Topping PA3s Review (Desktop Amplifier)

[gfinlays]

Hmmm.... Come on!

For your inspiration, Boulder 3050 monoblock

View attachment 156832

At half a million pounds per stereo pair and 28.8 kWh power consumption per day in standby, I think I'll pass.....

Our planet is literally cooking due to global warming. Our 23 panel 8.4 kWp solar PV installation just about produces enough energy at this time of year to power a pair of them. I'll doubly pass.

I'd also need another 9.6 kWh per day for the A/C to keep the room cool with a 1.2 kW heater in it. I'll triply pass.

Who buys this kind of stuff? Maybe the guy who buys a Bugatti Veyron just to drive to the grocery store?

 

[Drengur]

Who buys this kind of stuff? Maybe the guy who buys a Bugatti Veyron just to drive to the grocery store?

„So this is where the butler goes for the lobster. I must tell mother.“

 

[bill poster]

This is poor, again, same as for many cheap class D amplifiers.

View attachment 156836

Unfortunately, Hypex Ncore and Purifi remain the only well behaving class D amplifiers. Still a lot to learn, @JohnYang1997 .

This is 1/5th the price

 

[bill poster]

At half a million pounds per stereo pair and 28.8 kWh power consumption per day in standby, I think I'll pass.....

Our planet is literally cooking due to global warming. Our 23 panel 8.4 kWp solar PV installation just about produces enough energy at this time of year to power a pair of them. I'll doubly pass.

I'd also need another 9.6 kWh per day for the A/C to keep the room cool with a 1.2 kW heater in it. I'll triply pass.

Who buys this kind of stuff? Maybe the guy who buys a Bugatti Veyron just to drive to the grocery store?

I have a Passlab power amp in the UK to keep my house warm. It plays music ok too, always a bonus

 

[guilliam]

Hi All,

Was hoping to get some help, really hope this is the right place to ask, I just received my Topping PA3s. I have it connected to my SMSL M500 via the output with two RCA cables and to the SE input of the Topping, but I am getting no sound, the volume is up on the SMSL and I can see the signal but no matter what there is no sound. I have the Topping connected to a pair of Dynaudio DM 2/6's

Do I need to go balanced? or am I overlooking something really simple

Thanks

 

[Toku]

Hi All,

Was hoping to get some help, really hope this is the right place to ask, I just received my Topping PA3s. I have it connected to my SMSL M500 via the output with two RCA cables and to the SE input of the Topping, but I am getting no sound, the volume is up on the SMSL and I can see the signal but no matter what there is no sound. I have the Topping connected to a pair of Dynaudio DM 2/6's

Do I need to go balanced? or am I overlooking something really simple

Thanks

Is SE selected as the input mode for PA3s?
Is RCA or RCA + XLR selected as the output mode of the M500? Is the volume set to maximum?

 

[guilliam]

Thank you for the replay

Yes, SE is selected on the PA3s, its RCA to RCA. the only output modes on the M500 is line out or Headphones tried both no luck and yes the M500 is maxed out.

I have a pair of old powered AudioEngine 5's that I will dig out and pug into the M500 directly to see if there is any sound coming from it

 

[Progronom]

Hi! Is there a memorization of the last state? For example - the amplifier is on, playing, the RCA input is selected. I turn off the 220 volt power outlet. An hour later, I turn on the 220 volt power again. What will happen to the amplifier?
Will it turn on, or not?

 

[dsnyder0cnn]

Hi! Is there a memorization of the last state? For example - the amplifier is on, playing, the RCA input is selected. I turn off the 220 volt power outlet. An hour later, I turn on the 220 volt power again. What will happen to the amplifier?
Will it turn on, or not?

Topping products don't seem to like being powered off that way. Best to switch them on/off at the device rather than removing power from their power supply (eg., switch on a power strip). There's a thread about the Topping L50 headphone amp that goes into more detail.

 

[Progronom]

I am not at all interested in what whom they likes or dislike They are not sexy lovers, but electronic devices ... Do not arrange a flood.
Why should I read about Topping L50? It has a mechanical power-on toggle switch, not an electronic one, as in PA3s.

I need an exact answer to a technical question!
Question to the owners PA3s, or the manufacturer - what will happen to the device when it is turned on again?

 

[Toku]

Hi! Is there a memorization of the last state? For example - the amplifier is on, playing, the RCA input is selected. I turn off the 220 volt power outlet. An hour later, I turn on the 220 volt power again. What will happen to the amplifier?
Will it turn on, or not?

PA3s can maintain its state even if it is turned ON / OFF on the AC line side. There is no pop noise. However, we have not confirmed the state retention after turning off for many days.

 

[tvih]

Mine finally arrived, after having ordered it on 8th of July already (from a domestic vendor who had it in stock - for some reason they were having trouble having trouble with getting the RCA-to-balanced adapter). It now completes my desktop setup, where it resides with Topping DX3 Pro+ & AKG K702, Dynaudio Audience 42 speakers, a ported DIY sub based on a Peerless XLS-10 10" driver, and an Audiophonics Sub TPA3116-based 100W subwoofer amp (by the way, the latter is amusingly tiny - 3x7x9cm not counting the pot and speaker terminals - while driving that reasonably big box) which I also just got on Friday. I'm using the analog outs of my PC's integrated audio in order to do the crossover (as well as overall EQ, of course, but the crossover specifically of course requires more than two output channels). Luckily the most recent driver update took away the crackle/pop issues the analog outs were having with Win11. Well, they still happen somewhat when powering things on/off for some reason, but not during playback. When/if not using the sub I'm using the PA3s via the DX3P+ in DAC mode (hence the aforementioned adapter) for the theoretical quality increase, but given how much more even and extended the bass is with the sub even with non-optimal positioning that's not probably happening much:

Spoiler

^ With EQ but no sub (and even this level of bass was mostly achieved by bringing the rest of the frequency range down by quite a bit, since the desk's position in the room caused a severe bass drop.)

^ With sub... though admittedly the rest of the EQ range is somewhat better done in this case as well.

I will say that compared to the Aiyima A07 - that I also got together with the Sub amp - the PA3s does kinda seem worth the extra money, assuming similar long-term reliability. Not like I can tell the audio quality apart, but the PA3s certainly looks and feels more polished - with the A07 looking more like my old Topping TP30 - and of course has the second input... plus domestic vendor support if need be. Since I was gonna get the PA3s anyway to match the DX3P+'s looks in fact I probably shouldn't have bought the A07 despite having a tertiary use case for it. Ended up doing so mainly because I needed the subwoofer amplifier which cost a whopping 30€ without power supply since I already had a suitable one for it, and what better way to save on shipping cost per item than to add 90+€ more products to do so?

 

[tvih]

I find myself wishing the PA3s had a similar "clicky" volume control like the DX3 Pro+ has. So damn easy to accidentally nudge the free-rotating knob (really no resistance at all on the damn thing) on the PA3s to the wrong position when doing something on the desk (including adjusting the DX3 Pro+ under it), so that its volume ends up incorrect compared to the subwoofer(s). I think I gotta add small dots onto the unit itself and to the base of the knob to make it easier to re-align to the specific spot than just by the dot it already has. Or I guess alternatively place them farther away and just use the DX3P+'s remote control exclusively. Or both.

More setup-related sorta offtopic:

Spoiler

Speaking of the subwoofer(s), it also looks like I gotta try again. I realized that as it was the sound was of course fine where I was sitting it was completely bonkers in the rest of the room, since I was/am sitting in a null zone of sorts. As such elsewhere it was very boomy and too loud, which is also a problem with neighborly considerations. Gonna try wiring my home theater sub into the mix to try to even things out, but with kinda little choice in placement for either of them (nor for my listening position for that matter) I guess I'll see how much of a difference it makes. Also gotta try to volume match the two... never tried a two-sub setup before.

 

[mait77]

Is this amp powerful enough for Elac UBR52 Uni-Fi 2.0 speakers? Does it have better track-record in reliability compared to Topping PA5? Thanks in advance!

 

[peng]

Is this amp powerful enough for Elac UBR52 Uni-Fi 2.0 speakers? Does it have better track-record in reliability compared to Topping PA5? Thanks in advance!

It should be powerful enough if you sit close enough and listen to spl low enough, example: 70-75 dB average 90 to 95 dB peak and from <8 ft, and 1% THD is acceptable during the highest peaks. So it depends, under some conditions it may not be enough, that's why Elac recommended a range of 40 W to 140 W. If in doubt, go for one that is rated 140 W into 6 ohms.

 

[acampero]

Hi all,)
Been looking and can't find an easy answer for this. Regarding the balanced vs unbalanced inputs on this amp, how would I connect my turntable (unbalanced RCA) to the balanced inputs on this. The unbalanced inputs are being used for my CD player. Is it as simple as a converter or connector? Not sure how you convert from unbalanced to balanced.

 

[antcollinet]

Hi all,)
Been looking and can't find an easy answer for this. Regarding the balanced vs unbalanced inputs on this amp, how would I connect my turntable (unbalanced RCA) to the balanced inputs on this. The unbalanced inputs are being used for my CD player. Is it as simple as a converter or connector? Not sure how you convert from unbalanced to balanced.

You simply input the unbalance signal into the hot side of the balanced connector. Ground to Ground. The cold side of the balanced connector is also grounded.

Since this device has TRS balanced inputs, you can achieve this with a simple RCA to TS interconnect.

 

[acampero]

You simply input the unbalance signal into the hot side of the balanced connector. Ground to Ground. The cold side of the balanced connector is also grounded.

Since this device has TRS balanced inputs, you can achieve this with a simple RCA to TS interconnect.

Thank you! I think I’m confused with the ground. I need to do some more reading up.
Is this what you are referring to? This would go from my phono preamp to the Topping PA3S?

TISINO RCA to 1/4 Cable, Dual RCA to Dual 1/4 inch TS Stereo Audio Interconnect Cable Patch Cords - 6.6 feet https://a.co/d/7uJH8Lx

 

[antcollinet]

Thank you! I think I’m confused with the ground. I need to do some more reading up.
Is this what you are referring to? This would go from my phono preamp to the Topping PA3S?

TISINO RCA to 1/4 Cable, Dual RCA to Dual 1/4 inch TS Stereo Audio Interconnect Cable Patch Cords - 6.6 feet https://a.co/d/7uJH8Lx

That will do it for an input to a TRS balanced input. Though you should go for the shortest cable that will reach. Longer cables are more susceptible to ground loop problems.

 

[acampero]

That will do it for an input to a TRS balanced input. Though you should go for the shortest cable that will reach. Longer cables are more susceptible to ground loop problems.

Got it! Thank you so much. This is my first foray into dealing with anything balanced involving home audio.
But this amp sounds pretty amazing especially when paired with my Klipsch RP-160Ms!