Topping A50 III Headphone Amplifier – Refinement And Power Minified
Topping A50 III is a $199 USD Headphone Amplifier, recommended for purchase along with the Topping D50 III Dac which we have reviewed recently, and the headphone amplifier counterpart to that DAC. Today we will review the A50 III and compare it with other headphone amplifiers, including JDS Labs Atom AMP2 (129 USD), SMSL HO100 (149 USD), and JDS Labs El AMP II+ Balanced (249 USD).
Introduction
Topping created a headphone amplifier to match the D50 III that we just reviewed, so it is interesting to finally review the full stack. A50III is a total solution, offering the pair to make the 50 III series truly useful for any setup. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. A huge thanks to Topping Audio for providing us with the sample for this review.
PROs – Extreme driving power for the price point, Low distortion, No background noise, Transparent tuning with just a hint of warmth in the midrange, but linear and neutral otherwise. Fast impulse response, resulting in high resolution and perceived detail, good technicalities for the price, and a compact size, beautiful design makes it a very appealing HPA or Headphone AMP.
Cons – It gets warm during usage, and has no PRE output, but D50 III has a PRE function, so there’s no reason to use A50 III as the preamplifier.
Product Link
You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/3zVrRfn
Build Quality/Aesthetics
When reviewing a combo made up of multiple components, it is good to keep in mind that the individual performance of each will determine the performance of the whole setup. A50 III is made from the same metallic chassis as D50 III, you can order both in silver, and they match perfectly in every way possible. I recommend keeping A50 III on top, and D50 III on bottom, as the DAC heats less and the amplifier heats much more during usage, and even when it is turned off. Topping calls it HPA a lot, and that’s short for HeadPhone Amplifier.
There is a set of balanced and single ended inputs, the Balanced being in the rare TRS 6.3mm, while the SE inputs are RCA. There isn’t quite enough space for XLR inputs on the balanced end, and the 6.3mm inputs work really well with D50 III, this amplifier having been designed to be a pair with the corresponding DAC.
We have three gain settings, with huge differences in loudness and power between the gian levels, low being for IEMs, medium being great for everything, while high gain offers almost no volume control for IEMs, getting loud really early, but allowing you to finely control the volume for power-hungry headphones like HIFIMAN He1000Se. Technically, you would want to pair A50 III with high-end headphones, as it sports a THD of lower than 0.00006%, a DNR or Dynamic range of >144 dB, and the maximum output power is 3500 mW x2, with an output impedance of <0.1 OHMs. The distortion at an output of 800 mW x2 power is 0.00005%, while at the maximum driving power, it reaches <0.1% for the 3500mW x2 output.
The amplifier part is provided by NFCA or Nested Feedback Composite Amplifiers as those found on A50S. Voltage current hybrid feedback architecture along with UHGF / Ultra high Gain Feedback will provide the sound to your headphones. In theory, this design should cover really hard to drive headphones well, so your HIFIMAN Ananda Nano should have plenty of power, but A50 III should in theory be more than enough for Audeze LCD-5 too.
We do have 12V triggers to connect A50III to D50III and keep them starting up and turning off together, as A50 III will get warm even if it is not playing music, if it stays turned on. Topping A 50 III needs a power outlet, as it will not power from a type-c cable, consuming far too much power for a USB cable to provide. The included power transformer is great, and it provides the needed DC15V voltage A50III needs without getting too hot. We have a Type-C input to upgrade the firmware of the A50 III, and also a switch to select the current input, RCA or TRS.
Subjectively, A50III is quite excellent, very well put together, and the driving power is insanely high, as it has more than enough juice on the tap for HE1000SE, Sendy Audio Peacock, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, or even Audeze LCD-XC. For IEMs, I have paired the A50 III with Campfire Cascara, Campfire Bonneville, Soundz Avant, FIR Audio e12 Electron, and ZiiGaat Cincotres, and I heard no background noise or hissing with either of those. Even more surprising, it does not seem to matter which input I am using, as I get no noise with both the RCA or the TRS inputs, and I got the same result using Topping D50 III as the DAC or using Musician Pegasus 2, which has RCA outputs. Zero noise, zero distractions, but excellent music abounds.
Sound Quality
Overall Signature – Topping went all-in with their D50III and A50III stack, so it is nice to hear a revealing, clean sound with very low distortion, wide soundstage, and a hint of warmth coloring the midrange, quite different from the SMSL approach which usually keeps the midrange soft and linear. Topping designed the A50 III to pair well with most IEMs and Headphones, the treble extension is excellent, up to 18 kHz, and the bass extension also touches 20 Hz with most IEMS and Headphones, thanks to the high headroom, but the bass stays controlled, low-distortion, quick and neutral in quantity relative to the midrange and the treble. The definition characteristics are the clarity, precision, resolution and dynamics of the sound.
Bass – Starting with a fairly neutral bottom-end, topping A50 III has one of the fastest impulse responses I’ve heard in an entry-level headphone amplifier, offering a studio-level of speed and resolution to the bass. This means that textures in bass are always revealed well, but the bass can feel really linear and neutral at times, so not a lot of it, but high quality for it. A50III proves to be really transparent and to not color the sound in any way.
Midrange – The midrange has a hint of warmth, not inherited from the bass, but it simply has, which is a welcome addition, as the midrange is also really fast, revealing and clear, which means you will hear textures and information as if it was placed under a microscope, so the warmth keeps things interesting and out of the clinical / cold territory. All instruments are presented closely to the real thing, transparency is great, and there’s not a lot of coloration, most music sounds as if you were hearing it in a concert hall.
Treble – Brightness is a double edged sword, and A50 III walks a thin line, as the treble is really airy, bright and sparkly, but also has strong extension, so with most headphones you can expect extreme levels of detail and clarity, but this also threads onto the path of potentially sounding too bright and fatiguing at times. Good music and headphones you already like are key elements to enjoying a pure treble that doesn’t roll off nor kills detail.
Volume Control – Volume control is very good, there is no difference in resolution, clarity or dynamics if you’re using low, medium or high gain. Even the volume itself is very consistent, sound is always as detailed, clean and clear, except if you’re trying to drive headphones that are really hard to drive, situation in which control is a bit looser, and THD grows, but except for Audeze LCD-5 and HIFIMAN HE6SE, I can’t say I heard this effect with any other pair of headphones. With IEMs, there is no loss of clarity or increase in background noise even when the impedance is ultra low.
Dynamics / PRaT / Textures – The sound of A50 III is really dynamic, and you always get strong contrast between elements in music, sound is exceptionally engaging and fun. Textures are strong, impulse response is fast and well defined, which creates a lot of detail and perceived resolution, but with poor mastering, the sound can reveal too much and be fatiguing.
Soundstage – A50 III creates a strong instrument separation, and a natural depth + width, which makes all music sound spacey and holographic, without scattering. Basically, A50 III goes for definition and clarity above expanding the soundstage more than it should be based on the recording. Intimate songs, and jazz can sound room-sized, while a large orchestral piece recorded in a huge concert hall will sound large, airy, but well defined. Instrument separation is always stronger than the width of sound.
Gaming Usage
Headphone Amplifiers are often overlooked for gaming, but it can improve the experience for the average gamer a thousand times over. The reason it can help so much is that a good amplifier has control, depth and punch, and can also give better control, lower distortion, and inherently a higher resolution to a headphone, giving you better accuracy in shooters, a more complete listening experience for games with a complex soundtracks like visual novels, or easier to distinguish signals in MMORPGs / Strategy games.
Using a headphone amplifier adds no additional delay, so you will not miss any frames of content, the amplif will just enhance and empower your experience, not hinder it in any way.
Comparisons
Topping A50 III vs SMSL HO100 (199 USD vs 149 USD)
Build – From my understanding, Topping and SMSL are handled by the same OEM factory, and are partner companies, but the quality and theory of the products is very different, as HO100 is made to be a stack with other Topping products, but A50 III has much more driving power, a noticeably lower noise floor, better impact, more treble extension, and a considerably higher resolution. There are only two gain levels on HO100, while A50 III has three gain levels, and it is able to both control and power all types of headphones, basically up to 5000 USD most headphones are covered with a50III.
Sound – Sonically, A50 III is quite transparent, more punchy, deeper and wider and more holographic. HO100 sounds flatter, has the SMSL house sound that is softer, has a forward midrange, and lower perceived detail and a relaxed, smoother presentation. This can mean that A50 III is more aggressive, but the increase in perceived resolution and clarity is quite drastic, it is much easier to recommend the topping stack and Topping A50 III in general as a headphone amplifier.
Topping A50 III vs JDS Labs EL AMP II+ (199 USD vs 249 USD)
Build – The maximum driving power of Topping A50 III is higher, and quite a bit so, with a balanced headphone output in addition to the single ended one, while EL AMP II+ does not have a balanced headphone output, only a single ended one. Right now, getting JDS Labs Element III MK2 Boosted is more recommended than the EL Stack II+, but still, both units are compact, and both are beautiful. Maximum heat generated is higher on the JDS Labs El AMP II+, but both are mostly silent with IEMS, with no hissing or background noise that I can notice.
Sound – Sonically, EL AMP II+ has a similar amount of power and punch compared to A50 III, both have a slight hint of warmth in the midrange, both have a powerful bass, and both have good control. As Topping A50 III has more driving power and more headroom, it reaches the distortion points harder, so it has a lower distortion all across the range, with hard to drive headphones. With headphones that are more standard, you should not notice a difference in distortion. Both amplifiers have a good treble extension, El AMP II+ a bit more, and a bit more sparkle, while the midrange on A50 III emphasizes textures more, sounding better for guitars, EL AMP II+ sounding better for classical and acoustic instruments. You can’t really go wrong with either, but an EL DAC + EL AMP stack costs more, while the Topping stack is more versatile in general, with PRE output at the DAC level, and more driving power at the AMP level.
Topping A50 III vs JDS Labs Atom AMP2 (199 USD vs 129 USD)
Build – The new Atom AMP 2 is made of metal, and sturdy, but A50 III has more inputs, and a smaller case, occupying less space on the desk. Both have zero noise with IEMS, and good driving power, but ultimately you’re likely going to make a stack with either JDS Labs or Topping units, pick the one that looks better, the sound is great on both options.
Sound – Speaking of the sound, Topping A50 III has a beefier sound that emphasizes textures more and paints the soundstage as wider, deeper and more holographic. The maximum driving power is higher on the A50 III, with more headroom for hard to drive headphones, and a slightly lower distortion for all headphones and IEMS. With all this being said, the tuning itself is similar, neutral to slightly warm, both amplifiers are plenty powerful for most entry-level setups, A50 III being more compact if that is your thing.
Value and Conclusion
If you’re looking for a complete stack that is great for any IEM or Headphone, or if you just need a high-end Amplifier to power your headphones, Topping A50III is one of the best you can grab at the 199 USD price point, it has extremely high driving power, lots of punch, a dynamic, detailed and crisp sound, plus no background noise, no self noise, and even with most DACs it will not inherit noise easily.
At the end of the day, Topping created a solid product that you simply cannot miss, especially if you’re in the entry-level range, if you want to get excellent performance all across the range, and if you need a truly amazing headphone amplifier, Topping A50 III is what I consider excellent in the price range.
Product Link
You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/3zVrRfn
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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I own Topping D50 DAC and it is great. I plan to pair it up with A50III. Great review, thanks