On the plus side, the Topping has incredibly tight and extended low end performance bass notes are clearly defined and articulate regardless of musical genre.ĭetail retrieval is excellent. I’m not sure if “detached” is being overly harsh, but it lacks a certain degree of midrange punch if the rest of your system is on the more neutral side. It’s not the most colorful presentation and you will immediately notice that it doesn’t give as much weight to the human voice. If you prefer a neutral sounding presentation that is laser focused and very spacious sounding – the Topping A50s will be a good option for you.īut only if the rest of your system is on the warm side loudspeakers and amplifier. Listening to both DACs with the Songbird revealed that they sound nothing alike. It gives you some wiggle room when it comes to selecting a DAC. The Songbird isn’t a very forward sounding streamer which I think was a smart move on the part of the manufacturer. I still preferred its performance with the Schiit DAC but the analog output sounds excellent as well.įor those looking to assemble an affordable desktop headphone system, either combination will work with a variety of headphone amplifiers like the Schiit Audio Vali 2 or Topping A50s. We’ve discovered from a reader and update on the Andover website that the digital output does not support anything higher than 16-bit/44.1kHz. ![]() The Schiit Modi Multibit DAC offers USB, optical, and coaxial digital inputs, supports up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM, but does not offer support for DSD or MQA. The Topping D50s offers a lot more functionality than the Modi Multibit with its own volume control, support for 32-bit/768kHz PCM, DSD 512, MQA, Bluetooth 5.0, 7 selectable PCM filters, and a remote control. Neither combination will run you more than $380 which is borscht in today’s audio world. I like it even more when connected to the Schiit Audio Modi Multibit and Topping D50s DACs. I really like the sound quality of the Songbird out of its analog output into the NAD C 316BEE, Croft Phono Integrated, Cambridge Audio AXA35, and Naim NAIT 5si. My mission in the final days of this miserable year would be to spread the word about a fascinating little black box that can deliver musical joy, not break the bank, and help rebuild the Jedi Order. So, when the $129 Andover Audio Songbird streamer arrived, there was a feeling of rejuvenation in my daily listening routine. ![]() One almost feels guilty sitting down and listening critically to so many products and trying to convince people to spend a lot of money right now on stereo equipment. It hasn’t been as much fun listening with life turned on its head there have been too many distractions in regard to working remotely, educating 3 children living in two different countries, shopping for relatives who are medically compromised, and just keeping all of the bills paid. Music has been really cathartic this year. ![]() The year started with the unexpected passing of Neil Peart, before moving on to the global pandemic, an embarrassment of a national election, a diagnosis of cancer in the family, peace deals in the Middle East, more global pandemic, and is ending with the hope of a vaccine for all of us in 2021. We have plenty of reviews forthcoming on some exceptional equipment from Yamaha, Naim, HiFi Rose, Theory Audio Design, Rotel, and others – but I really want to focus on the Songbird, and a few other pieces of affordable equipment that have made the last weeks of 2020 a lot more normal. With only a few weeks left in 2020, it feels appropriate to spill some additional ink on the Andover Audio Songbird streamer.
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