Topping Pre90 Review (preamplifier)

[win]

I don't care for the compact size of this preamp and having to stack components. However, it's a start. I hope some of these Chi-fi companies will make components with more traditional form factors.

Huh?

Other than a true rack width, what is the traditional form factor you speak of? Rack width is pretty wide for most consumer stuff. Weird issue to have, especially when the 90 series topping form factor is actually quite nice.

 

[F1308]

So...I connect my laptop to my DAC.
My DAC to this preamplifier (INPUT).
My headphone amplifier also to this preamplifier (OUTPUT).
And then preamplifier to the powered amplifiers (OUTPUT).

And the powered amplifiers to the speakers.

Any way to hear my loudspeakers and my headphones at the same time....?
Thank you.

 

[F1308]

For any kind of home system use remote is mandatory in my book so it is great to see it implemented here

I agree, but via Android and radio, not an old fashioned controller...

 

[Labjr]

Huh?

Other than a true rack width, what is the traditional form factor you speak of? Rack width is pretty wide for most consumer stuff. Weird issue to have, especially when the 90 series topping form factor is actually quite nice.

How about something large enough to fit more than one input on the back?

 

[YSC]

As kind of a suggestion, is topping going release different modules for the pre90? Kind of say an rca only or xlr+rca version, or a high input impedance version etc. The extension concept does make it an all round design and fit multiple use cases. I myself have already bought a khozmo passive for my need so won’t be topping customer this round but it does seems a cost effective option.

 

[noname]

To be fair. Topping Pre90 has excellent measurements and I would say it is the same league with Benchmark HPA4. Only disadvantage is its low input impedance. But don't forget it costs just 20% of Benchmark HPA4 ($599 compared to $2999). It is more than a reasonable price. I would say it quite cheap.

It seems that some people want it to be excellent in all aspects and they want its price as cheap as possible.

 

[jtwrace]

It seems that some people want it to be excellent in all aspects and they want its price as cheap as possible.

Unless it's your salary, that seems about right.

 

[MDAguy]

crazy how well this thing measures for a $599 retail price... frankly I think it's a no brainer for someone who is watching their budget.

 

[PeteL]

To be fair. Topping Pre90 has excellent measurements and I would say it is the same league with Benchmark HPA4. Only disadvantage is its low input impedance. But don't forget it costs just 20% of Benchmark HPA4 ($599 compared to $2999). It is more than a reasonable price. I would say it quite cheap.

It seems that some people want it to be excellent in all aspects and they want its price as cheap as possible.

No arguing this is a better deal, but the stock version of HPA4 offers quite a bit more, 2 extra inputs, a mono output, a state of the art headphone amp. No it doesn't warrant 5 times more, I agree, and well, not that I care where something is from if it's good, but the China/Western world cost of developpment/manufacturing, it is what it is. Let's say you add the expansion module, and the a90, you are at half the price for functionalities that can be compared, to me that makes the Benchmark priced fairly.

 

[F1308]

Unless it's your salary,

...if any.

 

[gvl]

It seems that some people want it to be excellent in all aspects and they want its price as cheap as possible.

Even one of those would have been nice.

 

[m8o]

Pretty impressive. Certainly has the objective part locked in. Eager to read more subjective listening reviews. I've been building an overridable cascaded xlr patch bay to switch/select multiple xlr sources to one or multiple outputs. I might have to throw that by the way side and just get this!

 

[Mikechw]

https://spl.audio/en/spl-produkt/elector/

Does anyone tried SPL ?

Maximum input & output gain
32.5 dBu
Input impedance (RCA)
47 kΩ
Input impedance (XLR)
20 kΩ
Output impedance
75 Ω
Common mode rejection (XLR)
-82 dBu
Frequency range (-3 dB)
4 Hz – 300 kHz
Crosstalk (1 kHz)
-108 dBu
THD (0 dBu, 1 kHz)
0.000992 %
Noise (A-weighted)
-102.5 dBu
Dynamic range
135 dB

How do I convert Noise (A-weighted) -102.5 dBu to THD %rating ??

 

[gvl]

If the specs are right the Elector seem to have about 10x more noise and THD than the P90, but still reasonably low. The input impedance is good and better inputs configuration. Unfriendly price tho.

 

[Rottmannash]

I guess that topping must have strategy for future. With this preamp they fulfilled line of small, desktop-like devices and it`s also quite new to audio world. Small but well regarded, with amazing reviews they building company reputation. For this particular unit, small size is it`s limitation, and it is small to fit company lineup. As someone said: bigger unit means a lot of problems like stupid things like storage space. Albo bigger unit means more weight, more weight more materials and so on..
I believe that Topping is capable of making preamp with 2021yr functionality, a lot of inputs etc. but it`s not the time for them for such investment. I have no idea what Topping plans for the future but power amp would be natural to be next, and that would change everything as even smallest mono Class-d amp with decent power output would need bigger chassis that any current device from they offer. So to match new lineup new preamp would be needed. It means more expensive gear, and another issue: who would pay for it? To offer that kind of equipment Topping needs to go deeper into hifi market to find costumers. Maybe they should present their gear during Audioshows around the world. That would be awesome.

Have you seen the size of the Emotiva PA 1 Class D monobloc amps? 8 1/2" wide x 1 7/8" high and 9 inches deep and weight 3 lbs.

 

[pma]

Is there a measurement of CMR of this unit? CMR is probably the main reason of existence of balanced lines. Please also note that with low input impedance, any mismatch of source component output impedance worsens the CMR much more than if the input impedance is high.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

How do I convert Noise (A-weighted) -102.5 dBu to THD %rating ??

You don't. For a range reasons.

THD-N is total harmonic distortion plus noise. THD is just the harmonic distortion, and by definition does not include noise. (In addition, using a weighting means the noise has had a frequency dependant function applied to as part of creating a single figure of merit. This is a one way operation, which means you can't reverse out any frequency dependencies.)

Harmonic distortion and noise are often lumped together as noise, but the names are deceptive, and don't fully convey what is occurring.

Noise is in its broadest sense anything we don't want in the signal. But we can divide than down into stuff that is dependant on the signal itself, and stuff that is independent of the signal. We can then call the stuff that is dependant on the signal "distortion" and the stuff that is independent of the signal "noise". Harmonic distortion is the most popular and generally useful way of measuring disortion (although it isn't the only way and it doesn't capture all possible mechanisms), and if you want a single figure of merit you add the noise figure onto THD, and get THD-N. aka SIgnal to Noise And Distortion. SINAD. SINAD implicitly admits other distortion than just harmonic, although it is usually a synonym for THD-N.

Noise can be divided into correlated noise - that is noise that has some internal structure - such as mains hum, and non-correlated noise, which is at its base AIWN, additive independent white noise. Such noise is stochastic in nature, and in electronic systems is usually a mix of Johnson-Nyquist noise, shot noise, and 1/f noise (aka flicker noise). These noises are not necessarily individually white, (1/f noise is pink) but they have the property that you cannot predict what is to come next based on what has come before, so they are not correlated, and can be considered as filtered white noise). Generally they come under the term "hiss". Our ear has different frequency sensitivities, so noise has more or less efffect in different frequency bands, so applying a frequency dependant function to the noise spectrum when the power in the noise is summed is a useful thing to do. Hence the common A-weighted noise figure.

 

[restorer-john]

A test to be considered with preamplifiers is crosstalk from other inputs. We don't know whether unterminated inputs are shorted via a resistor, shorted to ground or floating.

Maximum output voltage should be looked at. Amir's test ends at 10V in this review and it appears there is some more voltage swing left in the unit.

Input and output impedance values are also of major significance. Amir's stellar THD figure at 4V out is, (according to the dashboard) running into a 200K ohm input. Hardly a typical input impedance for the following stage power amplifier.

So at one end, we have a super low input impedance and at the other end, we are giving the preamp no load at all! Let's load it down to the typical input impedance of an unbuffered Purifi or Hypex module (4.4K/2.2K unbal), or even 10K. Fair is fair.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Great performance but expensive for what it is.

I am surpriced ...? If this is expensive .what is then cheap? I do not not get anything near this performance for such a price in any hifistore where I live
Most receiverers and stuff with «everything»at the same price is junk

 

[m8o]

Maximum output voltage should be looked at. Amir's test ends at 10V in this review and it appears there is some more voltage swing left in the unit.

Quite a bit more ... 50Vpp !