Topping D50 III Balanced DAC with EQ Review

[jmz]

I just ordered one on Aliexpress. Are there firmware updates it will need?

I ordered two... the price was great. One for work and second for home.

 

[jmz]

The D50III supports USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (480Mbps) at the most, but will likely still function at USB 1.1 Full-Speed (12Mbps).

Thank you for the answer. What is the source of this information?

I tried on Topping official website, ShenzenAudio and user manual. I couldn't find this info.

 

[unpluggged]

You can actually change the usb speed setting in the menus. This is great as d50 iii can be connected via usb to game consoles that only use the old usb speed.

It's not about USB speed, it's about UAC driver version these consoles use.

 

[JOCoin]

It's not about USB speed, it's about UAC driver version these consoles use.

That's correct, for the life of me could not remember the acronym.

 

[frgmnt]

Quick question about the "immaterial" ess hump. Does it mean that it is insignificant and can be ignored as if it isn't there? I'm assuming that it isn't noticeable at all and not something to worry about.

Also would the P50 linear power supply help with static electricity? I just tried the RAW-MDA1 and got it replaced once already. It seemed to have an issue handling static electricity, as almost every time I got up from my chair with wheels on carpet, I would hear some static coming from my headphones when I wasn't in contact with any of my desktop's electronics. My PC would then stop recognizing my DAC until I restarted the DAC's power. Tried different ports and power outlets, but it happened on both of the units I received so I'm just guessing that has something to do with how it is designed.

What are people using for TRS cables in the back? I saw a reviewer using the stack with the Topping TRS cables and it looked like it didn't bend that well for the stack, lifting the top unit.

 

[AudioNoobie]

What are people using for TRS cables in the back?

I've got neutrik TRS on mine with mogami w2534 microphone cable to XLR connectors (powered monitors so cables fine, amp would probably melt them)

Mogami Neglex quad cable is perfect cable for home studios suffering from wiring and grounding problems. Mogami 2534 should also be used where intense RFI interference is a problem. Mogami 2534 provides an improvement in signal to noise of 10-20db over equivalent twisted pair cables. Double conductors quad cables are more effective in canceling noise that can get past even the best of shields and is critical in an environment of high RF and EM interference.

Great cable for pc users with powered speakers

I don't notice any ESS hump, I can't really tell the difference between the power port being connected or not either tbh.

I rigged up an extension lead with a phone charger, and one day forgot to turn it on at the wall, never noticed the difference.
Some say it sounds better on battery but I can't tell any difference.

I tried connecting it to a UPS that outputs a pure soundwave too and couldn't tell a difference with that either

I only use speakers, maybe your headphones had a grounding issue, or the dac did as a whole.


been perfect for me since I bought it a few weeks back.

are you sure your pc doesn't have a grounding issue? the PSU is grounded right? and you don't have any motherboard offset screws touching something metal on the back of the motherboard? maybe your usb ports are ruining the dac

 

[frgmnt]

It's starting get cold and dry where I'm at, so there's a lot more static build up, especially when my chair moves around on my carpet. Pretty sure my PC is grounded well enough as I never shock myself with any of the components. My issue is with the SMSL RAW-MDA1. I have two other DAC/amps that I never had this issue so that's why I'm guessing the SMSL just isn't as good with dealing with static electricity.

I'm clueless about electrical engineering, but since my other two DAC/amps have an external power brick and the SMSL has a direct power cable, I'm suspecting that design is making it more susceptible to static since the parts converting AC to DC is sharing the same PCB as everything else. I'm sure it can be built well to avoid this, but an average consumer like me would have no way of knowing staring at the PCB design. Since the Topping D50 III doesn't do that, I'm just wildly guessing that I won't have the same issue with this.

I've got neutrik TRS on mine with mogami w2534 microphone cable to XLR connectors (powered monitors so cables fine, amp would probably melt them)

I was asking about TRS cables to connect the DAC to the amp in a stack. I saw Topping had a pair of short TRS cables just for this, but it doesn't seem to bend well when the DAC and amp are stacked right on top of each other.

 

[johny_2000]

I was asking about TRS cables to connect the DAC to the amp in a stack. I saw Topping had a pair of short TRS cables just for this, but it doesn't seem to bend well when the DAC and amp are stacked right on top of each other.

Topping D50 III Balanced DAC with EQ Review

You were right! I loaded the HD650's raw frequency response curve into the 'Source FR' tab and it showed up on the graph with the Source FR slider enabled. This also changed the shape of the Filtered FR curve to a "Raw headphones + Combined filter" curve. Can you share the file containing the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[johny_2000]

It's starting get cold and dry where I'm at, so there's a lot more static build up, especially when my chair moves around on my carpet. Pretty sure my PC is grounded well enough as I never shock myself with any of the components. My issue is with the SMSL RAW-MDA1. I have two other DAC/amps that I never had this issue so that's why I'm guessing the SMSL just isn't as good with dealing with static electricity.

I'm clueless about electrical engineering, but since my other two DAC/amps have an external power brick and the SMSL has a direct power cable, I'm suspecting that design is making it more susceptible to static since the parts converting AC to DC is sharing the same PCB as everything else. I'm sure it can be built well to avoid this, but an average consumer like me would have no way of knowing staring at the PCB design. Since the Topping D50 III doesn't do that, I'm just wildly guessing that I won't have the same issue with this.

Use a USB 2.0 480 Mbps Isolator between the PC and the DAC.

Topping D50 III Balanced DAC with EQ Review

You were right! I loaded the HD650's raw frequency response curve into the 'Source FR' tab and it showed up on the graph with the Source FR slider enabled. This also changed the shape of the Filtered FR curve to a "Raw headphones + Combined filter" curve. Can you share the file containing the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[frgmnt]

Use a USB 2.0 480 Mbps Isolator between the PC and the DAC.

I just placed my order for the D50 III/A50 III, P50, JDS cables, and HS02 USB Isolator. Good thing I had so many Amazon gift cards that I've been saving.

 

[AudioNoobie]

I was asking about TRS cables to connect the DAC to the amp in a stack

yea I wouldn't know about that.

Neutrik ones I have are huge

 

[DeDovla]

I have two other DAC/amps that I never had this issue so that's why I'm guessing the SMSL just isn't as good with dealing with static electricity.

I was asking about TRS cables to connect the DAC to the amp in a stack. I saw Topping had a pair of short TRS cables just for this, but it doesn't seem to bend well when the DAC and amp are stacked right on top of each other.

About the static electricity I have the same problem on the C200 when I use the headphone jack on it. However, since hooking it to the Topping L50 and using the C200 only as a DAC, I have not encountered this issue since. So as you assessed probably the issue is something tied to the built-in power supply and the headphone amp clipping protection (on my side at least).

As for the TRS cables, I use Cordial CFM 0.3 VV (TRS to TRS, 30cm length) it's a pretty nice cable. You can shorten it a bit by rolling it once before connecting to the amp (if it makes sense).

And since I see you mention the ESS IMD hump, the one on the D50III is really small than some other DACs - take a look for example at the DX5 review (I think a firmware fix was pushed to address it). However, even in the more "extreme" example I think there were no audible concerns.

 

[frgmnt]

Looking at the review, I should be using PCM filter 3, even though filter 1 is default? In the second graph comparing the filters, it says filter 3 is best, but I don't see filter 3's line plotted(green).

 

[staticV3]

In the second graph comparing the filters, it says filter 3 is best, but I don't see filter 3's line plotted(green).

It's there, just partially obstructed by the other graphs:

 

[frgmnt]

I was referring to this following graph. I finally found the green line after I zoomed in a lot. It was right under the line for mode 6.

I watched through Amir's speed reading DAC video, and I found the section explaining this graph a bit confusing, at around 25:25. It seems that fast and sharp attenuation above 20k Hz is ideal, but I was not sure why in the video, Amir picked filter 1 over 3. Filter 3 looks like it extends further than filter 1, while also attenuating just as sharply.

Sorry that I'm asking such a nitpicky question that I could probably decide by trying out the filters myself. I currently received my D50 III and I've been setting it up, but I cannot listen to it because the TRS cables will take a while to come in.

Mainly just trying to understand what is the ideal line when reading the graph I'm referring to. I found Amir's video to be very helpful, but I just didn't really understand this graph.

 

[staticV3]

Mainly just trying to understand what is the ideal line when reading the graph I'm referring to

The ideal Nyquist filter has 0dB attenuation at sample rate / 2 and full attenuation at 1 + sample rate / 2.

Of course, this is impossible in practice, so trade-offs have to be made.

Do you value HF extension more, or clean playback without imaging.

 

[frgmnt]

The ideal Nyquist filter has 0dB attenuation at sample rate / 2 and full attenuation at 1 + sample rate / 2.

Is that 1 + (sample rate/2), so ideal full attenuation for 44 kHz would be at 23 kHz?

Do you value HF extension more, or clean playback without imaging.

Full attenuation means losing imaging? As in sense of distance in the sound? I'll just have to try it out to see if I can hear the differences whenever these cables come in. What would be the best way to see the differences? Tracks with high pitched instruments like the violin, or tracks that have a lot of positioning such as 8D tracks.

 

[staticV3]

Is that 1 + (sample rate/2), so ideal full attenuation for 44 kHz would be at 23 kHz?

Ideally, full attenuation just above the Nyquist frequency, so at 22051Hz.

Full attenuation means losing imaging? As in sense of distance in the sound?

No, imaging as in the phenomenon of passband content being mirrored above Nyquist, as a result of leaky reconstruction filters.

 

[frgmnt]

Thanks, I kind of get it. Never had a DAC that allowed changing these kind of filters, so it'll be interesting to try them out to see how it sounds. Never really came across good analogies for how they could sound differently when I searched about these filters, and I've seen a good amount of people claiming they don't hear any differences between them.

 

[johny_2000]

I've seen a good amount of people claiming they don't hear any differences between them.

Yep, especially at higher sample rates (48kHz+). The only slightly audible difference is at 44.1kHz SR.