I am very impressed with the Topping E30 II Lite external digital-to-analog converter I bought a few weeks ago. Purchased primarily for the display, to figure out my Chromecast Audio problem, the improvement in sound over the built-in DAC’s in my digital sources is obvious. The shimmer of cymbals is very realistic compared to what I had been hearing all these years, and the overall sound is now much more “open and spacious.”
The E30 II Lite is on sale for $85, compared to the $100 that I paid for mine.
https://www.amazon.com/Topping-E30II-lite-DAC-Preamp/dp/B0C9HC6XCK/
It’s called the “Lite” model because its more expensive brother, the E30 II, has two DAC circuits. Normally costing $150, the E30 II is also currently 15% off. As I always do, and enjoy very much doing, I took a deep dive into the technical weeds to finalize a selection, and I couldn’t find a reason to buy the more expensive model, other than bragging rights for having two DAC’s.
Note: These products come with power cables, but not a power adapter. A standard 5V USB adapter with an “A” port is needed, and by now doesn’t everybody have some spares sitting in a drawer?