Review on Topping D30 High-Resolution Audio Decoder With DSD Support, USB, Coaxial, And Optical Inputs, Xmos Technology, And CS4398 DAC Chip For 24Bit/192Khz Playback by Ryan Pollock

Item arrived quickly and well packaged. I ordered this DAC to replace a cheap Radio shack DAC.Construction: leaves some to be desired. The overall finish is nice, but at this price point, I expected slightly better fit of the inputs within the housing. It is better looking than some other Chinese DACs.Set up was easy and self explanatory. Involves making connections, plugging it in and turning it on. The manual is written in Chinese and poor English, though it's not really needed.Sound:Allegedly, DACs have a break-in period. I have only used this one for a few hours at the time of writing this, so I hope the sound will only improve over time.My initial impression is that it sounds significantly better than the Radio Shack DAC which uses the 8416 Cirrus Logic chip and cheap electrolytic capacitors.I have the Topping DAC feeding a Yamaha RS500 receiver that's powering a pair of Klipsch RF 52 floor standing speakers. So far, I've only used the toslink input on the DAC, fed from a wireless blue tooth receiver that I use to stream my i tunes. I know it's not the best bit rate and quality signal, but I'm still impressed with the sound. I look forward to pairing it with a good CD player in the future.Highs:Initially they seemed a bit bright, but they seem to be "warming up" with more use. However they sound a bit congested at times.Lows:The lows are well separated from the highs and have tight response. The bass is not overpowering and much more defined than that of the RS dac. Low frequencies sound near the "back" of the soundstage.Mids:Mids sound clear and proportionate with the highs and lows.Overall Sound:The overall sound is warm and musical, much closer to a turntable-like sound than that of my previous DAC. I can't comment much on the soundstage, as I do not currently have my speakers properly spaced, but so far, I am pleased. For less than a c-note over the cost of the RS dac, the Topping DAC is a great value.