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Topping A90 Discrete Review (Headphone Amp & Preamp)

Rate this Headphone Amp/Pre-amp

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 16 4.0%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 13 3.2%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 69 17.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 306 75.7%

  • Total voters
    404
OP
amirm

amirm

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Does this display which input is selected when the EXT is connected?
I am pretty sure I read in the manual that it does this. I did not try it.
 
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amirm

amirm

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Some considerations disregarding sound.
Reliance on remote control for basic functions like changing gain is a pretty bad choice and an immediate disqualifier.
I just keep the remote next to the unit and it works almost as well as a switch. You get to set safe values also for the different outputs which is another bonus. So it definitely is NOT a disqualifier. Different, yes. But nothing remotely even if you prefer had buttons like I do.
 
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amirm

amirm

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The OG A90, while not being a beautiful looking amp or anything, looks more elegant and better put together, while also having very functional PHYSICAL SWITCHES.
I have them stacked on top of each other and the A90D definitely looks more elegant and luxurious.
 

enricoclaudio

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I love my A90 but I would like remote and display like in the new A90D. Not to mention that I’m getting a full refund (minus $16 shipping) if I return my A90 purchased in Oct 2021 and with the store credit I purchase the new A90D. So I’ll be only $116 out of pocket for the upgrade. Just need to wait 2 weeks until the A90D is available from Headphones.com ;)
 

DWI

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If EU is ok for you, too. Audiophonics has listed them (arriving in July).
Sending from UK and EU is a real problem these days. You even have to get customs clearance for repairs. So from the UK I would not buy from France.
 

Toni Mas

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I must confess that I got a bit worried when Topping told me about the A90 Discrete. I worried that they were making a discrete version just to appease audiophiles but with much loss in noise and distortion metrics.
Well the last reviews we have all been aware of tend to indicate that the Sinad race is coming so close to perfection (audible or not...) and hence to an end... So that manufacturers are bound to invent something else to help the business keep going on... It seems that this idea is perfectly clear for Sinad champions like Topping, and others... They will definitely need to stimulate the subjective side of our audiophile brains to help their show going on... as did all past legends of the audiophile show ... ;)
 
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DWI

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Really a state of art product, grats to the company!
Meanwhile, the big audiophile brands usually can only make garbage for 10 times more money... :D
There are plenty of good integrated amplifier and DACs at this price point, the Chord Mojo2 is cheaper and has an excellent DAC and battery power.
 

DWI

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Well the last reviews we have all been aware of tend to indicate that the Sinad race is coming so close to perfection (audible or not...) and hence to an end... So that manufacturers are bound to invent something else to help the business keep going on... It seems that this idea is perfectly clear for Sinad champions like Topping, and others... They will definitely need to stimulate the subjective side of our audiophile brains to help their show going on... as did all past legends of the audiophile show ... ;)
Well, it seems the vast majority of people will soon be listening to music through wireless headphones and earbuds, for some they will be lossless. For people with desktop boxes and wires, they will largely be a thing of the past. I have 11 sound zones here, all but one is wireless (my 2-channel system), they are all 24/192 PCM.
 

mrbungle

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Would be nice if pressing the volume knob changes what it cycles through. Like pressing once, stay in input selection mode for the next 10 seconds or so. Twice, output selection, thrice gain. But I assume it’s the same as in the Dx7 Pro, pressing the volume button just moves to the next input. Love the programmable C1 and C2 remote buttons, wished there were 4 though.
 

Toni Mas

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Well, it seems the vast majority of people will soon be listening to music through wireless headphones and earbuds...
Agree, but with some exceptions ...:cool:

claycar-lead.jpg
 

Human Bass

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It does the same thing doesn’t it?

It’s very obvious to me that the A90 sales are decreasing and they needed a new product so that reviewers can talk about it all over again and bring sales back up.

If this product makes you wanna throw your A90 in the trash because this one is so much better go ahead, but I personally don’t agree.
Well, it's an amp, it amplifies signals. But calling a rehash of the same product is dishonest. It's a very different take. It's like saying that a truck with diesel engine is the same as if had a gas engine.
 
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I just keep the remote next to the unit and it works almost as well as a switch. You get to set safe values also for the different outputs which is another bonus. So it definitely is NOT a disqualifier. Different, yes. But nothing remotely even if you prefer had buttons like I do.
It works, but still feels like a ridiculous compromise for desktop use where the amp sits under arm's reach. If the remote was just an option for convenience I could just leave it in the box, but requiring it for gain control, it ironically becomes an unavoidable inconvenience, just loose clutter on my desk. It is frustrating because this amp ticks many boxes with excellent measured performance but is compromised by a silly usability issue, not unlike the SA-1 and its underbelly gain switches.
Technical performance seems to be a mostly "solved problem" with modern solid state, even at much more modest price points. So I think that to expect more in other areas from flagship products, like build quality, additional features, ease of use, etc, is justified. And a mandatory remote just doesn't feel great.
 

carlcamper

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@JohnYang1997 , can Gain setting change in the Multi-function volume button be patched in via firmware update?
 

David_M

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Seems like you may not be the one that is missing parts but the Topping A30Pro most definitely is missing the XLR outputs in rear.:facepalm:
That's categorically and absolutely false...I have balanced outs from the A30Pro to my Kali monitors. Please familiar with the A30pro first before facepalming me.
 

Trell

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That's categorically and absolutely false...I have balanced outs from the A30Pro to my Kali monitors. Please familiar with the A30pro first before facepalming me.

He wrote missing balanced XLR output, tough it has balanced TRS output. Not that a big deal for me whether or not it’s XLR or TRS for balanced output, and there is not that much space on the backside of the device either so some compromise has to be made with regards to connectors. For some it’s important, of course.

This from the ASR review.
 
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dsnyder0cnn

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compromise for desktop use where the amp sits under arm's reach.

I agree with Amir that it's not terrible. I use the remote with my DX3 Pro+ more often than I do the knob even though it sits on my desk and is always within arm's reach.

But, from what I've learned here, desktop use may not be the optimal use case for the A90D. Instead, I'd love to build a system around the A90D, stacked with the D90SE, EXT90 (optional), and LA90. I can't believe that I've not ordered all of this stuff already.

Context: I tend to hang out with more subjective audiophiles who cheerfully spend four to five figures on components with a fraction of the performance on offer here. The value proposition, to me, seems pretty astounding.
 

David_M

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Pass through VS Pre. Digital volume control. But yes for SÉ performance A30 Pro is not exactly easy to beat ;)
The A30Pro has passthrough to its outputs. I have the EX5 outputs connected to the A30Pro via the pass-through switch to my external powered monitors. The lack of a digital volume control versus the analog control in my A30pro is a red herring since the A30Pro produced better 50mVrms and 4Vrms SINAD specs than the A90D, so it didn't affect the sound one bit. The only advantage of the A90D over my A30Pro in my opinion is the accurate, less than 0.5dB channel tracking to 120dB vs about -50 to -60dB on the A30Pro. Besides, I can't hear sounds that low at -50dB or lower, let alone -120dB. Very, very few of us do. Other strange and (often high pitched) noises in my head have already claimed those noise floors :)
 
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