One issue is that someone less experienced unlike yourself is unable to recognize that most of these amps are better suited for reviewing gear and analyzing music, and not necessarily the optimized enjoyment of musical playback. I confess to previously owning 2 amps in the S and A tier. I kid about confessing, preferences and we listen for different things. He clearly does.
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Yes. I still own my 789, as in his A tier. Putting the Topping L30 in the F tier wasnât fair today, as its issues have been addressed (many comments say this too). Does anyone know Joshua Valour and able get him to listen? Videos like this are always at risk of going viral and becoming de facto newbie buying guides. Is anyone here with a channel in position to rebut him (e.g., @Resolve)?
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Agreed, to newbiesâ detriment. There should be better, more complete disclosure or a broader representation of solid state sound signatures in his list.
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This is exactly where I found myself with my first setup when I got into this hobby/obsession. Just over a year ago a bought my first dac (smsl su-8 v2), amp ( Monoprice THX887) and second pair of headphones after the 6xx, the Arya, based largely on Joshâs and others reviews. While I was initially awed by the detail and clarity, once I was just listening and not analyzing, just kicking back enjoying my musicâŚI wasnât enjoying what I was hearing. It was harsh, cold and the word brittle comes to mind if that makes sense. It was neutral/bright to the third power !! Soulless also comes to mind. The Arya is still my favorite headphone, now that I have the Bifrost2 and V280, itâs soooo different. I think itâs incredible sounding. The THX still has value too. It actually sounds much better fed with the Bifrost and I really like it with some of my headphones. The Radiance in particular. The smsl su-8?..well I donât think Iâll find any use for that, it just sits in the closet. So it wasnât really much of loss in terms of investment but I wish some of these guys would talk about pairing and synergy more. Synergy, Synergy, Synergy !!! That keeps coming to my mind a lot when reading quite a few threads here lately(namely, the He6se talk) While it might not be everything. It is something that I learned/am learning early on is super important . I donât know, Iâm still very new to this⌠maybe good gear is just good and perhaps it makes less of a difference when you get into higher end and itâs more noticeable with entry level gear? Perhaps itâs more important in the hi end, being that things are more revealing.?? IDK I hope to find out 
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I hadnât seen the take, but it would make sense to put the L30 in F tier if itâs the exploding ones. If an amplifier explodes⌠itâs a bad amp.
Personally Iâd put the A90 near the bottom of my list, A) because of the ground loop issue with RCA and USB DACs, and B) it sounds sterile and mushy. Iâd take just about any of the âgood enoughâ sources over that, but hey⌠some people like it right?
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To be fair to Topping, they did replace all the amps with updated models that no longer fry headphones (or at least I havenât seen any cases since the recall). They also, supposedly, covered the cost of damaged headphones except for one user (that I am aware of) that has posted on here and didnât have any joy with them covering his. He also had the same issue with a Heresy.
This is not to say the L30 is good or bad, I have an updated unit that I have never used except to test it. It does measure incredibly well but that is a different subject.
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Oh, thatâs good then yeah.
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Please donât confuse your preferences with ârightâ. It is easy to see where you are coming from, but phrased like this it comes off as presumptuous and dismissive. If Josh prefers the A90, he has plenty of company. We may disagree, we may think it sounds terrible, but we do not get to tell people they are wrong. We can only try to show them something we like, and see if they like it too.
We are not disciples empowered by the truth sent to create converts or burn the village.
(If he doesnât and is selling affiliate links for money, then he is just doing an age old job known as sales)
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The video is very narrow about the types of amps tested and applies inconsistent rules to SS amps vs. tube amps. It conflates performance with value. There are pre-existing audio conventions for S, A, B, C, etc. performance tiers and they have nothing to do with cost or value â huge variation within class.
The analysis is muddled, just muddled.
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To play devilâs advocate here, I think youâre both right to certain extents.
We are not Custodians of the One True Truth on audio. To pretend to be makes us no better than sites with dogmas that are forced upon their members, such as ASR. Josh is entitled to his opinions. We are also entitled to ours, and entitled to express why his views donât match our own. If you make videos on YouTube, expect criticism. Putting a level headed rebuttal in a comment on that video would be far more effective than demanding action here.
Now, with all that said, I agree that his right to an opinion does not excuse sloppy methodologies, inconsistent evaluations, or blatant bias. As a public figure in the hobby, he should strive to be better than that. IMO, it just indicates heâs a bad reviewer/content creator and thatâs why I give him the attention he deserves: zero.
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He might be a bad reviewer but in terms of content creator we donât know what his goals are. He has the analytics so he knows where his views and money come from.
In these crazy times I canât blame people for taking advantage of an opportunity. Unfortunately many people (ie viewers) donât evaluate whether there is any basis to trust someone so they can wind up with bad advice.
I think it took about 20 seconds into one of his videos (I donât remember which one, it was a while back) for me to see where he is coming from and hit the red X.
There is a significant percentage of the population that thinks the earth is flat, spaceflight is fake, etc. You canât always save people from themselves but it would be nice if there were fewer people trying to take advantage of them.
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I agree wholeheartedly. But I donât place 100% of the blame on the content creators - an overtrusting and ignorant viewer needs to apply an extremely healthy dose of skepticism on content they consume on YouTube, Twitter, etc. when they are doing product / purchase âresearchâ.
I think thatâs why Iâve continually pushed people towards the mantra of âexperience is the best teacherâ. Itâs single-handedly cuts through bias, paid-for reviews, and preference in one fell swoop. Go to mini meets, trade shows, swap gear with friends, etc. (It doesnât mean abuse return policies.)
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That is by far the best (and only) way to be certain what you like, and even then sometimes it is still difficult to decide if one really likes something or not, even after trying it (at least for me).
One of the big problems is that a huge ammount of people live in areas where there is absolutely no way of trying things out. Where I live, the nearest headphone store is 400km away and meets are none existent.
For example, my YT reviews in Spanish have a ton of views from South America (and Indonesia for some reason?) that have even less access to stuff than we do here in Spain. Many times, the only way to try stuff is to buy it and that includes expensive shipping and import taxes. As a personal example, I really wanted to try the Asgard 3 and by the time I purchased it and got it to my house, it worked out over $350.
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And that is why I think Spain is quite fortunate to have you. I like your stuff.
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Certainly not. I never believed there was One Truth (also @mfadio) â and I still defend the THX 789 for some use cases. It really can be the best option for cheaper drivers with notable flaws.
I was shocked by the videoâs lack of internal coherence and how his criteria shifted from moment to moment. Thereâs no One Truth, but this was Word Salad: meaningful bits here and there but no structure or useful takeaway.
When heâs not using a consistent or standard definition of âtierââŚwhere to start? âSome amps are good but not worth their retail price so I demoted them from tier A or B to D.â I donât comment at Youtube because the culture is broken there, nor do I want to feed the Google beast.
The trouble is that he is very popular. He, Zeos, DMS, and an unnamed polarizing data site shape the destiny of the hobby and which products succeed in the market. The data-oriented reviewers have driven the popularity of measurement-driven products. Paul at PS Audio revealed his frustration and upset on video too, apparently following customer feedback driven by the data guy.
What he said:
If we all want to buy a good selection of non-measurement-driven products at reasonable prices, then such products must sell fairly well. If not, the future of hobby audio will be a lot like Walmart or McDonalds.
Regarding this video, Iâd be happy with three tier lists: (1) clean SS, (2) colored SS, and (3) tube. Ideally, separate lists for tube hybrid and full tube too. All lists must retain performance and price as distinct rating criteria. Picking a winner based on a roll-up of sub scores is fine, but the components must be listed to understand the internal logic.
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Great post. Itâs helpful for others to read about your findings and progression.
I was in a similar position. To @ProfFalkinâs point, there is no substitute for experience.
I havenât heard this specific combo, but I suspect it delivers.
Absolutely.
I believe itâs on a component by component basis. Sometimes good is good. Others are more picky due to a variety of reasons/factors.
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It actually is that simple. If you read around enough and take your time considering things it can become clear which gear is good. The complicating factor isâŚ
I can recognize something as being good/great but still not want to have it in my collection, or even get rid of it if I do have it, if it doesnt mesh well with my other gear or my ultimate preferences.
Very few reviews talk about synergy, youâre right, and it might be impossible for them to meaningfully do so as the number of elements in any audio chain is pretty much infinitely variable and who knows what little difference may make or break an audio experience. This is the audio landscape we walk around in.
All of this is true, unfortunately.
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I wholeheartedly agree with your statement @generic. Measurements have their place but arenât the be all and end all.
Just my opinion of course.
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Great post @Audiophool. Like you say there needs to be more talk about Synergy and great pairings. It also needs to be said in a jargon free (well as much as is possible) manner. Thereâs nothing more off-putting than great advice that you just canât get your head around.
Sometimes people need simple recommendations without the Science. I do understand that there is a need for both. Itâs just that sometimes a lot what written is not easy for newbies to understand.
I am just trying to look at it from both sides of the fence.
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The only truth I believe, is what I hear with my own ears, Iâve been in audio since the late 60âs and Iâve come to view reviews as nothing more than a guide, but not fact. As our hearing and taste of music is different and the gear we use to support our audio needs is not the same, unless one happens to mirror the equipment of the person providing the review, but still unless you are an exact copy of that person you are not going to hear what they hear. Let you own ears decide. Demo first hand. I Take reviews with a grain of salt approach which means " means to accept news or information with a degree of healthy skepticism , because it might be exaggerated or mixed with some misinformation, or slanted to push an agenda. "
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