You won’t have to search the audiophile portion of the Internet too hard to see how Chinese-made gear has disrupted the audiophile market. Companies such as Topping, S.M.S.L. and others have brought audiophile DACs to market with features on the surface that their North American and European competitors wouldn’t dream of offering at the same price point. These companies are often leaning on both tempting prices and often impressive measurements to draw in audiophile clients from all over the hobby.
The Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC (buy at Amazon) at $715 comes in two different flavors. There is the Sabre model, which I am reviewing here, which features an ESS ES9039S Pro chip, the flagship 32-bit DAC chip of SABRE redesigned by ESS. There is also the OCTO model, which features eight Cirrus Logic flagship chips (CS43198). These DACs also feature one balanced output in either four or five volts, and one unbalanced output in either two or 2.5 volts, a coax, optical, USB, and AES/EBU input. The DAC is also Bluetooth-enabled and is equipped with LDAC, aptX-Adaptive, aptX-HD, aptX, and AAC/SBC encoding. One of the other interesting features that the Topping D70Pro Sabre offers is that you can run it either as a DAC and use a preamplifier with it, or you can use its preamplifier function and control the volume through the device if you want to run your DAC directly into your amplifier.
What Makes the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC So Special?
- It is rare to find an AES/EBU input at this price point. I struggled to find a DAC from a non-Chi-Fi company that had an AES output for less than $15,000, which is nearly double the cost of the Topping D70 Pro.
- For minimalists, you can use the Topping D70 as a limited input preamp, thus taking your digital sources right into your power amp with volume control. If you’re someone who runs a digital-only setup with your audiophile system, being able to go directly from the DAC to your amplifier saves you “needing” a preamplifier, which could mean significant cost savings to you. In many ways, there are advantages to having a stereo preamp in your system, but being able to upgrade down the road is a good thing for many in the hobby who are on a budget.
- There are three filters to choose from on the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC. It is always nice to have filters on DACs, as these let you be in control/EQ of the sound, as you never know which you will prefer. Topping named these filters Default, Valve, and Transistor. The Default Mode is intended to be the most direct or in-the-studio-sounding, while the Valve Mode is intended to be a bit punchier, with tighter bass and detailed treble. Transistor Mode is intended to mimic a tube amplifier, adding some warmer, more relaxed sound. You might not like Valve or Transistor, skip them for Default Mode, and be good to go, too.
- The LED screen is useful and colorful. I often don’t love screens on the front of gear, as it’s one more thing that can fail over time. With that said, I really enjoyed the way that Topping has implemented their screen. I loved being able to visually see what bit rate the music was being reproduced at, as well as the VU meter option.
Why Should You Care About the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC?
If you’re in the market for an upgrade to your digital sources, a standalone DAC is a great way to go. The issue for most audiophiles is cost, as some modern DACs are dirt cheap, while others cost more than a new Ferrari. That’s quite a span, and nearly every modern DAC chipset today performs very well on paper. Also, many modern integrated amplifiers and preamplifiers today come with a DAC installed, as do most sources. However, their features are often limited. However, the Topping D70 Pro Sabre, at under $1,000, is a feature-rich DAC that will act as a significant upgrade to what is built into your source components.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC
- The remote on the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC feels chintzy. The remote feels very cheap, and I suspect that the plastic used to make it won’t be very durable over the long haul. If you’re someone who wants to adjust the volume or settings from the listening position, this could be an issue over time should it break, as you will now have to make your adjustments from the device itself. Perhaps you use your iPad or other tablet-like device to control your music streamer, in which case, this won’t be an issue, but it is still absolutely worth mentioning.
- You are somewhat on your own with support with a lot of Chi-Fi gear. Should you run into any issues with the DAC, you won’t have your local dealer to lean on for support. This doesn’t mean you aren’t supported, it just means you are likely going to have to rely on email support instead of having someone to call or chat with directly. Some online retailers outside of Amazon sell Topping, and they provide better customer support. Then again, it’s a DAC. How much support will you need? Not much, we hope, as a DAC in this configuration is a pretty simple component.
Listening to the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC …
I tested the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC with my Anthem STR Preamplifier in and out of the signal chain. In both cases, I used a Bluesound Node (2024), a Music Hall CD25.3 CD player, and an Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2 amplifier, played through Paradigm Premier 700F floorstanding speakers.
I started with John Mayer’s “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” (Qobuz 96 kHz) from his 2005 album Continuum. I have to admit, when this album was released, I wanted nothing to do with it. I was aware of Mayer’s prodigious guitar prowess. I have gotten back into Mayer’s music recently and I was blown away by how much I had been missing all of these years. Many people will look at this Mayer album and jump right to his ambitious cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love.” With the Topping D70Pro Sabre in the signal chain, this track took yet another step forward sonically. The slow WAH effect coming off Mayer’s guitar sounded smooth, never clicky or abrasive. The same effect is in play when the horns come in, as they fit perfectly, and the reproduction of the music remains very smooth. Lesser DACs don’t tend to get the descriptor of “smooth.”
Whenever I am reviewing a DAC, I love to dial-in Arcade Fire’s “Age of Anxiety I” from their 2022 album WE. The song and record as a whole deal a lot with many present-day issues, as the title suggests. What I love about this song is that it opens with a piano track, which gives you an immediate feel for how realistic the reproduction is, before some digitalized sounds that come later. You also really get a feel for the bass extension that is being provided midway through the track, then the layering of vocals near the end. The Topping D70 Pro Sabre was able to handle all of these with grace and no digital hash or ugliness. The piano at the start of the track sounded natural. When the pace picked up, I was able to feel the bass, even coming from modest speakers, and you could easily place the vocals through their layers, with Win Butler being in front, Régine Chassagne’s vocals slightly behind, and then the instruments behind them both.
Another notable track I that used to test the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC was “Corporation” (Qobuz 96 kHz) from Jack White’s 2018 album Boarding House Reach. This album remains White’s most experimental, as he himself in interviews referred to the album as being “bizarre.” When you first put this track on, the bass stands out immediately, as the track opens with just the drumbeat. You can hear the drums clearly, you get to feel them as well, the cymbals are clear, and you can hear the full sound coming from them. These themes are continued throughout this dense track. While White is well known for his guitar chops, it is the percussion that really stands out in this track, and the details that you can pick out with the Topping D70 Pro Sabre are fantastic, even compared to other DACs costing much more. The Topping D70 Pro Sabre brings that resolved studio sound to your digital music in a way that is not usually found in an audiophile component at this price range.
Will the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC Hold Its Value?
There is no shortage of people who are looking for these high-performance Chi-Fi DACs these days. When I look at the used market, there are plenty of them being sold secondhand, losing very little of their retail value (maybe 35 to 45 percent). Now, on a $700 component, that is fantastic, but at the same time, if you get five years of use out of the component, which I expect you can, and then get anything back, you are still going to find yourself in a positive position. With that said, you could just as easily at that point use it somewhere else in your home, or gift it to an audiophile who is earlier in their journey than you are.
What is the Competition for Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC?
The Gustard DAC-X18 ($700 – Buy at Amazon) is an option in the same price range as the Topping D70 Pro Sabre. This highly-touted Chi-Fi DAC uses the ESS ES9038 Pro chip and has many of the same features as the Topping, with one exception. The Gustard has an I2S input, which is very rare at this price point. We liked I2S in the $4,000 PS Audio DAC and we like it in $700 DACs, too.
The S.M.S.L. VMV D2R ($950 – buy at Amazon) is something you could look at if you have a slightly higher budget. This DAC uses the ROHM BD34301 chip, which is a little bit unique. What really sets this DAC apart is that it uses a big toroidal transformer to ensure that the low noise power system works properly. Digital audiophile components really benefit from bigger, better, cleaner power from their power supplies. The S.M.S.L VMV D2R has a color screen on the front, much like the Topping, and it features standard digital inputs, such as optical and coax, but it also contains ISS and AES/EBU inputs.
The Schiit BiFrost ($799) could be a solid option if you’re looking for an American-made DAC instead of something that is coming in on a boat. Schiit doesn’t use off-the-shelf chips in their DACs. The Bifrost uses four DAC8812 chips. It also features fully hardware-balanced architecture. Schiit gets you the benefits of the Chi-Fi experience, but without the pending tariffs.
Final Thoughts on the Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC …
Topping has built a reputation in the audiophile community of making DACs that punch well over their weight class, and the D70 Pro Sabre is no different. The features and the quality that you are getting for $700 are very intriguing, which many established players will likely need to reckon with at some point, as more and more people start to look at Topping’s DACs instead of something that might be five times more expensive, without having to sacrifice quality or many features.
The Topping D70 Pro Sabre DAC is easy to recommend to anyone who is looking for a digital upgrade to their mid-level audiophile system, and it is one that I will need to think long and hard about to see if I want to add it into mine before my time with it is up. I’ve got a bunch of DACs at this price range, and this one might be the last one standing. Let’s see.
