Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

[sotiridaf]

hmmm acc. to the rules that original amp should have been disposed of.

Besides when it is faulty it wouldn't work. I suspect you mean it is a still operational pre-2012 L30.

Yes it is operational pre 2012 L30... i used the wrong word , sorry .

 

[sotiridaf]

hmmm acc. to the rules that original amp should have been disposed of.

Besides when it is faulty it wouldn't work. I suspect you mean it is a still operational pre-2012 L30.

Dont worry , all the surface has been hit by a screwdriver , it cannot be sold. As for me , i will take my chances

 

[half_dog]

Completely out of the theme. I don't know of I'm gonna be able to explain it right because my english... Is it a bad idea to feed a L30 with a balanced signal splitting the positive to one channel (eg. left side) and negative to other (right side) and than uses it to feed just one driver (>=32ohm). The male TRS shall be soldered as balanced connection: tip = positive, ring = negative and sleeve = NC (in this specific case). The idea is to use L30 as bridge/balanced amplifier. For it would be necessary two units... A cheaper way to "simulate" the A90 balanced output :v

 

[Veri]

Completely out of the theme. I don't know of I'm gonna be able to explain it right because my english... Is it a bad idea to feed a L30 with a balanced signal splitting the positive to one channel (eg. left side) and negative to other (right side) and than uses it to feed just one driver (>=32ohm). The male TRS shall be soldered as balanced connection: tip = positive, ring = negative and sleeve = NC (in this specific case). The idea is to use L30 as bridge/balanced amplifier. For it would be necessary two units... A cheaper way to "simulate" the A90 balanced output :v

Guess that would be possible but you will still have two separate volume control/knobs per channel which could be a pain to manage. Any reason you must have balanced btw? Will simply make things louder, besides that there's no real game changer there.

 

[half_dog]

You are right. I don't mind balanced output, L30 at mid gain is completely fine with a HD650. But this idea is to drive a Hifiman HE-6 (not mine), this hp is an example of ineffectiveness.
About the volume it would be controlled digitally leaving the potentiometer at max all time.

 

[Veri]

You are right. I don't mind balanced output, L30 at mid gain is completely fine with a HD650. But this idea is to drive a Hifiman HE-6 (not mine), this hp is an example of ineffectiveness.
About the volume it would be controlled digitally leaving the potentiometer at max all time.

I think this idea was already posited when the JDS Atom came out, but not sure anyone actually tried it.. In any case, 'dual' SE amp this way will likely work but I'm not sure it is really all that ideal for a HE-6. In fact, maybe it would be cheaper to just get a budget speaker amp and interface the HE-6 to the speaker outputs ? Just an idea.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...r-find-aiyima-a07-tpa3255-video-review.21059/

 

[half_dog]

That's indeed cheaper... However He-6's owner already has a L30 and me too, so...
Btw, we both have an Atom and at first we thought to do it with them, but looking at the measurements, L30 seems to be capable of supply more current on heavier loads. 50 ohm per driver will be perceived as 25 ohm (if I'm not mistaken) by amplifier and with L30 I think it can deliver something around ~4W in this situation - A90 can deliver 4.8W to 50ohm. We will give it a shot

 

[EHC]

Hi all, this is my first post here.. I have read a lot of interesting and useful things in this forum and I am really grateful to Amirm and to all who shared information here. This is one of a kind space for people interested in consumer audio evolutions and in the measured reality behind marketing hype!

I recently experienced a problem with an L30, and I think it may be of interest for some of you.

At the begining of November I buyed an L30 and an D10s for my desktop. I was very happy with the combination until recently a noise appeared on the left channel of L30.

The noise is a combination of white noise and popcorn. The level is (I guess) around -40db.. -50dB relative to the useful signal (week but clearly perceptible between songs). The noise is present with or without music. Otherwise the amplifier is functioning ok.

If the schematic I found here on page 35 is corect, the noise source seems to be the first stage of OPA1612 (the noninverting input), based on:
1. With no input connection, the noise level decrease gradually when moving the cursor of the potentiometer left (to the ground).
2. If a low impedance source is connected (D10s) and you move the cursor right, starting from ground, the noise increases gradually, there is a maximum then the noise decreases gradually to zero at the max position. If the level switch is on the low position there is no more decrease of the noise level (resistor in series to input).

I don't use the L30 anymore, I will try to change it under warranty.

 

[solderdude]

You would be wise to exchange it for the serial number alone.
Sounds a bit like a damaged OPA (could be static discharge) so would recommend to NOT use it again, contact your seller and ask to have a new one sent. I am quite sure your serial number starts with a number below 2012.

 

[EHC]

You would be wise to exchange it for the serial number alone.
Sounds a bit like a damaged OPA (could be static discharge) so would recommend to NOT use it again, contact your seller and ask to have a new one sent. I am quite sure your serial number starts with a number below 2012.

Yes, you are right, thank you! It's no more in use. I will try to exchange it for a modified one.

 

[totenkglock]

Hi, I’m not sure if this is the right thread to ask about this kind of thing but it has the L30 in it so I thought I’ll give it a shot.
Is it possible and if it is, advisable to run the L30 in preamp mode into the A50s to power a pair of HE6?

 

[solderdude]

yes it will allow you an extra +9dB gain.
You could also consider the A30Pro and use just one amp.

 

[totenkglock]

Ah thank you! I did consider that but it would mean more money spent

 

[Veri]

Is it possible and if it is, advisable to run the L30 in preamp mode into the A50s to power a pair of HE6?

Should definitely be possible and not a bad idea. Might still not reach ear piercing volumes though.

 

[totenkglock]

Should definitely be possible and not a bad idea. Might still not reach ear piercing volumes though.

Ah okay. Surprisingly I am able to get to a listenable volume on the A50s on low gain BAL out at around 2 o’clock on the HE6. Just wondering if the extra power would make any difference

 

[raif71]

Ah okay. Surprisingly I am able to get to a listenable volume on the A50s on low gain BAL out at around 2 o’clock on the HE6. Just wondering if the extra power would make any difference

It's just a click away to listen to the higher gain and hear for yourself

 

[Veri]

Ah okay. Surprisingly I am able to get to a listenable volume on the A50s on low gain BAL out at around 2 o’clock on the HE6. Just wondering if the extra power would make any difference

Well one person's ear piercing is not another's I suppose, Amirm got the HE6 to distort on a Topping A90, I don't even want to know how loud that must have been..

 

[companyja]

Just got my E30+L30 stack, funnily enough the E30 is 2101xxx and the L30 is 20126xxx, unlucky I guess! I didn't unscrew the backplate or measure it, but there is a bit of that pogo action and it clicks a bit at the back so I assume the pin is in there. The volume pot is indeed a little bit weird, that's kind of disappointing. Sounds fantastic though, 0dB gain around 1-2 o'clock with the K712 is the farthest I'd go in terms of volume (and I'm doing a -4dB pregain in EQ APO as well)

 

[dgnzcn]

Just got my E30+L30 stack, funnily enough the E30 is 2101xxx and the L30 is 20126xxx, unlucky I guess! I didn't unscrew the backplate or measure it, but there is a bit of that pogo action and it clicks a bit at the back so I assume the pin is in there. The volume pot is indeed a little bit weird, that's kind of disappointing. Sounds fantastic though, 0dB gain around 1-2 o'clock with the K712 is the farthest I'd go in terms of volume (and I'm doing a -4dB pregain in EQ APO as well)

Which set did you use before, the sound quality has improved very clearly with the e30 + l30?
Before i buy i confirmed it is 2101xxx or higher for l30 then i bought it.

 

[companyja]

Which set did you use before, the sound quality has improved very clearly with the e30 + l30?
Before i buy i confirmed it is 2101xxx or higher for l30 then i bought it.

K5 Pro a while back, I used the Focusrite Solo 3rd gen in the meantime for a few weeks before my stack got here - at lower listening volumes it's probably identical I don't wanna blind-test it but at higher volumes the solo runs out of power so the L30 covers the K712's power needs

One amusing thing is the RCA cables my seller sent as a sweetener for the stack has those directional arrows on them (at least that's what I assume they are). That was kinda funny

You can see the arrows on the left there. Quite beefy cables though, sturdy connectors, real deal it seems (funny thickness for what they are, though). I of course ordered the cable correctly to go from E30 to the L30 as the arrow points, othewise my audio would be reversed