StyleAudio Topaz Amp Eval / Review Thread - Page 4

Just saw this on positive feedback: usb dacs

My review will be up when....I feel like it. Sorry, I'm feeling lazy right now

Those days are important as well. Trust me.

what is gain switch for, sorry for a silly question:">

A gain switch lets you better tailor the amp's output to the headphones you're using. For example, you might set the gain to low if you're using easy-to-drive headphones or in-ear monitors that don't require much power. Conversely, you would likely set the gain to high for cans that require more power to sound their best.

I can't wait to hear more about this!

MoNelly, thanks for the review! I'm currently in debate with myself. You see, I have narrowed my list down to either getting the Topaz, Ibasso D10 or Pico. What do your recommend? If the Topaz destroys the others in the power/sound department, I might give up on the portable issue, since the Topaz has no battery?

I also have stupid question to close with, please bare with me. I'm currently considering getting the Denon MD5000. It has a 1/8" jack output. Will there be any "loss" or so to speak using a 1/4"-jack converter? I see the Topaz/D10 has 1/4" input.

Nosgis, I have access to both the D10 and Topaz. I will put up my review soon, so sit tight and you'll get a head to head comparison.

If you're reallllllllllly anxious, I'll give a reader's digest version: Topaz - Warmer, more bass heavy, bigger soundstage, fuller sound, more forgiving of poorly recorded music and more powerful. Matches up well with most cans, but can sound a bit muddy/veiled with darker cans (unless you really like a dark/warm sound).

D10 - Cleaner, more detailed, bigger separation of instruments, ability to tailor sound, portable. Does better with a wider variety of cans, but is less powerful.

You can always get both and decide within your own situation

Are you thinking about buying the stock Denon AH-D5000s? Or is the MD5000 the Markl modded version? I believe the standard Denon cable comes with the adapter; the modded versions obviously vary.

I prefer the larger jack because it feels more stable and seems less prone to internal issues caused by wear and tear. However, I don't think you have to worry about a loss of sound quality when using an adapter.

Correct MoNelly, by MD5000 I indeed mean the Markl modded version.

Clasam: Thanks, would love to hear more.

I have the TOPAZ here and am listening to it now and over the next few days.

I would like to review it on it's own merits and not rank it among all my other DAC/amps, but we will see. I've only had half an hour with it on my Macbook with HD600 via USB DAC. And I've only compared it to my iBasso D10 with rolled opamps (AD743 + AD8616 buffers) which would cost about $360 after shipping and opamps. Before I post any impressions I still have to spend more hours with it, and with more headphones and albums and artists, and try the optical DAC as well.

Emerald doesn't have an Opt/Cox in so how can it use PCM1793 ? by usb?
"And, the "goodness" continues into the DAC section. Utiliziing the TI PCM1793 24bit/192Khz DA converter, this DAC is capable of an astounding dynamic range of 113dB with a negligible THD+N of 0.001%. The USB input is controlled by the proven TI PCM2707 USB controller, allowing use of up to 48Khz files via USB. " how can we active pcm1793 ? ;

what do you think ?? Of course by Usb.
LOL! DAC's do not need opt or coax in to use their DAC chip, hell, i love my DAC's more with USB.
Or you are asking how to play 24 bit 192khz files, that's a different question. Emerald will play 41/48khz files and automaticaly will upsample them to 192khz if i understand correctly.

D10/Topaz.Good enough.

REVIEW: StyleAudio CARAT-TOPAZ

I was asked by Lee from Cryo-Parts, the importer of the StyleAudio CARAT-TOPAZ headphone amp/DAC, to give it a spin. So I agreed. I tried it as a DAC alone, and as a DAC-HA combo. There is no option for using the C-T’s headphone amp section other than from its built-in DAC.





I’m not sure what the rationale is for the “miniaturization” of this product. It’s not that much bigger than my iQube portable amp, but this is in no way a portable device. So why bother making it so small, with all the trade-offs required to do so? I thought this was an odd decision. Portables should be small. For home use equipment, make it just big enough so that the design isn’t in any way compromised by the size of the chassis. It makes the CARAT-TOPAZ a strange design, IMO, but this is an audio device, so I of course reviewed only its sound, not its size.

Full disclosure: the first sample of the Carat-Topaz I received did not work. With either USB or Toslink, there was a horrible clipping/distortion when music was played. I tried all the normal troubleshooting methods I have learned over 30 years of being an audiophile, and to no avail. I sent it back to Lee at Cryo-Parts, and was sent a replacement demo unit, already broken in, which worked flawlessly. But I feel it’s important in the process of reviewing to make such things known.

Those two things said, the Carat-Topaz is very solidly built, and is a very professional-looking design.


DAC listening:

I used both the USB DAC from my PC playing Apple Lossless files from iTunes, and also used the DAC fed from the Toslink output of my Denon CD player. I will focus more on the DAC using the Toslink input, since this provided marginally better sound.
The DAC of the C-T was able to scale beyond the quality of the built-in headphone jack. When using the C-T as a DAC feeding the ALO/RWA Amphora, the sound was easily better than with the C-T’s headphone out. But the C-T’s DAC was easily better than my $500 Denon CD player. I actually spent quite a lot of time with the Amphora and Carat-Topaz paired together, and found the combination to be really, really good. So as a DAC, it’s a definitely good sounding (setting aside the issue of value for now). When using it just as a DAC and using the ALO Amphora for the amp, the DAC’s sound quality was readily apparent. The DAC is smooth, but well detailed. It’s not aggressive, and provides very good soundstaging capabilities. It was noise-free, and very transparent.
I compared the DAC to the KingRex USB DAC I have (which is the only other external DAC I have), and the C-T was better without question – simultaneously smoother and more detailed, which is ALWAYS a good thing in audio. It was more nuanced, transparent, and revealing, but still was not as bright or forward as the KingRex. This in spite of the fact that the USB performance of the C-T was just slightly hazier/grainier than the Toslink connection from the CD player.


Headphone Amp listening:

In comparison to the Amphora, the Audio-GD C2C, and even the Qables iQube portable amp, the headphone amp section of the C-T was a little underwhelming. It’s not BAD – far from it. Taken on its own, the whole CARAT-TOPAZ package is quite good. Still, the Audio-GD C2C provided MUCH better headphone amp performance. The C-T’s headphone amp is a little grainy. And the C2C is less expensive than the Carat-Topaz.

The sound from the C-T’s headphone amp is a little thin, and brittle. The soundstage lacks the kind of 3-dimensionality that even the better portable amps like the iQube can offer. In fact, I tried the iQube being fed from the line out of the C-T’s DAC, and no doubt it sounded better than the headphone out of the C-T itself. The C-T has a layer of opaqueness to the sound that while not very pronounced was still noticeable.

The C-T’s headphone amp did have plenty of gain for my 600 ohm Beyers, but seemed to “like” my 40 ohm Kenwood K1000’s better. It was a little smoother with the Kenwoods, while sounding a little harsh and strained with the 600 ohm DT990’s.

Try as I might, I could just never get very excited about the sound of the headphone out of the Carat-Topaz. I would recommend looking at the C-T as a really good DAC, that happens to have a serviceable, if unspectacular headphone amp.


In Sum…

Then there is the question of value. At $450, is the Carat-Topaz a good deal? This is tough for me. Is $450 a good value for a very good DAC that has a decent headphone amp? I simply have not tried enough external DACs in this price range to answer that question. Someone with more experience, like HeadphoneAddict, will have to answer. The sound of the Carat-Topaz’s DAC was better than my $500 Denon CD player, and of the $300 KingRex (with upgraded power supply), and generally very good, I thought. But I also think that, given the somewhat limited performance of the headphone amp section, the Carat-Topaz does face some steep competition. I would recommend it primarily for people who have a need for its very small physical size.