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Topping L30 II Review (Headphone Amp)

Rate this headphone amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 13 3.2%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 11 2.7%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 32 7.8%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 356 86.4%

  • Total voters
    412
What is this libelous tort?! My L30 II is white-hot with rage! His adapter's hottest spot is only 20.6C above ambient... hahahaha

My main headphones right now, HD 650s are 250 ohms so they don't draw too much current, and even at their loudest I don't think I drive them to more than 100mW/ch (RMS)

It doesn't sound like you're saying it gets hot though, just that it is hot. Constantly. You didn't say "hot", outright, but you did say "warm" - I'm thinking how "warm" does something have to be, to be "annoying"?
The adapter is annoying in that it obviously continues to consume power even when it is switched off. This can be particularly annoying if you are trying to minimize energy consumption. Even if the temperature difference, as with your L30 II, is only 20.6 °C above the ambient temperature, the constant flow of current is an inefficient aspect. Especially with devices that are switched off regularly, you would not normally expect any noticeable energy consumption.
 
The adapter is annoying in that it obviously continues to consume power even when it is switched off. This can be particularly annoying if you are trying to minimize energy consumption. Even if the temperature difference, as with your L30 II, is only 20.6 °C above the ambient temperature, the constant flow of current is an inefficient aspect. Especially with devices that are switched off regularly, you would not normally expect any noticeable energy consumption.

I just measured the adaptor with no load (E30 II in the "off" position), and it takes 1.7W. I'm going to measure its temperature above ambient after sitting for an hour -my guess, it'll be 2, maybe 3C above ambient (at its hottest).

Now, 1.7W isn't nothing, but it's hardly something to worry about. If you buy the L30 II and plug it in and leave it plugged in 24/7/365/5, at the end of those 5 years, the cost to you was less than 1 dollar.

Yes it would have been better if the power switch was in line with the primary side of the transformer instead of the end of the wire from the secondary, but in order for that to have been the case, for the switch to be in the L30 II, there'd have to be an extra conductor in the power cord (requiring a non-standard power cable), and then there'd be dirty dirty mains voltage inside the device itself which would probably necessarily be horrible for SNR unless the case was made to be sizably bigger (+30% at least...) to accommodate shielding

Any remedy for this switch problem isn't cost effective to fix. Bigger chassis? No for so many reasons. Extra wire? Costly and requires bigger chassis

Think about it like this: that 1.7W is the equivalent of your TV's brightness set to 12/30 instead of 11/30. That 1.7W is like the gas to heat the water for one shower. That 1.7W is like your router manufacturer using an Intel chipset instead of Realtek for the LAN. That 1.7W is like cooking a 1.25 pound lasagna in your toaster oven at 350 for 40 minutes. In other words, it means nothing.

Maybe think about it like this: Topping could've put the switch on the wall adapter itself... Would you buy the L30 II with the switch on the wall adapter for $149, or would you buy the L30 II with the switch on the unit for $150?

There's a technical term for this kind of power usage: "phantom power draw"
You can work to minimize it by using power bars wherever you can and shutting them off when you're done, or, say you have an office, you can do the electrical so that the bottom outlet is on a wall switch - plug your power bars into the lower outlets and when you leave, turn off the switch. There are things that take power that you'd think wouldn't when they're off - my Denon X3700H takes almost the same as the E30 II - its USB port is always powered up, HDMI has to be in standby for power-on signals, the thing has WiFi for streaming...

Basically, I think you should be less annoyed because it's a small power draw. I probably wrote more words than necessary xD
 
I don’t mind remote controlled devices to consume a bit of energy (certainly less than 1.7W). But this isn’t one of those. It has a mechanical switch (not even a touch button) that clearly reads 'off', hence it’s nonsense to let it drain power.
Also, outside the UK or US there often is no such thing such as fuses or switches to a power outlet. There is a central breaker board in each flat, end of story.
 

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I don’t mind remote controlled devices to consume a bit of energy (certainly less than 1.7W). But this isn’t one of those. It has a mechanical switch (not even a touch button) that clearly reads 'off', hence it’s nonsense to let it drain power.
Also, outside the UK or US there often is no such thing such as fuses or switches to a power outlet. There is a central breaker board in each flat, end of story.

It might be nonsense, but that's the way all devices with external power supplies operate, whether powered by SMPS or transformer, none of them switch off the high voltage side of the power supply. SMPSs are superior to transformers in some ways, likewise in reverse. For the price point, size, reliability, and performance, Topping made the right choice going with the external transformer.

I think you should buy an AC watt-meter like the Kill-A-Watt. If you went around your house and measured what everything takes while on and off, I think you'd quickly forget about the L30 II. You might find some device you thought for sure was drawing nothing while off, is in fact drawing 25W! (It'll pay for itself)


About the switched outlet, what I said was "say you have an office, you can do the electrical so that the bottom outlet is on a wall switch"
I wasn't saying at all that it should be available in every house and to look for them in rooms in your house wherever you may be



Correction, I made a stoopid mistake: the $ amount you would save by unplugging the E30 II when it's off vs. leaving it plugged in (if it's off almost always) is actually $2.5. If it's on 8 hours a day and unplugged 16, that's $1.5 (over 5 years)
 
The adapter is annoying in that it obviously continues to consume power even when it is switched off. This can be particularly annoying if you are trying to minimize energy consumption. Even if the temperature difference, as with your L30 II, is only 20.6 °C above the ambient temperature, the constant flow of current is an inefficient aspect. Especially with devices that are switched off regularly, you would not normally expect any noticeable energy consumption.
I don’t mind remote controlled devices to consume a bit of energy (certainly less than 1.7W). But this isn’t one of those. It has a mechanical switch (not even a touch button) that clearly reads 'off', hence it’s nonsense to let it drain power.
Also, outside the UK or US there often is no such thing such as fuses or switches to a power outlet. There is a central breaker board in each flat, end of story.
As already mentioned, the A30 II and L50 don't have a power supply, but rather a transformer in the wall plug, without any additional electronics. Therefore, it's not possible to turn it off.
Switchable sockets or power strips are available for under €2; it's really no big deal to buy or use them. Such devices are also available with foot switches or smart switches.
All of these are simpler, cheaper, and more sensible than if Topping were to integrate something.
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As already mentioned, the A30 II and L50 don't have a power supply, but rather a transformer in the wall plug, without any additional electronics. Therefore, it's not possible to turn it off.
Switchable sockets or power strips are available for under €2; it's really no big deal to buy or use them. Such devices are also available with foot switches or smart switches.
All of these are simpler, cheaper, and more sensible than if Topping were to integrate something.
View attachment 453073View attachment 453074
That’s understood, and the suggested workaround is helpful. However, the rather strange design of the device in terms of its power supply and interpretation of the ‘off’ state remain annoying.
 
That’s understood, and the suggested workaround is helpful. However, the rather strange design of the device in terms of its power supply and interpretation of the ‘off’ state remain annoying.
This is simply due to technical and financial reasons. The manufacturer only receives a fraction of the purchase price, and it's not easy to produce a device with such measured values.
A single-voltage transformer is extremely inexpensive at this power, and Topping can purchase it accordingly. With just two diodes, you can get the required +/- voltage via half-wave rectification, without compromise.

Several manufacturers use this principle in their small headphone amplifiers, such as Schiit and JDS Labs.

Topping has also invested a lot of development effort in the internal voltage conditioning of the L30 II and L50. The price for this is the external transformer, which cannot be conveniently switched off via the device.
There are other devices with external switching power supplies or internal power supplies, but they are either not in the same price range or with these measured values and performance.

Where there is light, there is always shadow.
 
Several manufacturers use this principle in their small headphone amplifiers, such as Schiit and JDS Labs.
It goes all the way back to the O2 amplifier.

There seemingly is real potential when it comes to improving idle power draw:

Making a replacement power supply arguably is within reach of the enthusiast hobbyist... 3D print an enclosure that can hold a 15 VA, 15 V toroidal and strain reliefs, get off-the-shelf mains cable, maybe the same is also available with the required barrel jack, and Bob's your uncle.
 
What is this libelous tort?! My L30 II is white-hot with rage! His adapter's hottest spot is only 20.6C above ambient... hahahaha

My main concern is leaving it unattended. My flat gets up to 35 degrees in the summer, likely a bit more in the PC/audio corner, especially when the PC next to the adapter would be under load.

I don't have a good thermometer, don't feel like standing with a mercury one by it, so only a cheapo IR for people which should never be used for other things, and it has shown adapter at 42 degrees when the amp is off (room is 24). Inaccurate for sure, but it does feel like somewhere in vicinity.
 
A power strip with individual switches is what I use for devices with external power supplies. I switch off the device and then the power supply with the strip switch
 
My main concern is leaving it unattended. My flat gets up to 35 degrees in the summer, likely a bit more in the PC/audio corner, especially when the PC next to the adapter would be under load.

I don't have a good thermometer, don't feel like standing with a mercury one by it, so only a cheapo IR for people which should never be used for other things, and it has shown adapter at 42 degrees when the amp is off (room is 24). Inaccurate for sure, but it does feel like somewhere in vicinity.

I can appreciate that. It should be fine, but so should everything, and things mess up all the time.
I've had mine plugged in for a very long time now with no issues, but the floor is never much over 20C.
If I were you I'd just stick it on a power bar, make sure to turn it off when you leave. It'd be good to put other stuff on it too (stuff that doesn't need to be on when you're away), it can only increase safety
 
Hello guys! I need some help. I already have a large collection of dongles, some DAPs and IEMs. As a desktop DAC/amp I use a FiiO k11 R2R as an all in one device. I have three headphones that I have never had any problem driving with the K11, but I am about to receive the new SIVGA Peng (340 ohms) and I am looking for a dedicated amp to use with the K11R2R and this is where my knowledge ends.
I am almost completely new to DAC+dedicated amp and how to make the connections. The L30 II or even the A50 III would be in my budget.
The question that remains is, Can I use the K11R2R as a DAC only and connect it to one of these two options? How would the connections be made correctly? And do you think a setup like this would be good?
 
SE-out from the FiiO to SE-in on the Topping. Plain SE (RCA) stereo interconnect cable would do.
 
The K11 is a very capable and powerful headphone amplifier in its own right. Particularly in balanced, and the Sivga comes with a balanced cable. Not only will you have no problem driving them, but you’ll have plenty of headroom for EQ if you want to mess around with that.
 
Hello guys! I need some help. I already have a large collection of dongles, some DAPs and IEMs. As a desktop DAC/amp I use a FiiO k11 R2R as an all in one device. I have three headphones that I have never had any problem driving with the K11, but I am about to receive the new SIVGA Peng (340 ohms) and I am looking for a dedicated amp to use with the K11R2R and this is where my knowledge ends.
I am almost completely new to DAC+dedicated amp and how to make the connections. The L30 II or even the A50 III would be in my budget.
The question that remains is, Can I use the K11R2R as a DAC only and connect it to one of these two options? How would the connections be made correctly? And do you think a setup like this would be good?
I won't go this way unless the K11 amp section proves to be incapable of driving the new headphones.
 
Thanks guys, I know that the K11 will probably be enough, but I'm already thinking ahead. Buy a good (decent) dedicated amp and that's already secured for the future. I don't want to or rather I can't spend a lot of money on it. So basically the k11r2r+A50III would be my setup for a long long time.

Anyway, thank you very much for your quick response ♥️
 
Thanks guys, I know that the K11 will probably be enough, but I'm already thinking ahead. Buy a good (decent) dedicated amp and that's already secured for the future. I don't want to or rather I can't spend a lot of money on it. So basically the k11r2r+A50III would be my setup for a long long time.

Anyway, thank you very much for your quick response ♥️
Take into consideration that A50III can reach 14+Vrms only from balanced output. I've decided to go with cheaper L30 II instead, because it was able to output 13Vrms from unbalanced, while unbalanced of A50III is limited to 7.4Vrms. Not that there are many headphones which won't be fine with 7.4Vrms, really no problem there, in my case I simply wanted my new amp to have more than my old one.
 
Take into consideration that A50III can reach 14+Vrms only from balanced output. I've decided to go with cheaper L30 II instead, because it was able to output 13Vrms from unbalanced, while unbalanced of A50III is limited to 7.4Vrms. Not that there are many headphones which won't be fine with 7.4Vrms, really no problem there, in my case I simply wanted my new amp to have more than my old one.
Thanks for the info! But I intend to use only the balanced one
 
Thanks guys, I know that the K11 will probably be enough, but I'm already thinking ahead. Buy a good (decent) dedicated amp and that's already secured for the future. I don't want to or rather I can't spend a lot of money on it. So basically the k11r2r+A50III would be my setup for a long long time.

Anyway, thank you very much for your quick response ♥️
I would also draw your attention to two other devices.
The Topping L70, which isn't much more expensive than the A50 III on sale or as a customer return, but has more than twice the power.
And the new DX5 II, which also has much higher power. The measured values should be significantly higher than the K11, both for DAC and HPA. If you sell the K11, the premium should be roughly the same as the A50 III.
 
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Even though I don't sell the k11r2r, I like the sound of it with some of my iem's, I will definitely consider the DX5 II. I'll wait for the reviews to start coming out
 
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