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Worth investing in a new DAC+AMP for Denon D9200?

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chrisr34000

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Depends on exactly what you are after. I just mentioned the dx5 specifically because it is an all-in-one that does everything great and has some almost top chart measurements.
If you wanted to go big on topping you could go with an A90 and a d90. Or you could go all the way down to the bottom of the stack and get the new l30 and e30.

Personally though these cheap products tend to have cheaper pots which have Channel imbalance at lower volumes. Also longevity is in question with any budget product. Whereas something like the dx5 has all of the features in one along with a nice OLED screen and a clean aesthetic. Has enough power for most headphones and all the features that you could want for listening to any kind of music you desire.

If you want to go the really expensive route then you could drop 1200 plus dollars on an RME ADI 2. You get some Hardware equalizer and a fancy color screen, but the objective performance is lower than that of the topping.

Sabaj (which is affiliated with SMSL) also has a few recent models that are quite good and they are all in ones with pretty decent Aesthetics too. The performance is also up there close to the dx5 and the prices are pretty affordable. You can find the reviews on the front page still because they were just recently reviewed.
Personally I like topping over smsl after having owned both brands.

Outside of the list of recommendations here you are more than welcome to go click on a review and then when you reach the Giant image of top ranking products you can download that image and flip it sideways in order to find more products to look at in the top range of performers. There are two separate Graphics one for amps and one for DACs.
It is best to get these images from the most recent reviews as they are updated per review.
If you have some trouble with doing this I can also link the images here when I am near my desktop computer.

Thank you very, very much for your summary - this helps a lot.

My primary focus is on sound quality and logevity. I don't need balanced connectors and while a display would be nice, I can't really live without it. I only need an audio out jack and a volume knob in the front. In the back I need a coaxial and USB connector, that's it. I also don't need any mobility, because I will only listen at my desktop.

I would like to stay pricewise under the A90+D90 combination. A few question on this:

1) What quality difference can I expect between the DX5 and the A90+D90?

2) What solution would you suggest in-between (considering price) the DX5 and A90+D90?
 

Jimster480

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Thank you very, very much for your summary - this helps a lot.

My primary focus is on sound quality and logevity. I don't need balanced connectors and while a display would be nice, I can't really live without it. I only need an audio out jack and a volume knob in the front. In the back I need a coaxial and USB connector, that's it. I also don't need any mobility, because I will only listen at my desktop.

I would like to stay pricewise under the A90+D90 combination. A few question on this:

1) What quality difference can I expect between the DX5 and the A90+D90?

2) What solution would you suggest in-between (considering price) the DX5 and A90+D90?
1. I think they will be around the same quality. Just less features on the DX5 (inputs & headphone power output / gain selection) mostly.
2. Right now this area is mostly empty. The old DX7 Pro & S are discontinued. I think the A70 is as well...
There is the D30 Pro and A30 Pro stack, also very competent but lacks MQA (if you care) and has an amber screen VS OLED.
There is a new DX7 coming out (the entire 7 lineup is currently missing) but it seems like it won't have MQA (again if you care) and I'm not sure about other specs. It is supposed to drop on August 23rd.

There used to be D70 and A70 as well as DX7....

There is also EX5 which is cheaper than DX5 and more plain looking, amber segment screen rather than white OLED. That is cheaper than the DX5 even.
 

Human Bass

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Audio GD is a garbage company, I'm sorry you were scammed. The good thing is that you don't need to spend a lot to get a massive upgrade.
 

Human Bass

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Check the Xduoo XA-10 for a very powerful dac-amp under 500 dollars. Or the E30ii+L30ii would be a great stack.

SMSL DO100 + Topping A30pro for a very powerful balanced stack that is still affordable.
 
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chrisr34000

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Thanks again for all the replies. By the way, for future readers, the following database is really awesome:


I have been look extensively at different options and then came across the Sabaj D5. This one gets a lot of checks on my list:

1) A DAC+AMP in one case
2) A clean, simple and elegant design with no bluetooth (I really don't need that)
3) a power button and a volume knob in the front
4) coax and usb input
5) 6,35 input in the and (optional) balanced XLR (if I ever decide to test this out)
6) has a decent size and looks sturdy (I don't like those tiny boxes. This one will never be moved anyway)
7) has a nice display (was not on my requirements list, but it's nice to have)

Are you familiar with the D5? Would you recommend it?
 

Head_Unit

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1) What quality difference can I expect between the DX5 and the A90+D90?
Miracles! OR, nothing at all. A well designed DAC output should be pretty transparent by these days BUT
- The output impedance can of course interact with the headphones
- Any electronic box can have some grounding/hum/whatever interaction with other boxes.
My recommended brand to try is the ones you can return for a reasonable fee if you hear no improvement. Disconnect your headphones, put on an eye mask and have someone swap your headphones between the two setups (presuming you can't hear what/where they are connecting-maybe use some headphone cable extension to move the make/break connection away from the amps). Then report here-seriously!
 
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chrisr34000

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I went with a Hifiman EF400 and I really like the combo so far. However, the differences between the Hifiman and the Audio-GD are not big. The Hifiman EF400 is slightly, but noticeably better.
 
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