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Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC Review

Rate this DAC:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 5 1.8%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 8 2.9%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 38 13.6%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 229 81.8%

  • Total voters
    280

GPJ

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Amir has measured enough ESS DAC's over the past year to prove their undisputed cutting edge performance. (Could say the same for Cirrus, AKM). SINAD and transparency have been a real yawnfest for quite sometime now. I think Topping and SMSL may start loading features in, but their upper end devices are already expensive. It could alienate many buyers when prices head well into 4 digit territory, but maybe that is what their end game is. High prices for a hooked niche crowd. We already see quite a few of these manufacturers in the audio arena.
 

Music1969

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Such a missed opportunity here, to add Parametric EQ.

Would be a game changer, in terms of price and performance

Please let Topping know @SHENZHENAUDIO
 

raif71

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Amir has measured enough ESS DAC's over the past year to prove their undisputed cutting edge performance. (Could say the same for Cirrus, AKM). SINAD and transparency have been a real yawnfest for quite sometime now. I think Topping and SMSL may start loading features in, but their upper end devices are already expensive. It could alienate many buyers when prices head well into 4 digit territory, but maybe that is what their end game is. High prices for a hooked niche crowd. We already see quite a few of these manufacturers in the audio arena.
Agreed on what you say but I just want to add that I too enjoy the Burr-Brown DAC chip used by IFI Audio and the FPGA implementation of DAC by Chord on the Mojo dac/amp.
 

Akary

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Amir has measured enough ESS DAC's over the past year to prove their undisputed cutting edge performance. (Could say the same for Cirrus, AKM). SINAD and transparency have been a real yawnfest for quite sometime now. I think Topping and SMSL may start loading features in, but their upper end devices are already expensive. It could alienate many buyers when prices head well into 4 digit territory, but maybe that is what their end game is. High prices for a hooked niche crowd. We already see quite a few of these manufacturers in the audio arena.
unfortunately for some people if it doesn't cost much the product doesn't sound good so I have heard myself told too many times I have a d50s which I am very satisfied with I would like to change it especially for the balance which unfortunately I need which I don't have on the stereo pre audio but also for make a leap in quality
 
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MBO

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Agreed on what you say but I just want to add that I too enjoy the Burr-Brown DAC chip used by IFI Audio and the FPGA implementation of DAC by Chord on the Mojo dac/amp.
The last good DAC from Burr-Brown was PCM1794, but it's quite difficult to implement, but it's totally outdated. Otherwise sound quality aside, BB DACs are just ridiculous.

This is of course my opinion and experience.
 

GPJ

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The last good DAC from Burr-Brown was PCM1794, but it's quite difficult to implement, but it's totally outdated. Otherwise sound quality aside, BB DACs are just ridiculous.

This is of course my opinion and experience.

I still use a Pioneer DV-58AV and Onkyo DV-SP506 for optical discs. Both have BB PCM1796. I like them today every bit as good as my squeaky clean D30 Pro and E70 DAC's.

I also like the old Wolfson WM8740 in my Pioneer BDP-05FD Bluray player for high rez stereo Bluray audio.
 
Last edited:

pollock0424

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Oh boy! Now, we're talking! I'm guessing that you can use this as a preamp with power amp that has large input impedance? (50k ohms)

Also, what if I want to add multiple sources to this? I want to use my minidsp as a streamer and room correction, and I have couple of cassette decks and an R2R as my analog sources.
 

RichB

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Great product -

- Affordable
- Very good Linear Phase that is the default filter
- Nice package and display
- INPUT and OUTPUT TRIGGERS (FINALLY)

Wow.

- Rich
 

staticV3

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- Very good Linear Phase that is the default filter
The default filter is Minimum phase:
Screenshot_20230519-152306_Drive.png
 

RichB

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dartinbout

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As long as Topping refuses to include a unicorn with every product, I adamantly refuse to continue to recognize them as a serious audiophile manufacturer. I just got my seventh Topping box and still no damn unicorn!
 

Atanasi

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As long as Topping refuses to include a unicorn with every product, I adamantly refuse to continue to recognize them as a serious audiophile manufacturer. I just got my seventh Topping box and still no damn unicorn!
Are you still going to pony it up?
 

MadMaxx

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Sonic-Wall

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Mar 29, 2021
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Not even close...
No EQ, no Loudness option, no bass/treble, and almost twice the gain is available with the RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Not to mention the remote provided with the RME makes the Topping remote seem like a dime store toy. You get what you pay for. The ADI-2 offers better engineering and a lot more options and technology which is continually updated and improved. After Topping releases a product it's on the way to obsolescence. RME ADI-2 is continually improving - at no extra cost.
Honestly, since the ADI-2/4 Pro release I haven‘t seen any significant firmware updates for neither the ADI-2 Pro FSR nor the ADI-2 DAC!
Obviously all RME engineering resources are tied up with providing bug fix releases for ADI-2/4 Pro…
 
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