Mauro Z.
Reviewed in Italy on June 1, 2024
Ottimo DAC dall'eccezionale rapporto qualità/prezzo.
Guy Boisvert
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2024
Very satisfied. I bought this particular model for quality and 12V Trigger. Ultra-low distortion, mellow and precise sound. I use Toslink for TV and USB for audio player (MPD on Linux + RompR as MPD client) and XLR output. The remote control is handy and the DAC reacts quickly. With quality recordings like "Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue (DSD edition)" as an example, it sounds really marvelous! Rest of the soud system is: Hypex Nilai 500 Stereo DIY amp, Hypex DIY Preamp &Ryan R610 speakers.
MJT
Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2024
I bought this as a replacement for my smsl SU-9 that I gave to my little brother since his desktop on board audio had interference and buggy drivers. This has been a worthy successor and I was lucky to snag it during a sale. it has been 9 months and it has held up remarkably in performance and reliability.Sound separation is superb with little details more clearly defined than on the Su-9. I have paired the A70 Pro with a THX Monoprice 887 amp while swapping between Fostex mahogany headphones and Audeze LCD-xm4 that I snagged off a garage sale. The sound signature tends toward the analytical sound while avoiding the trap of being bloated and exaggerated. This is not to say it sounds sterile, the music genres that I listen to, mainly classic & progressive rock mixed in with synthwave and pop, have become more enjoyable to as compared to the SU-9 that seemed to suck the life out of the music when paired with my headphone amp + headphones. I would reccoment people looking at buying this to get the Octo version and save some money as the extra filters and settings on the Saber versions don't sound noticeable enough for the price difference. Incase you have not already, I would recommend listening to high bitrate lossless music files on FLAC, WAV, DSD or use a HIFI streaming service like deezer or Qobuz.
Sal Dineo
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2024
You may find different sounding dacs at this level but not "better".....very refined smooth presentation with plenty of features to mess around with....paying more won't get you much better than this....Update : After a few months in my system, the nuance's show up and they're all good...this processor has leading edge detail and image focus that puts enough of the "high end" in my system to just relax and enjoy it..something most "audiophile's " find elusive....great product
Smoker65
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023
I have seen some reviews of this amp on the web and being the sound chaser I am, I decided to take the plunge and pick one up.I plugged this into my Topping Velvet and FiiO K9-Pro. Sound-wise, it was like floating in space with no sound other than the music. I kid you not. I have a pretty well-endowed headphone and DAC/AMP collection and this amp is the best these old ears have heard so far. Black. Just black space with music. These ears have never heard anything like it.Of course, to achieve that 'black space' you will need a decent set of headphones. I have a plethora of them (probably should see someone about that) but the Meze 109s and the Sennheiser 660s really sounded good (actually, all the Sennheiser's did). The Audez LCD-2 also sounded really good.Sound-wise, what you put into the unit is what you hear. Period. If the track sounds bad, you will hear that.If you have a Hi-RES track and use the balanced inputs (front and back) your head explodes.I really believe in the law of diminishing returns. Yes, I could get a 2K AMP and DAC and have this pristine sound system but, I'm an old-school rock and roller and grew up on albums. What this amp offers is simply the best I have heard to date. I have the Topping A90 Discrete, and while a fantastic amp, it has no...attitude. It's almost boring. The D70...not boring. Just sound. Love it.I am getting the associated DAC for the unit (D70 Pro) as I want to hear what the two together can do. I will use the Velvet elsewhere or, swap them in and out as I really like the sound of the Velvet.I hope this helps. I am pretty much at my end game for now. If the D70 Pro does what I expect, this will be my top-end DAC/AMP for some time to come.
Signorini Maurizio
Reviewed in Italy on December 22, 2023
Avevo già il Topping D50s, un DAC per me veramente ottimo, e l' S.M.S.L 500MK III, ma ho deciso di comperare il Topping D70 Pro Sabre. Dico subito che vale ogni centesimo del suo prezzo. Per me è senza dubbio superiore ai 2 DAC che ho citato. Partendo dall'aspetto, ha una costruzione molto solida è davvero ben costruito e con un'estetica semplice, lineare e raffinata.La cosa più importante è comunque il suono. Quindi come suona? E' una gioia per le orecchie.Ha un suono estremamente lineare e molto dettagliato, ma è anche molto musicale. Percepisci chiaramente dove sono posizionati i vari strumenti perchè c'è aria tra di loro. Il soundstage è ampio e profondo, con ottima immagine tridimensionale. Vorrei dire che ha un suono proiettato in avanti. La voce/strumento principale è in mezzo alla stanza, tutto il resto è uno o due passi indietro. Dinamica e risposta ai transienti eccezzionale. E' velocissimo.Riproduzione delle varie gamme sonore al Top. Bassi solidi, veloci, corposi con ottima estensione al sub-basso. Provare un pezzo con organo da chiesa per sentire cosa intendo. Medi ottimamente rappresentati. Gamma alta molto estesa, senza alcun roll-off all'estremo. I piatti della batteria sono melto ben udibili e naturali, li senti tintinnare proprio come dovrebbero senza però diventare troppo brillanti o fastidiosi.Già il D50s aveva molte di queste cose, ma il D70 è andato ben oltre. Il 500 MK III ha forse un tono appena più caldo, ma non ha l'estensione e la risoluzione verso gli estremi di banda che ha il D70. I piatti, ad esempio, sono un pò più appannati o meno percepibili.Molto bello il display a colori facilmente leggibile con i suoi tre schermi selezionabili a piacere. Info - Vu Meter - Spettrogramma.Ultima nota riguarda il set-up. Ha moltissime opzioni, ma girare nei vari menù e fare i settaggi è un gioco da bambini. Estremamente intuitivo. Ho settato tutto in cinque minuti senza dover ricorrere al manuale.In conclusione un DAC al top. Paragonabile, secondo me, a DAX molto più costosi. In assoluto il prezzo non è proprio economico, ma considerando cosa offre per il prezzo direi che ogni centesimo del suo prezzo è guadagnato.