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TOPPING D90 III Sabre DAC Review

Rate this DAC:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 12 2.9%

  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 32 7.7%

  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 107 25.7%

  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 265 63.7%
  • Total voters
    416
JIW said:
I used the latest version of the manual. The same as available on the website today from 21 May 2024. The firmware update is from the same day.

The figure is from 4 September 2023. If they changed it, they should update the figure in the manual and on the website. But still curious they messed it up for over half a year after getting it right on the D70 Pro released before the D90 III.
Click to expand...
The manual did not change. The original FW has wrong filter order as you pointed out.
It's been fixed with FW 1.14.
But the jitter issue at 192kHz sampling rate via toslink hasn't.
 
yys310 said:
The manual did not change. The original FW has wrong filter order as you pointed out.
It's been fixed with FW 1.14.
But the jitter issue at 192kHz sampling rate via toslink hasn't.
Click to expand...

The latest manual v1.1 is from the same date as FW1.14. What was changed compared to v1.0?

If the figure was not changed to show the correct filter order both in the manual and on the website, Topping still has some work to do.
 
Screenshot_20240710-192441_Chrome.jpg

What is it?
 
According to the manual the output amplitude can be 4V or 5V. Does this amplitude apply for all the outputs: RCA and XLR? Is it beneficial to use 5V?
 
blanc said:
According to the manual the output amplitude can be 4V or 5V. Does this amplitude apply for all the outputs: RCA and XLR? Is it beneficial to use 5V?
Click to expand...
2v or 2.5v for RCA. So both outputs
 
yys310 said:
I found my D90III has weird behavior when I use 192kHz toslink input.
D90III FW: 1.14, sound mode off
Measured interface : COSMOS class B
D90III SPDIF MODE 1
signal generator: REW J-test

D90III with toslink 192kHz input:
View attachment 377151
Click to expand...
Topping release the new firmware to fix this issue.
https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/d90-iii-sabre-v1-15gu-jian-sheng-ji

V1.15 （2024.07.12）
---------------------------------------------------

* Fix: Resolve the issue with OPT input performance at 192KHz sampling rate.



DO NOT USE THIS UPDATE! ？
EDIT: After chatting with Johnyang he said their testing shows normal operation with FW 1.15 and 176.4kHz optical input.
Maybe it's my model's problem.
After I install this update it did fixed the 192kHz toslink issue. BUT IT BRINGS A BIGGER PROBLEM!
The 176.4kHz input sample rate has serious bug with L channel output. It's like full scale output and create terrible noise.
If you feed the dac directly into the poweramp you'll probably get hearing damage!
The update shows even worse result at this point. At least V 1.14 only has issue with jitter at 192kHz sampling rate.
Now that 176.4kHz sampling rate is completely unusable.
This is the waveform I got with motu m4/REW.
D90III with FW 1.15, 1kHz -16dBFS sine signal.
CH1 is attuned by 20dB for motu to measure. The full scale noise will clip motu's input.
1721284218891.png

1721284492996.png

192kHz input is now working well.
1721284362388.png

1721284463980.png
 
Last edited:
yys310 said:
Topping release the new firmware to fix this issue.
https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/d90-iii-sabre-v1-15gu-jian-sheng-ji

V1.15 （2024.07.12）
---------------------------------------------------

* Fix: Resolve the issue with OPT input performance at 192KHz sampling rate.



DO NOT USE THIS UPDATE! ？
EDIT: After chatting with Johnyang he said their testing shows normal operation with FW 1.15 and 176.4kHz optical input.
Maybe it's my model's problem.
After I install this update it did fixed the 192kHz toslink issue. BUT IT BRINGS A BIGGER PROBLEM!
The 176.4kHz input sample rate has serious bug with L channel output. It's like full scale output and create terrible noise.
If you feed the dac directly into the poweramp you'll probably get hearing damage!
The update shows even worse result at this point. At least V 1.14 only has issue with jitter at 192kHz sampling rate.
Now that 176.4kHz sampling rate is completely unusable.
This is the waveform I got with motu m4/REW.
D90III with FW 1.15, 1kHz -16dBFS sine signal.
CH1 is attuned by 20dB for motu to measure. The full scale noise will clip motu's input.
View attachment 381503
View attachment 381506
192kHz input is now working well.
View attachment 381504
View attachment 381505
Click to expand...

That sounds terrible! I have the D90 III... Not sure which version is on it - I've never updated it. Fortunately for me, I don't have and 176.4 stuff! But I do have Tidal... Though, usually, when I check the bitrate of what's coming out of there, it's 44.1, 88.2, 96, and 192. For some reason it's never 176.4! Or maybe by coincidence I haven't seen it there...
 
mike7877 said:
That sounds terrible! I have the D90 III... Not sure which version is on it - I've never updated it. Fortunately for me, I don't have and 176.4 stuff! But I do have Tidal... Though, usually, when I check the bitrate of what's coming out of there, it's 44.1, 88.2, 96, and 192. For some reason it's never 176.4! Or maybe by coincidence I haven't seen it there...
Click to expand...
The problem only exist on 1.15 firmware and they have the 1.16 firmware which fixed this problem now.
But they haven't put onto the website yet so I haven't update the comments.
They should release the new firmware in a few days.
 
yys310 said:
Topping release the new firmware to fix this issue.
https://www.toppingaudio.com/download/d90-iii-sabre-v1-15gu-jian-sheng-ji

V1.15 （2024.07.12）
---------------------------------------------------

* Fix: Resolve the issue with OPT input performance at 192KHz sampling rate.



DO NOT USE THIS UPDATE! ？
EDIT: After chatting with Johnyang he said their testing shows normal operation with FW 1.15 and 176.4kHz optical input.
Maybe it's my model's problem.
After I install this update it did fixed the 192kHz toslink issue. BUT IT BRINGS A BIGGER PROBLEM!
The 176.4kHz input sample rate has serious bug with L channel output. It's like full scale output and create terrible noise.
If you feed the dac directly into the poweramp you'll probably get hearing damage!
The update shows even worse result at this point. At least V 1.14 only has issue with jitter at 192kHz sampling rate.
Now that 176.4kHz sampling rate is completely unusable.
This is the waveform I got with motu m4/REW.
D90III with FW 1.15, 1kHz -16dBFS sine signal.
CH1 is attuned by 20dB for motu to measure. The full scale noise will clip motu's input.
View attachment 381503
View attachment 381506
192kHz input is now working well.
View attachment 381504
View attachment 381505
Click to expand...

At least it's nothing like this...
1721691844461.png

:)
 
About the 5 volt output... does anyone know what the measurement here would be for it if performance kept improving as much as it had been from 2V to 4V?
 
This is my current DAC and I'm very happy with its sound! It's the best of the D70 Pro Octo and D70 Pro Sabre, plus a little more, in a single package!!!
Slightly sad the display wasn't upgraded - I believe this was to keep the looks consistent with other 90s (like LA90). I like its look, and after using the D70 Pro DACs for a while, the only thing you change is the output and maybe sometimes the filter...
Since these things can be switched easily and instantly with the remote, the only inconvenience is very small and occurs during initial setup
 
raif71 said:
ha...just a poke at the recent crowdstrike update fiasco that caused global wide IT outage.... I'm sure you've heard about it, right?
Click to expand...
I heard something about it a few days afterward. Had not someone told me, I would have never known.
Apparently it had exactly ZERO effect on anything I do.
 
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