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Topping E70 randomly went to MAX volume..

Strange, doesn't the e70 even have a programmable max volume set when you start it?

So far at least my DO100 and C200 has done nothing like that.. neither have a DAC mode either, the volume cannot be disabled.
 
computer-audiophile said:
I do not agree with that.

E30II is a different DAC. It also has no rotary knob. Furthermore, one should limit oneself to reports that very clearly state what kind of problem actually occurred under what boundary conditions. First-hand reports, not stories and opinions.
Click to expand...

...I posted a link but not to annoy you...I didn't see your post...

...methinks they would like to be aware of this though...

...people were concerned with this very issue and it while the E 30 may have no "knob" it still thinks it is a preamp with a volume control function...one might think it was indeed suspectable to the same error...
 
Jim Taylor said:
I would be VERY interested to know the root cause of this, regardless of whether it happens in automobiles or the home. I would also be interested in which brands exhibit this behavior. It's possible that they have a certain electronic component in common .......... no?

Jim
Click to expand...

My bet would be shoddy firmware code. I could imagine that some fringe situation writes values that wasn't accounted for to the non-volatile memory. If those values contradict each other, it could possibly break the subroutine that's handling the volume control.

One of the most inconspicuous ways of cutting corners in a product is by skimping on the software development. Not saying that's what Topping necessarily has done though. 100% glitch free software is just about impossible to write.
 
Sokel said:
The broken record with the tenths of post about this is probably me.
And no,it's not brand related only (even if Topping is a usual suspect).

ANY digital implemented volume control has the potential to "forget" it's settings,all it takes is a glitch,a BSOD,etc.
Yes,it's rare but it happens and the more we use it the more are the chances.
There's no way in this world I would connect something like this staight to a power amp,my ears are useful to me,don't want to be blown.
Click to expand...
Do you have a recommendation when I return the E70? So far the only DAC/preamp combo besides the Topping/SMSL offerings I see is the ADI-2-DAC, but it's a little pricey for what I'd want to spend and I don't need the amp part of it anyways.
 
threni said:
The recommendations are at the end of - and clearly referring to - the measurements and subjective listening experience they follow. Are you saying Amir should look out for threads such as this - a one-off, unrepeatable claim of something which had the potential to cause some damage, and go back and put a large warning in the review? Or that he should no longer give positive reviews of any hardware from an ever-growing list of manufacturers where there have been claims (how many? any evidence required) in the past for other products?
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There is a thread for PA5: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...oll-for-topping-pa5-owners-only-please.33293/
47% (!!!) of the 197 owners say their PA5 was defective. Hardly a one off thread. More than enough threads on Topping's (lack of) quality on this site alone.
 
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Boerd said:
Should not be a surprise for Topping... Highly recommend by ASR. It begs the question: At what point will ASR do the right thing and stop recommending substandard quality DACs cheaply made by SMSL and Topping? There is plenty of evidence on the lack of quality. No excuse.
Click to expand...
If by "ASR" you mean the whole community, then you all are doing your bit to warn people on these issues.

If you mean me, then no, I can't do that by just going by anecdotal datapoints. Personally, I have had a number of failures in my audio gear. Two have been American made and one German. Nothing from any of the Chinese companies have failed on me. So personally I can't vouch for any unreliability specific to this gear. Nor are there visible shortcuts in reliability. They use quality parts same or better than what I see from many other manufacturers.

At my company, a Berkeley Audio Design DAC that sold for $2,500 shorted out and sent DC to the amps. The amps then faithfully blew the drivers in a loaned set of speakers from a rep! Looking inside, you could see the charred circuits. Stuff fails in audio. It just does. I put myself through college repairing audio gear. I repaired thousands of products from likes of Pioneer, Sony, Marantz, etc. Some I could repair with my eyes closed since the same transistor or IC would fail in all of them.

You should know that I have brought the overall issue of support and warranty repair to Topping's attention. Beyond that, I don't consider it part of my job as a reviewer to cover this axis of product performance.

Net, net, I am providing the platform for you all to share your negative experiences here. There is nothing else I can do unless the problem is clear, and properly shown to be a potential issue. In which case, I have put warnings in reviews.
 
...indeed...when there is a known issue you have never been shy...

...methinks it is up to us to determine if this a trend or an anomaly...

...that is what all the posting is aboot, eh...
 
amirm said:
If by "ASR" you mean the whole community, then you all are doing your bit to warn people on these issues.

If you mean me, then no, I can't do that by just going by anecdotal datapoints. Personally, I have had a number of failures in my audio gear. Two have been American made and one German. Nothing from any of the Chinese companies have failed on me. So personally I can't vouch for any unreliability specific to this gear. Nor are there visible shortcuts in reliability. They use quality parts same or better than what I see from many other manufacturers.

At my company, a Berkeley Audio Design DAC that sold for $2,500 shorted out and sent DC to the amps. The amps then faithfully blew the drivers in a loaned set of speakers from a rep! Looking inside, you could see the charred circuits. Stuff fails in audio. It just does. I put myself through college repairing audio gear. I repaired thousands of products from likes of Pioneer, Sony, Marantz, etc. Some I could repair with my eyes closed since the same transistor or IC would fail in all of them.

You should know that I have brought the overall issue of support and warranty repair to Topping's attention. Beyond that, I don't consider it part of my job as a reviewer to cover this axis of product performance.

Net, net, I am providing the platform for you all to share your negative experiences here. There is nothing else I can do unless the problem is clear, and properly shown to be a potential issue. In which case, I have put warnings in reviews.
Click to expand...
First and foremost - thank you for your effort in promoting measurements for audio gear. Hat is off for what you are doing for the audio community.
I have to disagree with the "anecdotal datapoints" in respect to Topping's (lack of) quality. On ASR we have more than that.
 
Boerd said:
First and foremost - thank you for your effort in promoting measurements for audio gear. Hat is off for what you are doing for the audio community.
I have to disagree with the "anecdotal datapoints" in respect to Topping. On ASR we have more than that.
Click to expand...
We do not know how many units Topping sold but it’s fair enough to think it’s orders of magnitude higher than the 197 in that thread. Topping customer support is not good, that we know. Couldn’t be that those hundred or so people with failed units are using ASR as a Topping Customer Support Forum? As normally only people with issues use a support forum, the figures may well be distorted.
 
sarumbear said:
We do not know how many units Topping sold but it’s fair enough to think it’s orders of magnitude higher than the 197 in that thread. Topping customer support is not good, that we know. Couldn’t be that those hundred or so people with failed units are using ASR as a Topping Customer Support Forum? As normally only people with issues use a support forum, the figures may well be distorted.
Click to expand...
I didn't take 47% as gospel. However, I correlate this thread with the number of threads complaining about Topping's quality problems.
Other names (RME/MOTU/UAD/etc) do not get this many negative threads even if you combine them all together. Topping does have quality issues IMO.
I will peace out, it is time to let it go.
 
...methinks Amir meant in regard to this particular Topping...

...I can see where posting this issue on the E30 thread was bad, mmmk, but IMHO it still is something to bear in mind...
 
scar1g said:
Do you have a recommendation when I return the E70? So far the only DAC/preamp combo besides the Topping/SMSL offerings I see is the ADI-2-DAC, but it's a little pricey for what I'd want to spend and I don't need the amp part of it anyways.
Click to expand...
I can't recommend anything allthought RME is of known value and reliability,I can only say that I would prefer a nice physical pot if I was you.
Peace of mind has no price.
 
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scar1g said:
Do you have a recommendation when I return the E70? So far the only DAC/preamp combo besides the Topping/SMSL offerings I see is the ADI-2-DAC, but it's a little pricey for what I'd want to spend and I don't need the amp part of it anyways.
Click to expand...
www.audiosciencereview.com

Nobsound, shit or great?

I wouldn't pay a lot for Nobsound products, but they tend to inhabit the budget segment and they sell some very cheap products that may be worth a punt if you are on a tight budget or want stuff to play with, teardown etc. And if you buy from Amazon you have good return options if it isn't what...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

 
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sarumbear said:
www.audiosciencereview.com

Nobsound, shit or great?

I wouldn't pay a lot for Nobsound products, but they tend to inhabit the budget segment and they sell some very cheap products that may be worth a punt if you are on a tight budget or want stuff to play with, teardown etc. And if you buy from Amazon you have good return options if it isn't what...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

Click to expand...
Ah! I got one of these that I could measure. ;)
 
I use the E70 since months now in preamp mode and only with remote. No problem till now. Cross my fingers :rolleyes:
Good to know the firmware version it was happened with?
 
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Since last October, Topping is totally quiet, nothing heard from @JohnYang1997
anymore, no maintenance, on their web side.
They are still in business? Or sell the distributors only the rest.
 
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I think if I was ever to buy another piece of kit (Chinese , topping , anything ) I would consider some points .

1. Does this particular model have a proven track record , lots of user generated positive reviews and minimal /no unexplained and potentially catastrophic failure reports ?

2. If it's a newly released model , does it do anything existing solutions that meet criteria 1 don't do?

3. If it does for 2 , do I need that level of spec / function in reality ? (see mqa decoding etc )

I say this having suffered a topping amp blow on me (l30 v1 bought only a month or 3 after release that I needed for no better reason than I wanted to try it . I also bought an smsl m500 v1 because I convinced myself I needed an mqa dac with class leading metrics . It instead had an issue that meant it had high H3 if you played stereo content . I couldn't tell because tin eared but also I didn't actually need the device at all.

If I were OP I would get a refund without hesitation and buy something that meets criteria 1 (and in my case it was an rme adi 2 and I haven't looked back though doesn't need to be). Ain't nobody wants to have something connected to your headphones /speakers that is unpredictable or glitchy .
 
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