@volikovvv yes i was surprised at what little talk about think amp there was, yes its just another OP amp based topping design howerver i think it sounds much better than most of their previous amps and even schiits lower end amps as well even though they all use similar OP amps. i dont know why but its linear without being bright or sharp and extremely dynamic and detailed. using with a bit warmer DAC like zen DAC v2 ads a bit of texture to the bass and mids without losing to much detail over my SMSL m300mkII which was just a little too bright for me and i was hoping it wasnt the AMP and it was just the DAC. a30 pro is easily an end game amp for most people IMO.
2 Likes
Yeah this amps deserves to be talked much more. Seems it beats shiit similar priced offerings. And one of the best topping amps. Only people recomending a little warmer dacs for its companion. So as i have d50s it could be not the best choise for a30pro. As it is revealing and linear similary. And buying other dac as d30 pro isn’t good choise for me. But other way i would choose it not thinking at the prise it is sold.
It is endgame for many not wanting to spent considerably more for little upgrade.
2 Likes
I’ve been trying to find out if there would be a benefit to swapping op amps in the A30 pro but haven’t found anything and was also unable to find any pictures of the inside that actually showed anything
open it up and take some pictures! idk why i never opened mine up when i had one.
1 Like
Well I won an auction because nobody else bet anything lol trying to cancel the order now since I wasn’t able to find anything out
To quote Dave (EEVBlog):
Don’t turn it on, take it apart!
2 Likes
If be interested to hear your opinion on using a 220-250ohm impedance adapter to trick it into class a mode for lower impedance planars. I never tried that while I had it on hand but maybe that changes how well it plays with planars?
Seems like all that would do is drive up the output impedance, yes? Don’t know how that would be a good idea. Seems like you should just buy an Asgard 3 if you’re US-based or look for a Lake People G103s if you’re elsewhere.
Just to update, my A30 Pro that I’ve been using since October died tonight. I was just listening and suddenly, massive static. I turned the unit off immediately. It would not come back on, and any attempt to do so resulted in a relay click and the power LED flashing. Luckily, it didn’t take my headphones with it.
Also luckily, I got the unit inside the Christmas return window from Amazon, so I can get a refund. It’s a real shame as I love the sound of the A30 Pro in combination with the D30 Pro DAC, but I’ve seen too many reports of failures on the A30 Pro to risk it again (especially without the prolonged return window).
I’m using mine since May and don’t have any problems yet. I hope it won’t die as well
I’m blown away by how low the amplification on this thing is. I thought it was meant to be a powerful amp but everyone is just lying as usual. Its literally 20% above line level. I thought I would have decent headroom and be able to use it with a passive mixer and stuff but that’s not happening. It’s hilarious it has 3 gain levels. My DAP is literally louder than this. And it has the audacity to get hot too, even the volume knob heats up. What is the high price even for. I thought I would be able to try out some planars and stuff but I wouldn’t be comfortable gambling that it will work. Obviously it’s “useable” turned almost all the way up but so are amplifiers that cost 5x less. I tried it with HD 6XX, DT770 80ohm, and SE215. Somehow SE215 is the best with this amp, I don’t know why. I’m pretty used to how they sound, on this they sound really big and open.
It’s 20mW in low gain, about 470mW in mid gain and 5,5 Watts in high gain. It’s a power house and you won’t find many single ended amps in that price range than have that much power
1 Like
I changed my mind it’s not really that bad
1 Like
As a further update, I elected to have my original A30 Pro (which died after two months) replaced under warranty, as I really did like the amp. The second A30 Pro died in the same way, in less than 6 weeks.
There are several reports on ASR of the same failure occuring, and another person I know had his die as well.
Again, this is a real shame as I think it is a great amp when working.
I wonder if the heat might not contribute to this. The entire case body heats up to near the verge of being too hot to touch. I wouldn’t have expected that from something that only powers a pair of headphones. It really could use a fan although I guess the target userbase would not be pleased about having electromagnets in it.
some amps can produce a lot of heat my FA-10 probably could’ve cooked eggs lol
Based on the behavior exhibited by both of my units when they failed, and from what I’ve read of other people’s failed units, I think the failure is most likely related to components of the internal power supply.
I have a 92mm computer fan running of an 9V PSU blowing through my audio shelf. keeps everything nice and cool.
1 Like