Practical Question Regarding Newer Topping Amps


I've been trying to decide on a preamp for my chain. The Topping Pre90 was originally high on my list, but I kept reading about how the remote on it (as well as the original A90 and the A90 Discrete) are hard to use due to the amp itself having a narrow reception range. This has dissuaded me from purchasing one of them. I am only now realizing that those are older products and that Topping has since released the A90 Pro as well as L70 amps in a newer design with equal or better performance to the older models. Does anyone have experience with the A90 Pro and/or L70 that can let me know how their experience is using the included remote? Does the amp still require the user to have military sniper aim for it to receive the IR signal from the remote?

Or should I just forget all this Topping headphone amp nonsense and just buy the darn Schiit Kara already? 🤣

-Ed

eddnog

I would buy almost anything over a Schiit product. Have bought 3 of their products and ALL 3 had issues that required returning for refund within days of purchase after dealing (arguing) over several online messages over multiple days with the worst customer service and that I have personally experienced with an audio product company. They don’t even list a contact number.  When it comes to audio you get what you pay for 99% of the time!  Those were their 3 strikes, and they are permanently out of my business. 

To your question, I am not too familiar with Topping but Take a look at S.M.S.L.  I have a couple of their products in a guest room and the garage.  Great little units with good sound, customer service and no issues at all for the $!

 

@ellajeanelle I own an SMSL DO100 DAC; it was what I used prior to upgrading to a Denafrips Ares II. I am not too familiar with which models in their lineup would make a good balanced (XLR) preamplifier for a speaker chain. I don’t actually care at all for the headphone capabilities.

-Ed

Can you stretch to a used Rogue RP1? That should be better than schiit and will come in around $1,000 used. 

Interesting, I currently have eight pieces of Schiit gear (used in three different systems) and have owned three or four other pieces of theirs which I've sold. I've never had a problem with any of them and love the way they sound for the money. And, the two or three times I've emailed Schiit with questions I've heard back within a day or two.  Sorry you've had problems with the stuff you've bought.