Audiophilepure

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/topping-d900-dac-review-r1393/

With the ABX testing out of the way, I put on “Hairshirt” from Darcy Proper’s superb hi-res remaster of R.E.M.’s Green. There’s little doubt that the D900 and XSP are tonally similar. Both are clean, modern-sounding Delta-Sigma DACs with clearly defined transients and ample treble extension. Still, it wasn’t hard to tell which one I preferred. The D900 imparts a touch more sibilance to Michael Stipe’s voice, flattens Mike Mills’s nimble bass, and over-emphasizes the leading edge of Peter Buck’s mandolin strings. The Topping also stages slightly closer to the listener and exhibits a hint of dynamic compression. While those traits might normally exaggerate lower-mixed instruments, the left-panned chime actually sounds more recessed through the Topping, with less pronounced echo, suggesting that the D900 just doesn’t resolve as well as the Matrix. That impression is reinforced by the Topping’s somewhat muddy low end. Are these differences enormous? No. Would they jump out in casual listening? Probably not. But they’re clearly audible under careful, level-matched evaluation.

Next up is the title track from the Mobile Fidelity SACD of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Texas Flood. As on “Hairshirt,” the D900 heavily emphasizes leading transient edges, rendering the XSP— whose transient presentation is hardly rounded or polite — the more nuanced of the two. On “Texas Flood,” this difference is most evident on Chris Layton’s snare. It’s a punishing crack through the D900, which also seems to boost the snare’s reverb. The Matrix, by contrast, better balances the snare’s wires and body and allows more space for its natural decay. Tommy Shannon’s bass is flabbier and less defined through the Topping as well. Most disappointingly, the D900 robs SRV’s guitars of the tonal nuance clearly audible through the Matrix, which makes it easy to hear that he’s using a mix of amplifiers. Finally, the Topping adds a hint of grain to Vaughan’s lead vocal, which remains smooth and unforced through the XSP.