[KPzypher]

Sandu says A90 is better

Sandu says............ So he tells you how to spend your money. That's brilliant.

 

[Racheski]

I'm assuming you're talking about your A90 + Chord Qutest. How would you connect A90 to Qutest if the Qutest does not have balanced outputs? There are RCA-to-XLR cables of course, but is there any point at all in using those instead of RCA-to-RCA cables, since the DAC has no XLR output?

No I don’t have a Chord, Im using SMSL M300 mkII which has balanced out. Should have specified that, but I figured you would read my signature

 

[Racheski]

Wow, you have so much blind faith in a reviewer that promotes audio equipment. Never quite understood this.....

Clearly it’s not blind faith, unless he didn’t watch the video or read the review. What is your agenda against Sandu?

 

[hmscott]

Got my D90 delivered just before I went to work. Can't wait to spend some time with it later.

Heads up, I can see in your photo that volume control on your A90 is where mine was delivered - at 50% (12 o'clock) - and you've powered up - please be sure and turn down the volume before plugging in your headphones or speakers.

 

[KPzypher]

Clearly it’s not blind faith, unless he didn’t watch the video or read the review. What is your agenda against Sandu?

I have nothing against Sandu. Taking someone else's word for it without experiencing yourself is blind faith. It's just funny how some people take reviewer's words as if they're word of god. To each his own I guess.

 

[Racheski]

I have nothing against Sandu. Taking someone else's word for it without experiencing yourself is blind faith. It's just funny how some people take reviewer's words as if they're word of god. To each his own I guess.

Fair enough, but if you read through Sandu’s review he provides a detailed explanation of the reasoning behind why the A90 is on the same level as the HP4A, so it is more than someone just saying, “because I said so.” And very few people will have the means to compare the A90 to the HP4A given the latter’s price, so most of us will have to rely on someone’s else opinion if we are wondering how it stacks up against other amps. With that said, I do wonder if the community will eventually put the A90 in the same performance category as the HP4A

 

[bowei006]

Heads up, I can see in your photo that volume control on your A90 is where mine was delivered - at 50% (12 o'clock) - and you've powered up - please be sure and turn down the volume before plugging in your headphones or speakers.

Setting to 100% will allow you to see a different dimension

 

[KPzypher]

Fair enough, but if you read through Sandu’s review he provides a detailed explanation of the reasoning behind why the A90 is on the same level as the HP4A, so it is more than someone just saying, “because I said so.” And very few people will have the means to compare the A90 to the HP4A given the latter’s price, so most of us will have to rely on someone’s else opinion if we are wondering how it stacks up against other amps. With that said, I do wonder if the community will eventually put the A90 in the same performance category as the HP4A

I understand. We all have to rely on information on the net to varying degrees to make informed decisions. I'm just not sure if sponsored reviews are the right way to do that. But of course YMMV.

I don't think that the community will ever put A90 on the same level as the HP4A, even if they were objectively comparable. I'm sure HP4A owners who paid a lot more money will be in disagreeance. Plus this community runs heavily off ego.

 

[hmscott]

Setting to 100% will allow you to see a different dimension

Yes, by creating a "wormhole" between your ears.

 

[Focux]

Got my D90 delivered just before I went to work. Can't wait to spend some time with it later.

how does the A90 peform w H2? i am going to presume it does not add any color to the H2..??

Also check out the review on his website - it's a bit more detailed than the video:
https://soundnews.net/amplifiers/headphone-amps/topping-a90-review-resetting-the-trend/

Interestingly, he offers opinion on the A90 + D90 stack, calling it an end game setup.

like you, i also have the qutest and was contemplating the A90 to pair with

not sure if A90 may suffice for something like the susvara in future though

 

[JanisR]

Wow, you have so much blind faith in a reviewer that promotes audio equipment. Never quite understood this.....

Believing a reputable reviewer is the best I can do without having listened to the device myself.

 

[theBlackKey]

Guys lets just value our differences here, at the end of the day, we are all hobbyist in this field right? Sandu is a very good reviewer, I like him a lot and sometime I find myself disagree with him at some points, it is just the matter of my taste and my preferences toward what is best for me. One thing I would say though if you are a fan of huge soundstage and holographic, A90 is very very good but it is not quite up there with the big boy yet, other than that, what can I say, a very impressive amp for its price and you cannot go wrong or regret your decision at the price point.

 

[KPzypher]

Guys lets just value our differences here, at the end of the day, we are all hobbyist in this field right? Sandu is a very good reviewer, I like him a lot and sometime I find myself disagree with him at some points, it is just the matter of my taste and my preferences toward what is best for me. One thing I would say though if you are a fan of huge soundstage and holographic, A90 is very very good but it is not quite up there with the big boy yet, other than that, what can I say, a very impressive amp for its price and you cannot go wrong or regret your decision at the price point.

I'm just playing the devil's advocate here. This forum is already ripe with bias and misinformation. Guess i don't need to further stir that pot.

A90 is very very good but it is not quite up there with the big boy yet.

In terms of what? beside your subjective viewpoint? If that's the basis for your position, I can respect that. Just curious.

 

[theBlackKey]

In terms of what? beside your subjective viewpoint? If that's the basis for your position, I can respect that. Just curious.

There are 2 things I think the A90 is not there yet, firstly I already mention soundstage. Even though soundstage is wide and tall but for me it lacks of the vastness when it render some of my favorite songs, the imaging is precise and you can actually pin point exactly where the musical instrument has been placed but for me I prefer a little more wide and tall. Mid range is impressive, the details is there, vocal representation and string instruments are beautifully rendered. However, compared to my favorite amp it slightly behind in texture and body, also it feels a little bit dry compared to my Icon Audio HP8 mk2 signature edition.

But that being said, it is just a personal thing here because I love tube amp and its lust colored sound and dont get me wrong because I really appreciate the A90 sound and I also think it is worth investment, I also planning on keeping my unit because it is so portable and I am bout to travel back to my country for a while and I love to carry the setup Topping A90/D70 to enjoy music while visiting home.

 

[swmtnbiker]

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