tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post8278575148833727115..comments2024-03-28T00:31:13.472-07:00Comments on <em>Archimago's Musings</em>: MEASUREMENTS / REVIEW: Topping D90SE DAC - Part I: The Hardware, Filters, MQA, and Jitter PerformanceArchimagohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-55727213356899571922023-09-24T23:32:15.345-07:002023-09-24T23:32:15.345-07:00The last Firm Ware of D90SE have the Balance contr...The last Firm Ware of D90SE have the Balance control from the Remote control with 0.5 dB resolution.BKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06372162052862417674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-88139159965192430642023-02-19T22:10:29.160-08:002023-02-19T22:10:29.160-08:00Thank you for the link to your blog, I found it ve...Thank you for the link to your blog, I found it very interesting. I especially enjoyed reading your thoughts on the Topping D90SE DAC. I think you're giving a great and 'more objective' take on the subject. I appreciate your time and thought! <a href="https://www.hrdbearing.com" rel="nofollow">Nsk Bearing</a>Lusye Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15759799223237832573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-78107428074068757452021-10-06T00:18:49.421-07:002021-10-06T00:18:49.421-07:00Hi!Record the sound of Topping d90se for compariso...Hi!Record the sound of Topping d90se for comparison.Everyone is interested in comparing the sound of the "best" dac.It is better to hear once than to read a hundred times.It may be interesting to compare just with this dac.compared to the original track.Geprghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11115380261084091249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-1421959337258849792021-09-29T20:04:20.314-07:002021-09-29T20:04:20.314-07:00Hi Bennet, I think this might be happening. I can&...Hi <em>Bennet</em>, I think this might be happening. I can't recall if I've ever seen an ESS DAC where the DSD256+ performance had shown improvements over the DSD128 for dynamic range. In contrast, I have seen this with the AKM chips.<br /><br />You've inspired me to look into this with greater detail. Let me explore this further with SoX-DSD conversions and I might publish a revampedArchimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-82268732545757417922021-09-29T00:00:12.842-07:002021-09-29T00:00:12.842-07:00Thanks Archimago,
Then I guess these ESS chips si...Thanks Archimago,<br /><br />Then I guess these ESS chips simply resample DSD inputs to the maximum sample rate allowed before going through the IIR filter, and if the downsampling ratio is too high (e.g. above DSD128) then more downsamplng steps are required and more DSD noise will be folded back to the audio band, and thus the higher noise floor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-46630521210421686012021-09-28T18:36:53.155-07:002021-09-28T18:36:53.155-07:00Hey Bennet,
Nice post there man. And very cool wor...Hey Bennet,<br />Nice post there man. And very cool work on the UA-law compander!<br /><br />Yeah, I can spend a bit more time on the DSD side and see. I checked out the SoX DSD as well quickly but other than a mention, will likely stick with my JRiver conversions for the time being. sdm-8 modulator setting is very similar to JRiver's conversion.<br /><br />I can tell you that while DSD Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-33358484727001705132021-09-28T08:59:46.595-07:002021-09-28T08:59:46.595-07:00Hi fgk,
Yeah, I think the ES9018 is already a fant...Hi <em>fgk</em>,<br />Yeah, I think the ES9018 is already a fantastic DAC. I had a look and listen to the Oppo BDP-105 back in 2017 and it's great, my friend still uses it for DAC purposes:<br />http://archimago.blogspot.com/2017/04/measurements-oppo-bdp-105-rca-xlr-hdmi.html<br /><br />I agree, we need to consider the features we need and not be swept up by the "latest and greatest"Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-57667151041306042122021-09-28T03:59:30.651-07:002021-09-28T03:59:30.651-07:00Hi Archimago,
Speaking of Jim Austin, MQA and Gol...Hi Archimago,<br /><br />Speaking of Jim Austin, MQA and GoldenOne, I made a comment here:<br />https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/mqa-deep-dive-i-published-music-on-tidal-to-test-mqa.22549/post-808088<br /><br />In fact, GoldenOne's tests gave me an idea to create UA-law, a simple codec to demonstrate that noise shaping can be done in a much more reasonable and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-9512426503576723582021-09-28T00:11:03.754-07:002021-09-28T00:11:03.754-07:00I already have Wyred4Sound DAC2 (ESS Sabre 9018) w...I already have Wyred4Sound DAC2 (ESS Sabre 9018) with the balance control feature on the remote control unit. It is connected via balance cable directly to two Monarchy Audio power amplifiers, I don't need any preamp. <br /><br />I don't see any motivation to look for any other DAC, even though it is 10 years old already and can accept "only" up to 192/32 pcm and it cannot play fgkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09734672776625220548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-36352522360806981682021-09-27T19:22:58.154-07:002021-09-27T19:22:58.154-07:00Fair enough fgk,
You'll have to look around fo...Fair enough <em>fgk</em>,<br />You'll have to look around for that feature. Assuming that the DAC is very closely balanced R+L (it should for a high quality DAC!), it might actually make more sense to see about a pre-amp with balance features if you're compensating for room imbalance. Or perhaps an integrated amp with a balance knob so this can be applied to all inputs.<br /><br />I Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-87179443168433227132021-09-27T18:53:44.626-07:002021-09-27T18:53:44.626-07:00I do room DSP process in the computer, and I certa...I do room DSP process in the computer, and I certainly can adjust balance there, but I don't want to get up from my sweet spot and go to the computer to adjust it, because it can vary from one song to another. fgkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09734672776625220548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-15137304341368473482021-09-27T17:21:26.660-07:002021-09-27T17:21:26.660-07:00Hi Freddie,
I just had a look at the Okto DAC8. Ni...Hi <em>Freddie</em>,<br />I just had a look at the Okto DAC8. Nice one, and the dual XLR outs is neat and certainly can be useful in various situations.<br /><br />For many home users, I think the D90SE's combination of RCA and XLR does make sense (both can be active at the same time). For example, if I pair this with my desktop computer, I would feed the RCA to my amp --> speakers, and Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-17001668224826354922021-09-27T14:38:57.338-07:002021-09-27T14:38:57.338-07:00Hi fgk,
Yeah, I think many (most) DACs these days ...Hi <em>fgk</em>,<br />Yeah, I think many (most) DACs these days don't have balance controls any more. I agree it's a useful feature.<br /><br />These days, if I have fine controls to make, I would do it as part of the room DSP process. Alternatively, Roon and its "Speaker Setup" can help with this I think.<br />Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-81080492143872952042021-09-27T13:13:16.999-07:002021-09-27T13:13:16.999-07:00Bottom line from my perspective:
- Don't get m...<strong>Bottom line from my perspective:</strong><br />- Don't get me wrong, the Holo Spring 3 looks like a great device, well built, well engineered. I'm sure it'll satisfy many. I'll have a listen to this DAC if I find one around here.<br /><br />- Be mindful of every reviewer's bias. Including mine of course!<br /><br />- NOS is NOS. It has a sound. I believe NOS, Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-1503174767041975232021-09-27T13:13:08.214-07:002021-09-27T13:13:08.214-07:00Hi Unknown and Doug,
Appreciate the discussion and...Hi <em>Unknown</em> and <em>Doug</em>,<br />Appreciate the discussion and comments. Interesting video review of the Holo Spring 3! For those who have not seen it, here it is:<br />https://youtu.be/hhf9GpGC55w<br /><br /><em>Now to start, let's just say we need to be mindful that just because a person is "not anti-measurements" also doesn't mean their approach and mindset is Archimago's Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14326929293463498820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-57501480005748949222021-09-27T09:19:07.778-07:002021-09-27T09:19:07.778-07:00Interesting as always - I look forward to further ...Interesting as always - I look forward to further testing of this unit! I agree that the D90SE is truly worthwhile only with the XLR output (for RCA there are cheaper but still good options). So ideally I would like Topping to create a similar DAC but with dual XLR outputs, like the Okto that was the previous "king" at ASR. If they did I would probably buy it immediately, but for now I&Freddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15282896717749393082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-27807018017590144772021-09-26T22:03:55.448-07:002021-09-26T22:03:55.448-07:00I would not buy Topping D90SE for this reason alon...I would not buy Topping D90SE for this reason alone: there is no balance control. I use it quite often on my Wyred4Sound DAC2, remotely - I absolutely hate when the phantom image is off center or the sound stage is skewed to one side.fgkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09734672776625220548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-32423585250400474952021-09-26T07:38:18.643-07:002021-09-26T07:38:18.643-07:00I'm never quite sure what to make of broad sta...I'm never quite sure what to make of broad statements like, "... didn't think [good measuring dac A] could hold a candle to [dac B], in spite of it's measurements" and other such super bigly claims. It just doesn't match up with my experiences. I have Chord Qutest, RME ADI-2, and a HiFiBerry DAC 2 HD. I also had a McIntosh C48 with built-in DAC. I've spent a lot of Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12981828921649308703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-84168559687346419082021-09-25T23:06:55.470-07:002021-09-25T23:06:55.470-07:00Hi-
Interesting that in his review of the Holo Spr...Hi-<br />Interesting that in his review of the Holo Spring 3 DAC, GoldenOne specifically compared it to this DAC and lets just say he didn't think the SQ of the Topping could hold a candle to the Spring 3, in spite of it's measurements.<br />And he definitely isn't an anti-measurements guy.Dannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00895051757855940430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-88431333913165248052021-09-25T16:13:31.730-07:002021-09-25T16:13:31.730-07:00Thanks dsnyder!
Interesting graphs and discussion...Thanks <em>dsnyder</em>!<br /><br />Interesting graphs and discussion, man. Likewise looking forward to what you find between the Topping and Gustard.<br /><br />Just a comment about pre-ringing. I have not found this to be a big deal for the most part. For example, years ago, we did a blind test between very strong linear (with lots of pre-ring) and the equivalent minimum phase (no pre-ring) Archimagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08642574001287787545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4781727111866727703.post-41943019048707908212021-09-25T10:53:31.659-07:002021-09-25T10:53:31.659-07:00Thanks for the great review. I've been doing a...Thanks for the great review. I've been doing a bake-off between the Topping D90SE and Gustard X16. As you know, objectively speaking, they are virtually identical. I do appreciate the nicer display on the D90SE, but the NOS mode on the Gustard has been fun to play with as well.<br /><br />I posted some informal measurements (taken with my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface, so not as precise asdsnyder0cnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01451430600815211767noreply@blogger.com