Jose Hidalgo
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Hi everybody This is more complicated than it seems, so I've split this post into several parts (everything is correlated). Thanks in advance to ASR experts for their precious help !
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As some of you know, I have two L30 that I'd like to replace because of the potential risk for my beloved headphones (Thank you Topping for reacting quickly about that issue, much appreciated). The obvious way is to have my reseller (Aoshida) send me two L30 of the newest batch and get rid of the two old L30.
I could also pay a bit more and get two A50s instead (price difference vs. the L30 : 60-70 € per amp, so 120-140 € total). Not for performance (I'm quite sure both sound the same to the human ear) but for peace of mind, as the A50s don't seem to have any problems.
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The A50s has two main differences vs. the L30 :
Also, I have a pair of Sundara and so far I've been a little disappointed with their subjective performance on my L30. Maybe it's simply because my ears don't fall in love with the Sundara. But could it be that being planars they don't give their full potential in unbalanced mode ? (just asking, it may be a stupid question, sorry). Would it have something to do with the slew rate being faster in balanced mode ? Or is the L30 slew rate beyond human ear capabilities anyway ?
Until now I didn't see a reason to go balanced with devices like Topping E30/L30 that are already excellent, but Amir himself has recently hinted that balanced is noticeably better in his A50s listening tests, so I'm confused now.
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It may be worth mentioning that in any case my DACs will remain unbalanced. I have two E30, I don't intend to replace them, and if I did someday, it would be for a multi-channel DAC like the ESI Gigaport EX which is also unbalanced. Is it really worth having a balanced amp like the A50s when your DAC is unbalanced like the E30 ? (for the record the D50 and the D50s are unbalanced too - balanced DACs are much more expensive).
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Last but not least, I'm about to order a set of modular custom-made headphone cables, for all my headphones.
Since I wasn't interested in balanced, I was about to order this :
If I wanted to go balanced with the A50s, I should instead order this :
TO SUM IT UP :
Solution 1 :
These decisions will shape my listening experiences for the upcoming years. I'm currently half-afraid (that a L30, past or future, could blow my headphones) and half-confused. Thanks !
----------
As some of you know, I have two L30 that I'd like to replace because of the potential risk for my beloved headphones (Thank you Topping for reacting quickly about that issue, much appreciated). The obvious way is to have my reseller (Aoshida) send me two L30 of the newest batch and get rid of the two old L30.
I could also pay a bit more and get two A50s instead (price difference vs. the L30 : 60-70 € per amp, so 120-140 € total). Not for performance (I'm quite sure both sound the same to the human ear) but for peace of mind, as the A50s don't seem to have any problems.
----------
The A50s has two main differences vs. the L30 :
- It's a balanced amp, so it has a 6.35 plug and a 4.4 pentaconn plug which can deliver 4 times the power of the 6.35
- It's about half as powerful as the L30 in unbalanced mode, whereas in balanced mode it's about twice as powerful (see L30 review and A50s review).
Also, I have a pair of Sundara and so far I've been a little disappointed with their subjective performance on my L30. Maybe it's simply because my ears don't fall in love with the Sundara. But could it be that being planars they don't give their full potential in unbalanced mode ? (just asking, it may be a stupid question, sorry). Would it have something to do with the slew rate being faster in balanced mode ? Or is the L30 slew rate beyond human ear capabilities anyway ?
Until now I didn't see a reason to go balanced with devices like Topping E30/L30 that are already excellent, but Amir himself has recently hinted that balanced is noticeably better in his A50s listening tests, so I'm confused now.
----------
It may be worth mentioning that in any case my DACs will remain unbalanced. I have two E30, I don't intend to replace them, and if I did someday, it would be for a multi-channel DAC like the ESI Gigaport EX which is also unbalanced. Is it really worth having a balanced amp like the A50s when your DAC is unbalanced like the E30 ? (for the record the D50 and the D50s are unbalanced too - balanced DACs are much more expensive).
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Last but not least, I'm about to order a set of modular custom-made headphone cables, for all my headphones.
Since I wasn't interested in balanced, I was about to order this :
- Interconnects : 3.5 mm to mini-XLR 3P
- Headphone cables : mini-XLR 3P to 2 x headphone connectors
If I wanted to go balanced with the A50s, I should instead order this :
- Interconnects : 4.4 mm to mini-XLR 4P
- Headphone cables : mini-XLR 4P to 2 x headphone connectors
- Unbalanced adapters (for smartphones & co.) : 3.5mm male to 4.4mm female
TO SUM IT UP :
Solution 1 :
- Wait a couple of months for peace of mind
- Order two L30 from the newest batch (2102 or later)
- Order custom unbalanced cables (which means that I will never be able to go balanced in the future unless I change everything)
- Don't wait
- Order two A50s now, paying the price difference
- Order custom balanced cables (which will be more expensive too)
- Don't wait
- Order two A50s now, paying the price difference (about 80 € per amp, so 160 € total)
- Order custom unbalanced cables
These decisions will shape my listening experiences for the upcoming years. I'm currently half-afraid (that a L30, past or future, could blow my headphones) and half-confused. Thanks !
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