Topping D90 Balanced USB DAC Review

[Harmonie]

Start with unity gain, and for balanced out with HD800s it really should be more than enough. But if it's not, go to high gain, and if your volume pot goes to 3 o'clock or lower just switch to low gain. D90 I would go with -3db.

Strange.
I wouldn't see the point to set the D90 in a variable mode, let alone at just "-3db".
The D90 excels in the pure DAC mode (to be adjusted in the advanced mode); not so as a preamp.
The A90 is rather dedicated for that.

Thus of course if the A90 is the only output.

 

[Shangri-La]

What is the output impedence of the D90? I'm tempted by the D90 and SMSL M400, but from what I read the SMSL has a rather high output impedence of about 1k.

 

[ReaderZ]

Strange.
I wouldn't see the point to set the D90 in a variable mode, let alone at just "-3db".
The D90 excels in the pure DAC mode (to be adjusted in the advanced mode); not so as a preamp.
The A90 is rather dedicated for that.

Thus of course if the A90 is the only output.

There is a (small) possibility of digital cliping if set to 0 db or DAC mode, so -3db gives you the digital headroom to never have to think about it.

 

[Harmonie]

I'd be rather surprised the D90 to clip at 0db

PS- Isn't -3db that double of the 0db value ?

 

[Pluto]

+3dB corresponds to a voltage ratio of 1.4
–3dB corresponds to a voltage ratio of .7

+3dB corresponds to a power ratio of 2 i.e. double the power
+6dB corresponds to a voltage ratio of 2 i.e. double the voltage

 

[Harmonie]

Please correct me if I'm wrong: I meant opposite -3db is half the power compared to 0db ?
I meant that -3db would be a LOT of headroom for ReaderZ purpose ...

 

[mocenigo]

Well, that is good to hear.
I never heard of Mogami before, even though I'm a broadcast engineer by trade, so it sounded fishy to me...
Neutrik on the other hand is a familiar name.

Shame that they look so... ordinary. Not a fan of black. I like color, everywhere, and even better if something can be color-coded .I'm also not a fan of the "home made" look and feel they have on the pictures. But we can't have everything I guess...
Are there any options for 10cm cables? If devices will be stacked, 20cm seems a lot. Or am I wrong?

Mogami is actually quite a household name in the recording business and, yeah, NeutriX was a typo. To add color I use braided sleeving, but Canare would be happy to sell you the same cable in different colors

Roberto

 

[maverik_77]

I am facing probably a bug in D90 as i have come across it a few times since i have owned it from April.

It is set in DAC mode with AES->XLR. Ater a week after i owned it first i found that it has defaulted back to AES->RCA. This again happened a few times. I do not change inputs on the D90 and just it gets switched on and off through remote. I got curious and kept an eye for a while.

Today i had switched it off when playing through XLR in the morning and by evening when switching back on it was pointing to RCA. So can confirm that it is the device doing by itself and seems to be a bug.

Is there anyone else facing the same issue?

 

[Toku]

I am facing probably a bug in D90 as i have come across it a few times since i have owned it from April.

It is set in DAC mode with AES->XLR. Ater a week after i owned it first i found that it has defaulted back to AES->RCA. This again happened a few times. I do not change inputs on the D90 and just it gets switched on and off through remote. I got curious and kept an eye for a while.

Today i had switched it off when playing through XLR in the morning and by evening when switching back on it was pointing to RCA. So can confirm that it is the device doing by itself and seems to be a bug.

Is there anyone else facing the same issue?

Does the same phenomenon occur with USB, COAX, OPT, and BT inputs other than AES?

 

[maverik_77]

Does the same phenomenon occur with USB, COAX, OPT, and BT inputs other than AES?

I only tested them when it arrived.
I don't use them on a day to day basis as it is in the main system.

 

[Jerry Bruckheimer Fan]

Can this DAC put out more than 4 Vrms? A few amps have input sensitivities of 5.

 

[Dclone]

I am facing probably a bug in D90 as i have come across it a few times since i have owned it from April.

It is set in DAC mode with AES->XLR. Ater a week after i owned it first i found that it has defaulted back to AES->RCA. This again happened a few times. I do not change inputs on the D90 and just it gets switched on and off through remote. I got curious and kept an eye for a while.

Today i had switched it off when playing through XLR in the morning and by evening when switching back on it was pointing to RCA. So can confirm that it is the device doing by itself and seems to be a bug.

Is there anyone else facing the same issue?

No. I have no problems at all with D90 MQA. I use AES and USB as input. XLR as output (not using RCA)

 

[Veri]

Can this DAC put out more than 4 Vrms? A few amps have input sensitivities of 5.

No. 100% volume is 4.0 Vrms

 

[Jmsent]

Can this DAC put out more than 4 Vrms? A few amps have input sensitivities of 5.

Examples?

 

[Jerry Bruckheimer Fan]

Examples?

Some of the higher powered McIntosh amps. Trinnov Amplitude 8 (low gain structure of about 19db or something). Legacy Audio has an amp that's 5Vrms.

 

[Vladecrni]

Mogami is actually quite a household name in the recording business and, yeah, NeutriX was a typo. To add color I use braided sleeving, but Canare would be happy to sell you the same cable in different colors

Roberto

Thank you all for recommending these cables to me, I bought them in the end...
HOWEVER - future buyers be warned, these connectors (both RCA and XLR) are rather large . If you struggle with desk space, I would recommend something else. Maybe used Audioquest cables - that way we do not feed the beast any further . You will need at least 12 cm from the "wall" for the DAC. Also, if you have speakers like mine Dynaudio XEO 2, it will be a very tight fit.

On a separate note, I really struggle to notice difference between this DAC, one on my Asus ROG Maximus IX Formula motherboard, or the one integrated into this speakers . I expected much, much more.

 

[Doodski]

On a separate note, I really struggle to notice difference between this DAC, one on my Asus ROG Maximus IX Formula motherboard

Thanks for the heads up. I've been drooling on DACS and amps but if you say the ASUS S1220 CODEC and integrated DAC are that good then I'm good with what I have now.

 

[Jimbob54]

Thanks for the heads up. I've been drooling on DACS and amps but if you say the ASUS S1220 CODEC and integrated DAC are that good then I'm good with what I have now.

I was going to say similar. Unless your existing DACs are either very old and /or broken or crap to begin with, don't expect miracles from any new DAC, SoA or otherwise.

 

[Vladecrni]

Thanks for the heads up. I've been drooling on DACS and amps but if you say the ASUS S1220 CODEC and integrated DAC are that good then I'm good with what I have now.

No idea if they are "that good", just stating my subjective opinion. Here and there on the internet one can very rarely find people claiming that there is not that much difference between good onboard solution (like on a gaming motherboard that costs 300+€) and a dedicated setup, but then VAST majority says you absolutely NEED a DAC and Amp outside the PC. So I'm not sure what to think about this.

I'm no stranger to high quality audio and video, since I have 10+ years of experience in broadcast working with top of the range equipment and I know what to listen for, but I am just not hearing it here .

It IS good, just not 800€ worth "blow my brain out" good as one would expect with it's price tag. It is not next level for me.

Anyway, I am committed to explore this rabbit hole now, and I'm waiting for A90, custom balanced cable for my 6xx, Dekoni earpads, so I have end-to-end upgrade, to see if I can spot a difference with my headphones if speakers cannot reflect it.

 

[Jmsent]

I was going to say similar. Unless your existing DACs are either very old and /or broken or crap to begin with, don't expect miracles from any new DAC, SoA or otherwise.

That's been my experience for a long time. Way back when I was making a lot of money and could write off audio gear on my business, I purchased a Theta Gen Va balanced. This goes back to the mid 90's. This thing retailed for something like $6000, but I got it on accommodation. Still, not cheap. Since then I've tried out numerous DACs in my system, including a couple of Benchmark units, some Schiit stuff, and most recently, the little Pro-ject S2 box. In all this time, I never heard anything that made me feel that the ancient Theta unit was deficient in any way. I level matched it to the Benchmark, and did some blind A/B comparisons. With good Redbook material, I couldn't tell which was which. The only reason I'm looking at replacing it is because the Theta will only decode 16/44. I'm probably going to go for a D90.