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Searching for an AMP and DAC for DT 1990 Pro

Iglo

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Personally I don’t have hand on experience (but do dig through the test results of other devices). But you can use the measurements overview posted earlier.

Obviously other brands are not immune to potential problems with a product, and I'm happy how Topping handled the issue.
 
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NiklasH

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Personally I don’t have hand on experience (but do dig through the test results of other devices). But you can use the measurements overview posted earlier.

Obviously other brands are not immune to potential problems with a product, and I'm happy how Topping handled the issue.

Do you think that the Topping A50s would be a good pairing with the Topping E30?
Those two I could get where I live.
 

Iglo

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Yes the A50s is also a fine amp. Basically all Topping amps sound the same (any differences in measurements are not audible). The different versions/price brackets differ on:

1. power output
2. connection options
3. features

The A50s offers a balanced headphone output and less gain settings compared to the L30. Balanced can be useful for some hard to drive headphones if they come with a balanced cable (or the option to connect one). The DT 1990 Pro for instance needs some serious modding (soldering / different cables and connectors / drilling in the earcups) to get them ready for a balanced connection.

I have headphones (HD660s) which came with a unbalanced and balanced cable but as the L30 provides enough power unbalanced I never feel the need to change to a balanced output amp.

But regardless of the connection type (and for me personally more important) the A50s only has 2 gain modes (0db / +6 db) vs the three modes on the L30 (-9 db / 0 db / +9 db). This makes the L30 more suitable for a wide range of headphones (also very sensitive IEMs). I often use the -9db setting even for average sensitive headphones as it makes the volume control less sensitive and more precise to control.

So comparing the A50s and L30 comes down to: A50s is best suited for hard to drive headphones with(!) a balanced cable. L30 for all other stuff.
 
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