• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Review and Measurements of Topping D10 DAC

Suren

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2018
Messages
8
Likes
0
Hey Amir, it would've been great if you compared this to D30.
Since technically D30 isn't under 100$. What will be your recommendation, D10 or D30 if I am just straight looking for sound quality.

Thanks.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
Since technically D30 isn't under 100$. What will be your recommendation, D10 or D30 if I am just straight looking for sound quality.
Let me do some testing and report back. For now, I would say your choice should depend on whether you need the other inputs beside USB. The D30 has Toslink and S/PDIF input (D10 has them for output).
 

Jimster480

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
2,880
Likes
2,032
Location
Tampa Bay
Hey Amir, it would've been great if you compared this to D30.
Since technically D30 isn't under 100$. What will be your recommendation, D10 or D30 if I am just straight looking for sound quality.

Thanks.
I paid like $90 for my D30... but I bought it before anyone cared about Topping products. :)
 

Suren

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2018
Messages
8
Likes
0
I paid like $90 for my D30... but I bought it before anyone cared about Topping products. :)
Yes, but its 105 on Massdrop right now and 120 on amazon. And the D10 was 75 I hope there will be another drop for that. I got my 6XX and need DAC and AMP, Thinking of MCTH but man it'll cost 275 to get to me. Don't have that much money to blow on that.
 

Suren

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2018
Messages
8
Likes
0
Well as Amir said, it depends really if you need inputs or outputs... The d10 outputs SPDIF and the D30 inputs SPDIF.
Yes I aught that. And I don't really care much USB will work for me fine, I'll just for his final verdict on sound quality bcs that's most important for me. And also I'll need something portable D10 doesn't need external power so that's better.
 

SchwarzeWolke

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 7, 2018
Messages
94
Likes
82
OK, found the problem. The levels in Roon were less than 100%. It had remembered them when I was doing a listening test last.

I tested again and measured output voltage was 2.113 volts (RMS) on one channel and 2.108 on the other. So meets and exceeds spec. Thanks for catching this! :)
Perfect and thanks for checking it! What about all measurements, are they also done at less then 100% or does it even matter?
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
Perfect and thanks for checking it! What about all measurements, are they also done at less then 100% or does it even matter?
It would matter in some of the tests. Fortunately they were at 100%. I did my listening test after the measurements and that is when I changed the level.

Just to be sure, I just re-measured one of them and the results are identical. So all is good. :)
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
Per request, I ran a couple of quick tests against Topping D30. Here is the Jitter test:

Jitter Test Topping D30 vs D10 DACs.png


So the Topping D30 is superior here due to absence of those jitter spikes.

On the other hand, I did a quick test of linearity and the D10 is better actually.

Can't make a case of audibility though so I still say purchase based on features/budgets you have.
 

Suren

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2018
Messages
8
Likes
0
Per request, I ran a couple of quick tests against Topping D30. Here is the Jitter test:

View attachment 11629

So the Topping D30 is superior here due to absence of those jitter spikes.

On the other hand, I did a quick test of linearity and the D10 is better actually.

Can't make a case of audibility though so I still say purchase based on features/budgets you have.
Thanks a lot Amir. I'll be waiting on Sdac review. Cheers.
 

trl

Major Contributor
King of Mods
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
1,967
Likes
2,523
Location
Iasi, RO
Per request, I ran a couple of quick tests against Topping D30. Here is the Jitter test:

How much time take you to do such a test?
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
How much time take you to do such a test?
You mean just one measurement or do a review? One measurement takes a minute or so. But connecting cables, making sure everything is correct, and connecting and disconnecting the competing one, takes a few minutes more.

A full review takes me a few hours to collect the measurements, an hour or so of adding notes to them in Photoshop, and a an hour or so of typing up the review and posting it. Usually I measure one day, and post the next day.

That is if everything goes well. If the results look controversial, then I test, re-test, compare, etc. before publishing and that can take days. Such was the case with the Schiit Lyr and their multibit DACs.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
Thanks a lot Amir. I'll be waiting on Sdac review. Cheers.
Hope to review the Grace Design's Massdrop SDAC next as it has been on loan for a while. :)
 

trl

Major Contributor
King of Mods
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
1,967
Likes
2,523
Location
Iasi, RO
You mean just one measurement or do a review? One measurement takes a minute or so. But connecting cables, making sure everything is correct, and connecting and disconnecting the competing one, takes a few minutes more.

[...]

Just to compare 2, 3 or more DACs on the same graphs, based on your previous measurements. Are you reusing graphs and overlay later or how does it works?
I'm asking because I might want to see on the same graph a couple of DACs you already measured in the past, but I'm not comfortable with asking you to do that if I'm not aware of the time spent to do that. :)

Thank you!
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
Just to compare 2, 3 or more DACs on the same graphs, based on your previous measurements. Are you reusing graphs and overlay later or how does it works?
Many times I remeasure the previously reviewed reference product so that test conditions are identical. Then if there is an error in measurement setup, it applies to both.

Even in the cases where I don't remeasure the older product, I start with its measurements in Audio Precision software and capture the graph again.

And no, I don't have a platform for quick comparison. Everything is done manually from scratch. Longer term I need to invest in some kind of database and automatic graphing but right now, it is all manual and repeat/rinse. :)
 

trl

Major Contributor
King of Mods
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
1,967
Likes
2,523
Location
Iasi, RO
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,389
Location
Seattle Area
Hmmm...but that sounds like very time-consuming to me.
It is. Originally I thought I would review a product once a week or even longer. But now it is almost a daily affair so I might look at more automation in the future.
 

trl

Major Contributor
King of Mods
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
1,967
Likes
2,523
Location
Iasi, RO
Photoshop layers perhaps? :)
However, one thing's for sure: you can't get sick! :)

P.S.: Sorry for off-topic.
 

Zilfallion

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2018
Messages
82
Likes
65
Hope to review the Grace Design's Massdrop SDAC next as it has been on loan for a while. :)
Since it was supposed to be an ODAC improvement just like the OL DAC was(at least that's how Massdrop marketed the SDAC), I'd love to see that in the comparison(The OL DAC if you've still got it lying around).
 
Top Bottom