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Please convince me to wait for the Topping A50s.

beanxinh

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Hello and thanks for the welcome. Disappointed relative to how impressed I am with the D50s for roughly the same price. There's something about how seperated the left and right channels sound that makes me feel like I'm being shouted at from either side rather than having an image presented to me. The 2.5mm balanced input has worked itself loose already but as I only really use the 6.35mm I've ignored it. I've been using the PEACE EQ program and loaded the 598 and 660s parameters in and they definitely improve both.
You got the same problem as me when I first got the NX4DSD. The two channel sounded so disjointed that make me feel dizzy. I have to use the Crossfeed plugin in foobar to mitigate it.
 
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bonesy

bonesy

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I'm afraid I couldn't wait and bought the SMSL SP200 and M200. My D50s is on eBay with the P50 and I'm using the A50 as a standalone bedside amp to plug my phone into. If my D50s/P50 sell for what I want I'll only have spent another £220 on the SMSL pairing so I'm happy with that. Unfortunately I'm having issues with the SP200 already which I'll add to its thread.
 

MalinYamato

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I’m very happy with Geshelli Archel2, better even than the THX789. I have both side by side. Using HD650 and FostexTH900 rev1.
Gashell looks like a DIY project.
I'm afraid I couldn't wait and bought the SMSL SP200 and M200. My D50s is on eBay with the P50 and I'm using the A50 as a standalone bedside amp to plug my phone into. If my D50s/P50 sell for what I want I'll only have spent another £220 on the SMSL pairing so I'm happy with that. Unfortunately I'm having issues with the SP200 already which I'll add to its thread.
hi, what made you get rid of your Toppings?
 
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bonesy

bonesy

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Gashell looks like a DIY project.

hi, what made you get rid of your Toppings?

Partly curiousity. The M200 has the AKM chip and the Topping has the ESSs but I thought for the sake of 10 or 20 quid it was worth it for the lesson in what I prefer. No matter what I did with the A50 it always sounded distant and like it was producing a separate image from each side rather than a single image in front of me. That doesn't happen with the SP200 and the soundstage is actually apparent. The balanced input on the A50 also broke early-doors so perhaps I'd got a slightly defective one. It's no critisicm of Topping. I loved the D50s but with the way we can buy and sell hifi gear now it'd be silly not to spend the equivalent of a couple of beers on a reasonably researched hunt for a slightly better sound. And for the sake of a couple of beers the SMSL stack sounds suitably better than the Topping stack. I was also convinced by the THX label and some top drawer technical reviews from places like here. It sounds superb btw.
 
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anotherAlexNYC

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Anyone able to find any details on release dates or pricing for the A50s? I can't seem to find any references to this product. Thanks.
 

MalinYamato

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Anyone able to find any details on release dates or pricing for the A50s? I can't seem to find any references to this product. Thanks.
where do you find inromation about A50S?
 

MalinYamato

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Partly curiousity. The M200 has the AKM chip and the Topping has the ESSs but I thought for the sake of 10 or 20 quid it was worth it for the lesson in what I prefer. No matter what I did with the A50 it always sounded distant and like it was producing a separate image from each side rather than a single image in front of me. That doesn't happen with the SP200 and the soundstage is actually apparent. The balanced input on the A50 also broke early-doors so perhaps I'd got a slightly defective one. It's no critisicm of Topping. I loved the D50s but with the way we can buy and sell hifi gear now it'd be silly not to spend the equivalent of a couple of beers on a reasonably researched hunt for a slightly better sound. And for the sake of a couple of beers the SMSL stack sounds suitably better than the Topping stack. I was also convinced by the THX label and some top drawer technical reviews from places like here. It sounds superb btw.
I can not recommend A50 because of its output impedance.
 
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