Topping's E30 is a USB DAC with very compact dimensions and surprising performances for its size. It uses a AK4493 DAC chip which is among the most famous components in High Fidelity Audio for this purpose. It also uses a Xmos interface providing a clear and transparent connection to any digital sources with a USB output.
This DAC has a volume control function which can be bypassed to use it either with a preamplifier or directly with active speakers or a power amplifier.
Topping has not forgotten to work on the product looks, since the E30 has an elegant and readable display accompanied by a beautiful touch control button.
Impressive connectivity for its size
Unlike the majority of compact DACs that use a micro USB port, Topping gave its E30 an USB-B port. Thus giving it is a great advantage in terms of robustness and lifespan over its competitors.
The energy requirements are low enough to allow direct power supply through the USB port. There is also a DC jack which is ideal for connecting the E30 to any Hi-Fi grade power-supply (LPSU) without using any adapter.
A Coaxial SPDIF and an Optical SPDIF input enable the DAC E30 to work with external digital sources. Multiple devices (TV, media platform or game console) can be connected and enjoy its excellent audio decoding capability.
Its SPDIF interface use a CS8416 low-jitter chip, which supports digital audio streams up to 24-bit / 192kHz.
The touch button on the front panel can be used to change the active source. The source selection can also be done using the included infra-red remote control.
The output is a simple RCA stereo connector with variable volume.
AK4493 DAC & XMOS USB
Digital to Analog audio conversion uses a AK4493EQ 32-bit Dac chip. This modernized version of the famous AK4490EQ benefits from better distortion and signal-noise ration than its parent while keeping all the technologies that made it popular. It includes the famous Velvet Sound technology with increasingly accurate digital filters.
The USB input is controlled by a XMOS interface that enables to properly support very high sampling frequencies (up to 768kHz 16 and 32bit). This component also provides native DSD compatibility up to DSD512 in addition to the DOP256 support.
These components are rigorously integrated and allow the E30 to achieve a clear signal with an extremely low distortion rate of 0.0003%, less than -130dB crosstalk, 121dB signal noise ratio and 119dB measured dynamic range. This kind of performance is usually found in more expensive and bulky equipment.
