An inexpensive Topping E30 is the only separate DAC I’ve ever owned. I hooked it up to a nearly 30 year old Denon CD player, and it simply sounded clearer to me compared to the built in DAC in the Denon. Along with clarity comes a host of other descriptors. I can say that it’s not at the level of my vinyl setup overall, but it’s good and that’s partially recording dependent. Now I’m curious what the next DAC step up might sound like. 😎
