People are most likely referring to the su8 as the bottleneck as itās not on the same tier as the a90 (although personally I think you are fine)
I would say stick with the su8 until you get to the 700 range personally. I think if you had to go with something the d70 is a good pick imo for something that sounds nice, but really I would suggest waiting a bit. Also personally I canāt say that the d90 is a good buy at itās current price, itās not too much of an upgrade over the d70, and imo I think itās handily beat by other other options in the price range that the a90 sits in
If you think everything is too treble-oriented, you might be interested by AKM dacs in the future. Apparently you can hear the difference in this price range and above (ESS chipsets, like in the SU8, tend to sound a bit sharper).
If not, well, thereās no ābottleneckā, just the āfear of missing outā.
If your system sounds good to you, itās good.
Ok, so I just got my A90 today and have it hooked up to both XLR and RCA. The XLR is coming from an XLR switcher box where I have 2 different DACs [Gumby and RME ADI-2 Pro] connected via XLR and a tube buffer [Yaqin SD-CD3] via RCA. The RCA that connects to the A90 is a different tube buffer [Jolida Black Ice SSX]. I like the sounds of both the tube buffers for the different sounds each one produces (different tube sounds), and like to switch b/n DACs and both tube buffers. I do not detect any distortion so far. Is there a certain test that I can verify if I am experiencing the distortion issue? I am not using particularly high quality cables [neither XLR nor RCA]. I have read that the issue is based on a sort of design flaw, but am unsure if this is an issue that affects every set-up. I am hopeful this can work in my current configuration. I will say that I am enjoying what Iām hearing so far, too. Iāve owned both a 789 and an SP200 in the past and think this absolutely sounds better [def. a bit warmer, which is good bc the THX amps are cold and sterile, IMO]. Anyways, Thanks!
Iām looking for advice if I should pull the trigger on the A90, or go much cheaper with the Schiit Magnius. I have the Grace+Drop SDAC-B as my DAC hooked up to the Schiit Heresy and am running the HiFiMan Sundara primarially (also DT990 250 ohm for gaming). I have a balanced cable and want to go that way with more headphones in the future. Do you all think it is worth it to go for the big guns, or should I save some money and go for the Magnius and only hit the top of the line once I have more reason (better sources and more demanding cans)?
Hi! Welcome to HFGF. Apologies we didnāt get back to you sooner.
TBH, I would just stay where you are on the amp for awhile. I havenāt heard all of these amps with my own ears but have heard products regarded as being quite similar (JDS Labs Atom and SMSL SP200). Hereās my understanding from sources I trust: The Magnius is solid, but not considered much of an upgrade from the Heresy. The Heresy has everything youāre likely to need right now. Balanced is not inherently audibly better than single-ended. Individual products that are balanced often sound better from their balanced output because most of the design effort was put into the balanced nature of it and the SE part is an afterthought. A well designed SE amp will sound just fine. For now I would recommend experimenting with other headphones, not because thereās anything wrong with Sundara, but because headphones change the sound the most. I hope this is helpful
didnāt see that videoā¦ him and DMS kinda gushed like crazy on this amp. Taking their thoughts with a heavy grain of salt lately more so than usual. I might order this just to check it out later because apos has a amazing policy
Hi all. I currently have a Schiit Magnius (bal in/out) driving Arya that Iām not 100% satisfied with from a power and sound quality standpoint. Would I be served well by moving to Monoprice thx 887 or a90? Those are the two in my price range that Iām considering. My DAC is smsl su-9 being fed Tidal MQA that I hear as neutral/slightly warm-ish, so not as concerned with being over the top analytical. Thoughts between the two, sound and power wise?
Hi, i just bought an Topping A90, and noticed that the three toggle switches in front feel a little flimsy sideways. Can anyone here confirm that this is normal?
I donāt have this amp so grain of salt caveats and all ā¦ but
I think with Topping such things are āacceptedā rather than truly intended. That is parts quality and build tolerances are not going to be as good as some of the more pricey companiesā products. They design for function (and many here would argue how well they doā¦ ) and for those of us who canāt afford to pay for the best of builds and parts. They do an extraordinary job of reaching measurement goals.
Yes i agree it is not the most expencive equipment to get. But i must say buildquality on the two Topping products i have. Is generally very nice. And i have been in some local Hifi Dealers here in Norway. And checked out hifiequipment up to 10-15k dollars. And even those has some flaws. All in all i am so far impressed of this amp. Have just bought it, and have only listened to it for about 6 hours.
My experience so far is lots of power, low noise and decent buildquality
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he was all over the A50S too.