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The vendor gave me another one after the original failed. It's still $350 plus a little shipping. Like $14. I've got a $3000 pile of nothing from NAD sitting here that they won't fix. Now THATS rolling the dice!
Ugh. That would make me sick. Sorry to hear that. With my Irish temper, I would have spent days, if not weeks lighting NAD up in direct correspondence and on every relevant forum accessible.
The vendor gave me another one after the original failed. It's still $350 plus a little shipping. Like $14. I've got a $3000 pile of nothing from NAD sitting here that they won't fix. Now THATS rolling the dice!
OK yes, I forgot you were one of the lucky ones who got your PA5 replaced. So that is good.
Yeah, the NAD experience sounds terrible, and an order of magnitude higher cost to you... And no relief... I will say my experience on the PA5 from Shenzhen and the A30Pro from Aoshida were better than the NAD... I did get most of my money back, except for the $85 shipping fee on the PA5. But it took me getting really angry at the customer service, and and that just wears on you... It was all so petty.
Today returned to me from China repaired under warranty by Shenzhen Audio Topping PA5. And the magic is back again. This is because during the repair I was listening to music through the topping PA3s. It seemed to work properly, but worse than the PA5. Now I am full of fear when the repaired amplifier will fail again.
Today returned to me from China repaired under warranty by Shenzhen Audio Topping PA5. And the magic is back again. This is because during the repair I was listening to music through the topping PA3s. It seemed to work properly, but worse than the PA5. Now I am full of fear when the repaired amplifier will fail again.
I am glad to hear this. Hopefully Shenzhen Audio and all of the resellers have learned a lesson on customer service. Hopefully Topping has learned more about reliability. Both needed improvement.
Yes. This wash-rinse-repeat development cycle is likely part of the problem. Reliability is a hard-earned characteristic that requires discipline.
The resellers need to improve too, I had a horrible experience with Shenzhen, it seems they have made some changes and now understand their responsibilities on warranty and after sales service. Shenzhen isn’t alone, the other sellers need to also improve.
FYI: Allegedly, production for the Pa5 has been halted due to "supply chain constraints." Here's a screenshot from the Apos audio support team, I'm awaiting confirmation from Hifigo on this topic as well. Hopefully, this means they'll use this as an opportunity to fix the Pa5's issue(s) if they haven't already.
Reached out to Topping. Pa5 has been fully discontinued, and they claim there are no plans for a direct replacement, at least for now. This may change, as they seem to be gearing up for the Launch of the Pa7.
I recently improved the whole thing by selling the Node 2i streamer that I replaced with an old laptop running Volumio OS (USB connection).
In terms of perceived sound quality, it's just incredible. The whole audible spectrum is rendered and I still rediscover many of my favorite tracks. The speakers and the subwoofer give me a transparency and a detailed depth of sound (all spectrum) that I had not reached with the HEGEL and the Node.
In terms of reliability, I had no problem at all. The PA5 is turned on every day, works at maximum volume (the E50 is used as a preamp) and is turned off as soon as I leave my house.
So far so good and I am a man with very happy ears!
I recently improved the whole thing by selling the Node 2i streamer that I replaced with an old laptop running Volumio OS (USB connection).
In terms of perceived sound quality, it's just incredible. The whole audible spectrum is rendered and I still rediscover many of my favorite tracks. The speakers and the subwoofer give me a transparency and a detailed depth of sound (all spectrum) that I had not reached with the HEGEL and the Node.
In terms of reliability, I had no problem at all. The PA5 is turned on every day, works at maximum volume (the E50 is used as a preamp) and is turned off as soon as I leave my house.
So far so good and I am a man with very happy ears!
I recently improved the whole thing by selling the Node 2i streamer that I replaced with an old laptop running Volumio OS (USB connection).
In terms of perceived sound quality, it's just incredible. The whole audible spectrum is rendered and I still rediscover many of my favorite tracks. The speakers and the subwoofer give me a transparency and a detailed depth of sound (all spectrum) that I had not reached with the HEGEL and the Node.
In terms of reliability, I had no problem at all. The PA5 is turned on every day, works at maximum volume (the E50 is used as a preamp) and is turned off as soon as I leave my house.
So far so good and I am a man with very happy ears!
Also, i never used the onboard DAC on the Node 2i because it has been tested by amir....: "[...] Resulting SINAD though (signal over noise and distortion) is not great at just 88 dB. This is well short of the dynamic range of the CD so the statement that the unit supports high-resolution, 24-bit playback is moot [...] " (link).
You're right but my old ASUS Laptop costed me nothing, has a battery and offers me the same services : Spotify connect, stream my own library stored on my NAS and provide me access to all the internet radios) without depending on a proprietary brand (Volumio OS is linux based, Debian).
Originally, the Node worked on the Hegel via the digital coaxial connection.
Once the Hegel was sold, the Node worked on the E50, still via the coaxial connection.
And then finally, now it's volumio via USB on the E50.
Step by step and thanks to ASR, I simplify and improve the whole thing by recovering money from my past "idiot-phile" mistakes (especially valid for the Hegel)...
So that is good.
