Topping PA5 II Stereo Amplifier Review

[UAN]

Now I have Topping E50 and PA3s, they have been working great for two years now. I bought an Ali PA5II on sale a week ago, looking forward to the arrival. I think that the Topping company eliminated the shortcomings of the previous model after a flurry of complaints about its reliability.

 

[restorer-john]

The serial # on the side of the unit started with 2305 if anyone wants to compare

Probably May 2023.

 

[TonyJZX]

Now I have Topping E50 and PA3s, they have been working great for two years now. I bought an Ali PA5II on sale a week ago, looking forward to the arrival. I think that the Topping company eliminated the shortcomings of the previous model after a flurry of complaints about its reliability.

i think if you have only *ONE* report so far I'd let it pass

even with the bestest of intentions you will get some that slip thru

however you would have to compare to peers

we have followed the life of the Fosi V3 and that unit seems to have a pretty flawless record

maybe that one is an anomaly?

 

[UAN]

i think if you have only *ONE* report so far I'd let it pass

even with the bestest of intentions you will get some that slip thru

however you would have to compare to peers

we have followed the life of the Fosi V3 and that unit seems to have a pretty flawless record

maybe that one is an anomaly?

Undoubtedly, Fozie is an excellent amplifier, but for my acoustics with a complex dependence of impedance on frequency, it is not suitable. I had A07 from Ayima, the same as V3. I had to sell.
P.S. I rarely post on the forum, mostly I read.

 

[Sokel]

We have to consider that this things are made up to a price and size (aside the stupid potted modules)
These two factors already limit things.
You can't expect them to have costly over engineered components,mil spec Caddocks (fun fact,Mouser sends them in boxes that look like jewelry ones) ,etc.

I think that's their way of thinking,they expect you to understand the limits.
What you pay is what you get.

 

[TonyJZX]

but are we seeing the same level of 'engineering' and cost cutting from competitors???

 

[antcollinet]

thus foolish users left the volume cranked and wondered why it overheated

That's not how amps work. An amp doesn't use more power just because the volume pot is cranked to 100%.

The volume pot just turns down the level of the input. So a low input voltage (eg unbalanced 2V) with high volume position will be seen exactly the same by the amp as a high input voltage (eg balanced 4V). Same amp power will be dissipated. Amp will get identically hot.

The PA5 had a high failure rate because of a design error causing potted ICs to overheat. We know this because what they have done to solve the problem in this amp is to take those ICs out of the potted module.

Nothing the user did or didn't do was a cause.

 

[antcollinet]

We have to consider that this things are made up to a price and size (aside the stupid potted modules)
These two factors already limit things.
You can't expect them to have costly over engineered components,mil spec Caddocks (fun fact,Mouser sends them in boxes that look like jewelry ones) ,etc.

I think that's their way of thinking,they expect you to understand the limits.
What you pay is what you get.

You generally don't need to pay lots of money to get reliability. You just need to design it right - so that all components are operated within their limits - with some headroom.

And it is never a cost saving to cut corners. The cost of field failures to a business far exceeds the cost of correctly specifying and building in components so they don't fail.

 

[Sokel]

You generally don't need to pay lots of money to get reliability. You just need to design it right - so that all components are operated within their limits - with some headroom.

And it is never a cost saving to cut corners. The cost of field failures to a business far exceeds the cost of correctly specifying and building in components so they don't fail.

You're right,and that also raises the test factor.
Testing stuff under every possible condition must take some time and the new market ethics are not very kind to it.

 

[Talisman]

We have to consider that this things are made up to a price and size (aside the stupid potted modules)
These two factors already limit things.
You can't expect them to have costly over engineered components,mil spec Caddocks (fun fact,Mouser sends them in boxes that look like jewelry ones) ,etc.

I think that's their way of thinking,they expect you to understand the limits.
What you pay is what you get.

The reliability and safety of a product cannot and must not be considered as a premium added value of a higher price. Reliability and safety are standard parameters, any product, of any cost, must be safe and reliable. With the extra money you can buy performance, aesthetics, build quality, sophisticated and innovative solutions etc etc... Even the cheapest electronic product can be expected to last AT LEAST two years under normal conditions of use and be absolutely safe in use.

 

[Sokel]

The reliability and safety of a product cannot and must not be considered as a premium added value of a higher price. Reliability and safety are standard parameters, any product, of any cost, must be safe and reliable. With the extra money you can buy performance, aesthetics, build quality, sophisticated and innovative solutions etc etc... Even the cheapest electronic product can be expected to last AT LEAST two years under normal conditions of use and be absolutely safe in use.

Oh,I'm 100% with you on this.
That is what it should be.

Edit: Even the cheapest device can end up very costly if fails in a way that will destroy speakers for example.

 

[uwotm8]

Do you have data for the failure rate for the NAD D 3020 (v2)?

I have enough experience with their products to count them as highly durable.
I also see how many smsltopping issue reports are being posted on this forum - and that's only a small part of the Internet.

 

[Catsmeow]

I'd like to help Amir here. I think your topping reviews should be amended with: something like this:

Users have reported a disproportionate amount of failures of Topping equipment. While this unit performed well we encourage everyone to make an informed decision when making their purchases. Further information about this issue can be seen here here and here.

 

[Overseas]

Generally, to return a product means it is intact and functioning as new. Checking product integrity is usually a returning criteria. Does Amazon accept broken returns!?

 

[Prince Valiant]

Generally, to return a product means it is intact and functioning as new. Checking product integrity is usually a returning criteria. Does Amazon accept broken returns!?

If the customer doesn't lie about the reason for return and it's accepted I don't see the problem.

 

[Catsmeow]

Generally, to return a product means it is intact and functioning as new. Checking product integrity is usually a returning criteria. Does Amazon accept broken returns!?

If an item breaks within 30 days, yes, Amazon will accept that return. That's a big reason why people choose to buy from them.

 

[daniboun]

If an item breaks within 30 days, yes, Amazon will accept that return. That's a big reason why people choose to buy from them.

This is the main reason why I prefer to add a few euros and have a solid guarantee rather than going through Aliexpress... (Audiophonics / Amazon are safe value)

 

[LDvo]

This is the main reason why I prefer to add a few euros and have a solid guarantee rather than going through Aliexpress... (Audiophonics / Amazon are safe value)

Plus if item delivered to wrong address buy mistake - you will not win with them, with Amazon or their affiliate Woot - different story.

 

[Kevinfc]

Such an incredible value.

 

[Kevinfc]

AP555 - http://www.3e-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DS_EAUMT-0xx0-x-FB_Rev1.1.pdf

$109 Module
$21 Case
PSU $49 - $57
XLR Connectors, Binding posts, hookup wire, power switch ~$Free-15

Total: ~$194-202. No idea where you are getting this $400 number from.

You could add a ~$25 soft start circuit too, and STILL be cheaper than the PA5II. Hell, you could add a wonderful ALPS 4-gang/balanced potentiometer and still come out under.

Now to my point: Now obviously, I understand this is DIY and requires some knowledge and there are sacrifices in aesthetics and customer support, but my point is that I could effortlessly assemble a $200, 220W/4R, 103SINAD, power amplifier in probably ~1.5hrs first go-around, and that's with consumer retail pricing.

There is no excuse for the major companies, that get access to massive bulk/industry discounts, to either not implement PFFB properly (Fosi), or to be releasing lower-spec TPA chips with PFFB that make broadly inadequate power but for (relatively) high prices (Topping).

That $21 case is $98 to ship.