Review on 🎧 Topping D30 Pro Full Balanced DAC HiFi Decoder CS43198x4 USB/Optical/Coaxial with Remote Control (Black) by Scott Ramu

First of all I would like to say that overall this device is just a tiny step away from getting 5 stars. More on that later. This thing is well built, has a great companion amp (which I have and would rate a 5/5) and a handy remote control (which I no longer use). The D30 Pro sounds amazing, looks amazing and feels amazing. It's a fairly small box, about the size of a novel, and the display is amazing. It's so simple, and therein lies the elegance. When it is used, you can only use it as a preamp or DAC. Both do the same thing, but the preamp lets you control the volume with the D30 Pro. In DAC mode, the full signal is output to something else that you want to use to adjust the volume. Be careful with that. My only issue with this unit, and that's why I gave it 4/5 stars, is that there is very audible distortion in the left channel from time to time. It's just the left channel and restarting the D30 Pro fixes that for a while. I don't know what's wrong but I'm sure it can be solved with firmware. Below is my application for this DAC and a little warning for studio monitor users: I have a D30 Pro connected to my laptop which is fed to a Topping A30 Pro headphone amp via an XLR connector. The A30 Pro has XLR pass-through when powered off, which is nice as you can use the D30 Pro's line out without using a balanced/unbalanced combination. As for my use case, my active speakers are Focal Shape 65, which are active studio monitors. These types of speakers usually don't have a volume control and in my case not even a gain control. This is where things get naughty. When I use the A30 Pro to start my headphones and decide to turn them off before pausing the music, it immediately sends the full line-level signal from the D30 Pro to my speakers. That is, maximum volume and kill. Just a note for those who might want to pair the A30 Pro with this DAC. If you've powered monitors without handy volume controls, get a monitor controller like I did. This will save you and your speakers from death.