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Thread: Allo Katana vs Topping 90/70 etc

  1. #1
    Join Date: Feb 2012

    Location: Estonia

    Posts: 145
    I'm ahto.

    Default Allo Katana vs Topping 90/70 etc

    seeing the Topping 90 dac widely praised I wonder if anyone here is in a position to compare its (or its lesser siblings') streaming performance to the Allo Katana (+Isolator)? (the Katana being fed a wifi signal, the Topping, presumably, via USB).

    many thanks

    ahto
    Lenco L75 in a very heavy plinth /Hadcock 228 /London Decca Blue /Croft SMA IV Octal with separate 2020 PSU/ Croft 7R monos /Harbeth SHL5

    Fletcher .3 /Hadcock 228 / Denon 103R/ Croft HeadAmp /Croft Mega Micro II (2015) /Croft Series 5 MkIi /Markaudio SOTA Cesti B

    Leak Troughline III GTA / Vecteur D-2.2 / Wadia 121 / Katana, Isolator & RPi /RFC & AntiCable

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Carlisle - UK

    Posts: 1,984
    I'm Ken.

    Default

    That's a very specific combination so I can only speak about the D90.

    I got this a few days ago, it replaces the DAC in my PS Audio Stellar GCD.
    It is a very clean, detailed sound, yet very natural sounding, easy to listen to.

    More neutral than the Stellar, which is big and bouncy, less detailed in comparison.

    Very impressed with how the D90 performs, well built and even the packaging was well done.

    It's a very good DAC, I use it just as a DAC, with the Volume control turned off/bypassed.
    Using a laptop via USB at present, but end use is a Pi4 music server/streamer using Volumio.
    I have the Allo Kalli i2s re-clocking hat board + the Audio GD i2s line driver, output board (HDMI socket).
    Also the Audiophonics AES/EBU output hat board (Made by TeraDak).
    I will be comparing these two against the USB output from the Pi4, the D90 accepts all three inputs.
    USB and i2s inputs, accept native DSD up to 512 on the D90, as well as PCM capability, so you can play material of virtually any form without any conversion, using these inputs.
    So at least I have the choice with this DAC.
    As far as I know, AES/Coax/Toslink only works with PCM, its certainly that way on the D90.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Sep 2011

    Location: Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland

    Posts: 533
    I'm stuart.

    Default

    I've been looking at the D90, does anyone know if is there a user guide I can download as I can't find it on the Topping website?
    Garrard 401, Jelco 750 with Shuggie, Ortofon 2M Black / ZYX Yatra 100, Project Phono RS with Sigma22 Linear PS, RPi3 + DigiOne + Linear PS, RPi3/1Tb SSD with PiCorePlayer + Linear PS, Perreaux Eloquence 250i 40th Anniversary with ES9038Pro DAC, DCG3 Pre-Amp, Neurochrome 8x2 Pre-Amp, Neurochrome 686 Power amp, Benchmark DAC2 HGC, Primare V25 CD player, Monitor Audio PL300, Sjostrom DCT03 DC Blocker.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Carlisle - UK

    Posts: 1,984
    I'm Ken.

    Default

    Their Website seems to have changed in the last few days, it was under downloads.
    There is a link to the PDF in Audiophonics Product webpage, under downloads here: https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-w...k-p-14281.html

  5. #5
    Join Date: Mar 2014

    Location: KY - Scotland

    Posts: 5,470
    I'm Mike.

    Default Allo Katana vs Topping 90/70 etc

    Quote Originally Posted by killie99 View Post
    I've been looking at the D90, does anyone know if is there a user guide I can download as I can't find it on the Topping website?
    Is this it?

    http://www.tphifi.net/drivers/d90_user_manual.zip

    Edit: ah I see Qwin beat me to it

  6. #6
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: The Black Country

    Posts: 6,089
    I'm Alan.


  7. #7
    Join Date: Mar 2014

    Location: KY - Scotland

    Posts: 5,470
    I'm Mike.

    Default

    That's 3 copies now, one for midweek, one for the weekend and one spare.

    Jeez be calling you Al or Walp soon

  8. #8
    Join Date: Sep 2011

    Location: Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland

    Posts: 533
    I'm stuart.

    Default

    brilliant, I'll read all 3 this afternoon
    I think the problem was I not on the main Topping page, I was on topping-audio.com which doesn't have a download section for some reason. Thanks.
    Garrard 401, Jelco 750 with Shuggie, Ortofon 2M Black / ZYX Yatra 100, Project Phono RS with Sigma22 Linear PS, RPi3 + DigiOne + Linear PS, RPi3/1Tb SSD with PiCorePlayer + Linear PS, Perreaux Eloquence 250i 40th Anniversary with ES9038Pro DAC, DCG3 Pre-Amp, Neurochrome 8x2 Pre-Amp, Neurochrome 686 Power amp, Benchmark DAC2 HGC, Primare V25 CD player, Monitor Audio PL300, Sjostrom DCT03 DC Blocker.

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