Topping DAC's on HPZ

Marantz Cinema Series AV Receivers
Just want to share my experience with Topping E30 that I bought the same day it went live on HPZ and got it the next day.

There is no power supply so I used my old LG G5 charger. There was a horrible crackling and popping sound in both DAC and preamp mode, I called HPZ and they agreed to return it. This was actually a power supply issue and on changing the PS to Bose speaker charger, the DAC has been working very well.I later saw that the LG charger outputs at 5v and 9v both.

if you face SQ issues, try changing the power supply
 
Got my E30 yesterday .

As my only use is for the Powered speakers I have , hooked it up to the RCA ports using DAC ARX01A , i have used in DAC mode and preAmp mode .With my speakers (Edifier S1000DB) , I was little underwhelmed - I read up that these speakers have an ADC / DSP , so they convert the analog inputs to digital first and then do their magic , suffices to say the digital inputs on the speaker ( Optical , Co-ax ) sound better.

When comparing with the speakers DAC ( ie when optical into speaker vs routed via E30 ) - the speaker sounds more in control ( in terms of dynamics , soundstage , foot tapping ability ) when directly working with optical - using its own dac ( optical -> Speakers.)

When putting the E30 in the chain ( optical -> E30 -> Speakers), soundstage is a little buried, dynamics is also affected( by a noticeable margin.)Also volume drops a little ( but that's fine , I have no way of knowing how the digital input is pre-amped by the speaker as opposed to analog input)

I reckon with passive speakers and an amplifier, E30 might work magic with its sources , but with the speakers I have - its a no brainer to use the digital inputs on my speakers

As I dont use headphones , can anyone suggest , what should I do with this DAC . First thing which came into my mind was to buy a pre-amp but now I'm scared of spending more money considering I don't know how it will work with my setup. :oops:

Any advice would be really appreciated.
 
avikchaks said:
Got my E30 yesterday .

As my only use is for the Powered speakers I have , hooked it up to the RCA ports using DAC ARX01A , i have used in DAC mode and preAmp mode .With my speakers (Edifier S1000DB) , I was little underwhelmed - I read up that these speakers have an ADC / DSP , so they convert the analog inputs to digital first and then do their magic , suffices to say the digital inputs on the speaker ( Optical , Co-ax ) sound better.

When comparing with the speakers DAC ( ie when optical into speaker vs routed via E30 ) - the speaker sounds more in control ( in terms of dynamics , soundstage , foot tapping ability ) when directly working with optical - using its own dac ( optical -> Speakers.)

When putting the E30 in the chain ( optical -> E30 -> Speakers), soundstage is a little buried, dynamics is also affected( by a noticeable margin.)Also volume drops a little ( but that's fine , I have no way of knowing how the digital input is pre-amped by the speaker as opposed to analog input)

I reckon with passive speakers and an amplifier, E30 might work magic with its sources , but with the speakers I have - its a no brainer to use the digital inputs on my speakers

As I dont use headphones , can anyone suggest , what should I do with this DAC . First thing which came into my mind was to buy a pre-amp but now I'm scared of spending more money considering I don't know how it will work with my setup. :oops:

Any advice would be really appreciated.
Click to expand...

Considering the price of the Edifiers and having some experience with Edifiers myself over the years, I am not surprised that the Edifiers sound good with their own DAC-DSP combination. You probably need a higher caliber DAC to better what the Edifiers are doing at the moment.
What is your source for the Edifiers? If you stream music to the Edifiers then it makes sense to perhaps pick up an used network player like a Marantz NA6005 or something similar. If you play it using a computer then a good USB DAC like an Audioquest Dragonfly Red makes more sense, or staying with Topping go with D50 or higher.
Edifiers are quite something at their price point.

Another point that is often ignored is that a new kind of sound grows on your over time, I am not sure if the E30 can better the Edifiers in this particular instance but with any new component in chain it is a game of unfolding the truth over time.
 
shibashis said:
Considering the price of the Edifiers and having some experience with Edifiers myself over the years, I am not surprised that the Edifiers sound good with their own DAC-DSP combination. You probably need a higher caliber DAC to better what the Edifiers are doing at the moment.
What is your source for the Edifiers? If you stream music to the Edifiers then it makes sense to perhaps pick up an used network player like a Marantz NA6005 or something similar. If you play it using a computer then a good USB DAC like an Audioquest Dragonfly Red makes more sense, or staying with Topping go with D50 or higher.
Edifiers are quite something at their price point.

Another point that is often ignored is that a new kind of sound grows on your over time, I am not sure if the E30 can better the Edifiers in this particular instance but with any new component in chain it is a game of unfolding the truth over time.
Click to expand...

Actually my setup is in the drawing room . Primary source is the Mi Box 4k optical out to the speaker. Im using it for Chromecasting Spotify Premium and Tidal Hifi ( MQA doesnt work on CCA ) . Mi Box chromecasting works with the TV off as well ( through optical ) . Secondary Source is the FireTv 4k -> tv -> optical -> Co-ax converter ->speakers ( mibox is not as good for video content as Firetv)

I agree with the sound signature growing on you thing , hardest thing to judge is when two sources are not volume matched. I'll play around for a little more while and make up my mind , maybe I can keep the E30 in backup for whenever i switch to passives or the 2nd option is to sell it online.
 
The Edifiers, with their own DSP, will 'color' all inputs. Analog or digital. If you are feeding them digital inputs, then the E30 has no value. If you are feeding them analog input through the E30, the Edifiers will try to adjust the sound according to it's own internal logic.

Ideally what you need with any DAC is a passive amplifier and a pair of passive speakers. That, I am afraid, is the only option.

If you are going with powered speakers with their own logic and processing, there is no sense in adding additional processing outside that domain.
 
Hello all,

Happy news to share on my E30 . It works wonderfully well with Powerbank (sounds better than my speakers optical input). The soundstage and imaging is improved considerably. The graininess is gone - on the plus the dynamic is much better , happy to have spent my money. I dunno how the E30 is positvely impacting my setup ( as it has ADC -> DSP -> DAC from what I gather ).


Charging 20000 mAh everyday will be a big headache ; I must have really bad electricity , Used couple of OnePlus & Huwaei chargers, The PowerBanks much , much better :). The thing is I have a 16A socket , I have put a 3 Pin Multiplug adaptor , in which I had plugged in both my speaker cord and the E30 power cord. I dont have any 5/6A sockets at that point , my speakers are about 8 foot apart.


I was wondering if there's a clean & cheap 5V powercord than the ifi Ipower x ( 9K on HPZ ) , the ifi ipower - is out of stock.
 
avikchaks said:
Hello all,

Happy news to share on my E30 . It works wonderfully well with Powerbank (sounds better than my speakers optical input). The soundstage and imaging is improved considerably. The graininess is gone - on the plus the dynamic is much better , happy to have spent my money. I dunno how the E30 is positvely impacting my setup ( as it has ADC -> DSP -> DAC from what I gather ).


Charging 20000 mAh everyday will be a big headache ; I must have really bad electricity , Used couple of OnePlus & Huwaei chargers, The PowerBanks much , much better :). The thing is I have a 16A socket , I have put a 3 Pin Multiplug adaptor , in which I had plugged in both my speaker cord and the E30 power cord. I dont have any 5/6A sockets at that point , my speakers are about 8 foot apart.


I was wondering if there's a clean & cheap 5V powercord than the ifi Ipower x ( 9K on HPZ ) , the ifi ipower - is out of stock.
Click to expand...
I had a lot of popping/crackling issue with E30 when I got it, changed the power supply to Bose Bluetooth speaker power supply and it's working great since then.

Also, do put it on DAC mode, by default it's on preamp mode. Makes a big difference.
 
Thanks @adityavj , yes power does make a noticeable difference , have plugged in my E30 via Allo Nirvana now ( I know , overkill - but eventually looking to move to passives / amplifier and a more robust streaming solution ) , the blackness in the sound is very black - dynamics is quite good . Btw if you have a powerbank lying around - you might wanna just try how it sounds as opposed to wall charger. I actually never had any issues in terms of crackling etc with any of he mobile chargers , just that the experience didnt woww me,

# 4 filter is the best bet for regular - non fatiguing listening . It has a ringing sound to it. I found the best music to test filters on dac was fingerpicking guitar music - the difference is minimal , but easy to identify as there is only one instrument - the tone of the guitar / reverb is a little different ( again minimal ) b/w #1 and #4 ; #1 is a more natural guitar tone. #4 is more pleasing for general all round music.
 
avikchaks said:
Thanks @adityavj , yes power does make a noticeable difference , have plugged in my E30 via Allo Nirvana now ( I know , overkill - but eventually looking to move to passives / amplifier and a more robust streaming solution ) , the blackness in the sound is very black - dynamics is quite good . Btw if you have a powerbank lying around - you might wanna just try how it sounds as opposed to wall charger. I actually never had any issues in terms of crackling etc with any of he mobile chargers , just that the experience didnt woww me,

# 4 filter is the best bet for regular - non fatiguing listening . It has a ringing sound to it. I found the best music to test filters on dac was fingerpicking guitar music - the difference is minimal , but easy to identify as there is only one instrument - the tone of the guitar / reverb is a little different ( again minimal ) b/w #1 and #4 ; #1 is a more natural guitar tone. #4 is more pleasing for general all round music.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips!

The crackling issue was with an LG phone charger that has dual 9v/5v output. I will try the powerbank though, did you put the powerbank in a permanent charging position or do you charge it separately when it runs out ?
 
Another member to get topping E30. Connected it to my Sony Stereo receiver STRDH 190 driving Elac B6. . Here are my initial hiccups...

1) Tried playing few MP3 collection CDs through my Samsung Blu-ray player connected via coaxial cable to the toppings. The sound stage is nice but since the Blu-ray is not connected to TV, moving files & folders were difficult without the display. (As TV is in a different room). So have to skip this route for few months.

2) Planning to play online radio station app through my Samsung android mobile (S10 lite). So connecting it through OTG cable to the supplied USB will work? Please post Amazon link as to which cable work best for this type of listening.

My Sony stereo receiver does have Bluetooth, but I guess I can't use it if I prefer topping DAC to take frontage.

Thanks
 
avikchaks said:
Thanks @adityavj , yes power does make a noticeable difference , have plugged in my E30 via Allo Nirvana now ( I know , overkill - but eventually looking to move to passives / amplifier and a more robust streaming solution ) , the blackness in the sound is very black - dynamics is quite good . Btw if you have a powerbank lying around - you might wanna just try how it sounds as opposed to wall charger. I actually never had any issues in terms of crackling etc with any of he mobile chargers , just that the experience didnt woww me,

# 4 filter is the best bet for regular - non fatiguing listening . It has a ringing sound to it. I found the best music to test filters on dac was fingerpicking guitar music - the difference is minimal , but easy to identify as there is only one instrument - the tone of the guitar / reverb is a little different ( again minimal ) b/w #1 and #4 ; #1 is a more natural guitar tone. #4 is more pleasing for general all round music.
Click to expand...
How do you compare power banks with Allo Nirvana when using with E30? Allo Nirvana should be way better than any other wall charger you have tried so far, but how it behaves against the power bank?
 
Murlidher said:
The sound stage is nice but since the Blu-ray is not connected to TV, moving files & folders were difficult without the display. (As TV is in a different room). So have to skip this route for few months.
Click to expand...

Doesn't Samsung have a mobile app like Sony's Music center/Song pal that can be installed on the phone, register/connect your Sony BDP, navigate & play the content that's fed to BDP via the USB device ? I was using my Sony BDP-S6700 as part of my audio set up too and had the app installed. Extremely handy! Check if there is any, if you haven't already.

Thanks!
 
Music Freak said:
Doesn't Samsung have a mobile app like Sony's Music center/Song pal that can be installed on the phone, register/connect your Sony BDP, navigate & play the content that's fed to BDP via the USB device ? I was using my Sony BDP-S6700 as part of my audio set up too and had the app installed. Extremely handy! Check if there is any, if you haven't already.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying. I doubt we have something similar for Samsung. Even smart thing doesn't show compatible Blu-ray players.

Hence wanted to try to start with connecting my Samsung mobile. Just want to ensure the right cable before buying.
 
Murlidher said:
Another member to get topping E30. Connected it to my Sony Stereo receiver STRDH 190 driving Elac B6. . Here are my initial hiccups...

1) Tried playing few MP3 collection CDs through my Samsung Blu-ray player connected via coaxial cable to the toppings. The sound stage is nice but since the Blu-ray is not connected to TV, moving files & folders were difficult without the display. (As TV is in a different room). So have to skip this route for few months.

2) Planning to play online radio station app through my Samsung android mobile (S10 lite). So connecting it through OTG cable to the supplied USB will work? Please post Amazon link as to which cable work best for this type of listening.

My Sony stereo receiver does have Bluetooth, but I guess I can't use it if I prefer topping DAC to take frontage.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Any suggestions please? (on cable)
 
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