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Topping L30 - The new budget benchmark?
Aug 7, 2020 at 10:59 AM Post #93 of 506
Things I like about the L30:
  1. The output delay relays to protect from power transients, as well as the output selection relays rather than switches. The fact that the relay times aren't dependent on a "cold" or a "hot" start suggests it is IC controlled, rather than resistor/capacitor time constants. John the designer is much smarter than me though so he may have found a way to do this very simply. Very smart in the design specification to include that as it means Topping won't need to deal with any complaints of fried low impedance gear. Perhaps the transients weren't big enough to damage headphones, but it's nice to have a silent start and shutdown.
  2. The size is perfect and the match with the E30 stack is overall lovely. I really quite like the gloss panels on both.
  3. The VAC wall plug with internal regulation is my preference in terms of size/performance/cost, but as from other threads, this is somewhat subjective (although I suspect those others have not taken in all the technical and economical considerations). Just hope that Topping's distributors can sort out the geographical differences as I had a slight hitch with mine (nothing to do with Topping).
  4. The pot on mine feels smooth, so not sure what others have experienced.
  5. Gain levels of x0.33, x1, x3 is perfect and suits almost every scenario that I can think of. The input sensitivity is very generous which means good compatibility.
Things that I personally would have done differently (nb: all subjective opinion and minor):
  1. The RCA E30+L30 stack alignment is off slightly, but it's much better than the Schiit stack.
  2. The same is true of the front panel description text next to L30 / E30.
  3. The headphone socket is too close to the volume knob for my fat fingers.
  4. The "off" state of the LED could be a bit more obvious. Perhaps some tinting.
Just ran through some FLAC Adele albums with 32ohm (TYGR 300 R) and 300ohm (HD650). The sound is neutral, and power is more than adequate. I don't think any more adjectives are required about the sound. It's as transparent as you're going to get. Can I hear much difference between this and my Objective 2 built by me? Not really. But it matches my E30 and has silent power on and off / protection.

Overall 10/10 for the performance versus value. I'd really struggle to find any reason why you'd pay any more money for an unbalanced amp. Well done Topping / John.

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Aug 7, 2020 at 11:43 AM Post #95 of 506
Cat Music said:
Interesting comparisons. Can anyone compare JDS Labs Atom Amp vs L30?
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I have both. Sound the same.

L30 has more power and a toggle switch to go between headphone out or preamp out. Atom has two inputs with switch for it on the front.
 
Aug 8, 2020 at 1:20 PM Post #98 of 506
tglodjo said:
Thoughts on it after you used it a bit? I see you have a Magni Heresy, which is what I have and am wondering what the L30 will bring to the table over it.
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I got my Lyr 3 around the same time as the L30, and I've been giving the majority of my attention to the Lyr cuz it just sounds so damn good! :o2smile:

But I'll do a shootout between the Heresy and L30 in the next couple days and get back to you with my thoughts. :thinking::grin:

But FYI, the reason why I'm keeping the Heresy over the L30 is simply becasue it fits perfectly in the space I needed an amp to fit into.
 
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Aug 9, 2020 at 11:07 AM Post #99 of 506
tglodjo said:
Thoughts on it after you used it a bit? I see you have a Magni Heresy, which is what I have and am wondering what the L30 will bring to the table over it.
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Unless you need the additional power of the L30, you're unlikely to notice any sonic benefits from upgrading.
 
Aug 9, 2020 at 11:33 AM Post #100 of 506
cel4145 said:
Unless you need the additional power of the L30, you're unlikely to notice any sonic benefits from upgrading.
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True, and I expect that. I'm just taking that in to consideration with the overall user experience. For example, having the pre-amp and headphone amp switch on the front and not having to unplug the jack like you do on the Heresy. I'm also not a fan of the Heresy's volume pot. I fixed the scratchiness, but I still don't care for the feel of its movement and texture. The sound, however, is great. And I definitely agree that I most likely won't hear much difference in the sound produced by the L30.
 
Aug 9, 2020 at 12:57 PM Post #101 of 506
tglodjo said:
True, and I expect that. I'm just taking that in to consideration with the overall user experience. For example, having the pre-amp and headphone amp switch on the front and not having to unplug the jack like you do on the Heresy. I'm also not a fan of the Heresy's volume pot. I fixed the scratchiness, but I still don't care for the feel of its movement and texture. The sound, however, is great. And I definitely agree that I most likely won't hear much difference in the sound produced by the L30.
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The volume knob is very solid. Has enough tension that it doesn't turn too easily. However, I have a headphone extension plugged in to the jack. I have an XL thumb, so the volume knob is a little too close. My thumb doesn't really fit in between the jack extension I have and the knob. I personally would be happier if the L30 used the D50S case shape so that things were spaced out a little more on the front and it could use bigger toggles.

The toggle switch is certainly nice for not having to unplug headphones to switch to preamp out. But they are so tiny they look like they were built for action figures, not human beings. I would rather have the switches like Audio GD units have or a little bit larger thicker toggles.

The swiches are solid to flip up and down. But if I apply a little pressure to the left or right I can tell there's a touch of play. Given their tiny size, I would wonder if this is not the primary point of failure for the amp for anyone who uses their headphone amp daily and switches a couple times back and forth between headphones and speakers. Hopefully, they're meant to be flipped 10,000 times.

The heavy adapter transformer on the end of the power cable is giant, as big and as heavy as they come, and will likely take up two spots or more on any power strip. I think the cord could be a little longer, as doubtful it would reach from one side of the desk to another to a power strip. And as a consequence, I hope no one wants to use this with a standing desk because that heavy adapter hanging in the air is going to pull on the connection into the amp.

I used to be a visual designer in a previous life, and the text on the front of the amp uses a light gray that has low visibility. The problem is compounded by the plexiglass which can pick up reflection. Of course, this is really only a usability issue when you first get it. I plugged it in the first time at night, so I used my phone flashlight to see which was the headphone and which was the preamp position. Someone's going to quickly memorize that. Still it bugs me as a designer as making the writing more visible is not hard.

And, I am worried about the plexiglass cover over the face as some plexiglass tends to scratch pretty easily. I've had plexiglass that scratches if you get a grain of sand on it and dust it off. I would have preferred not having that covering at all.
 
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Aug 10, 2020 at 11:20 PM Post #103 of 506
A new review and measurements at ASR today - this time on a production unit rather than the pre-production one reviewed earlier:
Topping L30 Headphone Amplifier Review

Got a "I can't recommend the Topping L30 strongly enough. It is superb engineering in small package and low cost. Get one and thank yourself that you live in this era and not a few years ago. " conclusion. That is high praise indeed.
 
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