Topping E30 II DAC Review

[BeeKay]

Works from here.

 

[lammic]

Has anyone tried using Topping Tune with the E30 II? According to their website, it looks supported: https://toppingaudio.com/download/topping-tune

Thanks!

 

[staticV3]

Has anyone tried using Topping Tune with the E30 II? According to their website, it looks supported: https://toppingaudio.com/download/topping-tune

Thanks!

Pretty certain that that's a typo and should say E50 II.

 

[Piere]

Topping Tune controls the internal DSP of certain Topping DAC's. So there is no use for models without a DSP, like E30

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

I assume lammic was dreaming that maybe E30 had dsp but was never mentioned in their literature due to the fact that E30 II is shown in the list from topping tune download site. That would be a delightful surprise!

 

[BeeKay]

The E30II was released well before the latest PEQ tech was introduced.

 

[lammic]

I assume lammic was dreaming that maybe E30 had dsp but was never mentioned in their literature due to the fact that E30 II is shown in the list from topping tune download site. That would be a delightful surprise!

that's the advantage of not being an expert... you dream, you face reality and learn something new in the meanwhile

 

[stuartkohl]

I don't want to convert anyone, to each his own opinion.
BTW, the filter lists mentioned in this review, differ from official AK-Doku and differ from Topping-Doku.

AKM:

Topping:

Those agree, so do we go with Amir's mention of F2 or go with AKM's default filter? I, unfortunately, don't have any test equipment to verify this.

However, this mentions F6 being the black trace and that F2 and F6 give identical results. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ac-review-and-measurements.47518/post-1701197 I think I'd pick F2 or F6 and that seems to agree with what Amir shows in this review on the E-30 II.

I wonder if the DAC Amir tested had had its default changed to F2 and saved and that's why Amir listed F2 as the default?

 

[Robbo99999]

AKM:
View attachment 539517

Topping:

View attachment 539519
Those agree, so do we go with Amir's mention of F2 or go with AKM's default filter? I, unfortunately, don't have any test equipment to verify this.

However, this mentions F6 being the black trace and that F2 and F6 give identical results. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ac-review-and-measurements.47518/post-1701197 I think I'd pick F2 or F6 and that seems to agree with what Amir shows in this review on the E-30 II.

I wonder if the DAC Amir tested had had its default changed to F2 and saved and that's why Amir listed F2 as the default?

F2 & F6 are the best in terms of how they manipulate the frequency response, and Amir said that F2 was default. F3 doesn't attenuate the frequency response hardly at all above 20kHz. I'm not sure where you've got your tables from that you're showing but I feel that they're wrong based on the information that Amir has shown and the measured behaviour he shows from the different filters. I think best to use F2 filter, and I think your table is wrong somehow.

 

[stuartkohl]

F2 & F6 are the best in terms of how they manipulate the frequency response, and Amir said that F2 was default. F3 doesn't attenuate the frequency response hardly at all above 20kHz. I'm not sure where you've got your tables from that you're showing but I feel that they're wrong based on the information that Amir has shown and the measured behaviour he shows from the different filters. I think best to use F2 filter, and I think your table is wrong somehow.
View attachment 539527

The "Topping" table came from the manual for the E 30 II. The "AKM" table came from the evaluation manual for the AK4493S.

Here's the full page from AKM:

That default filter may indeed not be the best one to use, but then I have to wonder why AKM would make it the default and Topping leave it as the default. (Upon first setting up my E 30 II, the F3 filter was indeed what was in place as the default.)

I agree that what Amir shows as F2 and F6 look like what I would want to use. I just want to make sure that they're the same as what AKM/Topping call F2 (slow roll off filter) and F6 (low dispersion short delay filter).

To be honest, I would think that what I'd want would be a sharp roll-off filter. A slow roll-off one, to me, means that it has to start rolling off sooner, and thus would roll-off the highs in the audible range (pass band?) more than a sharp roll-off filter in order to reach a useful amount of attenuation at higher frequencies. Is that correct?

Hmmm.... I wonder if the rolled-off highs below 20KHz of the F3 filter are what constitute the "velvet sound?"

 

[Robbo99999]

The "Topping" table came from the manual for the E 30 II. The "AKM" table came from the evaluation manual for the AK4493S.

Here's the full page from AKM:

View attachment 539529


That default filter may indeed not be the best one to use, but then I have to wonder why AKM would make it the default and Topping leave it as the default. (Upon first setting up my E 30 II, the F3 filter was indeed what was in place as the default.)

I agree that what Amir shows as F2 and F6 look like what I would want to use. I just want to make sure that they're the same as what AKM/Topping call F2 (slow roll off filter) and F6 (low dispersion short delay filter).

To be honest, I would think that what I'd want would be a sharp roll-off filter. A slow roll-off one, to me, means that it has to start rolling off sooner, and thus would roll-off the highs in the audible range (pass band?) more than a sharp roll-off filter in order to reach a useful amount of attenuation at higher frequencies. Is that correct?

Hmmm.... I wonder if the rolled-off highs below 20KHz of the F3 filter are what constitute the "velvet sound?"

To be honest the descriptions of the filters you're showing in your tables don't really match Amir's measured performance of them, so that was why I was questioning your information. What matters is what the filter is actually doing though rather than what it's called, so I'd go with the F2 or F6 filter as it's shaping the frequency response in the most ideal way, I'd go with F2.

 

[stuartkohl]

Yes, the discrepancy between what AKM calls the filters and what Amir and others have measured was what had me a bit puzzled. I do agree that results matter more than names. Said names or descriptions may be created by the marketing teams anyway, rather than the engineers.

I have been using the F2 filter since Amir had recommended it in this review. Thank you for adding your recommendation as well.