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Serious problem in preamp mode Topping D90SE and D90LE

Haruko

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Sep 14, 2021
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I guess min is not as bad. Still, I don't want to be forced to listen to one or the other format just to prevent the noise occurring.
you don't buy device like this to listen at 44.1khz ... you might as well use moondrop dongle
 
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fred38

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Jul 5, 2022
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How did the Gustard X18 and the D90xE (x=L,S) compare soundwise, as they seem to have quite some things in common? Compared to the DX7 Pro I currently have, I like the sonic improvements of the D90xE. Wonder if this would be true for the X18 as well.
This is subjective, as I could not test both dacs at the same time.
But, with the Gustard X18, I had the impression to find the sound of the D90SE/LE...unlike SMSL SU9N.

Note one point about Gustard x18. Under linux, DSD drivers are a problem, in my opinion they are generic, but they will eventually arrive. When switching from a 16/44 track to a DSD track (only in this case, 24/44, 24/96, 24/192 etc...to DSD works), there are crackles for about 10 seconds at the beginning of the track. I decided to switch back to windows and I no longer have this problem.

A friend also bought the Gustard X18. He absolutely wants to stay under linux, to get around the problem, he samples the 16/44.1 in 88.2. And it works perfectly.

Apart from that, I highly recommend it.
 

gkrnn

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Oct 11, 2022
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Thanks for your opinion. As for the drivers, I am using Volumio streamers on Raspberry Pi. I guess that qualifies as Linux as well (;-). Up till now I have had not trouble with any DAC I have had. The X18 uses the XMOS XU216 chip for USB interfacing, which is the same as for the D90xE. So I would hope that would not give a problem.
 
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fred38

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Thanks for your opinion. As for the drivers, I am using Volumio streamers on Raspberry Pi. I guess that qualifies as Linux as well (;-). Up till now I have had not trouble with any DAC I have had. The X18 uses the XMOS XU216 chip for USB interfacing, which is the same as for the D90xE. So I would hope that would not give a problem.
My friend tried it under roon rock (Nuc Intel) and volumio (Raspberry), and the problem is present on both!
 

audiofun

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Jul 4, 2021
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All topping ESS products have this issue. the DSD mode is not correctly implemented and will result with higher noise floor.
Archimago did performance tests and first revealed this issue, and I can verify that he is right. If you use DSD, stay away from Topping.
 
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