Topping D50s - Good Quality At Premium Price

TIME STAMPS:

The Features - 1:19
Sound Test Parameters - 4:54
Overall Sound Signature - 6:09
Bluetooth & Wired Connection - 11:52
Value & Conclusion - 13:16

******

Twitter: @NoThemeReviews

When You Walk Into The Room: NA
The Only Thing That Matters: NA
Drum Solo: NA

#headphones
#audiophile
#hifi
#dac
#mojobatterryreplacement
#Hart
#review
#zmf
#beyerdynamiic
#sony
#reference
#astell
#astellkern
#meze
#chord
#sennheiser
#audeze
#audioquest
#cobalt
#focal
#dragonfly
#oriolus
#amplifier
#microphone

[testek]

17:06 exactly my point: i have no interest in lossy wireless, i'm also not interested in useless mqa or filters... i only needed a good usb dac with rca out, so a screen or extra input couldn't justify the price difference between this $250 dac when i can get the same result with the ktb dac for only $80.

i better save that money for more headphones as this makes a really noticeable sound difference.

[jamiermathlin]

I can hear the differences between the 7 filters on my D50s, mode 1 is the best, followed by mode 7 which is slightly brighter, 3, 4, 5 are very similar to each other, slightly dull, mode 2 is duller, mode 6 sits between mode 1 and 7. I tried the modi3, did not like it, it was too warm. I tried the D10s and this was very similar, but the sound stage was not as broad as the D50s. the truth is that DAC's are subjective, and our ears are all different, and I am sure that our brains process the sound differently. Personally, I have tried many DACs from $100 to $1200, but at the end of the day I love the sound that the D50s produces, so I bought a second for my bedroom setup as well. IMHO....

[junhong]

It is a really greatest points！！！（This video：14:47）
“what exactly is expensive sound and what does a $250 device sound like ？"
"I completely disagree with statements like the one i just quoted. There is no such thing as a device which performs like its price.price has little to do with performance.”

[moonabhinav]

Really informative review thanks a lot.
We need more reviewer like you to guide people like us.

[ggroch]

I liked your review, but I have a hard time seeing how the D50s at $250 is not a very good value while the Soncoz at $220 makes your best of the year list. Both sound close to perfect. Both offer some features that are objectively near useless. I would rank rolling op-amps in the D50s and balanced outputs in the Soncoz as objectively useless. (If I am wrong about the balanced output in DACs providing no benefit in normal home use please let me know why.) The real difference comes down to features. For $30 more than the Soncoz you get a sophisticated display (that shows bitrate, volume level, must state etc), a full function wireless remote control, a far more granular volume control (1/2 dB increments) rather than having buttons that depend on Windows/Android system's coarse volume controls, and much better than average Bluetooth capability. If you do not want these features then spending less for a Sanskrit or E30 makes sense. If you want even a couple of them then the Topping would seem to be a better value than the Soncoz.

[Artaois]

For $199 which is $50 less you can get the Schiit Modius fully balanced which makes this and the matching amp both irrelevant really.

[stvnte]

This is a very balanced and honest review of the D50s. I bought one of these and going from a Micca Origen G2 to this was not an eye opening revelation.

There is literally nothing that I can subjectively say was worth the upgrade over my previous DAC except the display and the Bluetooth option. It is a premium feeling DAC that performs well and does not color the sound in any way. I like the build of the device but I can't say that it is doing anything "better" than the other DAC I've used. I barely use the remote, and almost never use the Bluetooth.

On a more relevant note, this DAC is susceptible to noise and electromagnetic interference from the USB source. If you have a really awful PC motherboard (like I did) and use it in USB mode, you will get very audible crosstalk and noise in the noise floor of the DAC. I had to isolate the ground pin on the cable to reduce the noise, but the real solution is to use optical input instead of USB.

Overall, I'm not dissatisfied with my purchase, but there is not any reason to be very pleased with the price I paid for it either. It does what a DAC is supposed to do for a price premium, and if you get one it will work just as well as a DAC that costs $80.

The more videos I watch from No Theme, the more I can trust his judgement and ability to cut through the marketing hype and deliver honest and true to life reviews. Much respect given for his objectivity.

Spend your money on a better set of headphones or a more powerful amp. Nothing is wrong with this DAC, but it isn't going to blow your expectations out of the water for it's high price.

[ptg]

Sadly.. the D50s COAX input does not work. It has problems LOCKING the signal. It's a well known, well publicized issue BUT Topping wants me to send the unit back to China on my dime to test. Strange. My bad for not using Coax input much sooner. Ain't buying TOPPING anymore.

[etm]

i replaced D50s' opamp with a Muses02. there is a difference in sound and like it a lot. however, D90 sounds better.

[thinkIndependent]

A Few Things Thanks for the honesty!!!

First because of how the filters work it's something you would feel the effects more than hear!!!

Secondly OP-Amps changes are very difficult to detect with a 2 channel stereo image with properly set up speakers.

Frequency divides 1 ( the reciprocal) quickly tells you how much information is missing with 🎧 a lot of what is heard in low mid is rebuilt by the brain when listening as the actual tones wavelengths are too long to hear in a headphone, in much the way is if you visually see a shadow on outline your brain will fill in the rest

[skkayman]

I bought D50s two years ago as open box without box for half the price. Invisible scratch on screen and one on top of D50s (I just found it, totally forgot about it :) ). I like how small it is, nice build. Preamp was used a few months for monitors until I made simple diy volume control with switch overriding volume pot for O2 headphone amp. Bluetooth is nice feature, I cannot hear difference between cable and LDAC, my ears or my setup is not enough to find difference. Btw, all those filters, which most people do not hear the difference, that is feature from ESS. Manufacturers just enable it for users to set - it is like a feature they give to users and costs them nothing. That is why it is there.
But O2 need repairs after those years and I was inexperienced with soldering that time. So I was thinking to just buy headphone amp, at first I thought about A50s, would nicely fit D50s. Unfortunatelly, I hate those things from topping about x50 series. A50s needs more power from DAC and with P50 it loose power too. What? I thought it is all designed to be in stack! Why would you make it all fit and then do not make it compatible.. Also, switching A50s to preamp by removing headphones jack is inconvenience for me. Very small knob. And it was meant for balanced headphones which I do not have. But I would use balanced preout to monitors. So, maybe something that will not stack with D50s, OR buy AIO device. Will save a lot of space on desk - less cables, less devices.
I just wanted to say that there is market for devices like D50s. It has unique design, nice screen (which is OLED and I did not know that I had have to set it to to autooff, there is 0.0dB burned into now). Also, I like it does show volume as main information. Bitrate and format is small and under it. When I compare it for example to big bitrate number on D10/D10s, what a difference. But that is to everybody's own preference. I like white screens, somene like those big orange number or blue on Sabaj devices.

[hi-friaudioman]

I don't know about your DACs, but I can hear a clear and definate difference from my different DAC filters. They don't alter frequency range as much as they alter attack timings, they do affect HF representation slightly but it's more because attack timings are more pronounced in the HF range. As far as oversampling is concerned, that probably has the absolute least effect on the audio. If I'm correct oversampling just helps in terms of nyquist.

[nc]

I ended up getting the Lavaudio DS 600 (the D50s clone) comparing it with the Topping E30 and Loxjie D30. The E30 didn't sound as exciting, a bit more bland while the Loxjie was warmer, with a bit less detail but still exciting. The Loxjie was my preferred sound because it lacked the glare I sometimes notice form ESS chips but remained exciting enough, but there was an issue with a connection and I did like the look and functionality of the DS600 better. None beat my Marantz CD 6006 player for music but for movie soundtracks they do fine and decode HDCD and SACD.

So, at what point do you notice a difference that is worthy of its' pricepoint? Which dac is the next step up with better detail, separation, SS depth/width, etc. and worth the added expense? BTW, the DS600/D50s SS is a bit more narrow than other dacs mentioned.

[junzhang]

I use battery pack to power D50s. No noise. Pair with SMSL SP200 THX 888 amp, and Massdrop HD6XX

[jmch]

If a product comes out with great performance for a lower price than the competition, it's worth noting. As tech and fabrication methods advance, the price for quality often comes down. So linking price and performance can serve a purpose. It doesn't mean that people are pretending to know what a $250 dollar DAC sounds like. Comparing DAC performance, like trying to explain what compression sounds like, is similarly a tricky business. It's only at the extremes that the differences are obvious. Comparing price ranges can be useful.

[annelouisemendoza]

Wow! This is probably better than the E30 and ifi I have.

[njj]

But on the other hand, topping makes the A50s amp too and for the price, they definitely compete with amps that are well above its price. Could you do a review on that too?

[clabbem]

Hi, thanks, this is review, its a good deal pick one used in good adding a Power Supply topping P50, will help to improve the sound ?

[kamakuzi]

Hugo 2 or rme adi 2? I have lcdi4, andromeda, u12t, and hd800s

[무트왈라]

Plz review Sabaj D5 dac/amp. It is favorably reviewed by Audio Scientology Review too. Well, actually I'm thinking of getting it so... I'm curious about its real life performance.