Topping D90 Balanced USB DAC Review

[jason.voegele]

If it were 220V, your D90 would be fried right now.

Well, I am certainly glad that they set it to the right setting before shipping it to me!

 

[ReaderZ]

Hi Hammer. Welcome to the forum.

I explain my experience with the topic of USB interfaces and conditioners.

Before having the D90 associated with a fixed form SMSL SP200 and Sennheiser HD800s, I had an NAD M51 and an HDVD800, very happy with its sound, but whose USB input of the M51 was not exactly good (year 2012). I like to experiment, so I tried to use an interface to use the AES / EBU input of the M51, it gave me a good result and since then I have been testing a few devices.

I have come to have a Yellowtec Puc 2, a Gustard U12, a Matrix Spdif2 and a Singxer SU-1, various USB conditioners as well, including an iFi iUSB 3.0, various combinations, low noise power supplies etc. Finally, some with good results and others not so much or none, but always using the AES / EBU entry.

I still have the Matrix Spdif2 and the Singxer SU-1 and contrary to what happened with the NAD M51, I can assure you that I would not be able to distinguish between any of the inputs of the Topping D90, with or without interfaces and including the i2S through the SU-1.
With everything I've tried, it can be said that I would be prejudiced against the D90's USB input, but the opposite has happened to me.
And it is what surprised me about this DAC from the beginning, the good audio quality through a simple USB connection / cable. Sometimes when I connect just the cable, it seems to me like something is missing, out of habit.

What's more, if you had to choose between any of your inputs, you would choose USB. I have the impression, only the impression, that it is marginally better. For a while now, the USB section of the DACs has improved a lot or at least in some. And for me it is fundamental because I always use the PC as a digital source.

In my opinion, if you do it only for the sound, you do not need to buy anything and if you buy it because you need an interface to obtain another type of digital output at the same time, you do not have to worry about the sound either because you will not notice differences. to worst. They all sound good. It is a good DAC as is. At least in my system and with my ear.

A bit off topic, do you like SMSL Sp200 more than HDVD800?

 

[Jimbob54]

Thanks for that link. I am in the United States (home is in Kentucky, office is in Ohio) and according to that chart, that would mean 120V, 60Hz.

Given that, I assume that 115V is the correct setting for me.

Thanks!

Correct! Which is thankfully what you have had it on and why you havent had issues. Im not actually sure what the impact is on getting it wrong. Think most decent devices sense the wrong V and shut down rather than blow up.

 

[rococoxxx]

Thanks. I don't see anything immediately obvious. The input voltage of the RS-02 is given as +21dBu (which this converter says is 8.69V RMS), while the D90 specifies an output voltage over RCA of 2V RMS. So there should be lots of headroom. Input impedance for the RS-02 is 10kohms; output impedance for the D90 is not specified. Does anything jump out here?

EDIT: I think it was my mistake. I had a directional interconnect cable backwards. Turning it around seems to have cleaned up the sound. I can now run the D90 on DAC mode without any pre-gain reduction into the RS-02. Never realized cable direction could make such a difference!

Topping D90 MQA:

View attachment 64630

Lake People HPA RS-02:

View attachment 64631

I've experimented with reversing directional cables (both speaker and interconnects) and never really heard a difference. Directionality in cables is marketing. Such a phenomenon does not exist in physics. Electrons don't care...

 

[Rigel]

A bit off topic, do you like SMSL Sp200 more than HDVD800?

Hi ReaderZ

I haven't heard the HDVD800 in a long time, I have it disassembled and I have not been able to compare them with the new D90 both, but from what I remember I would say that the SP200 sounds at least as good and probably better.
What I am sure of, is that in relation to sound quality / price, there is a chasm between them.

I will try to enable the HDVD800, if I can make a fairer comparison, I will send you a private message.

 

[Pluto]

I had a directional interconnect cable backwards.

Now I really have read everything.

@THAndy – have you paused for just a moment to consider whether that is even a physical possibility?

 

[Jimbob54]

Now I really have read everything.

@THAndy – have you paused for just a moment to consider whether that is even a physical possibility?

Arent there some that have shielding connected at one end (cant recall which), therefore directional in that sense. Assume the electrons would still find their way in that scenario too though?

 

[THAndy]

Now I really have read everything.

@THAndy – have you paused for just a moment to consider whether that is even a physical possibility?

Yes. I was utterly skeptical about directional unbalanced cables too but in my surprise I drew a hasty conclusion. Now I can't replicate the original problem, so whatever it was, it was probably not the directionality of the cable. I have edited my original posts and will back away from the forum for a good long think about what I have done. Apologies to everyone for wasting time.

 

[auronthas]

After three weeks auditioning D90, I observed I need to lower my integrated amplifier volume from previous 40 to 35, compared to my previous DX3 Pro for the same track/song, is it common? is it due to AK4499's higher dB than AK4490 ?

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

After three weeks auditioning D90, I observed I need to lower my integrated amplifier volume from previous 40 to 35, compared to my previous DX3 Pro for the same track/song, is it common? is it due to AK4499's higher dB than AK4490 ?

Or perhaps the voltage or signal amp circuitry the D90 may use downstream of the output of the AK4499.

 

[auronthas]

Or perhaps the voltage or signal amp circuitry the D90 may use downstream of the output of the AK4499.

Not sure if this is current output DAC AK4499's characteristic ? Input impedance of my integrated amplifier is 47k ohms, don't think it's matching issue. Will the sound volume effect change over time ?

 

[JustAnandaDourEyedDude]

Sorry, I do not know whether it is AK4499 built-in current-amp characteristic or downstream component, but does it matter? Either way, you are only seeing the overall signal output level of the D90. I think the XLR balanced out has a higher voltage level than the unbalanced RCA. Don't know about DX3Pro, I don't own one. Yes, you are right, it is not a matching issue with your integrated amp, just a question of output voltage level of the overall D90. But I think the higher D90 output level vs DX3Pro is not going to change over time. Member JohnYang1997 would be able to answer your question definitively.

 

[auronthas]

Sorry, I do not know whether it is AK4499 built-in current-amp characteristic or downstream component, but does it matter? Either way, you are only seeing the overall signal output level of the D90. I think the XLR balanced out has a higher voltage level than the unbalanced RCA. Don't know about DX3Pro, I don't own one. But I think it is unlikely to change over time. Member JohnYang1997 would be able to answer your question definitively.

Yes, I am using XLR balanced out on D90 versus RCA out on DX3 Pro, that may answer my own question. Thanks for highlighting.

 

[DavidBloch406]

Yes. I was utterly skeptical about directional unbalanced cables too but in my surprise I drew a hasty conclusion. Now I can't replicate the original problem, so whatever it was, it was probably not the directionality of the cable. I have edited my original posts and will back away from the forum for a good long think about what I have done. Apologies to everyone for wasting time.

God I hope you’re joking: you sound like a cult member. Come on, man, it’s just an honest misinterpretation...

 

[THAndy]

God I hope you’re joking: you sound like a cult member. Come on, man, it’s just an honest misinterpretation...

Yes, I'm joking.

 

[Jimbob54]

Yes, I am using XLR balanced out on D90 versus RCA out on DX3 Pro, that may answer my own question. Thanks for highlighting.

Yeah, that's at least double the output voltage. At full volume, probably more. 2v max to anything up to 7v on xlr

 

[Jimbob54]

God I hope you’re joking: you sound like a cult member. Come on, man, it’s just an honest misinterpretation...

Noooooooooo. He has revealed himself as a heretic and even worse, a subjectivist. We will science him until he repents. Science him deep and hard.

(seriously, I hope he doesn't terminate, perhaps there is a lesson here)

 

[Yviena]

To be honest measurements doesn't always correlate to SQ, just look at the video industry with the recent issue of metamerism failure where what the instruments measure, and what we see/perceive differs depending on the technology used.

 

[Jimbob54]

To be honest measurements doesn't always correlate to SQ, just look at the video industry with the recent issue of metamerism failure where what the instruments measure, and what we see/perceive differs depending on the technology used.

Go on then, I'll take that bait. If measurements aren't reliable enough, what should we as consumers look to as a guarantee of fidelity in audio?

 

[Yviena]

Go on then, I'll take that bait. If measurements aren't reliable enough, what should we as consumers look to as a guarantee of fidelity in audio?

No idea at least with video it's easy enough to see that older display technologies look different even if the equipment measures the same, for example if you compare D65 illuminant on CRT/plasma, it will look different on newer displays which has different spectral emissions mainly wide gamut.

Maybe advances in SDM design, HRTF manipulation etc, new measurement methodologies, who knows what 10-20 years will bring in advancements, i never said that measurements aren't reliable but that they don't always correlate to better SQ depending on the performance of the unit in question.