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No it'd be ridiculous, just a money sink. If you're into such things, Burson makes such amps...
Swappable op-amps have no place in a feed-forward/'NFCA' amp. You'd mess with the design.
Just got mine today. I have it paired JDS Atom DAC (RCA) and is an upgrade to my Atom amp. So far no coil whine or noise otherwise. It's cooler to the touch than both Atom parts after about an hour of use.
With the Atom amp, my DT770 pro 80ohm would cause the amp to clip at lower frequencies (20Hz-50Hz), which meant I have to EQ sub bass range down to -3db just to avoid the clipping. Now I have none of that problem.
I would say it sounds exactly the same as the Atom amp; clear as glass. I'll probably get the D30pro to match in the near future.
If anything goes wrong or I notice any weirdness, I'll post in this thread.
I've received mine on TUE from Apos with the D30 Pro and have been enjoying the stack a lot with my DCA Aeon 2 Closed and Campfire Andromeda 2020.
Got the stack to replace my D90 and SMSL SP200 because I wanted a smaller footprint and a silver setup.
No issues so far.
I've received mine on TUE from Apos with the D30 Pro and have been enjoying the stack a lot with my DCA Aeon 2 Closed and Campfire Andromeda 2020.
Got the stack to replace my D90 and SMSL SP200 because I wanted a smaller footprint and a silver setup.
No issues so far.
I am planning to buy a SMSL SP200 (with the topping D30 pro dac)
what are your thoughts about the SP200 ? Would you reccomend it ? (or the SH-9 , a little improved version for just 20$ more)
the other ideas are : A30pro (but too new) , A50s (no balanced input) or ... I do not know, not too much ideas ...
what are the (sound) difference between A30 pro and Sp200 ?
thanks
I once had the SP200. Was pretty happy with sound quality and power but never liked the look. So exchanged it for a L30. After being refunded for that I waited a long time for the A30Pro but in the end ordered an SH-9 because of some nice features (Display, Remote, Resistor ladder volume control) for less money.
Back to your question: If your Headphones are not super hard to drive and no super efficient IEMs I think you won't be able to tell these amps apart.
If I would plan to get a D30Pro I probably would consider the A30Pro just because of the super cool look of the stack.
I am planning to buy a SMSL SP200 (with the topping D30 pro dac)
what are your thoughts about the SP200 ? Would you reccomend it ? (or the SH-9 , a little improved version for just 20$ more)
the other ideas are : A30pro (but too new) , A50s (no balanced input) or ... I do not know, not too much ideas ...
what are the (sound) difference between A30 pro and Sp200 ?
thanks
I was fine with SP200 until I got my pair of Andromeda. For it to be listenable I had to switch the D90 to preamp and lower the volume there first. I'd rather not tweak DAC and just let the amp do the volume control.
Sound quality wise, if you use IEM, definitely go with the A30Pro as it's dead silent unlike the SP200. Otherwise, the difference should be inaudible per the measurement and they are both super clean sounding. Obviously, new toy effect makes me enjoy the A30Pro more
Usability, I do like the 3 gain switches of the A30Pro. I only use low for IEM and medium for my A2C.
Since you're going with the D30Pro, I'd recommend going with the A30Pro since they stack up nicely together.
I am planning to buy a SMSL SP200 (with the topping D30 pro dac)
what are your thoughts about the SP200 ? Would you reccomend it ? (or the SH-9 , a little improved version for just 20$ more)
the other ideas are : A30pro (but too new) , A50s (no balanced input) or ... I do not know, not too much ideas ...
what are the (sound) difference between A30 pro and Sp200 ?
thanks
Does anyone own a Topping a30 pro along with the Smsl sh-9? I want to know how they compared against each other.
I'm planning to get the smsl su-9 since I would be using Tidal to play my music (let me know if the d30 pro would be a better choice). I don't really care about the stack aesthetic, so mixing them up would be fine. The Smsl sh-9 is around $100 USD cheaper in my country, so I don't know if the extra cost would be worth it.
Planning to use it with a hifiman sundara(focal clear mg and hifiman arya in the future).
Does anyone own a Topping a30 pro along with the Smsl sh-9? I want to know how they compared against each other.
I'm planning to get the smsl su-9 since I would be using Tidal to play my music (let me know if the d30 pro would be a better choice). I don't really care about the stack aesthetic, so mixing them up would be fine. The Smsl sh-9 is around $100 USD cheaper in my country, so I don't know if the extra cost would be worth it.
Planning to use it with a hifiman sundara(focal clear mg and hifiman arya in the future).
Yes, I know that. I have been stuck with Tidal for a while as there are no other services available in my country (the only hope is Spotify hifi), so ideally, I would go with the Smsl su-9. I'm just wondering if the topping a30 pro is better than the smsl sh-9. If not, I'll just go with the Smsl stack.
Yes, I know that. I have been stuck with Tidal for a while as there are no other services available in my country (the only hope is Spotify hifi), so ideally, I would go with the Smsl su-9. I'm just wondering if the topping a30 pro is better than the smsl sh-9. If not, I'll just go with the Smsl stack.
the difference (if any) are really really small (based on amir test):
thn+n : d30pro : 0.000104% (on xlr out) ; su9 : 0.000101%
sinad : d30pro : 119.6 ; su9 : 119.9
dynamic range : d30pro : 128.5 ; su9 : 126.6
I challenge everyone to ear the difference
may be there could be something at ear, bet really really subjective (like as I prefer bmw 5 , while you audi A6 , but both are very good cars)
Massive paralleled RRO opa1656*10 + discrete flying supplies. All under a large heatsink. Opa564 was a good candidate but it's too similar to thx888 and running at the edge of the voltage can be some what non ideal.
Question: by calling it NFCA, is there one opa1656 channel that not only drives the output, but also drives the rest 9 opa1656 channel?
Or put it the other way, is the architecture similar to what ADI-2 Pro/DAC has?
In ADI-2 Pro, for each channel, one OPA1688 drives both the output and also the other 5.
Does anyone own a Topping a30 pro along with the Smsl sh-9? I want to know how they compared against each other.
I'm planning to get the smsl su-9 since I would be using Tidal to play my music (let me know if the d30 pro would be a better choice). I don't really care about the stack aesthetic, so mixing them up would be fine. The Smsl sh-9 is around $100 USD cheaper in my country, so I don't know if the extra cost would be worth it.
Planning to use it with a hifiman sundara(focal clear mg and hifiman arya in the future).
i also pondered buying topping A30pro but ended up with SMSL SH-9. here’s a few points to possibly guide your decision:
1. comparing them for SQ is a moot point as they are both stellar measuring amps! so its a matter of choice.
2. while topping A30pro is more powerful, the SH-9 is more than enough to drive my hifiman HE400i with still a lot of headroom to spare. so more power does not always equate to usable power unless you want to blast your brains out!
3. the SH-9 relay type volume control is by far its biggest advantage over the topping A30pro. it has a ridiculous amount of resolution despite having only two gain settings. hence it is very usable for sensitive IEMs.
4. so far i have not read any QA issues with the SH-9 unlike the premature failures of A30pro as reported by some owners. this is a major red flag for such a new product.
5. in my side of the pond, the SH-9 is hugely cheaper than A30pro by almost US$90 so another no-brainer!
6. in addition SH-9 is also a THX certified amp, has a nice remote and display and sleek form factor which is also sets it apart from the A30pro.
so there you have it. i am no SMSL fan boy nor am i here to bash the topping A30pro. perhaps if both were closer in price point without serious burn out issues then it would have been a toss up. sadly for me, the A30pro missed the grade.
