Topping PA3s Review (Desktop Amplifier)

[antcollinet]

Did you try searching for Topping PA3S?

TOPPING PA3S Power Amplifier MA12070*2 Class D Fully Balanced Single Ended AMP 80W*2 RCA TRS Power Amplifier (Black): Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

TOPPING PA3S Power Amplifier MA12070*2 Class D Fully Balanced Single Ended AMP 80W*2 RCA TRS Power Amplifier (Black): Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[sarumbear]

Did you try searching for Topping PA3S?

TOPPING PA3S Power Amplifier MA12070*2 Class D Fully Balanced Single Ended AMP 80W*2 RCA TRS Power Amplifier (Black): Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

TOPPING PA3S Power Amplifier MA12070*2 Class D Fully Balanced Single Ended AMP 80W*2 RCA TRS Power Amplifier (Black): Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

www.amazon.co.uk

Thank you. I can assure you I tried every combination. I was able to find the unit but there was no price nor availability. Now I can see it available.

 

[OverTheAir]

Thanks for the review! This looks like a great little amp for passive desktop media speakers. Before I went the active monitors route, I used a Topping TP22 with a set of Wharfedale Diamond 9.1's and I had little to complain about for the total sum of $150 invested. I like Topping gear. I still have that little TP22 and it still works fine. Must be more than 10 years old now?

Glad you've had better luck than me with my TP22. Hopefully this new amp is reliable because it otherwise looks fine.

 

[antcollinet]

Thank you. I can assure you I tried every combination. I was able to find the unit but there was no price nor availability. Now I can see it available.

No problem - sometimes even Amazon is as indecipherable as everywhere else.

 

[Jarrett]

Is it an integrated amp or power amp?

Is this going to sound better than my 15 years old Bryston B60? Maybe it measures better - unsure.

 

[AndreaT]

Excellent product, superb quality/price ratio, thank you Amir!

 

[amirm]

Is it an integrated amp or power amp?

Is this going to sound better than my 15 years old Bryston B60? Maybe it measures better - unsure.

It is integrated because it has volume control and dual inputs.

 

[Tks]

Topping, now make SOTA, current efficient (class AB / D with GaN technology) monoblock amplifiers for your best DACs and Pre90.

Supposedly (though the delays have been quite substantial) there is a power amp meant to dethrone the ABH2.

I’m thinking that’s something they bit off more than they can chew it seems.

John, surly there is a release window for this long mentioned power amp from Topping? Any updates?

 

[jst]

The wattage is quite low. Or can more powerful adapter be used for a boost ?

 

[jomo]

It is integrated because it has volume control and dual inputs.

Is there performance data with the SE input? And dynamic power output?

 

[Jarrett]

It is integrated because it has volume control and dual inputs.

Ohhh ok. To me that term has always meant w/ preamp.

 

[pma]

Is it an integrated amp or power amp?

Is this going to sound better than my 15 years old Bryston B60? Maybe it measures better - unsure.

Bryston B-60R integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Bryston B60 is much better, if you have it in a good condition. Bryston has higher power and predictable distortion behavior. Topping does not measure better.

 

[restorer-john]

To me that term has always meant w/ preamp.

That's traditionally the case, yes. And I have power amplifiers with twin sets of inputs and level controls and they aren't called an integrated amplifier either.

But, I have to agree with @amirm , it's a standalone amplifier product with a volume control and 2 inputs. It just scrapes into the integrated classification. Just.

 

[amirm]

Is there performance data with the SE input? And dynamic power output?

No, I didn't test RCA. Dynamic power was shown. It is not producing higher power.

 

[amirm]

Ohhh ok. To me that term has always meant w/ preamp.

That's what it has. Otherwise you wouldn't get volume control and input selection.

 

[restorer-john]

Bryston B-60R integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Bryston B60 is much better, if you have it in a good condition. Bryston has higher power and predictable distortion behavior. Topping does not measure better.

I like this quote in the Bryston review:

"hard-core audiophiles who love to keep changing equipment, who think of hi-fi as a competitive sport."

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Bryston B-60R integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Bryston B60 is much better, if you have it in a good condition. Bryston has higher power and predictable distortion behavior. Topping does not measure better.

Well, there's a surprise -- a product with a four-figure (USD) pricetag is "much better" than one priced at low three figures. I think the legendary "Captain Obvious" is in the building. What is surprising is that there are products in that four-figure price class that aren't actually all that "much better."

 

[pma]

Well, there's a surprise -- a product with a four-figure (USD) pricetag is "much better" than one priced at low three figures. I think the legendary "Captain Obvious" is in the building. What is surprising is that there are products in that four-figure price class that aren't actually all that "much better."

1998 x 2021 !
This is surprising.

 

[boselover61]

1998 x 2021 !
This is surprising.

It just means that technology in speaker amplification hasnt progressed that much so a 4 grand amp can be made for the same specs in 2021 for $150. In fact they might cost as much if not more. This isnt the fault of a single manufacturer like Topping but perhaps the industry as a whole.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

1998 x 2021 !
This is surprising.

Heck, there were great-performing amps back in the 1970s -- the McIntosh MC2100s that were so popular in recording studios back then being one example -- as long as ones pockets were deep enough to afford one of them. What makes 2021 amp technology remarkable isn't absolute performance -- rare exceptions like the Benchmark AHB-2 serve to prove the rule -- but rather the availability of very good performance for very little money in small, highly efficient packages.