with DSD2.8 suddenly big noise reproduction. Please watch the video below.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B07X4FM42B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am worried about not only PCM but also DSD11.2 and DSD22.5.

Maybe, a limitation of their XMOS implementation?

 

[Toku]

Maybe, a limitation of their XMOS implementation?

I don't know why.

Speaking to Topping engineers, they always say there is a problem with the XMOS driver.
In fact, it is improved by firmware update, so I think that the software processing procedure has been changed.
Since it is a part that requires high-speed processing, I think that a slight time margin will affect it.
I'm always sorry for the strange English.

 

[Veri]

I don't know why.

Speaking to Topping engineers, they always say there is a problem with the XMOS driver.
In fact, it is improved by firmware update, so I think that the software processing procedure has been changed.
Since it is a part that requires high-speed processing, I think that a slight time margin will affect it.
I'm always sorry for the strange English.

Your English is more than fine, Toku