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Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

Roland68

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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..
The A20h is constructed in the same way as the A10h, it only has twice the output stage of the A10h.
For balanced operation, you could also use two A10hs (one for the right and one for the left), then you would have practically (almost) the same as the A20h, only with better channel separation;)
 

nikosidis

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I bought L30. I'm not much interested in headphones will use it the few times I like to listen to my old vinyl collection.
 

nikosidis

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I tried L30, preamp mode with my Riia and used the +9db switch. That way I could set my Riia with quite low gain for my mc cartridge. That helps a lot regarding noise. I must say I'm very impressed. Sure, it is vinyl for better and worse but best vinyl sound I ever had :)
 
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Unit to unit variation. If you feel its unusable you can ask for another replacement.
Hi John.
My unit has been purchased on Aliexpress from Aoshida-HIFI Audio Store on November 2020.
They seem to be a legitimate and reputable seller: https://aoshida-audio.com/
Only recently have I discovered that there's such major issue with those earlier batches of L30.
What they've answered on an exchange possibility though was:

Dear customer,
This announcement is 1 year ago
Topping Factory Notice: Beginning January 1, 2022, they will no longer accept replacements for older L30s
If you have any questions, please contact TOPPING's official website (https://www.tpdz.net/)
They will give you a satisfactory answer

Is that true?
If yes, how is it possible that a person not even knowing about the major issue in a product, upon discovering it by accident somewhere on the Internet, gets an answer like this. Basically, it's like saying: "Dear Mr/Mrs, You didn't make it in time while the hype train lasted. Now the damage has been successfully controlled and the company isn't afraid about the negative reprecussions to their reputation anymore. We don't care anymore. Have a nice day."

Can Topping clear up the situation?
How can I (and other people) get a replacement for my (our) Topping L30 so that it doesn't blow up headphones one day by accident?
 

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Roland68

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Hi John.
My unit has been purchased on Aliexpress from Aoshida-HIFI Audio Store on November 2020.
They seem to be a legitimate and reputable seller: https://aoshida-audio.com/
Only recently have I discovered that there's such major issue with those earlier batches of L30.
What they've answered on an exchange possibility though was:



Is that true?
If yes, how is it possible that a person not even knowing about the major issue in a product, upon discovering it by accident somewhere on the Internet, gets an answer like this. Basically, it's like saying: "Dear Mr/Mrs, You didn't make it in time while the hype train lasted. Now the damage has been successfully controlled and the company isn't afraid about the negative reprecussions to their reputation anymore. We don't care anymore. Have a nice day."

Can Topping clear up the situation?
How can I (and other people) get a replacement for my (our) Topping L30 so that it doesn't blow up headphones one day by accident?
Have you already written to Topping?
What was Topping's response?
 

Vik

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Can someone who have read the 5,116 posts in this thread please summarise, in one short post, what has been said about quality control on these products – and about how much better D30+L30 are than the DX3 Pro+ ? :):):)
 

paracet

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would L30 in pre amp mode be compatible with into active speakers? rca-rca ..and if so, will the analog signal likely be converted/degraded back to digital again before it hit the class d amps
 
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Robin L

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would L30 in pre amp mode be compatible with into active speakers? rca-rca
Yes.
..and if so, will the analog signal likely be converted/degraded back to digital again before it hit the class d amps
Depends on the speaker. Some will, some won't.
 

TheBatsEar

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would L30 in pre amp mode be compatible with into active speakers? rca-rca ..and if so, will the analog signal likely be converted/degraded back to digital again before it hit the class d amps

Class D is not digital:
A class-D amplifier or switching amplifier is an electronic amplifier in which the amplifying devices (transistors, usually MOSFETs) operate as electronic switches, and not as linear gain devices as in other amplifiers. They operate by rapidly switching back and forth between the supply rails, being fed by a modulator using pulse width, pulse density, or related techniques to encode the audio input into a pulse train. The audio escapes through a simple low-pass filter into the loudspeaker. The high-frequency pulses are blocked. Since the pairs of output transistors are never conducting at the same time, there is no other path for current flow apart from the low-pass filter/loudspeaker. For this reason, efficiency can exceed 90%.


If the speaker contains some form of DSP correction, then yes, there will be a AD/DA conversion before the signal goes to the amplifier. But i wouldn't worry about it, it's included in all measurements. If an active speaker measures worse than one with DSP, take the DSP one.

I hope that makes sense to you somehow :)
 

krumpol

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I've got L30 connected to 2x30W class D amplifier in AQ M23 active speakers for 10 months, works perfectly.
 

paracet

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never implied class D was digital, was talking about the chips upstream of the amps. in any case.. got hold of a map of the electrical circuit. indeed there was an analog to digital converter and a dsp chip betwen the amps and analog line-in. so I would guess(?) feeding the active speaker with a quality analog signal doesn`t have much of a point compared to toslink and let the speaker do the job. or am I wrong in that assessment
 

TheBatsEar

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never implied class D was digital
Was a knee jerk reaction then, sorry. :)

Yes, in your case you would probably get less noise and THD. But does it matter? I'm not convinced. Since you have both options, give it a test?
 

gino1961

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hi i am attaching the serial no. of my unit
I read through the thread but i got lost I need some kind advice
1) is there any doable fix that could prevent any damage to the unit ? like replacing for instance the case with a non metallic one ? or using a plastic pot ?
2) in the use as line preamp only is the unit less prone to develop issues ?
3) leaving the switch on the L30 always on and using a switch upstream the mains transformer to power the unit down could help in avoiding damages ?
4) is there any procedure to use the unit in a safe mode ?
I have no hope to replace it. I bought is from amazon in my country (i.e Italy) too many months ago
I used it very little with no particular issue by now.
In case there is no solution i would be willing to buy another one
Could you please provide me with a link to a seller selling the last version with issues fixed ?
Thanks for any kind and very appreciated suggestion.
Kind regards, gino
 

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Veri

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Could you please provide me with a link to a seller selling the last version with issues fixed ?
In any case, all new units currently sold have the "fixes". Only old/second hand units can be affected
 

gino1961

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In any case, all new units currently sold have the "fixes". Only old/second hand units can be affected
Hi thank you very much indeed. As i understand there are still old units sold do i have to look for serial no. 2012xxxxxx and above ?
 

Veri

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Hi thank you very much indeed. As i understand there are still old units sold do i have to look for serial no. 2012xxxxxx and above ?
Yes. The safe/fixed version = any 2012 version or higher. 2008/2009 for example are ones you should not use to prevent any accident.
 

Roland68

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hi i am attaching the serial no. of my unit
I read through the thread but i got lost I need some kind advice
1) is there any doable fix that could prevent any damage to the unit ? like replacing for instance the case with a non metallic one ? or using a plastic pot ?
2) in the use as line preamp only is the unit less prone to develop issues ?
3) leaving the switch on the L30 always on and using a switch upstream the mains transformer to power the unit down could help in avoiding damages ?
4) is there any procedure to use the unit in a safe mode ?
I have no hope to replace it. I bought is from amazon in my country (i.e Italy) too many months ago
I used it very little with no particular issue by now.
In case there is no solution i would be willing to buy another one
Could you please provide me with a link to a seller selling the last version with issues fixed ?
Thanks for any kind and very appreciated suggestion.
Kind regards, gino
Please contact Amazon customer support first. If you bought the device through Amazon, customer support comes into play. Contact Amazon via chat or phone.
The device has a serious technical error that can also damage the connected devices (headphones). They should take the device back or exchange it.
 

TheBatsEar

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1) is there any doable fix that could prevent any damage to the unit ? like replacing for instance the case with a non metallic one ? or using a plastic pot ?
Sadly no. I have looked into it as well, had to throw mine into the recycling. :mad:

2) in the use as line preamp only is the unit less prone to develop issues ?
3) leaving the switch on the L30 always on and using a switch upstream the mains transformer to power the unit down could help in avoiding damages ?
4) is there any procedure to use the unit in a safe mode ?
Unknown, unknown and probably no.

I have no hope to replace it. I bought is from amazon in my country (i.e Italy) too many months ago
24 month legal warranty in Europe if the device has a flaw that is there from production. One of the many perks of the EU. :D

Sadly, i bought mine used. :facepalm:
 

gino1961

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hi i would sincerely thank you all kind Guys for the very valuable advice
I just bought an updated one The seller promises to send a serial 2012xxxxxx or above unit
I already bought an upgraded mains transformer that I intend to use
I want to use it mainly as line stage
I was shocked by its measurements I have never seen something similar
I will report on the sound with pics
Thank you so much again to All of you
kind regards gino
 
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