[M3NTAL]

Same thing happened to my L30 just recently. Smells of chlorine - so one or many of the internals are toasted. No built in protection I guess. APOS can't find me as a customer and I can't find my purchase e-mail. Basically writing it off, but the headphones it took.... dealing with that now also.

 

[enomiss]

Same thing happened to my L30 just recently. Smells of chlorine - so one or many of the internals are toasted. No built in protection I guess. APOS can't find me as a customer and I can't find my purchase e-mail. Basically writing it off, but the headphones it took.... dealing with that now also.

No built in protection for what exactly? Overvoltage? Any chance you guys are using some cheap power source?

 

[chaotic_angel]

I purchased my Topping E30 / Topping L30 stack November 10, from Amazon from seller SHENZHENAUDIO. The Topping L30 amplifier amplifier was only $118.99 on sale. However, I had to return my Topping L30 amplifier to Amazon today. It malfunctioned and destroyed the drivers in my Sony headphones. The headphone drivers were making crackling and popping noises on my ears. I unplugged them but too late and now they are fried. This is a darned shame because the Topping L30 made most every headphone sound very good compared to many other $100 amps. The Topping L30 made my Sony MDR-CD780 sound better than any headphone I have ever heard in my life. No other amp has ever done this. I am tempted to get another or possibly try get the Topping A90. This is not the first time I have been burned by buying poorly made Chinese electronics. I once purchased a $500 DAC that only lasted three months. Luckily the Topping E30 DAC still functions and sounds great.

hi, can you compare L30 vs Liquid Spark (LS) on the general sound wise please?
And sorry to hear your experience..

 

[hottyson]

hi, can you compare L30 vs Liquid Spark (LS) on the general sound wise please?
And sorry to hear your experience..

Yes, I would be happy to compare them for you.

The Liquid Spark headphone amplifier is the best deal out there for $100 amps right now. It is such a good deal that I own three of them. It plays VERY well with Beyerdynamics if you like that sort of sound. Violins and french horns have a certain texture to their sound that can usually only be reproduced with high end rigs. The Liquid Spark amp is able to reproduce this texture through Beyerdynamic headphones such as the DT-880 and DT-990. No other budget amp that I have heard is able to accomplish this. The shrill Beyerdynamic highs are tamed quite a bit by the Liquid Spark amp but it is still there if that sort of thing bothers you. If you own the Philips X2HR headphone, it also sounds very good with the Liquid Spark amp. But then again, the Philips X2HR sounds pretty much good on any other amp, including the Topping L30.
.
Now if you are looking to pair the Liquid Spark with the Sennheiser HD6XX, it does not do so well as it makes the sound too thick. On the other hand the Topping L30 amp was the second best of the bunch with the Sennheiser HD6XX if you want to play them loud. The Schiit Magni 3 amp (not plus) is the number one best sounding amp for the Sennheiser HD6XX out of the bunch including the new Magni Heresy. However, the Magni Heresy will play louder and it still sounds pretty darn good. With the Schiit Magni 3/Sennheiser HD6XX pair, there is an upper midrange coloring that brings vocals forward, making the Sennheiser HD6XX much more pleasing to my ears. However, the Schiit Magni 3/Sennheiser HD6XX pair also does not play loud enough for most listeners. I never listen to music loudly. So, I can use the Schiit Magni 3 for my Sennheiser HD6XX without any complaints about the low volume.
.
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the Topping L30 made my Sony MDR-CD780 sound better than any headphone I have ever heard in my life. However, the Sony MDR-CD780 is a vintage headphone that is not easily available. I had ordered some Fostex headphones to see if I could reproduce this magical experience but sadly the L30 died before the headphones have even arrived. So, perhaps the Topping A90 is in my future. I am dying to have that magical sound once again with the Sony. I can't stop thinking about it. Overall, the Topping L30 will play well with almost every headphone whereas the Liquid Spark headphone amplifier will sound too thick with some headphones like I mentioned earlier with the Sennheiser.
.
One major negative about the Liquid Spark amp is that if you want the matching stack you will get a HORRIBLE DAC. The Liquid Spark DAC cannot even compete with $20 sound cards that I own. I tried to live with the sound three different times over a few months and I just did not enjoy my music anymore with the Liquid Spark DAC. If you go with the Liquid Spark amp, get a Topping E30 DAC or a Schiit Modi 3 DAC and it will sound great. They each sound good in different ways.
.
If you get the Topping L30 amp, you can get the matching E30 DAC since it looks great stacked and it is an AWESOME sounding dac for the money. I got mine through Amazon during the holiday sales for only $110.49. It sounds just as good and sometimes better than my $400 Emotiva XDA-2 DAC. Although the Emotiva has many digital inputs and balanced outputs.

 

[Heyyoudvd]

This is an odd question but will an L30 power a Diana V2?

That’s well above my budget right now, but it’s something I’d like to strive for in the next few years, so I’m curious if the L30 I just ordered will power it.

I suppose if I do end up spending $3000 on headphones, I’ll be able to afford a more expensive amp than an L30, but I’m just curious as a sort of thought exercise if the L30, with all its critical acclaim, would actually be sufficient for the Abyss Diana V2.

 

[tmb821]

Just got a E30/L30 stack. So far I am loving it! I am coming from a Fiio k3/Schiit Heresy combo. While I loved that combo, I find the new one to be a little cleaner for my taste. Setting the E30 to dac only mode and running 24bit 96kHz makes all my headphones and iems sound fantastic! And it looks cool to match!

 

[529128]

Just got a E30/L30 stack. So far I am loving it! I am coming from a Fiio k3/Schiit Heresy combo. While I loved that combo, I find the new one to be a little cleaner for my taste. Setting the E30 to dac only mode and running 24bit 96kHz makes all my headphones and iems sound fantastic! And it looks cool to match!

Funny you find the Topping to sound cleaner as the Heresy is very clean indeed. And the dac should not be a significant difference.

 

[cel4145]

Yes, I would be happy to compare them for you.
The Liquid Spark headphone amplifier is the best deal out there for $100 amps right now. It is such a good deal that I own three of them. It plays VERY well with Beyerdynamics if you like that sort of sound. Violins and french horns have a certain texture to their sound that can usually only be reproduced with high end rigs. The Liquid Spark amp is able to reproduce this texture through Beyerdynamic headphones such as the DT-880 and DT-990. No other budget amp that I have heard is able to accomplish this. The shrill Beyerdynamic highs are tamed quite a bit by the Liquid Spark amp but it is still there if that sort of thing bothers you. If you own the Philips X2HR headphone, it also sounds very good with the Liquid Spark amp. But then again, the Philips X2HR sounds pretty much good on any other amp, including the Topping L30.
.
Now if you are looking to pair the Liquid Spark with the Sennheiser HD6XX, it does not do so well as it makes the sound too thick. On the other hand the Topping L30 amp was the second best of the bunch with the Sennheiser HD6XX if you want to play them loud. The Schiit Magni 3 amp (not plus) is the number one best sounding amp for the Sennheiser HD6XX out of the bunch including the new Magni Heresy. However, the Magni Heresy will play louder and it still sounds pretty darn good. With the Schiit Magni 3/Sennheiser HD6XX pair, there is an upper midrange coloring that brings vocals forward, making the Sennheiser HD6XX much more pleasing to my ears. However, the Schiit Magni 3/Sennheiser HD6XX pair also does not play loud enough for most listeners. I never listen to music loudly. So, I can use the Schiit Magni 3 for my Sennheiser HD6XX without any complaints about the low volume.
.
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the Topping L30 made my Sony MDR-CD780 sound better than any headphone I have ever heard in my life. However, the Sony MDR-CD780 is a vintage headphone that is not easily available. I had ordered some Fostex headphones to see if I could reproduce this magical experience but sadly the L30 died before the headphones have even arrived. So, perhaps the Topping A90 is in my future. I am dying to have that magical sound once again with the Sony. I can't stop thinking about it. Overall, the Topping L30 will play well with almost every headphone whereas the Liquid Spark headphone amplifier will sound too thick with some headphones like I mentioned earlier with the Sennheiser.
.
One major negative about the Liquid Spark amp is that if you want the matching stack you will get a HORRIBLE DAC. The Liquid Spark DAC cannot even compete with $20 sound cards that I own. I tried to live with the sound three different times over a few months and I just did not enjoy my music anymore with the Liquid Spark DAC. If you go with the Liquid Spark amp, get a Topping E30 DAC or a Schiit Modi 3 DAC and it will sound great. They each sound good in different ways.
.
If you get the Topping L30 amp, you can get the matching E30 DAC since it looks great stacked and it is an AWESOME sounding dac for the money. I got mine through Amazon during the holiday sales for only $110.49. It sounds just as good and sometimes better than my $400 Emotiva XDA-2 DAC. Although the Emotiva has many digital inputs and balanced outputs.
.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Just some friendly feedback. The smaller blue font you are using is a little hard to read on my phone. It's a combination of the size of the font and the contrast against the background color. Not everyone has 25-year-old eyes

 

[rick88]

Just some friendly feedback. The smaller blue font you are using is a little hard to read on my phone. It's a combination of the size of the font and the contrast against the background color. Not everyone has 25-year-old eyes

Glad it's not just me.

 

[rick88]

3 weeks in with my L30 and I'm liking it a lot. Plenty of good clean power and great sound for the buck. I had previously ordered a Schiit Magni Heresy to have a matching stack with my Modi 3 DAC, but unfortunately I returned it the day after receiving it. It sounded very good but it had the infamous noisy volume control that plagues some of Schiit's headphone amps. I don't care if it is only noticeable while turning when the music is paused, it was/is completely unacceptable to me.

 

[cel4145]

Glad it's not just me.

I'm sure it's not just you and me. I used to do a lot of UI work, and this color and size combination would negatively affect the readability for a lot of people who are not under 40 with good eyesight.

 

[rick88]

I'm sure it's not just you and me. I used to a lot of UI work, and this color and size combination would negatively affect the readability for a lot of people who are not under 40 with good eyesight.

Yeah I had to zoom in quite a bit on my cellphone to be able to read it, but even then it was not easy with the font color and lack of contrast to the background.

 

[bifcake]

Just got a E30/L30 stack. So far I am loving it! I am coming from a Fiio k3/Schiit Heresy combo. While I loved that combo, I find the new one to be a little cleaner for my taste. Setting the E30 to dac only mode and running 24bit 96kHz makes all my headphones and iems sound fantastic! And it looks cool to match!

I have that stack as well and it sounds really great with my Senns 580. It sounds nice at 24/96 and it sounds even better with JRiver upsampled to DSD at 512.

 

[tmb821]

Anybody else notice that the L30 runs warm? Is it just mine? I can have it just sitting there powered on, nothing playing and it’s warm, not hot but on the warmer side of warm. Normal? I used to be able to leave my heresy on for days at a time and it never got warm like this. Not a big deal to shut it off, just curious if it’s normal for it to run warm.

 

[bifcake]

Anybody else notice that the L30 runs warm? Is it just mine? I can have it just sitting there powered on, nothing playing and it’s warm, not hot but on the warmer side of warm. Normal? I used to be able to leave my heresy on for days at a time and it never got warm like this. Not a big deal to shut it off, just curious if it’s normal for it to run warm.

It definitely runs more than warm. It's toasty. I've had it for about a month and so far, it doesn't seem to be an issue.