“Best” Headphone amp I’ve Heard? Topping A90 D Discrete Review

Assuming no issue with input level, would it make sense to pair the A90D with the LA90D if they have the same kind of sound?

Is that an Omega Seamaster? If so, I understand now why you're the cheap audio man! Hehe love your channel :)

Thanx for this great vid.
Do you recommend any other Headphone Amplifier WITH XLR input for cheaper?

p

I've seen a lot of gossip about issues with the A90D (now also seen with A70 Pro) what are your thoughts on this?

do I have to plug it into an amp or just plug it into the D90SE for it to work

Just found you, dude! Great review! Liked & subbed.

I got the Gustard h16 for a good deal. Quite pleased.

Aiyima T6 Pro, AKG K52. Think im good for home listening on a budget

thx for this honest review... if i plug this amp with my D50s would it be ridiculous? so i mean, i need the D90 or better ?

No opinion on the connectors but Topping are trying to look and charge premium prices.
My DX3Pro was £125. Great little DAC/AMP for the money.

Is FiiO BTR 7 a good portable amp?

Audiophiles don't use TRS, but audio pros do. They are practical and affordable.
The A90 is a good, clean, balanced hp amp that can double as a preamp driving a power amp. Practical, very well built and the price is right!

Can you do a video on s.m.s.l DA6 amp
Expecting it soon😊❤️

Who the F needs a pre-amp for their headphone amp? Can’t turn up any headphone amp more than halfway without blowing out your ears anyway

I was an early adopter of the Topping D90 and A90 using balanced connections with balanced headphone cables... Three of the A90's failed. Getting them replaced was a nightmare. After the third one died, the vendor agreed to let me get a different amp so I opted for the Singxer SA-1 and have been happy. Back to Topping, I've given 3 sets as gifts and fortunately, they've done OK and I've helped a couple of friends get a set of Topping as well. My major beef with Topping is the endless number of products. For the nearly $1500 I spent on the D90, A90, cables... I'm continually confused by their production. And while I'm whining, why don't these manufacturers come out with a nice, clear, color screen? OK. Done whining. Thanks for your reviews.

Now you may wish to hammer the Chinese, fine, produce the same quality product at the same price in the US. Don't like trs don't buy it. Others will. For those wondering whether to buy Topping, this headphone amp is an excellent solid state, has excellent build quality and of course the detailed revealing linear sound that could cost many hundreds more. Would I prefer to keep my money in the West? Yes I would. Can the US do this? No.

I also owned the A90D for a prolonged period of time, actually got it on the 11/11 sale, I did not like the sound it produced. I returned it and bought a Schiit Jotunheim 2 for slightly cheaper and couldn't be happier.

I didn’t have enough space on my desk for a unit with XLR connectors as those units tend to be a tad bit larger. While not a common balanced connector, the TRS connector allowed me to build a decent desktop system. I had to balance connector type with available space. See what I did there?😊

I have a topping pre90 and ext 90 as a pre amp I got used for $400. it's pretty fantastic addition to my chain for 400. I like it better than the Schiit Freya I had previously... I don't necessarily love the topping HP amps as they can be sterile, cold, bright, and very small sounding. But the pre90 was quite good.

Great review! Curious, have you had any experience with Cayin? They have a cool-looking DAC (expensive though), but I am interested in the mini CD player.

U've got dat one rite!..Topping is outrageously expensive due to buyer demand on west side of the world..yup yall makes prices goes up If here in asia..it'll be cheaper But since western r buyin'..no wonder..peace!

I really don't understand the distaste for TRS connectors, or saying that they're not the "enthusiast" standard. I think that's only true for headphones (even then only partially), IEMs tend to go for the TRS (or more accurately TRRS) because it would be insane to have a bulky XLR connector hanging off a thin IEM wire. Also, there isn't a DAP in existence that would try to fit a full size XLR connector, even the monster Fiio M17 only goes up to a 1/4" TRS. I can understand using an XLR for the connections between pieces of equipment but I'm actually turned off by amps and headphones that only use XLR.

Thank you for your review of the A90 Discrete!

My personal headphone rabbit-hole had initially taken me down the Topping/SMSL/misc.ChiFi route due to price point and measurements from places like ASR. As my journey continued and component cost started going up (and headphone gear can go way up!) my concern about things like support and what to do if something bricks became a thing.

I then began to look more at the US based companies (since I'm in the US) and what support options exist, as well as the online communities around these brands. Much of this gear doesn't "technically measure" as cleanly as some of their non-US counterparts, though it was never meant to, but they do have an engagement factor that cannot be measured on a scope or graph - it's a subjective hobby after all.

So then there is cost ... yeah, the US stuff can be a bit more expensive. But, and this was a big revelation for me, the used Headphone / Amp / DAC market exists and is thriving! Best part is that many of the US manufactures will support used gear and are often actively participating in online audio forums and will answer questions directly. And if the gear isn't something I love I can turn around and resell it without losing much, if any, money (generally shipping and/or payment processing fees).

The input impedence balanced on the A90 (&pre90) is super low (bad) at 2.2K.

I have to also add that Topping A90D is all about power headroom. Handling HE6SE V2 like it's nothing. I have to agree about it being lacking personality, but that's something more about taste. I have to agree with HD650/6XX sounding amazing with A90D, I even preferred it over tube amps.

RME ADI 2 is my go to headphone/ preamp

Numpty question, why do I need a headphone amp, dont I just plug em in or use wireless? what will an amp do for me?

I have a D50s , it is my first standalone DAC. I use it as a pre amp for my Rotel integrated amp.

You're right. Screw those guys.

I like the TRS terminals, less bulky than XLRs and more friendly than the multitude of RCA varieties we endlessly tighten and adjust. The only ones I’ve found that really work good are Neutrik but they cost more and manufacturers do scrimp. Maybe Topping’s trying to make TRSs a new audio standard. Do they sound better? I don’t know, they’re easy to work with but they still buzz if you plug them in hot.

Please try e70 and e70 velvet dacs. I think you'll be amazed on how they sound. I think topping has heard your gripes on how their gear sounds. 😀

Had a simultaneous bad experience with 2 Topping units. Then had a bad experience returning them to where I bought them from… never dealing with either again.

Your videos are always entertaining, and I usually agree with your perceptions. That's even true of this product; however, this is the worst review of the A90 Discreet that I've seen to date. Sorry. The threaded connector on the back is for attaching the $249 Ext90, which takes inputs to a total of four pairs of XLR and two pairs of RCA. There's a 12V trigger connection for controlling downstream devices. The remote has a couple of configurable presets that can be super useful. For example, you could use one of them to implement home theater bypass. The A90D is a lot more than a bench-quality headphones amp. You touched on some of this, but not nearly to the degree that I feel you should have for your viewers to understand the product's features. I realize that you don't often have much time with products before you have to get a video out, but the A90D, at $599, deserves more evaluation effort than you seem to have put into it. Love your channel and perspectives, but this one was a disappointment for me.

Was genuinely surprised by the distaste towards TRS connectors. They've always been extremely common in my industry (pro audio), and I find them to be sturdy and compact way of transmitting balanced signals. The interface sitting on my desk right now has 10 balanced TRS outputs and 6 balanced TRS inputs (not counting the additional XLR/TRS inputs at the front) and it's not even a rack unit. Interesting!

I would love to pair this with my NAD 208thx power amp, but I only have a Grace "balanced" SDAC, or the Emotiva XDA-2 balanced preamp/DAC, which sounds great, but I wouldn't use it just for the DAC.

Randy vs TRS connections is basically tilting at windmills. Either you have the right cables or you don't. It's true of any equipment really.

Thank you! How about an Edition XS versus 109 comparaison :) (I'm personally curious if the 109 is an upgrade from the edition xs that I own...)

Honest question. Randy spoke highly of the Topping E50 DAC and I picked one up for 200 dollars new and I'm waiting for it to ship.
Is the sound DAC worth the money? I do like the remote control but don't need it if the Gesheli or other in this price range is noticeably better.
Thanks all in advance.

I use a lot of pro audio gear and they all use TRS pretty much.

It’s kind of weird to hear you say you don’t like Topping now, after putting the E50 high in your last DAC tier list, as well as on your list of components you regret losing. You did have some kind words for the E50 in this video, albeit significantly muted.

Frankly, the TRS connections aren’t a big deal. It serves the form factor, and TRS-to-XLR cables start at ~$10 or less, which is nothing to most audiophiles dropping hundreds/thousands on this stuff.

Let the world know that I would NEVER spend more than $80 on an headphone amp,
There is no mystery in this simple science of driving a headphone at Audio frequencies

Great just-in-time review. I was just looking at this, and the L70 but , changed focus to a gaming headset and the Schiit Hel2.

“I didn’t want it to be but still a great product.” One of the most believable recommendations I have heard. Seriously.

TRS is a good connector used professionally. As an audiophile I hate the mentallity of some against changes or differences. This connector provides balanced with smal space. All positives. As long as the build quality of the connector and the cable are good I don't care which connector I use. Allthough we have a lot of reliability issues using XLR connectors at work. More parts so higher failure rate.

Agree 100%. Guys, the sound on the A90D and other Toppings and SMSL is dead because THX style, so buy a normal amplifier from another brand and yourself will hear a difference, even the Ifi Zen Can or Schiit Asgard 3 for $200 sounds better. We do not live in a vacuum, in our world the normal background is 30-40 dB, and if it is not there, it feels like a dead man in the grave.

With that much power, wondering what was the hardest to drive headphone that you tried this with? What did the Topping A90D do with those headphones that surprised you that other headphone amps haven't been able to do? Did you try the Dan Clark Aeon 2 with it, since those are supposed to need more power to bring to life?