Topping A50 III / D50 III vs L30 II / E30 II

[ngs428]

I am looking at getting one of these 2 stacks (or maybe the D50 III / L30 II). I currently have Edition XS, 6XX, K371 and FT1 for headphones with balanced capable hart audio modular cables. I'm running a L30/E30 stack now. I don't know if either of these will sound much different but I’m looking for something new.

I attached the spec sheets for all from Topping's website. The L30 II is SE only, while the A50 III is balanced. With both in SE in/out the A50 III stack has much less power, but switching to balanced in/out on the A50 III you will have more power, albeit higher THD+N with .00012% vs .00006%, is this something that matters?

Also, the D50 III (SINAD of 122.7) vs E30 II (SINAD of 118), the D50 III should send a cleaner signal to the A50 III, but then I am stacking a noisier balanced amplifier to it to get the power. Is that better than using D50 III and then going SE to the L30 II?

Tossing this one around, it seems like you gain in balanced on the DAC side but lose on the amplifier side.

Thoughts?

 

[oleg87]

albeit higher THD+N with .00012% vs .00006%, is this something that matters?

No. Either value is a few magnitudes short of audible. Either amp has sufficient power to drive all your headphones to murderous levels (and remember that the relationship between power and percieved volume is very non-linear, so even a doubling of power is a pretty measly 3dB increase in headroom), so I wouldn't really worry about that either. I would pick based on feature set, usability, looks, etc.
Since the D50 has built-in PEQ and I prefer balanced interconnect to minimize the risk of ground loop problems, that'd probably be my pick.

 

[Tobi]

Given you already have a powerful and very clean measuring setup with your E30 and L30 ("Rev. 1" I guess), I think none of the mentioned combos will give you anything really different or subjectively "better" experience regarding sound quality.

If you are a heavy EQ user and run out of power with the L30 I, maybe you could make the argument to buy an L30 II... but this will only give you more power and not a different sound.

E30 and L30 Rev. 1 are still some of the best measuring DAC's and AMP's, so if they provide enough power to drive your headphones, it wouldn't make any sense to go for another clean measuring setup, at least from a sound quality perspective.

If you need more connectivity or if you have external noise pickup issues (may be mitigated by going balanced), it's a different thing. Or maybe, if you want less cables on your desk, an AIO DAC/AMP combo (Topping DX5 II ?) could make sense. But if you want a different sound apart from more power, you may want to look at some of the objectively worse measuring stuff, like tube amps or sth like that.

 

[ngs428]

No. Either value is a few magnitudes short of audible. Either amp has sufficient power to drive all your headphones to murderous levels (and remember that the relationship between power and percieved volume is very non-linear, so even a doubling of power is a pretty measly 3dB increase in headroom), so I wouldn't really worry about that either. I would pick based on feature set, usability, looks, etc.
Since the D50 has built-in PEQ and I prefer balanced interconnect to minimize the risk of ground loop problems, that'd probably be my pick.

Thanks for the reply and confirmation. I currently use Peace/Equalizer APO on my W11 machine for PEQ. I'd consider moving to the built in PEQ in the D50 III. Power does not seem to be an issue either way. Wish the A50 III had a pre-amp setting so I could (as I do now) connect to my desktop speakers. Might need to get creative with a splitter to get a signal to the speakers without too much hassle.

 

[ngs428]

Given you already have a powerful and very clean measuring setup with your E30 and L30 ("Rev. 1" I guess), I think none of the mentioned combos will give you anything really different or subjectively "better" experience regarding sound quality.

If you are a heavy EQ user and run out of power with the L30 I, maybe you could make the argument to buy an L30 II... but this will only give you more power and not a different sound.

E30 and L30 Rev. 1 are still some of the best measuring DAC's and AMP's, so if they provide enough power to drive your headphones, it wouldn't make any sense to go for another clean measuring setup, at least from a sound quality perspective.

If you need more connectivity or if you have external noise pickup issues (may be mitigated by going balanced), it's a different thing. Or maybe, if you want less cables on your desk, an AIO DAC/AMP combo (Topping DX5 II ?) could make sense. But if you want a different sound apart from more power, you may want to look at some of the objectively worse measuring stuff, like tube amps or sth like that.

Thank you for the reply. Yes, it is the rev 1 that Toppiong sent as a replacement. I assumed I was at the land of diminishing returns with any new purchases. but the PEQ in the D50 III could take place of my Peace/EAPO setup. At this point, additional features would be nice, trying out balanced (Amir is a fan as I have been watching his "understanding" video on the topic. I read so many other articles on balanced, benefit, no benefit. Kind of makes your head spin.

 

[Human Bass]

I have the A50iii stacked on Smsl D-6s and I love that combo.

 

[Human Bass]

Here my stack, the screen border of the D-6s holds the A50 in place. I use short XLR to TRS cables

.

 

[Roland68]

I am looking at getting one of these 2 stacks (or maybe the D50 III / L30 II). I currently have Edition XS, 6XX, K371 and FT1 for headphones with balanced capable hart audio modular cables. I'm running a L30/E30 stack now. I don't know if either of these will sound much different but I’m looking for something new.

I attached the spec sheets for all from Topping's website. The L30 II is SE only, while the A50 III is balanced. With both in SE in/out the A50 III stack has much less power, but switching to balanced in/out on the A50 III you will have more power, albeit higher THD+N with .00012% vs .00006%, is this something that matters?

Also, the D50 III (SINAD of 122.7) vs E30 II (SINAD of 118), the D50 III should send a cleaner signal to the A50 III, but then I am stacking a noisier balanced amplifier to it to get the power. Is that better than using D50 III and then going SE to the L30 II?

Tossing this one around, it seems like you gain in balanced on the DAC side but lose on the amplifier side.

Thoughts?

I'd also draw your attention to the Topping L70, which isn't much more expensive than the A50 III on sale or as a customer return, but offers more than twice the power. Plus, it features a full preamp, two preset memories, relay-based volume control, and more.
A perfect pairing with the D50 III.

 

[Berwhale]

Thanks for the reply and confirmation. I currently use Peace/Equalizer APO on my W11 machine for PEQ. I'd consider moving to the built in PEQ in the D50 III. Power does not seem to be an issue either way. Wish the A50 III had a pre-amp setting so I could (as I do now) connect to my desktop speakers. Might need to get creative with a splitter to get a signal to the speakers without too much hassle.

I think an all-in-one makes a lot more sense on a desktop setup. I moved from an Topping D50s/A50s stack to an Topping EX5 3 years ago and never looked back. The EX5 solved a ground loop issue, is neater, has a built in PSU and functions as a pre-amp for my monitors and sub (iLoud MTMs and Presonus Sub8 connected with balanced y-splitter cable). I'll be upgrading* the EX5 to a DX5 II when Shenzhen audio ship the next batch in July.

*I don't expect it to sound any different, but I will have quite a bit more headphone power available and like the new display and interface.

 

[Human Bass]

I think an all-in-one makes a lot more sense on a desktop setup. I moved from an Topping D50s/A50s stack to an Topping EX5 3 years ago and never looked back. The EX5 solved a ground loop issue, is neater, has a built in PSU and functions as a pre-amp for my monitors and sub (iLoud MTMs and Presonus Sub8 connected with balanced y-splitter cable). I'll be upgrading* the EX5 to a DX5 II when Shenzhen audio ship the next batch in July.

*I don't expect it to sound any different, but I will have quite a bit more headphone power available and like the new display and interface.

The DX5 II is too good and convenient for the price.

 

[ngs428]

The DX5 II is too good and convenient for the price.

I just looked at that one. Impressive! Love the screen!

 

[ngs428]

I just looked at that one. Impressive! Love the screen!

Just purchased the DX5 II.

 

[mugmealer]

Hello everyone, I’m looking to purchase a headphone amp. There is a sale discount which brought A50 III from usual selling price(incl tax) of $220 to $160 and the L30 II from $150 to $130.

My major use is with SE headphones but I do have a couple of IEMs with balanced cables that I never used.

Since $30 is not a huge difference, I don’t mind paying the premium for A50 III and being future proof for balanced. But will I lose any significant performance or power (for SE) by going for it?

 

[Roland68]

Hello everyone, I’m looking to purchase a headphone amp. There is a sale discount which brought A50 III from usual selling price(incl tax) of $220 to $160 and the L30 II from $150 to $130.

My major use is with SE headphones but I do have a couple of IEMs with balanced cables that I never used.

Since $30 is not a huge difference, I don’t mind paying the premium for A50 III and being future proof for balanced. But will I lose any significant performance or power (for SE) by going for it?

The L30 II and A50 III have roughly the same power output of about 3.4 watts at 32 ohms, but the A50 III only achieves this power in balanced mode. On SE, it has a maximum of 1.4 watts.

This is a difficult decision because the D50 III is really good and often undervalued compared to the L30 II. Most people don't know that both HPAs share the top spot on the SINAD list and the best signal-to-noise ratio at 50 millivolts.

You could avoid this decision and look for a deal on the much more powerful L70.

I didn't make your decision any easier, did I ?
But please don’t miss the discount.

 

[mugmealer]

The L30 II and A50 III have roughly the same power output of about 3.4 watts at 32 ohms, but the A50 III only achieves this power in balanced mode. On SE, it has a maximum of 1.4 watts.

This is a difficult decision because the D50 III is really good and often undervalued compared to the L30 II. Most people don't know that both HPAs share the top spot on the SINAD list and the best signal-to-noise ratio at 50 millivolts.

You could avoid this decision and look for a deal on the much more powerful L70.

I didn't make your decision any easier, did I ?
But please don’t miss the discount.

Haha, don't have the budget for an L70, and it's out of stock in my location. It looks like L30 II offers basically the same if not better performance and power as L70 for SE output. So I've decided to go with L30 II.

 

[Oabeieo]

Just bought 2 e30ii and a d50ii

The e30ii sounds soooo sooooo much better (for a dac) the d50ii is good but sterile , but in a good way ….

The e30ii is a kick in the ass to listen to and on horns in a room the e30ii sounds more transparent and lush.

AKM definitely a better dac

 

[Svend P]

Just bought 2 e30ii and a d50ii

The e30ii sounds soooo sooooo much better (for a dac) the d50ii is good but sterile , but in a good way ….

The e30ii is a kick in the ass to listen to and on horns in a room the e30ii sounds more transparent and lush.

AKM definitely a better dac

Next time, try level matched and blind testing. The differences will disappear

'How can DAC's have a SOUND SIGNATURE if they measure as transparent?'

Oct 4, 2019

I know there are people out there that think cables affect sound, which is much worse, but there really is no response to something like that, but just to smile and nod. But what about people who talk about DACS as if they were headphone drivers or speakers, and talk about the SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING, and MIDRANGE of a DAC? I actually don't know what to say to people to not be rude. If you try explaining that a DAC isn't something that actually changes the sound, they accuse you of having "a hard-on for measurements", as if it were the measurements themselves that tell you that DACs don't...

• Willhelm_Scream
• Replies: 10,921
• Forum: DACs, Streamers, Servers, Players, Audio Interface

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[JSmith]

A50 III review is up;

Topping A50 III Headphone Amp Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping A50III balanced headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US$199. The A50 III is solidly built and is about as thin as you want it to be. User interface is simple: short press of the power button cycles through...

www.audiosciencereview.com

JSmith