Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC Review

[DilbertPugh]

Can we expect a D70 Pro Velvet will be turning up soon?

 

[Atanasi]

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]

Can we expect a D70 Pro Velvet will be turning up soon?

I think it's more likely we'll see an "upgraded" D90 with the 9039Pro.

 

[Akary]

I think it's more likely we'll see an "upgraded" D90 with the 9039Pro.

I hope also with the new functions and displays

 

[HappyMetalGuy]

I think it's more likely we'll see an "upgraded" D90 with the 9039Pro.

I hope also with the new functions and displays

if it's not something like the Eversolo DMP-A6 they shouldn't even released it.

 

[Sonic-Wall]

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…

 

[Mark K]

Hasn't the a90 been discontinued since the launch of the a90D?

Yes, but I may be able to find one at discounted price

 

[Mark K]

Still makes no sense. A70Pro vs A90 non discrete? What's the point of the latter, then.

Well I can probably get an A90 100$ less than A70pro

 

[raif71]

They can’t do that cos then they’d have to call it the d70 prod which sounds stupid!

maybe d70 proud is better Discrete and Proud lol

 

[sandeep_s300]

I just got my D70 Pro SABRE yesterday . So, to sum it all up, Filter 1 seems to the right choice for this DAC. I wonder if Filter 6 will allow better treble presence without causing fatigue on long listening sessions.

I have tried using my marantz AV8805 as the pre amp and on pure direct mode and it sounded great. Felt like my Oppo 205 came back from dead, more beefed up. Doing some more quick tests , I preferred DAC to be in PRE mode and connect straight to my Sunfire cinema grand power amp, powering m&k S300 fronts . The RCA from the DAC runs directly to my X12 subwoofer , cross over at 80hz. Sound was more cleaner this way.

 

[sandeep_s300]

Any recommendation on Bandwidth settings ? I left it at Default 5 for now.

 

[oscar_dziki]

Guys, have you seen the advertisment in shenzhenaudio? 126 db sinad

TOPPING D70PRO SABRE ES9039SPRO Digital to Analog Convertor (DAC)

The D70 Pro SABRE adopts the ES9039SPRO, the flagship 32-bit DAC chip of SABRE redesigned by ESS company. D70 Pro SABRE supports LDAC / aptX-Adaptive / aptX HD/ aptX /AAC I SBC audio encoding, allowing high quality audio to be transmitted wirelessly for a better sound experience.

shenzhenaudio.com

 

[staticV3]

Guys, have you seen the advertisment in shenzhenaudio? 126 db sinad

TOPPING D70PRO SABRE ES9039SPRO Digital to Analog Convertor (DAC)

The D70 Pro SABRE adopts the ES9039SPRO, the flagship 32-bit DAC chip of SABRE redesigned by ESS company. D70 Pro SABRE supports LDAC / aptX-Adaptive / aptX HD/ aptX /AAC I SBC audio encoding, allowing high quality audio to be transmitted wirelessly for a better sound experience.

shenzhenaudio.com

View attachment 299757

Important caveat: With A-weighting


Unweighted (like Amir measures), the APx555 will likely show 124-125dB SINAD, which is actually the limit of the AP Audio Analyzer, not the true performance of the DAC.
With a more transparent analyzer, you're likely to see ~127dB SINAD unweighted.

 

[oscar_dziki]

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.

Topping and SMSL have also shown, that good sound is no mumbo-jumbo magic. What I mean is, both those companies have given a blueprint that you can build these devices from the ground up, so I don't think they will be able to go crazy with prices, as new competition may emerge.

 

[sandeep_s300]

Does anyone know which brand / type of master clock is inside the d70 pro Sabre?

 

[carlmart]

Any reviewer on the web tested the D70 Pro Sabre and opened the box to see what's inside?

​

 

[staticV3]

Any reviewer on the web tested the D70 Pro Sabre and opened the box to see what's inside?

You can find a review here and pictures of the PCBA here.

 

[carlmart]

Thanks, of course I had seen the ASR review first than any others.

Hoped there might be a linear supply inside, but there's not. We'll have to get used that linear supplies are a thing of the past, and pray DC-DC ones get better with time.

The output chips seem to be inside the big metal box, so they will remain a mystery.

 

[sandeep_s300]

I always wondered what kind of master clock are they using . They have bandwidth setting option between 4-15, which is to manage jitter. Has anyone tried playing around with the setting and heated any audible difference ?

 

[soerenssen]

Can someone please explain to me what this means? Did anyone experience a similar "problem" with a PC or Mac USB connection?

"While the D70 PRO performed outstandingly when connected directly to a desktop PC, playing back lossless files via Foobar2000 and JRiver software players, something changed in its overall performance when connected to the USB port of the DMP-A6. The DMP-A6 played music directly from its internal memory or via streaming services like Qobuz and Tidal, completely bypassing a desktop PC and its operating system. This alteration resulted in the D70 PRO sounding incredibly clean and highly transparent, without adding a smidge of grain, digitus, and aggressiveness which I heard when linked to a PC, making the music enjoyable even at higher sound pressure levels."