Topping PA5 Review (Amplifier)

[ogonex]

OTOH... being young gives one more time to repair their Credit Score

This conversation does not make sense. I have no loans now. So i'm happy.

 

[F1308]

shame about talking. I don't have any loans anymore. I don't know about the others here with loans. Regards and end of this discussion

Before ending, let me thank Topping for their achievements both, in technology and in price ranges. Bought my first amplifier in 1985, a Denon. Last week bought my new one, a PA5.

 

[ModDIY]

This conversation does not make sense. I have no loans now. So i'm happy.

For those with an extremely tight budget, I recommend the Topping Pa3s, I bought it from a friend who already has several class D and class AB amps, he is very satisfied and the power sufficient for these needs.

Pa3s are the excellent double MA12070 !

 

[ogonex]

Osobom z wyjątkowo napiętym budżetem polecam Topping Pa3s , kupiłem go od znajomego, który ma już kilka wzmacniaczy klasy D i klasy AB, jest bardzo zadowolony i moc wystarczająca na te potrzeby.

Pa3s to doskonałe podwójne MA12070 !

I bought 2. 3EAudio and BRZHIFI for fun. just because they play via bluetooth.

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59.99US $ |Tpa3255/50 Bluetooth 5.0 With Dsp Processing Integrated Power Supply All In One Hifi Amplifier - Home Theater Amplifiers - AliExpress

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For mega fun:

12.62US $ 5% OFF|Zk-1002 Hifi 100wx2 Tpa3116 Bluetooth 5.0 High Power Digital Amplifier Stereo Board Amp Amplificador Home Theater - Instrument Parts & Accessories - AliExpress

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For me it's enough for my summer house.


Thank's a lot ModDIY

 

[ModDIY]

I have a 3eAudio lying in a drawer with a bunch of others, TPA3251, 3255 and the array of TDA and other class D.

Currently on my main system I use bi-amplification (class AB) for my main speakers.

Also I have the Sabaj A20a which I love and which I use on my secondary system, it also contains 2 MA12070s and more expensive than the PA3s, but with a remote control, tone control ... etc. otherwise it stays the same.

The MA12070 requires fewer parts and does not have a PFFB like the TPA325X, so costs less.

What I like about the MA12070 is an excellent sound, close to my class AB amps, with less power of course.

 

[ogonex]

I have a 3eAudio lying in a drawer with a bunch of others, TPA3251, 3255 and the array of TDA and other class D.

Currently on my main system I use bi-amplification (class AB) for my main speakers.

Also I have the Sabaj A20a which I love and which I use on my secondary system, it also contains 2 MA12070s and more expensive than the PA3s, but with a remote control, tone control ... etc. otherwise it stays the same.

The MA12070 requires fewer parts and does not have a PFFB like the TPA325X, so costs less.

What I like about the MA12070 is an excellent sound, close to my class AB amps, with less power of course.

At home, I use an E-550 clone and my own transmission line design on Scan Speak speakers. DAC PCM 1704

 

[cheapsoundguy]

Just ordered one of these. Will pair with an SMSL SU-9 DAC and an SMSL M400 DAC. Source is BlueSound Node out of Coax.

Currently have a pair of Outlaw Audio 2200 monoblocks but the hiss on my B&W 702 S2 speakers annoys me They are 90db sensitivity, so hoping this little amp will be perfect for them.

 

[mocenigo]

The secret of the chip is already known ... In our time of information technology, it is stupid to make a secret out of it.

So ..1 or ..5?

 

[mocenigo]

somehow serious companies don't do that. Or not?
let them cover up
The fact, that they say that it is not tpa 325x like Jlester knows, is pure marketing. But as you can see, many fall for it

FM Acoustics even puts entire circuits in epoxy filled black plastic boxes...

 

[daniboun]

 

[misterdog]

Somehow Accuphase does not rub the inscriptions from transistors ;-)))
I know this because I made the E-550 clone myself.

Just ask John Yang to release the BOM and schematic, in fact while he's at it he could release the Gerbers so that 'we' could have our own PCB's made.

 

[pjug]

Well now we know. So how is it that the amp won't function normally if the IC is replaced with another one? (Said in Post #1808)

 

[Raindog123]

Just ask John Yang to release the BOM and schematic, in fact while he's at it he could release the Gerbers so that 'we' could have our own PCB's made.

Or skip the design docs and go straight for the bank account info!

 

[nagster]

I'm sorry JohnYang1997.
I looked back at Post #1808. You must protect intellectual property. It's slow, but I'll erase the photo.

 

[Redheart]

I have bought a smallish class D amp to power the big Cabasse speakers on my folks TV audio output in their living room. That amp is on 24/24 all year. It's been 5 years now, and it's still going! That amp was 40$. Sound volume is plenty.

Try doing that with a tube amp or a big Class AB amp...

Those amps are not rubbish toys or disposable, they are the future...

Bought the PA5 together with E50. Delivery is tomorrow!

 

[mocenigo]

Also like mentioned, it took some serious work to make things work. I have developed accurate simulation models and novel optimization methods. You are not finding these anywhere else.

I am sure about this and your work is definitely commendable.

After my NFCA circuit got copied and supposedly patented(in China) by a different company and even there are clear errors in the patent filing, it drove me mad like no tomorrow. I of course would go extra mile protecting all the hours that went in.

This is something I cannot understand. You are yourself in china, or at least the company you work for is. How come no proper prior art search was performed? Could Topping or the parent group challenge this patent? This is absolutely crazy!

And to people who think it's still overpriced. This is sold globally with many authorized resellers with hierarchy. The provided power supply is actually 300W supply. All of this I don't think you'll get anything better for cheaper.

It is not overpriced. I think you designed a great product – and me saying that IMO it is not in the league of Benchmark AHB2 or Purifi 1ET400A because it delivers less power is NOT a contradiction: I believe the PA5 is quite fairly priced, indeed. Congratulations again.

 

[mocenigo]

I'm sorry JohnYang1997.
I looked back at Post #1808. You must protect intellectual property. It's slow, but I'll erase the photo.

I think that unfair competitors would be able to get a PA5, determine the used chip, and reverse engineer the rest anyway. I do not think you have done damage. It is a cut-throat world where JohnYang1997 has chosen to work. The great italian hifi designer Bartolomeo Aloia once said that he stopped filing patents on circuits because other people would copy them anyway, patents are expensive, litigation even more so, and dishonest people can get away with minimal modifications...

 

[ModDIY]

I have bought a smallish class D amp to power the big Cabasse speakers on my folks TV audio output in their living room. That amp is on 24/24 all year. It's been 5 years now, and it's still going! That amp was 40$. Sound volume is plenty.

Try doing that with a tube amp or a big Class AB amp...

Those amps are not rubbish toys or disposable, they are the future...

Bought the PA5 together with E50. Delivery is tomorrow!

I have several TPA3116, intended for Bluetooth mounts.

Also I have an "old" TPA3116 Breeze that I use from time to time to quickly test sources or speakers on my workbench.

They've been running for almost 10 years.

 

[xrk971]

I think yeah, you are right on this, that the part quality is low on a budget amp. So, but designwise I think its still on the reliable side. My guess would be if we clone the design with higher quality parts on a Topping it would last long like an Accuphase. Again, Accuphase and McIntosh breaks too. And when it fails it really has the potential to break your speakers just like a little Topping along with it. Most people who owns so called "Hi end" stuff are very proud of what they own. So, they will never agree talk about it when something goes wrong. But the audience of something like a Topping is quite budget minded group. And they talk it out when things break. My friend who picked up a used Accuphase had DC at speaker terminals which killed his test speaker's tweeters. It wasnt expensive, but he fixed the amp based on the schematic and then he is now happy with his spendor and Accuphase combination. But imagine if he had tried that directly to the Spendor.

I’m surprised the amp did not have built in DC offset protection. Most high end amps capable of making DC if they malfunction should have a speaker protection circuit. I use solid state relays (SSR) and they work reliably and add no distortion to the sound (measured and proven).

Class D amps like Topping rely on TPA32xx’s built in DC offset to shutdown the amp if that occurs. It’s done at the chip level rather than independent of the amp. If the chip malfunctions or fails, it can still fry speakers. But that is rare.

Amps like IcePower 1200AS2 can deliver a wallop of DC (100+v) and also rely on smarts built into the amp controller chip vs independent DC protect relay after the amp. With a powerful amp like this, one also needs to be very careful with hot plugging audio inputs.

Higher power (100w+) Class AB or Class A amps discrete or chip are all capable of damaging speakers if they don’t have DC protection circuits and they malfunction. Sometimes it is just the PSU failing on one rail and that imbalances the amp output.

Sometimes it’s DC from a source. That would be protected by amps with input caps. Many amps are proud of the fact that there are no caps in the signal path from input to output. Those definitely need DC protection.

 

[restorer-john]

The market for clones/DIY versions of inexpensive chip amps is very different than the market for clones/DIY versions of Accuphase, Levinson, or McIntosh amps.

An Accuphase clone is like a Rolex replica...