topping a90 review
Run only by me, Oscar Stewart, I have a passion for good quality audio and I try to be as honest as possible in my reviews, portraying my subjective opinion. BLOG: The Fav Album Of…. Sound Perfection Rating: 10/10 (versatile, tons of power that is cleanly delivered). Hi. Total Harmonic Distortion is almost comically low, at <0.00007% when pushing 500mW at 32-ohms. Members who purchase earn2495 Rewards Points, And Two-year Warranty Earn $5 in credit every 500 points. Topping A90’s 2 x balanced and single-ended headphone connectors. Yes I tend to prefer these with an OTL amp to add a little body, but the fact the A90 can drive them in low gain is really impressive. The A90 is one of the best executions of the Topping … The new Topping A90 is a $499 ‘Ultra High Performance’ desktop headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier. Linus reviewed it favourably, so it’s definitely also a very good amplifier. The program is free. It really is as simple as it gets, but the box feels sturdy and does the job of being nice to open whilst offering excellent protection during shipping. Topping A90 Review. Thinking about the d90 offcourse, but im open for suggestions. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Manufacturers have taken THX’s licensed Achromatic Audio Amplifier technology and have utilised it to great effect, two prime examples being Drop’s THX AAA 789 headphone amplifier, and SMSL’s SP200 THX 888 which I reviewed earlier this year. SMSL SP400 Review - A Flawed Masterpiece . All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings, Gear Used: Nice write up. It is already receiving rave reviews on Audio Science Review. The TOPPING A90 Headphone Amp is the companion for the highly reviewed TOPPING D90 DAC. I prefer A90 over the FA-10 for my headphone listening experience. I find this to be a much neater solution than automatically muting the pre-out circuits when headphones are inserted, such as on most Schiit Audio headphone amplifiers. I notice not many reviewers focus on “chip” vs discrete amps. Yes, it measures well but it also sounds good. Just on that last point for a moment – there has been a sweeping wave of ‘objectivism’ wash through the industry in the past couple of years and has been driven by a couple of factors. There really is only a hint of warmth from the A90, but luckily it steers clear of muddying any of the detail. The 3x receives lots of good reviews from many audiophiles. They're like chalk and cheese - the Aeon 2 Noire is more resolving and detailed, but has a more reserved, even-handed approach when…. The A90 is available for ordering and I am told ships by end of this month. The back panel of the A90 reveals both XLR and RCA input connections, plus matching balanced and single-ended pre-amp outputs. Some great comparisons with different headphones. You get 3 gain settings, a switch for balanced/single ended inputs and a switch for the power (Off/HPA/PRE). It is a really good-looking black cardboard box with the Topping logo on the top. It works absolutely perfect with IEMs, lacking any noise whatsoever and … Accessory wise the A90 comes with a jack adapter and the power cable. Outside of his day-job in creative advertising, Matty enjoys live music, lawn bowls, craft beer, and spending far too much money collecting vinyl. Review: Topping D90 DAC. The A90’s pre-amp capability gives it a headstart over the aforementioned THX amps as it can perform double duties when paired with an upstream source, like a DAC or turntable, and a downstream with a power amplifier or powered monitors. This high-performance Amp employs the new Nested Feedback Composite Amplifier (NFCA) module. Right? Well, we’d better take a closer look. So then, there really can’t be a ‘perfect’ headphone amplifier. , Nice review and glad too see this site still running strong returning to after so many years. Headphones. It won't do much wrong, but generally it will sound flat and boring. Hi- how does this A90 compare to Sabaj D5 or SMSL ? Topping has achieved this not by leveraging THX technology, but by developing their own Nested Feedback Composite Amplifier (NFCA) technology, which utilises a voltage-current hybrid feedback architecture and helps in achieving its starkly impressive dynamic range of 145dB. So before you proceed, just know that this is less “a review of the Topping A90” and more “rambling about why the Topping A90 is going to be used for future headphone reviews on IEF”. Topping A90 Here - https://apos.audio/products/topping-a90-headphone-amp?_pos=1&_sid=53b41b4f0&_ss=r&&sca_ref=476690.LeLqamn4OBHeadphones Tested OnArya - … Firstly, there’s been a lot of focus put on the. It has already received outstanding reviews on Audio Science Review. I have more than enough control over the volume knob without imbalance at low volumes with sensitive IEM’s which is great. Hi Edu, if you’re looking to add a little more power to your set-up the Mojo ought to work perfectly as a DAC upstream of the the A90 when set to line-out mode. It is priced at $139. Amplifiers. The A90 is a full-sized desktop headphone amplifier and preamplifier, with fully-balanced circuitry. Picture Sunday: iFi Audio Gemini & Mercury, https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50X-ATH-M20X-ATH-M30X-Headphones/dp/B07518L298/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&tag=headfi-20&ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace. It is a nice box, sturdy, and well suited to contain the products. As always, our thoughts and conclusions are our own. to complete Topping’s flagship headphone range. The A90 is transparent, powerful (can drive my Susvara easily) and extremely enjoyable to listen to. The other factor that’s been partly responsible for this numbers-driven philosophy has been the abundant availability of previously unavailable technology, take for example THX amplification. Seems Resonessence Labs has left the building. There are both balanced inputs and outputs, which allows you to use the A90 as a pre-amp for desktop speakers. Samsung launches new mobiles with the latest…, is a $499 ‘Ultra High Performance’ desktop headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier. It is not easy to beat A90. Once you get better sounding DACs with better recordings, stuff like the A90 (or anything with a TPA6120 like Sennheiser HDVD800 amp or Magnius) starts to show its limitations. It has more than enough power for both the K701 and the HD660s and ought to provide a completely neutral signature to both. The D90/A90 stack will suffice for 99% of headphones on the market, even the most hard to drive, and sounds superb doing so. Disclaimer: Topping sent a sample of the A90 to Headfonia to evaluate and share with our readers. [responsivevoice_button] I would genuinely caution anyone arriving new to the hobby that price = performance (unless that’s a sarcastic emoji?). On the back you have RCA and XLR inputs and outputs, the power cable socket and a power switch. Topping has included a High/Medium/Low three-way gain switch on the front panel of the A90, allowing owners to opt between gain as low as -9.5dB and as high as 15.5dB, depending on the combination of single-ended and balanced inputs and outputs used. I’ve heard some reviewers say the A90 is like the THX but a little more “musical” or “organic” – would you agree?). Manufacturers have taken THX’s licensed Achromatic Audio Amplifier technology and have utilised it to great effect, two prime examples being Drop’s, which I reviewed earlier this year. How do you feel about the Topping D90/A90 versus Burson Conductor 3x??? So what is it? For reviewers like me, it also serves as a superb reference stack and a great benchmark. The gain settings and low noise floor, along with low output impedance mean the A90 is also very capable when using IEM’s, just be careful with all that power on tap. HI, Herus,where to get updates? I’ve not had the chance to hear the Lake People set-up so I couldn’t give you a good comparison. Latest News. Topping A90 6.35mm Headphone Amplifier 7600mW x 7600mW for D90 Premplifier XLR SE Output Desktop HiFi Full Balanced Amplifier (Silver) 5.0 out of 5 stars 4 $499.99 For my main gear, I use JBL 305P powered speaker (3x acts at a DAC/Preamp), and HD660S. While putting the diminutive $289 SMSL amp through its paces, it did dawn on me that we, nearly be at the point where headphone amplification is, for lack of a better term, a. problem. Matty's a musician, music-fan, and 'gear-phile' from Sydney, Australia. Whilst they initially gained notice chiefly for delivering exceptional value to budget-conscious punters; lately, they’ve been taking names when it comes to delivering levels of performance that have no doubt made established industry players take note and pay additional heed to their own objective performance. That’s make me wonder should I swap for the D90/A90 combo. It's a very good match with my HD800. Topping A90 headphone amplifier, Topping E30 DAC and Sennheiser HD600 The A90 presents no hint of peak or dip at any frequency – it’s an absolutely achromatic playback experience, yet it isn’t at all devoid of musical enjoyment. Can I ask what those aftermarket pads are that you are using with your Sine dx? A90 sounds considerably more polished and refined. A90 review from headfonia.com https://www.headfonia.com/topping-a90-review/ I found its balanced output to sound slightly better (fuller) than its single ended output but no surprise there. There are 3 switches on the front along with 4.4mm and 4-pin XLR balanced outputs, 6.3mm single ended output and a volume knob. It was kindly sent to me by the company. Be well. It joins the D90 DAC (which Linus recently reviewed here) to complete Topping’s flagship headphone range. It’s a bit larger and a bit more expensive, so if a stepped attenuator and even more power (16 watts @ 32-ohms) are are important for you then it might be worth considering. Topping brags that A90 is equipped with ultra-high performance NFCA modules, Voltage current hybrid feedback architecture with UHGF (Ultra High Gain Feedback) technology. The A90 comes in a similar box as the D90, it’s a simple black affair with very good foam padding inside to keep the unit safe during shipping. The Topping D90 arrives in a black cardboard box with the Topping logo on the top, identical to the one of the A90 or DX7s from the same company. With a SINAD up to 123dB (measured by Audio Science Review) on its balanced output and an incredibly low distortion of 0.000086%, the A90 significantly expands the boundaries To benefit from the full power output of the A90 you should use a suitable balanced source along with the balanced output into your headphones. Topping D70S MQA DAC Review - Raising the Bar . It’s capable of a whopping 7.6 Watts of power into 16-ohms through either of its balanced connections and still manages to eke-out a whole Watt when driving a higher impedance 300-ohm load. I have a Chord Mojo a AKG K701 and a Sennheiser HD660S. The A90 sounds great as an op-amp example (which I think is it’s topology). IEM users might bemoan the lack of a 2.5mm balanced or 3.5mm single-ended connection, but Topping’s choice of 4.4mm Pentaconn is a statement of intent that the A90 is intended to be a future-facing piece of equipment, and also one that the owner can hang onto for a long, long, time in terms of its power and versatility. Medium gain is all that’s needed for my listening levels, and they come across beautifully balanced yet with more than enough impact (I’m used to them being used with a speaker amp). You can tell if you listen to the songs that you have listen for long period of time and also listen to the recorded voices of your friends and family. I haven’t listened to the Sabaj, but the Topping is more of a ‘purist’ analogue device and is also more powerful. The A90’s is no slouch in terms of its single-ended performance, being capable of a healthy 2 Watts at the usual 32-ohm benchmark. I love A90 over the FA-10. Here’s all of the technical information about it. The A90’s main function is as a headphone amplifier, and there are few frills to the amplifier stage. The A90 is TOPPING‘s flagship desktop headphone amplifier that stacks well with the flagship TOPPING D90 DAC. The voltage-current hybrid feedback architecture and ultra-high gain feedback technology offer … Speaking of power, Topping has squeezed a shed-load of it into the A90. Thank you very much. The A90 is similar in build to the DX7 Pro and the D90, with smooth edges and a good size chassis for desktop use. It really is as simple as it gets, but the box feels sturdy and does the job of being nice to open whilst offering excellent protection during shipping. Topping A90 Review - Joshua Valour Nov 24, 2020 11:50:33 GMT -5 . On my unit everything feels very well put together and solid, the inputs and outputs are all tight and the switches have no play in them. Quote. Hi Ben, I personally haven’t listened to the FA-10 so I can’t give you a direct comparison. It provides excellent AC and DC performance. And frankly, you – the end customer – is the ultimate winner here. 20 Reviews Available: In Stock Price: $499.99. This is a review and detailed measurements the Topping A90 Balanced and Unbalanced Headphone Amplifier. Posted on June 5, 2020 June 5, 2020 by Oscar Stewart. I've changed from the Topping A90 to a Phonitor XE. Select Post; Deselect Post; Link to Post; Member. Welcome to Sound Perfection Reviews, a blog dedicated to audio equipment reviews. Review: xDuoo XD05 Plus Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Review: Clear Tune Monitors CE320 Triple Driver IEM’s, Review: HiFiMAN TWS800 – True Wireless for Audiophiles, Review: Queen Of Audio (QOA) Vesper and Pink Lady Earphones. It joins the D90 DAC (which Linus recently reviewed. ) Subjectively the A90 is very clean and linear with a hint of warmth. I find that tech to be impressive, netural, transparent, great detail, but still “flat” and “dry” compared to well-implemented discrete or tubes, and also a little fatiguing for long listening in the treble energy. To be fair though the A90 is just a headphone amp so there aren’t really any accessories needed. It doesn’t throw the sound overly wide, but then again it does a great job at just amplifying the source material. Apos Audio is giving away an SMSL SH-9 headphone amplifier for Free! It's been a while since I've heard the Ether C, sorry mate. FA-10 is a colored sound, not as transparent, Mid-bass is boosted and midrange is made to sound meatier but not acurate. It joins the D90 DAC (which Linus recently reviewed here) to complete Topping’s flagship headphone range. They’re from Geekria: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50X-ATH-M20X-ATH-M30X-Headphones/dp/B07518L298/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&tag=headfi-20&ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace. Tagged A90 , Amp , amplifier , Audio , audiphile , D90 , DAC , Headphone , hifi , news , released , Topping Discover Firstly I would like to thank Topping for sending me this sample to review. How do these stand against the Ether C Flow 1.1? After opening it, you can see on the left there is the IEC power cable, while on the right there is the unit. I loved the single-ended Conductor 3, ultimately it would come down to your budget and sense of aesthetics/form-factor preference. I know that 3x has the double price of D90/A90 combo, but can the Topping combo nearly reach the level of Burson? The great thing about the A90 is that you can pretty much power most headphones on the market with it, and it serves as a great amp to listen to but also as a great benchmark. The Topping A90 has a nice array of switches, knob, and input/output options. Switching to the HE6SE, apart from the V281 I don’t think I’ve had another headphone amp come through that drives them as well as the A90. The Topping A50 headphone amplifier is a representative of the most successful, in our opinion, symbiosis of design, sound and price, the middle model of the A series (there are three models in the line: A30, A50, A90). Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. FiiO FD5 IEM Review - Soundstage King . Which one would u recommend? Topping A90 is like any other 0.000x% THD design. I was always curious about these headphones. What are you using as your source? Learn how your comment data is processed. of amplifiers and DACs, and there’s subsequently been an arms race of sorts with manufacturers seeking to achieve greater power, lower distortion, and higher dynamic range (among other attributes). Somebody help please! While this explanation on their company profile page is both succinct AND enthusiastic, Chinese manufacturer Topping certainly is enjoying a rise in prominence of late among audio enthusiasts. The A90 is a good performer. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. BLOG: The Fav Album Of…. The Topping A90 comes in the same big and nice box as other “big” Topping products, like the D90 or DX7s. Pair this DAC with the new A90 amp and you will have a reference point but also an enjoyable system that will power 99% of headphones on the market today. Accessory wise the A90 comes with a jack adapter and the power cable. The treble has more detail on A90 with crisper leading and trail edges where FA-10 has smoother treble. The Topping Audio A90 is a certified Hi-Res Audio amplifier. It gets very annoying very quick if they are uncomfortable, put too much pressure, are loose or your neck starts to fatigue from the weight. Head over to page 2 to read more about the A90’s build quality, and user experience. HiFiMan are killers for most headphones up to 1,500 USD, That's very kind, thanks for reading Hermanni! And frankly, you – the end customer – is the ultimate winner here. Guys, this is really the big question is Flux Lab FA-10 or 12 better? It has both RCA and XLR input and output on the back, and an internal power supply unit, so … The A90 pairs well with the Mojo?And with the K701 and HD660S? The 3X is hard to beat as an all-in-one unit. People are raving about it, high end for mid – fi price and we need answers! I have a chance to take the used 3x as the same price of new D90/A90 combo, for that reason I really want to compare both of them. Topping, as I have said before, have been on a bit of a roll lately. Well, it seems that the good people at Topping have certainly made an earnest tilt at what seems, on paper, to be a pretty ‘perfect’ kinda headphone amplifier: the new $499 A90. Topping A90 Balanced Headphone Amplifier Full balanced + SE headphone output---A90 has three output headphone jacks of 4-pin-XLR，4.4 balanced and 6.35 SE to meet different usages. When we talk about Topping products, the Topping A90 is definitely one of the best out there. Moving to IEM’s on low gain the A90 has a very black background with no noticeable noise, again the clean nature of the amp really shines through here. While putting the diminutive $289 SMSL amp through its paces, it did dawn on me that we might nearly be at the point where headphone amplification is, for lack of a better term, a solved problem. Get 5 points for every eligible dollar you spend on products. I hope you enjoy this blog and it helps you in your future decisions and purchases. Disclaimer: Topping sent a sample of the A90 to Headfonia to evaluate and share with our readers. – Headfonia Store aka Michael Ting! Thanks for your review;). (and, ito of sound, not features, do you feel it differs much from the THX789? I can say with confidence that the A90 will give you ample power and performance with the LCD2, and likely for anything else that you decide to pick-up down the track. The A90 is an ultra-high-performance headphone amp that can also work as a pre-amp. Well, it seems we can’t, and that’s largely thanks to objectivity’s more unpredictable counterpart, good-old personal preference. For it’s price range I am really impressed at how detailed and clean the A90 is, it amplifies the sound without altering it or adding much of its own flavour. While dead-neutral isn’t everyone’s’ audio cup-of-tea, we all have our own individual system, headphone, and pairing considerations that require different amplifier features, capabilities, and design. I’m going to throw in an early spoiler here: it performs astonishingly well, as its credentials would suggest, and is utterly competent when it comes to amplifying headphones. Or, to give it its full name, the A90 ‘Ultra-High Performance Headphone Amplifier’ (let’s just go with ‘A90’ from here, ok?). Jan. 21, 2021. Like the D90, I cannot recommend the A90 highly enough for the price point. But will it work on your desktop, with your gear? The Topping L30 is a compact 3.5W capable single-ended headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier using trickle-down technology from the flagship A90. The new Topping A90 is a $499 ‘Ultra High Performance’ desktop headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier. When distortion is inaudible, and music is played back at the proper frequency at the dynamic range at which it was mastered, can we call it a day? Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TOPPING A90 Headphone Amplifier 4.4mm XLR Desktop HiFi Full Balanced Amplifier Pre-Amplifier (Silver) at Amazon.com. 2) Headphonia’s review of the TOPPING A90 Amp, originally published on June 6, 2020. And whilst I posted earlier in the thread that the amplifier was adequate for the HE-1000's, overtime I eventually came to the realisation that I was missing the impact and slam, especially in the lower registers which my old Audio-gd Master 11 could provide. I have both A90 and FA-10 while using D90 as my DAC. Hi! Topping A90 by comparison, has more power under its belt, has more control of that power and it can sound velvety with some particular songs. Do you feel it suffers from dry and 2-D “chip” sound? It’s a good time to be a consumer in this hobby right now with budget gear performing as strongly as this does. There is also some foam protection to avoid any kind of damages during the shipment, and it works very well in that regard. The great thing about the A90 is that you can pretty much power most headphones on the market with it, and it serves as a great amp to listen to but also as a great benchmark. Subjectively the A90 is very clean and linear with a hint of warmth. The A90 in my personal opinion drives the HE6SE really well. And spending $1000+ on a decent entry/mid level fully discrete topology with decent transistors would add reality, depth, and tone, and be worth consideration? And I’m going back/forth between the a90 and LP HPA RS02/08. “Well, it seems that the good people at Topping have certainly made an earnest tilt at what seems, on paper, to be a pretty ‘perfect’ kinda headphone amplifier: the new $499 A90. Thanks mate. Hi Matty thank u for the reply!!! Disclaimer: The Topping DL30 sent to us is a sample in exchange for our honest opinion. Cheers Shane, I'm glad you found it useful mate. One place where the A90 doesn’t necessarily add anything is the soundstaging, overall the sound is tight and controlled but it’s not what I would call expansive. If I get my hands on a pair to compare with the Aeon 2 Noire I'll update the…. When distortion is inaudible, and music is played back at the proper frequency at the dynamic range at which it was mastered, can we call it a day? Hi, Really good review, many thanks. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ab94735e0b9f663d21815ddafa43c13a" );document.getElementById("b5a8464b3f").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. By toggling the RCA/XLR switch on the front, the user can switch between two different inputs sources (so long as one is balanced, and the other single-ended), and Topping has also made the A90 switchable between Pre-out and Headphone Amplifier modes via the standby switch on the front – they can’t operate at the same time, so bad luck if you had visions of listening to open-backed headphones with a subwoofer at the same time (I *might* have done this in the past). Featured reviews. The new Topping A90 is a $499 ‘Ultra High Performance’ desktop headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier. The other factor that’s been partly responsible for this numbers-driven philosophy has been the abundant availability of previously unavailable technology, take for example THX amplification. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TOPPING A90 Headphone Amplifier 4.4mm XLR Desktop HiFi Full Balanced Amplifier Pre-Amplifier (Black) at Amazon.com. However, D90/A90 reach the highest measurement from Audio Science Review community. *disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. It costs US $499. Samsung Mobiles are always budget-friendly to the buyers with excellent features in it. The only source I have now is my labtop and the element, but Im definitly be going to get a dac. Not only does it look good, but it is also very versatile and the three output headphone jacks are the first to prove that.
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