PSA: Topping L30 Damaging Headphones

If they did a 180 and did exactly that (replace/refund and compensate for damaged property), I would be 90% fine with them.

For Topping (and all the other Chinesium brands) to earn my trust, they would have to get TÜV or GS certificates.

1 Like

Just such a shame was a big topping fan for a long time . And we all know they can make great products when they want to. And their popularity and availability made them the only options for many not in North America or Western Europe.

How open are we to forgiving them if they just did a recall and paid for me headphones for the guys with reported headphones break?

It would go a long way. Like I said things break nothing is 100% safe but its how they respond that matters when something like this happens.

2 Likes

Are there any official statements from Topping on this yet?

1 Like

What for Statement?

Something along the lines of:

We are currently investigating reports on a fault with the L30. We advise to not use our product until the issue is resolved"

On the product page.

To clarify: As of the 12th January 2021 (CET), Topping has not officially acknowledged a problem with the L30

2 Likes

It took a while for a little insight to come.
It remains to be seen how you will deal with the rest.

1 Like

In the meantime, owners can listen to this:

1 Like

Here a new Update for all do have a L30.
Is a offical Statement from Topping.

Check your Batchnumber und contact your seller.

2 Likes

I reached out to Amazon as my unit started with 2006, and all affected units start 2011 and under. I ordered it back in October and I was able to get a refund after I copied Topping’s statement into the chat.

3 Likes

Hello!

The L30 being my introduction to the hifi world its a rollercoaster so far and i could use some advice.

As it is my first amp and the paired E30 my first dac i was amazed what my old hd599 could do moving away from onboard.

I am greatful that topping owned up to it eventually. The question still remain, can the revision be trusted? I still have the option to return it to amazon, but covid being a thing supply can make it hard to get something else.

My panic search come up with the asgard and magnius as alternatives but europe is out of them and they have no idea when they will be in stock.

Any opinion would be welcome about the revision or replacement options.

Thank you!

1 Like

Hello
There is nothing wrong with Topping E 30.
However, if you no longer trust the L30, which may well be the case for one or the other, you can use it.
It is up to you to look for something else.

Your question is a good one.
Because apart from a recall, it is not explained what is different about a new version.
And there, too, you just have to wait and see how the new batch works.

Therefore, one can only say that if the price remains within a similar range.
The Schiit Magni 3+ and Herasy, Jds Labs Atom come into question.
If you want to spend a little more, the Schiit Asgard 3.
It harmonises very well with the Topping E30.
There are certainly one or two other alternatives.

But it would be good to ask this question in a new thread, because that way this one stays halfway clean as far as the L30 is concerned, in terms of defects, processing and so on.
But your question is quite justified and understandable.
Personally, I would like to know if I can plug in my headphones without damaging them or my ears?

1 Like

The serials that had cases where the 2007 and 2009, does anyone know if is there any other one?

Topping admits that the L30 has a design flaw, which may have led to “damage” of headphones/iems (they didn’t use the word “destroy”). However, in their official announcement, Topping made no mention of any compensation or compensation process regarding L30 owners stuck with damaged/destroyed headphones/iems caused by the L30 outside of replacing their faulty L30’s (nice way of getting rid of evidence). This doesn’t sit well with me.

So far, Topping has told them, “Tough shit” with respect to their L30-damaged/destroyed headphones/iems.

3 Likes

I just got mine L30 today that unfortunately I ordered before the cases started popping up. And its serial starts with 2011 which means I may have a defective unit. I don’t have anything expensive here, tbh the E30+L30 is the most expensive part of my setup so I’m willing to take the risk.

Not sure if it makes sense but when I’m not using the kit I’ll just throw the cheapest headphones I have and let it play something. If it’s a defective unit and it explodes it’ll at least minimize the damage…

I didn’t read a clear justificative for the cases that already happened and it seems that Topping is taking its communications very slowly. Would be nice if I could buy something else but I’m very dependant on what Aliexpress has and I made my choice on the worst timing possible.

If I don’t come back here, it’s because everything is fine!

You can get in touch with your seller, so topping can send you a new unit.
At least i worked fo me that way, there’s no need to send the faulty one back

1 Like

I got in contact with my seller (bought mine this past October, 2009-- serial number) and they said they are working through their warehouse inventory to be able to determine what they can send out for replacements. Once they got through that they would be following up with details. They did also say that a refund was not possible, only a replacement.

Yes, the timing is bad.
Nevertheless, Topping has tried to keep the whole thing small and to talk it up until the cases have accumulated and an investigation has been initiated.
And even then Topping tried to keep it small and to talk it up.

Only when the cases increased and more and more became known did they no longer manage to sweep the whole thing under the carpet.

They don’t mention that it causes irreparable damage to the headphones or the human hearing.
But that it is a production error that can lead to damage.
Presumably to understand your device as causing damage - everything else is of no interest to you.

This is the point about negligence, which is typically Chinese.
Furthermore, they do not communicate what the new batch does better.
And how safe it actually is!
It may well be that the new batch is just as faulty.
And then you have, in addition to the broken headphones, a burst eardrum.
This can also happen with the old batch.

In addition, the old batch causes a power surge when turning the volume pot because the device is allegedly not earthed.

So let common sense prevail, send the L30 back and don’t take any risks.
The L30, as stupid as it sounds, is a drama and Topping is to blame, the worst and most dangerous headphone amplifier in history.
It is dangerous because it can electrocute and destroy your hearing.
It’s not childproof and it can start a fire.

And all because of an alleged earthing fault that the developer himself does not really admit to and could not find.
In some cases, others had to help a little.

We can only appeal to the owners and buyers to be sensible at the moment and hope for the best.
I’d rather buy a Schiit magni or a Jds Atom and forget about the 25$ duty. at least it’s safe and doesn’t have to hide from the L30.

What Topping did was definitely not professional from start to finish, I must say.
Many people will be stuck with expensive headphones that broke because of this and will not be refunded.
The whole process of handling and communication was subterranean.

1 Like
2 Likes

Oh, and before I forget.
You now say you are supplying a replacement unit.
You can throw the old one away.

You’re only doing this to save costs and you’re not investigating the defect thoroughly enough.
The actual investigation is only based on suspicions and assumptions of max. 10 customers who have sent in their device.

This is also unprofessional when I have something like this, I need to know as a manufacturer why, why, why it happened, what parts were used, etc…
Apart from that, the casing could have been stripped of paint and repainted for reuse.
Or simply send the whole thing in, replace the circuit board and send it back.

Other Chinese manufacturers can do this better if their product is faulty.
I would say Matrix Audio, Singxer, Questyle.

2 Likes