[Muataz]

Thermal is not an issue. this is how it operates

 

[GunGrave]

Well...since he observed some channel signal issues after the unit got hotter, it does not sound to me as normal.

 

[Josz27]

Hi, Seems that L30 performance may vary from the dac you have, it is only about power or it affects sound qualuty?

No. See my post right before yours.

Those headphone amp output numbers are based upon using a DAC that has 9V output. Most of us have DACs that are 2V, so you're not going to get anywhere close to that.

So if I have a HRT Mircrostreamer DAC that has 2.25V RMS at full scale (http://www.highresolutiontechnologies.com/support/uS.pdf) I would not take adventage of topping L30? Apart from loudness, would I be missing something in Sound quality from the L30?

 

[cel4145]

Hi, Seems that L30 performance may vary from the dac you have, it is only about power or it affects sound qualuty?



So if I have a HRT Mircrostreamer DAC that has 2.25V RMS at full scale (http://www.highresolutiontechnologies.com/support/uS.pdf) I would not take adventage of topping L30? Apart from loudness, would I be missing something in Sound quality from the L30?

Almost no one has a DAC that can put out 9V and take full advantage of the L30's potential power.

As to whether or not you can fully take advantage of the L30, that depends on your headphones. A lot of people don't need any more power than it can generate with 2V input.

 

[Rhin0z]

I have been listening to the l30 e30 combo since July 10. I have never turned them off. The l30 gets really warm but not hot because I can hold my hand on it. No issues with volume knob. All music played through pc>optical>amazon music hd. E30 reads 192khz. The headphone out and preamp switch is the best feature for me, so during the day I listen through the adam t5v and late night akg712 and t50rp. I am pleased with the width, depth and imaging. cymbals sound like cymbals. I did not change any of the filters. I cannot tell the difference anyway.
The only thing missing for me is the holographic presentation so im going to put a valhalla 2 between e30 and l30 if it works this will be end game form me. The presentation for large complex orchestra music was not good and sounded lost, just asking too much from this combo.

I mostly listen to female vocals. small jazz quartets quintets, solo cello and piano

vanessa rubin-- whatever happens
nnenna freelon-- the tears of a clown
kandace springs- - new york minute
rachelle ferrell-- you dont know what love is (live montruex)
sasha masakowski-- skyfall ( live at new orleans jazz play house)

 

[NA Blur]

Heat issues are definitely something to keep an eye out with the L30 amp as they ran into heat issues during the initial design phases. Looks like they mostly resolved them though. I tested my L30 for an hour on high gain with a pair of planars with no channel issues, but having a higher impedance headphone and running at even higher volumes may be a stronger test.

 

[GunGrave]

DMS initial impressions.

I am really starting to think that there is not much substance after the hype.
Mediocre soundstage, modest bass, gentle highs, not more powerful than existing options but more expensive than some.

 

[Francisk]

DMS initial impressions.

I am really starting to think that there is not much substance after the hype.
Mediocre soundstage, modest bass, gentle highs, not more powerful than existing options but more expensive than some.

Lol....DMS is describing the sound quality of the DAC or his headphone, not the L30 amp

 

[XERO1]

Note that the output that Topping has specified in their literature is with a 9V DAC input.

This is refering to the input sensitivity of the amp. As the gain level is reduced, a higher voltage input level is required to allow the amp to reach it's output clipping point.

So in the case of the L30, in order for it to reach it's clipping point, it needs 3V at High gain, 9V and Medium gain, and 25V at Low gain.

Some DACs have a higher than 2V output level (at 0dBFS), but it is extremely rare for any DAC to have an output level over 3V from its RCA outputs. So even at High gain, it will be unlikely that you can cause this amp to clip, even if you have the volume knob turned all the way to its maximum endpoint.

 

[Arniesb]

DMS initial impressions.

I am really starting to think that there is not much substance after the hype.
Mediocre soundstage, modest bass, gentle highs, not more powerful than existing options but more expensive than some.

This guy have very limited knowledge so i dont take his words seriously. He have as much knowledge and Zeos...

 

[cel4145]

This is refering to the input sensitivity of the amp. As the gain level is reduced, a higher voltage input level is required to allow the amp to reach it's output clipping point.

So in the case of the L30, in order for it to reach it's clipping point, it needs 3V at High gain, 9V and Medium gain, and 25V at Low gain.

Some DACs have a higher than 2V output level (at 0dBFS), but it is extremely rare for any DAC to have an output level over 3V from its RCA outputs. So even at High gain, it will be unlikely that you can cause this amp to clip, even if you have the volume knob turned all the way to its maximum endpoint.

Good to know.

So the maximum output from the L30 that Topping has listed of 2300mw at 32 ohms happens at 3V on high gain? Or is it 5V on medium gain?

I know that Amir's measurements at ASR, the one that shows the L30 performs the same as the Atom at 32 ohms and less at 300 ohms on high gain, is using the standard 2V.

 

[Rhin0z]

I have been listening to the l30 e30 combo since July 10. I have never turned them off. The l30 gets really warm but not hot because I can hold my hand on it. No issues with volume knob. All music played through pc>optical>amazon music hd. E30 reads 192khz. The headphone out and preamp switch is the best feature for me, so during the day I listen through the adam t5v and late night akg712 and t50rp. I am pleased with the width, depth and imaging. cymbals sound like cymbals. I did not change any of the filters. I cannot tell the difference anyway.
The only thing missing for me is the holographic presentation so im going to put a valhalla 2 between e30 and l30 if it works this will be end game form me. The presentation for large complex orchestra music was not good and sounded lost, just asking too much from this combo.

I mostly listen to female vocals. small jazz quartets quintets, solo cello and piano

vanessa rubin-- whatever happens
nnenna freelon-- the tears of a clown
kandace springs- - new york minute
rachelle ferrell-- you dont know what love is (live montruex)
sasha masakowski-- skyfall ( live at new orleans jazz play house)

YMMV The beautiful width depth and imaging described above with t5v akg712 and t50rp were all with the amp on high gain. when I switched to zero or low gain all of that dissappeared very flat and one dimensional sound not pleasing at all. engineers can figure this one out. Its just what I heard.

 

[oldmate]

Nevermind.

 

[starence]

My L30 has quite a loose headphone jack, there's very little resistance when plugging in or unplugging headphones. Do you guys have the same experience, or is my amp possibly defective?

 

[Francisk]

I received my L30 a few days ago and did an AB comparison volume matched by ear with my JDS Labs Atom set to low gain and L30 at 0dB gain setting. My comparison was done with the DX3 Pro (1st Gen) running in DAC mode and HifiMan Sundara headphone. After a few days of comparison, I've found that the Atom is slightly more powerful with a slightly wider soundstage. The L30 seems to add a little more decay on the upper lows or lower mids area which adds a little more body to that frequency range whereas the Atom has less decay and gives a tighter response in that region with nice low frequency extension.

As for the high frequencies, it's the direct opposite with the L30 producing shorter decay whereas the Atom produces a little more decay making it sound more airy in high frequency region. The Atom also reproduce instrument separation much more clearly though it's not night and day's difference, you can definitely tell the difference especially with the Sundara headphone. Fast percussive transients are reproduced equally well on both amps and mid frequency region is on par with both amps too.

My conclusion after few days of listening is that both the L30 and Atom are very good headphone amps at super affordable price so I'm keeping both. I'll most likely use the L30 with brighter headphones and the Atom will be my preference when I want a more transparent sound. This is of course not a full review of the L30 but just my own personal experience with both the L30 and Atom....YMMV.