Topping A90 Headphone Amplifier Review

[HeyFkFace]

I had my A90 on top of D90 and I found out they get pretty hot..
Also sound quality from one of them seems dropped.. Later I found while A90 gets hot, its sound the same even if its hot.
The problems seems to be D90.

When I was stacking them, my daily routine is power them up and play music through my pc, (upscale them via HQPlayer to DSD256).
The first 30 mins of music sounds very good. and then it started to notice a little degrade..
It may be just my feeling..

Now I don't stack them and I have D90 sitting next to A90.
I also have a little fan on top of D90 and I can play them for hours without fatigue. It may be just me having this experience.

I've had my stack running since day one so far, constantly running playing music, in temperatures that are quite hot like today where my room felt mid 30's with zero air flow. Whenever i was home i went and checked the sound quality and noticed zero issues or downgrades compared to when the stack was just powered on or when i first received it - i am also checking it right now and again notice zero issues. D90 gets quite warm, but nothing in comparison to Audio-GD or Schiit (Which also gave me zero issues despite being so hot i could fry an egg on them).

I find with audio equipment it's so easy to trick your mind into thinking you've got an issue, and when this happens i find it won't go away until the piece of equipment is replaced or you buy something entirely different.

 

[Atanasi]

Many thanks for your reply, really appreciate it! Hopefully I will not run into noise/hiss issues when connecting my Zen Dac to the A90 through RCA. If I will I probably try to sell my Zen Dac and get another Dac instead. Not sure I want to invest in one expensive balanced custom made 4.4mm -> dual 3 pin XLRs cable for the Zen Dac (entry level dac), probably not.

I have tried connecting Fiio BTR5 to A90's XLR input. I used a 2.5mm—2•XLR cable. The cable was ordered from Aliexpress and wasn't very expensive, but it shorted pins 1 and 3, which meant I had to add groundlifters to avoid shorting left and right negative poles.
Compared to the unbalanced output, the balanced output avoided some buzzing when nothing was being played and BTR5 was being charged at the same time.

 

[Veri]

I have tried connecting Fiio BTR5 to A90's XLR input. I used a 2.5mm—2•XLR cable. The cable was ordered from Aliexpress and wasn't very expensive, but it shorted pins 1 and 3, which meant I had to add groundlifters to avoid shorting left and right negative poles.
Compared to the unbalanced output, the balanced output avoided some buzzing when nothing was being played and BTR5 was being charged at the same time.

Hmmmm, huh. Can you take a picture of that set-up? I'm thinking those groundlifters will look funky lol

 

[makatech]

I have tried connecting Fiio BTR5 to A90's XLR input. I used a 2.5mm—2•XLR cable. The cable was ordered from Aliexpress and wasn't very expensive, but it shorted pins 1 and 3, which meant I had to add groundlifters to avoid shorting left and right negative poles.
Compared to the unbalanced output, the balanced output avoided some buzzing when nothing was being played and BTR5 was being charged at the same time.

I will see if I can find a cheap 4.4mm -> dual 3 pin XLR but I doubt it.

Hmm, maybe this one? It's too long but it doesn't matter.
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/head...r-balanced-cable-gold-plated-15m-p-14220.html

 

[anon2k2]

Received my A90 yesterday, which completes my system for my master bedroom setup. It's really nice, well built. The only niggle I have is that the volume pot has a tiny bit play when switching the direction of your turn. Probably about 5 degrees of rotation or so before the pot engages in the reverse direction.

My bedroom setup has totally changed over the last several months as I started reading about SMSL, Topping, and other equipment brands here. So now my setup is Raspberry Pi running Roopiee feeding the D90 via USB, then XLR to the A90 and finally XLR to Hypex NC400 monoblocks. My speakers are Q Acoustic Concept 40s. I also have a Rega Planar 1 feeding the A90's RCA input.

Overall the sound is great, and I’m really enjoying the music. Even my wife is impressed with how everything is sounding.

 

[Atanasi]

Hmmmm, huh. Can you take a picture of that set-up? I'm thinking those groundlifters will look funky lol

Here is the cable with the groundlifters attached. I tested BTR5 again, playing back to the Genelecs. I noticed that the balanced connection alone does not completely eliminate buzzing, it also depends on the power supply of BTR5. A phone charger, actually the stock power supply of Chromecast, did not produce audible buzzing even with maximum gain.

On the other hand, a USB port integrated into an AC extension cord did make some buzzing, but it could only be heard if A90 is in high gain and the knob near the maximum. Genelecs are quite sensitive, so I use them in low gain.

 

[Veri]

Here is the cable with the groundlifters attached. I tested BTR5 again, playing back to the Genelecs. I noticed that the balanced connection alone does not completely eliminate buzzing, it also depends on the power supply of BTR5. A phone charger, actually the stock power supply of Chromecast, did not produce audible buzzing even with maximum gain.

On the other hand, a USB port integrated into an AC extension cord did make some buzzing, but it could only be heard if A90 is in high gain and the knob near the maximum. Genelecs are quite sensitive, so I use them in low gain.
View attachment 86018

Funky!

 

[hmscott]

I will see if I can find a cheap 4.4mm -> dual 3 pin XLR but I doubt it.

Hmm, maybe this one? It's too long but it doesn't matter.
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/head...r-balanced-cable-gold-plated-15m-p-14220.html

Here's a shorter one from Amazon:

4.4mm Balanced to Dual XLR Male Balanced Headphone Audio Headphone Adapter 8 Core Silver Plated Cable [ 4.4mm to 2 XLR ] 60cm
https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Headphone-Adapter-Silver-Plated/dp/B083LYVT6V


A bit shorter yet, from 0.6m to 0.3m:

4.4mm to Dual XLR Male Balanced Audio Headphone Adapter Silver Plated Cable 1 FT 0.3M
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTQ9M9B

 

[makatech]

Here's a shorter one from Amazon:

4.4mm Balanced to Dual XLR Male Balanced Headphone Audio Headphone Adapter 8 Core Silver Plated Cable [ 4.4mm to 2 XLR ] 60cm
https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Headphone-Adapter-Silver-Plated/dp/B083LYVT6V
View attachment 86056

A bit shorter yet, from 0.6m to 0.3m:

4.4mm to Dual XLR Male Balanced Audio Headphone Adapter Silver Plated Cable 1 FT 0.3M
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTQ9M9B
View attachment 86063

Many thanks, will check if they ship to Sweden.

This one I found earlier is 4.4mm pentaconn as well, right?
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/head...r-balanced-cable-gold-plated-15m-p-14220.html

I love Forza Audioworks but don't want to invest too much in this specific cable since I'm not sure for how long I will keep the Zen Dac. Will be interesting first and try connecting it to the A90 using RCA connections though. Since I have a good power supply for the Zen Dac maybe it will be fine.

 

[makatech]

Ok, some interesting experiences... posted the same post on head-fi but wanted to share my experiences since I have had a discussion about A90 and RCA here too.

I bought a used A90 today and trying it now.

Connecting the iFi Zen Dac using RCA -> A90.
(Story: Not sure yet I will invest in a 4.4mm > dual 3 pin XLR cable because I don't know for how long I will keep the Zen Dac even though I really like it, first of all I wanted a more powerful amp.)

Computer: Motherboard Asus Prime X370-Pro - CPU Ryzen 3700X

The Zen Dac connected through a iFi iPower X 5V power supply. Running the Zen Dac in fixed mode when connecting to the A90.

A quality 4.4 mm balanced cable to my HD 6XX. I am not using the RCA cable supplied with Zen Dac right now but maybe I will try it later (I believe the one I had is of higher quality).

1. When connecting the Zen Dac to front USB 3 I experience some hiss/noise/interference (which I never noticed before when only running the Zen Dac standalone).

2. When connecting the Zen Dac to front USB 2 it's dead quiet (I think it is, will listen more later....), no hiss interference.

3. Also a bit interesting but perhaps not surprising? When having it connected to USB 2 port: If disconnecting the iFi iPower X 5V power supply I also experience some hiss/noise/interference when running the Zen Dac USB powered.

 

[hmscott]

Many thanks, will check if they ship to Sweden.

This one I found earlier is 4.4mm pentaconn as well, right?
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/head...r-balanced-cable-gold-plated-15m-p-14220.html

I love Forza Audioworks but don't want to invest too much in this specific cable since I'm not sure for how long I will keep the Zen Dac. Will be interesting first and try connecting it to the A90 using RCA connections though. Since I have a good power supply for the Zen Dac maybe it will be fine.

The Pentaconn 4.4mm is unique - I thought designed by Sony, but it looks like it was designed by this MALAYSIAN company and adopted by Sony:

Pentaconn Global
https://pentaconnglobal.com/index.asp?p=/static/about.html

If you look at that cable photo on the Audiophonics product page you can count 5 gold rings on the 4.4mm connector - Penta = 5, so it checks out.

Ok, some interesting experiences... posted the same post on head-fi but wanted to share my experiences since I have had a discussion about A90 and RCA here too.

I bought a used A90 today and trying it now.

Connecting the iFi Zen Dac using RCA -> A90.
(Story: Not sure yet I will invest in a 4.4mm > dual 3 pin XLR cable because I don't know for how long I will keep the Zen Dac even though I really like it, first of all I wanted a more powerful amp.)

Computer: Motherboard Asus Prime X370-Pro - CPU Ryzen 3700X

The Zen Dac connected through a iFi iPower X 5V power supply. Running the Zen Dac in fixed mode when connecting to the A90.

A quality 4.4 mm balanced cable to my HD 6XX. I am not using the RCA cable supplied with Zen Dac right now but maybe I will try it later (I believe the one I had is of higher quality).

1. When connecting the Zen Dac to front USB 3 I experience some hiss/noise/interference (which I never noticed before when only running the Zen Dac standalone).

2. When connecting to Zen Dac to front USB 2 it's dead quiet (I think it is, will listen more later....), no hiss interference.

3. Also a bit interesting but perhaps not surprising? When having it connected to USB 2 port: If disconnecting the iFi iPower X 5V power supply I also experience some hiss/noise/interference when running the Zen Dac USB powered.

Is this the ifi Zen DAC through DROP for $249 or the regular ifi Zen DAC, like this one listed on Amazon for $149 - with ifi 5v power supply:

iFi Zen DAC Headphone Amp and Digital to Analog Converter for Computers, Smartphones, Tablets Bundle with iPower 5V Low Noise Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-DAC-Headphone-Converter-Smartphones/dp/B082L5358P

And, that Amazon listed ifi Zen DAC hasn't been "neutered" to require the ifi iCAN Headphone AMP to provide headphone outputs.

Also, the ifi iCAN on Drop costs $249 (when it's in stock) and $169 on Amazon:

iFi Zen CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp and Preamp with 4.4mm Outputs - Launch Edition Includes iPower 5V Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/iFi-Balanced-Desktop-Headphone-Outputs/dp/B08DL99B5V

As far as the noise on RCA that's expected, I had to get "better noise rejection" cables instead of "audiophile" cables, and they worked - fortunately as I was about to return my A90 / D90 MQA if they didn't work

Here's my post with links to the cables here on ASR
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d90-balanced-usb-dac-review.10519/post-475832

And, on head-fi:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/topping-a90.927412/post-15900269

There are other posts on both forums, those above have the links to the cables I found that worked so I could run RCA between the D90 MQA and A90 and to speakers (and for other inputs later). Additional info:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/topping-a90.927412/post-15900312

If you do keep the ifi Zen DAC I'd recommend trying the XLR connection through the 4.4mm port as the A90 / D90 MQA are "noiseless" using only the XLR connection. Same would go for XLR out from the A90 to external speakers, or you could try better shielded RCA cables and AC line filters and isolation.

 

[makatech]

Is this the ifi Zen DAC through DROP for $249 or the regular ifi Zen DAC, like this one listed on Amazon for $149 - with ifi 5v power supply:

iFi Zen DAC Headphone Amp and Digital to Analog Converter for Computers, Smartphones, Tablets Bundle with iPower 5V Low Noise Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-DAC-Headphone-Converter-Smartphones/dp/B082L5358P

And, that Amazon listed ifi Zen DAC hasn't been "nurtured" to require the ifi iCAN Headphone AMP to provide headphone outputs.

Also, the ifi iCAN on Drop costs $249 (when it's in stock) and $169 on Amazon:

iFi Zen CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp and Preamp with 4.4mm Outputs - Launch Edition Includes iPower 5V Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/iFi-Balanced-Desktop-Headphone-Outputs/dp/B08DL99B5V

As far as the noise on RCA that's expected, I had to get "better noise rejection" cables instead of "audiophile" cables, and they worked - fortunately as I was about to return my A90 / D90 MQA if they didn't work

Here's my post with links to the cables here on ASR
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d90-balanced-usb-dac-review.10519/post-475832

And, on head-fi:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/topping-a90.927412/post-15900269

There are other posts on both forums, those above have the links to the cables I found that worked so I could run RCA between the D90 MQA and A90 and to speakers (and for other inputs later). Additional info:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/topping-a90.927412/post-15900312

If you do keep the ifi Zen DAC I'd recommend trying the XLR connection through the 4.4mm port as the A90 / D90 MQA are "noiseless" using only the XLR connection. Same would go for XLR out from the A90 to external speakers, or you could try better shielded RCA cables and AC line filters and isolation.

Good, I will remember 5 gold rings on the 4.4mm connector = Penta. Perhaps there are 4.4mm "non penta" connectors as well? ;-)

Regular iFi Zen Dac (dac/amp combo), I bought it from a store together with the iPower X 5V power supply.

I was thinking about getting the Zen Can (amp) but when I saw the A90 used I couldn't resist. It's not like the Zen Dac is bad on it's own though, no, absolutely not but I wanted a more powerful (and clean) amp to stop worrying about how more power would affect the sound. ;-) Finally I may connect active speakers to my A90 in the future.

It was interesting and good that the interference stopped completely for me when switching from USB 3 to USB 2 port on my computer.

Perhaps the quality of the USB cable is really important too for avoiding usb interference?

Thanks for cables recommendations on Amazon, I may actually get one of these if keeping my Zen Dac, looks like ordering to Sweden is possible. The one I found on audiophonics.fr is 1.5m which is a bit too long...

I will relax a bit though and listen to what I have now. The burr-brown chip in the Zen Dac is perhaps slighty warm but it seems to be a good match for the A90 soundwise (for my taste...).

One bad thing with good gear is that I now hear every single detail from the recordings as well. One example is Solitude from Candlemass, hearing quality issues I didn't hear before. ;-)

 

[Veri]

The burr-brown chip in the Zen Dac is perhaps slighty warm

Nah.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...le-thinking-a-dac-has-a-sound-signature.9245/

 

[auronthas]

Just turn off and on on the back. It will automatically turn on. That's normal.

My point is when power resume, D90 should at standby on and not turn on automatically (with OLED screen) without any source playing.

Thus why I turn off rear switch as regular practice now.

My other home electronic device (TV, sound bar) always on standby mode when power resume.

 

[makatech]

Nah.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...le-thinking-a-dac-has-a-sound-signature.9245/

Not sure I am misunderstanding you now (english is not my native language) but what you are saying/hinting is the (very) common view among reviewers about the iFi Zen Dac (burr-brown dac chip in general) being slightly on the warm side is placebo/false? The A90 is also said to be sligthly warmer than the THX 789 in an a & b comparison, is this false too or just confusion/imagination?

You will have a really tough time commenting all reviewers and forum writers here stating their dac/amps is on the warm or bright side, a 24 hour job but this time you picked me (the newbie) I guess. ;-)

This is a very interesting hobby, people having super strong opinions and their own personal "truths", personally I try to stay a bit more humble. Sound is very subjective I guess. I really enjoy listening to MQA tracks through Tidal but it looks like majority of all audiophiles hating it. ;-) Do I care about this fact? No. People downloading tons of flac files without paying for them and crying/being scared about MQA and it's development. Streaming is convenient, most important for me.

Excuse me for going off topic but you kind of started it. ;-)

I would rather trust peoples ears than strictly measurements even though both are very valuable, fun and interesting. A balance between these factors are probably the best I think?

 

[Veri]

Not sure I am misunderstanding you now (english is not my native language) but what you are saying/hinting is the (very) common view among reviewers about the iFi Zen Dac (burr-brown dac chip in general) being slightly on the warm side is placebo/false? The A90 is also said to be sligthly warmer than the THX 789 in an a & b comparison, is this false too or just confusion/imagination?

You will have a really tough time commenting all reviewers and forum writers here stating their dac/amps is on the warm or bright side, a 24 hour job but this time you picked me (the newbie) I guess. ;-)

Well yeah. I'm entirely convinced these kind of things are a byproduct of imagination and bias. iFi uses older chips which might be limited in terms of resolution/linearity so maybe they sound less detailed but to say there is "warmth" or other such audiophile terms, in typical sighted audiophile tests, can be taken with a great grain of salt.

 

[makatech]

Well yeah. I'm entirely convinced these kind of things are a byproduct of imagination and bias. iFi uses older chips which might be limited in terms of resolution/linearity so maybe they sound less detailed but to say there is "warmth" or other such audiophile terms, in typical sighted audiophile tests, can be taken with a great grain of salt.

I am not saying you are wrong but you will have a very tough job commenting all forum users and reviewers stating their dac/amps is on the warmer or the brighter side, good luck with that and thanks for picking me. ;-) Excuse me for using the word "warmth", it's sensitive I guess.

I would definitely fail tons of a & b tests myself, no doubt about that at all.

Playing around with EqualizerAPO + Peace gui has been valuable though, trying to trust my ears more now, less reading, more listening.

This is a good video with Jason Stoddard from Schiit Audio

 

[Veri]

I would definitely fail tons of a & b tests myself, no doubt about that at all.

Playing around with EqualizerAPO + Peace gui has been valuable though, trying to trust my ears more now, less reading, more listening.

Well yeah, I would fail the tests too. And those big review guys, they wouldn't pass a blind test to save their life. They are marketing pros and affiliate earners. They might be entertaining to watch but objective? Not a chance.

In any case, the A90 does not sound warm. The iFi, you might be able to describe it has a sound, I can't be sure. It actually does shaped dithering at all times, and uses an chip that can only resolve up to 96dB/16-bit... You could be hearing some kind of effect from that, who knows. But to say these ultra linear amps (THX, A90, ...) have a sound, no way
And yes system-side EQ is truly valuable and makes an actual change as opposed to cables and other silly audiophile tweaks

About Jason and "why all amps sound different", that kind of stuff deserves its own thread "no comment". Let's just say it fits their narrative.

 

[BDWoody]

what you are saying/hinting is the (very) common view among reviewers about the iFi Zen Dac (burr-brown dac chip in general) being slightly on the warm side is placebo/false? The A90 is also said to be sligthly warmer than the THX 789 in an a & b comparison, is this false too or just confusion/imagination?

Yes, that's a good summary of it.

These descriptions are obviously very common out there in audiophile land, but around here, since we actually know better, they aren't.

A proper test is seldom part of these efforts in creative writing.

 

[makatech]

Yes, that's a good summary of it.

These descriptions are obviously very common out there in audiophile land, but around here, since we actually know better, they aren't.

A proper test is seldom part of these efforts in creative writing.

Pretty sure I read the views about A90 being slightly more (a touch) on the warm side comparing to THX 789 in this long thread on this site. ;-) Not saying these forum users are right or wrong though, I am a newbie myself and I haven't done any a & b testing myself.

@Veri picked me (the newbie) because I happened to use the infected word "warmth" once, now I'm the bad guy? Not fair... ;-)