Topping D10 - Info & Where To Buy

[Guermantes]

It's amazing how much confusion that extra syllable creates

 

[RayDunzl]

 

[Wombat]

Those were the days, cobber.

 

[Michael Guntsche]

I've just set up a playlist in Foobar2000 with tracks at 16-44.1, 24-96, and DSD64, played them via the D10 and didn't observe any clicks in the transitions.

I forgot to ask. Do you also have dropouts or crackling noises other users reported?

 

[amirm]

Mine just arrived

It is as slick looking as the picture!

 

[Zek]

We're waiting for the test results.

 

[Michael Guntsche]

As I said nooooo pressure

 

[Zek]

No pressure ... just push a little ..

 

[Guermantes]

I forgot to ask. Do you also have dropouts or crackling noises other users reported?

No, I haven't had any of those problems.

 

[Netspirit]

Also waiting. Wondering if it's similar to the old DX7.

 

[amirm]

OK, review is posted: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iew-and-measurements-of-topping-d10-dac.2470/

 

[Snarfie]

Just today in stock at Audiophonics.fr for 84.90 exluding 8,50 euro to sent it to holland.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...4khz-dsd-256-xmos-u208-es9018k2m-p-12596.html

Did orderd one today.

 

[Jimster480]

A few people have picked these up already on MassDrop and so far in the discussions everything is going great!

 

[Ron Texas]

More subjective listening opinions...I must be a fan of the Sabre sound. The D10 is much brighter than the Element, but pleasantly so. Not splashy or sibilant, perhaps a bit more fatiguing, but also more....interesting. In the same vein, the bass seems boosted. If it were not for the subjectively proportional mids and upper mids, I'd say it sounds U-shaped, but I know that Topping just don't play that. They are going for dead flat, and I'd bet they achieve it. Long story short, this is a damn fine DAC, and it sounds sweet with the Element amp section.

It's these kind of comments which worry me about the "Sabre Sound". They are all over the place. It's boiling down to where I may get a D30 and accept that it doesn't go up to the really high sampling rates. Meanwhile, ESS chips are being used by what seems like a majority of manufacturers, especially in the value segment.

 

[Jimster480]

It's these kind of comments which worry me about the "Sabre Sound". They are all over the place. It's boiling down to where I may get a D30 and accept that it doesn't go up to the really high sampling rates. Meanwhile, ESS chips are being used by what seems like a majority of manufacturers, especially in the value segment.

tbh I checked out the "sabre sound" vs "Ti Sound" vs "Crystal / Wolfson Sound" and I cannot tell the difference even through hours of A/B testing....
The newer ESS chips surely render higher level details better than old Wolfson chips which is why they were considered "warmer" I guess since really high frequencies didn't come through aswell... But testing the D30 vs the M8 vs the DX7 vs the FiiO K1.... well the K1 has its own amp but as long as I am using a headphone that can be driven by it and level matched.... there isn't really a difference although the K1 does seem to have a bit less detail in some complex tracks. Which is understandable given its price point but at the same time its not nearly as bad as you would expect (provided you are using headphones it can actually drive).
The DX7 seems to have the most detail (once again in very specific scenarios, because 90% of music I cannot tell the difference between the D30 and the DX7, although in certain cases while watching TV streams the D30 after being left on for a long time seems to recess male voices a bit, but since I couldn't A/B test it exactly at these points in time I'm not sure if it was in my head).

 

[Ron Texas]

tbh I checked out the "sabre sound" vs "Ti Sound" vs "Crystal / Wolfson Sound" and I cannot tell the difference even through hours of A/B testing....
The newer ESS chips surely render higher level details better than old Wolfson chips which is why they were considered "warmer" I guess since really high frequencies didn't come through aswell...

There are a lot of folks who say they hear a Sabre sound. Others say there is no such thing. I have not had enough Sabre dac's to draw a valid conclusion. What I do know is ESS has become the dominant choice of manufacturers in the value and mid price segments of audiophile DAC's and comments about the Sabre sound are all over the place. Could they both be right? Is the Sabre sound something that only bothers some people and most love it for detail? Note that the high end gear tends to use proprietary solutions. Pro audio is dominated by CS and AKM, probably because they offer AD chips.

If they really all sound the same the D10 over the D30 is a no brainer because it accepts more formats. The price difference is negligible although I could wind up not liking the display in the D10.

 

[Jimster480]

There are a lot of folks who say they hear a Sabre sound. Others say there is no such thing. I have not had enough Sabre dac's to draw a valid conclusion. What I do know is ESS has become the dominant choice of manufacturers in the value and mid price segments of audiophile DAC's and comments about the Sabre sound are all over the place. Could they both be right? Is the Sabre sound something that only bothers some people and most love it for detail? Note that the high end gear tends to use proprietary solutions. Pro audio is dominated by CS and AKM, probably because they offer AD chips.

If they really all sound the same the D10 over the D30 is a no brainer because it accepts more formats. The price difference is negligible although I could wind up not liking the display in the D10.

the sabre sound honestly is just the resolving of high level details. But every brand's newish DA converters do that these days.
The other thing is the combo with different OpAmps, you would be surprised how many pieces of high end gear don't have proprietary solutions anymore.

 

[Ron Texas]

the sabre sound honestly is just the resolving of high level details. But every brand's newish DA converters do that these days.
The other thing is the combo with different OpAmps, you would be surprised how many pieces of high end gear don't have proprietary solutions anymore.

It's definitely a mix. The resolving of details possibly may be perceived differently by some individuals. I can't think of a better explanation. It probably measures as increased linearity. Despite all sorts of subjective claims, they all have a pretty flat frequency response, with a few rolling off a bit in the highest frequencies which can't be heard by most adults anyway. I would not go so far as to say every brand's newish DA converters have increased detail, but many do.

 

[Jimster480]

It's definitely a mix. The resolving of details possibly may be perceived differently by some individuals. I can't think of a better explanation. It probably measures as increased linearity. Despite all sorts of subjective claims, they all have a pretty flat frequency response, with a few rolling off a bit in the highest frequencies which can't be heard by most adults anyway. I would not go so far as to say every brand's newish DA converters have increased detail, but many do.

Which ones haven't?
I mean frequency response doesn't tell the whole story. Most every DAC has a flat frequency response but it doesn't mean they have the same linearity or SINAD.
Better numbers = cleaner signal. I think that the cleaner signal and better detail gets marked as "glare" or "brightness" especially by older audiophiles who grew up with trash quality electronics or people who were used to overly "warm" or bassy setups.