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WolfX700 Measurement of Topping A90 Headphone Amp

dixter

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@JohnYang1997 hey John.. first off congrats on the release of your new amp... got one on order... I know the topic here is the A90 but you are one that can talk with the other people at Topping and I was wondering if Topping could come up with the optimal settings for the D90MQA as its performance goes hand in hand with the matching A90 amp... In the driver package they describe how to set up the D90 on JRiver Media, but no mention of the D90MQA for MQA software playback.... and my limited understanding of the D90 DAC is its best to upsample in DSD format ???.. some are saying upsample to DSD256 as thats the highest DSD limit before the specs change... and for the MQA settings on the desktop playback software feeding the D90MQA there seems to be some areas that need to be explained... for example Audirvana is asking if the DAC is a decoder or a transcoder... and other settings both on the D90MQA hardware settings and the supporting playback software... there aren't a lot of MQA software apps so it should be a pretty easy task to visit each one and let us know what are the best settings and why...
If we can get the D90 and D90MQA DACs to sound their best then your great amp will just be better to listen to yet...
thanks
 

omgezkoren

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the exact output impedance of my Topping dx3 pro v2 device is 6.2ohm. i am currently using meze 99 classics and akg k612 pro with headphones, both sound as tuned as they are by default. the Topping dx3 pro v2 is very good, I don't hear any distortion in the high gain position either, I use the k612 pro high gain -10db maximum. meze 99C and low gain -20db maximum. I would have just wondered how I could produce even better sound from both headphones. i have a guess the dx3 pro v2 is very killer sounding worth 220 € and i would have to spend a lot if i want a clear audible improvement. pl: Topping a90 + Topping D90. but it's already € 1,300, a lot, and I think I could barely hear a difference.
 

ninetylol

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Considering how beneficial this forum has been to topping, how in the world did Z reviews get a final model before ASR and amirm to review:mad::cool:
Afaik Amir has 1000 devices to test and most of them are queued up. So who knows, maybe He already got one laying around.
 

dmac6419

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Afaik Amir has 1000 devices to test and most of them are queued up. So who knows, maybe He already got one laying around.
Zeos got his straight from Apos for review (I asked him) he had to review it asap
@dmac6419 The Importer Apos special ordered one to me so I could get it out AROUND the time they had full stock. #JustYoutuberThings
 
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It seems Topping is a bit stingy if they won't even land a unit especially to this forum that made them so well known and respected by audio enthusiasts (and I remember it happened also in the past with other new Topping products)

Pretty sure I read in a thread that John (or Topping) sent out the A90 to ASR for review at least since march (could be to Wolf or Amir, idk). Amir is obviously swamped with work so its understandable that his review would take time.

Considering how beneficial this forum has been to topping, how in the world did Z reviews get a final model before ASR and amirm to review:mad::cool:

EDIT: didn't want to come off as snarky. Anyway, the measurement of the prototype looks super good. So i don't really see the reason to base a buying decision on a review of the final version because i don't think the two versions would be vastly different.
 

amirm

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rurika

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Alright, pre-order time has end and amirm has reviewed.
So, I just order one for myself.
 

Pillars

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Zeos got his straight from Apos for review (I asked him) he had to review it asap
@dmac6419 The Importer Apos special ordered one to me so I could get it out AROUND the time they had full stock. #JustYoutuberThings

Doesn't make total sense, I was one of the first purchasers of this amplifier (it went up the day before official pre order) and my amp isn't slated to arrive until Friday. Additionally, I was provided with the best shipping option from Apos. I understand the haste to get it into reviewers hands though. Regardless, Apos's handling of my preorder has been really, really good. They reached out and upgraded my shipping and got it processed quickly.
 
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dmac6419

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Doesn't make total sense, I was one of the first purchasers of this amplifier (it went up the day before official pre order) and my amp isn't slated to arrive until next week. Additionally, I was provided with the best shipping option from Apos. I understand the haste to get it into reviewers hands though. Regardless, Apos's handling of my preorder has been really, really good. They reached out and upgraded my shipping and got it processed quickly.
Doesn't make total sense, I was one of the first purchasers of this amplifier (it went up the day before official pre order) and my amp isn't slated to arrive until next week. Additionally, I was provided with the best shipping option from Apos. I understand the haste to get it into reviewers hands though. Regardless, Apos's handling of my preorder has been really, really good. They reached out and upgraded my shipping and got it processed quickly.
I ordered mine at the last minute and it'll be here Wednesday or Thursday but right now it's sitting in Hong Kong waiting for DHL, about 5am EST, I'll get a text it'll either be on the way to Newark or Cincinnati, have no fear it'll get there.
 

Pillars

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I ordered mine at the last minute and it'll be here Wednesday or Thursday but right now it's sitting in Hong Kong waiting for DHL, about 5am EST, I'll get a text it'll either be on the way to Newark or Cincinnati, have no fear it'll get there.
Same here, mine is on hold in HK. I was confused as Apos said they got them in and were sorting through everything. I thought Apos was based in the US and it'd be coming stateside shipping.
 

dmac6419

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Same here, mine is on hold in HK. I was confused as Apos said they got them in and were sorting through everything. I thought Apos was based in the US and it'd be coming stateside shipping.
It's just sitting in Hong Kong waiting for DHL,They already cleared customs they'll be on the next plane out,then US customs then to you and me and everybody else,P.S we might even get them early keep tracking it oh and make sure someones at home to receive it because DHL won't leave on the porch unless you release signature.
 

Pillars

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Found this.. I wonder why the small pot on the adapter board? Looks like it's ripe for an alps RK27 sized pot. What spec pot is this if I may ask?

Looks like this is a non standard wiring to the mainboard, so not user swappable.

11242329.jpg
 

JohnYang1997

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Found this.. I wonder why the small pot on the adapter board? Looks like it's ripe for an alps sized pot. What spec pot is this if I may ask?

View attachment 65706
Customized 5k 4gang pot wired in parallel for best channel tracking. There's no large 4 gang ALPS that suit our impedance need so is any other large companies. Hence we went customized pots.
As seen in the test, the channel balance performance is phenomenal.
 

Pillars

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Customized 5k 4gang pot wired in parallel for best channel tracking. There's no large 4 gang ALPS that suit our impedance need so is any other large companies. Hence we went customized pots.
As seen in the test, the channel balance performance is phenomenal.
I would agree, really looking forward to it.
 

MalinYamato

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Considering how beneficial this forum has been to topping, how in the world did Z reviews get a final model before ASR and amirm to review:mad::cool:
prolly because he has a huge audience base and bursts out Hallelujah when he presents Topping products.
 
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