TP RA3 Rackmount Amplifier Review

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I like the price.
I hope that rack mounts could be deattached in the final product.

 

[amirm]

Is this really double sided tape to fixate the power supply?

No. There are footers (you can see one on the left) that are screwed to the case. The tape is for the insulations shroud as mentioned.

 

[TonyJZX]

i am reminded of this

kidding aside i was expecting much more than $230

if you have XLR nice screen, good vol. pot, remote then i was thinking it would be $350+ given that the Pa5 etc. costs that and lacks all that shite

BUT given that its only $230 and that the case depth isnt very deep then they're selling you a wide but very shallow unit (ie. box volume = thin)... they said 68w... so 57w is kind of acceptable to me at $230

now people say... buy a TPA3255... how about... where am i going to get XLR on that platform (that isnt a total pile)

XLR TPA units exist, just not reputable ones... also one can see there's a bit more engineering in this unit over a $100 tpa unit

btw. here's one of the past threads with some official TP spiel

TOPPING RA3 Amplifier（PA5 substitute?）

thank you Mr. 192kbps! despite your low bandwidth name your posts are more like MQA FLAC (no, I'm kidding of course!) A question i have is that why would you have XLR out on the DAC but have whatever the hell TRS input on the amp???? what what? unless they give you an XLR to TRS interconnect...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Anthony LoFi]

After going thru 13 pages of comments, I wonder at the collective ability of a group forum members to understand this is a technical review of a product. Does it meet its manufactured specifications or not.
The product was supplied by the manufacturer and to the their credit a forum member John Wang helps answer valid question from other forum members.

Why on earth do we question the power rating, box size and price., oh and its designated Pro application!.
Its what it is, its specifications and design is based on the manufacturers belief there is a market for it.
If its not for you move on.

Could we possibly start a parallel thread on every review titled "Opinion Page Review".
That way genuine technical questions can be kept to the review thread and all the other queries and suggestions for improvement etc can go on a parallel thread.
That way a reader who wants only facts and answer to technical specifications not included in the review can save time, and if they want "opinion from the experts" they have another separate space to go to.

Also it may create a better professional and courteous discussions where we dont really need to barrage Amir and other reviewers who are doing this as a free benefit to the audio community.

Just sayin

 

[Bruce Morgen]

all the usual issues that digital amps have

WTF are "digital amps" and what are their "usual issues?"

 

[DavidMcRoy]

The price is in the Beheringer range. So with mounting ears like that the next question is how long does it last when running 24-hours a day.

I'll let you know. Having worked in broadcasting for decades I've long neglected turning off audio gear at home and I'm about to buy 3 of these.

 

[TonyJZX]

you guys seem to have but ackchually issues as if people care... same energy as if some is actually shouting as you thru the internet

 

[B.A.T.]

I think the point a lot of us are making is that there are ~140W@8R TPA3255 implementations for less money, and no performance losses that would actually be audible.

For example anyone with the most basic of DIY skills could assemble a 3E PFFB TPA3255 amp, and something like a Meanwell SE-450-48, and have a -104 SINAD @5W, 130/230w capable tiny desktop amplifier, for <$200.

Shame they do not sell pre-built as this would be the de-facto amp recommendation I beleive. But putting it into a box with a SMPS is a trivial 1hr job that I think even my mother could do after watching one soldering tutorial on YouTube.



View attachment 296530

I understand your point, but DIY solutions are always cheaper. This is a ready to use product with nice finish, screen, and remote control. So I think it's justifies it's price.

 

[Bleib]

I understand your point, but DIY solutions are always cheaper. This is a ready to use product with nice finish, screen, and remote control. So I think it's justifies it's price.

DIY solutions aren't really for everyone to do either. It's easier to assemble a PC from parts but even with that a lot of people would struggle.

 

[delta76]

DIY solutions aren't really for everyone to do either. It's easier to assemble a PC from parts but even with that a lot of people would struggle.

an even someone who does - many will not do a clean/proper job with cable management
I'm guilty as charged, even though I am somewhat a computer enthusiast.

 

[TonyJZX]

even if a diy has simllar or even better performance to this you wont get the neatness of this AIO solution and another unknown is what software is supposed to work on the type c port as alluded to earlier...

 

[Elgrosso]

These seem like a good option for my active 3 ways to sit on top of an xli800. I wish there more options with digital volume controls though. Despite my best efforts to dial in amp gains, one stray paw from a cat is enough to knock some of my knobs out of balance and then I've gotta get the measurement mic out again.

A volume bypass would be nice too, maybe in a future firmware upgrade.
But at least the display makes it easy to set the volume back to the needed value, unlike the original pa5.

Sorry if this has been covered - I jumped from page 4 of comments to here. Where might this be sold? Nothing comes up online.

Only place I found it is on taobao, I hope it will quickly appear on Audiophonics!

Funny how this unit appears right around the Fosi v3 fuss, while not easily available in the west yet.
Well for sure I like it, seems great for multi amp setup, a pa5 without the issues, clean look once stacked.
I will try it at least on highs, even if I’m still a little unsure about reliability.

 

[gumblag]

Folks, this is NOT a pro amp. It is a pro looking amp for home use. No pro amp needs a remote control or selectable inputs. This is a very high function and high performance amplifier put in a rack mount case I suspect to save cost. Rack mount cases were all the rage in 1980s and was a sign of equipment being "high-end!" Here is my carver receiver of the era:

On power, you need to focus on 4 ohm rating because that is where the demand is from vast number of speakers.

On reactive loads, the amp I am sure handles them. It is just that my testing pushes the amplifier into clipping and then backs off. When the amp shuts down, the script that runs through all the variations then produces garbage. This is why I didn't run it, not because the amp can't handle reactive loads.

You're right Amir. I started my HiFi "journey" with a Sansui AU 719 and TU 719 and AR 14 speakers. The Sansui set looked very "pro" with its, detachable (!), rackmounts. The set played for over 20 years. I bougt the set in 1980.

 

[Multicore]

Folks, this is NOT a pro amp. It is a pro looking amp for home use. No pro amp needs a remote control or selectable inputs. This is a very high function and high performance amplifier put in a rack mount case I suspect to save cost.

Point taken. But there are pro situations where budgets are very tight and performance like this TP's would be welcomed. (Actually the remote can be handy in commercial installations although it might get lost.)

For example, I know folks who would be very interested in a rack-mounted Raspberry Pi + PSU + XLR audio interface.

 

[Colonel7]

I'll let you know. Having worked in broadcasting for decades I've long neglected turning off audio gear at home and I'm about to buy 3 of these.

Interested to hear about your experience with them in the future. I’m also a prime use case for this as I have an active large 3 way prototype waiting for the right combo of amps for the mids and tweeters on a more permanent basis. However, I’m not willing to jump in with Topping from the get go. I’ll wait about 8 months to see about reliability. By that time I’ll either pass or go to order and find out it’s not made anymore!

 

[fpitas]

After going thru 13 pages of comments, I wonder at the collective ability of a group forum members to understand this is a technical review of a product. Does it meet its manufactured specifications or not.
The product was supplied by the manufacturer and to the their credit a forum member John Wang helps answer valid question from other forum members.

Why on earth do we question the power rating, box size and price., oh and its designated Pro application!.
Its what it is, its specifications and design is based on the manufacturers belief there is a market for it.
If its not for you move on.

Could we possibly start a parallel thread on every review titled "Opinion Page Review".
That way genuine technical questions can be kept to the review thread and all the other queries and suggestions for improvement etc can go on a parallel thread.
That way a reader who wants only facts and answer to technical specifications not included in the review can save time, and if they want "opinion from the experts" they have another separate space to go to.

Also it may create a better professional and courteous discussions where we dont really need to barrage Amir and other reviewers who are doing this as a free benefit to the audio community.

Just sayin

To your point, there is a more sensible thread that the designer started:

Ask me questions.

Hi A few questions/"suggestions". :) Why not a more powerful amplifier, performance leading as per your usual but at least 200 watt/ch? It could even be mono. Class D, preferred because of efficiency and balanced too. A full featured preamplifier with DAC and phono stage? Balanced of course...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Multicore]

Why on earth do we question the power rating, box size and price., oh and its designated Pro application!.
Its what it is, its specifications and design is based on the manufacturers belief there is a market for it.
If its not for you move on.

Don't you think there's interest or validity in posting along the lines: interesting product but not suitable for my application _x_ because of _y_?

I know these things can get annoying when they are stated in dismissive language, e.g. it's not a real _x_ without _y_, or worse.

 

[TonyJZX]

i dont think people are all that interested in speculation of using this device to power a jazz cafe or a conference room when no one in this universe or any other universe would ever use it in this application

... simply because if it blows up then good luck getting them to fix it. I dont like Behringer but at least I can rma to my local DJ store.

 

[DanielT]

Thanks for the measurement Amir.

An interesting amp option, mainly because of this:
"A concern with low cost class D amp ICs is load (speaker) dependency. Topping has worked hard to make that basically a non-issue:"

Really good SINAD and an appealing price makes it even better.

Far too little power for pro PA use, therefore is rackmount just idiotic. This amp will only be used for home HiFi.

 

[DanielT]

For example anyone with the most basic of DIY skills could assemble a 3E PFFB TPA3255 amp, and something like a Meanwell SE-450-48, and have a -104 SINAD @5W, 130/230w capable tiny desktop amplifier, for <$200.

You forgot a lot: Remote control, amp box/chassis, all contacts and so on. That is to build something similar to TP RA3 that is.
The question then becomes: Will a total DIY amp cost, BOM, be less than what the TP RA3 costs.

However, one thing can be much more worthwhile and that is to do something yourself. The satisfaction it gives. That even if you put modules together. Maybe that's why people have a love - hate relationship with IKEA? Note the last said is purely an amateur psychological thought.