Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.

[MAB]

Are you accusing them with firsthand knowledge?

Yes. I thought you read this thread, multiple people have posted the exact text of the emails from the resellers which have the details.

 

[jevchance]

You are confusing between people reporting simple facts (And would be able to provide proofs if needed), and subjective opinion.

And if you think the value of those gear is closer to $0, you are very, very wrong. There is a reason you should declare the value of a package as close to its actual value as possible. If you don't see that reason, well,

No point arguing if you insist I can only speak out if it happens to me. It is in my rights to speak out in support of fellow members of this forum for customer rights. I made my own judgement for if those claims were bots or not.

I guess one could argue the value of a broken amplifier is about $20. It's only intrinsic value in its current state is the warranty.

 

[MAB]

I am not trying to start an argument.
Just an amplifier that is not working seems like it has no value.

I'm sorry but this argument is irrelevant.
Agreed broken PA5 has no value to us. But it does have a value that must be declared for international customs. $20 is not correct even if it seems to you it has no value.

 

[jevchance]

The proper way to handle returns from USA to China for repair or replacement. A pain in the @ss but there is a procedure.

CBP Customer Service

Thank you for the link.

 

[delta76]

I guess one could argue the value of a broken amplifier is about $20. It's only intrinsic value in its current state is the warranty.

It is the only insurance you have if for any reason your package goes missing or get damaged. And a broken but repairable 350$ amp is worth much more than 20$ if you ask me.

 

[IPunchCholla]

I am not sure I would assign intent to their decision, and the cultural differences are also a factor.

It is may be immoral as opposed to illegal, if we assign morality and if we can prove that they know the units will fail. However that is shaky at best, because they have said that they have no clue why units fail.




I am not sure that I would recommend what Amir should do either.
(Many of his reviews of Topping gear are glowing.)

Maybe it is like Ford with the Model T, later the GT40, but the Pinto in the line up was bursting into flames?

The Pinto issue was hysteria and is now urban legend. Statistically, the Pinto was safer than average for cars in its class.

I kinda wonder if the issues with the PA5 are the same? People not understanding what it is possible to know from TV journalism/a forum poll (hint:it is that there are 55 claims of failure, nothing else, everything extrapolated from that is argument from ignorance). Combined with a corporation doing a terrible job at customer service/public relations, creating a situation where the failure becomes legendary, even though it was “within normal parameters.

I am susceptible to this. I’m not buying another Topping product, even though all 3 I have owned have been flawless.

 

[jevchance]

The Pinto issue was hysteria and is now urban legend. Statistically, the Pinto was safer than average for cars in its class.

I kinda wonder if the issues with the PA5 are the same? People not understanding what it is possible to know from TV journalism/a forum poll (hint:it is that there are 55 claims of failure, nothing else, everything extrapolated from that is argument from ignorance). Combined with a corporation doing a terrible job at customer service/public relations, creating a situation where the failure becomes legendary, even though it was “within normal parameters.

I am susceptible to this. I’m not buying another Topping product, even though all 3 I have owned have been flawless.

Normally I would agree with this, but in my own personal experience, I've never had a replacement for a failed device fail. That's 2 failed units in 3 months. I think that's at least statistically relevant. Additionally, it seems possible all of the failures are from the same lot as it appears the majority (I haven't read the entire thread) have serial numbers starting in 2201. Sharing information with others on the web (in this case, through this thread) can help to pinpoint those kinds of trends.

 

[jevchance]

I voiced my concern about the $20 declared value. I received a response from Aoshida:

Dear XXX,
Please don't worry at all. Our store has been operating for 8 years, and we have not encountered any lost parcels returned to China.
please believe us.
In addition, after we have repaired it, it will be shipped to you by DHL/fedex, and the shipping time only takes about a week, which is very fast.
But returning to China can only be done through USPS because of tariff issues.
We very much hope to have your trust. We are very responsible and want to solve the problem for you.
Waiting for your reply,

Ultimately, I'm going to proceed with shipping the unit back to them. I'm in the camp that the unit really is only worth $20 in its current state so I don't feel like I'm cheating any duties. I do think I will pursue getting a third party insurance policy on it if the pricing is reasonable.

 

[IPunchCholla]

Normally I would agree with this, but in my own personal experience, I've never had a replacement for a failed device fail. That's 2 failed units in 3 months. I think that's at least statistically relevant. Additionally, it seems possible all of the failures are from the same lot as it appears the majority (I haven't read the entire thread) have serial numbers starting in 2201. Sharing information with others on the web (in this case, through this thread) can help to pinpoint those kinds of trends.

I was trying to remember, from back in my archaeology days, the statistical formula we would use to calculate a population from using the number of animals you catch twice, but I kept getting distracted and then realized I would have to go through the poll with a fine tooth comb and gave up.

Anyway, I totally believe there is a problem with Topping’s quality control and their retailer’s customer service. Hence, why I am not buying anymore Topping until I am convinced they have fixed those issues.

 

[BoredErica]

I have 2111 serial and mine went kaput.
Has Topping said they've *fixed* the issue? AFAIK they said they discovered the cause and they're not gonna sell more (even if true, vendors will sell all the units until they run out). First they have to fix the issue, and then they need to make fixed versions of the amp. Where are they in terms of this process?

Listening on 1 channel sucks.

 

[terrys999]

I have 2111 serial and mine went kaput.
Has Topping said they've *fixed* the issue? AFAIK they said they discovered the cause and they're not gonna sell more (even if true, vendors will sell all the units until they run out). First they have to fix the issue, and then they need to make fixed versions of the amp. Where are they in terms of this process?

Listening on 1 channel sucks.

How long did it last?

 

[BoredErica]

How long did it last?

3 months

 

[Doodski]

3 months

I read a Topping comment that stated 3 months is a long time.

 

[raest]

Normally I would agree with this, but in my own personal experience, I've never had a replacement for a failed device fail. That's 2 failed units in 3 months. I think that's at least statistically relevant. Additionally, it seems possible all of the failures are from the same lot as it appears the majority (I haven't read the entire thread) have serial numbers starting in 2201. Sharing information with others on the web (in this case, through this thread) can help to pinpoint those kinds of trends.

same here. having two of the same device fail within 2 months (and the 2nd wasn't even used for a whole week total!!!), and seeing multiple reports from people who've had the same experience... yeah, this definitely isn't "within normal parameters"

 

[Holmz]

I have 2111 serial and mine went kaput.
Has Topping said they've *fixed* the issue? AFAIK they said they discovered the cause and they're not gonna sell more (even if true, vendors will sell all the units until they run out). First they have to fix the issue, and then they need to make fixed versions of the amp. Where are they in terms of this process?

Listening on 1 channel sucks.

This is why Toole says to test for good speaker performance in mono.

 

[BoredErica]

This is why Toole says to test for good speaker performance in mono.

A klippel did the listening for me. Now I'd like my left ear to join in on the fun.

 

[Holmz]

A klippel did the listening for me. Now I'd like my left ear to join in on the fun.

In the Cross Talk monthly, they quoted Stereophile chapter 3 verse 6 as saying, “Do not left the left ear know what the right ear is doing.”

 

[vkvedam]

@JohnYang1997 why is it being sold without a fix in place? Not sure if the brand new replacement unit I am being sent is bug free :-( @SHENZHENAUDIO (Cloris).

 

[BoredErica]

@JohnYang1997 why is it being sold without a fix in place? Not sure if the brand new replacement unit I am being sent is bug free :-( @SHENZHENAUDIO (Cloris).

If Topping was telling the truth, it's possible they stopped shipping new units out but retailers insist on selling inventories they have, and Topping doesn't want to take it back. If that's true I'd assume the stock will dwindle until Topping fixes the issue and pushes out fixed units.

A rough timeline on how long this will take would be nice. @TOPPING-Service . For example, roughly how many months would it take for fixed units to start production, and then be ready to ship, and then show up to retailers? Will there be a push to differentiate old stock from new stock? EG: Topping PA5 v2 or v1.1 or something.

 

[jevchance]

If Topping was telling the truth, it's possible they stopped shipping new units out but retailers insist on selling inventories they have, and Topping doesn't want to take it back. If that's true I'd assume the stock will dwindle until Topping fixes the issue and pushes out fixed units.

A rough timeline on how long this will take would be nice. @TOPPING-Service . For example, roughly how many months would it take for fixed units to start production, and then be ready to ship, and then show up to retailers? Will there be a push to differentiate old stock from new stock? EG: Topping PA5 v2 or v1.1 or something.

It would also be nice to know, since Aoshida has made plain my unit will be repaired and not replaced, if the repair will address the known issue instead of just bandaging the flaw for another 3 months.