Topping A30Pro Review (Balanced Headphone Amp)

[Deleted member 33784]

Guys, my A30Pro gets hot. I've never owned a product that heats up so much as this guy. Amir did say that the unit gets warm, but I guess I'm not used to this kind of warm. Should I be worried? Otherwise, the A30Pro is amazing.

 

[Sundara]

Yeah, it gets incredibly hot, much more than any other amp I've owned.

 

[Lupin]

Was considering the A30 pro to replace my SMSL SP200 that died but then I read this on the product page:

To me this means that even when the AMP is turned off the my headphones will still be active as I would connect this AMP to my DAC with XLR and have TRS headphones. This means I have no way to stop the playback through my headphones (besides physically unplug it every time). while using my powered desktop speakers which are connected to the DAC using RCA.
Big no no for me.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Was considering the A30 pro to replace my SMSL SP200 that died but then I read this on the product page:

View attachment 138077

To me this means that even when the AMP is turned off the my headphones will still be active as I would connect this AMP to my DAC with XLR and have TRS headphones. This means I have no way to stop the playback through my headphones (besides physically unplug it every time). while using my powered desktop speakers which are connected to the DAC using RCA.
Big no no for me.

wut?

 

[Sundara]

Was considering the A30 pro to replace my SMSL SP200 that died but then I read this on the product page:

View attachment 138077

To me this means that even when the AMP is turned off the my headphones will still be active as I would connect this AMP to my DAC with XLR and have TRS headphones. This means I have no way to stop the playback through my headphones (besides physically unplug it every time). while using my powered desktop speakers which are connected to the DAC using RCA.
Big no no for me.

The TRS OUT mentioned in the pic is not the headphone out. It's the balanced output on the back.

 

[Lupin]

The TRS OUT mentioned in the pic is not the headphone out. It's the balanced output on the back.

Aah ok, my oopsie
Might be something to clarify on the product page imho as the 6.35mm HP out is also TRS.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Aah ok, my oopsie
Might be something to clarify on the product page imho as the 6.35mm HP out is also TRS.

It probably should be called pass-through but I guess you get the point.

 

[Lupin]

Thanks for clearing that up.
As a matter of fact I just placed an order for the D30 pro / A30 pro stack. So in a couple days I will be a proud member of the Topping family.
I'm a sucker for the "old school" orange display, in my opinion much better then the display found on the D70/D90
Wit a SINAD of 120 it measures as transparent as one could want/need and I don't care about MQA nor DSD512 or PCM768.

 

[raif71]

@JohnYang1997 , after having this for a few months now, why does it get so hot? Topping even put holes on the casing. I mean, last I checked this is not a class-A amp. What did Topping do on the design that make it so hot?

 

[Lupin]

Topping D30Pro / A30Pro stack arrived from Audiophonics this friday, sooner than i expected.
I thought SMSL had basic packaging nut Topping managed to beat SMSL in that department to. Plain white boxes with nothing but the brand name on the box. Inside was not the thickest nor best fitting foam protection inlet but both devices reached me undamaged so I guess it is functional enough.

D30Pro:
Like the orange display, it shows what you need to know and the color is easy on the eyes. If I would be really nit picking I would've liked the display to be completely flush with the front panel. Now it looks like they cut out a window in the front panel for the display area and placed the front panel over the display. At this price point it looks good enough though.

Menu structure is easy enough to navigate and change the settings to personal preference. For me personally a DAC is a "set and forget" device. I set it up to my preference and now most like will not go into the menus anymore for quite some time. That's why i also have not even bothered getting the remote control out of the plastic back.

How does it sound... I don't believe that every DAC sound different, that one sounds warmer than the other, that one DAC has a wider soundstage with more sparkling instruments, that one DAC has a blacker background than the other. I will just say that i think it sounds great!

A30Pro:
Can be quite short about this, it just sounds great. Volume control and channel balance is a step up from the SMSL SP200 I also have somewhere in the house. To be honest though i think that the volume knob and pot action doesn't feel as nice and premium as the ALPS pot and aluminium knob on the Audio-GD unit have.

Two minor gripes with it though..

1)A30Pro gets bloody hot!
Might be able to heat my room in the winter if i leave it on 24/7

2)Volume knob is a bit thin and feels a bit "spongy"
Volume knob is by far the part which you interact with the most. Wish it would be a bit thicker so it's easier to grab and handle.

 

[JohnYang1997]

@JohnYang1997 , after having this for a few months now, why does it get so hot? Topping even put holes on the casing. I mean, last I checked this is not a class-A amp. What did Topping do on the design that make it so hot?

It's the so called class A by the standard of most other companies.
The reason for the design is we want 6W at 16ohm and 840mW at 300ohm with single ended output and no distortion.

 

[nrabbit]

My a30 pro seems to be making what sounds like coil whine coming from unit? Happens only powered off. Goes away when turning off the rear power switch. Tried unplugging all inputs / outputs and it still happens. Also tried a different outlet and a cold start. No audible noise out of any speaker / headphone plugged in to an output.

 

[vco1]

My a30 pro seems to be making what sounds like coil whine coming from unit? Happens only powered off. Goes away when turning off the rear power switch. Tried unplugging all inputs / outputs and it still happens. Also tried a different outlet and a cold start. No audible noise out of any speaker / headphone plugged in to an output.

I think this has been reported before Although it only occurs when the unit is 'off', I feel this is a pity. From all the DAC's and HA's that have been discussed here lately, there is really not a single one without (quality) issues.

Now the boundaries of what's technically possible to get to 'instrument grade performance' have been reached, I feel it's time for these companies to focus on other parts of their products too: quality is more than just technical performance.

Speaking for myself, I really want to buy a nice stack. Have been looking at H16/X16, A30Pro/D30Pro, SP400/M400 and A90/D90se (the latter being a bit more than I really want to spend, mostly because of the increased pricing of the D90se). And none of these stacks seem to be without (quality) issues. Either in the DAC, amp, or both. Which makes it hard to decide. These devices may be relatively inexpensive, they're not what I consider cheap. And I do expect a certain level of quality for this amount of money. And sure, some of these issues are edge cases. But even then... why not take the extra step and make sure it not only has great SINAD etc., but also has excellent quality in other aspects?

 

[nrabbit]

At least there is the off switch on the back so it's at least manageable. I replaced my DX3 pro with the d30p/a30p stack. My DX3 pro had the standby issue but it would only happen about once every two months. Definitely feel ya on quality issues.

 

[vwru]

It's the so called class A by the standard of most other companies.
The reason for the design is we want 6W at 16ohm and 840mW at 300ohm with single ended output and no distortion.

I just received mine (sounds great btw), gets pretty hot as others have said here. Doesn't the heat damage the components inside?

 

[JohnYang1997]

I just received mine (sounds great btw), gets pretty hot as others have said here. Doesn't the heat damage the components inside?

The heat is distributed across many chips. The components will be fine.

 

[vwru]

The heat is distributed across many chips. The components will be fine.

Hope so, I like my unit already so I'd be gutted if it got fried too soon haha

 

[SeriousApple]

I just received mine (sounds great btw), gets pretty hot as others have said here. Doesn't the heat damage the components inside?

Its supposed to run hot but it does get really hot when stacking and when it summer and you dont have an ac running in your room. This is what i do with mine. I ordered this usb fan with variable speed and it keeps my stack super chill. The stack stays really cool with this fan setup. The fans are super silent on the lowest setting. Enjoy your topping a30 pro.

 

[Vini darko]

Its supposed to run hot but it does get really hot when stacking and when it summer and you dont have an ac running in your room. This is what i do with mine. I ordered this usb fan with variable speed and it keeps my stack super chill. The stack stays really cool with this fan setup. The fans are super silent on the lowest setting. Enjoy your topping a30 pro. View attachment 141251
View attachment 141252

Like it

 

[Lupin]

Its supposed to run hot but it does get really hot when stacking and when it summer and you dont have an ac running in your room. This is what i do with mine. I ordered this usb fan with variable speed and it keeps my stack super chill. The stack stays really cool with this fan setup. The fans are super silent on the lowest setting. Enjoy your topping a30 pro. View attachment 141251
View attachment 141252

Nice setup.
Why two D30Pro DACs though? (should really peal off the protective film of the display, makes it look way better )

A30pro is by far the hottest component so personally I would put the A30Pro on top.
My stack with custom feet on the A30pro for more stability and better cooling: