Topping E70 Velvet (AKM 4499EX)

[Martin]

I received my E70 yesterday and set it up today. I have the E70 running in parallel with my E70 Velvet that I received on Monday.

The Setup:

• PiCorePlayer with embedded LMS on 2GB Raspberry Pi 4
• Identical USB A to USB B cables on separate USB 3 ports
• Topping E70 & Topping E70 Velvet both set to DAC mode, 4V output and default filter
• Identical XLR cables
• Benchmark HPA-4 preamp / headphone amp
• Audeze LCD-3 headphones or ICEpower monoblock amps through Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary speakers

I planned to do a blind ABX test but have abandoned that plan. I can switch instantaneously between DACs using the HPA-4 remote. Sighted listening I can hear zero difference. Using pink noise there is zero distinguishable volume or frequency difference. I can hear no difference between the DACs on any song. I have concluded a blind test would be a waste of time because I would simply be guessing. There is no difference to identify.

This experience has me convinced there is absolutely no sonic difference between the AK4499EX and ES9028Pro chips.

I love the aesthetic of the new E70 DAC. The display is a 1000% improvement over the OLED used on the DX7 Pro. I’m keeping the E70 and returning the E70 Velvet for two reasons: 1. The ESS E70 is cheaper; and 2. The E70 Velvet Apos sent me looks like it was a customer return.

Martin

 

[jcheavymetal]

View attachment 276312
I received my E70 yesterday and set it up today. I have the E70 running in parallel with my E70 Velvet that I received on Monday.

The Setup:

• PiCorePlayer with embedded LMS on 2GB Raspberry Pi 4
• Identical USB A to USB B cables on separate USB 3 ports
• Topping E70 & Topping E70 Velvet both set to DAC mode, 4V output and default filter
• Identical XLR cables
• Benchmark HPA-4 preamp / headphone amp
• Audeze LCD-3 headphones or ICEpower monoblock amps through Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary speakers

I planned to do a blind ABX test but have abandoned that plan. I can switch instantaneously between DACs using the HPA-4 remote. Sighted listening I can hear zero difference. Using pink noise there is zero distinguishable volume or frequency difference. I can hear no difference between the DACs on any song. I have concluded a blind test would be a waste of time because I would simply be guessing. There is no difference to identify.

This experience has me convinced there is absolutely no sonic difference between the AK4499EX and ES9028Pro chips.

I love the aesthetic of the new E70 DAC. The display is a 1000% improvement over the OLED used on the DX7 Pro. I’m keeping the E70 and returning the E70 Velvet for two reasons: 1. The ESS E70 is cheaper; and 2. The E70 Velvet Apos sent me looks like it was a customer return.

Martin

Good to know, I may order the original E70. However I would still recomend a blind test to avoid a nocebo effect, you would not hear differences because you expect they to not exist, just to be rigorous to the scientific method.

 

[degman]

Hello. I have trouble to enter in menu for setting up 5V and DAC mode. I press and hold power button in standby but nothing happened?

 

[Burns]

Hello. I have trouble to enter in menu for setting up 5V and DAC mode. I press and hold power button in standby but nothing happened?

you need to turn on the back power, hold the knob and turn on the back power

 

[degman]

you need to turn on the back power, hold the knob and turn on the back power

Thanks I see! Main power switch must be off. It's fine now thanks!

 

[MadMaxx]

My E70V dropped dead earlier today. All I did was a factory reset exactly as instructed in the manual. The dac just went dead after the 88 flashed on the screen. Me not happy.

 

[777]

There is any all inside picture of the E70 or E70V ?

 

[Burns]

There is any all inside picture of the E70 or E70V ?

TOPPING E70/E70 VELVET DACs + L70 Amplifier Desktop Stack Review

TOPPING expands its popular E/L series of DACs and headphone amplifiers! Today we examine the ES9028PRO-based E70 along with the newer AKM AK4499EX-based E70 VELVET DACs, and pair them with the powerful NFCA-based L70 amplifier that makes for a potent stack that aims to do it all!

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Daorom]

Hello.Can headphones (IEM 37 om, or full size magniplanar 32 om) be connected directly to exit (RCA, XLR) e70v e.g. in preamp mode, 5V?
While waiting for the amplifier to arrive l70.

 

[staticV3]

Hello.Can headphones (IEM 37 om, or full size magniplanar 32 om) be connected directly to exit (RCA, XLR) e70v e.g. in preamp mode, 5V?
While waiting for the amplifier to arrive l70.

You should not connect headphones directly to Line out.
Those ports are not designed to handle low impedance loads.

 

[bogi]

On another forum someone asked Topping to release a firmware to enable DSDD mode.

He said Topping replied they will not enable DSDD mode lol

Could you provide an exact link to that another forum? It could be easily incorrectly interpreted or understood.

Because:

For DSD to work you need to put the DAC into fixed volume mode anyway.

No ability to change volume with DSD input clearly indicates direct DSD mode (DSDD bit set to "1").

Just look at the below picture. With DSDD bit set to "0" PCM conversion happens and volume processing is possible (DATT module). With DSDD bit set to "1" volume processing as well as delta simga modulator is bypassed - that's the direct DSD path.
https://www.akm.com/eu/en/products/audio/audio-dac/ak4191eq/

 

[Music1969]

No ability to change volume with DSD input clearly indicates direct DSD mode (DSDD bit set to "1").

No this is not correct. You can even set DAC only mode with PCM. It simply keeps volume at 0dB but still passes through chip DSP.

Same with DSD input in DAC only mode.

DSDD mode is very different to just fixed volume / DAC only mode.

 

[bogi]

No this is not correct. You can even set DAC only mode with PCM. It simply keeps volume at 0dB but still passes through chip DSP.

Same with DSD input in DAC only mode.

DSDD mode is very different to just fixed volume / DAC only mode.

You are repeatedly making unclear statements without providing any backup for them. I asked you for source of information "On another forum someone asked". Once again, provide link please.

It does not make any sense not to allow volume control with DSDD is set to "0" because volume control is the only reason of that mode. It looks rather impossible to avoid volume control with DSDD bit set to "0". It looks you operate with false information.

 

[Music1969]

It looks you operate with false information.

Read the user manual.

There are 3 modes.

 

[exhale]

Someone needs to host an ABX listening party with the E70 in one corner and the E70 Velvet in the other to once and for all put to rest the idea that DACs have a sonic signature.

E70:
View attachment 270733

E70 Velvet:
View attachment 270734

Who among you has the golden ears that can hear differences at -140dB? There they are, plain as day, in the 1kHz FFT Spectrum. <sarcasm> Got to be audible, right? </sarcasm>

Martin

What happens if the music you're listening to contains sounds at, say 50Hz and they're played back at -15dB? And not just one sound but, say, 2 sounds (2 types of saw bass) which, say, one is 28Hz and the other is 32Hz, both played at -15dB. Would the graph look the same? Can anyone test this while listening to a full song (i don't care in which format, PCM, FLAC, etc as long as its lossless)? I am honestly asking this because i'm curious and lack the equipment needed for testing.

 

[sambol]

That's why the multitone test is done.

 

[Music1969]

What happens if the music you're listening to contains sounds at, say 50Hz and they're played back at -15dB? And not just one sound but, say, 2 sounds (2 types of saw bass) which, say, one is 28Hz and the other is 32Hz, both played at -15dB. Would the graph look the same? Can anyone test this while listening to a full song (i don't care in which format, PCM, FLAC, etc as long as its lossless)? I am honestly asking this because i'm curious and lack the equipment needed for testing.

You describe a 2 tone test but on page 1 link there is a 32 multitone test

 

[JSmith]

JSmith

 

[exhale]

You describe a 2 tone test but on page 1 link there is a 32 multitone test

Sorry, had yet to wake up properly and wrote nonsense. What i was trying to ask is if anyone is interested in testing with a full blown song, in a lossless format of that person's choosing. Genre agnostic, when it comes to it. I am really curious if the measurements will be identical (although i'm aware that it'll be quite hard to make perfect sense from the resulted graph). Again, just a curiosity and i'll owe a pack of beers to whoever's kind enough to try this.

 

[theREALdotnet]

JSmith

If I had a say, this image would precede the multitone plot in each of Amir’s test reports.