Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.

[ampguy]

That's bad if it was supposed to be new, but to be honest, the part that is prone to failure has been replaced so your PA5's life expectancy will be that of a new PA5.

Agree. But still adds some confusion to the whole PA5 story. So a while back John Yang posted that the reliability issue was likely the heat issue and had been resolved in the PA7 series, but didn't go into great detail, as I'm sure he's not a company spokesperson for that kind of stuff. I have had 2 PA5s (from Apos). The first I only bothered to return because they said they now had "fixed or upgraded" versions. I was leery of that as no one mentioned an upgrade here or anywhere else, so thought maybe they just swapped or tested and swapped a working one. Anyways, I'm good and happy, but if there is an official new revised board, part, or anything to do with keeping the thing cooler, that is a) good news for the product that does outstanding when new, b) a little confusing to owners not having a clear communication or the secondary market. Anyways, at the price and specs of the PA5, I'm a fan as long as I get a year warranty on them. I hope Topping keeps selling them, as in many specs they exceed the PA7/PA7Plus. Icing on the cake would be if they can confirm the new PA5s have some new boards or design that don't overheat in the first place.

 

[mrmeng430]

Bought my PA5 in OCT last year. Still going strong. Fingers crossed!

 

[threni]

Nope. Besides how do I tell Apos I opened it up without invalidating the warranty?

Opening a device and invalidating the warranty on a device are two separate activities. Furthermore, the warranty and your statutory consumer protection are also two separate concepts.

 

[kleinjoshuaa]

Any news on the supposed MKII of the PA5? or Is that really just what the PA7 is?

 

[BoredErica]

Any news on the supposed MKII of the PA5? or Is that really just what the PA7 is?

It's in the works with no release date.

===
I emailed Topping for replacement info and they never responded to my email. I'll try another email address.

 

[labdoc]

I am adding a data point to the original survey with this message. My first PA5 failed (hiss in both channels) after about 4 months. I sent it to China and eventually received a new unit. That second PA5 failed after 3 months. Hiss in right channel. I am in Canada and the vendor via Amazon is Aoshida. I have asked for a refund. No reply yet.

 

[terrys999]

I am adding a data point to the original survey with this message. My first PA5 failed (hiss in both channels) after about 4 months. I sent it to China and eventually received a new unit. That second PA5 failed after 3 months. Hiss in right channel. I am in Canada and the vendor via Amazon is Aoshida. I have asked for a refund. No reply yet.

I wouldn’t hold your breath,
I had a few failures , got refunded on one of em,
Bought a working unit from a mate, I drilled a huge hole above a heat sink, black module and I think eight caps.
Fan is blasting cool air, the module stays cold. Been running it non stop for months, still working perfectly.

Ps the alloy top is as tough as Swedish steel. Ha

I will never buy another pa from topping, twice bitten.

 

[labdoc]

Hi every one, in the future, I will provide technical support and after-sales assistance for TOPPING products at ASR.

We are very aware of your anxiety and understand the inconvenience of users who experience product failures. I think we need to make the following clarification: From our statistics and complaints received, the PA5 failure rate is slightly higher than our PA3s, LA90, MX5. But since the failure rate is still within the normal range, and even if the product fails, it won't cause more harm, so we didn't stop selling. But we knew it would affect the user experience, so we took action and researched.

From the analysis of our recurring situation and the faulty products returned by users, the reason is that very few internal components will fail under long-term heating, and the faulty unit can be repaired after replacing the components. Our solution to this is to adjust the manufacturing process of the components for improvement.

Based on the fact that the vast majority of users who experience failures experience problems after a long period of use (1-3 months), we think it will take some time for us to see improvements. At the same time, we have decided to increase the warranty period of the current power amplifier products (including PA3s, PA5, MX5, LA90) to two years. Details are still being discussed and will be announced soon.

As a responsible manufacturer, TOPPING will not sell products to the market knowing that there is a problem with them. TOPPING will also respond to user needs in a timely manner and solve problems for users.

I am reviving this old post because I have a PA5 within the 2-year warranty. I purchased the original unit from Aoshida-Audio Canada via Amazon in February 2022. This failed at 3 months. After I asked for help on audiosciencereview.com, I received a reply from Aoshida-Audio. Thank you @TOPPING-Service. The first PA5 was replaced under warranty after a long, slow boat to China.

Now, the replacement PA5 has failed. It arrived in Feb 2023 and after about 2.5 months, failed with hiss and pops from the R speaker. I sent email to [email protected] but I have not received a reply. I hope that @TOPPING-Service can expedite service once again.

 

[terrys999]

I am reviving this old post because I have a PA5 within the 2-year warranty. I purchased the original unit from Aoshida-Audio Canada via Amazon in February 2022. This failed at 3 months. After I asked for help on audiosciencereview.com, I received a reply from Aoshida-Audio. Thank you @TOPPING-Service. The first PA5 was replaced under warranty after a long, slow boat to China.

Now, the replacement PA5 has failed. It arrived in Feb 2023 and after about 2.5 months, failed with hiss and pops from the R speaker. I sent email to [email protected] but I have not received a reply. I hope that @TOPPING-Service can expedite service once again.

Ask for a refund. They are all doomed to failure, it’s a design fault,

 

[Power Pop 23]

I am reviving this old post because I have a PA5 within the 2-year warranty. I purchased the original unit from Aoshida-Audio Canada via Amazon in February 2022. This failed at 3 months. After I asked for help on audiosciencereview.com, I received a reply from Aoshida-Audio. Thank you @TOPPING-Service. The first PA5 was replaced under warranty after a long, slow boat to China.

Now, the replacement PA5 has failed. It arrived in Feb 2023 and after about 2.5 months, failed with hiss and pops from the R speaker. I sent email to [email protected] but I have not received a reply. I hope that @TOPPING-Service can expedite service once again.

I own a (still working) Topping PA5 from 'Aoshida-USA'. Thanks for sharing your experience. I ordered a 2-channel Hypex NC502MP amplifier from Buckeye Amps last Thursday on the prospect of greater reliability than my PA5 - and if I am wrong on that, the prospect of more satisfactory service after the sale from Buckeye Amps

 

[labdoc]

Ask for a refund. They are all doomed to failure, it’s a design fault,

I am delighted to say that Aoshida-Audio Canada has refunded my full purchase price via Amazon.ca for the failed PA5. As a customer, I am reassured that Topping and Aoshida-Audio are trustworthy suppliers.

Sincere thanks to Amir for creating the audiosciencereview.com online community, where members can find out that they are not alone in product experiences. I am a donor (January 2023), although this does not show under my avatar.

 

[Doodski]

Sincere thanks to Amir for creating the audiosciencereview.com online community, where members can find out that they are not alone in product experiences. I am a donor (January 2023), although this does not show under my avatar.

@amirm I'm sure will fix that missing "Donor" patch.

 

[racingpht]

My PA5 failed after only dozens of hours of use. Bought last Nov. L channel is 6db down(I guess one of the BTL amp failed), strange hiss, and a strong pop(at least 12v DC) on L channel only when turning on.

Very disappointed.

 

[Toku]

My PA5 failed after only dozens of hours of use. Bought last Nov. L channel is 6db down(I guess one of the BTL amp failed), strange hiss, and a strong pop(at least 12v DC) on L channel only when turning on.

Very disappointed.

The symptoms have been reported many times.
The only solution is to return it.

 

[restorer-john]

My PA5 failed after only dozens of hours of use. Bought last Nov. L channel is 6db down(I guess one of the BTL amp failed), strange hiss, and a strong pop(at least 12v DC) on L channel only when turning on.

Very disappointed.

Return it as faulty and obtain a full refund.

 

[Lräk]

The symptoms have been reported many times.
The only solution is to return it.

Or do the fix: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ix-d01-module-replacement-for-everyone.44219/

I got the new module and still working trying to remove the D01 module. I'm not very good at it.

 

[MAB]

My PA5 failed after only dozens of hours of use. Bought last Nov. L channel is 6db down(I guess one of the BTL amp failed), strange hiss, and a strong pop(at least 12v DC) on L channel only when turning on.

Very disappointed.

You have the same fail mode that has plagued this product from the first day it was released.

Make sure they refund you the full price, and agree to pay all shipping and customs costs (they asked me to pay shipping and do some wonky things to avoid duty tax).

They might also ask you to take your time to take videos and other meaningless things, probably to stall you. Just tell them, "no, it's broken and requires a full refund."

Who is the seller? How much did they charge?

This is a systematic issue, happens to a large percentage of these amps, and the sellers know about it but continue to sell this defective product hoping they can make it difficult or impossible to get your money back. You should get a no-questions-asked refund at no cost to you.

 

[racingpht]

You have the same fail mode that has plagued this product from the first day it was released.

Make sure they refund you the full price, and agree to pay all shipping and customs costs (they asked me to pay shipping and do some wonky things to avoid duty tax).

They might also ask you to take your time to take videos and other meaningless things, probably to stall you. Just tell them, "no, it's broken and requires a full refund."

Who is the seller? How much did they charge?

This is a systematic issue, happens to a large percentage of these amps, and the sellers know about it but continue to sell this defective product hoping they can make it difficult or impossible to get your money back. You should get a no-questions-asked refund at no cost to you.

Bought it from shenzhenaudio. Let's see how it works..

 

[MAB]

Bought it from shenzhenaudio. Let's see how it works..

Oh my. Working with Cloris (YangYang Cai)?
She and her predecessor drug my return out over 9 months. It was surreal. Then they lost my amp after I paid $85 to ship it back. Since they demanded I return it marked "earphone, $20 value" it wasn't even insured. They claimed they never received it. After 9 months of nonsense, I yelled at them and got an 80% refund, but I wanted my money back and all of it so I sent this:

Cloris refunded me the remaining 20% after this email I never asked for the $85 shipping fee, I should have. They still owe me a few hundred dollars for the email correspondence IMO. Oddly, after almost a year, I found the amp returned to me, shipped to me from Shenzhen Audio unpackaged in a plastic mailing bag, still with the left-channel defect. So I sent it to gamerpaddy so he could debug and fix the amp's fundamental problem. The fact that they lied to me for so long about not receiving my amp, then for some odd reason returning it to me is beyond my comprehension.

Shenzhen sold you an amp they knew is defective design, this has been clear for over a year now and admitted by Topping and the resellers. They likely feel they can get away with it due to location and double-talk. I would not put up with a single bit of their shenanigans. Also, all sales of this amp should stop, it seems like they are pawning off garbage on unsuspecting customers. This is incredibly irritating, since it continues.

 

[ampguy]

Oh my. Working with Cloris (YangYang Cai)?
She and her predecessor drug my return out over 9 months. It was surreal. Then they lost my amp after I paid $85 to ship it back. Since they demanded I return it marked "earphone, $20 value" it wasn't even insured. They claimed they never received it. After 9 months of nonsense, I yelled at them and got an 80% refund, but I wanted my money back and all of it so I sent this:
View attachment 298627
Cloris refunded me the remaining 20% after this email I never asked for the $85 shipping fee, I should have. They still owe me a few hundred dollars for the email correspondence IMO. Oddly, after almost a year, I found the amp returned to me, shipped to me from Shenzhen Audio unpackaged in a plastic mailing bag, still with the left-channel defect. So I sent it to gamerpaddy so he could debug and fix the amp's fundamental problem. The fact that they lied to me for so long about not receiving my amp, then for some odd reason returning it to me is beyond my comprehension.

Shenzhen sold you an amp they knew is defective design, this has been clear for over a year now and admitted by Topping and the resellers. They likely feel they can get away with it due to location and double-talk. I would not put up with a single bit of their shenanigans. Also, all sales of this amp should stop, it seems like they are pawning off garbage on unsuspecting customers. This is incredibly irritating, since it continues.

My PA5 works and sounds Great! Listened to it for about 10 hours today so far in 77 - 78 deg F. I am sorry you had such a bad customer service experience, but I recommend you consider fixing up your PA5 and giving it another go. There are other great low power Class D amps for sure, but not sure if any meet the specs or sound as great as a working PA5. I do have a Fosi V3 on the way, and a 2nd SMSL A300 for bridgeable mono, but I can only hope these sound nearly as good as the PA5.