The standard e70 is cool enough and maybe cooler than the velvet, DO200mk2 and DO300. After reworking all four, I finally left the standard e70 in silver. (SMSL forgot about the most important function which is energy management. It can only pretend to be dead).
Post in thread 'Topping E70 Stereo DAC Review'
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...ping-e70-stereo-dac-review.39188/post-1530061
And next 4 pages
This is why I went with the E70V instead of E70: (from head-fi.org)
CONCLUSION
This one is easy. The Topping E70V Velvet Edition is one of the best DACs under $500 I have heard. Compared directly to the RME ADI-2 PRO FS R Black Edition DAC that uses the AKM AK4493 DAC, the Topping comes pretty close! No, it doesn't match or beat the RME, but considering the price, it makes the Topping a real winner in its own right.
The question may be for some of you, which version should I get? The E70 for less money, or pay the premium for the E70V? If budget is tight, then I can wholeheartedly recommend the original E70. If you prefer a smooth, laid back sound, that may hide any warts in poorer recordings, I recommend the E70. The DSD performance of the E70 is also excellent, actually I consider DSD playback to be its strength.
But if you can stretch your wallet, my recommendation is get the E70V. In spite of the issue with DSD I highlighted, overall I consider it the better sounding DAC. It is much more true to the source, and will give you its best when you give it a great recording. It may not be as nice to you with poorer recordings, though. It is dynamic, paints a good soundstage, and also is great with micro dynamics and textures. If you listen to DSD, you may find better performance oversampling to a higher rate, or you may find it sounds just fine as it is. The difference is not enough to be a deal breaker when one considers how overall fine the sound is. Highly recommended at this price point. Worth a listen even if you are looking at a higher price point!
MEASUREMENTS
The Topping E70V put simply, measures better than any DAC I have yet had the privilege to evaluate. The SNR, though falling just a bit short of the E70, is still an amazing
-127.1db (A). THD exceeds the E70 at
-131db, and likewise SINAD is an impressive
121.3db, outpacing the E70 once again. The ESS chipset in the E70 is famed for its jitter rejection. Don't tell that to the new AKM chipset in the E70V, as it equals or even slightly beats the E70 in jitter rejection! Please see the graphs below for more data. Stereo Separation never rises any higher than -123db, 3db better than the E70.
OUR RATING: (0-10 scale. 8 or higher numbers represent best of industry. For the final score calculation, each category is given a (undisclosed) weighting and is tallied for final score. Although perfect 'fairness' is unlikely, our system tries to be as unbiased as possible
sound quality: 8.3
build quality: 9.3
ease of use: 8.8
measurements: 10.0
value: 9
TOTAL RATING: 89.3/ 100
