Schiit came to mind for me as well. I had a Gungnir and still have a Modius, I like their sound. I have not heard Topping products, and noting some of the comments made here, I would do some research before pairing one with four horns.
Another What "DAC" Would Be Good for CD OPT Output Use.
I have been around long enough on forums to know that the same old tired question comes up depending on what kind of forum your on. So first let me say thank you in advance for taking up digital space on this section.
Short and sweet. I just picked up a new Yamaha CD 603 CD Carisel Player. It has an OPT output as well as Analog. I know there are much better DAC's, but having been in the Pro Audio Business and Worked for Yamaha Repairing there Pro Audio Large Format Mixing consoles, I like there Quality.
Here's the info I would like from the experts here. I would like to add a higher quality DAC to the Audio chain thru the OPT output of the Yamaha. I don't need a 5 Bazillion dollar DAC but one inline with the $600.00 price of the Yamaha CD
So...What price range would you suggest as well as Make and Model.
The Playback system consists of a Marantz 3300 Preamp Driving a Marantz model 250 Power Amp for Hig 's and Mids and a Marantz Model 500 Power Amp Driving the Lows. There is also a Marantz Model 150 tuner in the system.
The Speakers are 4 Electro Voice Sentry III Floor standing speakers. Two Per Side. One turned upside-down on top of the other so that the two horns mate in the center. So that's 4 15" Lows 4 120* tweeters and 4 120* Sectoral Mid Horns
Thanks In Advance.
Mark R
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+ 1 for Bifrost Give some time for burn-in and try the NOS mode https://www.schiit.com/products/bifrost
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I don't know about the Velvet, but Topping and other similar bands have a reputation to have really awesome looking specs (ASR is Audio Science Review, which is all about specs), but sound a bit too detailed and grating on the ear for long listening sessions. I have the same issue with much more expensive Chord gear. |
Topping knows its target market....get the sinad crowd make it shrill, bright...he'll think it is detailed. Play some dense tracks and they fall apart with one big smear. On the budget end of things, the Schiit multibit dacs hold their own when the music gets dense, w.r.t the above mentioned. When a guy has a lousy rig where a fully developed soundfield is even a challenge, he won't be capturing any spatial nuance, separation, etc. When his test track is just a single string and a self proclaimed lark on vocals, none of it would matter either.
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Synergy matters. I’ve owned the E70V and several other entry-level Topping DACs before. When paired with my warmish Parasound NC 2125 power amp, I felt the E70V rendered a pleasant (but colored) timbre and a soundstage depth that I had craved for a long time. The E70V is the first Topping DAC that reveals some soundstage (SS) depth — the others were just plainly flat, regardless of how wide the SS was. If interested, just go grab one from Amazon to get a feel for yourself. Return it if not satisfied. Imho, I would agree it’s one of the best DAC below the $500 mark, especially considering its price was recently reduced by $100 to $350, which is a good value proposition. If you are short in the budget, it is a good investment. Nevertheless, when upgrading to the sub-$1k D90 III Discrete, I found that not only did the SS expand profoundly in 3D, but also the imaging and instrumental separation improved substantially, achieving pinpoint accuracy and placing it on an entirely different level over the E70V.
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- 25 posts total