Review and Measurements of Topping D50 DAC

[jsmiller58]

here is where I configure the bit depth or format. If I choose this 2 channels 32 bit, then the display is always 32 bit .. foobar 2k/asio/waspi or tidal.. when I use android OTG, there is no where I configure this but D50 always display 32bits.

Sorry - a noobie question... where do you access this control panel?

 

[Timbo2]

Sorry - a noobie question... where do you access this control panel?

It is installed with the Topping provided drivers. Runs in the taskbar as well a program manager shortcut.

 

[jsmiller58]

I tried to download and install the driver's from their Dropbox, but could not open the zip file (WinZip does not recognize what they have on the site as a zip file).

I am running Win 10, and had been told elsewhere on this board that no additional drivers were required...

 

[amirm]

You only need their drivers if you want ASIO interface and that your audio player does not support WASAPI.

 

[gvl]

You only need their drivers if you want ASIO interface and that your audio player does not support WASAPI.

The XMOS driver control panel has some configuration options, I suppose they can be useful in some isolated cases but they are not something most people need.

 

[TheLostBrain]

Hey all first time poster.

After reading the awesome reviews here went and started looking for one of these.

I got lucky and snagged one from Amazon prime ($249) late last week before stock went out.

I haven’t had a lot of time with it yet but I can confirm it is an awesome little unit. Zero noise through my old Marantz Model 15 amp which also has zero noise even on high efficiency speakers.

I’m letting it “burn in” at this point but I did have something useful to offer.

I found that this thing draws so little current (likely because there’s no integrated amp to speak of) that you can literally run it all day long (and more) on a 10,000mah battery pack.

Theoretically running it from battery should provide the cleanest power... and the battery pack is considerably cheaper than a comparably “clean” power supply (mine was less than $20)

Here’s the one I’m using but any that provides 5v should do.
https://www.amazon.com/X-DRAGON-10000mAh-Portable-Shockproof-More-Orange/dp/B01N0UJG1B/

I’ll post more impressions etc as time goes on.

 

[TheLostBrain]

Quick follow up - I see what I posted about the battery pack was already found early on (post 30 I think). That’s what I get for not reading the whole thread

Anyway consider my above post as another confirmation to that then.

 

[typericey]

My silver D50 arrived! Unboxing it got me nervous because when I was inspecting the unit and flipping it a round, it made a sound as if there was something loose inside. Turns out the tiny joystick was indeed loose i.e. it has some play/wiggle to it. I wonder if this is normal. Anyway, the joystick was working okay, and the rest of the unit was solid.

Already listened to it for a few hours in my bedroom system. Works fine with JRiver and Spotify, though I’m having a bit of trouble playing DSD. No issue as I have literally have just 3 DSD albums.

My previous DAC was a Fiio X5 III and the D50 blows it out of the water! The D50 has lower output than the X5’s high gain, but it sounds so much better. Not really good with words but it just sounds cleaner and without any harshness. Also apparent is the treble is dialled back, more correct and non-fatiguing. Could it be that he X5 is overly bright?

Overall, my system just sounds better. It seems that my system’s weakest link had been the Fiio and switching to the D50 has “opened up” and brought my speakers, amp and subwoofer to a whole new level.

 

[frogmeat69]

The little toggle on my unit is nice and snug, but the power button on mine rattles, but seems to work fine. I had the same feeling as you when opening it up, thinking something was broken, but it works great.

 

[Denden]

I have the D50/MCTH paired with HD600/HD6XX. Now the MCTH does not have any gain switch so it’s really powerful. I’m listening to my HD600 at 8 to 9 o’clock.

Anyways, back to the D50. Can I set the volume from the DAC to, lets say, -20db so I can use my lower impedance and sensitive IEMs/Headphones to my MCTH without loss of quality? Or should I keep it at 0db and lower the volume from the source instead?

 

[WondrousHippo]

I have the D50/MCTH paired with HD600/HD6XX. Now the MCTH does not have any gain switch so it’s really powerful. I’m listening to my HD600 at 8 to 9 o’clock.

Anyways, back to the D50. Can I set the volume from the DAC to, lets say, -20db so I can use my lower impedance and sensitive IEMs/Headphones to my MCTH without loss of quality? Or should I keep it at 0db and lower the volume from the source instead?

I do that with my MCTH and my Sabaj D4, I attenuate the volume by a bit to get more usable volume range with my Audioquest Nighthawks. I don't think it degrades the sound to a noticeable degree, especially since I'm still at around 9 o'clock on the volume dial with the D4 set to 25/40 volume. Don't know the specific voltage it's outputting, though. Your problem with IEMs on the MCTH might be noise due in part to the high gain.

 

[Veri]

Can I set the volume from the DAC to, lets say, -20db so I can use my lower impedance and sensitive IEMs/Headphones to my MCTH without loss of quality? Or should I keep it at 0db and lower the volume from the source instead?

You can easily do this. Out-of-the-box it starts at -18dB even.

 

[Peib]

My silver D50 arrived! Unboxing it got me nervous because when I was inspecting the unit and flipping it a round, it made a sound as if there was something loose inside. Turns out the tiny joystick was indeed loose i.e. it has some play/wiggle to it. I wonder if this is normal. Anyway, the joystick was working okay, and the rest of the unit was solid.

Already listened to it for a few hours in my bedroom system. Works fine with JRiver and Spotify, though I’m having a bit of trouble playing DSD. No issue as I have literally have just 3 DSD albums.

My previous DAC was a Fiio X5 III and the D50 blows it out of the water! The D50 has lower output than the X5’s high gain, but it sounds so much better. Not really good with words but it just sounds cleaner and without any harshness. Also apparent is the treble is dialled back, more correct and non-fatiguing. Could it be that he X5 is overly bright?

Overall, my system just sounds better. It seems that my system’s weakest link had been the Fiio and switching to the D50 has “opened up” and brought my speakers, amp and subwoofer to a whole new level.

Thanks for the review bro.
I use my PC as a DAC when I use my headphones and hifi stereo speakers. If you see that the change from x5 to d50 is remarkable, I will be amazed comparing my PC with the DAC
Hope it comes soon!

 

[THEChuckTucker]

Hello All! I got my D50 from Mass Drop but, of course, had to wait for revised shipping date. Given the info in this thread, I hoped that the wait was because MD was getting a revised version that solved earlier problems. I have had zero hum or noise from the start. Finally found the option to change the screen to go off after 30 seconds, used to just stay on. Still have no idea what all those filters do. Am using the ' Brickwall' one but to me sounds just like the first filter which was default. I bet the manual is good if you read Cantonese. Because my laptop has limited USB ports I plug it into my docking station for power. Once again no noise. Note: the laptop is plugged into one surge strip and the docking station is on a different surge strip.
Now about the heat questions. I took out my handy IR temp pistol and started a log when I got home yesterday. Was at work so A/C was off. Starting was 86.4 F, first hour of use went to 91.2 F. After 4 1/2 hrs. steady temp was 98.3 F in the center of the block, near the RCA outputs it was 89.7 F,
Is this hot or just operating temp? I don't have it stacked with anything.
One more thought. I have the Db meter at 00.0 because that's what Amirm used for tests, if I use the toggle and put it into plus Db's is this amplification of the signal to my pre amp?
One last thing, it is a joy to find this forum, where we can talk about what a piece of tech can do and can't do. Not how it makes you feel about yourself.

 

[amirm]

Now about the heat questions. I took out my handy IR temp pistol and started a log when I got home yesterday. Was at work so A/C was off. Starting was 86.4 F, first hour of use went to 91.2 F. After 4 1/2 hrs. steady temp was 98.3 F in the center of the block, near the RCA outputs it was 89.7 F,
Is this hot or just operating temp?

Those are normal and not a worry at all. Electronic components are rated in degree C and they can easily go up to 80 degree C or higher (that is a junction temp but let's not get too detailed here ). If you are getting 60+degree C (NOT F), then I would start to worry.

 

[amirm]

One more thought. I have the Db meter at 00.0 because that's what Amirm used for tests, if I use the toggle and put it into plus Db's is this amplification of the signal to my pre amp?

The dB thing is a relative scale. 0 means no attenuation. Anything lower means that much less output voltage.

 

[PorchSong]

I was thinking of pairing the D50 with the Aune X7S amp. Does anyone here have this setup? Opinions?

 

[typericey]

Update on my report: the D50 continues to amaze! There's a better presentation of the sound stage and imaging than my previous DAP. I know my room setup isn't the best with the speakers only about 15" from the wall but still, the improvement is there. Things are more 3 dimensional now, as opposed to just a "flat painting" of music.

Also, I know I will be getting some flak here for saying this but: I was able to eke out just a bit more detail and top end by switching RCA cables. Hear me out: in my previous report I used entry level Monster Cable Interlink 100s that I dug up from storage which I think was from the 90s, because I didn't have any other cable at the time. Then I replaced them with a box fresh Audioquest Golden Gate. My guess is that the 2 decade old Monster Cable had probably degraded so much that it affected the sound.

Bottomline, I'll say this again: this DAC has brought out the best that my system is capable of. Happy camper here.

 

[Ron Texas]

Back on Massdrop, $200.

 

[dheepak10]

One of the fellow members of the Indian Audiophile group in FB had this to say:

"Received D50 today, but post long listening sessions I realized the DAC has a very aggressive sounding tonality, with typical boosted sub bass and energy in treble region.
It was getting fatiguing to listen to even on something otherwise as forgiving as EL-8 Open.
Stock opamps OPA1612 were replaced with LME47920.
The mod was done in a jiffy, need to clean up the residual flux from the board.
Before I do the housekeeping stuff and enclose the DAC, thought I should share some pics.
The PCB and copper trace quality isn't great, so tread with caution if you decide to do any mod that involves soldering or desoldering. Use hot air at about 350 C for desoldering.
Post mod, this is definitely a significant step up from SMSL M8A. Because D50 has 2 DAC chips, that's 2 DACs per channel, both channel separation and dynamic range is perceivable high. Has a lot more air and micro details. Tonality is very soothing with sweetness in mids. Also a lot more articulated over all. Overall I'm liking its 9038q2m implementation.
As is the case, SPDIF coaxial sounds the best, with USB sounding the worst. Haven't tried DSD playback yet. Will post impressions on that maybe later."