I can’t do a blind test between the Topping and the BB2. But I used to have a Topping D90 pretty much 3 years ago in Feb2021. Within 6 months I’d replaced it with the BB1 and it blew the Topping out the water( and I know one is purely a DAC only). I’ve just checked ASR and the Topping was not only “recommended” it was “strongly recommended”. I’m not saying the Topping sounded terrible, far from it, but it was lower league material compared to Premier League performance of the BB1, at least in my system anyway.
Once more the ear test wins for me, and unless we’re saying we’d rather get off on how some measurements looked on a website that suits me just fine.
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It just randomly happens once maybe twice in a year………no idea why 
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Regarding this thread from Audiogon that Michal from Mytek included in his post above, it’s a hoot reading their opinions on the ASR site.
I’ve already learned from reading a couple of posts there that this guy Amir at ASR doesn’t always even listen to the product he is reviewing, everything is based on the measurements of the device. WTAF? That is some crazy goings on.
It’d be like buying a house based on an architects drawings and not actually viewing the property.
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Maybe, but I discount plenty based on the pictures.
I’m not sure about this analogy. Before there was a physical building to view, someone had to look at the architectural renderings and commit money to the build. But this isn’t really the point of this thread 
I won’t debate your experience with the Mytek device. For your sample size of one, the most important thing is that you enjoy listening to music on your system. You should optimize for that.
I’ve followed this Mytek thread since it started in March 2023. It’s been a curiosity for me. Delays followed by delays followed by reports of lousy interactions with the company, overheating issues, re-design, etc. It has not been a pretty picture.
As I said earlier, it doesn’t surprise me that people lept on the negative ASR review.
@Michal_Jurewicz1 has an opportunity to decide how he wants to represent his company. It’s not an easy situation - he should take a stand regarding the choices they made. We can debate the choices and support them or call them nonsense, but he should take a stand. That’s not the whole story, though. It’s not just about engineering. It’s about the brand and how he represents it. What I see is arrogance, hubris, name calling, defensiveness. That’s been the thread all along. Whether it’s directed at customers, Amir, HEM, the ASR community, or someone else, it’s the same story. Everyone is either an idiot or tried to screw him and his company. He alternates between lashing out and explaining how he’s been victimized.
It’s his choice - he can do what he wants. I doubt it’s a winning approach in the long run. A little humility, on the other hand, would actually go a long way.
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Yep, it might be a sample size of one, but it’s the most important sample size to me.
Since I started buying DAC’s or streamer/DAC’s over the last decade or so I found I was changing them every year to 18 months as I always felt something was missing. However I’ve had the BB1 for over 2.5 years and as I said I’ve finally found what I was looking for and haven’t felt the need to scratch any itch and replace it yet. I’m not saying I’ll still have it in a years time, or even two or three, but I’m content for the moment.
I should add as well that I didn’t buy the BB1 or the partnered power amp brand new, combined cost for that would have been circa £4500. I got them both second hand for a total of £2000, and to be honest they were both immaculate and looked as near as damn it brand new. This may or may not help explain my joy at the performance they provide.
I should also point out that I’m far from a Mytek fan boy. My post upstream on this thread shows that I was far from impressed with the poor customer interaction any time I have had to contact them, sometimes taking several repeat emails for a reply that eventually came weeks later. To that end I doubt I’d buy off them again. Any dealings I’ve had with other hifi manufacturers over 30 years or so have always been dealt with promptly and satisfactoraly, and that is something Mytek need to address and improve on.
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Mytek tech support in Europe, which was handled by HEM in the past, is now handled by Mytek Europe Branch and since last Dec now have a full time customer support technician on European time answering clients every day. The email and cel nr for this tech support is here: Support | Mytek Audio
I hope that now you will get a good customer support experience.
Sincerely, Michal
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So no real comparison was made between Topping and BB. But BB’s price tag sounded much better to you. This is quite common, and has been discussed in psychoacoustic threads ad nauseum.
There would be absolutely nothing wrong in preferring BB’s sound to Topping’s sound under proper blind test, some people like tubes, too, but Topping (or pretty much anything else, including that $9 Apple dongle) is more accurate and faithful to the original sygnal, givverish about “good distortion” aside, and that’s what most people prefer, and what ASR is concerned about. I, personally, would not call a device (especially at Mytek’s price) that is incapable of accurate reproduction to be anywhere near Premier League.
Isn’t pretty much anything on Audiogon a hoot?
He provides a very valuable service of providing accurate measurements of equipment. He also always makes a point that above certain threshold differences in e.g. SINAD are inaudible anyway, and that while most people statistically can be shown to prefer more accurate reproduction to less accurate one, it does not predict any person’s individual preference.
If the drawings show that a roof has not been designed in, and a toilet is in the middle of a kitchen and has no walls (which is quite similar to BB2’s design, actually), do you really need to go view the property?
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Yeah there is nothing wrong with someone preferring a dac with more distortion . I do think increased distortion can be pleasing to the ears and tube amplifiers certainly come to mind as you mention.
For me , I like audio products that measure well like Benchmark and most Chord products. They simply are more faithful to the recording itself
Did you actually read what I said? I started off by saying that it wasnt a blind test, but I was comparing the sound of the BB to to the sound of the Topping from literally the day before as the BB was replacing the Topping. Have you heard either of the two players? I can assure you the BB’s price had nothing to do with the purchase, and anyway as I explained I paid less than half price. Anyway, I couldn’t give a damn how much equipment costs, as long as it sounds good. I also don’t suffer from envy towards anybody who can spend several times what I spend on gear, good luck to them I say.
At least we agree Audigon is a hoot, even if for different reasons. I just make sure I dont have any liquid nearby any time I dip into that thread in case my keyboard gets destroyed at their thoughts on the disciples worshipping at the altar in the church of ASR
Just like putting an engine on the dynamometer, does it meet the specifications? Can it pass a clean unadulterated signal. Let’s first get to zero, then the user can add his or her personal preference. Muse/DSP, plugin, tube buffer………whatever.
But dang it, start with the basic truth in passing a pure signal.
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Indeed, I read it. And sorry to say, the “comparison”: you made is absolutely worthless for determining whether the two even sound different in the first place, let alone whether one is better than the other. It just does not work that way. And that you got a good deal on BB just confirms that whatever improvement you seem to perceive is due to cognitive bias, not anything “real.”
Flat-earthers discussing how clueless all those dumb eggheads are is always a hoot!
But…but where’s the MAGIC in that?!
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My comparison would only be worthless if I hadn’t heard both players literally within hours of each other. eg I was using the Topping the day before(just as I had every day during 6 months of use) and then swapped out the cables and connected the Mytek. I never used the Topping again after that. If I had known that two or three years later a guy on Roon was going to be insisting on Blind Tests being performed I would have sat down and listened to both players over a few days and then I could have brandished my blind test badge at you. Unfortunately I didn’t do those tests but at least I actually did listen to the two players in question.
And you didn’t answer my question regarding whether you’d heard either player?,
But I’m guessing you would rather just marvel at the measurements Amir produced over at ASM rather than listen to them both.
Based on the observed measurements, it’s possible that you prefer the additional distortion, jitter, etc. from the Mytek. Tube amp aficionados like those additional, prominent harmonics that color the sound, referring to it as “warm.” That’s fair enough, though most of the artifacts from the Mytek device (as well as slow rolloff filter) are likely hard to hear.
Still, if the goal is high fidelity to the original signal, the product is mediocre compared to most of the Topping, SMSL, etc. line of DACs.
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Thanks for that insight. Actually I do prefer “warm” sounding equipment, although I had no idea that so called negative terms like jitter and distortion could lead to that kind of sound.
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People actually do that.
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“horrible group of miscreants?” lol
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Doesn’t, or at least did, Mytek have a solid reputation in the professional recording community. Isn’t that where they got their start? It does seem hard to rationalize that having made products in the past that passed professional muster, Michal would suddenly decide to make an inferior product.
It seems to me that the only folks defending the BBll are those who have actually heard it.
Just saying…
Every job you ever taken on been a breeze, completely a home run? Sometimes things just don’t go as smoothly as planned. It’s then that you see how a company responds when things go sideways. Ever hear of the Edsel automobile?
The owners are probably quite chuffed to hear anything about now. I’m sure it sounds ok, maybe it will get better soon though updates. That would be great.
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We actually had a house built from an architect’s plan we bought off the Internet.
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