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Topping A30Pro Review (Balanced Headphone Amp)

usern

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Since the xlr input of a30pro is only for convenience and not in itself balanced
Why do you think that? You are probably mixing up balanced amplifier architecture and differential signal cables. They are different things and A30pro DOES have balanced XLR input. So D10b is perfect for it. You just need TRS to XLR cable like this
 

enricoclaudio

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A30Pro XLR inputs are balanced. It’s that the “balanced” headphone outs that are SE and just with balanced outs for convenience.
 

saich

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Why do you think that? You are probably mixing up balanced amplifier architecture and differential signal cables. They are different things and A30pro DOES have balanced XLR input. So D10b is perfect for it. You just need TRS to XLR cable like this

Thanks for the reply. I guess you are right - to boil down my question I am uncertain why converting D10b to single-ended would reduce thd+n performance. As archimago pointed out the cause is using a converter adaptor that ties the sleeve and ring connections, and that is the whole story?

I understand that A30pro does have balanced input although its amplifiying architecture is not truly balanced (which is completly fine in itself btw), so connecting D10b to A30pro one can use balanced cables. If balanced cable is all I need, it's all good.

edit: have modified original post to avoid confusion etc.
 

Veri

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I understand that A30pro does have balanced input although its amplifiying architecture is not truly balanced (which is completly fine in itself btw), so connecting D10b to A30pro one can use balanced cables. If balanced cable is all I need, it's all good.
Yep, it's all good :) will work fine.
 

MDrav

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I am still very unsure on what to buy. I have d50s/jds atom but I want to upgrade as I bought the t50rp argons and want more power. I am still not sure what other headphones I will buy. I really like A30pro/d30pro stack ( I only wish it had bluetooth) because I really don't want to mess with all the balanced stuff. Do guys think the power of this stack will be plenty or should I really consider diving for the balanced cables, headphones and stuff?
 

Veri

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I really like A30pro/d30pro stack ( I only wish it had bluetooth) because I really don't want to mess with all the balanced stuff. Do guys think the power of this stack will be plenty or should I really consider diving for the balanced cables, headphones and stuff?
Should be plenty.. :)
 

UltraPro

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I am still very unsure on what to buy. I have d50s/jds atom but I want to upgrade as I bought the t50rp argons and want more power. I am still not sure what other headphones I will buy. I really like A30pro/d30pro stack ( I only wish it had bluetooth) because I really don't want to mess with all the balanced stuff. Do guys think the power of this stack will be plenty or should I really consider diving for the balanced cables, headphones and stuff?
I think the main reason to buy A30 Pro is to have that immense single-ended power, so if you will get it, there is absolutely no reason for balanced setup in my opinion (if not running cables longer than ten meters, etc.).
 

MDrav

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I think the main reason to buy A30 Pro is to have that immense single-ended power, so if you will get it, there is absolutely no reason for balanced setup in my opinion (if not running cables longer than ten meters, etc.).
exactly I even bought the argons single ended to avoid the hassle and expense. Thanks both for the input. I will get the a30/d30 pro stack. I was also considering the e50 but I think the stack looks nicer.
 

Wuzel

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The little Amp is nice, but 'hot' :cool:
Question is why? Runs it in class A mode?
The description says something about under 250Ohm the Amp runs in class A. In my opinion 250mW makes more sense... typing error?

And yes, the complete guy gets hot - not only on one spot :D (My class A Mono Blocks has the same 'feature' - perfect for cats, they love to get grilled by the Amp ...)
 

Lupin

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Question is why? Runs it in class A mode?
Yes, John also mentioned somewhere that the AMP runs in what could be considered class A
 
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Volikovvv

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A30pro outputs 840mW at 300Ohm. Amir showed a bit less because of the more course step used and the point of clipping chosen.
JohnYang1997 hi! May I ask one question? As the owner of the A30 pro, I love the sound of this amp more than A90. Are you planning to release an updated version of the A90 based on the operational amplifiers used in the A30 Pro? Or any different flagship amplifier update? Thanks.

Sad that there are no more amplifiers using this opamps and tech, this amp bested all more expensive amps that i test: Singxer SA-1, Jotunheim 2, Topping A90. The only thing i miss a little bit, soundstage width, conlared to a90. I know this is subjective impression, but i hope this is free forum, and i have possibility to share my subjective opinion:)
 

Lupin

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JohnYang1997 hi! May I ask one question? As the owner of the A30 pro, I love the sound of this amp more than A90. Are you planning to release an updated version of the A90 based on the operational amplifiers used in the A30 Pro? Or any different flagship amplifier update? Thanks.

Sad that there are no more amplifiers using this opamps and tech, this amp bested all more expensive amps that i test: Singxer SA-1, Jotunheim 2, Topping A90. The only thing i miss a little bit, soundstage width, conlared to a90. I know this is subjective impression, but i hope this is free forum, and i have possibility to share my subjective opinion:)
You can share but be prepared that not many, if any, will agree with you that there is an audible difference between the A30Pro and A90. :)
 

Volikovvv

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You can share but be prepared that not many, if any, will agree with you that there is an audible difference between the A30Pro and A90. :)
I understand this, because of specific of this forum:) im ok with that.
The question - is it worth to wait new flagship amplifier from Topping anytime soon?:)
 

Wuzel

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do we need more?
I thought a pre amp function will be nice to have ... but the rest?
Honestly, this little guy fire up a HE6se with pleasure....
 

Volikovvv

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do we need more?
I thought a pre amp function will be nice to have ... but the rest?
Honestly, this little guy fire up a HE6se with pleasure....
Just of curiosity, we always want more, i like to buy new toys:) but i don't trust other brands with amplifier anymore, so waiting for next flagship amp. If this not a secret, which dac do you pair with a30 pro?
 

rocksteady

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Hi folks.

I have acquired this second hand, but as New, a couple of months ago, for a very reasonable €280 all inclusive.

The Amplifier sounds simply fantastic! Great dynamics and resolution, and oodles of power, especially fed via XLR Input.
Just what my large collection of vintage, High Impedance Beyer and Sennheiser, as well as few Magnetostatics from HIFIMAN require and need. I own several other good Amps, such as an LP G100, Violectric V90, Matrix HPA-3B, MF X-Can V3, as well as a few Portable Amps/Dacs. I can state with confidence that this A30 Pro tops them all in Performance, as well as in versatility. Needless to say, at least half, if not more, of the aforementioned will go for sale in the near future. BTW, I have briefly owned the A90, around a year ago, and I consider the A30 Pro the far better Amplifier. Simply put, it is more dynamic, more lively and punchier, yet benefiting from similar levels of detail. And it achieves this without being truly balanced, which in fact suits me better. Needless to say, I am very happy with it!

Great job, Topping. Keep it up!
 
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DualTriode

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This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping A30Pro balanced input and output headphone amplifier and pre-amp. It was kindly sent to me by the company. I am sorry but I don't have release date or pricing. I usually only get finished products from Topping so expect release date to be soon (post Chinese new year).

EDIT: I just heard back from Topping. As of this writing (March 1, 2021), the cost is US $349.99.

The A30Pro is the heftiest and most serious looking enclosure from Topping with its manly venting holes on top:
View attachment 112407

Some of the weight is due to inclusion of mains power supply in the case which I appreciated:

View attachment 112408

We see some other changes here. Pre-amp balanced out is quarter inch jacks due to smaller enclosure. And there is a ground lift which should help people who run into nasty ground loops.

In use the unit got a bit warm but nothing remotely serious. Sitting there by itself, it warms up to a bit above ambient temperature.

NOTE: there is no pre-amp functionality here. The rear connectors are pass through for convenience. Also, the output is only unbalanced and connectors are there for convenience, not more power.

Topping A30Pro Measurements

As usual, we start with our dashboard of unity gain (4 volts in, 4 volts out) using XLR in and unbalanced 1/4 headphone out:

View attachment 112409

Performance is superb as one expects going into a test of Topping product. SINAD with is the sum of noise+distortion relative to our 1 kHz tone is essentially as good as it gets:

View attachment 112410

Signal to noise ration both at unity gain and 50 mv are exceptional:
View attachment 112424


The latter is now class leading:
View attachment 112412

Think about it: you are getting the full dynamic range of 16 bit music when outputting just 50 millivolts! This is one quiet headphone amp considering that some of this noise is from my analyzer! You can comfortably use the A30Pro with any sensitive IEM or headphone with zero worry about background hiss or noise.

Frequency response is excellent of course:
View attachment 112413

Let's measure power relative to noise+distortion with unbalanced load of 300 ohm:
View attachment 112425

Oh wow! 0.73 watts using such a high impedance? This is wonderful as it means you don't need to use balanced connections to get enough power to drive high impedance and inefficient headphones. Low and medium gains have identical performance and incredibly low noise floor with no clipping. So if you hear distortion there, it is in your music.

Switching to the other extreme of 32 ohm, we see the same picture:
View attachment 112415

This is 5.5 watts times two! This little box is producing 11 watts of power!!! I don't think we have ever measured an amplifier this powerful forgetting about how low noise and distortion it is.

Switching to balanced mode, we don't get much more power as there is no need for more:
View attachment 112418

For 50 ohm, I thought I show Topping A90 as a reference:

View attachment 112417

Notice how the noise level is even lower although A90 pulls ahead with a bit more power before clipping.

Finally, channel matching is quite good although as noted, there will be unit to unit variations:
View attachment 112419

The low gain mode though (which is less than 0 dB) should help keep the volume control in its more accurate range if you do run into a sample with worse performance.

Topping A30Pro Listening Tests
I started with my usual Ether CX 25 ohm headphone with balanced connection. The A30Pro had no trouble driving this headphone with incredible power and authority with zero sign of strain or distortion.

Switching to Sennheiser HD650 showed amazing detail, dynamic range and superb bass handling. I am usually brave enough to turn the volume to max for a second or two to see if the amp distorts or not. Not here. By the time I got to 3:00 o'clock, and staying there for half a second, I knew I had to back down and in a hurry! Wow, did that get loud! Even I couldn't handle that much power. There is so much extra headroom here for any headphone you want to throw at this amplifier.

Conclusions
Just when we thought we had reached a plateau with performance of headphone amps, Topping pushes a bit more in the form of lower noise and much more power in unbalanced mode. A solid and nice looking enclosure completes the picture for one of the most ideal headphone amplifiers I have laid may hands on. The medium sized enclosure with built-in power supply is definitely worth the extra cost to get rid of the dongle of the lower end products in view.

It goes without saying that it is my absolute pleasure to recommend Topping A30Pro headphone amplifier.

Note: this is a new headphone amplifier and while I have not found any issues in in my testing, there can be problems. If you are risk averse, you may want to let others buy and use it before jumping in to purchase one. My focus in these reviews is engineering performance, not reliability.

EDIT: Video review is also up now:

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

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Hello All,

Reading through several headphone reviews I did not come across the dashboard test load impedance. I find 4 volts in and 4 volts out for balanced and 2 volts in and 2 volts out for unbalanced but no connected load resistance value.

Is it 33R, 50R or what?

Thanks DT

Edit:

A different version of the same question, @amirm do you use load (termination) resistors internal to the Audio Precision APx555 analyzer?
 
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itsikhefez

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Need some help here.

I was listening with the A30 Pro out of my D90. A few minutes in the music all of a sudden got cut out and the protection relay began clicking none stop. I turned off the A30 Pro and waited about 20 minutes or so with nothing plugged in to see if it'll return to normal, that didn't do the trick as it still does the relay clicks none stop the moment I try to turn it on .

I have tried plugging in a pair of headphones and unplugging, same with a DAC, and also different power outlets, but nothing seem to be able to get it out of the circuit protection.

Is the unit dead or is there something else to check and see if it'll get out of that funk?

Something similar just happened to me too.
The unit was on and when I came to my desk I heard a constant clicking noise.
Had it for less than a month, only on low gain with easy to drive HP's (LCD-X)... I will work on a replacement or return but this is pretty disappointing.
 

dizzyraider

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Something similar just happened to me too.
The unit was on and when I came to my desk I heard a constant clicking noise.
Had it for less than a month, only on low gain with easy to drive HP's (LCD-X)... I will work on a replacement or return but this is pretty disappointing.
My local retailer ended up sending the unit back for repair and all seems good so far, but yeah definitely know what you mean. Especially it sounds like such a great unit before it failed for no apparent reason.
 
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