[jpanic4]

I have been doing some serious ABX testing between A90 and THX 789 using D90 and LCD-4 for the past week.
Very first thing I noticed was a90 seemed little warmer but upon further listening i hear that it has more clarity in mids and much better sub bass compared to THX. But it takes a hit on upper notes, it lacks air on top. The overall synergy is of more details on individual instruments; but as the tracks gets busy, the soundstage, imagine and separation takes a hit.

It degrades the holographic nature compared to THX, which is the whole game-plan/aim of my setup with LCD4 and d90. It feels more musical but lacks the 3D nature which makes the headphones disappear. I always felt that I am wearing the headphones even after 15-20 minutes of listening.

Upon further research i found that on paper, a90 has much better slew rates but much worse crosstalk between channels.

This confirms my findings that a90 sufferers in separation and soundstage which ultimately ruins the “in the room” holographic sound.
THX on the other hand feels so effortless even with less sub bass impact and individual instrument details. Just because it maintains that Impressive spatial separation and room size clues, no matter how busy the track gets.

I really wanted to like A90 to pair with d90 in terms of sound and looks. I tried really hard to like it but I just couldn’t ruin the main objective of my setup. So sadly I am returning it and keeping my old faithful THX 789.

I felt the same way! I returned the 789 and got the A90 without A/B due to all of the reviews. I’m just using it with a HD650 via single ended and I’m not so sure I like it better. I thought something must be wrong with me if everyone has been raving about it. It def sounds warmer which is why I wanted to get it in the first place but when the song gets busy it doesn’t sound the same. I don’t know what to do. Was hoping for this to be my end game amp..I just got it a couple of days ago and not sure if it’ll get better over time? Also using the M200 as my dac.

 

[KPzypher]

I don't understand some folks with good measuring components that go out and buys another similar product and expect to be blown away by it or simply unhappy with the results. I mean it's your money and you're of course entitled to do as you please, but where's the logic in that? I just can't fathom the thought process.

If any one product was that earth shattering, it would achieve market dominance. That's usually how free market works, barring noise from marketing and other externals factors.

I think too many folks are just too easily swayed by baseless marketing and meaningless reviews.
Why put so much faith in reviews? knowing well they all are nothing more than subjective viewpoints or show preferential interest.

Maybe it's time for some real expectation management for some of us.

 

[jpanic4]

I don't understand some folks with good measuring components that go out and buys another similar product and expect to be blown away by it or simply unhappy with the results. I mean it's your money and you're of course entitled to do as you please, but where's the logic in that? I just can't fathom the thought process.

If any one product was that earth shattering, it would achieve market dominance. That's usually how free market works, barring noise from marketing and other externals factors.

I think too many folks are just too easily swayed by baseless marketing and meaningless reviews.
Why put so much faith in reviews? knowing well they all are nothing more than subjective viewpoints or show preferential interest.

Maybe it's time for some real expectation management for some of us.

you are right and I’m definitely guilt of that. Honestly, I think since both were such a big purchase for me I wanted to make sure I chose wisely as I would keep this for a long time. And I don’t have the option to listen to multiple units at the same time and decide which one to keep.

But I get what you mean. Thank you for bringing that up. I need to get better at not being swayed by marketing and reviews. But without the reviews what other ways do you recommend figuring out what is a good buy?

 

[KPzypher]

you are right and I’m definitely guilt of that. Honestly, I think since both were such a big purchase for me I wanted to make sure I chose wisely as I would keep this for a long time. And I don’t have the option to listen to multiple units at the same time and decide which one to keep.

But I get what you mean. Thank you for bringing that up. I need to get better at not being swayed by marketing and reviews. But without the reviews what other ways do you recommend figuring out what is a good buy?

I feel you. I'm not suggesting total disregard to reviews, but rather take a step back and view them with a 'giant grain of salt.' And never fall into the hype, no matter how good they sound. Remember, there's never been one single product that stood above all else.

For me, reviews are helpful and I mainly view them for packaging, functions/features, design, and to get 'general' sense of capability/sound. But I never fully rely on reviews for sound.

This community constantly shoots itself in the foot, and as a result, audio products as of late are so hyper-inflated, flagships in particular, without any real/justifiable gains.

 

[motberg]

their will be fairly significant difference. In volume and clarity. RCA is Analogue , unlike Digital. Upgrading those cable types does yield improvement. Especially with subs because of how much power they produce. Having shielded cables will increase blackness in the back round and add depth

Subs may also be a considerable distance from the output, which could cause some problems for single ended RCA signal. I am using about 3 meters RCA to each of my subs, better quality cable but not audiophile stuff, and it is working well. Up to a meter or 2 though, I would think things should be OK with most decent quality cables. Non-shielded RCA has caused some very audible problems in my system also, even at much shorter lengths, which was fixed by using a shielded cable.

 

[motberg]

My personal experience has been that the average of the reviews/comments is much more valid than the exact standings in the test results... best to try before you buy wherever possible...

 

[adeadcrab]

I have been doing some serious ABX testing between A90 and THX 789 using D90 and LCD-4 for the past week.
Very first thing I noticed was a90 seemed little warmer but upon further listening i hear that it has more clarity in mids and much better sub bass compared to THX. But it takes a hit on upper notes, it lacks air on top. The overall synergy is of more details on individual instruments; but as the tracks gets busy, the soundstage, imagine and separation takes a hit.

It degrades the holographic nature compared to THX, which is the whole game-plan/aim of my setup with LCD4 and d90. It feels more musical but lacks the 3D nature which makes the headphones disappear. I always felt that I am wearing the headphones even after 15-20 minutes of listening.

Upon further research i found that on paper, a90 has much better slew rates but much worse crosstalk between channels.

This confirms my findings that a90 sufferers in separation and soundstage which ultimately ruins the “in the room” holographic sound.
THX on the other hand feels so effortless even with less sub bass impact and individual instrument details. Just because it maintains that Impressive spatial separation and room size clues, no matter how busy the track gets.

I really wanted to like A90 to pair with d90 in terms of sound and looks. I tried really hard to like it but I just couldn’t ruin the main objective of my setup. So sadly I am returning it and keeping my old faithful THX 789.

Thanks for the review!

 

[Ultrainferno]

Today we review the new A90. We have awarded it with our recommended buy award.
Find out why, now on Headfonia!
https://www.headfonia.com/topping-a90-review/

 

[Jon L]

Today we review the new A90. We have awarded it with our recommended buy award.
Find out why, now on Headfonia!
https://www.headfonia.com/topping-a90-review/

According to that review, if one is not needing true-balanced operations (A90) or cheaper price (SMSL), then:
"Sonically the A90 is line-ball with the SMSL SP200 THX 888, to my ears at least, when volume-matched and played back-to-back"

 

[JerryLeeds]

My A90 is being delivered today ... using it with a Bifrost 2 ... will there be an issue if I use XLR Y cables to connect my DAC to the A90 and another headphone amp? (Planning on using just one amp at a time)

 

[KPzypher]

My A90 is being delivered today ... using it with a Bifrost 2 ... will there be an issue if I use XLR Y cables to connect my DAC to the A90 and another headphone amp? (Planning on using just one amp at a time)

Not sure how stellar lineout is on the Bifrost but I use RCA splitters on my M400 to connect two separate amps with no noticeable issues. I suppose as long as you use a decent cable, shouldn't introduce any noticeable noise. What amp do you plan on using beside the A90?

 

[ahmonge]

Looking for a DAC/Headphones amp for desktop use. I wonder if Topping is planning to develop something like the DX7/DX7 Pro with the technology used in D90/A90.

 

[KPzypher]

Looking for a DAC/Headphones amp for desktop use. I wonder if Topping is planning to develop something like the DX7/DX7 Pro with the technology used in D90/A90.

Are you looking for an all-in-one unit? What's your budget.

 

[Muataz]

Looking for a DAC/Headphones amp for desktop use. I wonder if Topping is planning to develop something like the DX7/DX7 Pro with the technology used in D90/A90.

If you are looking for integrated, check DAART Yulong Aquila II. the usb input implementation seems very good.

 

[ahmonge]

Are you looking for an all-in-one unit? What's your budget

Yes, all-in-one is my preferred solution. Up to 600€ budget.

If you are looking for integrated, check DAART Yulong Aquila II. the usb input implementation seems very good.

I’ll have a look into it.