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Topping D90 + A90 stack


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My Topping D90 and A90 stack arrived in the post today!

 

You might have seen my previous post where I upgraded from a Sennheiser HD660S to a Hifiman Arya, and noticed a Schiit Magni Heresy / Modi 3 stack in the background. Well here is Part 2 (hopefully also the final part) of that upgrade process!

I went into the amp and DAC shopping process with the view that all solid state amps should sound about the same and that DAC quality was a load of crap after a certain point. That said, I wanted something that looked really cool on my desk and was a bit curious if I would hear the slightest bit of difference vs no difference at all.

 

The Heresy and Modi 3 have excellent subjective and measurements based reviews and so I really wasn't expecting even a moderate difference, and only if I listened very very closely.

 

So I turned the Topping stack on and plugged in my Arya (single ended) thinking I'd listen for a bit then laugh at audiophiles and their pricey products (that look incredibly sexy though), and... Confession time... it turns out that I was the one that was full of **** (or Schiit as the case may be).

 

The sound is much, much clearer, much more detailed, altogether fuller sound particularly in the mids, smoother, punchier bass, and bigger sound stage. It's just altogether much more musical and enjoyable to listen to.

 

I honestly can't believe how big a difference it made to the sound quality. Whilst it wasn't as big as moving from the HD660S to the Arya, it's not that far off. To put this in perspective, for me, the improvement was more easily noticeable and more quickly noticed than going from the Ananda to the Arya in A-B testing.

 

Bear in mind, I'm definitely not an audiophile so please take my opinion with a massive grain of salt. I also didn't blind A-B test them so this could all be confirmation bias (yes, even though I thought it wouldn't make a difference, it can still be confirmation bias). I suspect there has to be a fair amount of confirmation bias here as I'm upgrading from a good solid state stack, so there shouldn't be as big a difference as I'm experiencing.

 

Take this as just another anecdote in the litany of opinions on audio gear.

 

Finally, looks-wise they are clearly killer. That's why I bought them and they don't disappoint in that regard. That black aluminium look!

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Here's my stack. Very impressed with the fit and finish of the A90. Plenty of power too. It drives my Hifiman He-1000 v2's effortlessly. 

 

Prior to purchasing the A90, I was having a discussion with another forum member about whether the A90 was up to the task to driving the He1k's. I decided to take the plunge anyway and it hasn't disappointed me since. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, PassionForSound said:

The stack looks great! I'm trying to get my hands on a set of these for review at the moment and your post just makes me want to get it organised even more!

 

Loving the display on the Matrix DAC @Munce31!

Yeah the OLED display is pretty cool.

 

The damned thing is build like a tank. Almost broke my wrist thinking I could pick it up with one hand ?

 

Sounds excellent too. I had my reservations about it being a Sabre DAC but they were unfounded. It is clear, musical, and with wide and deep sound stage (at least to my ears). 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, Munce31 said:

Yeah the OLED display is pretty cool.

 

The damned thing is build like a tank. Almost broke my wrist thinking I could pick it up with one hand ?

 

Sounds excellent too. I had my reservations about it being a Sabre DAC but they were unfounded. It is clear, musical, and with wide and deep sound stage (at least to my ears). 

 

 

 

Yeah, I had the original X-Sabre and it was a brick of aluminium too. Only just lost out to the Schiit Gumby so it was a really good DAC and well priced too. Assume Matrix have gotten even better with time

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congrats on the arrival of your beautiful Topping Stack.

 

I have read lots of Glowing Reviews on the Topping D90 / A90 duo.

 

I was in ATA a few days ago, they now are importing Topping and the price is about the same as purchasing Internationally.

 

From what I have seen worldwide the Topping D/A 90 combo is price fixed, which I like.

 

plus, having the option to purchase locally is great, no need to worry about fake products and warranty, just in case anyone would like to get one.

 

I have the Burson Reference X3 Headphone amp/dac combo.

 

I am from Geelong, would love to have a meet up with someone and compare both products (once the air clears) :

 

- Topping D90 / A90 Duo

 

vs / compares

 

- Burson Audio Reference x3 Amp/Dac combo

 

 

Today I connected the Burson X3 Ref as a pre/Dac to a Krell KSA 100s.

 

At first it was quite harsh, about 10 hours later, it is very contagious, completely different, much warmer, great seperation, loads of detail from left and right, lots of information

 

The X3 Ref had only about 20 hours on it, . . . . so about 30 hours now.

 

Most say a few weeks it will continue to warm in and become more engaging.

 

I would assume the same for the D90/A90,  a 100 or 200 hours to really mature.

 

another member here sold his X3 Ref and is buying the D90/A90

 

anyway, back to comparing, I have Focal Utopia Headphones . . . . maybe someone will be interested in comparing, it is less expensive than buying and trying ?

 

and then the photos below for tonight's setup

 

( I took my TV down to not listen the Main Stream Media crap ? )

 

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Edited by kroozzy
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  • 3 weeks later...

I've changed from the Topping A90 to a Phonitor XE.

 

Don't get me wrong, the Topping A90 is an articulate and clean amplifier. 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. You know this, when you can't keep the headphones on your head for longer than 5 tracks. 

 

Changing to the Phonitor XE, it was immediately obvious that the low end was missing when I had the A90 in the chain. It was as if my headphones (all 3 of them: HE-1000 V2, Focal Clear and Elegia) woke up beating a drum with ferocity.

 

In the end I found the A90 too clinical. 

 

I think the A90 just lacks the electrical current capacity. If only Topping made an "A180" with larger capacitors for added electrical current capacity. 

 

With that being said, the Topping A90 is an absolute steal for the price. Highly recommend the A90, if you're starting out in the hobby or don't have headphones which aren't demanding of electrical current demands.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
87
 
I've had my A90 for a week now and thought I'd post some impressions.

Build: I think the appeal of something like the A90 is not really its build quality and aesthetics. But I wanted to post some comments because I see a fair few posters saying the build quality is great. IMO it’s not. It’s very average. The case is metal, but it’s the most plastic-y metal I’ve ever seen. It’s destroyed by Schiit amps. So bear that in mind if build and aesthetics matter to you.

The volume knob is pretty bad too. The A90 knob is only marginally better than the SP200 knob, if at all. The turn is loose and imprecise and it feels cheap. Again the Schiit knobs destroy it.

Sound quality: I personally find it much easier and more useful to discuss SQ relative to comparable amps, so...

A90 v SP200

I half expected this comparison to be very close. I really wanted something with pre-outs and so any SQ improvement was going to be a bonus. But the A90 is significantly better in every way. Better detail retrieval, imaging, sound stage, balance. Tonally they’re broadly similar, although the SP200 has a honky mid/upper bass bloat I hadn’t really noticed until putting it against the A90. The A90 is flatter, more neutral. I think the price difference is justified by the performance of the two.

A90 v Jotunheim

This is a tricky comparison because these two are polar opposites. The A90 is balanced, flat, airy and laid back. The Jot is dynamic, meaty, aggressive and intimate. The Jot is more mid forward, the A90 is dead flat. In technical terms, I think the A90 is probably the better amp. It has better detail retrieval, separation, 3-D, sound stage and balance. But it is very slightly cold/clinical/digital sounding. The Jot has a beautiful rich and natural timbre to it that I prefer to the A90. The slight coldness of the A90 make a slightly less forgiving than the Jot and it can sound a touch splashy on some recordings. I do want to make it clear though tat these negatives are very, very slight. Because these amps are so different, AB-ing them exaggerates these qualities. But I think it’s worth pointing them out because if you’re particularly sensitive to them it could matter to you.

I’m keeping both the Jot and A90. My Jot has the MB card and I use it in the bedroom. If I could only keep one, it would be the A90. But there is a magic to the Jot I’d miss. An amp that combined the a90s technical performance with the Jot’s timbre would be my end game I suspect it exists but is a level up in price range ?
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  • 2 weeks later...

A tip for you guys comparing amps - make sure they're level matched before A/B analysis. 

Use pink noise and ideally a SPL meter (which is difficult with headphones), or very careful listening.

 

Also take into account gain. If adjustable, set it so that you're listening with the volume knob at least 50%. 

 

Finally, output impedance can have a massive affect on the sound if your headphone is low impedance (under 80 Ohm)

 

Once you have factored all the above, then give a proper listen with the same track, back and forth several times. 

You'd be surprised how easy it is to notice different details of the same track when re-listening with NO changes.

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