Hey @Lanford_Ripley ! Welcome, I take what I read on ASR with a grain of salt. However I own this DAC and I think it sounds incredible. So far the D90, Bifrost 2, and the Dual Burr Brown setup inside the iFi IDSD Micro Black label are my go to DACs.
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The Topping D90 is a good DAC. It has a nice set of features if you already have a good Headphone amp. now if you do not have Headphone AMP, I would buy the RME ADI-2 DAC fs. Honestly, on high gain, I can run the Susvara, I still rather use an external headphone amp for them but in pinch it a great sounding. But for HE-1000se, Ananda, Arya, Rad -0, Focal headphones, it all you ever need.
I like the AKM based DACs I have a few them
- RME ADI-2 DAC fs - AKM4493 Still my favorite due to the feature set of the whole solution.
- Topping D90 AKM4499 -great DAC especially for the money
- Xduoo XD05 Plus ( nice portable AKM4493)
- SPL Phonitor X. with DAC192 aka AKM4490. ( came with the AMP)
But the other DAC I have in the arsenal is Chord Qutest and SCHIIT AUDIO Bifrost 2 also very good DACs.
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Thereâs a known issue with the MQA D90 and macOS (see the tail end of the ASR thread for details) so be cautious if thatâs your plan. It sounds like Topping are aware of the issue, so Iâm hopeful there will be a fix eventually. The MQA D90 uses a different USB chipset than previous models and apparently it causes problems with the macOS drivers.
Iâve got the non-MQA D90 that I use with a Mac and Iâm quite happy with it.
See these posts:
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I thank you for all your answers so far. Very edifying. I neglected to mention that the only headphones I use are the Stax SR 507 paired with the Stax SRM 323S. Since it was mentioned that there may be a problem pairing the Topping D90 with my late 2012 IMac via USB, are there any other connections that I can employ other than the USB? Is USB the preferred connection for better sound? Again, Iâm a newbie here, never bought a DAC, waiting for the dust to settle. Also, how does the Topping D90 compare with the Matrix Audio X-SABRE Pro MQA ? Since both were reviewed by Audio Scence Review, do you feel that Topping brought out the MQA to be competitive with the Matrix since both are neck-and-neck as reviewed by Audio Science Review?
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- Do not place too much emphasis on ASR. While I value the data there and regularly defend the site, they are by no means the last word on quality, satisfaction, or anything. Sometimes the reviews and defense of data goes too far.
- As with other technology products, there is an ongoing spec war in audio. MQA is just one of many check box items to attract customers in the present era. Uncompressed Redbook (CD) audio at 16/44.1 sounds very, very good.
My own Macs have experienced a variety of driver failures over the years (2013 Air; 2019 MacBook Pro). Thereâs no way for me to say, as there are a lot of variables in play. In my experience DACs work pretty well to some level of performance. However, all bets are off with a new product like the Topping 90. Itâs called the bleeding edge for a reason â early adopters are subject to all sorts of incompatibilities.
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If you want to use the MQA feature, you have to use the USB input; it isnât supported via any of the D90âs other inputs.
If (and it IS an âifâ) Topping actually release a fix for the D90 MQA for USB w/ macOS, and assuming it is just a firmware update, then based on history youâll need a current Windows PC to apply it anyway as they donât release a macOS updater.
So donât âbuy on futuresâ ⌠if you want MQA then donât buy it until theyâre SHIPPING units that work properly under macOS without needing an update.
If you want DSD, then you have to use either the USB or IIS inputs.
Using IIS input will require an additional box in your chain (a âDDCâ or Digital to Digital Converter) - something like the Singxer SU-1 - which is another~$400.
DSD on macOS via a USB output (direct, or via the SU-1/IIS) is limited to DSD256.
If you use the other inputs, youâll need to verify that your iMac still has a TOSLINK port on it (itâll be a mini-TOSLINK thatâs paired with the headphone output). If it does, then you need to verify what speed it can support ⌠from memory the iMac 2012 does have TOSLINK, but it only supports up to 96 kHz - but check, donât take my word for it.
Otherwise youâd need a different interface to convert USB to S/PDIF (the SU-1 will do that too, but there are cheaper options if you donât need IIS), even from Singxer.
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My 2011 Mac mini supports up to 96 kHz via mini-TOSLINK.
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Thatâs disappointing to hear hopefully they get it fixed⌠I own the non MQA D90 version with zero issues.
Honestly one of the main reasons I never went down the Tidal path. I do have gear capable of utilizing Tidal and maybe I am missing out, but hi res FLAC content sounds great to me from Qobuz and AmazonMusicHD and I donât have the need to always make sure my gear is MQA capable.
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Looks like theyâve already addressed the Mac incompatibility with a firmware release for the D90 MQA: http://www.tpdz.net/newsinfo/396959.html
Requires Windows to apply the firmware, though. 
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Looking at the block diagram for 4499 it seems DSDD direct mode goes directly to the switching resistors bypassing modulation completely.
Thereâs what the AKM 4499 does, when configured a certain way, and thereâs how the D90 actually configures it, per my post here. The devil is in the details and you need more than the block diagram to get to those details, along with needing to know exactly how Topping implemented it to know whatâs even possible.
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I have the Topping D90 for just under 7 days and after realizing this thing is a magnifier of source, cables and amp- I am finally starting to love its analytical side of everything. I tried 3 different USB wires (monster, stock usb and Kimber B which I am still using), I am using TG Audio HSRi power cord which definitely helped a ton to tame it down while keep it detailed. I am using a Tripplite Power Conditioner as well. For RCA I am using Stealth Audio Hybrid cables and I just ordered some balanced wire. For my amp I am using a PASS designed WHAMMY w/upgraded OPA627 - huge transparent and clear SS with no harshness at all no matter the volume level with my HD600s. I also use IEM like Etymotic ER4 p/s. I have others but while auditioning I try to make changes to the system only using these HPs. Would love to hear what else people are using to make the most of the D90. Thanks!
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To make the most of the D90, I left it in the store and use an RME ADI 2 DAC or Bifrost 2 instead. I feel I definitely get the best sound out of the D90 with it nowhere near my audio equipment. That way I also donât need $1000+ of audio cables to make it sound good. Win/win! 
hehehe
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Hey, @whatugot welcome to the forum man. All jokes aside the D90 sounds excellent to me as good as the Bifrost 2 (I would have to do a true side by side comparison to really give 100% on this statement). I own both the D90 original non-MQA and the Bifrost 2 and could do a side by side comparison but honestly, itâs very difficult to hear extremely subtle differences in DACâs of this level of quality, I think if you jumped up to a higher-performing DAC than both of those models you would likely hear larger jumps in performance. I may give it a go and compare the Bifrost 2 and D90 now that all my gear is next to each other and see if I can hear some of the subtle differences. I think you will find everyone has their favorite gear and will generally rally around it. Some days I prefer the Bifrost 2 and other days I prefer the D90. That is the fun of having a couple of options so you can switch it up and play around. I would say for the money $699 you have yourself a great DAC.
I donât put much stock in large audible differences cables provide, at least from what I have heard personally not to say itâs not possible. If they are making any difference in sound the sound differences are subtle in my experience of selling high-end home theater gear back in the day and my personal owned headphone/amp cables. What you might hear an audible difference in from the D90 is when listening to it with your favorite amp and changing the FIR button on your remote. These 6 filters will alter the sound some. If you feel it is too analytical or fatiguing to your ears try to choose a different roll-off filter, such as the slow roll-off. I donât find it fatiguing at all paired with a THX amp my most fatiguing amp. Again welcome to the forum, great group of knowledgable folks here!
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My thoughts on the A90/D90 Pairing! I hope you enjoy friends.
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Iâve had this stack in-house for the past several days and am absolutely thrilled. The combo is just about the best of the best (for less than the price of a car, anyway), and the amp easily drives ALL of my headphones beautifully.
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This will just be a quick impressions take on the Topping D90 Digital to Analog Converter (DAC), which features the AKM AK4499 chipset and XMOS usb interface, as well as optical SPDIF, Bluetooth, digital coaxial and AES inputs. The unit goes for $699 for the standard edition and $799 for an enhanced model that adds USB MQA hardware decoding capabilities.
The unit was loaned out to me by JB77 from the Headphones Community forums and has been reviewed by several other members of this community over the past month or so. The unit tested here is the standard edition in silver. It also comes in black.
Setup
In my limited listening of this DAC, I primarily listened to it using the Hifiman Arya and ran it through the Schiit Jotunheim in balanced output. I used RCA cables into a Schiit Saga+ and fed it through to the Jotunheim that way. I also hooked up and Y-Split the Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC to compare to. This allows me to quickly switch USB inputs on the computer without having to change amps or switch settings anywhere along the chain except at the software level in Windows 10.
The Bifrost 2 is the latest True Multi-bit DAC by Schiit and itâs something Iâve owned for since around the beginning of this year. I likd this DAC so much, I sold the RME ADI-2 DAC which I thought I wouldnât ever do.
Initial impressions
In my listening, I typically look for how the very specific instruments sound in chosen songs and how general tonality sounds across the board. Using Windows 10, I can quickly cycle almost seamlessly between the two DACs without interruption in the song.
What I found was that these two DACs sound very clean and detailed, and I donât feel like I am missing any bit of information in the songs I tried â which were mostly acoustical in nature, though I did listen to some modern rock and pop songs, as well as hip hop and other genres. I stuck primarily to jazz and bluegrass to really pick up on small changes though.
I say that because the differences I heard are quite small, to the point where itâs very hard to distinguish without proper volume matching and listening very carefully. I tried to remove as much bias as possible as well.
Detailed Song Comparisons
In Alison Kraus & Union Stationâs âRestlessâ, a bluegrass track that is mostly stringed instruments playing in unison, I found that it was basically very similar in all technical categories. I think there a slight amount of warmth added with the Bifrost 2 than the D90.
When I listened to GoGo Penguinâs âDonât Goâ, a modern jazz song, I listened very carefully to a two note piano hit that is played almost entire throughout the song with the same strike weight and played in a constant rhythm throughout the entire song. The D90 seemed to hit the second note with a little more emphasis and resonates a little louder than the Bifrost 2 does in this case. The Bifrost 2 sounds just a little more back and less forward sounding.
Towards the end of this track, there is also a part where the piano 2-note rhythm starts directly in front to the right of your head, and then it slowly circles around to the back left of your head as the song exits. It is a really cool binaural panning effect. The Bifrost2 sounds like it is hitting it from a a further distance and in return sounds wider and deeper, while the D90 is more intimate and the piano strikes are always near you as it circles around.
In the rock and pop tracks I tried, ranging from Alvvays, to Tegan and Sara, to 2Pac and Alice and Chains, I was not able to distinguish either one of these DACs apart from another.
Final Notes
I really do like the Topping D90. It has a nice build, and attractive look and a large display that is useful and not too distracting. It also has a remote for switching sources and volume control. And finally, I think it sounds quite good. I donât feel like I am missing any thing and while I do find it a little sharp at times, compared to the Bifrost 2, I think itâs a great clean, neutral, and reference style DAC if you are in the market for one.
It also measures quite well from what I understand. So there is that too!
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Excellent impressions. It really does seem that the Bifrost 2 is very capable aswell. The Topping gear seems to be getting a lot of praise on the forums of late.
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Too much praise, I am tempted 
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