Curious if all its issues have been solved and one can buy it safely now.
Do you know?
I’ve not heard any reports of new issues after the design fix was implemented. But the solution they put out was also questionable. So…
YMMV
I still have mine. It’s on my cubicle desk at work. But it’s relegated to kph30i use only. And if someone is foolish enough to steal it, I hope it blows up on them
I get it. I am trying to choose a first desktop amp for my HD600 ( I have a BTR5) and the L30 seemed nice but there are many other good ones around this price…I see you have some of them, what’s your favorite?
Hard to tell.
I am yet to see any photos of the whole PCB in the “revised models”.
After the way Topping did not handle this incident, I would not give them any money.
To quote @ZeosPantera: “there are no losers on this table”. Most modern headphone DACs and amps released in the last 2 years are solid. Differences? Yes. But no losers.
If you get a JDS Labs Atom, Monoprice liquid spark, Geshelli Archel2, Schiit magni3+/Heresy, Schiit Asgard, … You won’t be disappointed. And you’ll start building an option of what you like.
It really comes down to budget, desk space, your use cases, and features you care about. Do you have a DAC picked out already?
In general, the easy recommendation for an amp is the Schiit Asgard3. It is a great value for pure sonic performance. No real competition at the $200 price point.
But the Schiit Hell is also $200, sounds good (similar sound to Schiit Heresy), and includes a DAC and microphone input. Nice small foot print. I regret selling mine, it’s a very flexible device.
In my opinion the JDS Labs Atom sounded better (more natural and realistic) than the L30 when I A/B compared them on an E30 DAC. But the build on the L30 is MUCH better.
The Monoprice liquid spark is very highly recommended, but I’ve not owned that one yet.
For what it’s worth, my first stack was a Schiit magni 3 / modi 3. I loved it. And having the stack let me buy other DACs and amps to mix and match with. The used market is great here. And you can always sell for a minimal loss a used item on the forum.
My 2 cents - just starting out, get a Schiit magni/modi stack or a JDS Labs Atom stack. Enjoy it, and then when you get the itch (and have the budget) start experimenting with other units.
I even prefer the Atom’s build because the metal on L30 makes it super hot to touch
Good point - the L30 can get quite warm. I think the metal case is partially there to act as a heatsink. The Atom runs very cool.
I’m not an expert but maybe this link is what you’re looking for:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-l30-headphone-amplifier-review.15226/page-223#post-738146
Something changed in the circuit labeled DC_Det.
There are two more components on the 2012 board and some positions of existing components changed.
LN: 2006
LN: 2012
Also includes the bodged in case ground “fix”:
The white gunk is residue from soldering. Ideally, that would be washed off at the factory:
The example of the LN: 2012 is better in that regard:
One review on the net made me laugh as it waxes lyrical about the L30 and assures us it is “superbly engineered” while having a warning of reports of it damaging equipment. Maybe it’s just me, but superbly engineered products don’t normally come with warnings about damaging stuff they’re designed to be used with as part of normal use. I guess it shows one of the limits of just looking at a few measurements when avaluating audio gear.