[MLGrado]

It's simple. For most people incl. DAC developers DSD is DSD64 (since only such spec exists) or DSD is the content one can download or stream from streaming services. No official music content at 48k based DSD rates exists since no such standard exists. DSD production software (Pyramix, Saracon...) most probably does not support 48k DSD rates at all. Furthermore, not only DAC developers, but also USB driver developers (XMOS, ...) don't take the playability of 48k DSD rates into account. Companies like iFi or Project who made 48k DSD working needed to fix USB driver code which was delivered to them from Thesycon. So it brings additional efforts and hassle for DAC developers to support 48k DSD rates. When 48k DSD rates work with usual DAC chip, it is most probably only a coincidence, not an intention. Except of very few companies which state 48k DSD support in specs of their DACs. But such companies are then more oriented to audiophile world (iFi, Holo etc).

How many Topping DAC users are doing PCM to DSD? Maybe 0.5% ? I don't have an idea, but statistically not much. Companies like Topping want to sell large amount of devices for the lowest price. They are oriented to usual customers. They don't invest significant efforts into drivers and firmware area. They simply use what was delivered to them (manufacturer specs, development boards, datasheets with usage examples) with all the bugs and incompleteness and they follow known standards to make something working. As soon they have something working they want to sell it in large amounts and not to go through unknown hassles because of 0.5% of (potential) users. In the previous years Topping, SMSL and other similar companies showed that instead of fixing old device bugs they bring new devices with new bugs, more times in a year...

But didn’t you know topping is making DAC’s with SINAD approaching 125db and dynamic range greater than 130db, and near perfect linearity to -120db? They are measurement kings which we all know means they are obviously better than anything iFi or Holo could possibly make

Lol of course I’m being sarcastic and I’m sure most people will know exactly what I’m talking about.

The two Topping DACs I have had in my ‘lab’ for inspection were both under 500 dollars. One ESS and one AKM. Neither of them bothered to offer any DSD filter options even though they were listed in manual, of course ESS has no direct DSD mode, but the AKM does but it was not available. All the while some very big players in the review game confused fixed output mode with DSD bypass mode and I guess the team at Topping were oblivious to this or perhaps if it helped sell product whether it was true or not, so be it.

Oh, and the lowest scoring DACs for sound quality and enjoyment in my reviews are some of the best measuring. Almost as if they are engineered to perform well on the most common industry tests, such as 1khz distortion FFT more so than being designed to play music.


But at the same time I don’t want to be too hard on them over everything because not every product falls into that stereotype. They also make some fine stuff. But as always buyers beware at all times