The D90 has had an interesting story arc over the past year: a devastating fire knocked its chip manufacturer out of commission; increasing demand sapped its inventory; and then it was sold out everywhere, leaving devotees to tend its legend in the forums of Audio Science Review. Would it come back? And in what form? Things got speculative and conjectural.
HiFi audio is an industry known for constant innovation, and the same is true of TOPPING, one of the most popular manufacturers of DACs and amps. They've iterated their flagship D90 DAC three times to date. While everyone loves an upgrade, consumers can get overwhelmed by the number of available models.
Ever since a fire shut down the manufacturing facility that supplied its D/A chip, the TOPPING D90 has sold out in stores across the web, leaving many to wonder if and when it would return. Global supply chain disruptions and chip shortages have spelled tragedy for the industry for months, but today we’re ready to open a new chapter on our best-selling DAC of all time.
All right, let’s talk about how the D50s sounds. Now, I’m gonna cut straight to the chase. I spent four days listening to this DAC basically non-stop and comparing it to the McIntosh MA5300. I was just blown away. There’s maybe a 5% difference on some tracks between the D50s and the McIntosh in favor of the McIntosh, but the fact that it came so close--and on 90% of tracks they were essentially indistinguishable--just blew my mind.Â
The SMSL SH-8s and SU-8s are the radically simple new headphone amp and DAC from SMSL. Their feature sets are slim, their user interfaces simple. They shine most brightly where the light doesn’t: inside their chassis. If you’re looking for an uncomplicated, ultra-pure, ultra-powerful DAC/amp duo, look no further. Buy them together in our Apos SMSL-8s Ensemble for even more savings.
The SU-8s is the refreshingly straightforward new DAC from SMSL. Who’s it for? The research-weary. The comparison-chart-chafed. The do-I-look-like-I-know-what-a-PCM-filter-is. It’s a DAC that remembers what a DAC should do: decode the highest song files on the planet, and do it well (really, really well). And that’s it. Oh, and it’s got a nice remote.
The SH-8s is the radically simple new headphone amp from SMSL. Its feature set is slim, its user interface simple. Boasting nothing more than a few toggles and a volume knob, it shines most brightly where the light doesn’t: inside its chassis. Its internal components achieve massive output and ultra-pure noiselessness for a less-is-more experience. There are no bells and whistles, and certainly no snake oil. This is amplification, pure and simple.
Singxer Electronic Co Ltd. is a mysterious audio manufacturer for me, they have done ODM and OEM work for third party companies for more than a decade now. They started slow and small, but they learned fast, they did their homework so well, that in fact the second generation XMOS digital receivers were developed and optimized by the help of the Singxer team…I’m impressed already.
We’re excited to announce that TOPPING will release a special edition TOPPING D90SE in June. This flagship DAC will be sold on Apos Audio and will feature an ESS ES9038PRO DAC chip.