Topping E30 vs Musical Fidelity V90

[Rainier939]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums but have been enjoying the reviews of audio products on here for years.

I have a technical question regarding the performance differences between the two DACs mentioned in the titel.

The E30 was my first outboard DAC and was an upgrade from the intergraded DAC in my receiver at the time.
A few years later I upgraded again to the V90 DAC and enjoyed the upgrade. I missed my remote but I thought I made an upgraded in price so an upgrade in performance.

Looking at the reviews now I have a hard time seeing a major difference between the two.
That being said I do believe the V90 gives me the ability to "look futher into the mix" for a lack of a better term.
When it comes to tone I couldn't tell them apart but the "detail" level of the V90 seems to have the edge over the Topping.

Am I reading the measurements wrong?
If so, how?

Topping E30 DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the new Topping E30 USB DAC. It was kindly sent to me by the company for testing. Unfortunately I did not get pricing information. As soon as I get it, I will post it. EDIT: just heard back. US cost is just $129.99! This is a bit of a new look...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of Musical Fidelity V90 DAC

This is a review and detailed measurements and comparison of Musical Fidelity V90-DAC against Topping D50. The unit is on kind loan from a member who has been patiently waiting for its review. :) The V90-DAC retails for $300 from what I can tell (it is sold through a dealer channel) so a bit...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[staticV3]

Hi @Rainier939! Welcome to ASR.

You're not reading the measurements wrong.

Objectively, the E30 is at least as resolving as the V90.

However, you may well "read" your listening impressions wrong due to various biases like confirmation bias.

Chances are, if you were to match the two DACs' output voltage precisely and listen to them side-by-side, but without knowing which device is currently playing, then all perceived differences would disappear and you would no longer be able to tell them apart.