Topping PA 5 II is out $249 and $329 (Plus version)

[marX]

One bad product and you write them off people? Harsh. If you actually had the PA5 and had problems I understand. Did you write off GM for the Corvair or the ****** aluminum block Vega? Do you write off Ford for the Pinto? My BMWs and Mercedes have been completely unreliable and a car that lets you down in bad weather can kill you. This is audio for a few hundred dollars. It’s a startup company providing usually state of the art specs and providing us with hours of entertainment discussing them here on ASR. How much have you lost in the stock market on startups? Geez.

I have their DAC and I had a lot of trouble with the drivers (Windows 10) at first. Then I read lots of people having issues with their amplifiers - crackling noise and other issues.
Even their top-of-the-line amp, the LA 90 had the same issue.

I worked as a design engineer and managed multiple product lines in my previous company. This is a simple case of QA/QC not doing their job properly and they need all the roasting they are getting IMO.

 

[oceansize]

One bad product and you write them off people? Harsh. If you actually had the PA5 and had problems I understand. Did you write off GM for the Corvair or the ****** aluminum block Vega? Do you write off Ford for the Pinto? My BMWs and Mercedes have been completely unreliable and a car that lets you down in bad weather can kill you. This is audio for a few hundred dollars. It’s a startup company providing usually state of the art specs and providing us with hours of entertainment discussing them here on ASR. How much have you lost in the stock market on startups? Geez.

One bad product? Have you been paying attention? The L30 headphone killer, PA5, LA90...

 

[TonyJZX]

One bad product and you write them off people? Harsh. If you actually had the PA5 and had problems I understand. Did you write off GM for the Corvair or the ****** aluminum block Vega? Do you write off Ford for the Pinto? My BMWs and Mercedes have been completely unreliable and a car that lets you down in bad weather can kill you. This is audio for a few hundred dollars. It’s a startup company providing usually state of the art specs and providing us with hours of entertainment discussing them here on ASR. How much have you lost in the stock market on startups? Geez.

I dont think its fair to compare it to cars.

I too have had... EXPERIENCES with Mercedes BMW and VAG products... and as I fondly remember as a comic once said... Henry Ford was a Nazi but... the Mustang V8 is a FINE machine.

I can forgive a lot there.

But with Topping there's a lot of alternatives.. I have quite a few SMSL products, they havent let me down so I'll continue to buy them.

So to me there's no reason to ever buy Topping.

Its just a preference. I dont buy Bose, I dont buy Apple, I dont buy from a lot of companies. Your purchase is your ultimate vote.,

eg. I quite like Onkyo... I have one of their atmos receivers but this is the last one ever.

 

[howard416]

One bad product and you write them off people? Harsh. If you actually had the PA5 and had problems I understand. Did you write off GM for the Corvair or the ****** aluminum block Vega? Do you write off Ford for the Pinto? My BMWs and Mercedes have been completely unreliable and a car that lets you down in bad weather can kill you. This is audio for a few hundred dollars. It’s a startup company providing usually state of the art specs and providing us with hours of entertainment discussing them here on ASR. How much have you lost in the stock market on startups? Geez.

"One" bad product.

But you neglect to mention the crap support, conveniently.

 

[Gringoaudio1]

"One" bad product.

But you neglect to mention the crap support, conveniently.

Okay I hear you all. The support or lack
of during the PA5 debacle was disappointing for sure. And I’ll look into the list of other problematic products from them. Thanks! No problems with my D10. The driver issues I too had I attributed to my tech idiocy.

 

[Steven Holt]

I own the Topping PA3s, had it about 2 years. It's a splendid amp, and I have had absolutely no problems with it. I daresay that it is one of the best pieces of gear that I have ever owned. Could it go out tomorrow? Sure -- just like every piece of gear I own. There are no guarantees on mass produced components. I buy Topping, I take my chances. I buy Sony, I take my chances. But to dismiss Topping's gear out of hand is just unfair. Why do I think that if Topping removed their name from the faceplate and pasted on SCHITT instead, this thread would not exist? (BTW, love Schitt, going to buy a piece of their gear soon)

 

[TonyJZX]

but the difference is that if my piece of whatever equipment goes out when its out of warranty, then that's just the way things are

BUT Topping have a litany of sins while the product is still under warranty. That is unforgiveable.

I have an attachment to Marantz. I have had their gear go out under warranty, which they handled badly, because their local distributor sux.

I had a piece of their gear fail out of warranty, which I then had to pay to fix.

This should put me off Marantz for life, but it doesnt, but it should.

I dont think Topping gets that luxury.

 

[RandomEar]

38 V is considered unsafe touch voltage according to IEC. Considering that, I'd like to see at least grounded chassis and electric safety markings on the unit itself. I can see that some countries experience population surplus, but I do value my personal safety.

Voltages up to 25 V AC or 60 V DC are generally considered safe under most circumstances. This is 38 V DC, so well below the threshold. As far as I can tell, there is no need for any grounding or safety markings.

 

[morpheusX]

Given the assumed PA5 problems, they should offer users with PA5 to switch to the V2 version for free or a small fee, even if the client had to pay for transport both ways.

 

[Negatywny]

thanks to all PA5 beta testers, grate job, can't wait for the final product

 

[thegeton]

"...all the DAC's from them that I currently use have been excellent..."

Agreed. I have a D50S, a D70, and a D30 Pro. All have been trouble free. I would readily recommend their DACs.

 

[unpluggged]

Voltages up to 25 V AC or 60 V DC are generally considered safe under most circumstances.

But not for all circumstances. Children, for instance, are more vulnerable, and besides, even if it would not be fatal, I still don't want to get a zap when I touch a unit with faulty insulation. So unless this is a Class II product, not having its chassis grounded to PE is a big design flaw.

 

[anotherhobby]

thanks to all PA5 beta testers, grate job, can't wait for the final product

You're welcome! Still going strong over 1.5 years later of 8-10 hours per day of use with my PA5 powering Revel M105s for desktop use.

Not saying it may not be a ticking time bomb, but I haven't had any issues to date.

 

[Bleib]

Had hopes this would have a remote like TP RA3, and no channel imbalance. Also no way to run purely as a power amp..

 

[AaronJ]

Had hopes this would have a remote like TP RA3, and no channel imbalance. Also no way to run purely as a power amp..

Can’t you run it as a power amp by turning the volume all the way up?

 

[john11]

"One" bad product.

But you neglect to mention the crap support, conveniently.

Plus the lies, plus the total silence when customers complaints were clearly being ignored, plus the continued sales of a clearly defective unit in a selfish money grab, plus the disapperance of sales reps, it's like they were trying to weather the storm, hoping it woud all go away by itself

 

[delta76]

I'm kind of surprised that review by amirm is not out yet ...

 

[Music1969]

I suspect the Topping Audio PA5 II / PA5 II Plus measure well. I will wait a year to assess their reliability.

edit: I am pleased a 12 volt trigger input can be had for $249+ - possibly an acceptable match with an upcoming 'WiiM Pro Plus' audio streamer

Yes, 6 months wait should be fine.

My recommendation with all Topping products but especially anything with an amplifier in it.

 

[Le-Duk]

But not for all circumstances. Children, for instance, are more vulnerable, and besides, even if it would not be fatal, I still don't want to get a zap when I touch a unit with faulty insulation. So unless this is a Class II product, not having its chassis grounded to PE is a big design flaw.

Does PA5 play in a vacuum or by itself?... Or is it connected to a balanced sound source that has its own grounding?...

As the owner of PA5, I am not satisfied with only 2 things in it:
1. He warms up too much (I had to do cooling for him).
2. No RCA with good sensitivity and high resistance (I made an RCA-TRS cable, but the sound turned out to be too quiet).

That's why PA5 II and PA7 seem to be interesting products to me - I was ready to buy PA7, but while waiting for the first feedback on the operating experience, PA5 II (Plus) appeared, which I think is more interesting. The question is whether the first problem has been solved.

P.S. PA5 II Plus is a regular PA5 with a 38V 4A power supply. PA5 II - in my opinion, this is the same PA5 II Plus, only with a 38V 3A power supply, as evidenced by all the characteristics of both versions. It was necessary to name them differently: PA5 II and PA5 II Minus.

 

[unpluggged]

Or is it connected to a balanced sound source that has its own grounding?...

Don't confuse signal ground with protective earthing.