Topping LA90 Power Amplifier

By Steven Stone

Cheap and Terrific

Very occasionally, acquiring a component is the hardest part of writing the review. Usually, that is not the case. Most times, one phone call to the right person at a manufacturer or distributor will start a review in motion, with the component arriving at an agreed-upon time. But with Topping things have not been so easy.

Unlike most manufacturers who are based in countries other than the United States, Topping has no U.S. distributor. Instead, all Topping products are shipped directly from China via DHL; the company has no physical presence in the U.S. Instead, it relies on internet retailers such as Amazon and Apos Audio to handle U.S. sales. So, instead of sending out review samples, Topping assigns that task to its retailers. And while my contact at Apos Audio assured me multiple times that I was “on the list” to receive a Topping LA90, after multiple emails back and forth over more than a month, I was still no closer to getting a unit in my hands fo…