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Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.
- Thread starter Eggs Ackley
- Start date
MAB
Major Contributor
Totally agreed.
To add, would be nice to see the resellers recognize customers were sold defective gear. From recent posts, the same sellers are still heel-dragging (not replying until warranty expires), tax-dodging (“plz claim your return as a $30 item”), and just plain rippin’ off the customer (paraphrasing: “send the totally broken thing we sold you back to us at your own expense, eventually you will receive some sort of customer service.”).
Note to businesses: when you sell broken things to people, you don’t get to keep your margin whole, unless you don’t mind damaging your reputation. Consider the damage done.
I had hoped Topping and the resellers would recover and start running a business with at least some customer focus. But I really haven’t seen any change in behavior.
MAB
Major Contributor
Outrageous. Especially since when they decide it is advantageous to respond to your emails, it is a withering deluge of nonsense (asking for you to take videos of your malfunctioning amp, etc...) What in the name of reason does an iPhone video of a broken amp add??? So it’s not like they can’t respond, they do, but only after they got you at a disadvantage by running out the clock on you.
There is a reason and a specific term for this; tax-dodging. The don’t want to pay duties on the turnaround to and from China. Crooked. So it all ends up on you.
Yeah, that is Shenzhenaudio’s address. They lost mine, or whatever. Told me lots of packages getting lost these days.
I never saw it again, which is actually a good thing.Same person I dealt with. I wanted to believe intentions were good, but the stench of scam was too strong. After 5 months, I just opened up on her and started screaming over email. She first refunded me 80% of the price, I accepted. I then sent a few more emails from the bowels of hell, and she refunded me the remaining 20%. So I got even I guess...
I recommend absolutely refusing to play this bullshit game. You deserve either a pre-paid return label for service or replacement, or a full no-questions-asked refund with no return required. Quite frankly, the resellers don’t realize these broken little things are not worth the return postage. Better ways to burn jet fuel and time, better to send them into the recycling bin.
I had an A30 Pro that I bought from another reseller that had an intermittent channel. They tried to play the same game, but I was tired of it and went hard-assed on them from the get-go. They refunded my entire price. The broken A30 is sitting on my workbench, not sure if I have the patience or curiosity to look into it.
Get your money back or have them pay to fix it! Be firm. Tell them MAB from ASR said so if you think it will help! (They do appear to monitor this thread, and know that I am a jerk when I get ripped off!!!)
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
Disgusting terms of sale that they devised for supporting Topping product. I was a staunch Topping supporter but as I mentioned some weeks ago that all changed and I don't recommend it now.
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MAB
Major Contributor
Dude, I wanted to like their kit so badly but I ended up with the same conclusion as you.
MAB
Major Contributor
Best advice yet, perhaps some alcohol involved!
This was possibly the first post you made to me on ASR... Still true. I hate it when you‘re right!!!
BoredErica
Addicted to Fun and Learning
So for few weeks now left channel have been unusable due to causing speaker cone to move a ton. Getting some signal that's bad. Now left channel is totally dead now.
Anyone tried getting refund from hifigo btw?
Anyone tried getting refund from hifigo btw?
@TOPPING-Service @JohnYang1997
The left channel has now completely stopped working. The left channel subwoofer only briefly comes on when the PA5 is turned on to make loud a popping sound that shakes the sub. Can someone from Topping confirm that the problem has been fixed and won't happen again? I haven't seen anything indicating this from Topping. Anyway, after this, I'm done with Topping and won't be purchasing any more of their devices. Good measurements are not worth the hassle.
Every Topping item I've ever owned seems to have had a flaw of some kind.
The L30 died and took headphones with it, the E30 reversed polarity, and now the PA5 left channel is dying. I wonder if there is a problem with my E50 as well.
Making audio equipment, Topping seems to be repeatedly demonstrating their incompetence.
The left channel has now completely stopped working. The left channel subwoofer only briefly comes on when the PA5 is turned on to make loud a popping sound that shakes the sub. Can someone from Topping confirm that the problem has been fixed and won't happen again? I haven't seen anything indicating this from Topping. Anyway, after this, I'm done with Topping and won't be purchasing any more of their devices. Good measurements are not worth the hassle.
Every Topping item I've ever owned seems to have had a flaw of some kind.
The L30 died and took headphones with it, the E30 reversed polarity, and now the PA5 left channel is dying. I wonder if there is a problem with my E50 as well.
Making audio equipment, Topping seems to be repeatedly demonstrating their incompetence.
I'm going to go out on a limb and take a guess that the engineering of the devices is on the edge of performance and that means more heat, more stress and strain and more failures. Maybe it's time to back off the performance numbers a tad and add some features.
DanielT
Major Contributor
.."add some features"...like reliability and durability if it can now be considered as features.
And/or If it is possible to compromise on SINAD, for example. In fact, for my part I guess 0.1% amp distortion is enough, maybe 0.05% but probably 0.1% will do just fine. And inaudible noise with decent amp power then I'm satisfied.
Heck my low powered vintage HK330C bedroom receiver probably has more (it has) than 0.1% distortion, but thats nothing I hear, I think. I don't know because the speakers are of course, as usual, much worse. With the above said, of course under the condition that the stuff lasts.Tip and it doesn't just only apply to Topping: Buy locally. Maybe a little more expensive but it easily outweighs the hassle considering what is said in this thread and the problems with shipping back and forth to China. When the guarantee is to be used, that is.
Edit:
But okay with that said. It can be fun to have a sports car with which you barely use its power and performance. One that is so cranked up, extremely high turbo pressure and so on so it's on the verge of collapsing because of it. Runs like a scalded rat but can break down at any time.Or you have a perfectly ok, does its job well dreary bog standard Volvo instead.
The analogy is a bit lame because the sports car has a lot of power, the PA5 doesn't.
By the way, regarding how distortion is added in the audio chain. Nothing can be "conjured" away, everything remains and is added like this:
How do you sum up distortion in the sound chain?
That's the question. Anyone have the answer? It's not as simple as just a plus, is it? For example 0,03% + 0,3% = 0,33%? Edit: After a bit of googling that it seems to be about some kind of Root Mean Square calculation ..Or...
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I don't want to defend Topping, especially not, but in general the after-sales service has deteriorated, including with the big brands that have technical stations in the countries where they sell.Over a bunch of years I estimate that I've serviced about 55K units of electronic repair and many many of those where due to heat. Near everything I've seen was broken in that aspect. So I'm on board with that. It's not malice. It's just design or lack of qualifying the design and components.
The problems encountered by this PA5 are obviously real and Topping's position on ASR correct in terms but less in real lige.
What about Denon, who for months refused the evidence about the bugs of the 700H series HDMI card before proposing a hardware patch that was not so easy to obtain... Not to mention the tons of bugs in the home integrated cinema, some of which only appear in special cases and which the manufacturers do not want to recognize... despite the large quantities of devices sold... I say Denon, but it's the same with Marantz obviously, with NAD, Cambridge Audio, and even Yamaha an Onkyo with HDMI, and Emotiva, Anthem... And customers support : hum... And also Yamaha with Qobuz on Musicast...
In France, there were major problems with Samsung, which did everything it could not to take out the guarantee for the problems of dead pixels or display faults, going so far as to accuse customers of having dropped the television. And I'm not talking about the brand's switching power supply cards which burned one after the other: very often not covered under warranty on the pretext of poor condition of use... and often the store of purchase which declared the television set dead afterwards the end of the guarantee... I repaired some for a few euros, postage included small capacitors...
Sony television which slams after 2 and a half years of moderate use... After-sales service: change of the motherboard... as the law requires in France the changed part must be returned... curious: the cooling radiator of the New motherboard processor is much larger than the old one and was installed after the board was made... Another thing, the TV update was disabled... Cost : 600 euros per one approved Sony station... which is obviously scandalous...
Repairing a hifi device has become impossible: the parts are not available and the cost of the intervention is colossal... Also some repairs to do yourself remotely can be admissible... A manufacturer of subwoofer thus proposed to a customer to dismantle the electronic board of the box to check if the wifi antenna was not disconnected: Bingo, she was... The same asks the customer to disassemble this plate to only send it by post for repair when it is really broken... And the manufacturer gives the precise instructions for disassembly...
Open Mind Audio
Active Member
Could you explain this more. It’s sounds relevant to my own situation and a question I’ve been trying to understand. I connect an SMSL Do100 DAC to my PA5 via XLRs for streaming from my PC in my home office. The PA5 runs warm even when there’s no music playing, unless I put it in standby. Neither of my two previous desktop amps (a Topping from 2016 and 20 watt Lepai class T) got warm like this when left on without music playing. It seems like a Design 101 flaw by Topping. With all the heat and electricity problems others have described with his amp, I want to do what I can to extend its life.
The question — if I cut the volume out of the SMSL DAC, will that reduce the voltage into the PA5? And might that help? (I’ve been running it like this the past few days. It still gets warm but I have no idea if it’s less warm.) I’ve read here in the forums that the issues seems to be associated with 4v output from a DAC. Quite a design flaw given the PA5 only excepts XLR cables typically bringing higher voltage.
Appreciate any advice or tips for living with this thing now that I own it.
I will say that other than my anxiety over the warmth, and the possibility of fire, I like the performance. Sure is a pain though to always have to be worried about turning it off. That’s not something I have had to worry about with my other amps — class A, A/B, D or T — which either run cool at idle or have internal power off functions when there is no signal.
The volume setting of the SMSL do100 will make no difference to heat dissipation of the PA5. I have the same DAC and Amplifier. The PA5 has a volume control which essentially attenuates the signal from the SMSL so that the result is exactly the same for the PA5. The only thing you will achieve by turning down the SMSL is a lower signal to noise ratio due to the digital volume control.
I have the same misgivings about the expected life of the PA5. Mine is fine, running on a lower voltage, but it sounds like the problem is in the sealed "control module". If that is the case my lower voltage power supply may not help because the module likely has additional voltage regulators that set the control module's voltage to a lower voltage anyway. As I understand it, those components in the sealed control module are running too hot and failing. I hope Topping resolves this before the little voices in my head tell me to use a dremel tool to cut the module open so I can cool it...
An update on my situation: my amplifier is still in transit back to me. AOSHIDA told me they would send it FedEx, then sent it via postal mail. Here was their reasoning:
Sounds like a lame excuse, but I have no reason to doubt it. The end product is a longer wait. My satisfaction continues to decrease.
Sounds like a lame excuse, but I have no reason to doubt it. The end product is a longer wait. My satisfaction continues to decrease.
It's a great progress just to receive such an email from the shop.
Now, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, flights are considerably restricted and we are forced to make a big detour.
The other day, I returned the item from Japan to China by Japan-Post, but I was told in advance that there would be a delay due to flight restrictions. It actually took 1.5 times longer than usual.
The amazon seller (not topping) of mine wants me to lie about the value of the item when I ship it back to china:
2. The declared value of the package must be declared US$20.
3. If the declaration is not strictly in accordance with 20 US dollars, the package may incur customs duties, which should be borne by the customer.
I'm currently discussing with topping directly (who said they'd reimburse me for shipping to china) if they will also reimburse me for "customs duties"
Will update with what I hear back.
2. The declared value of the package must be declared US$20.
3. If the declaration is not strictly in accordance with 20 US dollars, the package may incur customs duties, which should be borne by the customer.
I'm currently discussing with topping directly (who said they'd reimburse me for shipping to china) if they will also reimburse me for "customs duties"
Will update with what I hear back.
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Just spoke with amazon. They offered a return with a restocking fee. I declined. I got "escalated" to someone who told me that I should follow the instructions given by the seller (which included committing perjury). They didn't give a shit that the warranty promised on their website by a seller was fraudulent.
Not surprised by this, but figured it was worth trying for completeness.
Not surprised by this, but figured it was worth trying for completeness.
Sounds like you're dealing with Aoshida? Sounds exactly like the same process I have been going through. My unit is en route back to me, will let you know the outcome.
As of today it has been 6 weeks since I sent my unit out for repair.
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MacCali
Major Contributor
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I think certain items go by quality and price or associated group. I got a d70s and pre90 and have had no issues.
I got the d30 pro and it had an issue. I purchased with Apos and they were super on top of it.
Also I can say possibly an issue with the pre90 is the remote doesn’t work well when pointed directly at the unit. I have to actually raise the remote in the air as if I’m raising my hand to ask a question to adjust the volume. I bought that from apos too and they were ready to send me another unit on receiving the defective one, just didn’t bother with that.
But this is why I said I think the products over 500 are given extra attention to detail.
@Doodski i think that may be a factor, but probably more on the mass scale production China is known for being culprit. I mean just look how many topping products exist and clearly we[ASR] push the sale. Even many reviewers are just like I’m done reviewing these dacs lolll
My units do actually get fairly hot, I’ve attached a “pure” copper heat sink on top of my units to help dissipate the heat. Not glued on or anything just right on top. But it too definitely gets warm
I got the d30 pro and it had an issue. I purchased with Apos and they were super on top of it.
Also I can say possibly an issue with the pre90 is the remote doesn’t work well when pointed directly at the unit. I have to actually raise the remote in the air as if I’m raising my hand to ask a question to adjust the volume. I bought that from apos too and they were ready to send me another unit on receiving the defective one, just didn’t bother with that.
But this is why I said I think the products over 500 are given extra attention to detail.
@Doodski i think that may be a factor, but probably more on the mass scale production China is known for being culprit. I mean just look how many topping products exist and clearly we[ASR] push the sale. Even many reviewers are just like I’m done reviewing these dacs lolll
My units do actually get fairly hot, I’ve attached a “pure” copper heat sink on top of my units to help dissipate the heat. Not glued on or anything just right on top. But it too definitely gets warm
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