After sharing our initial impressions a few weeks ago, we’re pleased to be sharing our full review of the new Topping E30 Digital to Analogue Converter with Headfonia readers. The E30 is available now for $129 USD at the time of writing.
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Note: The E30 was sent to Headfonia by HiFiGo in exchange for sharing our honest impressions with our readers. As always, our thoughts and conclusions are our own, and we’re appreciative of the opportunity.
Preaching to the converted
Often one of the first questions the newly-enlightened personal audio enthusiast will ask is “…do I need a DAC?”. Unless you’re planning on listening solely to vinyl, reel-to-reel or other strictly analogue sources, then the answer is “yes”. The casual hobbyist will be able to tell you that any device capable of turning 1’s and 0’s into something resembling music has a DAC inside – from your laptop to your smartphone. However, those devices are designed to do much more than simply decode music files, and so they don’t [always] employ the best components nor employ the proper power supply or topology needed to give the best quality audio playback. Enter the dedicated digital-to-analogue converter – one of the first stepping-stones that a budding audiophile can take on the route to achieving better sound. The differences between DACs can be marginal, but with the right chain of devices and a keen ear, they can reward with a more realistic, transparent, and ultimately more engaging listen – particularly if your source device has a sub-optimal native converter.
Chinese manufacturer Topping has been on somewhat of a purple patch of late when it comes to bringing an impressive range of both digital and analogue gear to market. In the past couple of years alone, they’ve released a range of DACs, amps, and hybrid units that have impressed both our review team as well as the personal audio community at large with thoroughly well-packaged products that combine performance and thoughtful design with extremely sharp pricing.
Topping E30
Enter the ‘hot-hatch’ DAC
Their newest DAC, the E30 isn’t quite their cheapest offering [their D10 models opens proceedings well-under $100 depending on the outlet], but at $129 it sits firmly within at the ‘budget’ end of the spectrum. This means it’s both worthy of consideration for the first-time DAC-buyer, and also finds itself up against some well-established competition from the likes of Schiit Audio, SMSL and JDS Labs [to name a few]. Entry-level DAC performance has improved markedly in recent years, with trickle-down technology allowing more affordable digital-to-analogue converters to outperform high-end DACs from yesteryear from both an objectivist measurement-sense, as well as in terms of features and user experience. Topping has been spruiking the E30 as somewhat of a ‘hot-hatch’, in that it’s a compact desktop unit that packed with features and specifications that Topping is pretty chuffed about including at this price-point:
- DAC chip: AKM AK4493
- S/PDIF receiver: AKM AK4118
- USB interface: XMOS XU208 2nd gen
- Inputs: USB, S/PDIF [optical], S/PDIF [coaxial]
- Output: RCA
- Dimensions: 10 x 3.2 x 12.5 cm
- USB sampling rate:
- PCM: 44.1kHz – 768kHz / 16bit – 32bit
- Native DSD: DSD64 – DSD512
- DoP DSD: DSD64 – DSD256
- Optical / coaxial sampling rate: 44.1kHz – 768kHz / 16bit – 24bit
- Output voltage: [email protected]
- THD+N: