Another What "DAC" Would Be Good for CD OPT Output Use.

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.

Hey Thanks Guys,

Very Very interesting opinions. I will note each of the recommended DAC's and do some research. It is important to come to this forum with experts that have listened and evaluated and tried different systems. You can't get this kind of information from an online store. All the Mfg's can do is tell you how good there stuff is and explain what's inside. 

But it takes people like you  who critically listen and evaluate. That my friends is priceless. Thank you all for posting. I know I will feel secure in whatever I decide on, Thank You again.

Mark R

Since all your ’sugar and spice, and everything nice’ will come downstream from the DAC in your Marantz preamps and amps, I would suggest keeping things simple and accurate. With that in mind, an SMSL SU-1 with an iFi SIlentPower iPower 2 5V/2.5A PSU for ~$150 can’t be beat for twice the price. Enjoy!

Thanks ntpc4,

Love those graphs on the SMSL-SU-1....Very inexpensive Nice...Thank You.

Also I have a Large Furman Power Conditioner With Power display and Outlets to feed the Marantz Gear also a Triplett Surge protector that feeds the Furman. 

Dac's have come a Long way from the built in units in CD players. Prices even at the low range look promising in regards to sound. Some of these new chipsets and designs by different mfg's are interesting. Watching "Cheap Audio Man" On YT he did a cheap to expensive thing on DAC's. One unit which I can't remember now had a Dac Chip set for the Left Channel and one for the Right thought that was kinda Inventive. 

My experience in upgrading a CD playback system was that the transport can be the limiting factor, especially with a carousel design. Back in the day, I had a Denon carousel with a digital RCA output. I connected to a Muse outboard DAC and heard no difference between the on-board Denon DAC and the Muse. When I upgraded my transport time and again, culminating in a Theta Jade, I could always hear the improvement. 

O