Topping - D10s Desktop DAC (Black)

Where do I even begin? I thought I had a very good system set up on my desktop. I thought that a MacBook Pro's headphone output is good enough. I though that connecting that to a 2x 80w amplifier that drives a pair of Audio Pro monitor speakers is the delivers great high fidelity sound. However, I was wrong. Very wrong.It was out of curiosity after watching a few YouTube videos that lead me to consider adding a DAC to my setup. I was perfectly happy with the sound produced by the set up above so I wondered if this tiny (and relatively cheap) box can really make a huge difference.After adding this thing, my the music that I get from lossy streaming services like iTunes and Spotify sound so dramatically different! The sound that came out from this simple DAC was ... MoreWhere do I even begin? I thought I had a very good system set up on my desktop. I thought that a MacBook Pro's headphone output is good enough. I though that connecting that to a 2x 80w amplifier that drives a pair of Audio Pro monitor speakers is the delivers great high fidelity sound. However, I was wrong. Very wrong.It was out of curiosity after watching a few YouTube videos that lead me to consider adding a DAC to my setup. I was perfectly happy with the sound produced by the set up above so I wondered if this tiny (and relatively cheap) box can really make a huge difference.After adding this thing, my the music that I get from lossy streaming services like iTunes and Spotify sound so dramatically different! The sound that came out from this simple DAC was simply more accurate, precise and free. It is like as if a fog is lifted from my music. Really pleasantly delighted by this and the seller is super fast in delivery!

It is my first DAC. Product very adequate to expectations. The sound has improved over the aptxHD I was coming from. It does not color the frequencies in any way. I don't notice big difference between 44.1khz and higher frequencies but it will be a problem with my ear. Very convenient is the fact that it is powered by USB from the PC and then turns off when it is disconnected. I certainly noticed a greater presence of the music scene, high frequencies with harmonics and very dynamic bass. Excellent value for money.

First, I'll say that it took my D10s about 35 hours of burn-in to smooth the rough edges in the treble. Vocals, high string notes and overtones, etc. had scratchy, static quality, that burn-in smoothed out beautifully. Now, the treble is clean and focused. However, D10s is not perfect. With large choral recordings, the voices tend to blend together and get slightly distorted at the forte level and above, as the DAC has trouble picking out all the individual voices, though on well recorded choral pieces it does well. Also, the question becomes is it the D10s or the microphones, recording or mastering. My point is that the D10s is a steal is $99. It's performance is not of the giant-killer ilk, but to get this much performance for such a small price, is shocking. But ... MoreFirst, I'll say that it took my D10s about 35 hours of burn-in to smooth the rough edges in the treble. Vocals, high string notes and overtones, etc. had scratchy, static quality, that burn-in smoothed out beautifully. Now, the treble is clean and focused. However, D10s is not perfect. With large choral recordings, the voices tend to blend together and get slightly distorted at the forte level and above, as the DAC has trouble picking out all the individual voices, though on well recorded choral pieces it does well. Also, the question becomes is it the D10s or the microphones, recording or mastering. My point is that the D10s is a steal is $99. It's performance is not of the giant-killer ilk, but to get this much performance for such a small price, is shocking. But I'll take it!

Like many others, I'm pairing this Topping D10 DAC with an O2 Headphone amplifier wired to a pair of HD6XX from Massdrop. I'm using Foobar2000 in Windows 10, with the proper drivers from Topping (that you have to download yourself), including the ASIO driver (replacing basic WASAPI) and the direct DSD link. You can look at the photos from Jcog below, I've got exactly the same audio devices.The result is phenomenal. Seriously.I used to have an ODAC (same designer as the O2 amp, it's a ~$100 DAC meant to be "transparent", i.e. perfect to the human ear in A to D conversionm and rivals reference hardware costing 10X more), but that ODAC died last year. I thought it good to save a few bucks on this D10 rather than buying a new ODAC, and with the added samplerates ... MoreLike many others, I'm pairing this Topping D10 DAC with an O2 Headphone amplifier wired to a pair of HD6XX from Massdrop. I'm using Foobar2000 in Windows 10, with the proper drivers from Topping (that you have to download yourself), including the ASIO driver (replacing basic WASAPI) and the direct DSD link. You can look at the photos from Jcog below, I've got exactly the same audio devices.The result is phenomenal. Seriously.I used to have an ODAC (same designer as the O2 amp, it's a ~$100 DAC meant to be "transparent", i.e. perfect to the human ear in A to D conversionm and rivals reference hardware costing 10X more), but that ODAC died last year. I thought it good to save a few bucks on this D10 rather than buying a new ODAC, and with the added samplerates (192) and native DSD compatibility, it seemed like a great deal, provided the DAC part performed well. I can attest to that, I'm not missing my ODAC at all. This D10 is a wonderful piece of hardware.The dual output (RCA + Digital S/PDIF or coax) is great to have both headphones and some hi-fi connected to it — sound exits both at all times, so you just have to mute any non-used device. Obviously, via digital output the DAC will not be used in the D10, but the signal transport is very good, no jitter, just a great output.Other than that, not much to say, it does the job and does it well.Update 2020-03-23: still working great! I'm now using it mostly with Linux; works out of the box. I haven't tried DSD yet (I need a player on the Linux side and haven't investigated yet for a good candidate). This D10 is wonderful.

Good DAC with multiple outputs that runs everything off USB

I was looking for a DAC that would run off USB only because I have too many things to plug in for power. This DAC only takes USB. It can output coax and optical as well as RCA. It sounds much better than my Schiit Modi 2 uber. The new Modi 3+ and Topping E30 are supposed to sound better but rrequire additional power. For the price and features it offers, it is very good. The device does turn off and on automatically. The display is not annoying either when it is on. I have used it with my pc, laptop and raspberry pi. I used it with a PPA amp, HD650, and MEZE 99 Noir. I also tried a few hi-res songs from Qobuz and the quality improved slightly. The difference between the Modi 2 uber and D10S was bigger, though it could be my setup (or my ears).

Perfect at adding nothing to the music!

The D10s does exactly what it is supposed to and nothing more or less. Which is perfect. I purchased it to get over 96k out (not that I am even sure I can hear the difference) and to have a known quantity in terms of my day (as opposed to the one inside my Mac mini, which could be great, but nothing is told about it).Sound-wise, it seems totally transparent. (which is a good thing) I can't here any tonal shifts going from my mini's out to it. It is just taking the numbers and passing them along as an analog signal. Exactly what it is supposed to do.I got the D10s along with the L30 Pre-amp, and PA5 amp. Everything fits perfectly on the stand you can get in the accessories. And all of it looks good together. My only gripe about it at all is a completely superficial ... MoreThe D10s does exactly what it is supposed to and nothing more or less. Which is perfect. I purchased it to get over 96k out (not that I am even sure I can hear the difference) and to have a known quantity in terms of my day (as opposed to the one inside my Mac mini, which could be great, but nothing is told about it).Sound-wise, it seems totally transparent. (which is a good thing) I can't here any tonal shifts going from my mini's out to it. It is just taking the numbers and passing them along as an analog signal. Exactly what it is supposed to do.I got the D10s along with the L30 Pre-amp, and PA5 amp. Everything fits perfectly on the stand you can get in the accessories. And all of it looks good together. My only gripe about it at all is a completely superficial one. I got the silver preamp and amp as they go a bit better with my mini I think. But they both have black faces. I combo of silver body black face would have made for a better matching set.