Topping MA4 Review

[daniboun]

Forgot to share.... The Aalto Evo 1 is another serious competitor for $300 pair

Measurements for speaker Aalto Speakers Aalto 1 EVO

www.spinorama.org

 

[Gio]

Topping starts producing also speaker? Yeeeeeeeeah !!!

 

[emmodad]

Sorry, but this review qualifies as stupid and is way below ASR's usual standards. Is this a powered loudspeaker? No mention. No mention of what amplification is in the box anything about the configuration etc. That's ridiculous. In fact the entire review reads as though it is a passive loudspeaker until you see the image on the videos.

"I do civil litigation in Virginia & have a fair amount of experience with defamation cases in state and federal courts here"

hmm...

 

[Svensson]

Whilst they are "desktop", main use-case will likely be stand mount, like my current JBL 305p II's. If I didn't have them, or if I ever upgrade, These Toppings would be high on my list.

 

[emmodad]

Stupid review??? Baseless bashing...
Smart people don't need textual explanation whether this loudspeaker is powered or not, when there is an image of it (first picture of the video). One picture is worth a thousand words.
"No mention of what amplification is in the box"? Smart people can use internet and find the manufacturer's site https://topping.pro/cn-MA4/, and voila - there is this info:

Class D amplifiers, 50W+25W, THD=0.005%.

don't even have to be "smart"
just possessing common sense and self-motivation
(traits often noted on Kindergarten report cards...)

 

[daniboun]

Speakers seems OK so far.

I guess shipping costs are on the high side and blows up the price to 600 € for the pair for EU customers.

Yesss indeed pair price is about $500 so would be about 600e for EU customers.... Out of fair price for me )

 

[staticV3]

Forgot to share.... The Aalto Evo 1 is another serious competitor for $300 pair

Measurements for speaker Aalto Speakers Aalto 1 EVO

www.spinorama.org

Evo 1 is 600€ per pair, so 2.5x the price of the MA4 which costs equiv 240€ per pair in China.

 

[kemmler3D]

I think for users in China these would be a rather strong value and at 2000 RMB / pair I think they're aimed right at Edifier. I think the Topping speaker is somewhat similar in concept but seems to have a better WG and tweeter than I remember seeing in Edifier measurements. I think maybe MA4 vs. MR5 is the small-speaker game to watch this year. Not a bad time to be a budget audiophile in China I guess...!

 

[Azrael]

@Nuyes: If you have already opened the speaker, could you please take detailed photos of the port so that it might be possible to see what method was used to keep the port resonances that low? (my guess is a resonator at the port )

 

[Curvature]

Yes indeed, it is speaker for short distances, which makes all the tweeter directivity less important, compared to other parameter. It is always important to understand the measurements in their complexity and not to focus on “SINAD” or “Estimated in room response” only. This speaker will sound like screetchbox - tonality falling apart at every more dynamic part of music, and badly. This is not woofer bottoming out at 80Hz on 102db, but completely wrong implementation.

And to call it “professional studio monitor” - I think Topping can do better and I think in coupe of years they will.

Neumann KH 80 Studio Monitor Review

Neumann KH 80 Studio Monitor Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

if you feel the need to have active speaker with 4 in woofer, you have better options available.

Did you see the comparison I posted? The MA4 has around 10dB higher MTD than the KH80, and with a sub and HPF that distortion will shrink by 5-10dB, as seen in @Nuyes' original chart.

Directivity is just as important at short distances as long ones. On the one hand, no one makes the walls of your room and their reflections disappear; on the other, poor directivity at close distances will reveal itself as spectral shifts with movement of your head and body. Good directivity, like that of the MA4 and KH80, presents the sound as consistent and clear. This is in fact the most important determining factor of sound quality.

The KH80 also can't be used for long distances and also audibly distorts if played loud.

Edit: Added chart.

 

[daniboun]

Evo 1 is 600€ per pair, so 2.5x the price of the MA4 which costs equiv 240€ per pair in China.
View attachment 468296

MA4 is about 600€ paired for EU customers....
Pretty same price range

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I have some crazy though, what guys do you think to use them as main speakers in my small listening room?
Probably adding a subwoofer in the future.

 

[Vuki]

Still, though, I'm not sure this is really any better than a JBL 305 or 306. The JBL's are half the price or less, better bass, better warranty service, pretty good directivity (since the measurements aren't perfectly directly comparable). So, for $900 a pair with tariffs, hard pass on this.

I liked my Topping DAC. But, once it broke, I just tossed it. Calling support in Shenzhen wasn't really a cost effective option...

Are you sure? The aliexpress page says "quantity one" and it's $448 USD for one... In the US anyway...

 

[Vuki]

I'm in EU.

 

[MCH]

View attachment 468317

I'm in EU.

Yeah I see the same, that's per unit, like ca. 600 eur per pair, but that isn't topping store, but some random NexTech store so who knows...

 

[Thomas_A]

That 4 inch woofer struggles quite hard from 1000 Hz and down. It would be nice to see at what SPL it plays ”clean”.

 

[Tovarich007]

More than 600 €/pair ? That's much more than I expected, considering the chinese price.
At such a price tag, Topping should think twice and fix without delay the noise issue on the rear side pointed by Nuyes !
Better buy a Adam T series, a Yamaha, a Kali audio or a JBL, at least for European markets.

 

[Moravid]

Nice try by Topping, not a consideration until the air leak issue is fully resolved. Maybe a mkII is in order?

 

[respice finem]

A gasket would probably do the trick. Or some permanently elastic glue (still allowing for disassembly).

 

[Tovarich007]

It's Topping responsability to improve the built quality in order to fix this issue, not the client's task to put glue or somethng else to fix it.
When a product is bought, it's supposed to be well done and reliable !