Which DAC + AMP to buy?
Dec 15, 2021 at 3:31 PM Post #16 of 67
Yea i heard some good reviews about D30 pro also. How did the A90 sound? Most people say its great but i also saw some not so good reviews saying its just sounds lifeless and bland. Do you still have the A90?
 
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Dec 15, 2021 at 4:02 PM Post #17 of 67
My experience is from the perspective of the hd 650, which already has a warm tilt. I enjoyed the hd 650 but I didn't realise how 'flat' they sounded until I heard them with the A90, to borrow an oft used phrase 'they opened up', became more expansive and oh god here comes another '3D'...

I read a review describing the amp as getting out of the way of the music and allowing the headphones themselves to do their thing, maybe that's why I found the amp to be so smooth and natural as it reflects the qualities of the hd 650?

Edit: yes still have my A90 🙂
 
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Dec 15, 2021 at 6:50 PM Post #19 of 67
My own opinion, anyone can disagree with me and I probably won't respond as I'm not on often, but I haven't heard a single piece of Topping gear I like. I imagine SMSL sounds similar given they're the same company with what I understand the same technical staff (I may be wrong about the same tech staff though).

I prefer Schiit in the <$250 range, but without more info, I can only say stuff on massdrop, Geshelli, etc. have all sounded better than more expensive Topping gear to me.
 
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Dec 15, 2021 at 7:24 PM Post #20 of 67
Kitarist said:
Do you have any other amps in possesion that you could compare to and is it worth a buy? Also which DAC are you using these days
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The DAC I am using is the D30 Pro - as I wanted balanced for the A90. Other amps I have owned did their job but did not do anything special for me, the A90 is different in the way it actually presents music, rather than it being warm or bright etc.
penguinofsleep2 said:
My own opinion, anyone can disagree with me and I probably won't respond as I'm not on often, but I haven't heard a single piece of Topping gear I like. I imagine SMSL sounds similar given they're the same company with what I understand the same technical staff (I may be wrong about this though).

I prefer Schiit in the <$250 range, but without more info, I can only say stuff on massdrop, Geshelli, etc. have all sounded better than more expensive Topping gear to me.
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Yea, I would agree with this, I have not previously been wowed by any topping/smsl stuff just did their job...my problem is I usually have to sell before I upgrade/sidegrade so I can never really compare DACs/amps properly.

Being in the UK, I did not have access to certain brands that I could buy at a reasonable price e.g. Massdrop/schiit - over lockdown all schiit stuff was sold out.

Topping/SMSL is expensive comparatively, my A90 and d30 pro were bought second hand from eBay at much more reasonable prices.
 
Dec 15, 2021 at 8:17 PM Post #21 of 67
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Dec 15, 2021 at 9:04 PM Post #22 of 67
Audio GD looks really neat was always interested into buying one but then i saw some poor measurements on audiosciencereview forum so not sure if its a worth buy even tho i know that measurements arent everything but its even better if amp has great measurements and sounds great.
 
Dec 15, 2021 at 10:16 PM Post #23 of 67
Never a fan of audiosciencereview.
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 5:17 AM Post #24 of 67
Well i like them for their measurements but thats about it. When you talk about different sound signatures of amps and especially DACS they mostly say its just a placebo and we shouldnt be able to hear any differences LOL.
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 5:35 AM Post #25 of 67
I think they have their place when making a balanced decision regarding a purchase.
I wouldn't know the differences between DAC's as I I have tended to upgrade DAC/amp in tandem so it could be the amp or the DAC or the 'SYNERGY! TM'
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 5:44 AM Post #26 of 67
I don´t have any experience with Burson Playmate 2, but could be a consideration.

iFi ZEN combo with DAC/CAN. This setup is what I recommend to any in that price range. I had this with HiFiMAN Sundara. Lowest gain on CAN.
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 6:38 AM Post #27 of 67
Kitarist said:
Well i like them for their measurements but thats about it. When you talk about different sound signatures of amps and especially DACS they mostly say its just a placebo and we shouldnt be able to hear any differences LOL.
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Im starting to think they are very close-minded regarding what people can hear vs measurement. Maybe everything can not be measured.....yet!
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 7:32 AM Post #29 of 67
Royaume said:
Hi @Kitarist ,Please for the love of all things good do not listen to the recommendations for Topping and SMSL. Go with something from Schiit Audio. Or pretty much anything other than Topping/SMSL Chi-Fi
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Is schiit devices ASIO compatible?

I use ASIO on iFi :)
 
Dec 16, 2021 at 7:39 AM Post #30 of 67
OCC7N said:
Is schiit devices ASIO compatible?
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From SBAF:
"Jason confirmed with me on Head-Fi a little bit back that "native" ASIO drivers aren't supported with Bifrost 2, which makes sense given that Unison relies on Windows 10's/Microsoft's UAC2 driver to function and not a third-party driver. It seems unlikely to me that Microsoft will prepare a separate ASIO driver to complement the native UAC2 functionality for neurotic audiophiles like ourselves. I'd encourage you to just give WASAPI or ASIO4ALL another shot"
Topping will sound far worse even with ASIO or any other usb de-crappifier technology you could throw at it.
Idk your budget but you can't go wrong with Schiit.
 
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