Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.

[FeliZ]

Hey ASR Community,

I am the owner of 2 x PA5 (1st Gen).

One is heavily used and the other one was used for a couple of hours.

I measured both with the same speaker and the heavy used one has much Higher K2 and K3 distortion measurements.
(Also audible)

I can attach a picture if you want.

Is the Chip slowly dying and what can i do about it?

 

[FeliZ]

Hey ASR Community,

I am the owner of 2 x PA5 (1st Gen).

One is heavily used and the other one was used for a couple of hours.

I measured both with the same speaker and the heavy used one has much Higher K2 and K3 distortion measurements.
(Also audible)

I can attach a picture if you want.

Is the Chip slowly dying and what can i do about it?

Edit:
Topping will send me an replacement unit. Thank you for the help.
Can´t complain now, hopefully the other one will survive =)

 

[xaxxon]

If I paid $2,000 for the PA5, I'd be pretty annoyed. At around $300,, while I'm not thrilled by the likely possibility of having to replace it so soon, it's totally acceptable to me. I've purchased nearly a dozen products from Gustard, S.M.S.L., Topping, Khadas, and other similar companies since joining ASR. Besides some frustrating (but addressable) firmware problems with a couple of them, I've had no failures or other major issues. Given the low prices, I cheerfully accept the risk vs paying 3x to 10x as much for similar products made in the US or EU.

In this world, you rarely get more than you pay for. The saying goes, "Price, Performance, Reliability. Choose two."

I'm getting SOTA performance for little money. There's got to be a compromise somewhere, and I'm okay with that. Folks who are not should avoid brands like like these.

that's a HUGE assumption that $300 shouldn't buy you a completely usable amplifier. It should. Paying MORE than required shouldn't get you more. Paying less than required is a problem but just because some people want to charge too much doesn't mean less is too little.

 

[ampguy]

My original PA5 is now over 3.5 years old and sounds like new. I’ve never believed all would fail, and I think many simply did not heed Toppings advice to used balanced ins, thus used cheap se or non TRS balanced ins, cranking the volume to where the duty cycle was beyond what Topping designed for, thus the relatively high failures.

 

[xaxxon]

My original PA5 is now over 3.5 years old and sounds like new. I’ve never believed all would fail, and I think many simply did not heed Toppings advice to used balanced ins, thus used cheap se or non TRS balanced ins, cranking the volume to where the duty cycle was beyond what Topping designed for, thus the relatively high failures.

mine died. i used balanced ins. Besides, don't release gear with features that break it if you use it.

 

[Power Pop 23]

My original PA5 is now over 3.5 years old and sounds like new. I’ve never believed all would fail, and I think many simply did not heed Toppings advice to used balanced ins, thus used cheap se or non TRS balanced ins, cranking the volume to where the duty cycle was beyond what Topping designed for, thus the relatively high failures.

I ascribe the relatively high failure rate of the PA5 to an attempt by Topping Audio to obscure the design from the competition rather than select owners using the the SE input jacks instead of the TRS jacks.

Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone

Ive been working on the PA5 for a while now after mine died suddently, like many others https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/poll-for-topping-pa5-owners-only-please.33293/ Most of the PA5 units develop a crackling, hissing or just go a little silent or completely dead on...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Holmz]

I ascribe the relatively high failure rate of the PA5 to an attempt by Topping Audio to obscure the design from the competition rather than select owners using the the SE input jacks instead of the TRS jacks.

Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone

Ive been working on the PA5 for a while now after mine died suddently, like many others https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/poll-for-topping-pa5-owners-only-please.33293/ Most of the PA5 units develop a crackling, hissing or just go a little silent or completely dead on...

www.audiosciencereview.com

They could have really hurt the competition if the competition had similar failure rates.

 

[Laserjock]

I ascribe the relatively high failure rate of the PA5 to an attempt by Topping Audio to obscure the design from the competition rather than select owners using the the SE input jacks instead of the TRS jacks.

Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone

Ive been working on the PA5 for a while now after mine died suddently, like many others https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/poll-for-topping-pa5-owners-only-please.33293/ Most of the PA5 units develop a crackling, hissing or just go a little silent or completely dead on...

www.audiosciencereview.com

The original PA5 is dual input TRS Balanced inputs. SE came in the second generation.

 

[Toku]

I ascribe the relatively high failure rate of the PA5 to an attempt by Topping Audio to obscure the design from the competition rather than select owners using the the SE input jacks instead of the TRS jacks.

Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone

Ive been working on the PA5 for a while now after mine died suddently, like many others https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/poll-for-topping-pa5-owners-only-please.33293/ Most of the PA5 units develop a crackling, hissing or just go a little silent or completely dead on...

www.audiosciencereview.com

The problem with PA5 is that the input op-amp circuit is modularized to prevent copying, which causes malfunction due to heat. Topping seems to have adopted this as the best way to prevent copying, but it seems that they were not mature enough to consider the heat generation issue.

 

[mocenigo]

The problem with PA5 is that the input op-amp circuit is modularized to prevent copying, which causes malfunction due to heat. Topping seems to have adopted this as the best way to prevent copying, but it seems that they were not mature enough to consider the heat generation issue.

This is a type of problem that also FM Acoustics has had.

 

[silicon14]

My original PA5 is now over 3.5 years old and sounds like new. I’ve never believed all would fail, and I think many simply did not heed Toppings advice to used balanced ins, thus used cheap se or non TRS balanced ins, cranking the volume to where the duty cycle was beyond what Topping designed for, thus the relatively high failures.

Knock on wood, mine is still going strong as well. I got it in March, 2022. I used it a lot for the first year or so. Recently it only gets light use, around a couple of hours a week. I have a Topping E50 and iFi Audio Zen Phono Preamp connected to it, both balanced. It's also not in an enclosure and I rarely listen with the volume knob past 12 o'clock so it doesn't even get warm.

 

[smiba]

Mine had started to develop a hissing and popping noise in one of the channels, disappointed.

Device only saw about 10 hours a week of use on average in the last 4 years. Always turned it off when not in use

Will look through this thread and others for fixes, would be sad to let this device go, but I do know I'll probably not buy a topping PA anymore in the future :\

 

[Roland68]

Mine had started to develop a hissing and popping noise in one of the channels, disappointed.

Device only saw about 10 hours a week of use on average in the last 4 years. Always turned it off when not in use

This is about the original PA5, not the PA5 II?

First, I would contact Topping about the defect, as the problem is known with this device. They might exchange it for a PA5 II for a small fee. The power supply is the same, so you keep that.

If that's not possible, you can find the repair option here: Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone.
Either repair the old module or replace it with the replacement module from the thread. The device should then last a very long time.

Will look through this thread and others for fixes, would be sad to let this device go, but I do know I'll probably not buy a topping PA anymore in the future :\

There's really no reason for this. The defect in the PA5 has nothing to do with the component quality, which is quite good in this device, but rather with Topping's idiotic idea of potting the module to hide the circuitry. The other PAx and Mini 300 models don't have this problem.

 

[xaxxon]

My original PA5 is now over 3.5 years old and sounds like new. I’ve never believed all would fail, and I think many simply did not heed Toppings advice to used balanced ins, thus used cheap se or non TRS balanced ins, cranking the volume to where the duty cycle was beyond what Topping designed for, thus the relatively high failures.

Mine died. Only balanced. Also, if it has inputs, they should be usable. Companies don't get a free pass of "well, we told you not to use the stuff we put on there"

 

[xaxxon]

This is about the original PA5, not the PA5 II?

First, I would contact Topping about the defect, as the problem is known with this device. They might exchange it for a PA5 II for a small fee. The power supply is the same, so you keep that.

If that's not possible, you can find the repair option here: Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone.
Either repair the old module or replace it with the replacement module from the thread. The device should then last a very long time.


There's really no reason for this. The defect in the PA5 has nothing to do with the component quality, which is quite good in this device, but rather with Topping's idiotic idea of potting the module to hide the circuitry. The other PAx and Mini 300 models don't have this problem.

The swapped mine for shipping -- which is tacky to make people pay shipping, but it's better than no amp. That said I'd already moved on and it's just in a box.

 

[JeffGB]

My original PA5 is still working, but I don't use it much. I changed to a 32v power supply very early to keep the heat down but I don't know for sure that is why it still works or if it's just that I don't use it that much. A big reason that I don't use it much was the only balanced input. A single ended input lost a lot of performance and the stories of an early death bothered me. It put me off Topping, to be honest, but, seeing the mini 300 I'm considering trying again. It seems they have learned from early designs. It has excellent RCA input as well as balanced, doesn't pot the input chips, superb lack of deviation with frequency and a white case available (I have the amp in front of a 55" LED and the black units are nearly invisible).

 

[Open Mind Audio]

My original PA5 is still working, but I don't use it much. I changed to a 32v power supply very early to keep the heat down but I don't know for sure that is why it still works or if it's just that I don't use it that much. A big reason that I don't use it much was the only balanced input. A single ended input lost a lot of performance and the stories of an early death bothered me. It put me off Topping, to be honest, but, seeing the mini 300 I'm considering trying again. It seems they have learned from early designs. It has excellent RCA input as well as balanced, doesn't pot the input chips, superb lack of deviation with frequency and a white case available (I have the amp in front of a 55" LED and the black units are nearly invisible).

My original is still working great also (knock on wood), going on 3.5 years using it an average of 4-5 days a week at my PC. I use balanced inputs and FWIW, I've made a conscious effort to leave the power dongle plugged in at all times, unplugging only when I have to move it. I recall reading that this could somehow help keep the electrical system intact -- which may be complete BS but I've stuck with it.

 

[smiba]

This is about the original PA5, not the PA5 II?

First, I would contact Topping about the defect, as the problem is known with this device. They might exchange it for a PA5 II for a small fee. The power supply is the same, so you keep that.

If that's not possible, you can find the repair option here: Topping PA5 fix - D01 Module Replacement for everyone.
Either repair the old module or replace it with the replacement module from the thread. The device should then last a very long time.

Original PA5 yeah

I'll contact them about it, but I'm not located in the US or China so I'm not sure if they offer it over here.
Otherwise I'll see if I can make the replacement module, but I'm a little concerned about the component changes and how this affects the audio quality.
(But to be fair, it's always worth a try compared to just having to throw out what otherwise has been a wonderful amp until this issue showed up)

There's really no reason for this. The defect in the PA5 has nothing to do with the component quality, which is quite good in this device, but rather with Topping's idiotic idea of potting the module to hide the circuitry. The other PAx and Mini 300 models don't have this problem.

Which is exactly why I would likely prefer to look for a different manufacturer on my next purchase. Design errors happen, but to have these fail not because of a circuit design error, but because they decided to pot the circuitry (which benefits me, the user, in no way) is a bit of a blow and erodes the trust I have in their products.

I'll see how Topping will respond to my email, I'd be more than happy to pay a small fee, either for a new device or for a pre-assembled module.