Best review of any DAC or DAC comparisons…none of the tech data, just real world “this is what it SOUNDS like”. DACS are not all created equal. As u said….they can differ in tonality, timber, speaker type and placement, and your personal music taste. This…is where your review really shines! You objectively describe all these tier type DACs in words we can relate to. Thank u! Keep up the great work!
D90SE was released some 2 years ago, and LE some half year later was the same model without the MQA. So Topping is not pushing them out as quickly as one might think.
Thank you for bringing in room acoustics & speaker placement impact on the equipment selection. Much appreciated as this should be a major influence on the buying decision.
Great point, he did a good job in the video.. I have a few systems about the house, and I actually do that here ..with less revealing speakers, I'll use a crisper sounding dac, and on my most revealing speakers, I prefer DAC accuracy, but with a warmer presentation.
@shipsahoy1793 same here. Additionally i work with the average intended SPL in each room. So, higher power rated amps & speakers to the entertainment area & speakers that perform great at low volumes for my bedroom.
Another excellent review!! Thanks for the wonderful comparisons. I hope the SMSL SU-X is next. When you say that the other DACs have lusher and fuller sound, that might be indicating distortion? The "etched" sound from the Topping might be the true reproduction of the original music. I hope my comments don't start a war🤣
I just love you reviews, i can feel your passion for that and you have this power to bring ewerybody in a 3D dimension of sound. Like always, just Great! :D
You are the reason I bought myTradutto. That is your greatest video. I think about your diy dac. The price and sound value. Most appealing. Anyway, there's plenty to choose from. Cool runnings
Great Video! Really appreciate the examples you provided in how one might use one DAC over another in a speaker setup and explaining sound in terms of warmth with lingering tones. I have recently purchased the Eversolo DMP-A6 and I am using it with Areas II 12th-1 edition connected to a Topping A90 Discrete as the preamp going into my Kali WS-6.2 sub. I am still trying to tweak things a bit, with moving the speakers and the sub around, trying to get the right balance for what I am hearing. I do have a few other DACs like the D90se, Gustard R26, and Ferrum Wandla that I might might swap in and out to see how they fair using your information.
Nice job as usual. I’m really happy you hear what many of us have heard re; Geshelli. Verification goes a long way to dispute insanity 😂. No, we aren’t crazy.
The "allure" of Gesheli J2S DAC's is their customization capability, cosmetically & technically, and their additional digital inputs. They "should" be able edge out their competition with costly add on components, the sparkos op amps in particular, which, by the way, although more expensive than the garden variety op amps manufacturers usually use that only cost pennies on the dollar, should not be costing what they are; it's a matter of demand due to a noticable improvement. The takeaway here is that the transimpedance amplifier of a DAC carries a lot of weight in the overall recipe.
You are so clear in your descriptions. To me, this video brings to the fore the role of *human psycho-acoustic interpretation* of how we perceive the nature of the sounds we hear. You mention quite early on the matter of "objectivism" (reliance mainly on measurements) and "subjectivism" (reliance mainly on psycho-acoustic perception). I often read at the ASR forum where someone will challenge subjectivists to listen blind in A-B tests and reliably say which of two similarly-measuring pieces of kit sound better. What I haven't seen is a self-confessed subjectivist challenge objectivists to listen A-B blind to pieces of kit in different measuring categories and tell us which measure best. That would be interesting, no? They would only have their own psycho-acoustic framework with which to judge: presumably, only the quality of the sound would be the clue. If A sounded reliably better (say 8/10 times) than B, then presumably the only conclusion that could be reached would be that A measured better than B. Come to think of it, I might just go on ASR and make the challenge. The point is, at the end of the day, both sides might agree in blind A-B tests that something sounds better than something else. It's just that subjectivists maintain it isn't necessarily related to measurements, whereas objectivists maintain it *is* so related. But both sides would be using subjectivism regardless -- or am I missing something?
I would only add that quick AB tests are inherently flawed due to how humans observe and remember things. We are not microphones and we do not care only about absolute momentary level differences. Flaws and qualities in sound do accumulate over time and what is not noticed, or just not observed as important, in a 15-second listen, may prove to be very noticeable and important for longer listening. Like slightly sharp and splashy highs for example, that we barely notice or do not even notice on a short run - but let them into our favorite music, song after song, and our cognitive systems light up slowly. Those tiny flaws get more and more annoying the longer we listen. Repetition and repeated emotions about something make us much more perceptive to it. So we may forget the exact sound quickly, but we will remember how that sound made us feel on a longer run for much much longer - what bothered us, what we liked, etc. Quick AB testing is not unlike speed dating - yes you can get the basic info about a person quickly - but you can't always tell how much that person will be good for you until you experience all of their good and bad sides over a longer period. Even the smallest and most insignificant quirks can become very important when they're happening repeatedly and pile up. Our cognitive and emotional systems are connected very tightly, things that once induce emotions (negative or positive) will be remembered much better than the ones that didn't have the chance to do that. AB tests don't take that into account and while very useful in some cases, they're also limited and can't be as telling of a real-life music listening experience as many would want them to be.
Some people may find it difficult to believe but I'm actually very passionate about measurements. Without them there would be no science, no engineering as we know it, and no DACs either. I am an electrical engineer too, and ironically my field of study is precise measurements in biomedicine. So I am never against measuring performance, comparing, learning from it, making better devices, and doing it all over again. It's just that we have to be aware that connecting measurements taken by probes and microphones to human perception is not an easy task. Try to rush it and simplify it, which most people do in their desire to simplify the world around them and their decision-making processes, and you will almost certainly fail. If there's a disparity between what we see in measurements and what we perceive - either we're measuring the wrong thing, misunderstanding the meaning of those measurements, or not fully comprehending the human cognitive and psychological system. People like simple explanations and solutions, but reality doesn't care about what we like. 🙂
@@iiWiReviews I believe your key paragraph here (when it comes to hifi) is the second. Sure, if you're making a precision instrument for biomedicinal purposes, it's vital to understand how it works and why, as well as to make painstaking measurements to ensure it does the job as well as possible. But when there are inevitably psychological effects, as with hifi, subjectivity is bound to be a factor. And we don't fully understand human psychoacoustics. Oh, we understand some of it, but not all. No one may ever be able to fully understand why I and others are so fond of Tellurium Q speaker cables, for example. I have both Blue II's and Black II's, and have compared them with the likes of Audioquest Rocket 22 cables. For my money, there's no contest: the Tellurium cables trounce Rocket 22 and other cables in a similar price range. But someone else's opinion may differ -- and you know what? They may be as right for themselves as as I and others are for ourselves. IMHO, you have a special gift for describing perceived differences in sound and often avoid making hard and fast rulings about which bits of kit are superior, because it might heavily depend on what one is after. Who knows, it might be some favoured kind of distortion that accounts for my preference. I might like Tellurium Q II cables because the kind of distortion they possess is one I find particularly pleasing to my idiosyncratic predilections. Like they say, there's nowt as queer as folk; no ready explanation for why I dislike Marmite but someone else may love eating it. And it might well be a grave mistake to be completely dismissive of someone else's subjective perceptions, which in the end are quite real -- as they also say, perception IS reality. I suspect that may apply both to so-called objectivists and so-called subjectivists.
@@iiWiReviewsExceptionally eloquent speech!! Could not have said it better in a million years. That being said i think A B'ing cables is extremely easy and everyone should easily be able to hear a difference but most people claim mp3 and flac sound the same. So it truly is a lost cause.
E70 velvet has warmer sound signature but it's definitely not this resolving and clean sounding. D90 III is objectively more resolving and more transparent sounding DAC.
Could you also review Fiio KA11 and Aful SnowyNight? Btw, loving your videos, found this channel after I noticed the dryness of Topping DX3ProPlus, you’ve convinced me to upgrade to DX5Lite, currently waiting for it to arrive.
If a reviewer is talking about the soundstage of a particular component, does that description apply to headphones in the same way as to speakers? For instance, if DAC x has a wide soundstage with speakers, does it have the same with headphones. New subscriber...loving the videos.
How does it compare to the D10s? I have a STAX setup with the D10s and have been delaying buying the D90 because I haven't gotten a clear answer from reviewers on how truely different the bottom of the line and top of the line truely are.
It's noticeably better than D10s. More resolving of deteils, more dynamics and microdynamics, layering, soundstage. It just sounds livelier and richer all together. The thing is that no reviewer likes to give direct advice to buy or not to buy something because we don't know how critical listener someone is and how much difference they expect to hear. But given that you're using Stax, I expect you to notice quite a positive difference with D90 III compared to D10s. Try it from a shop with a good return policy just in case, but I don't think you would return it once you give it a few days.
Is there any chance to review the Topping DX9 ? :D I just received one, and I am curious about other opinions.. On the DAC side is not an upgrade over my integrated Amp DAC (Rotel A14 Mkii ). I think that every integrated amp is voiced with the integrated DAC, and to have an upgrade over that is no easy task.. otherwise for headphones, yeah, it's a great device.
Hi, I would like to ask you for an opinion, given that you have practically tried almost every DAC on the market and you have enormous experience, I have the NX4 topoing and I have the Mojo 2, I clearly prefer the topoing, as it has much clearer and more intelligible voices and moreover to my ear it is more detailed, some time ago I tried the Q7 sound thinking I would find a sound similar to topping but better and instead the voices were less detailed and intelligible and the instruments less clean, moreover it had an artificially fast sound, the notes disappeared fast and it was basically like I was listening at 1.5x speed on UA-cam. Can you recommend a desktop dac/amp with a similar but better sound to the nx4? very clean and clear with intelligible voices with a spending limit of 1,500 euros. I would be really grateful.
I'm wondering if the soundstage and warmth with a Topping D90 III DAC might improve with good 'tweaks'. I have an SMSL DO200 DAC in my audio system. With Qobuz streaming and good recordings, the width and depth of the soundstage, the musical nuances, and the warmth and body of voices and instruments can change dramatically with 'tweaks', many of them focused on the performance of the DAC, improving the signal it feeds to my point-source phase-coherent active speakers via high quality 1.5m balanced interconnects. I have invested more time and money into system tweaks than the major components ($1,400 total for streamer, DAC, and speakers). The system's performance can vary from mid-fi to extraordinary, just with changing 'tweaks'. At its best, with lots of system 'tweaks' working well together, the width, depth, scale, focus, and liveness of the soundstage is amazing, with tremendous detail, motion, wall-to-wall stage width (speakers only five feet apart), and sound sources feeling right up front close to me to deep behind the rear wall with great layering, with each sound source seeming palpable in its acoustic space, sounding close to live, beyond what I even thought possible with a stereo speaker hi-fi system. When something is wrong with my system architecture or tweaks, the sound stage can collapse, and the nuances of beautiful music can disappear. While ideally, a DAC and other major components should not require tweaks to perform well, most do, even expensive components. Some components may be better than others at tolerating faulty system architecture, poor power, ground, and cabling, RFI/EMI and physical vibrations, and some may mate better with other components in the system. These are some of the major reasons why a component may work well in one system, but not in another. Also, what measures well on a test bench can be almost completely meaningless in our personal home audio system. Too often, people are throwing money into component changes without addressing basic problems in their system that cause their components to not function up to their potential. Might tweaks be important with a Topping D90 III DAC to get it to perform up to its potential? Will anyone do some experiments to find out? P.S. I'm hoping Topping introduces a D90 Pro or better in 2024. The SMSL SU-X was a candidate for upgrading my DAC, however, SMSL removed a critical must-have feature that exists in many of their DACs, audio polarity/phase switching, including from remote control with the Fn button. I think the Topping D90 III has this capability with the C1 and C2 buttons, that provides for quick comparison between any two configurations - a superb feature of the D90 III that no reviews seem to mention. Note: The Topping D70 Pro DACs and the DX9 don't have a Polarity/Phase Normal or Invert setting at all, which eliminate them from my consideration.
Good digital source, attention to cables, or other tweaks influence the sound, and I love playing with tweaks too. D90 III will be influenced by that just like every other device. But the thing is that every time I review a product I give it the exact same conditions as I'm giving the other products I am comparing it with... so if you improve something by using "tweaks", it will be improved on all of these DACs and the relative difference in warmth, soundstaging, etc. between two DACs will stay the same. If anything, the better the rest of the system is (all tweaks included) the more likely is that you notice small differences.
@@iiWiReviews While I agree with most of your reply, I strongly disagree with your statement: "... so if you improve something by using "tweaks", it will be improved on all of these DACs and the relative difference in warmth, soundstaging, etc. between two DACs will stay the same." This obviously doesn't make sense because DACs vary considerably with their tolerance for power quality, ground quality, and input signal quality, sensitivity to physical vibration and RFI/EMI, and output driver capability, all areas where tweaks can make a substantial difference. So it is very possible that a tweak might provide a good benefit with one DAC, and not as much with another, and thus potentially change the ranking of perceived DAC sound quality. It's the total system, including the quality of the source recording and our listening room, that we listen to, not individual components. Some modest cost DACs with a few tweaks might compare favorably with high-end DACs, while others might never be capable of achieving that level of performance, It's the end result that counts. Part of the hobby for me is achieving high performance and listening enjoyment with a well tweaked modest cost system. Differences in system performance from tweaks, with the exact same principle components, can be astounding.
Measuring from the front panel of the speaker, there's 1.2m (4 feet) behind them and some 1m (3.3 feet) to the side walls. Plus I do have some acoustic treatment (narrow band absorbers and diffusers) on both of these walls.
im in the market for a better dac, i currently have a topping dx3 pro but its kinda meh... really want a R2R dac, would you get this or a denafrips ares 12th?
I am waiting for a bare bones dac with flagship AKM chip a la su-1, before pulling the trigger on a pricier one. That little thing impressed me with its balanced sonic presentaton
Pozdrav!!!Kada uteđaj ispoljava brzinu izvedbe to je uvijek dobar znak,jako je teško izvesti da uređaj ima brzinu.Kinezi postaju majstori HiFi -ja ,Denafrips i sad Topping,SMSL ,Gustard i ostali.👍😊
The British audiophile compared this to the VMV D2R and Denapfrips Ares 2 12.1 He preferred the Denafrips. The VMV D2R will probably be to your liking as well.
Yes, he seems to prefer tonal richness above everything else so it makes sense. I loved original Ares II and used it for over a year, but compared to best DACs below 1000 today it lacks quite a bit of resolution and speed... I suppose that Ares 2 12 is upgraded in that regard and closer to something like Musician Pegasus maybe.
I think dx9 is actually the flagship dac from Topping. And it seems it's more on the warmer side, so maybe Topping has two flavors in their top of the line dacs. I hope you review dx9. Also, how does this fair as a preamp? DO its filter options and valve/ transistor one afeect how it sounds in a significant way? What would be good options that are between warm and analitical side of dacs? In the natural realm i'd say.
@@kyuushin84 dx9 is the same, just with an analog preamp. (analog ins ans out) while d90 iii only has analog outs.(digital preamp) if you want to use it with passive speakers you also need an amplifier.
@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh it's not the same, dx9 is made with a headphone amplifier in mind and using digital volume is not recommended if you're just using its dac function because a lot of micro details will be lost
imam jedan mali problem. soba mi je 5 puta 5 metara velicine. koristim NAD reciever, smsl su1 dac i zvucnici su mi 2 oma rucni rad 1.2 m visine 8 incha transmission kutije. postavio sam kutije da nemam bass bleed ako su previse blizu pozadinskog zida. soba je dobro akusticki tretirana, nema losih refleksija. kako bi se ovakav dac uklopio?
Pozdrav. Teško je to ovako na prazno da se nagađa ali ako vam je legao dobro zvuk SU-1 u sistemu onda bi i ovaj trebao da legne. Sličan im je fazon, balansiran tonalitet, detaljan... Samo je D90 III viša klasa i bolji.
I haven't tested DX9 but judging by experience, if you need a DAC and a headphone amp in one than go for DX series, but if you only need a DAC, just D series is doing a slightly better job at that.
@@iiWiReviews Thanks for your quick answer. I use now a D90SE MQA and i want to upgrade to ...something better. I have tube preamp and magnepan lrs & Martin Logan elctrostatic who are very soft in "expression". I think that the faster and more precise line of Topping makes a good home with the soft and melodious line of a tube preamp, Class A amp and electrostatic speakers. I haven't tried any dac from the "soft" line ... from here is the indecision. then stage 2 :) if DX9 is better taking into account the setup described.
Topping has painted itself in a corner with its marketing for just great specs. Now they can’t outdo their own selves. Their DACs sound horrible anyway. But they can’t claim better sounding parts without measurements now. How low of distortion can you have ? So silly. Way to go topping ! 😂
Nobody can describe sound as vividly as you 😀
I am saving every song info, that iiwi mentions. For my listening pleasure, it never failed me yet. 👍👍👍
Best review of any DAC or DAC comparisons…none of the tech data, just real world “this is what it SOUNDS like”.
DACS are not all created equal. As u said….they can differ in tonality, timber, speaker type and placement, and your personal music taste. This…is where your review really shines! You objectively describe all these tier type DACs in words we can relate to. Thank u! Keep up the great work!
keep it up brother, like everyone else in the comments the efforts you put is very appreciated. keeping it 100% real and honest.
Under the video it says "1 hour ago", is it still the "New Topping flagship" as the thumbnail says?
D90SE was released some 2 years ago, and LE some half year later was the same model without the MQA. So Topping is not pushing them out as quickly as one might think.
it's not smsl
😂 good one.
😂
It's been 9 hours, got a feeling it might not be their flagship model anymore
You are the go to man when describing DACS, much respect, thank you.
Thank you! You make things sooo clear 👍
Agree❤
Very Toppinglike
Great review. Please review SMSL SU-X. Thank you.
He doesn't have to review that one, it's in the name, SMSL SUX.
Thanks for such a thorough review and comparison. It helps in narrowing my purchase decision!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks again for this splendid review.
How would you compare the D90iii sabre to the D70 pro sabre?
Thank you for bringing in room acoustics & speaker placement impact on the equipment selection. Much appreciated as this should be a major influence on the buying decision.
Great point, he did a good job in the video.. I have a few systems about the house, and I actually do that here ..with less revealing speakers, I'll use a crisper sounding dac, and on my most revealing speakers, I prefer DAC accuracy, but with a warmer presentation.
@shipsahoy1793 same here. Additionally i work with the average intended SPL in each room. So, higher power rated amps & speakers to the entertainment area & speakers that perform great at low volumes for my bedroom.
@@enricolisk1357 👍good point Enrico.. the intended SPL also has a lot to do with what equipment is appropriate in any given environment😉
I really get your descriptions of sound, Great channel, Thanks.
This channel deservs 1 mln subscribers👍👍👍
Another excellent review!! Thanks for the wonderful comparisons. I hope the SMSL SU-X is next. When you say that the other DACs have lusher and fuller sound, that might be indicating distortion? The "etched" sound from the Topping might be the true reproduction of the original music. I hope my comments don't start a war🤣
I just love you reviews, i can feel your passion for that and you have this power to bring ewerybody in a 3D dimension of sound. Like always, just Great! :D
Great review. I like the way you make it clear about system matching and taste. Great 👍
I really enjoy your honest, straight up review. Thank you for doing these 😊
You are the reason I bought myTradutto. That is your greatest video. I think about your diy dac. The price and sound value. Most appealing. Anyway, there's plenty to choose from. Cool runnings
Thank you! Much awaited review!
Great Video! Really appreciate the examples you provided in how one might use one DAC over another in a speaker setup and explaining sound in terms of warmth with lingering tones. I have recently purchased the Eversolo DMP-A6 and I am using it with Areas II 12th-1 edition connected to a Topping A90 Discrete as the preamp going into my Kali WS-6.2 sub. I am still trying to tweak things a bit, with moving the speakers and the sub around, trying to get the right balance for what I am hearing. I do have a few other DACs like the D90se, Gustard R26, and Ferrum Wandla that I might might swap in and out to see how they fair using your information.
Nice job as usual. I’m really happy you hear what many of us have heard re; Geshelli. Verification goes a long way to dispute insanity 😂. No, we aren’t crazy.
The "allure" of Gesheli J2S DAC's is their customization capability, cosmetically & technically, and their additional digital inputs. They "should" be able edge out their competition with costly add on components, the sparkos op amps in particular, which, by the way, although more expensive than the garden variety op amps manufacturers usually use that only cost pennies on the dollar, should not be costing what they are; it's a matter of demand due to a noticable improvement. The takeaway here is that the transimpedance amplifier of a DAC carries a lot of weight in the overall recipe.
Very informative. Thank you. Although I thought the DX9 waas the flagship and I really liked it in my room with my setup.
You are so clear in your descriptions. To me, this video brings to the fore the role of *human psycho-acoustic interpretation* of how we perceive the nature of the sounds we hear.
You mention quite early on the matter of "objectivism" (reliance mainly on measurements) and "subjectivism" (reliance mainly on psycho-acoustic perception). I often read at the ASR forum where someone will challenge subjectivists to listen blind in A-B tests and reliably say which of two similarly-measuring pieces of kit sound better.
What I haven't seen is a self-confessed subjectivist challenge objectivists to listen A-B blind to pieces of kit in different measuring categories and tell us which measure best. That would be interesting, no? They would only have their own psycho-acoustic framework with which to judge: presumably, only the quality of the sound would be the clue. If A sounded reliably better (say 8/10 times) than B, then presumably the only conclusion that could be reached would be that A measured better than B.
Come to think of it, I might just go on ASR and make the challenge. The point is, at the end of the day, both sides might agree in blind A-B tests that something sounds better than something else. It's just that subjectivists maintain it isn't necessarily related to measurements, whereas objectivists maintain it *is* so related. But both sides would be using subjectivism regardless -- or am I missing something?
AB tests are intrinsically flawed due to time delay and sonic target ear-brain acquisition lag. With you on that. Intelligent post Brother.
I would only add that quick AB tests are inherently flawed due to how humans observe and remember things. We are not microphones and we do not care only about absolute momentary level differences. Flaws and qualities in sound do accumulate over time and what is not noticed, or just not observed as important, in a 15-second listen, may prove to be very noticeable and important for longer listening. Like slightly sharp and splashy highs for example, that we barely notice or do not even notice on a short run - but let them into our favorite music, song after song, and our cognitive systems light up slowly. Those tiny flaws get more and more annoying the longer we listen. Repetition and repeated emotions about something make us much more perceptive to it. So we may forget the exact sound quickly, but we will remember how that sound made us feel on a longer run for much much longer - what bothered us, what we liked, etc.
Quick AB testing is not unlike speed dating - yes you can get the basic info about a person quickly - but you can't always tell how much that person will be good for you until you experience all of their good and bad sides over a longer period. Even the smallest and most insignificant quirks can become very important when they're happening repeatedly and pile up.
Our cognitive and emotional systems are connected very tightly, things that once induce emotions (negative or positive) will be remembered much better than the ones that didn't have the chance to do that. AB tests don't take that into account and while very useful in some cases, they're also limited and can't be as telling of a real-life music listening experience as many would want them to be.
Some people may find it difficult to believe but I'm actually very passionate about measurements. Without them there would be no science, no engineering as we know it, and no DACs either. I am an electrical engineer too, and ironically my field of study is precise measurements in biomedicine. So I am never against measuring performance, comparing, learning from it, making better devices, and doing it all over again. It's just that we have to be aware that connecting measurements taken by probes and microphones to human perception is not an easy task. Try to rush it and simplify it, which most people do in their desire to simplify the world around them and their decision-making processes, and you will almost certainly fail.
If there's a disparity between what we see in measurements and what we perceive - either we're measuring the wrong thing, misunderstanding the meaning of those measurements, or not fully comprehending the human cognitive and psychological system.
People like simple explanations and solutions, but reality doesn't care about what we like. 🙂
@@iiWiReviews I believe your key paragraph here (when it comes to hifi) is the second. Sure, if you're making a precision instrument for biomedicinal purposes, it's vital to understand how it works and why, as well as to make painstaking measurements to ensure it does the job as well as possible.
But when there are inevitably psychological effects, as with hifi, subjectivity is bound to be a factor. And we don't fully understand human psychoacoustics. Oh, we understand some of it, but not all. No one may ever be able to fully understand why I and others are so fond of Tellurium Q speaker cables, for example. I have both Blue II's and Black II's, and have compared them with the likes of Audioquest Rocket 22 cables. For my money, there's no contest: the Tellurium cables trounce Rocket 22 and other cables in a similar price range. But someone else's opinion may differ -- and you know what? They may be as right for themselves as as I and others are for ourselves. IMHO, you have a special gift for describing perceived differences in sound and often avoid making hard and fast rulings about which bits of kit are superior, because it might heavily depend on what one is after.
Who knows, it might be some favoured kind of distortion that accounts for my preference. I might like Tellurium Q II cables because the kind of distortion they possess is one I find particularly pleasing to my idiosyncratic predilections.
Like they say, there's nowt as queer as folk; no ready explanation for why I dislike Marmite but someone else may love eating it. And it might well be a grave mistake to be completely dismissive of someone else's subjective perceptions, which in the end are quite real -- as they also say, perception IS reality. I suspect that may apply both to so-called objectivists and so-called subjectivists.
@@iiWiReviewsExceptionally eloquent speech!! Could not have said it better in a million years. That being said i think A B'ing cables is extremely easy and everyone should easily be able to hear a difference but most people claim mp3 and flac sound the same. So it truly is a lost cause.
As always: great review. Could you once more describe the rest of the system (amps, cables, speakers). Thanx!
You are one of a kind! Thank you very much!
Did you manage to compare against an E70 velvet? Love the channel, btw.
E70 velvet has warmer sound signature but it's definitely not this resolving and clean sounding. D90 III is objectively more resolving and more transparent sounding DAC.
I'm anxiously waiting for your follow up on our DIY Tube DAC.
Review the DX9 please!
How does the d90 lll holds up against the aune s9c pro as a dac?
Could you also review Fiio KA11 and Aful SnowyNight?
Btw, loving your videos, found this channel after I noticed the dryness of Topping DX3ProPlus, you’ve convinced me to upgrade to DX5Lite, currently waiting for it to arrive.
Would it be worth to replace D70 pro to D90 pro? The score on your platform on D70 pro is almost full score. How about this D90 III.
고마워~ 너의 리뷰가 내가 제품을 선택하는 것에 큰 도움이 되었다.
I appreciate your reviews. They have been helpful.
Any plan to review the FIIO K9 AKM (non-pro)? I’m curious what your take on it is.
Great review---do you think it will pair well with the current generation Bluesound Node?
How about comparing these to the Denafrips Ares 12?
I think it will never happen on this channel to get a review of Ares 12th-1
If a reviewer is talking about the soundstage of a particular component, does that description apply to headphones in the same way as to speakers? For instance, if DAC x has a wide soundstage with speakers, does it have the same with headphones. New subscriber...loving the videos.
Headphones have a lot less soundstage than speakers.
Conclusion still stands with headphones but it's less noticeable there because of the smaller scale altogether.
@@mccririck01 do headphones have any soundstage at all? o_O
@@net_news some say up to about 15% of speakers. But some don't really at all. Depends on the design.
Thanks very much.
@@iiWiReviews
How does it compare to the D10s?
I have a STAX setup with the D10s and have been delaying buying the D90 because I haven't gotten a clear answer from reviewers on how truely different the bottom of the line and top of the line truely are.
It's noticeably better than D10s. More resolving of deteils, more dynamics and microdynamics, layering, soundstage. It just sounds livelier and richer all together. The thing is that no reviewer likes to give direct advice to buy or not to buy something because we don't know how critical listener someone is and how much difference they expect to hear. But given that you're using Stax, I expect you to notice quite a positive difference with D90 III compared to D10s.
Try it from a shop with a good return policy just in case, but I don't think you would return it once you give it a few days.
Is there any chance to review the Topping DX9 ? :D I just received one, and I am curious about other opinions.. On the DAC side is not an upgrade over my integrated Amp DAC (Rotel A14 Mkii ). I think that every integrated amp is voiced with the integrated DAC, and to have an upgrade over that is no easy task.. otherwise for headphones, yeah, it's a great device.
If I have a Denafrips Ares 2, is it worth upgrading to the Area 12? I have MartinLogan Classic ESL 9 speakers.
Hi, I would like to ask you for an opinion, given that you have practically tried almost every DAC on the market and you have enormous experience, I have the NX4 topoing and I have the Mojo 2, I clearly prefer the topoing, as it has much clearer and more intelligible voices and moreover to my ear it is more detailed, some time ago I tried the Q7 sound thinking I would find a sound similar to topping but better and instead the voices were less detailed and intelligible and the instruments less clean, moreover it had an artificially fast sound, the notes disappeared fast and it was basically like I was listening at 1.5x speed on UA-cam. Can you recommend a desktop dac/amp with a similar but better sound to the nx4? very clean and clear with intelligible voices with a spending limit of 1,500 euros. I would be really grateful.
Nice review! Which would you prefer? This one or the Cranesong Solaris? Thanks!
I haven't tried that one so can't help in this case.
Ah ok, I would love you to try the Solaris!
Topping DX9 vs SMSL SU-X vs VMV D2R!
This would be awesome to hear
I'm wondering if the soundstage and warmth with a Topping D90 III DAC might improve with good 'tweaks'. I have an SMSL DO200 DAC in my audio system. With Qobuz streaming and good recordings, the width and depth of the soundstage, the musical nuances, and the warmth and body of voices and instruments can change dramatically with 'tweaks', many of them focused on the performance of the DAC, improving the signal it feeds to my point-source phase-coherent active speakers via high quality 1.5m balanced interconnects. I have invested more time and money into system tweaks than the major components ($1,400 total for streamer, DAC, and speakers). The system's performance can vary from mid-fi to extraordinary, just with changing 'tweaks'. At its best, with lots of system 'tweaks' working well together, the width, depth, scale, focus, and liveness of the soundstage is amazing, with tremendous detail, motion, wall-to-wall stage width (speakers only five feet apart), and sound sources feeling right up front close to me to deep behind the rear wall with great layering, with each sound source seeming palpable in its acoustic space, sounding close to live, beyond what I even thought possible with a stereo speaker hi-fi system.
When something is wrong with my system architecture or tweaks, the sound stage can collapse, and the nuances of beautiful music can disappear. While ideally, a DAC and other major components should not require tweaks to perform well, most do, even expensive components. Some components may be better than others at tolerating faulty system architecture, poor power, ground, and cabling, RFI/EMI and physical vibrations, and some may mate better with other components in the system. These are some of the major reasons why a component may work well in one system, but not in another. Also, what measures well on a test bench can be almost completely meaningless in our personal home audio system. Too often, people are throwing money into component changes without addressing basic problems in their system that cause their components to not function up to their potential.
Might tweaks be important with a Topping D90 III DAC to get it to perform up to its potential? Will anyone do some experiments to find out?
P.S. I'm hoping Topping introduces a D90 Pro or better in 2024. The SMSL SU-X was a candidate for upgrading my DAC, however, SMSL removed a critical must-have feature that exists in many of their DACs, audio polarity/phase switching, including from remote control with the Fn button. I think the Topping D90 III has this capability with the C1 and C2 buttons, that provides for quick comparison between any two configurations - a superb feature of the D90 III that no reviews seem to mention. Note: The Topping D70 Pro DACs and the DX9 don't have a Polarity/Phase Normal or Invert setting at all, which eliminate them from my consideration.
Good digital source, attention to cables, or other tweaks influence the sound, and I love playing with tweaks too. D90 III will be influenced by that just like every other device. But the thing is that every time I review a product I give it the exact same conditions as I'm giving the other products I am comparing it with... so if you improve something by using "tweaks", it will be improved on all of these DACs and the relative difference in warmth, soundstaging, etc. between two DACs will stay the same. If anything, the better the rest of the system is (all tweaks included) the more likely is that you notice small differences.
@@iiWiReviews While I agree with most of your reply, I strongly disagree with your statement: "... so if you improve something by using "tweaks", it will be improved on all of these DACs and the relative difference in warmth, soundstaging, etc. between two DACs will stay the same." This obviously doesn't make sense because DACs vary considerably with their tolerance for power quality, ground quality, and input signal quality, sensitivity to physical vibration and RFI/EMI, and output driver capability, all areas where tweaks can make a substantial difference. So it is very possible that a tweak might provide a good benefit with one DAC, and not as much with another, and thus potentially change the ranking of perceived DAC sound quality. It's the total system, including the quality of the source recording and our listening room, that we listen to, not individual components. Some modest cost DACs with a few tweaks might compare favorably with high-end DACs, while others might never be capable of achieving that level of performance, It's the end result that counts. Part of the hobby for me is achieving high performance and listening enjoyment with a well tweaked modest cost system. Differences in system performance from tweaks, with the exact same principle components, can be astounding.
Thanks for the review.
Could you please all these compared to eversolo also.
It a very famous brand and one of the most sold brand these days i think.
D90 III is more resolving and cleaner sounding than Z8 or A6. But A8 is smoother and more spacious than D90 III.
I thought bass speed/depth was a result of the amplifiers' control, woofer design, material, and cabinet design, whether it was ported or sealed?
Just for reference, how much space do you have around your speakers? Great review!
Measuring from the front panel of the speaker, there's 1.2m (4 feet) behind them and some 1m (3.3 feet) to the side walls. Plus I do have some acoustic treatment (narrow band absorbers and diffusers) on both of these walls.
Very good video, thank you. Have you heard cen grand dsd?
im in the market for a better dac, i currently have a topping dx3 pro but its kinda meh... really want a R2R dac, would you get this or a denafrips ares 12th?
I am waiting for a bare bones dac with flagship AKM chip a la su-1, before pulling the trigger on a pricier one. That little thing impressed me with its balanced sonic presentaton
Pozdrav!!!Kada uteđaj ispoljava brzinu izvedbe to je uvijek dobar znak,jako je teško izvesti da uređaj ima brzinu.Kinezi postaju majstori HiFi -ja ,Denafrips i sad Topping,SMSL ,Gustard i ostali.👍😊
I find the topping DACs to be congested and nasal. They have good soundstage but terrible space between the sounds.
The British audiophile compared this to the VMV D2R and Denapfrips Ares 2 12.1 He preferred the Denafrips. The VMV D2R will probably be to your liking as well.
Yes, he seems to prefer tonal richness above everything else so it makes sense. I loved original Ares II and used it for over a year, but compared to best DACs below 1000 today it lacks quite a bit of resolution and speed... I suppose that Ares 2 12 is upgraded in that regard and closer to something like Musician Pegasus maybe.
Can i use it as a preamp ? I want to connect it directly to a hypex power amp, can I? Thanks
How does it compare to the Schitt Bifrost 2/64?
I think dx9 is actually the flagship dac from Topping. And it seems it's more on the warmer side, so maybe Topping has two flavors in their top of the line dacs. I hope you review dx9. Also, how does this fair as a preamp? DO its filter options and valve/ transistor one afeect how it sounds in a significant way? What would be good options that are between warm and analitical side of dacs? In the natural realm i'd say.
No, dx9 is a dac/amp combo. It's a different solution, d90 is a standalone dac, which means you need a dedicated amplifier to use with
@@kyuushin84 no, d90 iii can act as a preamp also, although only in the digital domain. and it doesn't seem like a bad one.
@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh which means you still need an amplifier
@@kyuushin84 dx9 is the same, just with an analog preamp. (analog ins ans out) while d90 iii only has analog outs.(digital preamp) if you want to use it with passive speakers you also need an amplifier.
@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh it's not the same, dx9 is made with a headphone amplifier in mind and using digital volume is not recommended if you're just using its dac function because a lot of micro details will be lost
can you review AirPods max as. dolby atmosphere cinema experience ?
Could you please let us know what are the album/songs that you suggest us to listen? The writing was way too small, thank you.
If you’re watching from your smartphone: pause the video, then zoom in as you would do with pictures. Done!
imam jedan mali problem. soba mi je 5 puta 5 metara velicine. koristim NAD reciever, smsl su1 dac i zvucnici su mi 2 oma rucni rad 1.2 m visine 8 incha transmission kutije. postavio sam kutije da nemam bass bleed ako su previse blizu pozadinskog zida. soba je dobro akusticki tretirana, nema losih refleksija. kako bi se ovakav dac uklopio?
Pozdrav. Teško je to ovako na prazno da se nagađa ali ako vam je legao dobro zvuk SU-1 u sistemu onda bi i ovaj trebao da legne. Sličan im je fazon, balansiran tonalitet, detaljan... Samo je D90 III viša klasa i bolji.
I thought that DX 90 was the flag ship...
Ultimate DAC would be if you could change the sound signature from warm to analytical in several steps!
Both are actually, but that one is a DAC/Amp and this one just a DAC.
@@iiWiReviews i think they both can work as a preamp but only dx9 is a true, analog preamp.
Topping D90 III vs Gustard R26?
R26 has bigger and bolder sound.
sounds as if Geshelli almost has a little reverb aftertaste to it
Got d30 pro - to swap or not to swap?
Great review on anooooother Topping DAC. 🫠
the master of DAC SINAD measurements or at least right up there.
Is A26 better than d90iii ? Thanks
To my ears it is even slightly more revealing, and has bigger and airier soundstage.
Thanks for your support btw. 👍
@@iiWiReviewsyou mean A26 has a bigger soundstage or d90iii? I was also asking myself how te 2 compare...
♥
Topping gonna do Topping.
vs Aune?
I wonder why Chinese don t make audio interfaces it's very strange
is this better then DX9? Thanks.
I haven't tested DX9 but judging by experience, if you need a DAC and a headphone amp in one than go for DX series, but if you only need a DAC, just D series is doing a slightly better job at that.
@@iiWiReviews Thanks for your quick answer. I use now a D90SE MQA and i want to upgrade to ...something better. I have tube preamp and magnepan lrs & Martin Logan elctrostatic who are very soft in "expression". I think that the faster and more precise line of Topping makes a good home with the soft and melodious line of a tube preamp, Class A amp and electrostatic speakers. I haven't tried any dac from the "soft" line ... from here is the indecision. then stage 2 :) if DX9 is better taking into account the setup described.
I have both DX9 and D90SE. As DAC, DX9 is far better and, unlike D90, it also works great as a preamp. @@iiWiReviews
Forward sounding...hmmm....no go. Octo sounds like a better DAC for me.
Truly Highly Tidy Snappy Speedy Dry Lean Crispy Resolving Revealing Warmer Muddier Boom Grippy Sabre Chip
You forgot nimble. 🧐
How many new things need to come out? This is absurd.
Again completely pointless ´new´ dac from Topping, please Topping offer us something special!
Topping has painted itself in a corner with its marketing for just great specs.
Now they can’t outdo their own selves.
Their DACs sound horrible anyway.
But they can’t claim better sounding parts without measurements now. How low of distortion can you have ?
So silly.
Way to go topping ! 😂
Did you in fact really listened one of their DACs or you are just rambling on the net?You are sounding really confused...
@@remoteviewer11 I had two of their DACs.
It's great to see how your channel has grown over the years :) sent you an email, Charles from Burson here
Thanks. I'll check my mail... My inbox has been cluttered lately so I may overlooked it.