Yeah, well, Z was fond of them 
and all the major problems have been fixed sinceā¦ I donāt know when. Heās working on Verum 2s now.
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If i ever get to an audio show, i will be sure to look for them. Honestly, Iām trying hard to get to a point where I can settle down with a nice setup and not have to worry too much about buying more gear. lol. Pretty happy with the Focal Clears, though. Iāve got the ENOG 2 pro out for delivery, which will probably be my permanent stand-in for a Delta-Sigma DAC for a whileā¦
The Ares 2 is on backorder, but ordered and when I try it out for myself Iāll decide if itās for meā¦ if not Iāll sell it off, otherwise, it will hopefully be nice enough to become my main DAC for a while.
After thatā¦ not sureā¦ may look at some other headphones to tryā¦ or maybe even more likely look at cartridge and phono stage upgrades for the Rega 2.
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Zeos reviewed the D90 and said it sounds as good as the SMSL D1, so there you go. Lol
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So ENOG 2 pro came in and doing some A/Bing with the D90 now.
ooo, curious to see if you feel there is a significant difference
Definitely not significant. RCA output on the ENOG 2 pro might do a bit better than balanced out on the ENOG 2 pro, I feel like maybe you can say a 2-3% drop in quality versus the D90 when I compared balancedā¦ definitely something thereā¦ but itās very small and enough to make me question it a bitā¦
Unbalanced out of the ENOG definitely sounds pretty much on par, IMOā¦ even compared to balanced out of the D90.
Again, itās all very very close stuff, IMO.
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But yeahā¦ paying for the REGA trumps any potentially perceivable difference between the ENOG and D90 for meā¦ soā¦ in the box it goes to be returnedā¦ lmao.
I wonāt lieā¦ D90 is a very ncie DACā¦ but it is definitely a bit of a premium compared to cheaper, VERY GOOD, options, IMO.
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Are you sending back the enog or the d90 lol?
Sending back the D90 =) With the ARES on the way, Iām good with the ENOG for nowā¦ if I ever go D/S DAC againā¦ Iāll likely spring for something a bit higher-end that might help push for a more tangible difference.
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Selfishly, I sort of want you to still have the D90 so you can A/B the Ares for me. 
But that would put you outside the return window of the D90, so that would be a $600 AB test. 
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Well I feel like if there are any real appreciable differences with the Aresā¦ itāll have to be compared to Delta Sigma DACs vs R2R as a wholeā¦ yknow? The D90, D70, Phonitor E DAC, Gashelliā¦ are pretty much the same soundā¦ at least to my layman untrained ear.
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I do and I agree with your thinking.
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Just wanted to share that Apos Audio gave me a refund on the D90 and those guys were very easy to deal with and very accommodatingā¦ Didnāt have to even pay for return shippingā¦ It was very smooth and got a full refund. Can recommend them as a solid alternative to Amazon. 
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Just watched Z review the D90, then found this thread. I feel like I missed a party or a philosophy class or something. 
Anyway, figured Iād dump some pics of the evolution of my office setup here to show the relative size of the D90 and some other good stuff:
2019: Topping DX7s + Massdrop+THX AAA 789
Early Jan 2020: Topping D90 + Massdrop+THX AAA 789
Late Jan 2020: Topping D90 + Monoprice 887 THX Amp
ā
Thereās not a thing wrong with the 2019 setup; it was my reference for all of last year and sounded perfectly transparent to me. In fact, that whole rig has now been handed down to my wife so she can finally plug her ZMF Auteurs into something worthy.
When the D90 replaced the DX7s I didnāt bother doing any A-B testing. Per ASR the DX7s has a SINAD of 108, and the D90 is 120. Thatās a significant improvement, but I have my doubts whether that alone would be audibleāitās going from remarkably clean to astoundingly clean. Other āimprovementsā are switching from ESS and its creepy hump to the velvety AKM 4499. I admit I have an irrational affinity for AKM stuff based on their use in my beloved Astell&Kern DAPs. Nevertheless, I have a general sense that the D90 is every so slightly smoother. Could totally be confirmation bias.
The Monoprice amp, though, is indistinguishable from the 789. The big āimprovementā is simply that the chassis size matches so perfectly with the D90. Both of these are absolutely transparent; listening with the Stellias is as effortlessly perfect as any system Iāve heard, period.
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Are you still happy with your setup?
Iām researching DACsā¦
Topping E30 ($120) AK4493 chip - Sinad 112 DB / 2.1 Vrms , 117.25 DB dynamic range
Topping D90 ($700) AK4499 chip - Sinad 120 DB / 4.0 Vrms, 124.0 DB dynamic range
SMSL M400 (~$600) AK4499 chip - Sinad 125 DB / 5.3 Vrms , 131.5 DB dynamic range
The new SMSL seems to be a decent product from a value perspective and I certainly like the looks.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?attachments/qqå¾ē20200415161157-png.58809/
Topping seems to be the go to choice for mid-fi and people entering headphones. Most people seem to review the E30 and D90 very favorably for their price points.
Yes, Iām still extremely happy with that setup, although since quarantines went into effect Iāve been listening to my home stack of RME ADI-2 + 887. I chose the RME for home because of all the endless tweakability features; at the office I need to focus more on work and less on messing with EQs or whatever, lol.
I still donāt get whatās up with SMSL and their not-quite-squared chassis, but you canāt argue with those measurements. The M400 looks like it would make an excellent stack with their SP200 or an Archel 2.5.
One other thing I like about the Topping is the attention to detail for usability. Like how the display tells me everything I need to know and nothing I donāt. Thereās a remote if I want it, but I donāt need it. The menus and features are well thought out. I can disable paths Iām not using (esp Bluetooth), giving me the perfect marriage of convenience and attention to quality.
FWIW, I am helping a friend build a simple headphone rig for PC gaming, and weāre going with the E30 and JDS Element II; heās got a black and orange color scheme for his gaming rig, so the aesthetics of both units are a great match. Plus he plays standing up, so the knob-on-top design of the Element will be killer for him.
My friend is not really an audiophile, though, so keeping things simple (RCA interconnects, 1/4" amp out) is better for him. For myself, I love having the dual outputs. I havenāt done it yet, but I have a Little Dot MkIII that Iād love to run off the RCA path of the D90 as an alternate sound. Right now Iām running an RNHP balanced out of the RME and feeding the 887 via RCA. Iāve been thoroughly enjoying running various headphones in A-B trials against one another out of these two amps.
Anyway, the D90 is pretty much endgame for me (like seriously, no-longer-looking endgame). At this level of SINAD, the DAC is doing its job of being completely transparent enhanced by as much convenience as I can imagine ever wanting. If I didnāt already have this, I suppose the state of the industry is hitting the point that industrial design / form factor might be a key deciding factor. I like the look of the SMSL M500, for example, with the red chassis and compact brick-like body. I think that could look sharp on desk or tucked onto a bookshelf.
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Multiple dacs?
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This is a great thing. Heāll live longer!!!
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No, sorry, should have been more clearāEL AMP II only. JDS had a B-Stock one for $200.
The all-in-one is great, but E30 + the amp deliver the goods on measurements, plus a display that matches the color scheme, all for less than just the Element II DAC/Amp.
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