Of course, you can pair the SMSL RAW-MDA 1 with Topping L50. But what made you believe you do not like the internal headphone amp of the RAW-MDA 1?
I doubt you will hear any difference between the stack of the RAW-MDA 1 + L50 and the RAW-MDA 1 itself, unless you are testing the power limit of the RAW-MDA 1's HP amp.
My previous experience:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...adphone-amp-review.56430/page-29#post-2264522
Since then, I’ve tested the RAW-MDA 1 more thoroughly and realized something important: pleasantness and transparency are two different things. I initially preferred the "Tube 2" sound color:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eadphone-amp-review.56430/page-5#post-2061564
But then something clicked in my brain — I started to value transparency more than the audibly pleasing harmonic distortion or filters. I ended up disabling the sound color settings on the RAW-MDA 1.
Currently, I'm using the RAW-MDA 1 with everything: XLR-connected studio monitors and my Sennheiser HD800/HD600 headphones.
I'm still buying the Topping stack (L50 + E50) — just waiting for it to arrive. That will probably be my final audio purchase. I’m hoping to hear at least a small improvement in the L50 headphone amp (rated 95 dB @ 50 mV) compared to the RAW-MDA 1’s headphone output (90 dB @ 50 mV). If not, that’s fine too.
I’m really glad that companies like SMSL, Topping, JDS Labs, and Schiit offer solid devices in the $100–$300 range. I won’t be going back to expensive gear like the Benchmark DAC1 ($1000+), which I bought over a decade ago.
Last edited: