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Topping D30Pro Review (Balanced DAC)

Slayer

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New at this, how/what/where did you get the meters? I need this, maybe more than air.
If you are interested in meters, you may be interested in a visual equalizer. Checkout microsoft app store KAUNA it's free. Once you learn how to set it up it's pretty cool. You can do all sorts of stuff with it. I currently have mine set for a 256 band visual equalizer. Looks pretty good on the big screen.
 

hotdogsandwich

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I was using the D30pro with RCA outs until my xlr cables showed up. I did notice a difference in, well, loudness immediately when connecting to XLR buts its higher voltage so that makes sense. That said is it possible the XLR out would have more dynamic range than RCA at very low listening volume? Also, plugging those XLR’s in made me feel like I’m taking charge of my life and i’m finally going to make something of my self.
 
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hotdogsandwich

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If you are interested in meters, you may be interested in a visual equalizer. Checkout microsoft app store KAUNA it's free. Once you learn how to set it up it's pretty cool. You can do all sorts of stuff with it. I currently have mine set for a 256 band visual equalizer. Looks pretty good on the big screen.
Awesome, thanks. I’m using itunes right now and I can’t figure out how to switch to foobar without ripping all of my discs again.
 

Rottmannash

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I’ve had my D30pro for about a week now. Initially it sounded a bit flat, so I’ve been aging it in a bourbon barrel, and so far its got some really nice notes of vanilla and caramel with a pleasant open soundstage. I also wiped down the XLR connections with a light coating of my secret mix of Motul and Redline synthetic oil.
You didn't put it in the freezer overnight?? What's wrong with you? Have we taught you nothing??
 

chocomamey

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"IMO, the D30 Pro is totally transparent out of box. I heard no difference with E30 or D50s either"


Cant be just like that to pay 250 dlls more than e30 just to Have volume knob and xlr output.
 

BDWoody

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Cant be just like that to pay 250 dlls more than e30 just to Have volume knob and xlr output.

Does seem crazy doesn't it...

More money buys features, not better sound, beyond a very low threshold.
 

chocomamey

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Does seem crazy doesn't it...

More money buys features, not better sound, beyond a very low threshold.

Many of the same (Under $500) dacs from smsl ,topping ,khadas,loxjie, etc are differentiating for minor changes like tonalities ..more bass.. soundstage etc but they are MINOR ones and you can compensate with an amplifier with tone controls .....only maybe if you are an absolute audiophile who listens dacs in direct mode (without adding bass or trebble in amplifier) analyze music all the time instead on enjoying it.But if not..maybe its not rocket science and wanting to jump from dac to dac isnt suitable and we fall in just CONSUMERISM (talking about 500 dll or under mark). It sounds a little weird when youtube reviewers says that X dac have Y amount of layers of deep tonalities than Z dac.
 
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alekksander

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Anyone willing to measure xlr and rca output resistance? Just curious…
 

Earlxtr

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Got my D30pro today. At the very least it sounds different then my old SMSL M6 DAC. I’m running it through a Bryston 4B SST2 300W Amp and Revel 228 speakers which are both very highly resolving in their own right.

I get so used to how a song sounds that when I listened Norah Jones 'Broken' I was not sure I liked the change. It did not take me long to realize that what I was hearing was more fine detail, more separation of instruments and more dynamic range within the music. By the end of the song I was quite satisfied with the new sound. I really wasn’t expecting any sonic differences so actually hearing a discernible improvement in sound was a bit of a surprise.

A few years ago I did a direct switch back and forth comparison between my $9000 DAC and preamp to the SMSL M6. I could hear almost no difference so I proceeded to sell DAC/Pre and just use the SMSL M6 for the past 5 years. Now I am happy I waited for technology to improve and trickle down to a price point that is quite amazing in relation to the high prices I have paid for other equipment in the past.

For others, I believe it really comes down to how resolving your equipment is as to how much of a difference you will hear between DACs. I also believe that within a generation, most DACs sound quite similar. It’s quiet interesting to me that things continue to improve and can still make audible differences.

Thank you Amirm for doing these reviews and helping us make scientifically sound choices. So much better then the highly subjective babbling reviews on most other sites.
 
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zenmastering

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For those of us who want consistent (and excellent) performance from each input (coax / opt / USB) as well as balanced out and level adjustment, the D30 Pro ticks more boxes...

Does seem crazy doesn't it...

More money buys features, not better sound, beyond a very low threshold.
 

Cc-Mode

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E30 does an excellent good job on all 3 inputs also ....
USB: yes
Coax/opt: no (becomes yes) but only see how they handle opt signal in pro version
 
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Earlxtr

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Before I bought the D30Pro I read a post that said that the output was either XLR or RCA but not both. This is not the case. You can choose either XLR out or RCA out or BOTH for the outputs. I run my power amp from XLR and my subs from RCA outs and it all works.
 

alekksander

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Before I bought the D30Pro I read a post that said that the output was either XLR or RCA but not both. This is not the case. You can choose either XLR out or RCA out both for the outputs. I run my power amp from XLR and my subs from RCA outs in it all works.
yes, as it says in manual https://www.tpdz.net/newsinfo/489854.html
 

chocomamey

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Before I bought the D30Pro I read a post that said that the output was either XLR or RCA but not both. This is not the case. You can choose either XLR out or RCA out or BOTH for the outputs. I run my power amp from XLR and my subs from RCA outs and it all works.


so you can connect subwoofer to rca outs of the dac ?
 

alekksander

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hotdogsandwich

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what's the setup? how do You guys match the volume difference? never heard of such configuration
KRK G4’s and an old Atlantic Technology powered sub. The RCA’s obviously have lower output voltage but I just adjust the crossover and gain on the powered sub until it sounds right. Not sure what else to say, but it all plays together quite nicely.
 

chocomamey

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soo..annyone can reccomend D30 PRO vs SMSL SU-9 in terms of sound of the chip ? (cirrus vs ESS9038 PRO)
 

Cc-Mode

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soo..annyone can reccomend D30 PRO vs SMSL SU-9 in terms of sound of the chip ? (cirrus vs ESS9038 PRO)
Didn't know chips have sound .... what about the sound of the rest? As far as I know we have only one sound as output all components included: how can one extract or isolate the sound of one element?
 
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