I’ve been considering the ADI-2 fs, Bifrost 2, and the Topping D90. I’d like to understand the differences between them (likely to be very small with ADI-2 fs vs. D90), and also how much value any of them add.
My FiiO Q5 has dual AKM 4490EN chips – these mobile chips are marketed as having “Velvet Sound” by AKM. Their smooth and creamy profile likely resembles both the ADI-2 fs and D90 too. Based on @Torq’s comments, there were extremely small differences when the ADI-2 fs went from the AKM 4490 to the 4493.
My gut tells me any improvements over 4490 DACs will be subtle without focused concentration. This is a situation where I’d really love to compare all of them side by side…