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Topping A90 Discrete Review (Headphone Amp & Preamp)

Rate this Headphone Amp/Pre-amp

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 16 4.0%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 13 3.2%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 69 17.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 306 75.7%

  • Total voters
    404

lashto

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quite a measurements-champ this one, might be the king of non-opamp circuits. Some inside-pics would be interesting.

Alternate measurements by @WolfX-700. SINAD is a bit better (120+) but probably just "academic differences".
He also measured the single-ended connection and the SINAD is ~same. The THD graph does not look same as nice/clean though (hard to tell if the extra HD-spikes come from the device or the measurements setup.)

Did anyone see a THD measurement that shows the full HD spectrum? (like this). Would like to see if the beautiful HD-spectrum of the XLR measurement is maintained for the whole 20Hz-20kHz range.

P.S.
@amirm would it be a lot of extra effort to show the HDs on your "THD vs Frequency" graphs for all components?
H2-H3 (like you do for speakers) would be enough, H2-H5 even nicer.
 

kopczas

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The OG A90, while not being a beautiful looking amp or anything, looks more elegant and better put together, while also having very functional PHYSICAL SWITCHES.
Physical switches vs remote control.
I have A90 in my main system and it is pain to change volume. Also any kind of display is nice. So, these are things that are tempting to change A90 to A90D.
But,
the thing I love the most in A90 is indicator diode, so simple and elegant way to recognize if it`s HPA or Preamp mode.
 

ObjectiveSubjectivist

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I love this pinhole led display.
I saw a couple of other products from different manufacturers and it's always a beautiful thing to see.
 

anphex

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Yay, another Topping DAC with no innovation and just slight improvement over last gen DACs.
This starts to feel like the iPhone cycle.
 

Gio

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Yay, another Topping DAC with no innovation and just slight improvement over last gen DACs.
This starts to feel like the iPhone cycle.
Another Topping DAC without a DAC is a fraud, actually.
 

junki

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Mar 24, 2018
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There is no such wolume control in this price from West companies.
Uh, I’m using the Arcam rHead amplifier, which is from the UK. It’s class A or AB depending on gain, it has inaudible distortion and noise, and it has R2R stepped volume control. I bought it over five years ago for $300.
 

Snoopy

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Would that protection mode be a problem with the Dan Clark aeon Noire? (13 Ohm ?)
 

junki

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I emailed Topping to congratulate them on the A90D and to ask that they implement R2R volume control into their A30Pro and release it as A30Pro SE or something. One of their product people replied that they will discuss that suggestion internally.
 

enricoclaudio

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Would that protection mode be a problem with the Dan Clark aeon Noire? (13 Ohm ?)
Im also interested to know this as I used to own DCA Noires which I returned but I'm planning on getting them again maybe next year. My A90 used to drive the Noires effortless.
 

anphex

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It’s not a DAC. :facepalm:
Whoops, yup, still my point stands. Actually, it's even a step backwards then compared to some other gadgets from them.

I still stick with my opinion that we're sliding into a marketing scheme - not just Topping - where every year a new gadget with slight improvements is released and sold for a higher price.

We only can hope that audio gear lasts longer than smartphones and consumers are more reasonable. But seeing how people still buy +1000$ phones just as a camera + expensive instant messaging and social media machine, my hopes are dim.
 

Sokel

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Sinad race is coming so close to perfection
That's good news.
So now is the time to ask for full proof design,durability,reliability and more important after sale service and responsibility.
If not... I hate car analogies but do you remember Fiat Coupe?
 

Plcamp

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DWI

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Whoops, yup, still my point stands. Actually, it's even a step backwards then compared to some other gadgets from them.

I still stick with my opinion that we're sliding into a marketing scheme - not just Topping - where every year a new gadget with slight improvements is released and sold for a higher price.

We only can hope that audio gear lasts longer than smartphones and consumers are more reasonable. But seeing how people still buy +1000$ phones just as a camera + expensive instant messaging and social media machine, my hopes are dim.
You get low THD+Noise for a high price, unknown reliability and zero chance of a repair.

Repeatedly buying replacement gadgets every year or so adds up. Enough people here reacted to this review by saying they will immediately buy one.

My audiophile very high quality, very well measuring, does everything all-in-one electronics (streamer to amplifier) is now 12 years old, I bought it 6 years ago and had it factory upgraded. It cost a bunch at the time, but has amortised/depreciated by about $3,000 over 6 years. That's $500 per annum, which is small change if you like opera. My vinyl system is 10 years old and in the past I used many items for 10+ years.

I fully appreciate it is easy to say it's only $400 or $500, what the hell, buy it, put last year's model in a box to collect dust, so it's tempting with quite a few headphone sites and ASR effectively promoting them. The marginal measured improvements are of no practical benefit. In the long run, it seems to make quality sensible hifi seem like a good long term option.
 

Tks

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See this is what I'm about. Love that new volume indicator, pretty creative for an analogue device. Loved stepped attenuators or digital volume control (every damn pot I've used in amps develops scratchy static, and I am not going to disassemble a pot to clean the oxidation layers that keep forming that are supposedly responsible for this). The performance is awesome (never seen close to 1W at 300ohm impedance on any device reviewed, that's sick). No clipping/going into protection even down to 32ohm loads? NICE. And finally nice I/O (with expansion possible for those that want it). All in all, great job.
 

kenshone

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Whoops, yup, still my point stands. Actually, it's even a step backwards then compared to some other gadgets from them.

I still stick with my opinion that we're sliding into a marketing scheme - not just Topping - where every year a new gadget with slight improvements is released and sold for a higher price.

We only can hope that audio gear lasts longer than smartphones and consumers are more reasonable. But seeing how people still buy +1000$ phones just as a camera + expensive instant messaging and social media machine, my hopes are dim.

It has a higher price because its cost of production is higher due to being a discrete design. If you don't want to own a 11/10 piece of engineering, then you can go for the 10/10 and buy an A90 etc.
 

escalibur

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Jul 2, 2018
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??? Volume control here is drastically different. It is an encoder now and drives a stepped ladder volume circuit. It also has remote control. What all were you expecting?
I meant the physical looks and probably feel of it. To me it looks very similar, doesn't it? The volume knob is fine in terms of it's internals.
 
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