Review and Measurements of the Topping D70 DAC

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

D70 pro coming

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1650833341619265536

 

[ENG]

Feedback on this DAC? (Long term use and reliability)

Thanks

I have had this Topping D70 since January 2020 and used almost daily. No problems whatsover.

 

[Jimster480]

D70 pro coming

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1650833341619265536

Just looks entirely like an smsl product. Even from the background on the screen.

 

[wildwestgoh]

Good day, I am new here. I have a Topping D70 with AK4497, I notice the opamp is LME49720 is quite sibilant with my speakers setup, I do prefer my Teac UD-501 which is using Muses8920 which is quite controlled.
Does anyone here performed any opamp swap with this unit?
Or can it be mod to be able to roll as I wish?
Thank you for the response.

 

[SIY]

Good day, I am new here. I have a Topping D70 with AK4497, I notice the opamp is LME49720 is quite sibilant with my speakers setup, I do prefer my Teac UD-501 which is using Muses8920 which is quite controlled.
Does anyone here performed any opamp swap with this unit?
Or can it be mod to be able to roll as I wish?
Thank you for the response.

If you have sibilance, look at your speakers, not op-amps.

 

[Sokel]

Good day, I am new here. I have a Topping D70 with AK4497, I notice the opamp is LME49720 is quite sibilant with my speakers setup, I do prefer my Teac UD-501 which is using Muses8920 which is quite controlled.
Does anyone here performed any opamp swap with this unit?
Or can it be mod to be able to roll as I wish?
Thank you for the response.

My el. x over has 8 of them and no sibilance by any means.
I would know,I get a round headache when sibilance exists in some gear.

Check your speakers,settings,etc.

 

[Audio Flynn]

I am one of the old geezer early adopters. I read on ASR allot but rarely post. I am an MSME retired out of the global plastics industry. I did amateur pro sound from 1976-1983 in Michigan USA. My oldest functioning amplifier is a 1962 HH Scott 208.

I have had several stand alone DACs over the past 22 years from MSB (three versions) and Channel Islands Audio. All were Burr Brown chips. I use DACs in the past for CD playback only.

I was an early adopter of the Topping D70 I use with a Tascam CD transport. I have two different audio rooms. Living room is upper mid fi streaming with Furman power filter, NAD M32 and Klipsch Belles. I listen to Tidal and Tune In global radio stations like Best Smooth Jazz from UK.

My recreation room system is more retro. D70, Tascam transport, Onkyo Integra tuner, VPI Classic 1 TT, Conrad Johnson PV12B preamp and NOS Valves VRD KT88 power amp. Klipsch Chorus II speakers. I rarely listen to headphones.

As others have stated longevity and repairability of Topping and other newer brands is difficult to assess. I always like to have back up equipment.

I am concerned I would perceive the ESS Sabre glare. Not would I like the R2R.

To obtain a new DAC and retain my D70 as a back up DAC I prefer to stay in the $400-700 USD range. I was thinking about the D70 octo and D70 Velvet, but would consider other brands. The research makes my head spin although I enjoy everyone's contributions to this forum.

Any DAC recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SIY]

I am an MSME retired out of the global plastics industry.

Since you mentioned Michigan.... Dow?

 

[Rottmannash]

I am one of the old geezer early adopters. I read on ASR allot but rarely post. I am an MSME retired out of the global plastics industry. I did amateur pro sound from 1976-1983 in Michigan USA. My oldest functioning amplifier is a 1962 HH Scott 208.

I have had several stand alone DACs over the past 22 years from MSB (three versions) and Channel Islands Audio. All were Burr Brown chips. I use DACs in the past for CD playback only.

I was an early adopter of the Topping D70 I use with a Tascam CD transport. I have two different audio rooms. Living room is upper mid fi streaming with Furman power filter, NAD M32 and Klipsch Belles. I listen to Tidal and Tune In global radio stations like Best Smooth Jazz from UK.

My recreation room system is more retro. D70, Tascam transport, Onkyo Integra tuner, VPI Classic 1 TT, Conrad Johnson PV12B preamp and NOS Valves VRD KT88 power amp. Klipsch Chorus II speakers. I rarely listen to headphones.

As others have stated longevity and repairability of Topping and other newer brands is difficult to assess. I always like to have back up equipment.

I am concerned I would perceive the ESS Sabre glare. Not would I like the R2R.

To obtain a new DAC and retain my D70 as a back up DAC I prefer to stay in the $400-700 USD range. I was thinking about the D70 octo and D70 Velvet, but would consider other brands. The research makes my head spin although I enjoy everyone's contributions to this forum.

Any DAC recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I too bought the D70 off Drop back in the day as my 1st standalone DAC. AK chips I believe. Then I bought the E30, AK chips again. 3rd I bought the D10 Balanced and I believe it does have ESS chips. Lastly I bought the D90SE with ESS chips. I don't have the most discerning ears but I cannot hear any difference in any of the abovementioned DACs. You should listen to a DAC with ESS chips before assuming the "glare" would bother you because if you're as old as I am you probably won't detect a difference. If so that opens up the DAC field for you to pick from. Buy based on features, not AK vs ESS. Don't believe you can easily find DACs with Burr Brown, Wolfson or Cirrus Logic chips anymore but I may be wrong.

 

[Audio Flynn]

Since you mentioned Michigan.... Dow?

A petrochemical company called Lyondell Basell specializing in polypropylene and engineered polypropylene compounds for car bumper and instrument panelsystems was my responsibility.

 

[Audio Flynn]

I too bought the D70 off Drop back in the day as my 1st standalone DAC. AK chips I believe. Then I bought the E30, AK chips again. 3rd I bought the D10 Balanced and I believe it does have ESS chips. Lastly I bought the D90SE with ESS chips. I don't have the most discerning ears but I cannot hear any difference in any of the abovementioned DACs. You should listen to a DAC with ESS chips before assuming the "glare" would bother you because if you're as old as I am you probably won't detect a difference. If so that opens up the DAC field for you to pick from. Buy based on features, not AK vs ESS. Don't believe you can easily find DACs with Burr Brown, Wolfson or Cirrus Logic chips anymore but I may be wrong.

Great points.

Fortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere in West Central Michigan farm country. No places to listen to gear for 80 miles and the few stores are pretty mundane. I buy sight unseen and un listened for the past ten years.

Since you have had several DAC choices in the past 5 years what features or performance drew you to the D90SE?

 

[Jimster480]

Honestly I haven't found any new Sabre chips to have glare. However Topping makes a newer A30 and D30 Pro and the D30 Pro has a large set of Cirrus Logic chips.
There is also a SMSL D400 that has a Rohm DAC which is a different brand that is supposed to be smooth and sound more like Wolfson / BB chips. Might be something else for you to check into if you are actively avoiding Sabre.

 

[SIY]

A petrochemical company called Lyondell Basell specializing in polypropylene and engineered polypropylene compounds for car bumper and instrument panelsystems was my responsibility.

Know them well, used their products, fine supplier.

 

[Audio Flynn]

Know them well, used their products, fine supplier.

I really enjoyed the occupant safety improvements over my career. Instrument panels of course have safety all through the design.

CO workers in polyethylene at LYB and the competition at Ineos were damn good at plastic fuel tank material. Rarely do we hear about fires or explosions in crashes regarding gasoline vehicles with blow molded plastic fuel tanks.

 

[Audio Flynn]

Honestly I haven't found any new Sabre chips to have glare. However Topping makes a newer A30 and D30 Pro and the D30 Pro has a large set of Cirrus Logic chips.
There is also a SMSL D400 that has a Rohm DAC which is a different brand that is supposed to be smooth and sound more like Wolfson / BB chips. Might be something else for you to check into if you are actively avoiding Sabre.

The Cirrus chips are intriguing. They are well established in the marketplace.

The Topping folks could help themselves and customers by explaining why they make these somewhat abrupt changes in design direction.

Certainly the AKM plant destruction changed allot for many system integrators in various industries for the medium term.

 

[Jimster480]

The Cirrus chips are intriguing. They are well established in the marketplace.

The Topping folks could help themselves and customers by explaining why they make these somewhat abrupt changes in design direction.

Certainly the AKM plant destruction changed allot for many system integrators in various industries for the medium term.

Yes but AKM is back up and running and Topping makes both variants for many of their product lines

 

[Audio Flynn]

Yes but AKM is back up and running and Topping makes both variants for many of their product lines

You are reinforcing my point.
I am pro Topping. Almost fan boy perspective. I am pro AKM. I interviewed with their USA plastics business entity five years ago when I was early retired against my will.

Topping seems to be excellent at allot of company functions. Their feature... advantage... benefit (FAB) marketing model in English is vague or muddled.
They use three different chip manufacturers and as a somewhat informed consumer, I am confused as what the FAB is between these three that makes them better than my five year old D70.

Maybe it sounds better is not a marketing proposition.
Unfortunately, rarely do manufacturers comment on ASR threads.

 

[Jimster480]

You are reinforcing my point.
I am pro Topping. Almost fan boy perspective. I am pro AKM. I interviewed with their USA plastics business entity five years ago when I was early retired against my will.

Topping seems to be excellent at allot of company functions. Their feature... advantage... benefit (FAB) marketing model in English is vague or muddled.
They use three different chip manufacturers and as a somewhat informed consumer, I am confused as what the FAB is between these three that makes them better than my five year old D70.

Maybe it sounds better is not a marketing proposition.
Unfortunately, rarely do manufacturers comment on ASR threads.

Realistically nothing makes them better from a sonic perspective. Theoretically if you are doing heavy EQ; better performance provides more headroom for adjustments. However the D70 is already so good that the difference is minimal.

 

[SIY]

The Topping folks could help themselves and customers by explaining why they make these somewhat abrupt changes in design direction.

Supply chain and inventory management is not a glamorous selling point.

 

[Rottmannash]

Great points.

Fortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere in West Central Michigan farm country. No places to listen to gear for 80 miles and the few stores are pretty mundane. I buy sight unseen and un listened for the past ten years.

Since you have had several DAC choices in the past 5 years what features or performance drew you to the D90SE?

To be honest it was Topping's flagship at the time, top of the SINAD charts, had every feature (and then some) I was looking for so it was a no-brainer for me. I haven't regretted it for a moment.