This little A30 Pro (that I just found out about) seems to be a real winner, for us headphone+IEM SE Champions out there. I have no idea how it sounds VS my A3 and G111, but I’m thinking it could come out on top(so much power, and insane measurements). Or maybe it will be too smooth, and not have enough bass extension.
not shure its worth the side grade from an asgard or a g111 ?
what are you hoping it would improve, just asking ? think the g111 and a3 combo gives you enough versatillity for most hp south of utopia and susvara.
have to admit that im also a bit scaptical about all the hyper messurment amp and dac XD
if you just want something new to play with maybe save a bit more and get somthing more high end or a good hybrid or tube amp
I agree that both A3 and G111 are very good. My impressions of A3 = great bass punch & sparkle, but lacking some refinement. G111 = great all-around, but could use more power(for bass), and seems possibly a little too smooth. So I would hope A30P could add power to maximize bass, and offer a less smooth, yet still refined sound in between A3 & G111. I’m not sure either of these amps have enough power for big planars, but all I’ve been able to test so far is HE6se(and G111 was certainly weak sounding, and decently more impactful with A3).
hm think if you want to combine the strenghts of a3 and g111 youll have to invest a bit more than the a30, think its more similar to an a3 than a direct upgrade but take that with a pinch of salt because that comes only from some impressions i read and not from personal experience but if you want to offer your self as a tester im all for it
heard good things about the singxer sa-1 that could give you that strenght or a burson conductor but that one plays in a hole other price league
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Power is not everything.
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Measurements do not tell a whole lot about sound quality.
Depending on the impedance of your headphone, t
Impedance | G111 | A30 Pro |
---|---|---|
16 | 750mW | 6000mW |
32 | 5500mW | |
100 | 1750mW | |
300 | 900mW | 840mW |
600 | 600mW | 420mW |
As a plot:
The A30 Pro is severely voltage limited (= not enough voltage to force current through the headphone) past ~250 Ohm. My guess is Topping Copy-Pasted the same +12/-12V power supply from all their products in there.
The G111 strikes a better balance between being voltage and current limited leading to a somewhat even power curve.
Say you had an HD650, the G111 would deliver more power:
Source
Yes, perhaps A30P is better than A90, but…“that’s not saying much” lol… From what I can tell, there is some soundstage loss, and maybe bass loss, but good sound in the middle and tons of power.
G111:
16 = 765 mW
32 = 1402 mW
40 = 1806 mW
60 = 2053 mW
100 = 1742 mW
240 = 1107 mW
300 = 1056 mW
600 = 595 mW
Yeah, but aren’t all big planars pretty much low ohm? HE6, LCD-3, GL2000, Arya, Clear. My HD660 and Erupt are about 150, otherwise I can’t think of a phone in mind that’s higher. Oh, HD800 lol. VO = 300, but I’ll get an amp just for it later, if it really sings to me. And I’ve heard IEMs still sound fine on the A30P, with all of that power, as well(unlike Jot 2? I didn’t like how Jot 1 sounded).
think the a3 has around 3.5w into 32ohm so its resonable powerful
think the only hp that need that insane power are he6 and susvara and a abyuss for most other hp the refinement of the amp and how it plays with your hp is imo more important
maybe look at the problem from the otherside what hp do you think needs that bit more uumpf in the bass region and some more experienced can maybe guide you in the right direction
Oh, A3 definitely has good chops! It was my last hope amp with HE6, before resorting to the A100. But with HE6 being 50 ohms, A3 is only about 0.6 Watts stronger(2.5W) than G111(1.9W), whereas you’ve got Jot 2 at 4W(+1.5W) and A30P at 3.4W(+0.9W). I’ll just have to rent it out and see how it sounds with GL2000. Apparently DT1990(250 ohms) sounds awesome with A30P.
Oh, and there is the whole AKM vs Sabre chip thing, too :\ Get an amp NOW, or wait 6-8 weeks lol.
would be new to me that you need an akm chip for an amp, or are you talking about the d30p
and if you want stupid power i think the ifi pro can has 14w into 32 ohm (but could also be 16ohm so dont quote me :P) otherwise i heard the cayin ih6 (or a similar combination XD) is qutoted to drive the he6 really good
and should you get an a30p tell us (or me cause if have an a3 and g111 too) how it drives the he6 (my hp purchase in the faraway future :P)
Oh, I was getting DACs mixed up into all of this… but then why is the Jot 2 still taking 6-8 weeks?
schitty supply lines
More power = less soundstage…? True of A30P? And moreso Jot 2?
You’re always making me buy everything first, god… =_= lol
There are some potentially interesting tests to be done on the interaction between amplifiers and drivers.
And as always: Simple answers, while often convenient, are rarely correct.
What is it that you are actually looking to drive with the amps? I know you’ve been saying about the HE6, which I would personally advise against trying for an entry to lower mid range amp with them, from what I’ve heard about them they really do well with a better quality amp and especially a nice speaker amp.
Well, it would be great if a $350 amp could provide great punch that a planar needs, with good SQ, right? It’s a new level of amp tech(it seems), so if it happens to run my HE6 and GL2000 better than my A100, G111 and A3, then I can get rid of them all, and not need a new amp for an LCD(for example) later on.
For headphones I plan to actually own & use(not exactly soon), it’s going to be low ohm planars(like LCD-3, Arya, GL2000), a mix of dynamic drivers(AD700X, AD2000X, Erupt, HD660, etc), IEMs, and then probably a Verite Open way up there at 300 ohms. By the time I start getting all of these, I’m sure I’ll upgrade the amp again, too lol.
Do you have an A30P? What do you think about it, if so?
Nope, don’t have one.