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Topping D90 Balanced USB DAC Review

Tomosius

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I am just looking how to make a decent setup, so i could be using my PC as music source :)
Also like sometimes to play games, so if it would be possible to use the same earphones/headphones, would be amazing.
 

Jimbob54

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I am just looking how to make a decent setup, so i could be using my PC as music source :)
Also like sometimes to play games, so if it would be possible to use the same earphones/headphones, would be amazing.

You've got high value IEMs. What do you use now to listen through them?
 

Tomosius

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currently using just PC Audio system. Earlier had dedicated audio card, but it stopped working. no idea what. So currently have to use integrated.
This is why i am thinking, get an audio card, or maybe possible to make it better with external sound card or some DAC?
 

BDWoody

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I am just looking how to make a decent setup, so i could be using my PC as music source :)
Also like sometimes to play games, so if it would be possible to use the same earphones/headphones, would be amazing.

I am assuming you aren't happy with the sound you are getting from your PC? Some can be quite decent...but an external DAC isn't a crazy idea!

Most (not all) DAC's have a USB connection that will allow you to do exactly what you describe. Once you plug it in, it will show up as an option on your audio panel, and like magic it will do it's thing.

This DAC doesn't have a headphone amp, but there are many that do, which may work well for you. Not being a headphone guy, I will let others make specific recommendations based on your Shures, but my SMSL M500 and a few toppings do have a headphone jack I will use occasionally.

Check some reviews...see what features you may care about...the reality is that the sound difference between the decent ones will be minimal.
 

Tomosius

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Problem is, in future i would like to be able to use also headphones, not only IEMs.
 

Cut-Throat

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Use another PDF reader or wait for the printed copy in the box. Maybe it is not intuitive for you, but with some effort you will figure it out eventually. Better get used to it, because this is the only manual there is. No use complaining about it.

thanks for your helpful reply.
 

GeorgeWalk

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Hello to everyone.

Would it be possible to use this DAC connected to PC for listening music? As i have quite a big collection of High quality music.
Also, if i would like to play games, how it would perform? Just curious.

Earphones: Shure SE846

Regards
Tomas

I have the D90 connected to my Macbook Pro via USB. It works great. I either drive my Bose powered speakers or my HD660s (through a JDS LAbs Atom amp). Great DAC.
 

auronthas

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Hi there, may I know what is your recommended mini PC (USB output) to D90 input and it can be integrated to TV for music/web browsing?

Currently my Auralic Aries Mini giving me endless headache pairing with the apps.
 

bahamot

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It arrived :D
To above: I'm using USB Audio Player Pro on Android with Odroid N2.
20200601_155718.jpg
 

Rover

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Someone has analyzed a section of 2L track with DXD as reference against the MQA core decode (1st unfold only) and as well as the MQA renderer (2nd to final unfold). You can see that MQA can't even retrieve the original DXD past 1st unfold as the information is already lost and cannot be retrieved once the bits and the sample rate are truncated. The render part just adds quantization noise that is definitely NOT the same as the original DXD track.

mqa-mutilation-freq-domain.png.fd7512a1bf96a34705f6983578ce4772.png
Another confirmation that MQA is a purely advertising project useful for streaming and not for quality.
The original is unattainable for MQA!!!:(
 

hmscott

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Hello to everyone.

Would it be possible to use this DAC connected to PC for listening music? As i have quite a big collection of High quality music.
Also, if i would like to play games, how it would perform? Just curious.

Earphones: Shure SE846

Regards
Tomas
Problem is, in future i would like to be able to use also headphones, not only IEMs.
The Topping D90 (MQA) DAC's are dedicated units without a headphone amp, but they do have RCA / XLR output's with volume control so you can use them to drive powered speakers or separate AMP's to drive speakers.

Last week Topping released the A90 matching Headphone AMP to the D90 (MQA) DAC's, which I ordered last Tuesday from Hifigo, and are on the way right now - to do exactly what you are interested in doing - use the A90 paired with the D90 to play my PC sources through headphones. :)

The new A90 has measured well here on ASR:

Topping A90 Headphone Amplifier Review
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-a90-headphone-amplifier-review.13592/

Topping A90
http://www.tpdz.net/productinfo/472128.html

Topping D90
http://www.tpdz.net/productinfo/398270.html

I've ordered a good USB data cable, XLR cables, and upgraded balanced 4.4mm cables for my IEM's. The A90 has 6.35mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs on the front panel.

Your headphones will plug right in to the "standard" headphone jack - 6.35mm, but you'll need an adapter to plug in 3.5mm single-ended IEM's (standard headphone jack too), and upgrading your IEM's to "balanced" can provide audible improvements - especially if the AMP favors (has higher power or processing) balanced output. You can get adapters for 2.5mm to 4.4mm balanced to adapt your portable balanced IEM's too.

For me the A90 / D90 is replacing a FiiO M15 in the same position - this will free it up for mobile use. You could also get by with the much less costly FiiO BTR5 or BTR3k in the same USB DAC / Headphone AMP function.

Jumping right in with both feet with a $1500+ pairing of A90 / D90 / cables might be a bit much. Maybe start out with a $70 BTR3k or $120 BTR5, or some USB DAC / AMP dongle?

If you do decide to jump in the deeper end - there are far more expensive solutions - I hope you stick with it and make the most of it - it takes a while for your ears to recover from the shock - disorientation - you might experience at first. Let the hardware and your ears / brain break in for a couple of hundred hours - you might learn to like it. :)
 
Last edited:

bahamot

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LDAC works fine with Oneplus 6T. But not with Samsung S10.
Edit: LDAC works with Samsung S10, just need to enable it on the D90's BT connection property on Samsung S10.

20200601_161057.jpg
20200601_161319.jpg
 
Last edited:

Tomosius

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The Topping D90 (MQA) DAC's are dedicated units without a headphone amp, but they do have RCA / XLR output's with volume control so you can use them to drive powered speakers or separate AMP's to drive speakers.

Last week Topping released the A90 matching Headphone AMP to the D90 (MQA) DAC's, which I ordered last Tuesday from Hifigo, and are on the way right now - to do exactly what you are interested in doing - use the A90 paired with the D90 to play my PC sources through headphones. :)

The new A90 has measured well here on ASR:

Topping A90 Headphone Amplifier Review
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-a90-headphone-amplifier-review.13592/

Topping A90
http://www.tpdz.net/productinfo/472128.html

Topping D90
http://www.tpdz.net/productinfo/398270.html

I've ordered a good USB data cable, XLR cables, and upgraded balanced 4.4mm cables for my IEM's. The A90 has 6.35mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs on the front panel.

Your headphones will plug right in to the "standard" headphone jack - 6.35mm, but you'll need an adapter to plug in 3.5mm single-ended IEM's (standard headphone jack too), and upgrading your IEM's to "balanced" can provide audible improvements - especially if the AMP favors (has higher power or processing) balanced output. You can get adapters for 2.5mm to 4.4mm balanced to adapt your portable balanced IEM's too.

For me the A90 / D90 is replacing a FiiO M15 in the same position - this will free it up for mobile use. You could also get by with the much less costly FiiO BTR5 or BTR3k in the same USB DAC / Headphone AMP function.

Jumping right in with both feet with a $1500+ pairing of A90 / D90 / cables might be a bit much. Maybe start out with a $70 BTR3k or $120 BTR5, or some USB DAC / AMP dongle?

If you do decide to jump in the deeper end - there are far more expensive solutions - I hope you stick with it and make the most of it - it takes a while for your ears to recover from the shock - disorientation - you might experience at first. Let the hardware and your ears / brain break in for a couple of hundred hours - you might learn to like it. :)
hmscott, big thanks for suggestion, now looking into it :)
Just before i buy this setup, how you would compare it to: RME ADI-2 FS Balanced DAC Headphone Amplifier?

If i would be going for D90, there are different versions:
1. TOPPING D90 MQA Balanced DAC AK4499 XMOS XU216 I2S 32bit 768kHz DSD512 Bluetooth 5.0 Silver
2. TOPPING D90 Balanced DAC AK4499 XMOS XU208 I2S 32bit 768kHz DSD512 Bluetooth 5.0 Silver

Which one to choose?

Sorry for so many questions, but i would rather get proper information before i spend such money. I believe you are way more advanced user than i am :D

Big thanks for help
 
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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.
i have the hd800s right now with a dacmagic100 and smsl sp200 amp . planning on upgrading to the d90 dac ( and maybe try a tube amp ) how is the d90 sp200 combo? :)
 

hmscott

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hmscott, big thanks for suggestion, now looking into it :)
Just before i buy this setup, how you would compare it to: RME ADI-2 FS Balanced DAC Headphone Amplifier?

If i would be going for D90, there are different versions:
1. TOPPING D90 MQA Balanced DAC AK4499 XMOS XU216 I2S 32bit 768kHz DSD512 Bluetooth 5.0 Silver
2. TOPPING D90 Balanced DAC AK4499 XMOS XU208 I2S 32bit 768kHz DSD512 Bluetooth 5.0 Silver

Which one to choose?

Sorry for so many questions, but i would rather get proper information before i spend such money. I believe you are way more advanced user than i am :D

Big thanks for help
NP, happy to help. :)

I also contemplated the RME ADI-2 FS Balanced BE DAC purchase, but I'm a fan of supporting new technological development and the D90 MQA has the newer DAC and USB processing XU216. Next time RME upgrades their DAC and design I'll be right there checking it out with everyone else.

For me the A90 was what I was primarily waiting to see what it offered. And, the D90 => D90 MQA is coincidental to my pairing - either one is fine by me.

As with all new technology products there will be problems, bugs, incompatibilities and all sorts of tidbits of lore to wade through - but in the end it's all manageable in the short and long term. New MQA implementations pushing the boundaries of what has been explored and implemented before will bring things to sort out.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d90-balanced-usb-dac-review.10519/post-414944

After having used Tidal MQA with my FiiO M15 I can proudly continue to say - I don't particularly care one way or the other - to me there is a sonic difference, and in some recordings MQA helps take the edge off the mix and in others it adds sound stage and detail - sonically to my ears, not necessarily in the >50k frequency range outside my best day of human hearing capabilities.

If it weren't for requiring "Exclusive Mode" to work with Tidal, I would use Tidal MQA all of the time as to me it generally, overall, most of the time - sounds better or no different. There are times I'd choose the non-MQA version, but only for particular sections of tracks - so far. If the highest bit rate Master sources are only delivered through MQA then that's a good reason to have MQA available - whether you end up using it or not.

Whether it's the Black Box assuring MQA sounds best or not, the outcome is the same, if you want to listen to Tidal Masters you'll want MQA.

The annoying thing when running MQA on Tidal with a Windows App and USB DAC mode for the FiiO M15 - is that the Tidal App requires "Excusive Mode" to work - which means I can't just pop over to my Youtube tab in Edge to catch up on Kitty Video's - or Doggie Video's(!) - or JB Beaver video's, I have to at least go into the Tidal Streaming settings and disable "Exclusive Mode" to allow Audio from other applications to come through...
Tidal Windows 10 - all enabled for MQA support.JPG


My Topping D90 MQA and A90 are still in transit, so I used my FiiO M15 MQA in USB DAC mode as the example. I'll check out Tidal MQA on the D90 MQA too, but I think it will have the same "Exclusive Mode" requirement - unless the driver changes that - so I'll probably continue to run without MQA, or get used to having the Tidal Stream options dialog open as I did during my testing to click / unclick "Exclusive Mode" - which you can do on the fly while the track is playing, btw.

The FiiO M15 sounds stunning with Tidal without MQA too, so I don't feel like I am missing anything with MQA's required "Exclusive Mode' disabled so I can jump back and forth between other Windows applications audio playback. I expect similar for the D90 MQA when it arrives.

As far as why I choose the D90 MQA over the D90 is simple for an engineer such as myself. The new D90 MQA comes with the higher performing XU216 vs the slower XU208, an extra year of ECO's and production experience to improve the product since the first generation D90, and it's only $100 more - generally new revisions with more features cost more $.

And, as I doubt I'd decline a new BT device running newer BT codec's over sticking with the previous generation model with fewer BT codec's, why would I decline a new generation DAC model with more features?

There's no need to be afraid of change, as it is the only constant - even though actual change is far far slower than we can possibly imagine. :)

I like this quote from Naim Audio about MQA:

"Stevesky Sep '19
Hi Gents,
To put the record straight, Naim has always kept an open mind on new formats / market trends. Outside of the long winded forum debates of if its the way forward or not for audio nirvana, we take the view that if a technology hits a critical mass on adoption then give the customer what they want.

On some technologies we do this earlier than others. For example fully functional Roon Ready or Airplay2. On technologies that need a critical mass of market adoption and/or financial stability to survive we take a more careful approach. Being an early adopter can be a great way to burn a lot of cash and a product feature spec sheet that is a history lesson of dead technologies.

At a platform level all the new products (Atom and on-wards) can technically support MQA as a software upgrade. This includes the latest Muso MK2 and Qb MK2. Currently Roon users can get 1st unfold of MQA on the Naim platform and Roon exposes the Tidal Masters view…

Overall, we respect the work that the guys at MQA are doing. They’ve encouraged many a label to release native 24bit recordings to end consumers in MQA and native formats. For Hifi enthusiasts getting one step closer to the original is never a bad thing, especially on newer recordings where it will typically be in first generation 24bit format throughout the recording/mixing/final master process.

Best regards
Steve Harris
Software Director"
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/mqa-on-atom/3933/7
 
Last edited:

Rover

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NP, happy to help. :)

I also contemplated the RME ADI-2 FS Balanced BE DAC purchase, but I'm a fan of supporting new technological development and the D90 MQA has the newer DAC and USB processing XU216. Next time RME upgrades their DAC and design I'll be right there checking it out with everyone else.

For me the A90 was what I was primarily waiting to see what it offered. And, the D90 => D90 MQA is coincidental to my pairing - either one is fine by me.

As with all new technology products there will be problems, bugs, incompatibilities and all sorts of tidbits of lore to wade through - but in the end it's all manageable in the short and long term. New MQA implementations pushing the boundaries of what has been explored and implemented before will bring things to sort out.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d90-balanced-usb-dac-review.10519/post-414944

After having used Tidal MQA with my FiiO M15 I can proudly continue to say - I don't particularly care one way or the other - to me there is a sonic difference, and in some recordings MQA helps take the edge off the mix and in others it adds sound stage and detail - sonically to my ears, not necessarily in the >50k frequency range outside my best day of human hearing capabilities.

If it weren't for requiring "Exclusive Mode" to work with Tidal, I would use Tidal MQA all of the time as to me it generally, overall, most of the time - sounds better or no different. There are times I'd choose the non-MQA version, but only for particular sections of tracks - so far. If the highest bit rate Master sources are only delivered through MQA then that's a good reason to have MQA available - whether you end up using it or not.

Whether it's the Black Box assuring MQA sounds best or not, the outcome is the same, if you want to listen to Tidal Masters you'll want MQA.

The annoying thing when running MQA on Tidal with a Windows App and USB DAC mode for the FiiO M15 - is that the Tidal App requires "Excusive Mode" to work - which means I can't just pop over to my Youtube tab in Edge to catch up on Kitty Video's - or Doggie Video's(!) - or JB Beaver video's, I have to at least go into the Tidal Streaming settings and disable "Exclusive Mode" to allow Audio from other applications to come through...
View attachment 66702

My Topping D90 MQA and A90 are still in transit, so I used my FiiO M15 MQA in USB DAC mode as the example. I'll check out Tidal MQA on the D90 MQA too, but I think it will have the same "Exclusive Mode" requirement - unless the driver changes that - so I'll probably continue to run without MQA, or get used to having the Tidal Stream options dialog open as I did during my testing to click / unclick "Exclusive Mode" - which you can do on the fly while the track is playing, btw.

The FiiO M15 sounds stunning with Tidal without MQA too, so I don't feel like I am missing anything with MQA's required "Exclusive Mode' disabled so I can jump back and forth between other Windows applications audio playback. I expect similar for the D90 MQA when it arrives.

As far as why I choose the D90 MQA over the D90 is simple for an engineer such as myself. The new D90 MQA comes with the higher performing XU216 vs the slower XU208, an extra year of ECO's and production experience to improve the product since the first generation D90, and it's only $100 more - generally new revisions with more features cost more $.

And, as I doubt I'd decline a new BT device running newer BT codec's over sticking with the previous generation model with fewer BT codec's, why would I decline a new generation DAC model with more features?

There's no need to be afraid of change, as it is the only constant - even though actual change is far far slower than we can possibly imagine. :)

I like this quote from Naim Audio about MQA:

"Stevesky Sep '19
Hi Gents,
To put the record straight, Naim has always kept an open mind on new formats / market trends. Outside of the long winded forum debates of if its the way forward or not for audio nirvana, we take the view that if a technology hits a critical mass on adoption then give the customer what they want.

On some technologies we do this earlier than others. For example fully functional Roon Ready or Airplay2. On technologies that need a critical mass of market adoption and/or financial stability to survive we take a more careful approach. Being an early adopter can be a great way to burn a lot of cash and a product feature spec sheet that is a history lesson of dead technologies.

At a platform level all the new products (Atom and on-wards) can technically support MQA as a software upgrade. This includes the latest Muso MK2 and Qb MK2. Currently Roon users can get 1st unfold of MQA on the Naim platform and Roon exposes the Tidal Masters view…

Overall, we respect the work that the guys at MQA are doing. They’ve encouraged many a label to release native 24bit recordings to end consumers in MQA and native formats. For Hifi enthusiasts getting one step closer to the original is never a bad thing, especially on newer recordings where it will typically be in first generation 24bit format throughout the recording/mixing/final master process.

Best regards
Steve Harris
Software Director"
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/mqa-on-atom/3933/7
Mister this is an annoying MQA ad.Repeating an MQA through every word is indecent and annoying!!!Looks like it's paid for!o_Oo_Oo_O
 

IslandMD

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Joined
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Messages
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Location
Victoria, BC Canada
NP, happy to help. :)

I also contemplated the RME ADI-2 FS Balanced BE DAC purchase, but I'm a fan of supporting new technological development and the D90 MQA has the newer DAC and USB processing XU216. Next time RME upgrades their DAC and design I'll be right there checking it out with everyone else.

For me the A90 was what I was primarily waiting to see what it offered. And, the D90 => D90 MQA is coincidental to my pairing - either one is fine by me.

As with all new technology products there will be problems, bugs, incompatibilities and all sorts of tidbits of lore to wade through - but in the end it's all manageable in the short and long term. New MQA implementations pushing the boundaries of what has been explored and implemented before will bring things to sort out.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d90-balanced-usb-dac-review.10519/post-414944

After having used Tidal MQA with my FiiO M15 I can proudly continue to say - I don't particularly care one way or the other - to me there is a sonic difference, and in some recordings MQA helps take the edge off the mix and in others it adds sound stage and detail - sonically to my ears, not necessarily in the >50k frequency range outside my best day of human hearing capabilities.

If it weren't for requiring "Exclusive Mode" to work with Tidal, I would use Tidal MQA all of the time as to me it generally, overall, most of the time - sounds better or no different. There are times I'd choose the non-MQA version, but only for particular sections of tracks - so far. If the highest bit rate Master sources are only delivered through MQA then that's a good reason to have MQA available - whether you end up using it or not.

Whether it's the Black Box assuring MQA sounds best or not, the outcome is the same, if you want to listen to Tidal Masters you'll want MQA.

The annoying thing when running MQA on Tidal with a Windows App and USB DAC mode for the FiiO M15 - is that the Tidal App requires "Excusive Mode" to work - which means I can't just pop over to my Youtube tab in Edge to catch up on Kitty Video's - or Doggie Video's(!) - or JB Beaver video's, I have to at least go into the Tidal Streaming settings and disable "Exclusive Mode" to allow Audio from other applications to come through...
View attachment 66702

My Topping D90 MQA and A90 are still in transit, so I used my FiiO M15 MQA in USB DAC mode as the example. I'll check out Tidal MQA on the D90 MQA too, but I think it will have the same "Exclusive Mode" requirement - unless the driver changes that - so I'll probably continue to run without MQA, or get used to having the Tidal Stream options dialog open as I did during my testing to click / unclick "Exclusive Mode" - which you can do on the fly while the track is playing, btw.

The FiiO M15 sounds stunning with Tidal without MQA too, so I don't feel like I am missing anything with MQA's required "Exclusive Mode' disabled so I can jump back and forth between other Windows applications audio playback. I expect similar for the D90 MQA when it arrives.

As far as why I choose the D90 MQA over the D90 is simple for an engineer such as myself. The new D90 MQA comes with the higher performing XU216 vs the slower XU208, an extra year of ECO's and production experience to improve the product since the first generation D90, and it's only $100 more - generally new revisions with more features cost more $.

And, as I doubt I'd decline a new BT device running newer BT codec's over sticking with the previous generation model with fewer BT codec's, why would I decline a new generation DAC model with more features?

There's no need to be afraid of change, as it is the only constant - even though actual change is far far slower than we can possibly imagine. :)

I like this quote from Naim Audio about MQA:

"Stevesky Sep '19
Hi Gents,
To put the record straight, Naim has always kept an open mind on new formats / market trends. Outside of the long winded forum debates of if its the way forward or not for audio nirvana, we take the view that if a technology hits a critical mass on adoption then give the customer what they want.

On some technologies we do this earlier than others. For example fully functional Roon Ready or Airplay2. On technologies that need a critical mass of market adoption and/or financial stability to survive we take a more careful approach. Being an early adopter can be a great way to burn a lot of cash and a product feature spec sheet that is a history lesson of dead technologies.

At a platform level all the new products (Atom and on-wards) can technically support MQA as a software upgrade. This includes the latest Muso MK2 and Qb MK2. Currently Roon users can get 1st unfold of MQA on the Naim platform and Roon exposes the Tidal Masters view…

Overall, we respect the work that the guys at MQA are doing. They’ve encouraged many a label to release native 24bit recordings to end consumers in MQA and native formats. For Hifi enthusiasts getting one step closer to the original is never a bad thing, especially on newer recordings where it will typically be in first generation 24bit format throughout the recording/mixing/final master process.

Best regards
Steve Harris
Software Director"
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/mqa-on-atom/3933/7
MQA is hot garbage! Stop polluting this forum with this shilling for MQA.
 

Rigel

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Joined
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Messages
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i have the hd800s right now with a dacmagic100 and smsl sp200 amp . planning on upgrading to the d90 dac ( and maybe try a tube amp ) how is the d90 sp200 combo? :)

Hi thebirdman9999

Very satisfied with the D90 and the combination with the SP200. The USB input is really good. I bought both for the good specs and the sound has not let me down. Very transparent, resolution and capable of listening to the smallest details of the sound.
You might also cheer me on with the A90 for comparison.

I'd also like to test a tube amp later ;)
 
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