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Aeon 2 Noire DAC/Amp combo recommendation
- Thread starter Sam976
- Start date
In the UK, Topping EX5, in black, obviously, to compliment the gorgeous orange display. 
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I'm driving my AEON Noire with a Matrix Audio mini-i Pro 3 and also with a Topping A30Pro feed by a Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3. Both amps drive the Noire without any effort. A bit over your budget but a Topping D30Pro + A30Pro stack would be my recommendation.
- Thread Starter
- #4
That looks pretty good, I'll look into it, thanks.In the UK, Topping EX5, in black, obviously, to compliment the gorgeous orange display.
- Thread Starter
- #5
Looks pretty good, thanks for the response.
The EX5 is only specified for a 16 ohm load though. I doubt that the Noire would be an issue in practice (with speaker amps load impedance is important, I'm just not sure how that applies to headphone amps), but confirmation would be nice.
I'm sure @JohnYang1997 can tell you more about that.
I'm sure @JohnYang1997 can tell you more about that.
1000ROUNDZ
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I have the Aeon 2 Closed, non Noire, and I've been super happy with my D30Pro + A30Pro stack.
Hi together, I have the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire and I really love it. At the moment I am considering which DAC/AMP setup I should choose. Here are the options that I consider:
Bojan
- Topping D30 pro & A90
- I consider this setup as an option that is fully balanced and will surely have enough power to drive the Noire.
- I chose the D30 pro because it fits to the look of the A90, it has an integrated power supply and it is way cheaper than the D90.
- Matrix Audio mini-i Pro 3
- This is a great all in one device that should also have enough power and it offers Airplay 2 which is a benefit for me.
- Topping EX5
- According to my intrernet research this is a pretty low priced device that should be able to drive the Noire
- Do you think the EX5 would have enough power to properly drive the Noire and deliver a sound quality near to the D30pro & A90 stack?
- Do you think the Matrix Audio paired with the Noire would deliver a sound quality near to the D30pro & A90 stack?
Bojan
fredstuhl
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I use it together with the EX5. Great device! However, don‘t buy sth with less power for the Aeon 2 Noire if you listen to recordings with high dynamic range. With some classical music, I really need to crank up the volume close to maximum.
Cool! Does the EX5 deliver high sound quality even when you turn the power up so high?
fredstuhl
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Yeah, I didn‘t notice any kind of noise or distortion, still absolutely enjoyable
1000ROUNDZ
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- Apr 30, 2020
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Why not a D30 Pro & A30 Pro stack so that they aesthetically fit together when stacked? I'm using that with my regular non-Noire DCA Aeon 2 Closed and it's been perfect. Plenty of power.
Couple of reasons here:
1) I had the chance to listen to the combination of an A90 Amp and my Aeon 2 Noire attached and I liked this combo very much.
2) By checking the internet I got the impression that the A90 is extremely highly regarded and the price increase compared to something like an A30 pro is not very high.
3) Somehow I liked the idea to have a fully balanced setup and as far as I know the A90 is the cheapest fully balanced amplifier from Topping. (Yeah, I am a technical nerd…)
4) The D90 DAC (would look nicer combined with A90) is way more expensive than the D30 Pro and I do not think that it would enhance sound quality so much over the D30 Pro.
Nevertheless I would prefer to have something substantially cheaper (like the EX5) or something that offer me an all in one package including Airplay support. But I am not willing to loose substantially sound quality from what I have already experienced. (A90+Noire)
Right now I have two HP amps for the Aeon 2 Noire. RME ADI 2 and the Topping a30 pro. With the topping a30 pro, it offers "balanced" output in the form of XLR or 4.4 pentacon, but they all have the same amount of power as the regular 6.35mm headphone out. If you add in a generous low bass shelf for bass heavy music and have to cut your preamp gain by 10dB you will need a beefy amp. From a value standpoint, I would get the D10b (balanced) and A30 pro. You will have a balanced connection between the dac/amp and more power than you will ever need to drive any headphone at a very reasonable price.
I had A30Pro and A90. Also own a mini-i Pro 3. All three are more than capable to drive the Noire's. I decided to return the A30Pro and keep the A90 just because it has a little more output and runs cooler than the A30Pro. I'm feeding the A90 with my MA X-SABRE 3 and that combo is the one I use with the DCA Noire's. The MA mini-i Pro 3 is to drive my Sundaras and 660s.
Cool! Would you say that the Mini-I Pro 3 paired with the Noire would sound worse than the A90?
Only at ear bleeding levels, which I don't listen to. But I can definitely notice that the A90 via balanced outs has zero issues driving the Noire's. The mini-i Pro 3 could go into clipping if you put a lot of low end EQ.
What model is that HP printer?
Color LaserJet Pro MFP-M479fdw
I have exactly the same printer…