Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

[Mr:River]

I regard highly people's subjective opinions though I know that that the experience would only be theirs and not necessarily be true to others.

I agree.
But there are times when it seems that we need to "PROVE" until a mere impression, this keeps people away with their subjective reports because they do not feel like reporting their impression, because they will ask for proofs, numbers, static etc. It is a bucket of water cold.

Sometimes I like to report my subjective impressions just to show my joy at what I heard and am enjoying right now.

 

[raif71]

I agree.
But there are times when it seems that we need to "PROVE" until a mere impression, this keeps people away with their subjective reports because they do not feel like reporting their impression, because they will ask for proofs, numbers, static etc. It is a bucket of water cold.

Sometimes I like to report my subjective impressions just to show my joy at what I heard and am enjoying right now.

Owh I have no problems with measurements but like you I like sharing what I feel and I like feeling the joy in others too.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Just put it up front that this is not a scientific test, not blind test.
And it will be fine.
What's worse would be putting a non blind tested subjective impression and ask for what caused it.
If it's just sharing your joy then it's more than fine.

 

[JohnYang1997]

But I am curious the difference between Atom and L30 heard by other people. Is it consistent to what I was hearing. I have modded Atom long ago, and I thought I heard difference. At least it measured better.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Is it possible the likelihood of hearing a difference would depend on the headphones used for the test? I think @frankh might be using Hifiman Sundara (37 ohm impedance, 94 dB sensitivity).

 

[solderdude]

Just record the output and compare with pkane's software or better yet, split the source record the left channel of both amps at the same time and null.

 

[BDWoody]

I regard highly people's subjective opinions though I know that that the experience would only be theirs and not necessarily be true to others.

I think I was in battle mode yesterday...

Certainly not trying to dissuade others from sharing their enthusiasm and/or experiences, and hope I didn't do so in this case.

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

Yes, level matched and nothing was broken in my setup.

there was two components to the question...level matched, and blind. Both are critical. If you know which amp you are listening to, and you've decided one amp sounds different from the other, you WILL hear a difference. Even if there isn't one. The brain does that to us...it's diabolical! lol.

There's nothing wrong with subjective impressions as long as one has a realistic appreciation for how fundamentally flawed they can be.

 

[frankh]

I regard highly people's subjective opinions though I know that that the experience would only be theirs and not necessarily be true to others.

I totally agree with you. There are no 2 pairs of ears that are created equal therefore some can hear it and some can't hear the difference...that's why I mentioned at the end of my initial finding....YMMV

 

[frankh]

But I am curious the difference between Atom and L30 heard by other people. Is it consistent to what I was hearing. I have modded Atom long ago, and I thought I heard difference. At least it measured better.

Mine is stock, not modded.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Mine is stock, not modded.

I would like to know the difference you heard. I didn't want to say it to not let you fall into the confirmation bias trap.

 

[frankh]

there was two components to the question...level matched, and blind. Both are critical. If you know which amp you are listening to, and you've decided one amp sounds different from the other, you WILL hear a difference. Even if there isn't one. The brain does that to us...it's diabolical! lol.

There's nothing wrong with subjective impressions as long as one has a realistic appreciation for how fundamentally flawed they can be.

I'm not here to prove anything unlike some attention seekers here...I'm merely sharing my honest opinion with those who appreciates it and for those who doesn't please ignore my post. There's no need to take things personally just because I hear things that you don't.

 

[frankh]

I would like to know the difference you heard. I didn't want to say it to not let you fall into the confirmation bias trap.

Btw I appreciate your good work with the amp so in case you missed it, here's my personal opinion I posted some time ago so please read it with an open mind:

I received my L30 a few days ago and did an A/B comparison volume matched by ear with my JDS Labs Atom set to low gain and L30 at 0dB gain setting. My comparison was done with the DX3 Pro (1st Gen) running in DAC mode with HifiMan Sundara headphone. After a few days of comparison, I've found that the Atom is slightly more powerful with a slightly wider soundstage. The L30 seems to add a little more decay on the upper lows or lower mids area which gives a little more body to that frequency range whereas the Atom has less decay and gives a tighter response in that region with nice low frequency extension.

As for the high frequencies, it's the direct opposite with the L30 producing shorter decay whereas the Atom produces a little more decay making it sound more airy in high frequency region. The Atom also reproduce instrument separation much more clearly though it's not night and day's difference, you can definitely tell the difference especially with the Sundara headphone. Fast percussive transients are reproduced equally well on both amps and mid frequency region is about on par with both amps too.

My conclusion after few days of listening is that both the L30 and Atom are very good headphone amps at super affordable price so I'm keeping both. I'll most likely use the L30 with some brighter headphones and the Atom will be my preference when I want a more transparent sound. This is of course not a full review of the L30 but just my own personal experience with both the L30 and Atom....YMMV.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Btw I appreciate your good work with the amp so in case you missed it, here's my personal opinion I posted some time ago so please read it with an open mind:

I received my L30 a few days ago and did an A/B comparison volume matched by ear with my JDS Labs Atom set to low gain and L30 at 0dB gain setting. My comparison was done with the DX3 Pro (1st Gen) running in DAC mode with HifiMan Sundara headphone. After a few days of comparison, I've found that the Atom is slightly more powerful with a slightly wider soundstage. The L30 seems to add a little more decay on the upper lows or lower mids area which gives a little more body to that frequency range whereas the Atom has less decay and gives a tighter response in that region with nice low frequency extension.

As for the high frequencies, it's the direct opposite with the L30 producing shorter decay whereas the Atom produces a little more decay making it sound more airy in high frequency region. The Atom also reproduce instrument separation much more clearly though it's not night and day's difference, you can definitely tell the difference especially with the Sundara headphone. Fast percussive transients are reproduced equally well on both amps and mid frequency region is about on par with both amps too.

My conclusion after few days of listening is that both the L30 and Atom are very good headphone amps at super affordable price so I'm keeping both. I'll most likely use the L30 with some brighter headphones and the Atom will be my preference when I want a more transparent sound. This is of course not a full review of the L30 but just my own personal experience with both the L30 and Atom....YMMV.

Do you feel the Atom being more energetic and open where L30 is rounded and calm but at the same time very tight?

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

There are no 2 pairs of ears that are created equal therefore some can hear it and some can't hear the difference...that's why I mentioned at the end of my initial finding....YMMV

It's more complicated than that. Of course some ears are better than others. But also, most ears are different from each other.
Hence they hear the sound differently, through their own pavillion, their own ear canal, etc..
For that reason, two "good" pair of ears (and by that I mean with similar hearing abilities frequency-wise (20-20K), loudness-wise (down to -X dB), etc.) may still hear the sound differently.
So because of that, one good pair of ears may prefer, say, the L30, while the other good pair of ears prefers, say, the Atom.
That doesn't mean that one of the devices is better than the other (as in "objectively better"). It just means that ears are different.
The only thing that tells us consistently and reliably that a given device can be considered better than another are the measurements. Period. This is ASR after all.

I'm not here to prove anything unlike some attention seekers here...I'm merely sharing my honest opinion with those who appreciates it and for those who doesn't please ignore my post. There's no need to take things personally just because I hear things that you don't.

Your post was perfect... until the last part which ruins it. No, there's no proof at all that you "hear things that others don't". Otherwise we could as well say that all people who like the L30 more "hear things that you don't". And that would get us nowhere.

Here's the truth. You may indeed hear things differently, e.g. with your ears favoring some frequencies and disfavoring others. Your ears have their own frequency response. And so, you are free and welcome to say that you like any given product more than any other, even if measurements say otherwise. What you are not welcome to say is that you "hear things that others don't". You'll be welcome to say that the day it will have been proven scientifically, which AFAIK won't be happening anytime soon. So until then, let's just consider all ears here as "equal but different". That way you can say that you hear things differently and so you have your own preferences, jusr like anybody else, without implying anything else by that. Thank you.

 

[frankh]

Do you feel the Atom being more energetic and open where L30 is rounded and calm but at the same time very tight?

Actually it's the right opposite. I felt the L30 is more energetic due to the longer decay of the upper lows but a little closed compared to the Atom. I agree that the Atom sounded more open on the highs and tighter at the bottom end without sacrificing lower extension.

 

[frankh]

It's more complicated than that. Of course some ears are better than others. But also, most ears are different from each other.
Hence they hear the sound differently, through their own pavillion, their own ear canal, etc..
For that reason, two "good" pair of ears (and by that I mean with similar hearing abilities frequency-wise (20-20K), loudness-wise (down to -X dB), etc.) may still hear the sound differently.
So because of that, one good pair of ears may prefer, say, the L30, while the other good pair of ears prefers, say, the Atom.
That doesn't mean that one of the devices is better than the other (as in "objectively better"). It just means that ears are different.
The only thing that tells us consistently and reliably that a given device can be considered better than another are the measurements. Period. This is ASR after all.


Your post was perfect... until the last part which ruins it. No, there's no proof at all that you "hear things that others don't". Otherwise we could as well say that all people who like the L30 more "hear things that you don't". And that would get us nowhere.

Here's the truth. You may indeed hear things differently, e.g. with your ears favoring some frequencies and disfavoring others. Your ears have their own frequency response. And so, you are free and welcome to say that you like any given product more than any other, even if measurements say otherwise. What you are not welcome to say is that you "hear things that others don't". You'll be welcome to say that the day it will have been proven scientifically, which AFAIK won't be happening anytime soon. So until then, let's just consider all ears here as "equal but different". That way you can say that you hear things differently and so you have your own preferences, jusr like anybody else, without implying anything else by that. Thank you.

Of course everyone hears things differently because everyone is born with their own "unique" pair of ears....that's why YMMV. If you want to judge an amp solely based on measurements then by all means do so but I'd rather use measurement as a guideline and my own ears will make the final judgement after all I'm the one who's going to enjoy what I purchase right, not anyone else.

 

[Azathoth]

How durable are the RCA jacks on the E30/L30? If I accidentally yank them with the weight of my body would it damage it? Curious because I have it with the Topping interconnects and they just out beyond the desk, not really a problem because I don't occupy that area but who knows what could happen.

 

[BDWoody]

but my own ears will make the final judgement after all I'm the one who's going to enjoy what I purchase right, not anyone else.

So far, you've still got your eyes involved.

 

[frankh]

So far, you've still got your eyes involved.

My eyes prefer the L30 but my ears prefer the Atom. Oh, I forgot to mention that my eyes made the decision for me to purchase the L30 based on measurement alone.