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New Fosi Audio V3 Mono vs Topping PA5 II vs Topping PA7 (inc. 'Plus' versions)...and Aiyima A70

TikBLang said:
I'm back, and contemplating on considering the v3 mono. this amp would have been my choice if they put two in a 9-inch wide desktop format (half of the 19" inch rack) with an option to order either a balance or RCA input. No 'pots' to save cost and an option to order the high quality 48V/10A brick.
Click to expand...

WRT to the power supply issue, if I were running those, I personally would get two of the 48v 5a supplies. I mean, half the point of doing mono is the flexibility of having the capability to locate the amp near the speaker. Or the benefits of having independent components.

In terms of the 10A being useful, Williston Audio Labs did a comparison of supply on resistive loads. And Erin did some of this stuff as well on Erins Audio Corner but on the Za3 in that case. So it does seem like the 48v 5a per-box is fairly optimal.

Reminder on the Pa7 Plus, is the 52v 6.5a. A different beast, but it does have some of the features you are asking for. Not sure how good the Aiyima A70 will be when it drops, but that's the other form factor that looks pretty interesting. Availability, form factor, features are all things I look at.
 
ScofieldKid said:
WRT to the power supply issue, if I were running those, I personally would get two of the 48v 5a supplies. I mean, half the point of doing mono is the flexibility of having the capability to locate the amp near the speaker. Or the benefits of having independent components.

In terms of the 10A being useful, Williston Audio Labs did a comparison of supply on resistive loads. And Erin did some of this stuff as well on Erins Audio Corner but on the Za3 in that case. So it does seem like the 48v 5a per-box is fairly optimal.

Reminder on the Pa7 Plus, is the 52v 6.5a. A different beast, but it does have some of the features you are asking for. Not sure how good the Aiyima A70 will be when it drops, but that's the other form factor that looks pretty interesting. Availability, form factor, features are all things I look at.
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"I personally would get two of the 48v 5a supplies"
This makes sense. if one goes bad, at least you can listen to one channel audio. When will this be available for purchase?
 
TikBLang said:
"I personally would get two of the 48v 5a supplies"
This makes sense. if one goes bad, at least you can listen to one channel audio. When will this be available for purchase?
Click to expand...
For the Fosi V3 Mono, I think you have to go through the Kickstarter page. Looks like it is open for 3 more weeks.
For the Topping you can get the PA7 or PA7 Plus from various places now.
For the Aiyima A70, they are just finishing up production. So we're waiting for that one.

Only thing to add, you could go super max, and run two of the 48v 10a(max). But I personally wouldn't do that, as I think these boxes are already running near the limits. It is something some folks may try though.
 
For me...

Fosi - no gain control is a drawback when gain staging. Having two powersupplies is more messy. No local dealer/warranty.
Aiyima - also no local dealer and no local warranty. Not the best performer, on paper (but probably good enough).
Topping has gain control and a friendly local dealer, which means I get 5 years warranty by law :). $300/700 for SOTA performance...
I own 2x PA5II and one PA7 Plus, all running as part of a 4-way active system. Very happy about them :).
 
Yorkshire Mouth said:
Anyone else asks for another amp they can do it themselves. :rolleyes:;)
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I know you're not going to like this, but... ;)

When looking at the class of amps mentioned here, while power/noise/load dependency seem similar I prefer the look of distortion measurements from MPA-S250NC. Eg:

www.audiosciencereview.com

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-S250NC Amp Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AUDIOPHONICS MPA-S250NC stereo Ncore class D amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member and costs 415,83 € tax excl. (US $444). The enclosure is absolutely adorable! While it is fair bit deep, the other two dimensions are quite small...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

... or if I've read this wrong, someone gonna tell me the differences will be inaudible or one of the others is actually better for some reason?
 
MaxwellsEq said:
That will depend on the tolerance and heat extraction of those parts of the design which are under strain when heavily loaded. This usually includes PSU components and output devices. If the manufacturer significantly over-specs the components such that they are not driven beyond their tolerance and are not overheated, then heavy use should be not have a significant impact on longevity.

In practice, picking component tolerance is a cost/benefit task and so heavy loading may reduce lifetime. Meanwhile, poor heat extraction will definitely have a longevity consequence.
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I'm very concerned that the heat that the A70 is throwing off is going to fry everything and shorten its life span considerably. It's interesting to see the good reviews on some of the FOSI products because I hated the one I bought, the DA2120C.
 
Ace123 said:
I'm very concerned that the heat that the A70 is throwing off is going to fry everything and shorten its life span considerably. It's interesting to see the good reviews on some of the FOSI products because I hated the one I bought, the DA2120C.
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Is it really that concerning?
What’s the case temp on normal use? Is it possible for you to check with infrared thermometer?
 
I think the crosstalk measurement and the pattern of Multitone is much more important than SINAD. In terms of PFFB implement, Topping is doing 19dB feedback there which is second to nobody as far as I know.
 
Guddu said:
Is it really that concerning?
What’s the case temp on normal use? Is it possible for you to check with infrared thermometer?
Click to expand...
105 degrees fahrenheit on the the top, 110 degrees on the sides and bottom. I've put it up on blocks now.
 
Talisman said:
I will not buy a a Topping amp whatever measurement they have. The company showed behavior that was unacceptable to me considering that they acknowledged they had made a mistake.
In terms of sympathy, I prefer Fosi to Aiyima, it seemed to me that Aiyima followed the path taken by Fosi when he noticed the success of the V3. If this wasn't enough I find the design of the Aiyima to be horrendous to say the least, while the Fosi one is much more elegant and refined, with a certain stylistic imprint of that orange on the knobs.
Now among these four contenders I would simply only buy the Fosi (and I will)
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I received a replacement for my OG PA5 that started having issues. But I understand.
 
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mike70 said:
reliability? ... i haven't heard much about fossi and aiyima ... but i do hear many complains about topping.

and this aspect is VERY important for me.
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topping 2 fixed the design of the preamp buffer. This allows you to hope that the problems are in the past
 
Guddu said:
I am not defending Topping here but we can't escape from responsibility as a buyer as well, can we?
I personally feel that many are buying a product after seeing good measurements and reviews, however stability or durability of the product is ways a question for pretty much every new products.
While choosing a brand like Topping (and others) which doesn't have local servicing available everywhere, we (kind of) accept the fact that there may be issues in getting RMA or a repair. Major reason is price because we generally seem to get better price vs performance value (at least in terms of measurements), and somewhere we know that we aren't paying huge amount for after sales services.
Topping, in their local manufacturing and primary market location at least, are providing decent after sales support. Their RMA policies for outside locations (like US) are clear as well.
Having said all that, I am a Topping user and I also share the pain when something breaks and services aren't available the way it should be. However I know what I am getting into when I buy their product now.



Because they haven't burned by them for a product which has failed yet and could not get timely response with enough attention to support.
Also think of the customer's expectations from Topping when they see a very well measured product on much lower money than others, and what happens when that breaks.
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if I have a broken tapping 2 now, I will choose it again without hesitation, I declare this as a person who has experience in assembling and measuring parameters, some amplifiers, including beta22, which is quite difficult to set up. Topping 2 is an amazing amplifier in terms of price and sound parameters!
 
Maxon said:
if I have a broken tapping 2 now, I will choose it again without hesitation, I declare this as a person who has experience in assembling and measuring parameters, some amplifiers, including beta22, which is quite difficult to set up. Topping 2 is an amazing amplifier in terms of price and sound parameters!
Click to expand...

Which equipment are you referring as "Topping 2" - Topping PA5 II?
 
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