Topping’s new amplifier - Mini300

[Ahmonge]

I installed the Mini 300 tonight, replacing my Sony TA-FA30ES to drive my Dynaudio BM6 passives, and it's turning out quite good, I think.

I've been very happy with the E30II DAC, and the E2x2 for analog ins is OK also. I use it mostly for line inputs, digitizing vinyl, but I much prefer the E30II for my main DAC out.

Now that I use my mac from everything audio, I thought it'd be a good idea to get rid of the 20 pound heat generating Sony receiver, and this little baby shows up.

I struggled a bit with the Sony/E30II to set levels, and found in the end that I got the best results having the Sony at full volume, tone controls disabled of course, and the E30II at around -28db.

I was a bit shocked that the Mini 300 needed much higher input to give me the same kind of level out of the Dynaudios, but then I never used this kind of device before. After experimenting a bit, I've settled on having both the DAC and the Mini 300 at full output, and controlling levels from the mac. Rogue Amoeba Soundsource is a great tool for controlling anything core audio on the mac. This gives me good freq balance, detail, and seems on par with the Sony setup.

I know this is not 'science' and 'mesurements', and some will call this post worthless because of that, but it is what it is. I'm happy with the Mini 300. I'll be selling the hot and noisy Sony along with some other gear, and get back what I spent on this amp, and more.

Have you tried using the source and DAC at maximum volume and controlling it with the amplifier knob?

 

[Ben Jenssen]

Have you tried using the source and DAC at maximum volume and controlling it with the amplifier knob?

Yes, sure. It seems that I get more detail and vibrance out of the Dynaudios with no attenuation on the Mini 300. Same as I found with the Sony amp. In most of my audio setups before, I always had power amps that had no volume control, so I could be imagining things for that reason.

 

[Ben Jenssen]

Just a note; where the Sony on full volume created quite a loud noise floor, though not awful, the dynaudios are dead silent with the Mini 300 on max.

 

[melomane13]

You mean I look like a Topping salesman? Hahaha, that's really funny. I'm from ChilE, not ChinA, and of course, I have no affiliation with Topping. I simply don't see the design flaw that you see as so obvious. But of course, I respect your opinion.

Haha don’t worry — I wasn’t calling you a Topping salesman. I meant that the argument (“1 kΩ is fine, stop worrying”) sounded like something a marketing guy would say, because from an engineering standpoint it is an unusually low input impedance, and that choice deserves at least a raised eyebrow.

That said, your point is fair too:
- If the DAC can comfortably drive 1 kΩ (and many solid-state outputs can), then in practice nothing catastrophic happens.
- The noise advantage is real.
- Some users will never notice any issue.

But the reason I call it a “design flaw” is simply that it breaks the expectation of standardized line-level equipment. The whole idea of RCA line inputs is don’t load the source heavily, so devices remain interoperable. When one manufacturer decides to go down to 1 kΩ, suddenly:

- Some DACs or preamps are no longer a good match.
- Frequency response may vary depending on the source.
- Output stages with higher impedance may distort earlier.
- Passive preamps become unusable.

So it’s not about Topping specifically, it could be any brand, it just feels like an odd engineering compromise that trades compatibility for measurable noise specs.

 

[GiBo61]

I installed the Mini 300 tonight, replacing my Sony TA-FA30ES to drive my Dynaudio BM6 passives, and it's turning out quite good, I think.

I've been very happy with the E30II DAC, and the E2x2 for analog ins is OK also. I use it mostly for line inputs, digitizing vinyl, but I much prefer the E30II for my main DAC out.

Now that I use my mac from everything audio, I thought it'd be a good idea to get rid of the 20 pound heat generating Sony receiver, and this little baby shows up.

I struggled a bit with the Sony/E30II to set levels, and found in the end that I got the best results having the Sony at full volume, tone controls disabled of course, and the E30II at around -28db.

I was a bit shocked that the Mini 300 needed much higher input to give me the same kind of level out of the Dynaudios, but then I never used this kind of device before. After experimenting a bit, I've settled on having both the DAC and the Mini 300 at full output, and controlling levels from the mac. Rogue Amoeba Soundsource is a great tool for controlling anything core audio on the mac. This gives me good freq balance, detail, and seems on par with the Sony setup.

I know this is not 'science' and 'mesurements', and some will call this post worthless because of that, but it is what it is. I'm happy with the Mini 300. I'll be selling the hot and noisy Sony along with some other gear, and get back what I spent on this amp, and more.

How does the Mini 300 compare to the Sony TA-FA30ES in terms of output power to your Dynaudio BM6?

 

[Myk]

A few observations:
The op-amps get “a bit” warm, so I put a heatsink on them… even with that, the heatsink still reaches 45°C. The LM317 also ran quite hot, so I put a heatsink on that too (though that one was probably unnecessary).
Compared to the PA5, the LC filter is a step back — here they use Codaca CPD1495-6R8, and the 8 blue filter capacitors are EPCOS 1uJ63. I’m not sure if anyone would actually hear the difference

 

[Ben Jenssen]

How does the Mini 300 compare to the Sony TA-FA30ES in terms of output power to your Dynaudio BM6?

Like I said, the 300 had to be fed a 20db louder signal to drive the Dynaudios, but with its volume set to max, the sound is very nice, and I have plenty of headroom on the signal from the DAC to play more than loud. Someone mentioned the input impedance on the Mini 300, I guess that might have something to do with it, and also with the dead silent noise floor.

I'm happy with the Mini 300 and the way it sounds. I'm not a scientist and know almost nothing about electronics, so I guess I'm in the wrong place, but I've been working with music and audio my whole life and I can tell good sound from bad.

 

[GiBo61]

Like I said, the 300 had to be fed a 20db louder signal to drive the Dynaudios, but with its volume set to max, the sound is very nice, and I have plenty of headroom on the signal from the DAC to play more than loud. Someone mentioned the input impedance on the Mini 300, I guess that might have something to do with it, and also with the dead silent noise floor.

I'm happy with the Mini 300 and the way it sounds. I'm not a scientist and know almost nothing about electronics, so I guess I'm in the wrong place, but I've been working with music and audio my whole life and I can tell good sound from bad.

Nice to ear that. However 20db difference in the input signal between your old Sony TA-FA30ES and your Mini 300 is a lot!

 

[melomane13]

Nice to ear that. However 20db difference in the input signal between your old Sony TA-FA30ES and your Mini 300 is a lot!

yes it is a lot, but is it:
The sensitivity difference between 200 mV ( standard value at 47kohm) and 2 V ( at 1000ohm ...) is :

ΔdB=20log10(0.22)
0.22=10
20log10(10)=20×1=20 dB.

 

[totti1965]

Topping needs to do the B888 monoblock

888 watts at 2ohms
$888 each

I have already suggested them per e-mail to build a "B765 Reference" Mono Amplifier with build in Power Supply and extremely good heat dissapation capabilities
450 Watt @ 8 Ohms
765 Watt @ 4 Ohms
1300 Watt @ 2 Ohms
and perfect stability
I have at least 3 friends, who want POWER and would willing to pay also EUR 6.000,- / pair for such a "monster"

Power is extrapolated from the Power-Increase of the B100 when you go from 8 Ohms (50 Watt) to 4 Ohms (85 Watt).

Anyone else here interested? @amirm ???

Marc Levinson - that is just 80s Tech... LOL

 

[Chr1]

Sounds like an interesting proposition. However I reckon Topping are sticking to the smaller amplifier market for a couple of reasons.

1. The market is much bigger. Not many people need massive power
2. The cost of materials and international shipping is high for big, heavy amps nowadays.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Topping design a powerful flagship Class D amp to compete with the other companies making such.

 

[seong jin]

Just like the PA5 II, I hear a slight pop noise when the trigger turns the amp off. Is this normal? When I turn the power off manually, there's no noise at all — it only happens when using the trigger. Is this something that can be improved or fixed?

 

[Roland68]

A few observations:
The op-amps get “a bit” warm, so I put a heatsink on them… even with that, the heatsink still reaches 45°C. The LM317 also ran quite hot, so I put a heatsink on that too (though that one was probably unnecessary).
Compared to the PA5, the LC filter is a step back — here they use Codaca CPD1495-6R8, and the 8 blue filter capacitors are EPCOS 1uJ63. I’m not sure if anyone would actually hear the difference

You're mistaken. These coils are better and of higher quality than I expected and were developed specifically for Class D power amplifiers. The datasheet identifies them as an excellent component with high current handling and good measured values.
The EPCOS film capacitors are among the best in the industry and are superior to any audio-grade components. EPCOS was formerly Siemens/Matsushita and is now part of TDK.

Contrary to my initial fears, Topping didn't compromise on component quality in the Mini300 and really made an effort to select high-quality components without using any audio-grade nonsense.
I'm truly impressed that Topping equipped this affordable amplifier with such high-quality components, and in other areas as well.
So no one needs to worry that Topping used any cheap parts here; quite the opposite.

The heatsinks on the op-amps are unnecessary. Such OPamps have a temperature range up to 125° and are not subject to significant aging or wear.

 

[ziggurcat]

Just like the PA5 II, I hear a slight pop noise when the trigger turns the amp off. Is this normal? When I turn the power off manually, there's no noise at all — it only happens when using the trigger. Is this something that can be improved or fixed?

It is normal to expect some sort of pop when powering the unit off -- if I am not mistaken, it's DC discharge (someone please correct me if I have used the incorrect terminology). All of the amps I've used do this to varying degrees of audibility.

A few observations:
The op-amps get “a bit” warm, so I put a heatsink on them… even with that, the heatsink still reaches 45°C. The LM317 also ran quite hot, so I put a heatsink on that too (though that one was probably unnecessary).
Compared to the PA5, the LC filter is a step back — here they use Codaca CPD1495-6R8, and the 8 blue filter capacitors are EPCOS 1uJ63. I’m not sure if anyone would actually hear the difference

45 degrees isn't what I think most people would be consider "hot" for electronics. That seems well below any point of real concern to me.

 

[Bleib]

45 degrees isn't what I think most people would be consider "hot" for electronics. That seems well below any point of real concern to me.

Yes. just about any AVR I have ever owned get a lot warmer

 

[Roland68]

Yes. just about any AVR I have ever owned get a lot warmer

Yes, most people don't realize that some component groups and heat sinks in an AVR can reach continuous temperatures of 60°C and higher. The housing itself can reach temperatures well over 40°C, and the top of the ventilation slots can reach over 45-50°C; the inside is, of course, much warmer. And yet these devices often last more than 15-20 years.

 

[Bleib]

Yes, most people don't realize that some component groups and heat sinks in an AVR can reach continuous temperatures of 60°C and higher. The housing itself can reach temperatures well over 40°C, and the top of the ventilation slots can reach over 45-50°C; the inside is, of course, much warmer. And yet these devices often last more than 15-20 years.

Yes, and AVRs are basically never designed to have the heatsinks out in the open, they are always in the mids of all other electronics inside the housing. If they had been placed on the sides certainly they would have had better heat management but no company seems to think it's necessary

 

[NTK]

Yes, and AVRs are basically never designed to have the heatsinks out in the open, they are always in the mids of all other electronics inside the housing. If they had been placed on the sides certainly they would have had better heat management but no company seems to think it's necessary

High channel count AVRs these days can have multiple fans inside to force air circulation. For example the Denon AVR-A10H ...

 

[Sokel]

IEC 60950-1 and UL 60950-1as safety standards specify a 48° C limit for consumer goods, for a touch longer than a minute.
So 45° C is within the safety limit.

 

[forart.it]

Dunno if this amp is suitable to drive my secondary mixing desk (the challenge was originally between Topping PA5 vs Behringer A500), but Amz is pushing me it @ 114€ shipped...