Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Something I found to be very positive is the presence of the switches on the front, so they are very convenient to flip. There are both the power switch (which also acts as an impedance selector) and a gain selector, which allows to choose between three presets: 0 dB, 9 dB, 18 dB. This is a review and detailed measurements of the new Topping D30Pro. It was kindly sent to me by the company. Alas, I forgot to ask them how much it costs when released. I will update the review when I find out. Also because of the dynamic range, the A30 Pro creates a good sense of layering within the soundstage. However, the furthest element still has a sense of being a bit too close. However, there are some distinct differences between these 2 devices, the first being that the SH-8s doesn’t have a preamp output. Also, there are only 2 gain stages with the SH-8s, and a measured rated dynamic range swing of about 135dB. And finally, the SH-8s doesn’t feature the quiet power supply from the SMSL HO200’s 140dB THD. Design
TOPPING A30 PRO Headphone Amplifier NFCA Black TOPPING A30 PRO Headphone Amplifier NFCA Black
When multiple pieces of equipment are used in conjunction, ground loop noise can occur. Ground loop noise most often manifests as a buzzing or humming sound, which is capable of being loud enough to damage speakers. Although it's known to happen most often in single-ended feeds, it can happen in balanced feeds, too. The Topping A30 uses Texas Instruments OPA1611 and OPA2134 op-amplifiers in conjunction with a TPA6120A2 amplifier. The specs are mostly in line with similar products in the same price range (i.e. Schiit Magni 2 Uber). The only value which is starkly different is output impedance, which is really high and indicate the amplifier may work better with high-impedance headphones. Manufacturer’s note: The actual noise level is obtained by boosting the noise of the A30 Pro by 40dB using a low noise amplifier in front of the APx555B and then dividing the measured noise by 100 times.
Gallery
Also by being so detailed, it also reminds potential buyers that an amp is just a series of components, and that if they use quality components, as amplifier design has been around for quite a while and is quite advanced state, you're bound to get a well performing product. Well that was my logic purchasing it, hopefully won't be bad.. Its honesty and its transparent nature fully preserves the voicing of your digital or analog front end. When it was connected to the HydraVox, suddenly music started flowing like a river bringing natural textures, highlighting inner-details and less so sharp overtones. When Matrix Element X came to play, music became extra crispy, but clean and defined and when Gustard X26 PRO appeared on my desk, the sensation of power overwhelmed my body, it punched and slammed the hardest out of them all. Its honesty can work as a double-edged sword too, for example it made wonders with warm sounding headphones like LCD-4 or Wodan, but it could be a little too much with headphones like Hifiman HE1000SE or Susvara. I like some warmth added into the mix with such headphones and A30 PRO isn’t about being warm, bright, or smooth. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Did you like the review? Let me know! Please note that you should write in English, as comments in other languages will be deleted. Thank you!
Topping A30 Headphone Amplifier - Head-Fi.org Topping A30 Headphone Amplifier - Head-Fi.org
The layout of the front fascia of the 2 devices immediately makes the family resemblance very evident. The L30 has 2 3-way toggle switches on the far left. The first one serves as the power/mode switch, where the L30 can be run either as a headphone amplifier or a pre-amp. The 2 nd switch is the same as the one found on the A30 Pro which allows for switching between the 3 gain modes.
SMSL HO200 Technical Specifications
Would be interesting why to choose this over a L30. Integrated power supply? Look and feel? Balanced connections? The balanced input allows a higher voltage signal and the whole thing of less noise by cancelling differences between the positive and negative signals. The A30 Pro comes with many good specs, including the ability to run balanced inputs. Switching between the RCA input and XLR, there is a nice difference to each. The XLR is noticeably richer on most headphones, but on some IEM’s, I did note that the RCA connection was better. In other words, it is nice to have this choice. That said, I put more into what the unit sounds like, than the overall specs. Below a certain threshold, the human ear cannot hear distortion anyway; so, the point is moot to me when comparing specs. Suffice to say, the A30 Pro can hold its own with most mid-fi set ups. A high output curve does allow the amp to drive low impedance headphones with ease, and my LCD-3’s came across quite nicely in the mix, when listening to Art Blakely through Tidal. Similarly, the treble presentation on the XA-10 has more substance behind each note, while being more forward. This allows cymbals to be edgier and more distinct, while both amplifiers’ treble presentation is equally crystalline. Well like I said all I know is from the Fulla 2 and its already too strong for my IEMs and my Panasonic HD-10.
Topping A30Pro Balanced Headphone Amplifier - Addicted To Audio Topping A30Pro Balanced Headphone Amplifier - Addicted To Audio
At the rear, there is the same number of inputs and outputs also, but the balanced outputs on the A30 Pro are ¼” TRS outputs instead of the more traditional 3-pin XLR. Also, it’s worth noting that the A30 Pro’s rear is much more crowded, so it might be a bit more difficult to organize the wiring if all ports are used at the same time. Performance So how does the little brother to the mighty A90 is sounding? In a few words it is extremely detailed and honest sounding, it is also transparent, fast and punchy sounding. It was articulate and mean when bass notes came to play, it felt extended in the frequency response and absolutely noiseless in its performance when used with sensitive loads. It was colorless in its presentation, fully preserving the character of the source, being liquid and smooth with Audiobyte’s HydraVox, extremely precise with Matrix’s Element X and overpowerful with Gustard’s X26 PRO. It sounded quite airy and decently layered, still it wasn’t on the same level with A90 if balanced inputs and outputs were being used. If it feels that I’m describing the sound of A90, don’t be confused as A30 PRO does indeed sound like a miniature version of it, fully preserving its character, while sounding a bit closer to the listener. At the rear of the device, there are 2 physical switches. The first one is a power switch that disconnects the amplifier from the mains power. On paper, the 2 devices utilize the same topology and they end up having similar measurements as well. So it would be easy to summarily assume that the A30 Pro and L30 would sound the same right? Well not really.
Topping A30 Pro Specifications
The new specifically redesigned NFCA based circuit is optimised for terrific single ended performance. Huge output power and margin bring excellent control ability, and there are no more headphones hard to drive. Your statement is true. When everything is equal then balance would provide better sound (in general). However, when everything is equal balance amp also much more expensive than single ended, because use four times more component on amplification board. The internal of V281 basically is V200 x 4 pcs. The low gain mode though (which is less than 0 dB) should help keep the volume control in its more accurate range if you do run into a sample with worse performance.
Topping A30Pro | Page 2 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion Topping A30Pro | Page 2 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion
The A90 is the flagship and it shows as it has a more robust feature set than the A30Pro. The A90 has a true pre-amp functionality rather than the simple pass through of the A30pro and also has true differential amplification so is capable of delivering even more potency than the A30Pro. In most respects the A30pro is very much the little brother of the A90 with similar construction and circuit design. The A30p just uses 50% of the A90 as a single ended model while the A90 doubles the circuit count by offering true differential output. Both amplifiers do well with dynamic range, so they create an overall layered soundstage, but the additional airiness on the XA-10 creates more delineated images within the soundstage. The soundstage size is also expanded by the additional airiness on the XA-10. Our Verdict
Made to pair with the D30 Pro Desktop DAC
Going into the bassline, the A30 Pro goes deep into the sub-bass region. There is a sense of environmental sub-bass presence that encompasses the entire soundscape. With drum hits though, each hit has a good amount of impact, but the presentation of the drum hits is not as taut as I expected them to be. That could be the reason why balanced amps if everything being equal have noticably better soundstage. Layering within the soundstage is also more compressed on the A30 Pro, while also having an overall more forward presentation. The dynamic range on the other hand is not as wide as I expected, as the A30 Pro plays louder than it should in most passages. Compared to the ruler flat frequency response of the HO200, there is a more energetic midbass hump on the A30 Pro. This gives drum hits more weight and body, while bass guitars have a more flowy presentation overall. Drum hits are more immediate on the A30 Pro while having a more rounded and smoother overall presentation. With both amplifiers employing technologies with a similar goal, they have the same distortion numbers as low as 0.00006%.
Great Deal 
New Comment