Topping D50 vs the "Big Boys"

Thanks @ghasley. You are correct that I am pointing out the fact that the company makes products with higher than usual in use problems and failures from the perspective of these Amazon reviews. Not making it up and one just needs to read. Many also liked the units very much. Anyway, I bet they do sound great for the money thus my curiosity was peaked. Perhaps I will try one out for my office system soon.

Not making any comments about the quality or sound quality of the Topping, but the  ESS SABRE ES9038Q2M is a $13.80 part in quantities of 1000.  The ES9038Pros, which is used in the Sonica DAC, is $74.80 in quantity.  

I have an LG V50 which has an ESS  ES9218P DAC, which is $12.60 in quantity.  It's a decent DAC for a phone.  I think, in my opinion, that the Chord MOJO, a 4 year old design, is better.  But that's comparing a cell phone to a dedicated DAC; not really fair.  Also, the MOJO costs about half of the V50's price.

Seemed like the OP asked a legit question that devolved into a discussion about the veracity of Amazon reviews and Chi-Fi QC vs SQ. 

Has anyone listened to a D50 vs something more expensive? Or any of the Topping/SMSL type DACs vs the Chords, Myteks, Schiits, etc for that matter?

What did you think of the performance?

Seemed like the OP asked a legit question that devolved into a discussion about the veracity of Amazon reviews and Chi-Fi QC vs SQ.

Has anyone listened to a D50 vs something more expensive? Or any of the Topping/SMSL type DACs vs the Chords, Myteks, Schiits, etc for that matter?

What did you think of the performance?

I bought the D50 to use with my TV for its compact size, decent remote, low price, and good specs. I use a spare LPS with Jung-type super-regulator lying around to power the D50.

It replaced a TEAC UD-301 and to my surprise, the difference was easily noticeable. Dialogues felt crisp even at low volumes, and sounds seem more focused and detailed leading to better immersion.

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, but I'm pretty impressed with the improvement given the cost.

Wait till the D50S is released, it’s even better. No balanced though, that’s about the only performance negative (looks could be improved, such as a larger screen).