🔷 TOPPING A90 Discrete

zenstrata · October 1, 2022, 6:40am

@ Jason_Schabler (or anyone else who desires exceptional closed-back headphones to pair with the A90D)

My earlier post goes into a bit more detail about why I feel this is a good pairing. It comes down to power, the A90D is a powerful headphone amp, and it releases the magic in the Argon headphones. Argon’s need power. And when they get it, they turn obscene amounts of power into incredible sound.

If you get the chance to try the Mod House Audio, Argon T60RP or the Argon Mk3, I strongly suggest you look into them, they are effectively closed back, but give you the sound-stage of an open backed, and the power of the Topping A90D is like an unlock-key for awesome on Argon headphones.

Argon headphones are like some towering audio god materialized in our reality and personally placed music on your head. But he did it with a closed-back headphone.

The Argon headphones are surprisingly affordable for what they offer. If you love bass I suggest giving the Argon Mk3’s a go. I personally prefer them myself out of the two Argon variants available, and they are bass monsters. It’s like wearing a full-sized heavy-metal rock concert hall on your head. The Mk3’s put you in the middle of that rock concert hall, they have amazing sound stage, yet don’t sound muffled in any way. And the Bass… Oh my god the Bass - Mk3 Argons will Rock you - in a good way! Yet they can play every type of music and still sound exceptional.

Here is Zeos video on the Argon’s, he gives a good comparison on both headphones.

My own advice from owning both, get the Mk3 if you like bass.

In case you are wondering from watching the video - yes Zeos still has both the Argon’s on his wall, and he regularly uses them and compares them with other headphones in many reviews. Argon’s are one of the essential the benchmark headphones get’s pulled out whenever anything requires power, comfort, and quality of sound. And the truly amazing key is, they do all that *affordably!

The only reason these exist at the price they do, is because of Ryan at Mod House. Ryan is the owner/operator of the business, and he is very very fair with his pricing. (Yes I used two “very’s”!) I would easily match these up against any headphone 1,000 dollars or less and the Argon’s will win. And they even are equivalent to some headphones that are nearly 3,000 dollars. - Yes the numbers sound insane, how could something that costs so much less be just as good? - Ryan and Mod House is the answer to that question. There is a reason Zeos continually talks about and references Argons in many of his videos. They really are special.

Zeos in the video will try to talk you into getting the T60 Argon, but if you love good bass, then I re-iterate again… go with the Mk3.

I originally got the Argon T60RP, I let Zeos video talk me into it. And I was so curious about the Mk3’s I bought them as well. And I can say that both are great headphones, I am very happy to own both of them. But…

If I could only have 1 set of Argon headphones, I would keep the Mk3 even though it’s often considered the ‘lower’ of the two. It really is not, when Zeos says they are equal - he is not lying. They are just different, more low end comes through on the Mk3, and everything is more comfortable to listen to. That comfort directly equals enjoyment. For enjoyable relaxing sound that won’t hurt your ears with anything, the Mk3’s are the way to go. I have fallen asleep several times with the Mk3’s playing on my head, the listening experience is that enjoyable/comfortable.

Ok, i’ve waffled on enough. I wish I could put both headphones on your head and pair them with your new Topping A90D so you could truly compare, but distance and annoying real-life physics prevent me from teleporting over to your place to do it.

Here is where to order Argon Mk3’s.

Extras to Definitely get:

Balanced ( you want this if your amp can at all handle it, which yours can )
Deerskin Strap (Comfort Supreme, will help insure these are comfortable to wear, the default metal strap will start to hurt your head if you don’t have a nice strap, this is Essential to have!)
Upgraded Pads Protein, Lambskin, or Cowhide (hugely important for extreme comfort! - if you are curious which type is suggested you can contact Ryan via his company email and he will get back to you)
The Case (If you travel or want a nice storage spot for your Argon’s the Case is worth it for 30$, it’s a well constructed case.)
Balanced Cable (you will need a cable too, because this version of the Argon is not normally balanced, so a cable is needed if you get the balanced Argon mod)

Yes that bumps the price up to $410 for the Argon Mk3 (not counting the balanced cable). But trust me, that is still a great deal for what you are getting. Argon’s are amazingly good.

Here is where to order the Argon T60RP.

Extras to Definitely get:

T60RP is balanced by default! (yay!)
Deerskin Strap (same reasons as above)
Xenon Pads, Suede, Lambskin, or vegan leather (These are very comfortable and affect sound quality too! Ryan goes into detail exactly how each one changes the sound on his store page)

The Argon T60RP runs $479. They are slightly more expensive than the Mk3’s. But still worth every penny.

Get to an audio show sometime, or find somewhere in your area so you can try Argon’s out. Or just buy them whenever you are ready for your next audio upgrade.