Topping A30Pro Review (Balanced Headphone Amp)

[Veri]

Still waiting for that A30Pro+D30Pro combo price..

 

[Adahn]

So at more than 3/4 the price of the actual rme adi-2 you can get a 2 year limited warranty product from a company based in china who's last release was let's say... explosive. And you'd be giving up on the hardware eq and dsp as well.

Sounds like an awesome deal.

 

[raif71]

The only thing I would really like to see on L30 are ventilation holes. The one I returned was quite warm after an hour or two of use, and it was/is winter here. Don't understand the strategy of doing so with small devices that generate heat. I like the A30 Pro case.

something like this ?

 

[Seriosha]

European prices are announced with 349/399 EUR.

Too much for my taste...and I don't see the big advantage over the SMSL SH 9 that sells for and 100 euros less

 

[jannek]

Too much for my taste...and I don't see the big advantage over the SMSL SH 9 that sells for and 100 euros less

30 Euros less. If it is sold for 249 anywhere let me know.

 

[Seriosha]

30 Euros less. If it is sold for 249 anywhere let me know.

Aliexpress with free shipping, many shop there with that price

 

[jannek]

Don't forget import customs and tax. At least in Germany it's around 20%
I just compared Audiophonics prices.

 

[jawbfl]

Nope.

IMHO @amirm shouldnt review stuff with no explicit release date in the future. Hes providing free marketing and since they also didnt set a price either it seems Topping is still deciding how much they can milk the customer with the hype Amir sparked.

Welcome to 2021, last thing you set is price because it depends on the rank on Amir's chart, if only I could make an amp that gets 96 I'll sell it for a $1000 even if it costs $30 to make!

Seriously though this is effed up.

 

[Bjpenn88]

Welcome to 2021, last thing you set is price because it depends on the rank on Amir's chart, if only I could make an amp that gets 96 I'll sell it for a $1000 even if it costs $30 to make!

Seriously though this is effed up.

The market will determine the final price. If the A30Pro is too expensive, not enough people will buy and will find better options at the price point - then if Topping want to move more units, they will need drop the price. Otherwise if enough people buy at the listed price then I guess it means that the unit is just that good and Topping have set the price correclty.

 

[bigjacko]

SH-9 has perfect channel balance, personally I would just buy that one because of this reason alone, it is certainly more important than 10dB better noise, and now plus a lot cheaper.

 

[raif71]

For the estimated a30pro price, maybe it's better I get a used/demo/openbox unit of a90. Just pay slightly more

 

[jdizzle]

For the estimated a30pro price, maybe it's better I get a used/demo/openbox unit of a90. Just pay slightly more

how is the a90 better than the a30pro? Actually curious noob here. I see the a90 has the nfca business ‍*shrug*

 

[bigjacko]

how is the a90 better than the a30pro? Actually curious noob here. I see the a90 has the nfca business ‍

More functionality and truly balanced inside, but truly balanced inside is not going to be better. A30 pro actually has lower noise, so better in performance.

 

[raif71]

More functionality and truly balanced inside, but truly balanced inside is not going to be better. A30 pro actually has lower noise, so better in performance.

 

[jawbfl]

The market will determine the final price. If the A30Pro is too expensive, not enough people will buy and will find better options at the price point - then if Topping want to move more units, they will need drop the price. Otherwise if enough people buy at the listed price then I guess it means that the unit is just that good and Topping have set the price correclty.

I don't think it will work that way, manufacturers don't drop price significantly on a new product, how will they look going from $350 to $250 in a few months? so they will kill the model and release a new one if it didn't sell well. My guess is Topping isn't trying to be a value option anymore, EU and the international market works well for them so they will simply milk it. They don't need to worry about Schiit, JDS, Drop, Geshelli and other US manufacturers who clearly offer better value while being made in the US!

 

[Fohdeesha]

oof, yeah at that price I'm just gunna pick up a magnius lmao. I hope this new process doesn't become the norm (amazing review, *then* manuf. comes up with a matching price)

 

[Adahn]

I hope this new process doesn't become the norm (amazing review, *then* manuf. comes up with a matching price)

This is shady territory. Whether it's amir being in their pocket or simply taken advantage of, the bottom line remains that his reviews are being used as a marketing tool and that's unacceptable. A pre-production, so obviously hand picked (and potentially golden sample) unit is reviewed, and then the review is used to generate buzz and decide on a price. I find this whole deal appalling and hope it will serve as a wake up call.

At the very least I would expect no more reviews of unreleased products. Manufacturers always approach their critics and try to lure them one way or the other. Accepting pre-release samples for review is a slippery slope. Their terrible business practice is jeopardizing this site's integrity and I'm hoping amir will have something to say about this, because it's his own integrity that's on the line essentially.

 

[Veri]

A pre-production, so obviously hand picked (and potentially golden sample) unit is reviewed, and then the review is used to generate buzz and decide on a price. I find this whole deal appalling and hope it will serve as a wake up call.

Obviously hand-picked?? @WolfX-700 (l7audiolabs) has a lot of products for a second sample measurement and stuff pretty much always aligns. Your statement is baseless.

PS I bought and shipped @amirm this second SP200 https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...200-do-we-get-golden-samples-for-review.9673/
You can always ask to do the same if you're paranoid....

 

[Adahn]

Obviously hand-picked?? @WolfX-700 (l7audiolabs) has a lot of products for a second sample measurement and stuff pretty much always aligns. Your statement is baseless.

When something is not in production, it's by definition hand picked. It's not like they picked a random box off the shelf and shipped it.

 

[farmouss]

What the hell is wrong with you Topping? what is this price positioning all about?
Are you getting big headed?

Man, this is disappointing

This stack is out of the way...