TOPPING Launches L30 Amp
We’ve already seen several great amplifiers announced recently, including the TOPPING A90, among others. Some of you who follow the latest industry news might have already picked up the rumors; therefore, it should not be a surprise when you read TOPPING Launches L30 Amp.
TOPPING has long been well-known for its excellent DACs. This year, it entered the headphone amplifier market with two new amplifiers: the previous flagship TOPPING A90 and the new TOPPING L30 amp.
TOPPING designed the new L30 amp to meet the low noise, high power demands of today’s audio enthusiasts. The new L30 amp offers 3500mW of power output and ultra-low levels of distortion, ultra-low noise, and high dynamic range.
TOPPING is not only claiming that the new L30 headphone amplifier delivers an ultra-flat, linear frequency response but also ultra-low distortion and noise levels across the full frequency spectrum with numbers that are magnitudes of an order lower than the competition.
The TOPPING L30 amplifier provides excellent AC and DC performance by using a voltage-current hybrid feedback architecture. The L30 amp incorporates TOPPING‘s UHGF (ultra high gain feedback) technology in a voltage-current hybrid feedback architecture. The UHGF technology is indifferent to frequency, noise, and impedance variations. As a result, the TOPPING L30 amp has unprecedented levels of distortion.
TOPPING L30 Amp NFCA Modules
TOPPING implemented NFCA (Nested Feedback Composite Amplifier) modules, enabling the L30 amp of reaching unprecedented levels of performance. The NFCA (Nested Feedback Composite Amplifier) modules of the TOPPING L30 amp have an ultra-low noise of 0.3uV, which is miles ahead of the competition. Therefore the L30 amp can reach an absurdly high dynamic range of 141dB.
NFCA modules are known for their “extraordinary low distortion” <0.00007% THD+N (-123dB). Specifications also indicate an output impedance of less than 0.1Ω. IEM users will be pleased as this ultra-low noise, and high dynamic range guarantees the absence of any audible hiss or noise, presenting a black background.
In terms of output, TOPPING launches the L30 amp & claims up to 3500mW×2 @ 16Ω and 2400mw×2 @ 32Ω. That’s a tad higher than the flagship TOPPING A90. The L30 amp has a SINAD level of more than 125dB combined with a comfortably low output impedance of less than 0.1Ω.
The TOPPING L30 amplifier can drive any pair of headphones without compromises, providing a perfect and flawless musical representation accompanied by unparalleled levels of clarity.
Although the new L30 can easily push over 3500mW×2 of power, some users may regard it as too much power. This amount of power, especially when combined with low impedance headphones, will limit the usable range of volume control.
The multiple gain settings is one of the new features TOPPING added to the new L30 amp. The L30 amp includes a three setting switch on the front panel to accommodate headphones and IEMs with varying levels of sensitivity.
Exceeding The Limits Of APX555B
The APX555B analyzer Audio Precision© (AP) is widely regarded as the gold standard in audio testing equipment. Audio Precision© (AP) has aided many engineers worldwide to design, verify, and manufacture audio products.
Throughout the years, we‘ve seen many companies claiming absurd figures with no evidence to back up these claims. TOPPING is one of the select few that has always supported its claims and included a printed comprehensive suite of APX555B measurements for all its products.
According to the 3rd party verified measurements, the SINAD of the L30 amplifier is over 126 dB, while the THD+N ratio is less than 0.00005x dB. These figures are the upper limit of what the APX555B is capable of measuring. TOPPING has rightfully surpassed the upper limits of the APX555B. In a nutshell, the best measurement tools we have today cannot accurately measure the performance of the TOPPING L30.
TOPPING explained how they used a low noise preamp between the amp and AP to measure the ultra-low noise of the L30 amp.
“The actual noise level is obtained by boosting the noise of L30 by 100 times using a low noise amplifier in front of the APX555B, then dividing the measured noise by 100 times.”
Multiple Gain Settings
TOPPING L30 amp has three gain settings, including a negative gain setting, enabling the most precise gain control.
TOPPING L30 Gain Settings:
- Low (-9.9dB).
- Mid (0dB).
- High (9.5dB).
Multiple gain settings that incorporate low-gain (-9.9dB) and unity gain provide a plentiful amount of usable volume control for sensitive IEMs. Consequently, switching between the three gain levels is a relatively simple process. Simply flick the metal gain toggle switch on the front panel
Low and mid-gain levels (-9.9dB and 0dB) are suitable for driving efficient over-ears and IEMs. However, some users might need high gain (9.5dB) settings for full-sized headphones. TOPPING L30 is capable of powering all different kinds of headphones, from highly sensitive IEMs to power demanding full-size headphones.
TOPPING Launches L30 Amp + Preamp
Users can use the TOPPING L30 amp in two modes, amplifier and preamplifier modes. TOPPING’s NFCA modules allow the L30 to function as a high-performance preamp. The L30 preamplifier has an impedance of 20 ohms, and the owners can easily use the feature without unplugging their headphones from the L30 amp.
External AC Power Supply
To preserve the miniature size and ensure consistent performance, TOPPING L30 amp uses an external AC adapter for power.
Some may see this as an unwelcome point, on the other hand, we should remember that using an external transformer-based AC adapter provides several advantages compared to DC.
Some of these advantages include:
- Constant voltage
- Lower mains noise.
- Reduce the chance of ground loops.
- Eliminate the leakage currents found in SMPSs.
- Lower magnetic interference.
- Separate, isolated earth or ground.
- Consistent, high performance for single-ended devices.
Extreme Performance Stack: TOPPING E30+L30
TOPPING designed the E30 and L30 to match well as a matching stack that provides ultra-high-performance levels. There is no other single-ended stack that we can rightfully say offers better value or performance than the TOPPING E30+L30 stack.
Whether you are looking for your first headphone amplifier or simply looking for the best, the TOPPING L30 linear headphone amplifier should be on the top of your list.
Source from Hifigo
