Topping A900 released: insane beast

[boXem]

preamp at high level and buffer low gain setting

Is the best solution for noise, and if the preamp is correctly designed, doesn't really impact distortion.

 

[Manu91440]

I don't think the Topping D900 would be the solution for your system.

Because?

 

[welwynnick]

Because?

Because in the previous post you said:

My wish would be to "analog" /warm up a bit my general sound, which can be a bit edgy on some records due to my high revealing/neutral chain (rme adi 2/purifi amps with neurochrome universal buffer/sasandu tx speakers)

Topping DACs have a wide, flat frequency response with no down-tilt, or rolling off the top end, and they have very low distortion. Those characteristics tend to make them sound cold and clinical to some people (though I think it's often a reflection on the rest of the system). The D900 takes that accuracy to the final degree, and isn't the sort of product that you would choose to provide a warmer or softer sound, unless you were to play with the equalisation.

There are some Topping DACs that have the option to adjust the 2nd & 3rd harmonic distortion compensation in the DAC chip itself. They allow you to add 2nd harmonic to emulate a valve to some extent. They call it timbre tuning or sound simulation, and they offer a "valve mode" or "transistor mode". The D70 Pro Sabre and D90 Sabre do this, and maybe some others. That might be worth a try.

D90 III SABRE - - Topping audio

TOPPING, born in 2008, has evolved into a beloved global HIFI brand favored by users worldwide. We firmly believe that higher-quality music playback devices are essential for truly showcasing the allure of music. By investing extensively in professional technology and exceptional industrial...

www.toppingaudio.com

Alternatively you could try using different output reconstruction filters, and see if that makes a difference to you. That will be quite subtle.

 

[Manu91440]

Because in the previous post you said:

Topping DACs have a wide, flat frequency response with no down-tilt, or rolling off the top end, and they have very low distortion. Those characteristics tend to make them sound cold and clinical to some people (though I think it's often a reflection on the rest of the system). The D900 takes that accuracy to the final degree, and isn't the sort of product that you would choose to provide a warmer or softer sound, unless you were to play with the equalisation.

There are some Topping DACs that have the option to adjust the 2nd & 3rd harmonic distortion compensation in the DAC chip itself. They allow you to add 2nd harmonic to emulate a valve to some extent. They call it timbre tuning or sound simulation, and they offer a "valve mode" or "transistor mode". The D70 Pro Sabre and D90 Sabre do this, and maybe some others. That might be worth a try.

D90 III SABRE - - Topping audio

TOPPING, born in 2008, has evolved into a beloved global HIFI brand favored by users worldwide. We firmly believe that higher-quality music playback devices are essential for truly showcasing the allure of music. By investing extensively in professional technology and exceptional industrial...

www.toppingaudio.com

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Alternatively you could try using different output reconstruction filters, and see if that makes a difference to you. That will be quite subtle.

Thanks a lot for those infos
My idea was eventually to play with the D900 peq.
I will have a look at the D70 or D90.

Thank you

 

[Sjofelumsk]

Just got my A900/D900. Haven't had a listen to them yet, but I have unboxed them nevertheless. Really looking forward to the weekend and some intense sessions. Coming from various Topping combos but I've never had anything like this

By the way, I noticed there's a slight "clonky" sound coming from my A900 if I carefully lift it up and then down again/ place it on a surface. I touched the bottom of it and it seems like that's where the sound is coming from. Like metal not being 100% fitted. Everything seems fine and there are seemingly no loose parts. The sound is also nonexistent if I hold the unit with both hands on the sides while tapping the bottom with my fingers. If not it might produce such a sound. Is this considered normal? My D900 produced no such sound while being handled

I have OCD so stuff like this can really bother me

 

[ButHowDoesItSound?]

Just got my A900/D900. Haven't had a listen to them yet, but I have unboxed them nevertheless. Really looking forward to the weekend and some intense sessions. Coming from various Topping combos but I've never had anything like this

By the way, I noticed there's a slight "clonky" sound coming from my A900 if I carefully lift it up and then down again/ place it on a surface. I touched the bottom of it and it seems like that's where the sound is coming from. Like metal not being 100% fitted. Everything seems fine and there are seemingly no loose parts. The sound is also nonexistent if I hold the unit with both hands on the sides while tapping the bottom with my fingers. If not it might produce such a sound. Is this considered normal? My D900 produced no such sound while being handled

I have OCD so stuff like this can really bother me

How often will you be lifting the thing up and putting it down again? C'mon man...

 

[Sjofelumsk]

How often will you be lifting the thing up and putting it down again? C'mon man...

I know, I know. Mainly curious if it's a normal thing

 

[Roland68]

Just got my A900/D900. Haven't had a listen to them yet, but I have unboxed them nevertheless. Really looking forward to the weekend and some intense sessions. Coming from various Topping combos but I've never had anything like this

By the way, I noticed there's a slight "clonky" sound coming from my A900 if I carefully lift it up and then down again/ place it on a surface. I touched the bottom of it and it seems like that's where the sound is coming from. Like metal not being 100% fitted. Everything seems fine and there are seemingly no loose parts. The sound is also nonexistent if I hold the unit with both hands on the sides while tapping the bottom with my fingers. If not it might produce such a sound. Is this considered normal? My D900 produced no such sound while being handled

I have OCD so stuff like this can really bother me

It could possibly be the very long ribbon cable in the A900, which lies loosely in a very large loop inside the device to make it easier to open.

 

[Sjofelumsk]

It could possibly be the very long ribbon cable in the A900, which lies loosely in a very large loop inside the device to make it easier to open.

Yeah might be, however that should also be audible while performing a slight jiggle to the device, which I did to check for anything loose, and there's no sound while doing that

 

[Audiowood]

My first post here. Just got the A900 today and have been listening non-stop for 4 hours. Sound really good. Got it for my work desk. Learn a lot from this thread. - Thanks all!
Set up is a Wiim ultra -> Luxsin X9 (as Dac) -> A900.

Luxsin X9 amp lacked some punch - A900 added some punch back to my planar headphones- Bonus was the width of sound expanded - Bass is now tighter and punch harder. I am quite surprised the A900 added nothing to the tonality. Still the same sound signature of the Luxsin X9 (smooth, relaxed, and wide) - well, now even wider lol.

 

[da Choge]

Didn't realize this A900 headphone amp/preamp had been out significantly before Topping came up with the Pre900 (although I don't think the Pre900 is out for retail yet). Can't really see the difference between their preamp sections, except that they have different power supplies. Does the Pre900 have more discrete volume steps (Topping claims 0.1 dB steps X 1000) than the A900? Why is the Pre900 more expensive than the A900 when it looks to have the same specs and no headphone amp? They could have done so much more with the Pre900, IMO, other than just taking out the headphone amplifier, if they wanted to make it a full-featured preamplifier.

 

[jmdesignz2]

My first post here. Just got the A900 today and have been listening non-stop for 4 hours. Sound really good. Got it for my work desk. Learn a lot from this thread. - Thanks all!
Set up is a Wiim ultra -> Luxsin X9 (as Dac) -> A900.

Luxsin X9 amp lacked some punch - A900 added some punch back to my planar headphones- Bonus was the width of sound expanded - Bass is now tighter and punch harder. I am quite surprised the A900 added nothing to the tonality. Still the same sound signature of the Luxsin X9 (smooth, relaxed, and wide) - well, now even wider lol.

what tracks are you noticing this most in? what headphones?

 

[Chagall]

Didn't realize this A900 headphone amp/preamp had been out significantly before Topping came up with the Pre900 (although I don't think the Pre900 is out for retail yet). Can't really see the difference between their preamp sections, except that they have different power supplies. Does the Pre900 have more discrete volume steps (Topping claims 0.1 dB steps X 1000) than the A900? Why is the Pre900 more expensive than the A900 when it looks to have the same specs and no headphone amp? They could have done so much more with the Pre900, IMO, other than just taking out the headphone amplifier, if they wanted to make it a full-featured preamplifier.

Very strange product indeed....a single XLR pre-out pair is almost criminal.
No extra outputs, no sub integration, no HT bypass, and no meaningful routing options for 1500 EUR. I just don’t get it.

 

[Audiowood]

what tracks are you noticing this most in? what headphones?

Hd800s and Arya Unveil. Listen to mainly midnight Jazz from Tidal and Spotify lossless. BTW - I returned the luxsin X9 and went for D900. Sound incredible.

 

[bigpilot]

$1200 isn't exactly cheap for a Chinese product. I mean, don't tell me a U.S. or European company can't crank out something like this for a similar price.

 

[Skeptical_Aus]

What I find to be an issue is the duplication of function between D900, A900 and Pre900.

I'd like to have dedicated units and no redundancy.

And the prices...yikes, may as well be buying from the usual suspects who cater to Audio enthusiasts.

Hence I will stick with the D90/A90D combo, already transparent, already $1k each roughly. Nearly 1/3 the price of the 900 series.

 

[Jcrow]

What I find to be an issue is the duplication of function between D900, A900 and Pre900.

I'd like to have dedicated units and no redundancy.

And the prices...yikes, may as well be buying from the usual suspects who cater to Audio enthusiasts.

Hence I will stick with the D90/A90D combo, already transparent, already $1k each roughly. Nearly 1/3 the price of the 900 series.

Yes the duplication, especially between the preamp and hp amp, is sort of odd.
To be honest, though, they are nice looking units. But yeah, I think the price of the DAC is over the top. I hope they make a chip version of it for 1/2 the price. I reckon the a900 is priced ok.

 

[welwynnick]

$1200 isn't exactly cheap for a Chinese product. I mean, don't tell me a U.S. or European company can't crank out something like this for a similar price.

A U.S. or EU company definitely couldn't crank out something like this for a similar price.

 

[Palladium]

$1200 isn't exactly cheap for a Chinese product. I mean, don't tell me a U.S. or European company can't crank out something like this for a similar price.

For starters, I'm entirely not seeing the point of pushing speaker-level power into headphones.

 

[welwynnick]

For starters, I'm entirely not seeing the point of pushing speaker-level power into headphones.

Yeah, I've been noticing for a while that recent Topping amps like the A70, A90, A900 are able to chuck out several watts into just a few ohms.

So they'd probably work OK if you actually connected them to loudspeakers. They might run rather hot, though.

I think the point is that many of the best headphones have low efficiency or low impedance, and need a lot of voltage or current to get going, and Topping provide both.