Topping PA5 Review (Amplifier)

[JeffGB]

Where to get a 32V PS ? Link or specs? Thank you

I just used the Aiyima 32v 5amp supply that Amir tested the Aiyima a07 with. I removed the connector from the Topping PA5 power supply and changed the Aiyima connector for it. The TPA3251 chip used in the PA5 is rated to use 12v to 36v, whereas the TPA3255 used in the Aiyima a07 is rated to use 18v to 53.5v so I will use the Topping supply for the Aiyima.

 

[tvih]

My domestic Topping vendor would even have silver PA5 40€ off currently which gave me pause for a sec, but even with domestic warranty handling seems like too much of a poopshoot the way things stand (plus would prefer black). Audiophonics' Hypex NC122MP stereo amp is only ~430€ shipped compared to the PA5's normal 350€, and even without said domestic warranty handling it would seem like the safer bet for whenever I do get around to upgrading the main speaker amp (if I get around to it, benefit in current apartment at least would be questionable). Though gotta say a power amp without volume control for gain staging seems tricky/risky to implement into my current system - as in using miniDSP directly as USB DAC for stereo vs. using the full surround system - the latter has a much weaker signal and thus would only need to forget the change the miniDSP's volume once when changing use case and it'd be bye bye ears.

 

[qec]

Well it was great while it lasted. After about 6 months of flawless function my PA5 lost it's left channel this morning. Started out as static or hissing which was independent of volume and then the channel went completely. Need to contact Topping. Hoped that I purchased it from APOS Audio but it turns out it was Amazon.
Pulled the Adcom GFA 555 out of storage and all is good for now

 

[Doodski]

Adcom GFA 555

The old standby battleship amplifier!

 

[terrys999]

Lesson learned.
Thank god I have 2 other amps.

 

[bboris77]

Makes me sad to hear all these reports. It’s like take one step forward, two steps back. I really hope that there is an official response to this to ensure there’s no long lasting damage to the brand’s reputation.

In terms of what this means for @amirm and his testing/recommendation process - I understand that he does not do long term testing due to obvious time concerns. However, in the interest of pushing the boundaries of the audio industry once again like he’s done with SINAD, it would be fantastic if he could rig up some kind of accelerated torture test for audio equipment. Especially if these items are being recommended for purchase. Obviously, this would not be done to user-submitted units without prior approval.

 

[mike70]

ASR does performance tests, and they're open and clear. I don't know how many objective reviewers delivered a "reliability test"

There's a certain responsability in consumers to not go blindly after certain sky-high SINAD or things like that. In the normal circunstances, a very very good amplifier will be indistingished from a good amplifier. I think we need to know better other aspects of music reproduction, like acoustics and room / speaker interactions.
You can have much better sound from a good DSP room correction than changing a decent amplifier for other with 120dB SINAD.

The risk / performance ratio is very low buying blindly a spectacular amplifier with 1 week on the market. That's why i think ... is our fault also ... we need to understand more stuff than THD or electronics. Music in your room goes further than analog /digital streams inside certain chips. Certainly the final result in your home and reliability ... it does.

My opinion.

 

[Kosimo]

Makes me sad to hear all these reports. It’s like take one step forward, two steps back. I really hope that there is an official response to this to ensure there’s no long lasting damage to the brand’s reputation.

In terms of what this means for @amirm and his testing/recommendation process - I understand that he does not do long term testing due to obvious time concerns. However, in the interest of pushing the boundaries of the audio industry once again like he’s done with SINAD, it would be fantastic if he could rig up some kind of accelerated torture test for audio equipment. Especially if these items are being recommended for purchase. Obviously, this would not be done to user-submitted units without prior approval.

Honestly I think this is not feasible. Calculating reliable statistics of good unit yield is something even the manufacturers themselves struggle to do.
Moreover with one unit tested, there is no statistics at all. If you get a good unit, you can torture it as you like, but it will have nothing to confess.

 

[chplus]

Could this amp be bridged to use it with double power as a mono block?

Asking the same thing

 

[somebodyelse]

Asking the same thing

There should be an FAQ for this given how many times it's been asked and answered - No, because it's already bridged internally. For reference the 'search' option in the top right has an option to search only this thread.

 

[bboris77]

Honestly I think this is not feasible. Calculating reliable statistics of good unit yield is something even the manufacturers themselves struggle to do.
Moreover with one unit tested, there is no statistics at all. If you get a good unit, you can torture it as you like, but it will have nothing to confess.

Agreed, assuming that it is not a design flaw, in which case there may not be a good unit to speak of. A good unit, at bare minimum, would be one that makes it to the end of warranty period without failure. From what we are seeing here, a lot of the units are failing way earlier than this. I do agree with you that there may not be enough return on investment from @amirm's point of view, as most units he tests do not have these type of issues. Moreover, he should not be doing the manufacturer's QC job for them. The main question is should he be removing his recommendation to purchase a unit as soon as a certain critical mass of legitimate failure reports is reached. I think that the answer to this is yes, as a lot of people, including myself, make purchasing decisions based on these recommendations.

 

[Laserjock]

I have one of these and a SMSL M500 that has the issue

I guess I need to wait awhile after the recommendation/golfing panther to purchase

 

[chplus]

There should be an FAQ for this given how many times it's been asked and answered - No, because it's already bridged internally. For reference the 'search' option in the top right has an option to search only this thread.

Oh, gotcha. Sorry, new here.

 

[morpheusX]

I'm using a Topping PA5 to power an active TPL-150H (102db sensitivity).

With full gain, there is a small hiss, but only if i put my ears right to the speaker, its inaudible 50cm away.
I use it with the gain at 2 o'clock (75% ??), and with this setting, its inaudible unless i place my ear in the TPL.

For my use case, its the perfect amp (cheap, low gain/high SINAD, and very small)!

Fingers crossed that it stays healthy for a long time

 

[somebodyelse]

Oh, gotcha. Sorry, new here.

No worries, we've all been there. I didn't mean to sound critical, but could have phrased it better. Long threads like this really would benefit from an FAQ or index to important posts, as found on some other sites. Sometimes posts can be hard to find even if you know they're there.

 

[tiramisu]

It is a bit concerning that Topping has not responded to the issue. I was fairly excited by the idea of building up a little system with matching topping gear but this gives me a reason to rethink that. APOS seems to give pretty darn good protection for americans. Is there a Canadian way of buying Topping that doesn't involve returns to China for NFG goods for Topping?

 

[chplus]

No worries, we've all been there. I didn't mean to sound critical, but could have phrased it better. Long threads like this really would benefit from an FAQ or index to important posts, as found on some other sites. Sometimes posts can be hard to find even if you know they're there.

Right. I was anxious to know because I need to replace an old amp in our room paired with a tannoy system 800. Also with the recent measurements, got a bit excited! Since I'll be coming from a Behringer a500. Figured I can run 1 unit after all.

 

[MalinYamato]

...had a look at this but I do hate huge power bricks very much. It so much nicer plutting an ordinary power chord directly into the units back. btw, what is the diff in sound quality between a PA5 vs an class A amp such as Rotel A11 Tribute, which I am using as a trial. I know that class D has much higher wattage but I dont need that much as my speakers are 88 db at 8 ohm, B&W CDM6 2S.

 

[HDavidson]

I have a pair from panasonic sc-pmx92. According to the characteristics, they are 3 Ohms. Can Topping PA5 work with them?
...or Topping MX5 may be (but it doesn't have enough power) ?

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[MAB]

btw, what is the diff in sound quality between a PA5 vs an class A amp such as Rotel A11 Tribute, which I am using as a trial. I know that class D has much higher wattage but I dont need that much as my speakers are 88 db at 8 ohm, B&W CDM6 2S.

The Rotel A11 is Class A/B, not Class A. You should be happy about that since Class A is the same sound but less power and more heat. And of course the Rotel is half the power of the PA5. The biggest difference is that the Topping seems to be totally unreliable:

Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.

Poll for PA5 owners to report product defects. Discussion for any solutions. I think it would be useful to get a handle on some numbers to estimate just how wide spread the issues are. Addendum: Here is Topping's response to the PA5 issues...

www.audiosciencereview.com

And the customer service from the Topping resellers (Shenzhenaudio, Aoshida-USA) is horrible. My PA5 started making noises after about a week. Before that, it sounded fine. It was replacing a Yamaha CA-2010 which was getting repaired. Interestingly, the Yamaha has both Class A/B and Class A modes, both modes sound the same. While the PA5 was working, it sounded just like the Yamaha. The 45 year old Yamaha is back working again, the PA5 was a total rip-off. I bought three Topping pieces over the past year, two of them are defective and both have the same infinite-passive-aggressive no-resolution customer service.

So, just about anything (including the Rotel) is gonna sound better than the PA5!