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DT 1990 Pro (MK I) + Topping L30 I + Topping D10s

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Aug 1, 2020
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Freiburg, DE
Hello everyone,

I have been exchanging some plastic parts as well as my headband on my DT 1990 Pro (MK I) yesterday and started reviewing some older posts recently.
I was - again - especially interested in the ones regarding my own equipment. Some of which led me to the decision to buy them in the first place. While I was doing that, I noticed the Topping L30 II. Initially, I thought the "II" was just an addition to clarify the situation regarding the initial problems some L30 devices experienced (at the time I also had to get a replacement unit). But know that I now that there in fact are differences between the Topping L30 and the L30 II, I was asking myself some basic questions again that I hope you will be able to answer.

As I understood until now, the single most important thing for any amp is to drive headphones to a level at which one wants to enjoy the music. But at some point, I read about the amp needing to be powerful enough to be able to bring out all of the dynamics in a song the way, they are supposed to be.

With that being said: is the Topping L30 I in combination with my Topping D10s sufficient for my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (MK I)?

I usually use it at 0db gain, maxing out every digital volume control and adjusting via the volume knob on the L30, which is usually sitting between 1 o´clock and 3 o´clock. Just now I used it at 12 o´clock and +9 db gain. The volume itself was always loud enough for me and I don´t plan to damage my hearing in the near future as well. Does that mean the amp/dac-combo indeed is sufficient or does someone think that there somehow isn´t enough power to get everything out of these headphones ("dynamically" and everything)?

As I have said, I am aware of the different reviews (great work!) but still have trouble understanding them to a satisfactory degree. Though I understood, that the L30 - despite some intitial problems with some batches - and the D10s are both excellent meassuring pieces of audio equipment.

Thank you for your clarification!

BTW: How are you able to tell at how much db you are listening to your music? I just read some posts where people were telling they usually never listen above say 100db.
 
Does that mean the amp/dac-combo indeed is sufficient or does someone think that there somehow isn´t enough power to get everything out of these headphones ("dynamically" and everything)?
Yes.

BTW: How are you able to tell at how much db you are listening to your music?
Best method (IMO) is to use a multimeter to measure output voltage, then combine that with sensitivity measurements of your headphone to calculate SPL.
 
Hello everyone,

I have been exchanging some plastic parts as well as my headband on my DT 1990 Pro (MK I) yesterday and started reviewing some older posts recently.
I was - again - especially interested in the ones regarding my own equipment. Some of which led me to the decision to buy them in the first place. While I was doing that, I noticed the Topping L30 II. Initially, I thought the "II" was just an addition to clarify the situation regarding the initial problems some L30 devices experienced (at the time I also had to get a replacement unit). But know that I now that there in fact are differences between the Topping L30 and the L30 II, I was asking myself some basic questions again that I hope you will be able to answer.

As I understood until now, the single most important thing for any amp is to drive headphones to a level at which one wants to enjoy the music. But at some point, I read about the amp needing to be powerful enough to be able to bring out all of the dynamics in a song the way, they are supposed to be.

With that being said: is the Topping L30 I in combination with my Topping D10s sufficient for my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (MK I)?

I usually use it at 0db gain, maxing out every digital volume control and adjusting via the volume knob on the L30, which is usually sitting between 1 o´clock and 3 o´clock. Just now I used it at 12 o´clock and +9 db gain. The volume itself was always loud enough for me and I don´t plan to damage my hearing in the near future as well. Does that mean the amp/dac-combo indeed is sufficient or does someone think that there somehow isn´t enough power to get everything out of these headphones ("dynamically" and everything)?

As I have said, I am aware of the different reviews (great work!) but still have trouble understanding them to a satisfactory degree. Though I understood, that the L30 - despite some intitial problems with some batches - and the D10s are both excellent meassuring pieces of audio equipment.

Thank you for your clarification!

BTW: How are you able to tell at how much db you are listening to your music? I just read some posts where people were telling they usually never listen above say 100db.
Peak power handling of the mkI = 200mW so 7V is already gives you 125dB SPL (peak which is NOT the same a 120dBA noise levels)
When playing very loud the mkI starts to distort above 6V (0.15W) = 123dB peaks ... again these are peaks.... Above 8V the sound gets really nasty.

The L30 can provide 8.5V = 0.3W (when connected to a DAC that can provide 3V out).
Using the D10 DAC you can reach 6V = 15mW on high gain (118 dB peaks so average can be between 103 and 112dB depending on the DR of the recording).

To get a more useful volume range you may want to set the L30 to medium gain limiting peaks to 109dB.
 
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They are notorious for killing headphones with special effects.
Only the early ones that all should have been recalled/destroyed.
The later ones (check serial numbers in the L30 thread) are safe to use.
 
The later ones (check serial numbers in the L30 thread) are safe to use.
No trust in them:


Also there are many cases with their other products, the dying PA5, the E70 with their sudden maximum volume blasts.

And no, they are not safe to use. They often don't even have proper safety marks on their mains-powered devices.
 
The L30 is not mains powered though.

The L30-II is a different amp and after the reported 'explosion' everything worked nomally and nothing was damaged.

So I think the L30 in question (above a certain serial number) is safe to use and has working DC protection.
 
The L30 is not mains powered though.
It is not, but its power adapter is and still does not have any safety certifications.

The L30-II is a different amp and after the reported 'explosion' everything worked nomally and nothing was damaged.
Could be, but the history of various problematic cases and their handling by the manufacturer should be alarming enough to avoid this brand altogether. Just an IMHO and something that I believe the OP should be aware of ;)
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! In this case, I will leave my current setup as is, since I never experiencend any issues with it (L30).

After reading several pages of this topic, I will try to make a summary to help users who are concerned about the situation and will not have time to read everything...

1. Topping L30 (serial number 2011 or lower)
- Has the DC problem
- Has the ESD problem
- In this condition, in rare cases, your L30 can fail and damage your headphone as well.

2. Topping L30 (serial number 2012 or higher)
- Has an updated DC protection system
- Has the ESD problem
- In this condition, your L30 is safe, but like any other equipment, in rare cases, your L30 can fail, but your headphone will be protected.
*if your L30 fails (in the warranty period), Topping will replace it.

3. [In the future] Topping L30 (serial number 21XX or higher)
- Will have an updated DC protection system
- Will have an updated ESD protection system
- In this condition, your L30 will be "safe as hell (safer than most others!)"...
Also, my replaced L30 starts with "2102XXX". So I assume everything is fine anyway so I am just happy.

@solderdude: I am still glad I got your passive filter for the DT1990 Pro. Basically every criticism regarding this headphone I know of (despite some regarding how it meassures, which never really was much of a concern for me) regarded the treble peak. And as you´ve summarized in your own review, with that out of the way, it is (for me) a very nice sounding headphone. And honestly, I am surprised how quite a few people (on YT) who praised it in the beginnng are all of a sudden considering it a somewhat bad headphone, simply because there are newer options available.
 
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