Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

[half_dog]

Grounding is not needed for 2012 and later.
The enclosure normally gets its ground via the gear connected to it.

I know it, but in those mentioned cases none of them there is earth ground causing the current leakage.

If you want ground just connect safety ground to the enclosure or the RCA shield using a piece of wire (which may introduce a groundloop)

I thought on this solution but I was afraid it could cause a short circuit somehow. And for these situations ("floating sources") maybe groundloop won't be a problem because the only gear connected to safety ground would the amplifier... I will try it and report back, but not now - it's 3:40 am here =P
Thanks one more time @solderdude
BTW, I'm not 100% but it seems A90 adopts this solution. The GND from HP output seems to be connected straight to safety ground.

 

[nikosidis]

Is this good as preamp for my Turntable? I already have a Riia and power amp.
I see in the performance test it is very good as headphone amp. but was it tested as a stand alone preamp?
I use Topping D90SE as source and pre. for digital signals.
I know they have the new preamp with all kind of inputs, outputs but I almost never use vinyl so it is kind of pointless to use that amount of money or is it not?

 

[solderdude]

The line out is the headphone out signal but then via RCA connectors.
You can use it as any other pre-amp except that it does not have multiple inputs.

 

[nikosidis]

The line out is the headphone out signal but then via RCA connectors.
You can use it as any other pre-amp except that it does not have multiple inputs.

I know. I just wonder about the quality as a preamp.
Is the measurements good as active preamp?

 

[solderdude]

yes.

 

[Roland68]

I know. I just wonder about the quality as a preamp.
Is the measurements good as active preamp?

The old mystery of the magic preamp
The L30 would stand up to many expensive and very expensive preamplifiers, precisely because it has a simple design with no frills and good components. In addition, there are the short signal paths with only the most necessary components in the signal path.
Not that easy to improve.

 

[Robin L]

The old mystery of the magic preamp
The L30 would stand up to many expensive and very expensive preamplifiers, precisely because it has a simple design with no frills and good components. In addition, there are the short signal paths with only the most necessary components in the signal path.
Not that easy to improve.

I've got the Topping E/L30 combo, it's the closest to "straight wire with gain" of anything I have heard. I wish I had this gear 40 years ago, when my hearing was better. If you want bells and whistles, forget about it. If you want the gear to get out of the way of the music, this is the ticket.

 

[nikosidis]

The old mystery of the magic preamp
The L30 would stand up to many expensive and very expensive preamplifiers, precisely because it has a simple design with no frills and good components. In addition, there are the short signal paths with only the most necessary components in the signal path.
Not that easy to improve.

Well, not thinking about the magic that is only in the music but the pure quality
They have a couple of preamps that are more expensive but I guess it all cause of bells and whistles.

 

[younis_ramos]

hello everyone
sorry for being lazy but this thread is too long so can someone answer my question?
i found a new L30 amp for 59$ the s/n starts with 2010, so should i get it? if i got it is there anything i should do to prevent it from blowing my headphones or eardrums? thnx ^_^

 

[Roland68]

hello everyone
sorry for being lazy but this thread is too long so can someone answer my question?
i found a new L30 amp for 59$ the s/n starts with 2010, so should i get it? if i got it is there anything i should do to prevent it from blowing my headphones or eardrums? thnx ^_^

You should stay away from it, the serial number should start at least with 2012 or higher.
And 59$ is far too expensive for a device that the manufacturer has classified as defective.

 

[vert]

I know. I just wonder about the quality as a preamp.
Is the measurements good as active preamp?

Unlike others I can't tell you why it is good, but it is. I use it as a vol control for active speakers all the time, more often, even, than as a headphones amplifier. The preamp function isn't a mere add-on. It's my first preamp but I was able to compare it to the vol control of an audio interface. The audio interface, a specialized device to control active speakers, had no edge over it. I didn't push volumes up to figure which was more powerful, but it has all the power you would need. More often than not it runs between 1/4 and a 1/3 of the way. And it is pristine clean, no worries on that front.

 

[Asd]

Hi all, pretty happy owner of E30/L30 combo here, until the L30 tried to kill my HD650.
Unfortunately I wasn't aware they were recalled (2009 batch), but amazon refunded the L30 and the headphones seem to be ok even if a nice amount of dc went through the left driver.
Considering the L30 is now about 30 euros more expensive than in 2020 do you think the L50 is a recommended and (hopefully) reliable upgrade? Any other suggestions for an amp that will almost exclusively play computer audio?
Thanks

 

[solderdude]

L30 is reliable. Just not the old one.

The fact that the HD650 is high impedance is what saved it.

 

[Veri]

Considering the L30 is now about 30 euros more expensive than in 2020 do you think the L50 is a recommended and (hopefully) reliable upgrade? Any other suggestions for an amp that will almost exclusively play computer audio?
Thanks

I like the Sabaj A10h/A20h(more power and inputs/outputs). Under the hood it is almost a clone of L30.. but it doesn't have the bulky power brick and its resistor clickety-clackety volume control is so much better than a standard pot, recommend it for that alone.

 

[Roland68]

I like the Sabaj A10h/A20h(more power and inputs/outputs). Under the hood it is almost a clone of L30.. but it doesn't have the bulky power brick and its resistor clickety-clackety volume control is so much better than a standard pot, recommend it for that alone.

I'm also a fan of the Sabaj A10h simply because of the relay based volume control. In addition to the channel imbalance of common pots, this also eliminates the possibility of ESD from the pot.

 

[nikosidis]

Thanks for the suggestion. Remote control does not hurt either

 

[somebodyelse]

I like the Sabaj A10h/A20h(more power and inputs/outputs). Under the hood it is almost a clone of L30.. but it doesn't have the bulky power brick and its resistor clickety-clackety volume control is so much better than a standard pot, recommend it for that alone.

Did they ever fix the DC protection circuit?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...rthy-topping-l30-competitor.22171/post-737997

 

[Veri]

Did they ever fix the DC protection circuit?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...rthy-topping-l30-competitor.22171/post-737997

I think liu's comment is not verified but just what he thinks. The power supply circuit is obviously not the same, it uses AC and not VAC like the L30. Totally different. So to say "it is a 1-1 clone with the same flaw" is likely not the full story. Also, the volume pot / low input impedance was part of L30s weak point. A10h has a totally different volume control, and normal input impedance (Input impedance = 47kΩ)..
Liu was also banned for posting conspiracies and have many more than 1 account, iirc.

 

[somebodyelse]

I think liu's comment is not verified but just what he thinks. The power supply circuit is obviously not the same, it uses AC and not VAC like the L30. Totally different. So to say "it is a 1-1 clone with the same flaw" is likely not the full story. Also, the volume pot / low input impedance was part of L30s weak point. A10h has a totally different volume control, and normal input impedance (Input impedance = 47kΩ)..
Liu was also banned for posting conspiracies and have many more than 1 account, iirc.

I should probably have worded it differently. It's clearly not a 1:1 clone, and even the areas with significant similarities have a different PCB layout which has to be done with skill to get the performance measured. For all I know the similarity in DC detection is because both designers looked at the same datasheet, but it still raises the worry that there's a similar problem too. If you'd said "they checked and there was nothing to fix" or "so far nobody's fried their headphones when the amp failed" it would have been more reassuring than the ad hominem.

 

[Veri]

If you'd said "they checked and there was nothing to fix" or "so far nobody's fried their headphones when the amp failed" it would have been more reassuring than the ad hominem.

Yep, sorry. There could be something with it. I've not seen anything from Sabaj/SMSL about it, nor have I seen any A10h disaster posts online, that's all I've got. I myself have the A20h and I've zero issues with it, but don't own the A10h..