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When using USB input in pre-mode, the volume is suddenly maximized when the volume is lowered from -0.0 to the minimum value of -99. This symptom is the same for both balanced and unbalanced outputs. It is completely normal when inputting OPT/COAX. Literally nothing to tell. It sounds entirely transparent and thus, boring if you want character. My valve amps are not very valvey by the standards of the breed, but switching the Klipsch Fortes between full range and bass managed always made for a softer bottom end. Living Room: Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers w/RAAL | Rythmik G22 (x2) + miniDSP 2x4 HD | Denon X3800H + Emotiva XPA-200 | ARCAM ST60 Streamer + Raspberry Pi Display w/RoPieee | Sony 77A9G OLED Offering a world class service to our customers, we are a highly focused team who can be trusted to support you
The PA5 is a dinky Class D power amp claiming to deliver 65W RMS per channel into 8 ohms for less than 1% distortion, or 85W into 8 ohms with distortion rising to 10%. It measures 150x130x40mm and has a chunky outboard power supply. There are two sets of balanced inputs using TRS connectors and a single set of loudspeaker outputs for spade terminals or 4mm plugs. The front panel has a power on/off switch and a selector for the two balanced inputs. |Headphones: Sennheiser HD660S2 | HIFIMAN Sundara | AirPods Pro 2 | Audio Technica ATH-M50X | AKG K371 | Sennheiser HD380 Pro Topping E50 for a desktop DAC is a sound choice. Just be wary to get the balanced power output that it uses TRS rather than XLR. But if you consider the PA5 for an all round solution as the AMP, then it's not a bad way to go about it. Clean and detailed. Worth it considering the price for this balanced dac. Flawless performance from it's balanced output. I have only tested as a source to powered speakers. The interface is not so straightforward. You really need to take care if you are switching from line out to pre out because there is no separate mode in dac. If you are not careful, full line out signal will go to your power amp/speaker.To state the obvious, hiss is when the gain and SPL output level is high enough that noise floor becomes audible. The issue of maximizing volume when lowering the volume level to -99 when playing DSD on the E50 has been resolved by a firmware update from Topping.
Hi @Tinman1952 , no I haven't... I keep reading it makes no difference or very little difference. I'm inclined to believe it does something, the same way dacs don't all sound the same. Alas, I just have to say it.. I HATE not having XLR for balanced duty (both input and output), I really like how solid and instant a connection is with XLR. I can somewhat understand for portable devices that use 4.4 or 2.5mm (though 2.5mm creator should be flogged, it's far too fragile at that size). Thanks for the review. I believe that I also read the same review you mentioned, and was considering buying one of these out of curiosity, and potentially to use as a small system with a pair of standmounts in a workpace...so your input is very helpful.
The Forte's mid driver covers the mother load from 560Hz to near 5kHz so they don't suffer fools when it comes to vocals, but this is clean. Really clean. Possibly not as colourful as the valves, but certainly not less accurate. You don't run valves because they're better, but because they're more fun. You decide Topping E50 is equipped with the latest-generation 16-core XMOS USB signal receiver chip, the XMOS XU216. It provides support for high-resolution PCM 32-Bit/768kHz and native DSD512 decoding support over a USB connection. It also supports full MQA decoding with a USB connection. Users need to install ASIO drivers by Topping to get the full potential performance with the E50. Ultra-Low Jitter Using CPLD Processing:- E50 auto On/Off function, it will automatically turn on and set to the input which the signal is valid. And when the signal of E50's selection is not valid for 1 minute, E50 will turn off automatically. You weren't very far off there, every time I ask for an opinion on something on a forum I end up blowing a lot more money than I initially was considering!
Whilst I wouldn't disagree regarding tilting the target response to achieve a preferred frequency balance/warmth/detail, there's a bit more to the character of an amp especially where valves are concerned.
With the help of careful design and adjustment, E50 provides a distortion as low as 0.00009% and a dynamic range of 126dB, providing you with perfect sound quality. Edit, after googling. I see it’s Class D. 124db SNR! Never heard about such high numbers. Probably why it’s so quite.
Most amplifiers have SNR at 105db. I could be wrong. I know SNR is important. Then you can hear small nuances in the mix better. The brightness of the display can be adjusted in 3 steps, and automatic ON/OFF can be selected, improving usability. If your gain is such that you can create a peak of 100dB SPL through your speakers and yet your noise floor is below -100dB, it will be inaudible. Starting with the E50 DAC/preamp, I partnered it with a well respected mid-price CD player to get an idea of its worth and was impressed by what I heard. The Topping DAC delivered results that sounded comparable to the player's own DAC using the unbalanced RCA outputs. Not bad! Using the balanced XLR outputs improved the sound still further, giving a noticeably increased sense of depth and richness, plus greater dynamic impact and clarity. DAC & Amps that have volume controls make its operation incredibly simple; turn up the volume on your smartphone or your source devices and then change the volume on DAC & Amps to the desired level.Same SINAD at both 2V and 4V which is crazy at 120dB for BOTH. But alas, the 50mV spec is missing. (I wonder, could we get SINAD and not just SNR for 50mV?) I know you don't do it for DACs, but still :\ Bass is firm and tight, and the amplifier encompasses dynamic extremes without obvious signs of strain. Compared to my regular amplifier, the overall presentation was just a little drier and not quite so sweet and relaxed. But after I'd listened for an hour or more, this early impression became less and less noticeable as the ear acclimatised. So, thinking from a synergetic point of view, I suspect that something with a more recent Sabre chipset would be a good choice. Geshelli Labs j2, Loxjie D30 V2, SMSL SU-8s? Someone suggested the Allo Revolution on another forum but I can't find much on it. As with more recent Topping products, it uses TRS output for balanced output instead of XLR which takes up a lot more space. Anyway, my point is I was looking for the opinion of someone like you Russ. Thank you. What I was especially pleased to see is you use Dirac live and that's exactly what I plan to run in a 2.2 system based on a miniDSP flex prepro/dac/preamp. It being balanced with TRS the topping PA5 looked like the perfect fit. it will have more than enough headroom for my space.
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