• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Topping preamp

typericey

Senior Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
304
Likes
461
This is my wish, with the measurements of the A90 but with multiple inputs, both RCA and balanced. Something similar to the Schiit Freya S in terms of functionality and price, but with out of this world measurements that is worthy to be connected to the D90 and other well measuring electronics (i.e. AHB2).

Perhaps this is the missing piece in the Topping arsenal, something I am confident Topping can execute with excellence.

I just thought of putting this here, because I know that Topping reads the forum.

If you want this too, please comment in this thread. With enough "votes" maybe we can get Topping to consider.

*side note: heck maybe Topping should also get into power amps i.e. NCore or Purifi based!
 

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,752
Likes
20,770
Location
Canada
This is my wish, with the measurements of the A90 but with multiple inputs, both RCA and balanced. Something similar to the Schiit Freya S in terms of functionality and price, but with out of this world measurements that is worthy to be connected to the D90 and other well measuring electronics (i.e. AHB2).

Perhaps this is the missing piece in the Topping arsenal, something I am confident Topping can execute with excellence.

I just thought of putting this here, because I know that Topping reads the forum.

If you want this too, please comment in this thread. With enough "votes" maybe we can get Topping to consider.

*side note: heck maybe Topping should also get into power amps i.e. NCore or Purifi based!
At the rate Topping is conquering the market positions that it competes in this is going to be very interesting in years to come.
 
OP
typericey

typericey

Senior Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
304
Likes
461
Pre90 is already in the works and should have multiple inputs. Pair it with D90+A90 or use it by itself with D90

Good news indeed. I searched for a "Pre90" topic here and seems there's none yet so I guess we can keep this thread and make it a Topping Pre90 rumors thread. :D
 

EdW

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
329
Likes
413
Location
Cambridge, UK
This is my wish, with the measurements of the A90 but with multiple inputs, both RCA and balanced. Something similar to the Schiit Freya S in terms of functionality and price, but with out of this world measurements that is worthy to be connected to the D90 and other well measuring electronics (i.e. AHB2).

Perhaps this is the missing piece in the Topping arsenal, something I am confident Topping can execute with excellence.

I just thought of putting this here, because I know that Topping reads the forum.

If you want this too, please comment in this thread. With enough "votes" maybe we can get Topping to consider.

*side note: heck maybe Topping should also get into power amps i.e. NCore or Purifi based!
I too had heard that John Yang was involved in the PRE90 project. A matching mono block power amp, say 200W/400W/800W into 8/4/2 Ohms with 1ppm linearity in the same form factor as the D90 would be a true AHB2 competitor and upgrade but would probably break the laws of physics as regards dissipation :) . . . I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Topping can do and I think I saw on one of the other threads that power amps are near the top of the list for development effort
 

JohnYang1997

Master Contributor
Technical Expert
Audio Company
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
7,175
Likes
18,292
Location
China
Pre90 has an optional extender.
Pre90 itself has the same IO as A90 on the back. 1 XLR + 1 RCA for both inputs and outputs.
Extender has extra 4 pairs of XLR inputs and 1 rca input. No extra outputs.
It has cut down A90 NFCA circuitry but still much more powerful than majority of headphone amps. But it's a preamp.
Relay switching volume control for best distortion and great separation.
Has a screen. Has a remote. Has safe volume.
Low noise, Low distortion as usual.
Reduced single ended ground related issue possibilities.
 

EdW

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
329
Likes
413
Location
Cambridge, UK
Pre90 has an optional extender.
Pre90 itself has the same IO as A90 on the back. 1 XLR + 1 RCA for both inputs and outputs.
Extender has extra 4 pairs of XLR inputs and 1 rca input. No extra outputs.
It has cut down A90 NFCA circuitry but still much more powerful than majority of headphone amps. But it's a preamp.
Relay switching volume control for best distortion and great separation.
Has a screen. Has a remote. Has safe volume.
Low noise, Low distortion as usual.
Reduced single ended ground related issue possibilities.
Relay volume control, remote and multiple inputs with your customary SOTA distortion and noise sounds like a true winner
 

Veri

Master Contributor
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
9,596
Likes
12,036
Relay volume control, remote and multiple inputs with your customary SOTA distortion and noise sounds like a true winner
I'm sure it will be. :)
 

bumelant

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
17
Likes
10
Can’t wait time buy it! Still I think, there is one more market that is underserved, although it would be a stretch for Topping, and that is lack of CD, not to mention SACD transport, that doesn’t brake the bank and has IIS and AES outputs, decent screen etc. There are many, many threads even on ASR, where people are still looking for solutions, and there isn’t many really. PS Audio Memory Player is one of the few, but look at its price... I would buy two Toppings myself if it was 90 series range
 

Koeitje

Major Contributor
Joined
Oct 10, 2019
Messages
2,292
Likes
3,880
Pre90 has an optional extender.
Pre90 itself has the same IO as A90 on the back. 1 XLR + 1 RCA for both inputs and outputs.
Extender has extra 4 pairs of XLR inputs and 1 rca input. No extra outputs.
It has cut down A90 NFCA circuitry but still much more powerful than majority of headphone amps. But it's a preamp.
Relay switching volume control for best distortion and great separation.
Has a screen. Has a remote. Has safe volume.
Low noise, Low distortion as usual.
Reduced single ended ground related issue possibilities.
Is there no way to get anything in there for stereo setups with subs? High pass and low pass outputs?
 
Last edited:

EdW

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
329
Likes
413
Location
Cambridge, UK
If it had DSP and more outputs I would be excited.
I’m thinking of putting Room EQ in the Raspberry Pi4 streamer driving the D90 DAC. Once I’ve got a UMIK-1 and learnt how to use REW and bruteFIR. As a hardware engineer that could tax my skills somewhat :). I expect you’ve got something more complex in mind though?
 

Racheski

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 20, 2020
Messages
1,116
Likes
1,699
Location
Chicago
Pre90 has an optional extender.
Pre90 itself has the same IO as A90 on the back. 1 XLR + 1 RCA for both inputs and outputs.
Extender has extra 4 pairs of XLR inputs and 1 rca input. No extra outputs.
It has cut down A90 NFCA circuitry but still much more powerful than majority of headphone amps. But it's a preamp.
Relay switching volume control for best distortion and great separation.
Has a screen. Has a remote. Has safe volume.
Low noise, Low distortion as usual.
Reduced single ended ground related issue possibilities.
1596641666998.jpeg
 

Beershaun

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
1,864
Likes
1,910
I need something to simply give me a full range line out for my subwoofer for a stereo plus sub music setup without all the complexity, cost, and reduced SINAD that comes with a AVR.
 

TimW

Major Contributor
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
1,065
Likes
1,406
Location
Seattle, WA
I expect you’ve got something more complex in mind though?
Just proper subwoofer integration, room correction, and speaker equalization for all of my sources. It is easy to do in a system with a singular digital source but then why would you need an analog preamp like this?
 

Beershaun

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
1,864
Likes
1,910
Just proper subwoofer integration, room correction, and speaker equalization for all of my sources. It is easy to do in a system with a singular digital source but then why would you need an analog preamp like this?

What is the "thing" I can plug my subwoofer line level input into between my E30 DAC and a 2 channel AMP for my ELAC DBR62s to get a signal to it without going through ADDA processing? And I'll need volume control. I have "heard" the E30 volume control function is not very clean and affects the sound quality. That's what I haven't been able to fit into my nefareous plan to remove my old AVR from the chain and replace it with a VTV 2ch amp for my ELACs.

I can use my RBPI streamer for room correction and use the sub's built in crossover and phase correction to handle low pass filtering and delay.
 
Last edited:

TimW

Major Contributor
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
1,065
Likes
1,406
Location
Seattle, WA
What is the "thing" I can plug my subwoofer line level input into between my E30 DAC and a 2 channel AMP for my ELAC DBR62s to get a signal to it without going through ADDA processing? That's what I haven't been able to fit into my nefareous plan to remove my old AVR from the chain and replace it with a VTV 2ch amp for my ELACs.

I can use my RBPI streamer for room correction and use the sub's built in crossover and phase correction to handle low pass filtering and delay.
There are active analog crossovers available for reasonable prices such as the Rolls SX45. It has somewhat shallow 12 dB/octave slopes of unspecified type, non ideal input and output impedance, and no distortion or noise specs. It would get the job done as far as crossover goes but you don't get hardware EQ and measured performance is likely to be poor.

If you are willing to DIY some, there is also this option. It has 24 dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley slopes and likely better performance than the Rolls. You have to get two, put together an enclosure, and supply power though. And the crossover frequency is set by proprietary modules. And the THD+N spec of 0.0086% corresponds to a SINAD of 81 dB which is mediocre. And still no hardware based EQ.

Even though it would add extra ADDA processing, a miniDSP 2x4 connected to the output of your E30 would give you better performance and more flexibility than these similarly priced analog options. If you wanted to keep the signal path more pure, you could just replace the E30 with a miniDSP 2x4HD.

I would love to recommend something other than miniDSP products but there are few other affordable DSP options with decent performance. A Topping product with DSP, multiple outputs, and Topping level performance and pricing would be a godsend. Unfortunately they seem to be laser focused on chasing SINAD numbers.
 
Top Bottom