Topping U90 Issue - no longer recognized by source device

[ahramlee]

Hi All,

Hope you’re well in 2024!

I wanted to start a thread regarding the quality control issues of the Topping U90.

I currently own two (2) of these, one in silver and another in black, purchased in June and November of 2023, respectively.

Just this past week, both units stopped getting recognized by their respective sources (Mac Mini and Windows 11 PC, respectively). I have tried different usb cables, different usb ports, updated driver (on PC), power cycling both U90s and sources, and nothing works.

I have tested connecting the usb cables (bypassing the U90) directly to their respective downstream DACs (Topping D90SE and SMSL SU-10) and both source computers recognized them right away. I even tested connecting to another DDC (Singxer SU-6) and again both computers recognized it correctly.

I have an open email thread with shenzhenaudio.com support to get some additional troubleshooting suggestions from Topping, and so far they have suggested:

1. Update the driver (5.62.0)
2. Disconnect all cables except usb and power from U90 and use usb cable shorter than 1.5m

Neither of their suggestions yielded a fix for my U90s.

Questions:
- Has anyone else who owns the Topping U90 experienced this issue where the U90 is no longer being recognized by their connected source device or computer?

- Were you cable to get the issues fixed, and what was the fix?

Thank you in advance!

 

[ahramlee]

Hi All,

Hope you’re well in 2024!

I wanted to start a thread regarding the quality control issues of the Topping U90.

I currently own two (2) of these, one in silver and another in black, purchased in June and November of 2023, respectively.

Just this past week, both units stopped getting recognized by their respective sources (Mac Mini and Windows 11 PC, respectively). I have tried different usb cables, different usb ports, updated driver (on PC), power cycling both U90s and sources, and nothing works.

I have tested connecting the usb cables (bypassing the U90) directly to their respective downstream DACs (Topping D90SE and SMSL SU-10) and both source computers recognized them right away. I even tested connecting to another DDC (Singxer SU-6) and again both computers recognized it correctly.

I have an open email thread with shenzhenaudio.com support to get some additional troubleshooting suggestions from Topping, and so far they have suggested:

1. Update the driver (5.62.0)
2. Disconnect all cables except usb and power from U90 and use usb cable shorter than 1.5m

Neither of their suggestions yielded a fix for my U90s.

Questions:
- Has anyone else who owns the Topping U90 experienced this issue where the U90 is no longer being recognized by their connected source device or computer?

- Were you cable to get the issues fixed, and what was the fix?

Thank you in advance!

Tagging @TOPPING-Service and @JohnYang1997 to this thread to see if they can help…

 

[ahramlee]

Tagging @TOPPING-Service and @JohnYang1997 to this thread to see if they can help…

Hey All,

Just wanted to close the loop on this thread.

I ended up shipping both Topping U90 units back to Shenzhen Audio using the address I was provided. The shipment was held up at customs for over 4 months and eventually was “destroyed” as it was never released for the final delivery to Shenzhen Audio, even though it was at a holding facility minutes from the final destination. Shenzhen Audio offered me 50% reimbursement for the two Topping U90 units, both of which were within their respective warranty period.

Needless to say, I will no longer support purchasing any devices from Topping as they do not stand behind their products and have a shoddy business practice when it comes to product quality control and assurance as well as their non-existent warranty.

I have since then transitioned to the Gustard brand. I now own several U18 digital-to-digital convertors and I’m extremely happy with their build and sound quality. I’m also using both units with an external clock (LHY OCK-2 and LHY OCK-2S, respectively). I have also upgraded their internal fuses to the Gustard and Synergistic Research pink fuses, respectively.

My advice to those interested in acquiring a DDC:

1. Do your research. There are plenty of good product reviews on DDC’s out there.

2. I cannot recommend the Topping U90 (although I still own several D90SE dacs, I will also no longer recommend nor support Topping as a whole due to the bad experience regarding the warranty service for both U90’s)

3. If you want to go the extra mile with a DDC, consider an external clock (OCXO) and use the I2S interface as the preferred connection between DDC and DAC.

4. If you want a single chassis DAC solution, the new Gustard X30 seems to have all the bells and whistles without having to invest in a separate DDC, external clock, and I2S cable. It also comes with two (2) I2S inputs for those of us who need / want it. Since it’s a single device, it will also only occupy a single power socket on your power line conditioner…

Happy Listening!

 

[DrCWO]

Hi guys,
I have a question regarding U90. Is this a multichannel device? I mean can I have two stereo channels on AES1 and two differnt channels on AES2? I look for a multichannel interface for an active setup.
Best DrCWO