Apr 20, 2020 at 1:19 PM Post #935 of 1,054
I have D50 out for delivery today. I use my external DACs with an older CD player. I'm currently using the Bifrost multibit but found the D50 for a good price so I wanted to give it a try. Is the desired filter setting for CD playback?
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 3:29 PM Post #936 of 1,054
I have D50 out for delivery today. I use my external DACs with an older CD player. I'm currently using the Bifrost multibit but found the D50 for a good price so I wanted to give it a try. Is the desired filter setting for CD playback?

I don't notice much difference between the filters to be honest. Just try them all and stick to the one that sounds the best to you. There is no such thing as a filter setting for CD playback on the D50.
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 3:39 PM Post #937 of 1,054
I don't notice much difference between the filters to be honest. Just try them all and stick to the one that sounds the best to you. There is no such thing as a filter setting for CD playback on the D50.
Right, I just thought one might fit the format the best. I actually have it plugged in and connected to my older Marantz CD5003 via coax.
Definitely different from the Bifrost multibit, which I expected. I've owned a Modi multibit, Modi 3, and Bifrost 4490 but this is my first Topping DAC. Very impressed so far and looking forward to give it more listening time this evening.
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 4:02 PM Post #938 of 1,054
Right, I just thought one might fit the format the best. I actually have it plugged in and connected to my older Marantz CD5003 via coax.
Definitely different from the Bifrost multibit, which I expected. I've owned a Modi multibit, Modi 3, and Bifrost 4490 but this is my first Topping DAC. Very impressed so far and looking forward to give it more listening time this evening.

The Topping D50 is my DAC of choice for my computer-based desktop system. It has a ridiculously good sound and is built so well. I have not had a single problem with it since I bought it 1.5 years ago. I actually had two D50's at one point!

I have its bigger brother, the Topping D90, for my higher resolution headphones system, and that too produces a sound that is quite astonishing. The only Topping that I didn't get on with was the Topping DX3 Pro. I sold that as the sound wasn't up to scratch for me.

The D50 never gets touched these days. It just works. I've set it to auto on/off so that it goes to 'sleep' when I shut down my computer and 'wakes up' when I power on my computer in the morning.

During my DAC evaluation phase in late 2018 I returned a handful of DACs for various reasons - mostly mains hum and EMI noise. The Toppings have been completely silent.
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 5:16 PM Post #939 of 1,054
The Topping D50 is my DAC of choice for my computer-based desktop system. It has a ridiculously good sound and is built so well. I have not had a single problem with it since I bought it 1.5 years ago. I actually had two D50's at one point!

I have its bigger brother, the Topping D90, for my higher resolution headphones system, and that too produces a sound that is quite astonishing. The only Topping that I didn't get on with was the Topping DX3 Pro. I sold that as the sound wasn't up to scratch for me.

The D50 never gets touched these days. It just works. I've set it to auto on/off so that it goes to 'sleep' when I shut down my computer and 'wakes up' when I power on my computer in the morning.

During my DAC evaluation phase in late 2018 I returned a handful of DACs for various reasons - mostly mains hum and EMI noise. The Toppings have been completely silent.
I'm very impressed so far with the limited amount of listening I've done. The first thing I noticed right out of the box is the build quality. This is my first sabre DAC so its definitely a new experience. I'm enjoying it. I'm going switch back to my Schiit Bifrost multibit in a little bit for a different perspective on the same CD.
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 6:04 PM Post #940 of 1,054
I have its bigger brother, the Topping D90, for my higher resolution headphones system, and that too produces a sound that is quite astonishing. The only Topping that I didn't get on with was the Topping DX3 Pro. I sold that as the sound wasn't up to scratch for me.

Can you compare the D90 and D50? I have watched reviews on YouTube that mention the superior instrument separation and soundstage of the D90's AKM chip implementation.
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 8:15 PM Post #941 of 1,054
I recently got the SMSL M300 MKII, which has the excellent AKM 4497 chip in it. I posted my thoughts about it in the DT1990 headphone thread. In my opinion, this new SMSL DAC is unmatched at the 250 US price point. They created this DAC to compete with the Topping D70, which costs 500 US. The soundstage, instrument layering and separation, and imaging capabilities of the M300 MKII are unbelievable.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bey...open-back-mastering-headphone.814629/page-198
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 8:39 PM Post #942 of 1,054
I recently got the SMSL M300 MKII, which has the excellent AKM 4497 chip in it. I posted my thoughts about it in the DT1990 headphone thread. In my opinion, this new SMSL DAC is unmatched at the 250 US price point. They created this DAC to compete with the Topping D70, which costs 500 US. The soundstage, instrument layering and separation, and imaging capabilities of the M300 MKII are unbelievable.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bey...open-back-mastering-headphone.814629/page-198
That's interesting. I've only owned the DACs with the AKM4490. Thanks for link.
 
Apr 20, 2020 at 9:16 PM Post #943 of 1,054
No problem, happy to share info. SMSL also has the new M400 coming out this month as well. This has the AKM 4499 chip in it, and is set to go against the Topping D90. I don't know what the price of it will be though. They only told me that it will cost far less than the Topping D90. If I had to guess, I would bet they are going to price it at 500 US. SMSL is taking on the D70 (AKM 4497) and D90 (AKM 4499), using the same DAC chips, but pricing the DACs at a way lower cost for the same performance. I was shocked when I got my M300 MKII. The sound quality is much better than my SMSL M8A V3 which has the ES9038Q2M chip in it.
 
Apr 21, 2020 at 2:21 AM Post #944 of 1,054
Can you compare the D90 and D50? I have watched reviews on YouTube that mention the superior instrument separation and soundstage of the D90's AKM chip implementation.

Yes, I can do a ‘best effort’ comparison as each DAC is in an entirely different audio system. My D50 is in my speakers-based system connected via USB from my iMac. It is very musical in terms of sound signature. I can listen to it all day long without getting fatigued. Everything is there in terms of music extraction. At one point I did have my second D50 in my headphones sound system. It just blew me away. The best way I can describe the sound is that it grabs you in terms of its musicality. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

My D90 is solely used in my beside headphones system. I went for it as it has an I2S interface. I use my DAP to connect to it via I2S. From what I understand, this is the the most direct way to interface a digital transport to a DAC. I did try an A/B comparison of I2S vs USB and found the I2S interface slightly better. The sound Is very analytical and holographic. There’s lots happening all over the soundstage which you can ‘explore’. The level of detail extracted is a notch up on the D50. One thing that has really caught me out is the dynamic range. Last night I cranked the volume up in my head amp and had to turn it back down slightly as the louder parts of songs were a little too loud for my ears. I didn’t notice such a wide dynamic range with my D50.

Both the D50 and D90 impress me for slightly different reasons. The D50 for its musical presentation, and the D90 for its clarity, detail, analytical approach and the incredible dynamic range.

I hope that helps. These are just my opinions, of course!
 
Apr 21, 2020 at 1:14 PM Post #945 of 1,054
I am a newcomer to this world of independent DACs. The D50s is the first standalone DAC I bought for what is starting to be my main setup and for which I will release funds for upgrades once I sell components from my living room setup which I cannot use due to the room setting and this being the main TV area hence taken during the day.

I wanted to ask if there are people in the forum who actually compared the D50/D50s with more mainstream names in the DAC world that charge 4-10 times more the amount (you know the names that can be cited here). Can this DAC or it's bigger relatives (D70/D90) match those?
 

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