aokman

EDIT: Not worth the effort lol...

I have a recently restored SRM-1 mk2 / SRD-7 converted to pro bias / Lundahl LL1630s with many amplifiers including the Topping LA90 that I'm happy to test if wanted but I have never done so as I know there are many forum arguments around how to accurately benchmark OT based setups with a typical STAX load correctly. Like I said, I have a Topping LA90 that serves as my desktop amp for STAX adapter setups, and it's the cleanest and most compact amp in my collection but far from the most powerful... It's the only topping product I have experience with and would endorse but I'm happy to give them the benefit of the doubt on other products until proven otherwise based on the build quality I found in the LA90 teardown...

I didn’t accuse you of anything but I will say most posts I see from you come across as condescending and negative just because…China but whatever, free world lol. What I hope for is more accessibility and affordability in the estat space and an end to the elitist bullshit that keeps this segment so isolated and unapproachable for new customers which will eventually lead to more development as manufacturers enter the segment and gain experience as they go. That always starts with cheap price points as gateway drugs and I think we need to keep these products in context of their price points and remember the shit STAX got away with in the SRDs.

So did anyone end up getting the DCA Corina yet... Keen to hear some listening impressions from a quiet environment...

Size has very little meaning… They can be used to shut down earlier driver stages in the amplifier that are lower current, crowbar the outputs just before the OTs or used to drive large switching transistors that can handle far more current. My point is, without context and knowing the entire amplifier topology, we cannot make claims on this. I agree it is nice to have overload protection right at the output but since the amplifier modules ultimately deliver that power, it can be tackled elsewhere also with active feedback and monitoring. I understand the hate for China products but this seems like to create a very jaded and aggressive attitude towards any product. To be clear I don’t have a horse in this race lol, EHA5 doesn’t interest me, but I prefer to keep an open mind as to why design decisions are made…

I’m confused… there is at least 6 Omron relays in your pictures and probably more protection inside the NCFA modules. Im just pointing out that claiming this unit has no protection seems highly unlikely as many things can be mitigated upstream where voltages are lower and you can implement thermal / current protection. I look forward to hearing one sometime anyway and hear how bad or good it is but there are reviews already out there comparing it to a blue hawaii with the corina that are more favourable so I'm unsure where these stark differences are coming from…

Everyone is a shill for something… Topping does have some good products and the LA90 is highly regarded by most aside from its limited power. I cannot speak for the EHA5 as it seems much cheaper build with sheet metal but still following this. I guess my only criticism is why are you focusing on the output side of the OTs exclusively rather than looking at the topology as a whole and if the unit already has protection on the low voltage side like the LA90 does? You may be trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. I must say it is definitely confusing why they would choose an electrostatic amp at a cheap price point rather than doing it at a price point similar to their higher end gear…

I just copied an existing picture, wasn’t highlighting anything. The new version is a discrete design, the older one used ICs which I have. Dunno but its been heavily tested on ASR and performs very well. The build quality certainly impressed me and was ideal for a desk setup so I don’t need a massive power amp…

Thanks for the teardown as I was going to order one of these just to mess around with but I'm now glad I kept working on building my own Lundahl converter now... The hilarious part about this I power my Lundahl converter with a Topping LA90 which is a stunning desk amplifier and If you open the chassis, you could actually fit 2 Lundahl transformers in there I reckon... This unit seems to use some LA90 parts...