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In Reply to: RE: Atma-Sphere Class D vs NAD M33 ? posted by John Elison on April 28, 2024 at 15:41:28
Having owned the Topping Pre90 and Schiit Kara in my setup.....--> While the Topping Pre90+Ext90 were pretty good on sonics its remote control setup was total crap. Kal Rubinson hinted at this in his S-phile review but being a reviewer I believe he exercised polite restraint and moved on. Me, not so much.
The Topping Pre90 is very quirky about handling remote commands and its not the handheld remote but the electronics within the Pre90 that is at fault. I'm not talking about aiming the remote just so but how the Topping doesn't always respond to remote commands as expected.
And what is this Topping EXT90 thing? Well, you need the outboard EXT90 chassis with an interconnect cable between it and the Pre90 if you want more than one set of preamp inputs. Total it up and you're at $850 for the Topping system.
--> On the other hand, the Schiit Kara is $699 and to my ears it sounds a little more to my liking. By that I mean it's a bit more full-bodied and dynamic. Just a personal preference of mine on sonics.
Topping Pre90 has a better Volume display but frustrating remote. Throw it at the wall frustrating.
Schiit Kara has a remote that works flawlessly but the Volume display is just the position of the volume knob.
Edits: 04/29/24Follow Ups:
> While the Topping Pre90+Ext90 were pretty good on sonicsPretty good on sonics is a significant understatement . In my opinion, the Topping Pre90 is the closest thing to neutrality and transparency that I've ever heard. In fact, according to Kal's Stereoplile review , he bought three of them to use as volume controls in his 5.1 home theater system because they sounded so good.
With regard to the remote control, the only problem I've encountered is that of aiming accuracy from a distance. My Topping Pre90 has no other quirkiness with its remote control besides aiming accuracy. I haven't encountered any problems with commands.
I recommended the Topping Pre90 to a person who said he needed a loner preamp to use while looking for another more expensive preamp. Therefore, I thought the $599 version of the Topping Pre90 would serve that function. On the other hand, if he decided to keep the Topping because of its amazingly transparent and neutral sound quality, then he could invest in the $249 extension to provide additional inputs.
I think you're being over critical of the Topping's remote control and considerably under appreciative of the Pre90's exceptional sound quality.
Happy listening!
Edits: 04/29/24
I know what Kal said in his review. He also said, "The remote control is frustrating." I agree 110%. It not only requires precise aim but doesn't always function correctly even when perfectly aimed. These are both show stoppers for me. The Schiit Kara sounds better and the remote is flawless.
Do you even use your remote? I thought you had a near field setup at arm's length?
I don't find the remote control frustrating. Maybe you just never learned how to aim it. My remote control functions perfectly every time, and I used it exclusively for the first two months I owned the Topping. Now, I no longer have a second input attached, so I don't use the remote as often as I did before.Anyway, I think you're being over critical of a Stereophile Class "A" rated component, especially when you consider its more than reasonable price.
Oh, well. Such is life!
Edits: 04/30/24
"Maybe you just never learned how to aim it."
Maybe you missed it in my post but the remote frustration had little to do with aim.... even though that was critical. It had more to do with the preamp itself not always responding the first time to remote commands - AND that's with the remote aimed precisely.
I am not being over critical. Kal in his review was being over polite as reviewers don't usually slam a product. I will.
I have a First Watt F4 power amp which needs > 7V line source to drive it. When not using my Don Sachs 6SN7 preamp to drive it, I will a preamp with balanced inputs like the Kara or the Pre90 to drive F4 to power the mains in the 3.3 system I'm trying to build. So, I'd be using either the remote from an Okto DAC 8 Pro or Topping DM7 DAC. Presumably, the latter's remote has none of the faults of the one for the Pre90. But one thing to remember from KR's Pre90 review: He actually did a shoot out between that preamp and a $17K Pass Labs XR-2 preamp. That KR found the Pass beating but not really killing the Topping should speak a whole lot for that sub $1K preamp.
But at this point I wish that more than a couple respectable pair of ears would do a true Kara vs. Pre90 shootout, or at least the Topping preamp that replaced the Pre90.
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