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Ostewart
246
Jul 4, 2017
I hope this may help some people, I just posted a review up of the stack:
http://www.soundperfectionreviews.com/2017/07/review-topping-d30-dac-and-a30.html
OreoMan
1
Jul 4, 2017
OstewartThank you very much! Very well written review.
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
OreoManNice review. Thanks. You mentioned changing out the opamp. Will you do an article how how to do that and where to purchase that component?
14likd1
3
Jul 4, 2017
MooseKnuckleI actually discussed it with somebody on Head Fi, its at the bottom of the thread, there are a few images and links that should help you. https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/headphone-amp-200-or-under-recommendations-with-scarlett-solo.854063/#post-13579791
But if you want a tldr. Once you remove the PCB from the casing the op amps are pretty easy to find as they are the only electronic part you can remove by hand. You replace it with the op amps found here and follow their guide: https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/supreme-sound-opamp-v5i/ after that it should be good to go
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
14likd1Right on thanks. I'm sure this will help a lot of people.
14likd1
3
Jul 4, 2017
MooseKnucklenp here is also a imgur link showing you where to find the opamp http://imgur.com/a/dtlCL as you can see if you look closely the opamps are not soldered to the board but sitting on top of a extension meaning you can just pull it out by hand.
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
14likd1Nice. That's super easy. Now the real question, is it worth the price of an upgrade? Two of those amps would be $78 USD plus shipping.
14likd1
3
Jul 4, 2017
MooseKnucklethat really depends. While the Topping A30 is not the best amp and definitely not my end game the fact that it scales well by providing you gain and volume switches allows you to scale to headphones. As a student this means that I am able to focus more on upgrading more on my headphones rather than my amp. That means that I will have the amp in the long run so why not upgrade the amp? also these opamps could probably be reusable so if I do get another amp I might reuse the op amps
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
14likd1Upgradeability is a nice feature. I suppose the amps can always be upgraded later on. That being said, I wonder if there are any other options you can put in here? There is so little information out on this combo, that I'm putting my faith in the few reviews I have read. I think it is worth exploring a little further.
14likd1
3
Jul 4, 2017
MooseKnuckleWell what makes this amp for me is that It's functionality with the gain switches, 1/4 inch and 3mm headphone jacks, and a rca input and output allowing me to connect to my desktop speakers and headphones. If you are looking for other deals the Schiit magni 2 is a head fi forum favorite but you would have to pay a extra $50 for the uber so you can get extra RCA output. Another amp is the Objective 2's by JDS labs
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
14likd1I was looking at those 2 exclusively until I stumbled upon the topping. I do like the features. I read the O2 doesn't pair well with the HD6XX, so I was leaning towards the schiit stack. This topping seems like a very comparable combo with more options. You have me researching opamps now though.
14likd1
3
Jul 4, 2017
MooseKnuckleLul I was in the exact same position as you a day ago but here is my advice. You can't really know what you want there is so much options when it comes to finding the best sound possible that unless you like my friend who literally has one of the best sound system in the planet you should just take a risk and roll with it since every thing is going to have a good and bad. If there was such a thing as a perfect amp for a certain price there would not be so much offerings :v
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 4, 2017
14likd1For sure. I committed to the drop already because I have to start somewhere. The opamp idea still has my brain turning as that upgrade option is certainly something to think about.
14likd1
3
Jul 4, 2017
MooseKnuckleI mean the great thing is that you can experiment with it. Ebay has a ton of cheaper op amps and you can see if it makes such a big difference before making a more expensive purchase. While they might not make the same leap in quality as the expensive op amps you can have a good idea in what they do.
Ostewart
246
Jul 5, 2017
OstewartI advise you all to listen to the amp first, then if you think there are areas that can be improved very slightly, you can look into op-amp rolling, op-amps changed the sound in quite subtle ways, hence why I was surprised by how much the Burson changes the sound, but they are not cheap.
I like the LME49720 op-amps, but they are quite neutral and detailed with good sparkle,
The OPA2227 is lusher and a bit warmer.
AD8620 will need to be bought with an apadtor but is also an excellent op-amp with a very detailed sound, good soundstage and good sparkle.
Garzhad
16
Jul 6, 2017
14likd1Thing is, do you REALLY want multiple components in your chain all altering the sound? Because thats whats happening. All headphones/speakers color sound in their own way. If your amp is coloring it as well, you might not like the end result of coloring upon coloring. Heck, this might be why some people like certain headphones with certain amps and not others, because the different conflicting colorations alters the sound in unpleasant ways.
IMO best to stick to true neutral in amp/dac and rely on the end of the chain(speakers/headphones) and/or EQ to color sound to your liking.
14likd1
3
Jul 6, 2017
GarzhadI'm not really having multiple components if anything I'm upgrading a component that is already there. For one thing me buying a op amp is more than just trying to improve my audio but also a learning experience into different components in a headphone amp. By playing around with different combinations I hope to learn how amps work and hopefully be able to teach it to others or try to do something with that knowledge.
MooseKnuckle
8
Jul 10, 2017
I don't have the unit yet so I couldn't say exactly, but my thought on the matter is that wire is wire. Get something with good build quality that will last, but don't blow the bank
minimus80
8
Jul 10, 2017
Ostewartcan you pls recomend cables? Ghentaudio is fine? And which lengths? Rookie here;) thanks!
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