Looking for an alternative to replace "fake" D10 under $200

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories DACs
1

Hello peeps,

I have been following both DMS and Z reviews for years, but this is my first to be part of the forum.

I had D10, which has been so unstable, for about two years with Liquid Spark. Then I found out that my unstable D10 could be due to poor quality electronics inside of it. And I can confirm that the seller that I bought D10 a few years ago seems been removed.

I guess part of it was the placebo effect, but it has served me well enough, compared to PC/Laptop 3.5mm audio jack. But now, I want a stable DAC with perhaps an external power supply or stable USB power delivery that is also an upgrade from my ā€œfakeā€ D10.

My gears are Sennheiser 6XX, Beyerdynamic 177X Go, Philips SHP9500, B&O H6, and recently acquired Focal Elegia.

I hope to keep Liquid Spark as I love the build quality even though many people donā€™t use Liquid Sparkā€¦for some reason that I may not know about. DAC with RCA output for my liquid spark that is under $200 or maaaaaaybe $300 would be much appreciated!

**If Liquid spark is bad, then maaaybe toss in a good pair for the DAC as well. Thank you, peeps.

2

I donā€™t understand what you mean by ā€˜fakeā€™? I had pc interference from mine and moved onto an optical dac and now itā€™s dead silent. Topping E30, usb still is noisy despite psu being separate btw.

3

Topping E30 is the budget DAC king. It does not come with a power adapter. But that should not matter to much, any phone charger should be fine, if not broken. Currawong statet the Apple chargers are good, so if you wanna be sure get one of those of a couple of bucks. But normaly either everything works or something is off and then you really can tell!
Next up in the price is Schiit Modius, that has balanced out you might like in the future. But it is unavailible at the moment.
Maybe SMSL SU-8 or M200 are an option but they are more expenxice and I donā€™t see them as an upgrade for you. They are not much better mostly just a touch diffrent for twice the price of the E30.
Your amp is fine, itā€™s a good budget amp. It is a bit warm but that is not a problem, especially since you have a lot of treble forward cans. If you donā€™t feel like you miss some high end in your tracks, your fine for most. The focal tho could benefit from a higher amp one day, I think it has the resolution for that.

4

Here are some of the things about the ā€œfakeā€ D10.
**related link (that I forgot to add): Aimpire AD10: Fake Topping D10 DAC? | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

Before they made the ā€œAimpire AD10,ā€ I think they made not-so-original D10 under third-party seller on Amazon. Thatā€™s why the product page is not available for me to visit back.

I have looked at E30 but I wasnā€™t sure!

5

Thanks!

Topping E30, if not SMSL SU-8 or M200. I think I was looking at Su8 and M200 just yesterday actually.
Good to hear that my liquid spark isnā€™t bad at least!

Iā€™m a big fan of treble of cymbal in most musics, but DT177X Go is like the first can where I was like ā€œErmā€¦ maybe this is too much.ā€

6

For a lot of reviewers itā€™s still in the top 3 of 100$ amps.

Yeah, other amps would make this worse. Use EQ :slight_smile:

7

But my ā€œpuristā€ mindset says no to eq tho lol.

U gotta love it as it comes with it. I did buy some Dekoni elite pads that helped with the treble a bit.

8

you can also put some extra foam or toilet paper behind the pads

9

So now Iā€™m looking at SMSL SU-8, M200, Schiit Modius (Ship in May 31st), ifi Zen Dac (I think it is DAC/AMP combo), and JDS EL DAC or EL DAC II.

Lots of choices rip, anything you would like to add on?

10

Ah I see, that is pretty sketchy :smile:
Definitely recommend the E30, although I really donā€™t hear any sonic difference between the real D10 and the upgrade. I will also vouch for JDS products. Great customer service and really good for the price point.

1 Like