I have 2 a07's one has been on since I bought it, maybe 2 straight years. I love those little amps. My replacement PA5 is also going strong and has been on 24-7 since I received it, its getting far more use than the original PA5 I had. PA5 sounds better than the a07 to me but its not that big of a deal. I wouldn't buy the PA5 again but I may buy the LA90 if this replacement dies. I would buy the a07 in an instant if I needed another one. I have zero concerns about Topping QC, they are bringing me state of the art performance for relatively little money. I'm willing to gamble. I understand 'little money' means something different to everyone. I guess people with my mindset are their target customers.
-
WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.
- Thread starter Eggs Ackley
- Start date
But leaving out the concept of "risk".
Are you willing to still give money to a company that supplied you with a disposable product without taking responsibility for it?
For me it's just a matter of respect.
D
Deleted member 48726
Guest
At the same time that I think you are right in your point, I also think that this consumerism is bad in the long run. My opinion is that a company such as this one should not be supported. -Vote with your wallet and hope for the tide to turn.It's reviewed here, measures well. Leave it alone: listen to music and save up for a replacement. If it doesn't fail then you'll have savings for something else.
Seriously, just enjoy the music and don't overthink it. It's GBP £90 on Amazon now - if it lasts for 6 months that's £15 per month and after that the cost of ownership just keeps going down! Plenty of people here have these and seem satisfied.
DanielT
Major Contributor
If it is true that they only have one PA5 left to sell, I think it is extremely stupid of them to try to sell it to get some money in. That considering that they still sell so much other HiFi-stuff to those who, for example, are active on ASR. Why risk the good reputation? Incomprehensible.
Attachments
I'm going to keep giving Topping money because of the reward. Topping and the other manufacturers you find on Apos, Aoshida and Shenzen Audio Mart anticipate what we want and get it out as fast as they can. Most are big hits for me. Topping EX5, D90, Pre90. The PA5, while it did die once, was replaced for the cost of shipping so I'm still going to call it a big hit.
Yes, I have 2 pieces connected as biamping. And it plays great. Preamplifier ADI-2 DAC FS.
I bought via audiophonics and they gave me a full refund for the defect PA5. So no big loss for me. Still I think there should have been some communication from Topping. If they would sell cars - or even cupboards - there would have been a huge recall action.
Amps tend not to spread the owners accross a road like strawberry jam - as faulty cars are wont to do.
. Recalls tend only to be for safety issues.I've never heard of a cupboard recall.
DanielT
Major Contributor
Recalling products that are found to pose an obvious danger is perfectly reasonable. We read about that on a daily basis, for example faults in the steering/brake system of new car models, some substances in food products that are not declared (which can cause allergies) and so on.
But what damage can a broken amplifier do? No music at home, which is sad, a bit of fiddling with warranties and returning product for replacement or repair. Other than that no serious damage, but of course very annoying.
Having said that, Topping should have withdrawn the PA5 from the market. They are just shooting themselves in the foot with this greed to make some money on a faulty product. The damage to the brand it does is worse than the little money they get from selling the PA5 now.
But what damage can a broken amplifier do? No music at home, which is sad, a bit of fiddling with warranties and returning product for replacement or repair. Other than that no serious damage, but of course very annoying.
Having said that, Topping should have withdrawn the PA5 from the market. They are just shooting themselves in the foot with this greed to make some money on a faulty product. The damage to the brand it does is worse than the little money they get from selling the PA5 now.
Will that do as a cupboard recall?:
www.ikea.com
IKEA recalling HEMNES bookcases & glassdoor cabinets
IKEA recalling HEMNES bookcases & glassdoor cabinets
www.ikea.com
Guddu
Addicted to Fun and Learning
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2020
- Messages
- 818
- Likes
- 680
Was PA5 not out from market for some time? I think I saw it going out of their website "tpdz.net" sometime back, but its back now and available.
May be they have resolved whatever the issue was and new units aren't having the issues?
May be they have resolved whatever the issue was and new units aren't having the issues?
Yes - but that was - as I suggested - a safety hazard.Will that do as a cupboard recall?:
IKEA recalling HEMNES bookcases & glassdoor cabinets
IKEA recalling HEMNES bookcases & glassdoor cabinets
Tuan Huynh
Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2022
- Messages
- 9
- Likes
- 1
My first PA5 developed a hiss on L channel after 3 months. The seller gave me a new one and it developed a hiss on the R channel after 3 days !
Tuan Huynh
Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2022
- Messages
- 9
- Likes
- 1
same
MAB
Major Contributor
Mine had the left channel start making noises about a week after I bought it. It happened while it was left on overnight, not power cycled. The unit had only been turned on and off a dozen times or so, always with the switch. That being said, I fully expect electronic devices to be able to be shut down by disconnecting the power without failing. So no, your use of the power strip likely had no impact on your amp.
I am pretty amazed by the apparent defect rate.
~100 PA5 fails reported here. If Topping sold 100,000 units and assuming these are all valid defects, this is 1000 Defects Per Million which is quite horrible. I don't think Topping sold nearly 100k units, and I think many more defects are unreported, so probably much higher than 1000 DPM. I also believe all of the reports here to be Topping defects, not user error or some other issue. And the issues are not nuisance issues. This product had real issues from the beginning.
Also, multiple people on this thread had two PA5 fail. Some of these second fails are replacements that failed. This makes it even worse since it rules out the possibility that ~100 units from a bad manufacturing slipped out o the factory and made it to ASR members. One of the worst-case scenarios for a Quality/Reliability team is to ship a replacement that fails in the same way.
This appears to be endemic to the product.
I had been using a E50/PA5 combo for a year without any issues in my living room and was even planning to buy another combo for the bedroom to feed some bookshelf speakers. What you guys wrote here is starting to worry me and maybe I should go with topping pa3. That should be enough for something like revel m16.
What speakers are you using with the PA5 currently ?
It's some old KEF C7 columns, just used for watching movies. I've ordered Wharfedale Lintons to replace them.
Similar threads
