Upgrading to a stand alone DAC

Do you really find the E70 Velvet to be better than the Qutest? I have a Qutest but am looking for a DAC with balanced outs. Maybe I should give one a try.

Yes, I wouldn’t have stated that were it not my experience.

I actually owned the Qutest twice. Even though I wasn’t particularly impressed with it the first go around, I bought one again a couple years later with the intent of flipping since I snagged it for a very low price. I put the second example in my system to test all its functions/inputs and to reevaluate the sound quality (though this time with an upgraded linear power supply) and it only confirmed my previous conclusion, that I preferred other, less costly DACs, including the Denafrips Ares II and Marantz HD-DAC1, not to mention the costlier Electrocompaniet, which was my favorite DAC at the time.

The Qutest was rather lean and fatiguing in my systems. It was resolving for sure, but the sound was very 2-dimensional and reminiscent of circa $300 Sabre DACs from years past. That pretty well applied regardless of its filter settings.

The EV0V in contrast, is at least equally resolving but with greater layering/dimensionality, and manages a smoother top end without sacrificing micro details.

I also prefer the E70V to the built-in DAC of the Eversolo DMP-A8, despite the fact both employ the same AKM chip.

Yeah, the Topping isn’t much to look at or behold, but on a pure performance scale, it’s one of the very best sounding digital front ends I’ve encountered. Regardless, trying one through an outlet such as Amazon or Apos is a risk free endeavor, so if you end up disagreeing with my assessment, all you need do is ship it back.

I recently sold a Stereophile “Class A” rated DAC that retailed for $3000 just a few years ago, because I prefer the $500 Topping E70 Velvet. The Topping is somewhat unique in that one of its filter modes is actually no filter at all, thus, it somewhat gives the listener two DACs in one—a modern high resolution sound and old-school filterless. In a sense it’s like getting a Chord Qutest (but sounds better than the Chord) and a Denafrips Ares in one chassis that allows you to switch between the two presentations on the fly.

Typically, when it comes to amplification and speakers, it’s my experience that one usually gets what they pay for. When it comes to digital sources though, I’ve concluded the technology has matured to the point that top-tier performance is available at budget prices, and has been for a few years now. You can spend thousands on a DAC or streamer, and subsequently discover it doesn’t sound any better than a $500 unit once you conduct a blind, level-matched A/B comparison.

Usually, when someone here solicits recommendations for the likes of a $10K DAC/streamer/CD player, I don’t bother to mention this reality, because those hobbyists presumably have plenty of disposable income. They are often seeking bragging rights more so than actual performance, even if only on a subconscious level.

However, since you stated a precise budget, I presume you want the best value and are not merely looking to spend that entire $1500. For that reason, my recommendation is to try the Topping E70V and invest the money you save elsewhere in your system or music collection. I have owned many DACs in your stated budget range and some at considerably higher prices (Chord, Line Magnetic, Questyle, and Electrocompaniet to name a few) The Topping easily bests all of them to my ears.

soix, not to be too generic, I am looking to increase soundstage and to pull out more details

A better DAC could very well extract more detail (of an incremental level), especially if it’s one that has a very low noise floor. It could also expand perceived soundstage width if it applies noise shaping and/or adds harmonic distortions. The latter can cause other detriments though. BTW, the original Schiit Yggdrasil did exactly that, it had poor linearity and barely achieved 16 bit resolution. That’s how it managed to sound so “different” from other DACs of its era.

Nine times out of ten, the best way to increase soundstage width is to adjust speaker placement and/or add room treatments. At a similar rate, the best way to get more actual detail (as opposed to perceived detail that one only notices because of neglect to match volume when judging the new component against the old) is by way of a speaker upgrade.

That isn’t to say a standalone DAC won’t yield some improvement over your CD player. I am merely suggesting it might not give you the “wow” factor you are likely seeking.

I realize it’s an unpopular sentiment around here, but it’s my belief and experience that digital sources and associated cabling produce some of the lowest ROI in a system. Let’s say one has a max budget of $1500 they can invest in upgrading their system. In my experience, that person would likely be much better off if they were to allocate $300-$500 of that budget toward a objectively transparent “Chi-Fi” DAC, and the rest toward new speakers, or simply allocate the entire sum to new speakers (especially speakers with higher quality drivers). Keep in mind that most dealer-sold speakers under ≈$6K/pair are equipped with very mediocre drivers. I can build a $2K/pair speaker kit from the likes of Madisound that will wipe the floor with many $5K speakers and yield far higher ROI than would any DAC upgrade at any price.

Sorry for the tangent, but hopefully that somewhat explains my stance on this subject and why I believe hobbyists are often heading down the wrong path for achieving their goals. I get why listeners like to “upgrade” stuff like DACs and cables—it’s a much easier endeavor than going out and auditioning speakers and toying with setup once you find the right pair, then selling/shipping the old ones to a new owner. Swapping DACs is nearly effortless by comparison. Unfortunately, the latter is not where most systems have a bottleneck, not by a long shot.

For a reference, the speakers currently in my primary system retail for $11K, and compete favorably against >$15K speakers from other brands. Despite the disparity in price, I have zero doubt my $500 Topping is up to task. Even in my situation, I would rather apply $1500 of disposable income toward saving for a pair of $35K Rockport speakers rather than “upgrading” my DAC.

Almost forgot the requisite disclaimer: “your mileage may vary.” There, now others can hopefully read this post without busting their BP cuffs.