Topping preamp

[hello_there]

I don't like when people ask about ETA. Everything will be there once it's there.

Would you like it now, or would you like to wait until it is ready?

HAHA!

 

[JohnYang1997]

Well that's a fair answer of course. Has the question of price be addressed in this thread? (... I haven't read all 10 pages, sorry.)

Schiit was selling the Freya S for US$600, (now discontinued for whatever reason). That isn't too much to ask for a top-performing preamp -- which doubtless the Topping will be . Could Topping do it for that sort of price? I note that Topping currently has other form factors than the D90/A90.

I'll already telling too much on a product that's not even released yet. It should be cheaper that's all I can say.

 

[VeerK]

I'll already telling too much on a product that's not even released yet. It should be cheaper that's all I can say.

if the extender 90 and pre90 combo compete with freya pricing, easy day 1 purchase for me.

also, what if the Power90 Level 2 was like the Schiit Ragnarok? Slightly hidden heatsinks like restorer-John suggested, double A90 width, easy to stack a pre90 and extender 90 side by side on top of it. Would look sexy imo

 

[Feanor]

if the extender 90 and pre90 combo compete with freya pricing, easy day 1 purchase for me.
...

I have a high regard for the Toppin products I already own. As for the pre90 + extender, I'd for that versus the Freya + if I ...

1. Didn't want tubes
2. Did want some gain, (which the Freya + doesn't provide in solid state)
3. Knew that the pre90's measurements were about as good as those of, say, the former Freya S, (which model is now unavailable). This last remains to be seen, of course.

 

[Dave O.]

Another question for John. Will the series be operable from a single remote?

 

[Harmonie]

I'm definitely in for the Pre90 and extender, and likely a matching D90 and A90.

The level 3 amp might be of interest, but it'd need to be 200W+ into 8ohms.

I don't mind the height, I don't mind the shape (I trust Topping's "ears"), I need these to be Mono's and preferably almsot doubling power at 4ohms and since AB, wish the same at 2ohms rated !

Now @JohnYang1997 , it's just to up to us to make you talk more .. and beware, we may be good at that

 

[typericey]

What I planned :2xA90 without the 'ears' for level 1
2xA90 with 'ears' for level 2
Two mono blocks of size of D70(or larger) with ears for level 3.
Initially we planned level 1 to be 1xA90 but the heat... it didn't help that we had ventilation.

Wow, shall I create a new "Topping amplifier" thread?

Looking forward to this. I'm confident you guys at Topping will deliver another home run product. I know that Topping doesn't cut corners on component quality. It has always been Nichicon, etc. all the way. Please continue that component quality tradition.

 

[gvl]

Schiit was selling the Freya S for US$600, (now discontinued for whatever reason).

Apparently they couldn't move enough to justify keeping it in the lineup. A heads up for Topping I guess.

 

[noname]

I'm currently using only 1 source. I connect DAC directly to Power amp and adjust the volume by using digital volume control on DAC

RPi4 (USB) > Topping D90 (XLR) > Marsh Sound Design A200S > KEF R700

Besides getting a physical volume knob, I'm curious if there is any advantage in SQ for adding preamp into my system. Or it's better to bypass the preamp and shorten signal path as I did.

 

[JohnYang1997]

I'm currently using only 1 source. I connect DAC directly to Power amp and adjust the volume by using digital volume control on DAC

RPi4 (USB) > Topping D90 (XLR) > Marsh Sound Design A200S > KEF R700

Besides getting a physical volume knob, I'm curious if there is any advantage in SQ for adding preamp into my system. Or it's better to bypass the preamp and shorten signal path as I did.

Sonically I'm not sure. Technically with preamp you improve SNR when you start attenuating volume.

 

[gvl]

Will this preamp perform proper balanced to unbalanced, and the opposite, signal conversion with minimal performance penalty?

 

[JohnYang1997]

Will this preamp perform proper balanced to unbalanced, and the opposite, signal conversion with minimal performance penalty?

yes

 

[jruser]

Apparently they couldn't move enough to justify keeping it in the lineup. A heads up for Topping I guess.

IMHO, there is a market for a great preamp in the price range, but the Freya S wasn't it. It was a product that only performed really well in passive mode, but in passive mode it couldn't convert from unbalanced to balanced. In active mode, it had THD higher than all of the current top-end dacs. And it had no per-input volume memory or HT bypass.

The Freya S was definitely great, but only in certain circumstances.

 

[gvl]

IMHO, there is a market for a great preamp in the price range, but the Freya S wasn't it. It was a product that only performed really well in passive mode, but in passive mode it couldn't convert from unbalanced to balanced. In active mode, it had THD higher than all of the current top-end dacs. And it had no per-input volume memory or HT bypass.

The Freya S was definitely great, but only in certain circumstances.

I sort of doubt the actual performance, which was actually pretty decent as we saw here, had anything to do with the low demand. The number of people who need to switch inputs is greatly reduced in 2020 as compared to 1990 and the fact that many DACs come with remote and volume control these days makes it even smaller. Perhaps Topping has better reach over the world through their distribution channels and with a lower price they can make it a successful product.

 

[mafelba]

I sort of doubt the actual performance, which was actually pretty decent as we saw here, had anything to do with the low demand. The number of people who need to switch inputs is greatly reduced in 2020 as compared to 1990 and the fact that many DACs come with remote and volume control these days makes it even smaller. Perhaps Topping has better reach over the world through their distribution channels and with a lower price they can make it a successful product.

But if the market for preamps is poor enough to have extinguished the Freya S, why would Schiit develop the Freya+. Apparently they believe the market was strong enough not only to make such a product viable, but strong enough to charge $300 more for it after adding some tubes.

 

[gvl]

why would Schiit develop the Freya+

It's got the tubes, and tubes are cool even if they are warm, people make irrational choices and buy them for $300 more. In other words they were selling more of the Freya+ than S (likely with thicker margin too), then when things got shiitty after covid hit they had to trim the product line to keep the costs in check, so the S got the axe. This is basically what Jason said elsewhere, I'm not making it up.

 

[JohnYang1997]

IMHO, there is a market for a great preamp in the price range, but the Freya S wasn't it. It was a product that only performed really well in passive mode, but in passive mode it couldn't convert from unbalanced to balanced. In active mode, it had THD higher than all of the current top-end dacs. And it had no per-input volume memory or HT bypass.

The Freya S was definitely great, but only in certain circumstances.

The passive mode was never fully tested. It's almost impossible to expect good performance out of it.

 

[TimF]

Look, you know your market. And if your market tells you it wants tiny stuff, that's fine.

Bear in mind the tiny Chinese stuff was just cheap fun gear at first. Disposable, low performance and not remotely serious. Now it's getting really good and necessarily bigger. Thanks to designers like yourself.

But also beware foisting form factors on customers with the justification of manufacturing and shipping costs being too high for full sized gear. All that does is immediately suggest the gear is a compromise. Serious audiophiles and HiFi hobbyists don't compromise and pay for what they want. But again, that may not be the market you are targeting, I don't know.

My god man, do you want to go back to wall telephones, or even princess telephones? Have you rejected cell phones because they got toooo small?

 

[EJ3]

My god man, do you want to go back to wall telephones, or even princess telephones? Have you rejected cell phones because they got toooo small?

And then they got big & even Super-Sized?

 

[gvl]

The passive mode was never fully tested. It's almost impossible to expect good performance out of it.

Amir tested the Saga, it looked okay against his AP, but of course being passive a lot depends on the actual gear it's connected to.