My Topping L30 II just "explode" being off, but connected to power (still works)

[Merkurio]

Just as the title says.

I've had a Topping L30 II since a couple of months that I use sporadically connected to a Qudelix-5K on my desk and today I put my phone to charge in a wall outlet in the room (not where the Topping is connected), then after a couple of seconds, there was a very loud explosion along with a small flashing sparking above the Topping and short after that, smoke began to come out of the rear RCA inputs, but without any odour.

It should be noted that I have its power brick connected in a surge protector and everything that was plugged into it turned off after the explosion (including my pc and monitor), so I was pretty freaked out fearing the worst, but luckily everything turned on afterwards (including the L30 II), so I quickly unplugged the brick for a while to check what happened, but everything seems ok and the amp works perfectly when I plugged it back in.

However, I'm worried that this happened in the first place and if something has burned internally due to the incident, as it has never happened to me before and now I'm afraid that it will happen again and may damage the rest of my devices.

What could have happened and why did it happen to the Topping in particular instead of, I don't know, burning the surge protector fuse for example? Maybe a lack of protection in the design of the Topping?

Other considerations worth mentioning:

1) I've the amplifier with the RCA cables connected to the back (it's a 3.5mm to RCA cable), but the 3.5mm termination is always disconnected and laying on the desk mat, until I connect the Qudelix to it.
2) It is also very close to my PC, I don't know if that can affect anything, since both have metal enclosures (also, the PSU of the PC is very near to the Topping).

For now, I've unplugged it from the power and removed it from my desk.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

That's why I won't get any Topping anymore.
Had couple if their devices in the past, I had problems, as well as people on the internet.
Quality issues are just too much. Especially when you consider using expensive headphones which could be damaged (I'm using Stealth)
Sad story

 

[Merkurio]

That's why I won't get any Topping anymore.
Had couple if their devices in the past, I had problems, as well as people on the internet.
Quality issues are just too much. Especially when you consider using expensive headphones which could be damaged (I'm using Stealth)
Sad story

It's a very unexpected behaviour, indeed.

I've had no problems in the past with Topping (had a DX3 Pro for about 2 years, working flawlessly), but this has definitely given me a major scare, both because of the sound of the explosion and the fear of having damaged the rest of my devices, particularly my PC that I just built.

 

[Sokel]

Explode???
Maybe one of the big caps?
Don't even think of plugging it again,contact service for the rest.

 

[Merkurio]

Explode???
Maybe one of the big caps?
Don't even think of plugging it again,contact service for the rest.

Already did it and seems to work fine, but now I definitely disconnected it to avoid further surprises.

It's a pity that the Amazon return window has already closed, although it was sold from HiFiGo, maybe it's a good idea to contact them or better deal with Topping directly?

 

[Sokel]

Already did it

You shouldn't,as long as explosion and smoke came out is a potential danger to you and your gear.
Return it ASAP,it should be already packed and ready to go.

 

[JSmith]

Topping L30 II since a couple of months

Return it ASAP for a refund or replacement... if possible open the unit and take an internal picture to post here before doing so.

The L30 first batch had some issues, which were rectified;

Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

This L30 problem is a very rare case that occurs depending on the usage environment, and I think that it is not a problem that occurs for all users. I think it happens when intense ESD occurs in an environment where the humidity in the room is extremely low. In my environment, such intense ESD...

www.audiosciencereview.com

However I've not heard of any major problems with the L30 II apart from this minor issue which probably wasn't the device;

Topping L30 ii Interference Issue

I changed RCA cables, I switched AC sockets, I checked without RCA cables, tried a different DAC. I tried grounding the unit. Nothing really helps. How can I fix this? It worked fine the first few weeks.

www.audiosciencereview.com

I'm glad to hear none of your other equipment has been affected.


JSmith

 

[Bleib]

Return it ASAP for a refund or replacement... if possible open the unit and take an internal picture to post here before doing so.

The L30 first batch had some issues, which were rectified;

Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

This L30 problem is a very rare case that occurs depending on the usage environment, and I think that it is not a problem that occurs for all users. I think it happens when intense ESD occurs in an environment where the humidity in the room is extremely low. In my environment, such intense ESD...

www.audiosciencereview.com

However I've not heard of any major problems with the L30 II apart from this minor issue which probably wasn't the device;

Topping L30 ii Interference Issue

I changed RCA cables, I switched AC sockets, I checked without RCA cables, tried a different DAC. I tried grounding the unit. Nothing really helps. How can I fix this? It worked fine the first few weeks.

www.audiosciencereview.com

I'm glad to hear none of your other equipment has been affected.


JSmith

Wait...opening an unit is usually a fast way to void the warranty

 

[JSmith]

Wait...opening an unit is usually a fast way to void the warranty

In which country? Generally, that is not correct, even though companies try it on;

Most consumers don’t know that these stickers are actually illegal—and that’s because manufacturers don’t want you to. Under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the Feds mandated that you can open your electronics without voiding the warranty, regardless of what the language of your warranty says. That makes all of that inconsistent (albeit crafty) language used by the 50 manufacturers surveyed by the U.S. PIRG illegal.

We’re Afraid of Warranty Stickers, but Really, Manufacturers Should Be | iFixit News

According to a survey published today by consumer group U.S. PIRG, 45 out of 50 appliance manufacturers automatically void the warranty of a device if it has…

www.ifixit.com

Does the L30 II have such a sticker anyway?

The reason I asked for the OP to post a picture, is we have no visual evidence yet of the failure apart from this thread (not implying anything... that's the way it is).


JSmith

 

[restorer-john]

Wait...opening an unit is usually a fast way to void the warranty

Hardly. A total bluff.

@OP. Do not plug the unit back in and do not use it. A vented capacitor will only explode more violently next time.

Send it back under warranty and demand a refund.

 

[Roland68]

Already did it and seems to work fine, but now I definitely disconnected it to avoid further surprises.

It's a pity that the Amazon return window has already closed, although it was sold from HiFiGo, maybe it's a good idea to contact them or better deal with Topping directly?

Apply for the return because of the defect directly via Amazon.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Topping instead of releasing tons of the same products every year should focus on reliability and quality issues.

Meanwhile they are flooding us with the same products with just different casings.

Shouldn't we take care of our environment?

 

[Roland68]

Topping instead of releasing tons of the same products every year should focus on reliability and quality issues.

Meanwhile they are flooding us with the same products with just different casings.

Shouldn't we take care of our environment?

Since the economy is generally based on sales and maximizing profits, sustainability can only be achieved by the buyers.

What most users don't realize is that the last 5% of development, which is about reliability and quality issues, makes the devices 4-5 times more expensive. In addition, that last 5% delays time to market by several months or even years.
Just as an example, have you ever heard of a serial error, failed devices, destroyed headphones, etc. with the headphone amplifiers from Lake People / Violectric?
You have been developing and building headphone amplifiers for 34 years, and your products are used worldwide by radio/television stations, recording studios and by manufacturers (as a reference).
My personal reference device, a Violectric HPA V100, is now more than 12 years old and the only device I trust blindly.
But the prices for it are a little bit higher.

 

[sq225917]

Sell it on eBay.

 

[JayGilb]

Sell it on eBay.

As is.

 

[Roland68]

Sell it on eBay.

Including sound tuning by modified capacitors (special effect modification)

 

[Merkurio]

I've contacted HiFiGO detailing what happened and including photos (where nothing strange can be seen), even linking them to this thread, first from Amazon and then directly to their support email, but I have not received any response yet.

I don't know what to do now because it doesn't seem fair (or ethical) to sell it and that someone else can go through the same thing, even though it's perfectly functional and aesthetically like new.

I also don't want to open it to check what happened internally, as this would violate the warranty.

Any suggestion? @JohnYang1997

 

[asrUser]

I've contacted HiFiGO detailing what happened and including photos (where nothing strange can be seen), even linking them to this thread, first from Amazon and then directly to their support email, but I have not received any response yet.

I bet they'll also ask for a video.

 

[GXAlan]

@Merkurio,
Unless there is a sticker, there is no way for anyone to know if it was opened or not. Even with a sticker, careful inspection by you may show that it was already opened once before it arrived to you and this was one that slipped through whatever QA topping does.

You cannot be the only person this has happened to. Maybe if someone else has had this problem, they could open it up and take pictures and share it with the group who may be able to add insights to the problem.

@Merkurio, you don’t need to open anything up. I am sure someone else, who is specifically not you, can do it. Could very well be a lurker who reads ASR and is registering for the first time just to post their own, completely independent, experience of the same problem. Definitely not you. You can sit patiently and wait for Hifigo to get back to you.

 

[MAB]

I've contacted HiFiGO detailing what happened and including photos (where nothing strange can be seen), even linking them to this thread, first from Amazon and then directly to their support email, but I have not received any response yet.

I don't know what to do now because it doesn't seem fair (or ethical) to sell it and that someone else can go through the same thing, even though it's perfectly functional and aesthetically like new.

I also don't want to open it to check what happened internally, as this would violate the warranty.

Any suggestion? @JohnYang1997

Troubling.
As mentioned, do not plug back in. It's actually a safety hazard. I am trying to imagine what would have happened if it was near a flammable object.
HiFiGo and Topping need wake-up emails. You need either full replacement or full refund. I would be pushing for the full refund, but I leave that to you. When and if you hear from HiFiGo, they will likely follow a playbook that will drag this out ad-infinitum.
Do not allow them to ask you to do extended diagnostics. Insist that the unit is demonstratively broken and it is on them to do the diagnostics. And emphasize it's a safety hazard.
Do not allow them to drag this out with dozens of emails. If you get into a loop of more than one or two responses on this simple warranty return then you know they are going to try to stall. There are very few questions they need to ask.
Do not accept that you have to send it back with your own funds. Make sure they pay for it or (preferably) provide an RMA with paid return postage. They may also play a game with declared value to avoid paying duties too, not sure how to handle this aspect. Hopefully HiFiGo does the right thing and makes this irrelevant.

I typically equate high performance with reliability. This obviously naïve. I bought three Topping pieces, A30Pro, D30Pro, and a PA5 from three different resellers. The PA5 died within days and took most of a year to get my money back from Shenzhen, only after I sent a series of nuclear emails to the customer service rep. See this thread for similar miserable PA5 experiences. The A30 had a channel go flakey within warranty. I informed the poor customer service agent at Aoshida that I was in no mood to do 30 or more polite emails, and got right to nuclear on the after about three emails when they made it clear they were using the same playbook as Shenzhen to try to deny me service. I also included John Yang in the blasts. Aoshida refunded my money a day later via PayPal and never asked me to send it back. The D30Pro was supposed to be a second DAC to my RME ADI DAC... But it has a volume control that sometimes increases volume when you push the decrease volume button on the remote... So it is in the bin of castaway parts and I really don't miss it, just the few hundred dollars I wasted on it...

These are cheap devices to manufacture. Seems simple protection is missing. And potentially questionable design. And possibly substandard manufacturing. When one does go bad, the sellers put a barrier to returns by taking your time, and costing you nearly as much as the price of the unit in return postage. I would say these products and this sales and support model is not worth visiting again. They seem to be running a half-baked scam.