Topping MA4 Review

[xanalog]

@Nuyes, Thank you for sharing your work,

While playing content below 100 Hz, a clear air-leak noise was audible.

Is this audible "air leak noise" shown in any of your measurements...?

The air leak is to have an airy type of sound that could attribute to a sense of bigger spatial and open effect.

...either as a part of the "Fundamental" or contributing to it's distortion products or as hiss/noise?
I would not have been so lenient with the MA4s, and would've probably given it a solid PostmanPanther.

 

[raif71]

It seems pretty cool! I'd like to know how much it costs, the FR is remarkable for a 4" driver and the directionality is just fantastic, but my overall feeling on this speaker will be a lot different if it's $400 per pair or $400 each.


I will also take this opportunity to point out that this forum has a "mute" button... ^_^

Just wanna congratulate Topping for its first active speakers, I don't usually use speakers to listen to music. My pair of Eris E5 XT have not been in used for almost 3 years if not more

 

[Curvature]

Oh I get it. Geez, took me a minute. You're threatening to dox me by using the fact that I helped Amir with some legal insight about defending against potential defamation claims. Why don't you explain for us your reasoning and what you hope to accomplish.

I think he's just pointing to the irony of a specialist in defamation doing a little defaming. I see good humor in it.

 

[Nuyes]

Is this audible "air leak noise" shown in any of your measurements...?

THD and MD measurements are essentially tools for measuring deterministic distortion and make use of averaging.
If the distortion produced by a loudspeaker system is deterministic, it will appear the same whether you measure it once or a hundred times, and it will clearly stand out from the random component of background noise.


This is why averaging allows us to separate background noise from actual loudspeaker distortion.


However, noise caused by air leakage is not deterministic distortion — it’s non-deterministic.
Each time the test signal is played, the leakage produces a slightly different random pattern, so the measurement system treats it more like background noise.


Klippel does offer modules for measuring air leakage, but I don’t own those.
For this reason, it’s difficult for this type of noise to show up clearly in the measurement data I provide.

 

[Nuyes]

@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 )

View attachment 468297

I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.

I only traced the cause of the air leakage before sending the product back to its owner.

 

[dogmamann]

Any hiss?

 

[Azrael]

I only traced the cause of the air leakage before sending the product back to its owner.

Perhaps the owner could.....?

 

[Sokel]

Sorry that I have to point that out, but with this response which skyrockets 2-3dB from 2kHz and above (relative to mids) combined with the tiny midbass driver, air leakage will be the least of the worries.
A pair of nice sunglasses may be mandatory

 

[daniboun]

@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 )

View attachment 468297

The answer seems to be here (see attached file)

 

[Svensson]

@Nuyes - Your reviews provide great data and this forum is all about the data.
Thank you for supporting everyone here to make our informed decisions.

 

[delta76]

Yeah and assuming that remark is about me, you guys are overreacting a lot more than I did at this point.

frankly you have only yourself to blame. a little of respect and friendliness come a long way, and we could have focused on discussing this speaker, instead of manner

 

[Mart68]

I'll bet the air leak isn't audible and any accomplished bodger like myself could fix it in seconds with gaffer tape.

£537.24 (that's $722 USD) for a pair delivered to UK from Ali Express. Not that unreasonable. If you have use for a competent, little nearfield speaker. I like the look of them.

Would like to see them do a big 4 way monster speaker next.

 

[Azrael]

The answer seems to be here (see attached file)

I can't really tell from the picture, but it does indeed look like a resonator connected to the port, perhaps a quarter wave resonator (or two?).

 

[daniboun]

@Nuyes
@Maiky76
Will the measurements be published on the Spinorama website?

 

[hoverdonkey]

It's fantastic to see more of the leaders of the great+affordable DAC revolution now targeting the speaker market. I am excited to see what happens over the coming months.

I plan to pounce if/when some great+affordable floorstanders come along. The cost of shipping floorstanders from China to the UK might of course diminish the "affordable" side of the equation, but fingers crossed. It's encouraging that they are offering a white version - no way would my wife allow big boxes in the living room!

 

[daniboun]

It's fantastic to see more of the leaders of the great+affordable DAC revolution now targeting the speaker market. I am excited to see what happens over the coming months.

I plan to pounce if/when some great+affordable floorstanders come along. The cost of shipping floorstanders from China to the UK might of course diminish the "affordable" side of the equation, but fingers crossed. It's encouraging that they are offering a white version - no way would my wife allow big boxes in the living room!

The Polk R700 and Kef R11 Meta both measure very well and are really affordable. Sold my R700 brand new @1100€ paired

Easily compare loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org

 

[hoverdonkey]

The Polk R700 and Kef R11 Meta both measure very well and are really affordable. Sold my R700 brand new @1100€ paired

Easily compare loudspeakers measurements

www.spinorama.org

I haven't even started the hunt yet, that's a good start, thank you.

 

[crappypanther]

the price is not very clear. but for 4 inches the graphics are very decent. if the price is low then the thd can be forgiven

 

[xanalog]

Would Topping be also dipping their proverbial-toes in neodymium-magnets, with the MA4.
They probably have VIP access privileges to these rare-earths, while foreign speaker manufacturers may have to pay for luxury-access if not slow-walked and/or ignored/denied.
Not that I'd hear the difference between magnets, but I think some of the MoFi SourcePoint drivers are based around these rare-earth magnets. Yes, their speakers say "Made in China".

Would like to see them do a big 4 way monster speaker next.

Don't you think 'monster' speakers would require equally monster overseas freight charges?
Neodymium or otherwise.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

About $450 on AliExpress. Unclear from the listing if that's for a single speaker or a pair. I'm guessing it's the former.

Did this recently get unlisted?