Hmm, I do have one product with XMOS and for some reason the control panel isn't starting automatically on one of the PCs where I installed the drivers. I can however find it under the Start menu and launch it from there by hand, then it shows up in the system tray until the computer is restarted.
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Topping D30 DAC Measurement and Review
- Thread starter amirm
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Hmm, I do have one product with XMOS and for some reason the control panel isn't starting automatically on one of the PCs where I installed the drivers. I can however find it under the Start menu and launch it from there by hand, then it shows up in the system tray until the computer is restarted.
Veri
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You most likely are listening via WASAPI or considering it is DSD, ASIO.
ASIO is exclusive mode, all other audio is muted. That's just how that works. Close foobar first to regain control of audio.
This DAC is a sleeper! I know this is primarily a objective measurements forum but I wanted to pass on a few mods and and an opinion of the impact. I got my d30 about a week ago and it sounded fine but lacked punch in the mid and low end. I have the version with Capxon capacitors and they really hold this product back. I changed to a low noise linear power supply, upgraded the 220uf Capxon to 470uf Rubycon XYG caps, and the Nichicon FW 47uf to 22uf Elna Cerifine caps. What a difference. It's now punchy, detailed and airy! I started to identify instruments only heard as random sounds before. Amirm, thanks for leading me to this DAC.
Guermantes
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Can you share details on the LPS? My only complaint with the D30 is the power noise.
Grave
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This is the placebo effect, obviously.
Last edited:
derp1n
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For those who don't think all electronic components sound the same (other than Grave and derp1n), an example is a sound I thought were drums but post mods were clearly bongos. This was deep in the mix and hard to hear at all prior to the changes. I also changed the opamp from the stock opa2134 to a 2107.
derp1n
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What track was this in? I bet most listeners could tell the difference between non-bongo "drums" and "bongos" in it even on a crappy DAC and having passed through some level of lossy compression. Your claims are so vastly overstated that I feel embarassed for you.
I've replaced the original power supply with a better and more powerful one (smps, not linear) that I had lying around, I don't have any decent measurent equipment but I haven't found any noticeable differences.
Regarding replacing the electrolytics I don't think that any of them are in the audio path, and particularly regarding the two elna's they are likely connected to the opamp's power supply pins and capacitance should be enough (you have even reduced it as you said).
The only odd behavior that I've found and can't explain is that when using asio the sound is brighter (for the worse) than when using wasapi (both with foobar2000). Wasapi and spdif sound mostly the same, neutral, while asio sounds artificially more detailed (just brighter), and plain wrong to my ears.
Regarding replacing the electrolytics I don't think that any of them are in the audio path, and particularly regarding the two elna's they are likely connected to the opamp's power supply pins and capacitance should be enough (you have even reduced it as you said).
The only odd behavior that I've found and can't explain is that when using asio the sound is brighter (for the worse) than when using wasapi (both with foobar2000). Wasapi and spdif sound mostly the same, neutral, while asio sounds artificially more detailed (just brighter), and plain wrong to my ears.
D
Deleted member 2944
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What other components did you change during your evaluation?
Just the low noise linear PS, opamp, and capacitors mentioned above.
Similar experience here regarding Wasapi. I consider all capacitors in the power supply delivery system as less important than signal path but found they still can make a difference to sound quality. I reduced the opamp capacitance because I didn't have the 47uf's available in the correct size and more than doubled the other power supply caps. Previously, I have increased the opamp caps all the way to 100uf on other rigs and I didn't notice a significant difference. I do hear differences in the makes of capacitors and really like a mix of Cerifine and Rubycon xyg for power supplies. I did the Linear power supply first and didn't notice a significant change. I did all of the other changes concurrently and heard a positive change, mostly in dynamics and low level detail.
D
Deleted member 2944
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I would be much more interested in what sort of measurable changes (if any) you induced with these modifications. Did you perform any objective testing?
I identified early on this was a subjective review of changes. If you believe that all human perception is covered in the tests outlined on this site, ignore my comments. I think the tests are valuable in determining a well performing product, but my ears tell me there is more to it. Or as Grave puts it repeatedly, my experience is a selective placebo effect. 
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