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First listening impression of Topping pa5.

mocenigo

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I am " Mantra Sound". It is sad we closed but a lot of amusement at the time. And loudspeakers still work. And music works...

Well let me say this: I am sincerely honoured to make your (virtual) acquaintance!
 

dkinric

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I currently have the Topping Pre90 and D90 which I'm incredibly happy with.

Would this be a suitable upgrade on my current amp? A Musical Fidelity M2Si driving MA Silver 200s.
Amir tested one. Amp was nothing special.
 

mocenigo

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Amir tested one. Amp was nothing special.

“Nothing special” is a bit of an understatement. 100 SINAD which is mostly noise. It is a very good amplifier, actually, according to the ASR metrics.
 

dkinric

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“Nothing special” is a bit of an understatement. 100 SINAD which is mostly noise. It is a very good amplifier, actually, according to the ASR metrics.
If you read down a bit, the high 90s SINAD is for the pre-amp measurements only. The amplifier modules were in the low 80s. I had purchased this unit and had it drop shipped direct to Amir to measure. The measurements as a whole were not terrible, but nothing special either. Based on his findings, I had him return it to the company.

I was originally drawn to the brand and thought it was a bargain based on MSRP of $1000, dropped to $600 and I liked the looks of it. But alas, when the curtain is drawn back, here is another example of middling performance hiding behind a supposedly "high end" (mid-fi at least) brand name.
 
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mocenigo

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If you read down a bit, the high 90s SINAD is for the pre-amp measurements only. The amplifier modules were in the low 80s. I had purchased this unit and had it drop shipped direct to Amir to measure. The measurements as a whole were not terrible, but not that great either. Based on his findings, I had him return it to the company.

I was originally drawn to the brand and thought it was a bargain based on MSRP of $1000, dropped to $600 and I liked the looks of it. But alas, when the curtain is drawn back, here is another example of middling performance hiding behind a supposedly "high end" (mid-fi at least) brand name.
Ok I stand corrected.
 

tvrgeek

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"As for sound, it doesn't" Well, for many of us, that is the goal. It seems to be rare, but getting more common. I don't need one. Overkill for my desk, maybe a little small for my living room even if I cross LR4 @ 70. I might have to try anyway. I run a 60W ( 100 clipping) MOSFET now and while repairing it ran a 40W Creek. But for only the most serious Orchestra pieces, the Creek did just fine. I still want a Benchmark, but am to cheap to buy one.

Kleinhorn owners take note. :)
 

Moosi

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PA5 standby: 0W / 3VA
PA5 on / no signal: 6W / 15VA
Thank you. I am confident from the wattage that this is a "no burstmode" switching PSU. Further reassuring me that I made the right choice with the SabajA20a and the Meanwell RPS-400-24 PSU also running at around 6-7W total.
 
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TheWalkman

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Did anyone measure how much watts the PA5+PSU draw from the wall plug in on/standby?
I’ve had my PA5 attached to my power monitor for 22 days. Here are the numbers:

Average standby draw fluctuates between .02 - .04 amps (1-2 Watts.)

KWH used so far: 3.487

max wattage: 45.5 (and that’s with the volume cranked!)

Total electric cost for me: about a dime a week. ($.38 in 22 days according to the meter.)

Overall, this seems to be green little amp IMHO. It sounds great. No complaints here.
 
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jokan

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It's starting again.
Arguments that have nothing to do with the PA5. Comparing apples to oranges is not scientific not is it productive.

Meanwhile, OP I hope you like the your amp!
 

Eggs Ackley

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I've had mine for a few weeks now. I am very satisfied with it. I'm using it with very efficient speakers so power is of little concern to me. How does it sound? It sounds just as you would expect an amp that measures this well to sound, noise free and clean, revealing the source with no coloration. It really has no sound signature of it's own which is exactly what I wanted and was expecting. Expectations met. Oh, and I really like the small form factor. Highly recommended.
 

DWPress

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I'm using the PA-5 for my tweeters, quite nice.
 

enioentity

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Can it sufficiently power 86db speakers or something like hypex ncore 250 would be a better match?(for example polk r200, elac dbr62)
 
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