[393699]

As far as I know, I am the only one on headfi who owns an SMSL M8A V3 (ES9038Q2M DAC Chip). It is a shame that Topping does not do tours of their gear on headfi for people to review them. I would be a good candidate to do a comparison between the D50S and M8A V3.

 

[mynamesjeff]

with the drop for the D50s about to end, before i pull the trigger i was wondering is this a great pairing with the THX-789?

 

[adeadcrab]

The D50 is a great little DAC for the money.

 

[Baten]

with the drop for the D50s about to end, before i pull the trigger i was wondering is this a great pairing with the THX-789?

Yes

 

[393699]

Topping has a new E30 DAC out, which is the same price as the D30 it is replacing. It is using the AK4493 DAC chip. This should be an excellent budget choice for people who are looking at the 150 US or less price point.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topping-E3...hash=item4214fea15a:m:mohKjGguDHpPezVW_Z_UCRQ

 

[Baten]

Topping has a new E30 DAC out, which is the same price as the D30 it is replacing. It is using the AK4493 DAC chip. This should be an excellent budget choice for people who are looking at the 150 US or less price point.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Topping-E3...hash=item4214fea15a:m:mohKjGguDHpPezVW_Z_UCRQ

it's like a mini-D90. looks really great!
besides ebay it's also on amazon and apos.audio

 

[holospringfan]

it's like a mini-D90. looks really great!
besides ebay it's also on amazon and apos.audio

first review on amazon looks very positive

 

[393699]

The AKM 4493 is a nice upgrade from the CS4398 used in the D30. The E30 is going to be very popular for people on a budget.

 

[XeNoNF50]

I have the D50s, Modi Multibit, and JDS Labs EL Dac and of the three I like the D50s the most with the EL a close 2nd. Paired with the SMSL SP200 THX amp the combo is really nice with a detailed balanced sound and a touch of warmth to smooth everything out. The D50s is my first Dac with ESS chips and compared to the EL with an AK chip I like the ESS a bit more as the AK can sound more clinical at times but the EL Dac is still very good.

I've been using the D50s now for a few months and I couldn't be happier with how it sounds. I like the D50s so much I'm looking into getting the D70 sometime down the line, plus it uses the newest AK chip set which I want to try.

After too much reading and research I just ordered the same AMP and DAC as you - SMSL SP200 & Topping D50s. Mostly after reading the SMSL SP200 thread but also this. How are you finding it?

I was using Creative AE-5 soundcard before on my.PC (mostly music but some gaming) and kind of sacked that off to use the FiiO BTR5 I bought for my FiiO FH7 in USB mode since so hopefully this will enhance my set up somewhat. Will currently be using AKG K712 Pro headphones but still looking into an upgrade to something up to the £1000 mark, not 100% sure what yet though.

 

[393699]

SMSL now has the recently released M300 MK2 out. It is using the excellent AKM 4497 chip. This is excellent DAC chip for a unit that is going for only 250 US. This is the same chip used in the Topping D70. Usually, you don't see DACs with the 4497 chip in it until you hit 500 US and beyond. I wonder how this new SMSL unit compares against my SMSL M8A V3 (ES9038Q2M), and the Topping D50S.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-Flagship-Ultra-high-Ultra-Low-Distortion/dp/B07PDKQQ7Y?th=1

 

[Baten]

SMSL now has the recently released M300 MK2 out. It is using the excellent AKM 4497 chip. This is excellent DAC chip for a unit that is going for only 250 US. This is the same chip used in the Topping D70. Usually, you don't see DACs with the 4497 chip in it until you hit 500 US and beyond. I wonder how this new SMSL unit compares against my SMSL M8A V3 (ES9038Q2M), and the Topping D50S.

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-Flagship-Ultra-high-Ultra-Low-Distortion/dp/B07PDKQQ7Y?th=1

objectively I think the new M300 MK2 in USB mode, trumps D50, E30, M8, ...
it;s pretty much the top budget DAC

 

[393699]

Have you heard it in action before ?

 

[Baten]

Have you heard it in action before ?

Only M300 mk1. Not mk2 which is quite new. but it has a lot of improvements, AK4497.
objectively this one is a beast.

 

[393699]

Yes, looking at the internals, you can see that many things have been upgraded in the MK2. Looking at the specs, it appears to be a new standard for quality DACs at 250 bucks.

 

[393699]

Apologies as well, I did not mean to hijack the thread. I was just wondering about comparisons between the M50S, M8A V3, and the new M300 MK2.