Topping D90 DAC Review - How does it stack up? 

I bought the Topping D90 MQA DAC based on watching SoundNews review. The D90 MQA sounds great paired with the Topping A90 Headphone Amp. I have to say I prefer the Topping A90 Headphone Amp over the THX AAA 789. The A90 presents a slightly wider soundstage and seems to have better resolution than the THX 789. It's not a big difference between the two headphone amps, more of a subtle difference. Some people might actually prefer the THX 789 if they prefer a more intimate sound signature. The headphones I have been listening to are the Sennheiser HD 660S. My music is stored on an iMac 27" using Apple's Music App (formerly known as iTunes). Most of my audio files are Apple Lossless purchased from Bandcamp.

Excellent insightful review. I second the previous comment about disabling the preamplifier and Bluetooth options. It seems to reveal another level of delicacy and airiness to the sound.

I owned the previous version of the Bifrost with Gen 5. and now collecting data on the Bifrost 2. There has been several reviews online and now your 2nd review here. I think the best way to describe the Bifrost would be "tube like". With music or movies that I've heard, sounds are fleshed out with an accurate sense of space and aliveness. There is also a clarity and openness in the high frequencies unlike many other DAC's...my 2 cents. Cheers!

So I got a Bifrost 2 almost one month ago and just when I thought the D90 + A90 was my endgame it just got bested by the Bifrost 2 + THX 887. All the detail and even more micro detail than the D90 + A90, but the difference was the sense of enjoyment and fullness (not bloat at all) I get with the Bifrost 2. Music sounds more euphoric, vinyl-like and engaging through the Bifrost 2 and even paring it the Asgard 3 it still sounds more musical than the Topping stack without sounding like tubes. The Topping stack is still amazing, very clean, colorless and without real weaknesses, but Bifrost is the same price as a D90 and to my ears bests it. I am now a firm believer that perfect measurements are not the ultimate predictor of a great DAC. The human ear can only hear so much distortion and if it is inaudible then who cares if it's the measurements? I'd rather get the DAC that actually audibly sounds better with a clean amp and lets me get lost in my music.

I looked at getting the D90 or the D90 MQA. The only difference between the 2 is the USB input. The USB input is higher spec'ed on the MQA version. And, support for the MQA codec is added, this support is only on the USB input. I don't plan on using USB input on the system where the DAC is going so I opted for the standard D90.

I always knew I chose Chemical Engineering vs Electrical for a reason . I had absolutely no idea what the heck all them little trinkets did. Or what they where talking about. I only remember V=IR. And from this equation comes sound. Amazing.

I have a D90 paired with an SMSL THX through Aryas. MIND BLOWN.

Another fantastic review! Keep up the great work!!

Great review and thanks for taking the time to do it. I have a D90 paired with a THX 887 and Liquid Platinum and both pairings blew my former Jotunheim Multibit away. Dynamics and clarity were vastly improved especially with high cans like the Verite. I've never heard heard the top Schiit gear like Ragnarok and Yggdrasil but are they THAT much better than D90 paired with a THX 789 especially with a 3+ time price difference?

I recently bought a D90 MQA to see for myself how it would compare against my Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 Unison USB DAC and also to try MQA with Tidal master tracks. I just received it 2 days ago and I'm very impressed with its performance in my main speaker system so far. It does many things better than my Yggy IMO, but at a cost. All that transparency is also very revealing and will not sugarcoat recording. So it's a choice between accuracy and "musicality". The Yggdrasil is still accurate IMO but not at the same level as the D90, it's a few steps below. My preference is for accuracy and I'm willing to endure poor tracks so I can get the most out of the stellar ones.

I love how you're one of the few reviewers addressing the "Measurements are king" mentality that seems to be gaining in popularity. Great, balanced review!

You have to be the most knowledgeable reviewer out there. Impressive!

Agreed. Most of the other reviewers just spout B.S., couriering favor with manufacturers or spewing forth the regular audiophile myths that refuse to die.

I recommend turning off BT and preamp mode. Perhaps subjective, but to my ears it brings the best out of D90. :)

I would like to see a Schiit Bitfrost 2 vs Denafrips Ares II comparison

Your comment in the video about sharing a list of the Chesky recording your are currently using for evaluation was intriguing. It might be interesting to see you do a video on what recordings you use for evaluating equipment and why you use them. Thanks again, great stuff as always.

The focus on DACs these days is overwhelming. If 100% = best music listening experience, then 55% depends on your music source - the quality of recordings, 40% depends on your speakers & your amplification system, balance, 5% is shared by DACs, your other interfaces, equipment matching, cables etc etc. Finally, most DACs sound good to very good even excellent from say $500 to $2000 mark. So, you do the maths... If someone wants to spend $5,000 to $100,000 or more well, excellent. Good on you. Just my HO. For me, I would rather change my speakers and other equipments in the ratios above before even considering a new DAC. Or go completely analog bypassing the need for a DAC.

Thanks for great reviews.

To be honest I am considering the D90 as my DSD dac, and yes I do plan to stop here and enjoy life and sound. However I still wait for Aune S8 to hit the market and see how that stacks up against D90. I do aim for enjoyment and not not accuracy. Separation, sound stage, musicality, texture or excitment are what I am looking for in my dac.

I share the same observation as you-- excellent measurements do not really translate to more musical enjoyment and realistic instrument timbre. I've had the Topping D30, D50s,and now E30 -- all of which were measurement beasts but I can't help but still prefer the lowly poor measuring Modi Multibit.

Great review Amos it's a tough choice.I am thinking of a Schiit Freya+ and I like the better USB.But the LDAC and volume function are definitely pluses.

Great review thank you. I have noticed that every reviewer seems to have very different opinions of these days. It is hard to estimate how they are going to sound. One said it is incredibly detailed, narrow soundstage etc.

Would love to see you review the A90, and compare to the Drop THX AAA 789

Your videos are very informative and well made. Did you compare (or have any comment about it) the two DACs using an optical Toslink connection that bypasses the potential USB issues (in the Topping)?

Thanks for you excellent content, once again

The d90 in preamp mode was a huge disappointment to me, it made loud popping noises whenever I played, paused, stopped the music, when muting the dac and anytime sample rate changed. I understand now why they're selling a separate preamp because the internal preamp module in the D90 is utterly useless. Topping support confirmed the popping noises are due to the way it's designed, so I ditched it. It was a sad choice I loved the way it sounded.

Awesome content! Any plans for reviewing SMSL SU-8?

I may be the exception, but I have found that all the improvements in DACs over the last decades essentially don't add that much in musicality, in just enjoying music. I own four old CD players, one of the 90s, the Yamaha CDX-870 and three of the 2000's : Marantz CD 5000, Marantz CD 6000KI and Denon DCD 1450AR. Next to those CD players I own a TEAC UD-301 DAC, a Musical Fidelity VDAC II , an Xcan. And recently I bought an Audio GD R2R 11 and a Marantz HD-DAC 1. Besides that I have auditioned numerous different DAC/Amps over the years. True, when you look/listen for it there are various improvements made. In general a bigger resolution, more details especially with the Delta Sigma models. Some improvements are subtle and in good taste (to my ears this would be mostly Burr Brown and Cirrus Logics DACs). Some improvements are to the extreme, in where details are forced upon you: AKM and Sabre. And where sound is polished in a unnatural way: AKM. And then you have the ladder DACs, which, in my opinion, in many cases in reality don't sound that more fluid and analogue than the Delta Sigma variants. But I like them because they don't strive for better technicalities, more details, but rather for a more pleasant tonality and timbre, without abrasive polishing. They don't always succeed though. I find the Marantz DAC for instance to be more fluid and 'analogish' sounding than the Audio GD R2R 11, the Schiit Bifrost and the Denafrips Ares II. Although arguably the sound of the Marantz is 'polished' like the AKM velvet DACs, but way less intrusive. But long story short, I own different flavors and essentially not a single flavor is the superior one in a general sense. In the end I enjoy my music equally fine with my cheap Marantz CD 5000 as with my more expensive Marantz HD-DAC 1. The differences aren't that big to begin with and the largest portion of the data/music simply sounds identical.

Well, with my Accuphase E408 amp and expensive cabels and german speakers the filter #5 of the D90 results in a more 3-D sound. I am very happy with the Topping D90. Tip: try different filters. thx!...plus, I use a high end AQVOX-USB cable with my notebook - improved sound, too.

Love your reviews. Great content.

Your reviews and shared insight are the best! Thank you. Schiit thanks you, too because I'm sold on the Bifrost now. Would love to see you do a comparison on streaming services (Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, etc.).

Very nice! I was looking forward to this.

Thanks for the great review & comparison. I believe Sundra from Sound New noticed that the (non-MSQ version) D-90 sounded better via IsquaredS as well. Can you please review the Gustard DAC-A22 with the dual AK-4499 chip and better power supply. It appear to perform better as a pre-amp as well. Failing that can you add in the comments here a comparison between the D-90 & ARES ii (both the same price).

Thx for comparsion, very helpfull as always!

I had both. I kept the Bifrost 2 and returned the D90. Pardon the buzz words, but more nuanced and musical does sum it up for me. I found the D90 a touch brighter. Both are solid DACs.

Love the "evil comparisons" with the other flavors out on the market. Will probably aim for a bifrost myself.

Currawong, I (we, the audiophile community), need you to review the Gustard A22, Gustard X26, and the LKS MH-DA004. We need you to do an A/B comparison amongst them and with your Schiit Yggy. I'm beginning to think that at least one of these DACs may outperform the Yggy, but I need confirmation. When you do this review, I kindly (and respectfully) ask you to shed any preconceived notion of higher price equals better product, made in China can't be good or lesser brand recognition can't beat pedigree. I really want to know based on sound and sound alone, how these high end Chinese DACs measure up.

considering not getting D90 after the Soekris 1421. Might stick with the Soekris.

Math can’t tell you what to like. But math can say that linear time-invariant systems aren’t phased by signal complexity-they handle music and signal generators identically-and THD+N and IMD measurements describe deviations from linear time-invariance that make that less true.

Thanks for your detailed review.

Thanks for the video. Great as always. This is not a real balanced output DAC/Preamp (or maybe preamp is), am I correct?

Thanks for your usually great review, which was very timely for me since I am planning to get a new DAC in this price range in a couple of weeks and the candidates are D90 (MQA version), Bifrost 2, and Denafrips Ares II (I'd love to see you review that one). It will be replacing a SMSL SU-8 and paired with a Liquid Platinum. Question (for anyone): virtually all my music listening is via Tidal and the D90 is now available with a MQA decoder (and upgraded XMOS chip) for an additional $100. Could I expect any SQ improvement on Tidal MQA tracks played through a hardware decoder as opposed to using the software decoder included in the Tidal Windows 10 app? If no, I'd probably get one of the other two. FWIW, all three of these DACS cost within $30 USD of each other including shipping and tax to New Jersey, USA (only Schiit charges these, Denafrips and Topping distributors do not).

Please take a look at Gustard A18 also from shenzhenaudio. Specs very close to D90 at $560.

I am looking to upgrade my DAC from a century-old Fostex HPA8. This looks promising.

Have you tried upsampling in PC to DSD256. AKM will perform very will to that format.

Did you try the DAC only mode? Perhaps you could try and review more about it. Thanks

Excelent review!!Thanks!!!

Is this an MQA version? against Matrix mini-i Pro 3 w/c one is better?

Haha. I doubt it's better than some PCs which maybe have very noisy USB outputs, but we do love to reckon it might.

I had the topping D90SE and more recently the Topping D30 Pro and both suck I actually like the D30pro more. Topping just throws a ton of negative feedback in its op amps for good measurements. The result is a flat bad sound. They just got big recognition from ASR mentioning certain measurements they take of them. Complete scam

I have a THX789 and use my Fiio M11 pro as a dac at home. Would D90 be a significant upgrade for my desktop setup?

Please tell me. I bought TOPPING DX7 Pro ES9038Pro DAC & Headphone amp , but I would like to listen to music on Sony WH-1000XM4. Do I need to buy this amplifier? What will change in terms of sound? TOPPING A90 Full Balanced Headphone Amplifier XLR Pre-Amplifier.

Measurement device manufacturers: Profuse sweating intensifies.

As always great review. Would you comment on the sound of D90 vs Audio GD R2R DACs? I know Kingwa says that as you move higher up in his R2R DAC line, you move away from that euphonic sound of the R2R 11 and move closer to a studio or opposite end of spectrum as you described.

@Currawong Thank you for review, im currently own D90 and use it in dac mode, connected to dell laptop using Supra usb cable. Is it worth to buy Singxer SU-2 digital interface for D90, there will be 10% sound improvement at least? Thank you:)

Any affordable pci-e card or converter to let PC output I2S for the D90?

Your lead in music is the same as used by RU-vid channel podcaster, “ Federico talks Watches”.

So I know this measures well and sounds great for music. But would it translate well to gaming. I currently use a A90 off my PC.

Great review. I have the SMSL M500, has similar measurements as the D90 but is around 300+ dollars. Would love to hear how it compares to the D90 and would D90 be an upgrade over the M500...?

Love your review. What if you check Gustard A18

Amos, great video I am getting back to the audiophile world, I just had my HH Scott tube Amp and Preamp fully restore, I am using my iPad and red dragonfly for DAC. I would like to go to the next level to get more details, sound stage with a 1,100.00 budget. I been watching some of your videos and reading comments from your community and is getting very hard to pick one. I have this one’s mind D90, Gustard A22, Arest 2, and Bifrost 2 any recommendation would be greatly appreciated thank you

I have been listening to a number of reviews on this DAC and I'm convinced I will get something else. I stream music and would like a recommendation on a decent DAC. I am streaming from a Cambridge streamer. Can you recommend something for me?

This one is on my list. Will listen to it when I will have a chance, wonder how it will compare to the new SMSL M400 AK4499 dac. Price wise they are very close. I You could compare it with the M400 that would be nice. Also one of the options I took into account was just getting the Fiio M15, yes its a DAP. But it could drive my SP200 when Im home.

Considering between D90se (greater transparency than D90) and the Schitt Bitfrost 2. Eventually I will stream music, however, my current needs are for an amp which only has RCA inputs and using hi quality Redbook, HDCD and SACD for many genres. Any information on which Topping v Schitt whose RCA outputs perform more closely to the XLR outputs which were probably used for reviews would be helpful. But it boils down to whether RCA outputs perform essentially close to their XLR. XLR is nice to have should I upgrade to another amp down the road. I would like to maximize a balance between musicality (amp is warmer but detailed, Keces E40, reminds me of my Hegel h160 in ways), instrument separation, depth of SS (3Dness) and transparency without being overly clinical. I had heard Topping D70s but low end bled into and affected instrument separation a bit. Still nice and perhaps a choice , but want a bit more. Anyone? Thanks.

Did you try the FIR filters if they made a difference to drop off you noticed?

Currawong have you tried out PCM upsampling using HQplayer with the D90, or even better DSD upsampling with DAC in DAC MODE?

I think the DX7 Pro w it’s ESS 9038 pro chip will prob be a bit more resolving than the D90 w it’s AK variant. Forget the measurements, although the DX7 Pro measures really too

Great review many thanks. Could you let me know the makes of USB to IIS converters you mentioned briefly? How do think the D90 would perform with an Audiophilleo 2 USB/SPDIF convertor hooked up to a Mac Mini?

Please a review on SMSL M400 Dac.

You should go into other menu and put DAC in DAC mode not in Preamp mode as it is in review. :(

which better vs chord 2qute?

You might as well get an RME ADI2 its the same price. Question is what output are you using on all of them just a standard fixed 2 volts not 1 volt drive it amplifier a bit harder add some distortion always sounds better

is weakest link it's the usb because it's not galvanized but the overall is convincing me.

Would you pay $800 to fix a Chord Hugo TT (first gen) or go for a new Topping D90?

Why would you assume Topping only concern themselves with measurements? Have you spoken to the engineers?

yes - pure sound ------ and i have GOOOOOD Sounds for mental timeswitch biotuning orcestra from other galaxy for you to listen

WIll you ever do the Benchmark HPA4?

How to connection for IIS LVD ? Can it accepted for BT CSR8675 i2s out? Thank you

Nice review! In my head I thought the D90 had a switching power supply... I think I was confusing it with the A90.

Ora Graphene GQ headphone is a better leap in sound than better dacs/amps.

First off, thanks for the detailed review as always. All I wonder is whether getting this would be a sidegrade since having an idsd micro BL. Both are full mqa decoder. I know mqa subject is a bit complicated but I only listen to music via Tidal lately. A response regarding sidegrade or upgrade would be awesome! Thanks again!

Don't really get that point "USB to I2S converting". What is the logical reason? The most important would be not to convert to USB signal and directly send it through HDMI from I2S out to the DAC's I2S input.

Hi Currawong, Do you reckon if someone were to add a USB cleaner such as the iFi iPurifier to the D90, the Bifrost 2 would lose its advantage over the D90?

Fantastic!

I have not heard the Bifrost 2 but own the Yggy 2 with Unison. A friend has the Yggy as well and a truly SOTA room. He has the Terminator as well for DSD and got the Topping D 90. I did some listening with it. It is a pleasant sounding DAC. Too pleasant. I found a sameness to the Sound from recording to recording that I did not like. I would recommend it for a bright sounding system but I will take the Yggy Unison any day over it. Of course, YMMV. It will be interesting to see how the Yggy sounds with a Unison USB source as well. Hopefully soon.

Here's my thing. If the topping improved quite a bit with a USB interface, then spending big bucks on R2R and others mega expensive dacs is truly a waste, if in 5 years time the tech will change.

how does it compare to a saber dac eg mdac+

I believe MQA version has an improved USB, which I wonder how it compares vs Schiit's Unison.

Does anyone who owns the D90 notice it get warm to the touch? I’m trying to find out if it’s normal.

Is this the D90 LE or the D9SE or the D90 III

I've got an Audio_GD Compass 2 (from 2013, I think) - should I upgrade to something like this, solely based on sound quality? Have the HD 800S.

I have the D50s best value DAC

He mentions USB to I2S cables a few times. But I have not been able to find anything on line.

estaba pensando pasar del topping dx7 pro al d90 , pero creo que me quedare mas tiempo con el. gracias por la información.

what is the point of usb to I2S converter? You already have lost the quality in the USB. Isn't there a streamer or any other source that outputs I2S directly?

i own a bifrost 1 multibit(not gen 5 usb),will the bifrost or topping be a big improvement? thx alex

Sorry, but it's false advertising to say that Schiit products are made in America. They are assembled in America. I understand their website claims otherwise, but that's simply not true. To meet legal requirements, Schiit stamps "assembled in California" on their products, which is the actual truth.

Would the hdmi looking connector work with a Chromecast?

I spy Xduoo TA-30

Would have been good of they sent you an E30 also so a comparison could be made as to what the extra money gets you within the same brand on sound quality