Has the Topping A50 headphone amp appeared yet?

[kkeretic]

On the A50 and DX7Pro I'm not sure what the dual replaceable op-amps do exactly, in any case one can only go downwards from stock LME47920's performance.....

Opa1622 and Ad797 instead of the LME49720 in the D50s actually made some positive effects to overall sound of my system. But changing the socketed opamps in the A50 to anything I found around made no difference or made the sound even worse. Finally closed the cases, no more opamp rolling, it's time for tube rolling

 

[kkeretic]

Several others have complained of their Topping merchandise from Amazon being opened and scratched, prior to receiving it. All four of my Topping products had the box seals cut (ie: D30, P50, D50s, A50). None of these devices were scratched, however, so I'm not that worried about it.

I bought three Topping devices (D70, D50s and A50) from the same store in the EU (not Amazon) in last two months. The D70 box had no seals at all, the D50s had the box seals cut and the A50 came sealed. On closer inspection I found a few very small scratches on one side edges of the D50s. Suppose the device was returned item or something like that. However the remote control looks untouched, the screen had a protective film on, the screws seemed factory-tightened. Since it was the last unit in black color and because of the current situation in China, well, I'm not in the mood to complain much about it.

 

[JohnYang1997]

I bought three Topping devices (D70, D50s and A50) from the same store in the EU (not Amazon) in last two months. The D70 box had no seals at all, the D50s had the box seals cut and the A50 came sealed. On closer inspection I found a few very small scratches on one side edges of the D50s. Suppose the device was returned item or something like that. However the remote control looks untouched, the screen had a protective film on, the screws seemed factory-tightened. Since it was the last unit in black color and because of the current situation in China, well, I'm not in the mood to complain much about it.

omg amazon...

 

[Veri]

Opa1622 and Ad797 instead of the LME49720 in the D50s actually made some positive effects to overall sound of my system. But changing the socketed opamps in the A50 to anything I found around made no difference or made the sound even worse. Finally closed the cases, no more opamp rolling, it's time for tube rolling

Beware of AD797. If you don't use a scope, and don't know exactly how the op-amp is performing within the circuit, you can very easily have an oscillating op-amp: https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analog-line-level/191389-swapping-op-amps-checked-stable-havent.html
if then you hear an audible difference, it's debatable whether that is an "improvement"... it's a malfunctioning amp!

 

[kkeretic]

Beware of AD797. If you don't use a scope, and don't know exactly how the op-amp is performing within the circuit, you can very easily have an oscillating op-amp

Yes, I understand that about AD797. I am using a pair of them in the I/V section on my Asus Xonar ST for years. And since I am still hunting for something external (dac + hp amp) in similar price point to be on par or beat the sound of that combo, I gave it a go. I know the replaceable opamp within the D50s has a different role and I don't want to mess with resoldering the I/V opamps and all the specs around them, so I tried it just for fun and replaced it a day after with the OPA1622 that is definitely a keeper.

 

[Veri]

I tried it just for fun and replaced it a day after with the OPA1622 that is definitely a keeper.

Got it

 

[TomB19]

The biggest problem with the P50 is that you can't use a proper power cable with it. The correct sized connector blocks the USB ports that power the D50s. I'm stuck with the crappy sounding stock power cable.

 

[TomB19]

OK, Ok.... lol!

The last post was in jest. I was trolling.

The fancy RCA cables were 20 bucks on eBay. The USB cable was $18 from a different seller but it has the same mesh jacket.

That Ron Jeremy edition power cable cost me $28 on eBay. I use the big cables on my HT system. The equipment stand is open on four sides and the nice cables look better than kinked up cheap ones.

The reason I put nice cables on the headphone stack is because I had them kicking around. Nothing else. By the way, that fancy USB cable connects to a Rosewill USB hub that is attached to the back of the monitor which is then connected to the computer with a slightly conductive rope.

I know I could have a pile of power bars and wall warts on the floor beside my desk, feeding a birds nest of power and signal, but having a neat system matters to me. I like the look and that is all that is required for such a small expenditure.

Peace, gentlemen.

 

[Veri]

OK, Ok.... lol!

The last post was in jest. I was trolling.

You had me for a moment there lol

 

[saturnaal]

For what it's worth, I've had no such issues with receiving already opened devices when ordering from Apos.

 

[TomB19]

What is Apos? Is that an Amazon vendor?

 

[Veri]

What is Apos? Is that an Amazon vendor?

It's a US seller with very good customer support, and instant price matching.
https://apos.audio/

 

[TomB19]

Thank you, gentlemen.

 

[TomB19]

I hope we see an ASR review of the A50 and they don't just go straight to the A50s. I'd like to see how they compare and I doubt the A50s will be out for quite some months.

 

[saturnaal]

I offered to send mine off to Amir for testing, but it sounds like he's thoroughly backlogged on the electronics side currently.

 

[goodbye1988]

D50+A50+P50

 

[artburda]

Does the A50 have some sort of headphone protection? I couldn't find any information anywhere.

 

[kkeretic]

I've pulled the trigger and ordered a second one (this time black) for my second setup to pair it with the D70. I have to admit this amp sounds simply fantastic to my ears and it is probably the end game for me. Technically speaking, it has tons of power, acceptable output impedance for anything I use or what I plan to use, double unbalanced output working at the same time, line-out signal cut/passthrough when turned on/off, small footprint, nice looking, well built, super silent when idle... Really can't think of anything similar for the price at the moment.

 

[Peib]

Is there an A90 in the works to pair with D90?

 

[Veri]

Is there an A90 in the works to pair with D90?

yes

Prototype measurements here!
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...of-topping-a90-headphone-amp-prototype.11946/