I just re-ordered a bunch of A07s ... they've made multiple improvements. The op-amps all test as genuine The heat sink is bigger The output filters have been re-worked with better grade capacitors. The bulk caps are upgraded to 2,200uf (from 1,000) The volume control is now Audio Taper The power brick supplied now has inrush limiting built in Sound quality is improved... much better low bass and better clarity in upper mid and presence ranges. Overall ... the July 2023 amplifier is much better than the original from 2 years ago.
@@jutubabatuju The leftover stock should be long gone by now. I wish we could post pictures here, but... The quickest tell is the size of the heat sink... The new version heat sink covers almost the entire width of the circuit board. The early version covers barely half. If you search for "Aiyima A07" then click on images, you will find pictures of both. The difference is pretty obvious. (The image in the review at 14:30 is the old version) I'm not aware of any version markings on the boards themselves.
1000uf geez I have to open my a07 and check it, because mine only draws 8watt from wall socket at normal volume listening, dunno if that's because of low capacitor but its wasting the power supply at 48v 10a = 480 watt.
@@Mickimoss Nope ... it's not about that capacitor. The advantage of the larger caps is in transient and bass handling, it won't change the average power drawn by the amp. It is also not wasting the power supply ... you may be drawing 8 watts (which is typical, btw) but you need some extra headroom for louder peaks in the music from things like snare shots and those thundering crescendos. The average listening session, on reasonably efficient speakers, will run between 2 and 3 watts. With 10db of overhead you'll want 20 to 30 watts of power available... So your 8 watts is probably correct. FWIW ... I typically run my TPA3255 amps at 36 volts. It's a nice compromise between heat and power. You'll get 140 watts/channel on 4 ohm speakers about 75 per on 8.
Thanks, Amir. This is an awesome little amp, very happy with the cleanliness of highs. Here's my setup for total USD460: JBL Stage A170 (USD360 on sale), best budget class D amplifier Aiyima A07 (TPA3255, $80), Echo dot 2nd gen (budget DAC ;-), $20). You can save $180 by using bookshelf JBL Stage A130. Amazing things happened with amplifiers in the last 20 years. Happy building your perfect setup!
I have two of these running an active 2-way setup in my garage. They are phenomenal. I use the stock power supply and I never drive tham hard enough that they get hot. I use a Dayton DSP408 to do the DSP duties and just leave the volume knobs around 75%. Dead quiet. Thanks for the great review. Hard to believe how cost effective these Class D amps have become. Honestly, why even get more expensive stuff?
I have two A07s driven via a DSP-408 for the four ambience/surround speakers in my 6.1 system. Same experience here -- excellent performance and no heat issues.
It's nice to see a face and voice to match your forum post. You gave a good review on the Yamaha R-N803 which I purchased before finding your results. I made a good choice.
Since power tubes are so expensive now, I bought one of these to power my Magnepans 1.7s. This little amp gets the job done. I don't listen at high volumes but I can listen to the same loudness as when I powered the speakers with tube amps. I paid $61 with the power supply for this amp which is pretty awesome
I got this amp for $50 from AliExpress (AiyimaTechnology store) and paired it for awhile with the Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2. The speakers were a little too big for my desktop so I now have them paired with an old Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble speaker setup on my desktop. Amazing little amp that works perfectly in my office.
I just received my a07 and I also have it paired with the debut reference speakers. I will perform some a-b comparisons against my schiit vidar but first impressions is that there is no discernible difference in sound quality. Amazing!
I was astonished at the A07. Everything you say and found I agreed with. And also the lovely sound. I decided to use Aiyima's 36v/5A supply and it works very well. Being old school I decided to downsize from a hifi rack with pretty decent kit and I don't feel cheated at all 🙂
I have the big brother to this (A08) and it blows my mind. Replaced a Kinter Tripath 2020+ and it was night and day. I replaced the Kinter for more output on my Emotiva B1s and had no expectation of improved SQ, nor was I listening for it. About 5 minutes in, my jaw was on the floor. It was the proverbial "my wife called me from Cabo with her boyfriend to ask me what I changed" moment.
I have watched hundreds of reviews of the last few years and none of them give me what yours does. There was great and very practical for novices or experts.
I'm happy to see you review the TPA3255, but I really wish that you would have paired it with a simple 48v 10 amp DROK (or equivalent) AC to DC power supply. You can pick one up for $35ish, and it takes very little effort to wire it up, though I'd use larger gauge wire than simply snipping the wart out of what's supplied. The power supply has a digital readout just in case one doesn't accidentally run 480 watts in to the TPA3255 amp with the volume knob pegged. I think you'll be amazed at the test results. As it is, I think that you've been fair, but you may have inadvertently undervalued it based on the supplied power supply, and there is so much more to be had from the chip, even as utilized here by Ayima. TI is deserving of some real recognition, and no I'm not tied to them in any way. Regardless, thanks for the review, and keep up the good work!
That's exactly what I did when I used an A07 to drive my main L+R speakers. Nowadays, I use the same power supply to run the two A07s that drive my four ambience/surround speakers -- all my other speakers are active.
The Aiyma AO7 is excellent for the price. It is a pleasure to listen to regardless of cost. The TPA3255 based amps compete very well with Icepower amp modues imo and I prefer the TI TPA 3255 based amps over the icepower asx125 module. It is good to know my subjective pleasure with this Aiyma amp is borne out by the specs.
Great Amir, your youtube channel will rock soon. Can we definitely say that DAC and Amps are cracked today and we have to focus on Speakers dispersion and room interaction if we are looking for transparent sound reproduction? Do make sense to increase the attention on how speakers interact with listening room (the main offenders for educated listeners...) and provide some shed on how dsp and room treatments might help your ASRs to achieve more enjoyment in their Journey towards HIFI... my Best L.
Thank you. DACs definitely. Power amplifiers, not quite. The best ones are quite expensive. That said, yes, speakers are the key. Get that wrong and rest doesn't matter. Room interactions can and are significant as well. I will do future reviews on those.
@@AudioScienceReview That was what I was wondering. I have the A04, have the Meanwell PSU on the way and am using a DX3 Pro as a pre-amp. So it seems like I'd have to spend a LOT more money than I have to make much of an improvement. On the other hand, these relatively cheap components may actually justify some serious speakers. Is that right? Would you have suggestions? (Small room, don't play super loud (communal living plus trying to avoid any further hearing loss) and "bright" usually feels painfully harsh to me). And how far could/should I go? If the DAC is close enough to transparent and a better amp is going to cost thousands, could it possibly be worth spending one or two thousand on speakers to go with a £40 amp???
Why didn't I find this channel years ago!! Fantastic reviews! I'm going to buy this AIYIMA amp and get rid of the so-so one I bought a couple years ago.
I got two of these. each bi-wired into a monitor audio bronze 100, receiving a signal from a hidizs s8 dac (also an Amir recommendation). well happy. edit: power supply for each amp . . . 48v 5a
Amazing 3 years on, I still find this video relevant to me. I have just installed on to power my sub JBL SB5. Juiced it with 36V 6.0 Amp, at 50% volume, it is able to give punchy base. I was wondering, would replacing to a larger capacitor to make the unit able to perform better. It may not, but no harm exploring.
Im really glad to see a youtube channel. Thank you for making these videos. I would ask you try to make chapters for the youtube video if you can in the future. Thanks again!
I just took the top off of mine and put a little 2 inch fan blowing over the heatsink and boom. No more worries about overheating. I'm driving 2ohm loads all day with no problems.
Thanks for your great vid which is now 2 years old. So I think it's time to review the new Aiyima A07 Pro with sub out, bluetooth, tone controls and no need for a change to better OP amps...
Thanks for the review Amir, whenever you propose a reasonable priced but high performance component such as dacs and amp please also propose speakers along with them to make a complete system / package. This will help people like me.
This might be a better question for the ASR website as the answer is going to be complex and depend on the features you need, your budget, and what's important to you.
What an impressive review about the humble but brilliant amplifier! I'd like to ask you to have a look at the same company's a tube amplifier, Ayima Audio T9.
Aiyima makes really great tube preamps also. I bought the A3 a few years ago, it has tone controls also. It’s hands down the best bang for buck i’ve ever spent on audio. I never really believed in tubes until I set it up just as an experiment, you lose some detail in the bass but the sound stage is holographic there’s no way I could ever go back.
@@CoomerGremlinDGGfan it’s a small tube preamp with Vol, treble, and bass control. I use it to power my desktop audio monitors. I was curious about tube amplification and it was really cheap, so I gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised, it sounds really great.
@@CoomerGremlinDGGfan it wasn’t out yet when I bought it. I think it’s all the same internals as the A3, but with Bluetooth, a headphone jack and built in DAC (digital to audio converter). I already have an audio interface that I use for a DAC, and my speakers have a headphone jack built in. Id say the T6 pro is a better value, but I can’t speak on the quality of the DAC or headphone jack 🤷♂️
I recently purchased (but haven't yet received) the Aiyima A05 which likewise seems to punch well above its weight ($78). It has a bass and treble control which I wanted. It is based on the TPA3221 chip. Do you have any views on that one? I guess it has less power (100W nominal) than the 3255. But is it of similar quality? I take it that these chips collectively are the breakthrough technology giving class D amps their improved performance these days due to increased switching speed?
Another great review. Thanks. When testing SINAD, you say the DUT is set for 29dB gain. Is the output level from the test AR test equipment then set for max SINAD rather than your usual 2Vrms?
Decent, great for desktops, fits banana plugs, the 3.5 mm AUX also works and a line in when the RCA jacks are not plugged in, so a 3.5 mm male to male from line out, 3.5 mm headphone jack, or dongle DAC (such as an Apple dongle DAC in lightning or USB C). It is simple: on-off and volume knob; functional for the intended purpose: power two passive stero speakers; and modular (with AUX out option).
thanks brother, u can never rely on anyone for advice for amps or speakers but u helped me take the plunge on the aiyima A07 DAMN it does sound good especially for the price but kills my onkyo tx sr393 in clarity, granted kinda sharp on some music but easy to fix with eq, im only running a dayton audio dac 01 from a computer to it , then 3.5mm to a rolls promatch to a crown xls1000, sounds killer, im using swan m1 clone speakers, but thanks again amir
Quick way to improve thermals would be a thick thermal pad underneath the chip, soaking heat from PCB to chassis. Used on properly designed GPU backplates to manage VRM temps.
I’ve actually done this with my tpa3250 based amps, added a 5mm copper plate under the board with a thermal pad either side, hard to tell if it’s even getting above room temp now.
maybe worth buying one for such a low price and find out yourself? I thnk there should be a few other reviews online about this amp that might help you
Hello Mr. Amir! Just wanted to ask you about those blue capacitors. What they do and can they be replaced? If possible, which brand? And instead of 100V, can i use 275V?
Is the Aiyima A08 a straight up upgrade over this A07? I have the option to pick up either of these or a Behringer A800. What would a wise man do? I plan to build a DIY two towers with 2x12" Eminence Beta CX coaxial elements in both towers. I don't have huge knowledge, I just like to tinker and build.
Love your detailed review.. im planning to use this to drive a pair of Elac B5.2 what minimum voltage of adapter do you think i need in this tpa3255 to drive the elac decently for a small size room?
Hello Amir, greetings from Brazil! I've been reading the forum since the beginning and I must say that this RUclips channel is phenomenal! And I want to ask you about the Harman Kardon HK 3490 receiver. Have you heard it? What can you say about it? The last of the good stereo receivers from harman or just average performance? Can you test/measure it sometime in the future?
Can this power a pair with Elac debut reference nicely? Also i noted this amp frequency range is 20hz - 20khz only, if the speakers range is wider…it will be filtered? Thanks for your advise
I greatly appreciate your reviews. Have you compared this to the Aiyima A04? I would categorize my current amplifiers as vintage. I have several Apt Holman amps and an Adcom GFA-555. Rather than worry about sending them in for service (new caps), I thought I'd go for smaller, more energy-efficient amps for my small apartment. I'll be sharing them among a few pairs of speakers, Snell J7, Magnepan MMG and Yamaha NS-1000M. Is this or the A04 a bad choice for the Magnepans? Would something like the Emotiva BasX A2m be much better? For the Snell speakers, I could and likely would bi-amp them. Will any of these amps come close to sounding as good as my old amps? In other words, are they worth putting money into at this point? I'm currently using an Origain amp (TPA3116D2). It's not enough for the J7s or MMGs but does an acceptable job with the NS-1000s. Thank you.
Thanks for reviewing this amp. I'm going to buy it via aliexpress but they have two models, one using the ne5532, and another using lm4562. Do you know what is the difference between both?
hi hop your gd , where did you buy yours from was it amazon or Aliexpress , i have seen them on alixpres for 40 and 80, which would you buy the £80, or are hey all the same ?
Thank you very much, I found this very useful and informative, some what a bit too technical some times but I have just ordered and paid for one AIYIMA A07 amplifier. I am looking forward to using them with my Tannoy Speakers (bookshelves). Do I need a DAC or can I just enjoy its connection to my Ipod player and Laptop?. Thanks again.
Having to tighten my belt now that my pension has gone from Disability to Retiree status, so finding so many great values, especially with headphone components is a nice thing. I already have enough great separates for my loudspeakers and now I'll be looking for great deals like this one, thanks for our illustrious host's work. Sincerely grateful for the heads up on quality gear.
Hi Amir, this is not only great but very healthy bor the budget audiophiles and the small manufacturers like AIYIMA. Question: what do you think about using this to power surround speakers in a home theatre application?
Guillermo Cubillos that's exactly what I'm doing. I use the amp to power my surround speakers in a small room 5.1 home cinema set up 🎬 Recently bought 90dB sensitivity 8ohm surround speakers and using a 36V external power supply sourced online. Very good match in my specific setup. I'm enjoying movies again after a slump previously using tiny satellite speakers. I've just to add some acoustic absorber and diffuser panels to the room. Plus the new Sony A90J OLED And that will be me sorted 😁
Got a few questions and keep in mind I'm a complete newby....I'm looking for a budget headphone amp and my question have you any recommendations for such an amp and can that amp run speakers and into my laptop. Or would I need a preamp or whatever...thanks
Please review the A08. It looks like a real winner and has built in power. It's rated for 300Wx2. $170 on Amazon but can be bought for as cheap as $115 on various sites.
Very interesting! Thanks for the review! Also, please do explain the OP amps in another video. I saw some companies making 'higher quality' OP amps for over $100 a chip.
@@NakeanWickliff Exactly. If you go to www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php on top you see there indices for different classes of products. You can sort on price and other categories such as whether a product is recommended or not.
Funnily enough I happened to buy the Audiophonics unbranded version of the AIYIMA A07 about three months before the Audio Science Review test and measurements. Turned out to be a great budget find by me. Exact same amplifier as the AIYIMA A07, I bought only a 36V external power supply. As its paired to 90dB sensitivity 8ohm surround sound speakers in a small room.
Just bought this (cheap audio man recommended) to pair with the Micca RB42's I just got. Tried running them on an Emotiva BasX A-100 and it is a no-go. Apparently, 50WPC 8ohm is not enough for these little speakers (they are 6ohm). But even at low volume, I can tell that they are phenomenal little speakers and I highly recommend them.
Could I kindly ask you to do a similar video about DACs? I took a really depth look at your site and seems under 200€ the choices are Topping D10s, E30 and SMSL MKII. Am I missing something? I would be really happy if you could share your knowledge about it. Thanks in advance.
Ordered at AiyimaStore on AliExpress. It didn't come with power supply for UK, even though there was space in the box. And it didn't work at all with my nobsound 12V/5A supply. Now I'm not sure if the amp is bust, or of it just doesn't work at less than 24V. So if you are inexperienced, like me, maybe order it with the stock power supply. (There are reviewers who've started with the stock supply, which they found adequate, then added a higher spec power supply and were disappointed...) Or do the experts here have any tips on buying a better supply that they are certain is not going to introduce problems?
Class D amps are been the budget amps for a long time, the famous ones are TPA3118/16/10. Although the cheap implementations make them sound too harsh and not so forgiving (cheap channel filters). Other Class AB amps rule a big chunk too, like the legendary 2.5$ amp 2x15W miracle amp: TDA7297. The TDA AB stuff are well ahead of the game, it's awesome that we can get THD under 1% with amps under 10$.
You mentioned in this video that you may cover the benefits (or not, as the case may be) of op-amp 'rolling'. I don't yet see this topic covered but would be very much interested to hear your thoughts. So, just a reminder that this would make an interesting topic for a future video. Thanks!
Ah yes, I still need to do a video on that. I have done text write ups on it though: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/rolling-op-amps-in-gustard-h20-headphone-amplifier.7407/ ANd: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/rolling-replacing-op-amps-in-topping-d10-dac.4576/
Hi, I have ordered on of these amps. I use a blackberry Pi audio streamer with a dac hat. I've always used an integrated amp before and I'm wondering what the best way to get tone control etc. I have a Fosi Audio - TDA7498E which I bought a cheap tube pre amp for in order to get tone control for testing purposes (SENUCN-AUDIO 6J1 Tube-T1) but I don't like it at all. It distorts the sound too much. I want something similarly priced that will keep the signal as pure as possible.
I bought one of these and for the money it pretty good. I upgraded to a small emotiva $300 and the budget AB class kicked the budget D class by a big difference. I've since bought a 4 cannel emotiva and that was a lot better. I guess you get what you pay for. I
£90 currently in the UK - that's both UK inflation and the continued collapse of the pound. Still a great value amp - especially with it having rollable Op amps.
I love your videos and explanations. I wonder for a deskshop or garage if not would be better a radio car 12v in built mosfet 45 or 50 watts per channel with a power supplies 12 v 10 amperes or wouldn't ?
This little unit was shown to belt out 80 clean watts per channel at demanding test conditions. Peak music power is somewhat more, depends on the music and the power supply. The A07 really is a little stick of dynamite.
Would like a video that concentrates on power supply size, current capabilities, and any other relevant specifications that have to do with driving speakers (especially hard to drive speakers). How does class A/B and class D differ with respect to power and current capability? Can they be equally capable of delivering current? Etc.. What other specs are relevant? Damping factor? Etc? Thanks. (:
The thought came to my mind as well as I was doing the video. :) Since I don't have the material for it just now, it will take a bit before I can wrap my arms around it and make a video.
I just watched a video that tested this with a 48v 5A power supply and it produced 200w at 4 ohms... I'm going to be running mine with 6 ohm speakers so should get 133w... Should be perfect as the speakers are rated at 140 w at 6 ohms. You need a 48v 10A power supply and wire it up manually to get the full 315 watts. My unit came with a 36v 6A power supply but it's plenty powerful! Much more powerful than my old Kenwood 100w receiver!
It comes with a 32v brick style power supply. I realize you can get more power up to 48v but you may not need to. I'm running this on klipsch rp600m in a smaller room and this amp hasn't gone much over 1/4 volume with the included power supply
Wondering if a lower voltage(24v) with high current(10.5a) so 250watts will preform better worse or the same as the 160watt stock psu. Found a pretty intrigue option on eBay I’m considering
This one really stands out among the little chip amps, since most have one or multiple serious flaws unfortunately. 80€ incl. power supply is not bad at all. Despite providing measurements, whoever listed this on Amazon could not completely abstain from lying and claims 300W/channel.
The description in the product listing on Ayima's website also shows Output power: 300W+300W - www.aiyima.com/products/amplifier-aiyima-a07-tpa3255-2-0-channel-300wx2-hifi?variant=32922293272651
With a more powerful supply , I'd be very curious to see the max power. We are clearly limited by the power supply in Amir's test. I have seen the same chip produce 300W per channel on another board with 10% THD+N on diyaudio.com
The one thing I would like to see more is integrating the power supply into the amplifier. Since its class-D, it wouldn't cause any harm to have it in the same enclosure. Of course that ignores the fact that almost always the switching converter has to be sourced separately since its quite specialist, and its overwhelmingly cheaper to buy it as a packaged "wall wart" and toss it in the cardboard packaging but still I hate snagging those things with my foot and having everything on the desk get sucked off the side.
@Douglas Blake -- Are you sure ICEPower is a TPA3255 user? I ask because they're known for OEM modules using discrete MOSFETs and using some other company's monolithic output chip wouldn't give them any room to add any value speak of.
Can u make a video about the m51 dac u reviewed on the website? Im too dumb to understand the review especially the conclusion. I noticed i get your videos much better because it has some explanation of the graphs.
Was wondering something. The larger vintage amps were so heavy and so big. But, I'm seeing stuff get smaller and smaller? Is this advantages in chip technology and such?
It is due to using class D amplification which is far more efficient. It almost eliminates the need for heat sink and requires smaller power supplies. On the latter, the power supply can be switching itself which further reduces the size and weight. And yes, all of this comes from advances in switching transistors (MOSFETs) and more advanced designs.
Continuing this amp discussion I would love to see a review of a power amp combined with one of those headphone/pre amps like the topping L30. Second hand classical power amps from for example Rotel are dirt cheap these days and I would love to know if that is actually a good option for driving some speakers. As an alternative to buying active speakers, which I think most people would do.
@@ATommy-lz4jd Power amps are in a different class I think when they can actually drive 300+ Watts per channel int 8 ohm, but this is of course also why I would be interested to look into this. :)
Unfortunately headphone output on just about every power amp is a checklist item rather than a high-performance output. They just put a resistor in-line which raises its output impedance. Or just use a low power opamp/headphone amp and call it done.
@@AudioScienceReview Thanks for the reply, maybe I described it wrong. What I mean is, would putting a power amp behind the pre-out of say an Topping L30 or an A50s be a cheap way of getting good quality power for speakers? For headphones I would just use the headphone out of that said L30 in this example. Prices of these pre-amp enabled headphone amps are so low I am interested to know if that is a good or a bad idea that is why. :)
what about the Allo Volt+ D? your review shows that excellent, however you ran it at 20db *i see on their website they have an upgrade to the op amp, I see you mentioned earlier that op amps make no difference. Which op amps does this unit use? LM4562 is the one in this unit or that is the upgrade?
@@AudioScienceReview I cant find this unit on amazon, a bunch of the other units they make though. The only thing is if I purchase it directly from the website I am sure it's going to take a long time to get the item. I may as well just go with the Allo for convenience, it ships out of florida or chicago from the north american distributor.
@@eetu2532 Oh, I was going to ask, I know I saw that the company posted they are making a pro edition, is that the A08? A08 looks kind of poopy with all that junk they loaded it up with. Didn't see any review on that
The RUclips channel is such a great companion and complement to the website, great work on both! Thanks for your efforts in all of this.
That's what I am finding. Thank you for kind words.
Love these kind of finds that are affordable that you recommend based upon your most excellent insights. More please
Will do. By definition they are not too common but I will definitely highlight them when I find them.
@@AudioScienceReview Thanks.
I just re-ordered a bunch of A07s ... they've made multiple improvements.
The op-amps all test as genuine
The heat sink is bigger
The output filters have been re-worked with better grade capacitors.
The bulk caps are upgraded to 2,200uf (from 1,000)
The volume control is now Audio Taper
The power brick supplied now has inrush limiting built in
Sound quality is improved... much better low bass and better clarity in upper mid and presence ranges.
Overall ... the July 2023 amplifier is much better than the original from 2 years ago.
How can I distinguish, which edition of a07 I have? To make sure it’s not some leftover stock of the old one.
@@jutubabatuju
The leftover stock should be long gone by now.
I wish we could post pictures here, but...
The quickest tell is the size of the heat sink... The new version heat sink covers almost the entire width of the circuit board. The early version covers barely half.
If you search for "Aiyima A07" then click on images, you will find pictures of both. The difference is pretty obvious. (The image in the review at 14:30 is the old version)
I'm not aware of any version markings on the boards themselves.
@@jutubabatuju not with your ears, that's for sure :p
1000uf geez I have to open my a07 and check it, because mine only draws 8watt from wall socket at normal volume listening, dunno if that's because of low capacitor but its wasting the power supply at 48v 10a = 480 watt.
@@Mickimoss
Nope ... it's not about that capacitor. The advantage of the larger caps is in transient and bass handling, it won't change the average power drawn by the amp. It is also not wasting the power supply ... you may be drawing 8 watts (which is typical, btw) but you need some extra headroom for louder peaks in the music from things like snare shots and those thundering crescendos.
The average listening session, on reasonably efficient speakers, will run between 2 and 3 watts. With 10db of overhead you'll want 20 to 30 watts of power available... So your 8 watts is probably correct.
FWIW ... I typically run my TPA3255 amps at 36 volts. It's a nice compromise between heat and power. You'll get 140 watts/channel on 4 ohm speakers about 75 per on 8.
Thanks, Amir. This is an awesome little amp, very happy with the cleanliness of highs. Here's my setup for total USD460: JBL Stage A170 (USD360 on sale), best budget class D amplifier Aiyima A07 (TPA3255, $80), Echo dot 2nd gen (budget DAC ;-), $20). You can save $180 by using bookshelf JBL Stage A130. Amazing things happened with amplifiers in the last 20 years. Happy building your perfect setup!
@@Elektroslag -- Not if (A) your DAC puts out enough voltage and (B) you don't have to play vinyl.
I have two of these running an active 2-way setup in my garage. They are phenomenal. I use the stock power supply and I never drive tham hard enough that they get hot. I use a Dayton DSP408 to do the DSP duties and just leave the volume knobs around 75%. Dead quiet. Thanks for the great review. Hard to believe how cost effective these Class D amps have become. Honestly, why even get more expensive stuff?
I have two A07s driven via a DSP-408 for the four ambience/surround speakers in my 6.1 system. Same experience here -- excellent performance and no heat issues.
It's nice to see a face and voice to match your forum post. You gave a good review on the Yamaha R-N803 which I purchased before finding your results. I made a good choice.
Since power tubes are so expensive now, I bought one of these to power my Magnepans 1.7s. This little amp gets the job done. I don't listen at high volumes but I can listen to the same loudness as when I powered the speakers with tube amps. I paid $61 with the power supply for this amp which is pretty awesome
Did you need to upgrade the power supply to 48v and some bigger amps?
@@fengxia1234567 I am currently using the standard 32v that is supplied with the amp. I got it at Amazon.
I just bought this amp based on your review. It rocks! I paired it with the Elac Debut Reference you also recommended and it sounds phenomenal. :)
Ah, that is so satisfying to hear! Thanks for chiming in.
I got this amp for $50 from AliExpress (AiyimaTechnology store) and paired it for awhile with the Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2. The speakers were a little too big for my desktop so I now have them paired with an old Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble speaker setup on my desktop. Amazing little amp that works perfectly in my office.
@@AudioScienceReview would you recommend this above the SMSL SA300?
@@derekf7772 Hi, what power supply you have?
I just received my a07 and I also have it paired with the debut reference speakers. I will perform some a-b comparisons against my schiit vidar but first impressions is that there is no discernible difference in sound quality. Amazing!
I was astonished at the A07. Everything you say and found I agreed with. And also the lovely sound. I decided to use Aiyima's 36v/5A supply and it works very well. Being old school I decided to downsize from a hifi rack with pretty decent kit and I don't feel cheated at all 🙂
I have the big brother to this (A08) and it blows my mind. Replaced a Kinter Tripath 2020+ and it was night and day.
I replaced the Kinter for more output on my Emotiva B1s and had no expectation of improved SQ, nor was I listening for it. About 5 minutes in, my jaw was on the floor. It was the proverbial "my wife called me from Cabo with her boyfriend to ask me what I changed" moment.
AO8 or A08 pro? - I’ve been eyeing the ao8 because it has a better psu than the pro - have you compared it against the a07?
@@bespey I have not. Went straight to the A08 (not pro).
I have watched hundreds of reviews of the last few years and none of them give me what yours does. There was great and very practical for novices or experts.
I'm happy to see you review the TPA3255, but I really wish that you would have paired it with a simple 48v 10 amp DROK (or equivalent) AC to DC power supply. You can pick one up for $35ish, and it takes very little effort to wire it up, though I'd use larger gauge wire than simply snipping the wart out of what's supplied. The power supply has a digital readout just in case one doesn't accidentally run 480 watts in to the TPA3255 amp with the volume knob pegged. I think you'll be amazed at the test results. As it is, I think that you've been fair, but you may have inadvertently undervalued it based on the supplied power supply, and there is so much more to be had from the chip, even as utilized here by Ayima. TI is deserving of some real recognition, and no I'm not tied to them in any way. Regardless, thanks for the review, and keep up the good work!
That's exactly what I did when I used an A07 to drive my main L+R speakers. Nowadays, I use the same power supply to run the two A07s that drive my four ambience/surround speakers -- all my other speakers are active.
The Aiyma AO7 is excellent for the price. It is a pleasure to listen to regardless of cost. The TPA3255 based amps compete very well with Icepower amp modues imo and I prefer the TI TPA 3255 based amps over the icepower asx125 module. It is good to know my subjective pleasure with this Aiyma amp is borne out by the specs.
Great Amir, your youtube channel will rock soon. Can we definitely say that DAC and Amps are cracked today and we have to focus on Speakers dispersion and room interaction if we are looking for transparent sound reproduction? Do make sense to increase the attention on how speakers interact with listening room (the main offenders for educated listeners...) and provide some shed on how dsp and room treatments might help your ASRs to achieve more enjoyment in their Journey towards HIFI... my Best L.
Thank you. DACs definitely. Power amplifiers, not quite. The best ones are quite expensive. That said, yes, speakers are the key. Get that wrong and rest doesn't matter. Room interactions can and are significant as well. I will do future reviews on those.
@@AudioScienceReview That was what I was wondering. I have the A04, have the Meanwell PSU on the way and am using a DX3 Pro as a pre-amp. So it seems like I'd have to spend a LOT more money than I have to make much of an improvement. On the other hand, these relatively cheap components may actually justify some serious speakers. Is that right? Would you have suggestions? (Small room, don't play super loud (communal living plus trying to avoid any further hearing loss) and "bright" usually feels painfully harsh to me). And how far could/should I go? If the DAC is close enough to transparent and a better amp is going to cost thousands, could it possibly be worth spending one or two thousand on speakers to go with a £40 amp???
@@AudioScienceReview Absolutely, Speakers , Equalisation and of Course Ears😀
Why didn't I find this channel years ago!! Fantastic reviews! I'm going to buy this AIYIMA amp and get rid of the so-so one I bought a couple years ago.
I got two of these. each bi-wired into a monitor audio bronze 100, receiving a signal from a hidizs s8 dac (also an Amir recommendation). well happy.
edit: power supply for each amp . . . 48v 5a
2 videos a day - getting better and better sir ;-)
Trying to get an acting job in Hollywood so need all the practice I can get!!!
@@AudioScienceReview right path then ;-)
Amazing 3 years on, I still find this video relevant to me. I have just installed on to power my sub JBL SB5. Juiced it with 36V 6.0 Amp, at 50% volume, it is able to give punchy base.
I was wondering, would replacing to a larger capacitor to make the unit able to perform better. It may not, but no harm exploring.
Actually, a lot of car stereo systems are based on the TPA series amp chip due to its efficiency and performance.
Have you seen the AIYIMA A08 TPA3255? Looks like an upgraded version of the A07.
This is my first time watching! Fantastic! Excellent review!
Im really glad to see a youtube channel. Thank you for making these videos. I would ask you try to make chapters for the youtube video if you can in the future. Thanks again!
Very nice review Amir, I was just about to order a simple little Dayton Audio bench amp from PE. Very timely. Thanks.
I just took the top off of mine and put a little 2 inch fan blowing over the heatsink and boom. No more worries about overheating. I'm driving 2ohm loads all day with no problems.
Thanks for your great vid which is now 2 years old. So I think it's time to review the new Aiyima A07 Pro with sub out, bluetooth, tone controls and no need for a change to better OP amps...
Thanks for the review Amir, whenever you propose a reasonable priced but high performance component such as dacs and amp please also propose speakers along with them to make a complete system / package. This will help people like me.
What dac/streamer would you pair this amopwith? I'm really enjoying your channel and reviews. Hello from Sydney Australia.
This might be a better question for the ASR website as the answer is going to be complex and depend on the features you need, your budget, and what's important to you.
Very impressed by the quality of your videos and they are immensely instructive .. Thank you .... Best
What an impressive review about the humble but brilliant amplifier! I'd like to ask you to have a look at the same company's a tube amplifier, Ayima Audio T9.
Thank you for the budget amp review what makes the Benchmark AHB2 the best of the best that you have tested!
2 of these Might be just what I need to drive 2 sets of height atmos speakers.
Aiyima makes really great tube preamps also. I bought the A3 a few years ago, it has tone controls also. It’s hands down the best bang for buck i’ve ever spent on audio. I never really believed in tubes until I set it up just as an experiment, you lose some detail in the bass but the sound stage is holographic there’s no way I could ever go back.
What's the a3?
@@CoomerGremlinDGGfan it’s a small tube preamp with Vol, treble, and bass control. I use it to power my desktop audio monitors. I was curious about tube amplification and it was really cheap, so I gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised, it sounds really great.
@@richardbixler awesome. I'll check it out
@@richardbixler out of curiousity, what made you go with the A3 instead of the T6 pro?
@@CoomerGremlinDGGfan it wasn’t out yet when I bought it. I think it’s all the same internals as the A3, but with Bluetooth, a headphone jack and built in DAC (digital to audio converter). I already have an audio interface that I use for a DAC, and my speakers have a headphone jack built in. Id say the T6 pro is a better value, but I can’t speak on the quality of the DAC or headphone jack 🤷♂️
I recently purchased (but haven't yet received) the Aiyima A05 which likewise seems to punch well above its weight ($78). It has a bass and treble control which I wanted. It is based on the TPA3221 chip. Do you have any views on that one? I guess it has less power (100W nominal) than the 3255. But is it of similar quality? I take it that these chips collectively are the breakthrough technology giving class D amps their improved performance these days due to increased switching speed?
Thank you! Great review.
Excellent review, thank you for your time and expertise!
Another great review. Thanks. When testing SINAD, you say the DUT is set for 29dB gain. Is the output level from the test AR test equipment then set for max SINAD rather than your usual 2Vrms?
Finally we have someone that I can trust when he speaks
Thank you William. :)
Decent, great for desktops, fits banana plugs, the 3.5 mm AUX also works and a line in when the RCA jacks are not plugged in, so a 3.5 mm male to male from line out, 3.5 mm headphone jack, or dongle DAC (such as an Apple dongle DAC in lightning or USB C). It is simple: on-off and volume knob; functional for the intended purpose: power two passive stero speakers; and modular (with AUX out option).
thanks brother, u can never rely on anyone for advice for amps or speakers but u helped me take the plunge on the aiyima A07 DAMN it does sound good especially for the price but kills my onkyo tx sr393 in clarity, granted kinda sharp on some music but easy to fix with eq, im only running a dayton audio dac 01 from a computer to it , then 3.5mm to a rolls promatch to a crown xls1000, sounds killer, im using swan m1 clone speakers, but thanks again amir
Quick way to improve thermals would be a thick thermal pad underneath the chip, soaking heat from PCB to chassis. Used on properly designed GPU backplates to manage VRM temps.
I’ve actually done this with my tpa3250 based amps, added a 5mm copper plate under the board with a thermal pad either side, hard to tell if it’s even getting above room temp now.
How does it sound? Just a listen and a short statement that it sounds as good as the specs would be nice.
maybe worth buying one for such a low price and find out yourself? I thnk there should be a few other reviews online about this amp that might help you
Hello Mr. Amir! Just wanted to ask you about those blue capacitors. What they do and can they be replaced? If possible, which brand? And instead of 100V, can i use 275V?
Is the Aiyima A08 a straight up upgrade over this A07? I have the option to pick up either of these or a Behringer A800. What would a wise man do? I plan to build a DIY two towers with 2x12" Eminence Beta CX coaxial elements in both towers. I don't have huge knowledge, I just like to tinker and build.
I'm running this amp with a 36V 10 amp power supply. She will really boom!!!!
Love your detailed review.. im planning to use this to drive a pair of Elac B5.2 what minimum voltage of adapter do you think i need in this tpa3255 to drive the elac decently for a small size room?
Hello Amir, greetings from Brazil! I've been reading the forum since the beginning and I must say that this RUclips channel is phenomenal! And I want to ask you about the Harman Kardon HK 3490 receiver. Have you heard it? What can you say about it? The last of the good stereo receivers from harman or just average performance? Can you test/measure it sometime in the future?
Can this power a pair with Elac debut reference nicely? Also i noted this amp frequency range is 20hz - 20khz only, if the speakers range is wider…it will be filtered? Thanks for your advise
Great video as always Amir! Was wondering if you can also do a video explaining what makes the benchmark ahb2 amplifier so good.
I greatly appreciate your reviews. Have you compared this to the Aiyima A04? I would categorize my current amplifiers as vintage. I have several Apt Holman amps and an Adcom GFA-555. Rather than worry about sending them in for service (new caps), I thought I'd go for smaller, more energy-efficient amps for my small apartment. I'll be sharing them among a few pairs of speakers, Snell J7, Magnepan MMG and Yamaha NS-1000M. Is this or the A04 a bad choice for the Magnepans? Would something like the Emotiva BasX A2m be much better? For the Snell speakers, I could and likely would bi-amp them. Will any of these amps come close to sounding as good as my old amps? In other words, are they worth putting money into at this point? I'm currently using an Origain amp (TPA3116D2). It's not enough for the J7s or MMGs but does an acceptable job with the NS-1000s. Thank you.
Thanks for reviewing this amp. I'm going to buy it via aliexpress but they have two models, one using the ne5532, and another using lm4562. Do you know what is the difference between both?
I've read somewhere that 4562 outperform the 5532.
hi hop your gd , where did you buy yours from was it amazon or Aliexpress , i have seen them on alixpres for 40 and 80, which would you buy the £80, or are hey all the same ?
Thank you very much, I found this very useful and informative, some what a bit too technical some times but I have just ordered and paid for one AIYIMA A07 amplifier. I am looking forward to using them with my Tannoy Speakers (bookshelves). Do I need a DAC or can I just enjoy its connection to my Ipod player and Laptop?.
Thanks again.
Thank You for the videos. Would a Aiyima ao7 upgraded, a08 be better for a underpowered AVR hooked to DF Pro Towers400 at 250 rms? my avr is 95 watts.
Having to tighten my belt now that my pension has gone from Disability to Retiree status, so finding so many great values, especially with headphone components is a nice thing. I already have enough great separates for my loudspeakers and now I'll be looking for great deals like this one, thanks for our illustrious host's work. Sincerely grateful for the heads up on quality gear.
That IC is quite good! It has similar distortion performance to their LM3886 linear IC, but without all the heat.
Hi Amir, this is not only great but very healthy bor the budget audiophiles and the small manufacturers like AIYIMA. Question: what do you think about using this to power surround speakers in a home theatre application?
Guillermo Cubillos that's exactly what I'm doing. I use the amp to power my surround speakers in a small room 5.1 home cinema set up 🎬
Recently bought 90dB sensitivity 8ohm surround speakers and using a 36V external power supply sourced online. Very good match in my specific setup.
I'm enjoying movies again after a slump previously using tiny satellite speakers. I've just to add some acoustic absorber and diffuser panels to the room. Plus the new Sony A90J OLED And that will be me sorted 😁
Got a few questions and keep in mind I'm a complete newby....I'm looking for a budget headphone amp and my question have you any recommendations for such an amp and can that amp run speakers and into my laptop. Or would I need a preamp or whatever...thanks
Please review the A08. It looks like a real winner and has built in power. It's rated for 300Wx2. $170 on Amazon but can be bought for as cheap as $115 on various sites.
Hello, so was this with the ne5532 op amp or the LM4562, as it is apparently offered with both
I'd like to see you take a look at the Aiyima T9.
Very interesting! Thanks for the review! Also, please do explain the OP amps in another video. I saw some companies making 'higher quality' OP amps for over $100 a chip.
Appreciate it if you can point me to where I can obtain OPA1656 opamp chips to mod my Aiyima A07. Seems to be this chip gets easily stocked out.
The tpa325x boards from 3e audio are also worth a try, an EAUMT-0260-2-B in a nice enclosure with a decent power supply could be a budget beast.
I have two 3e audio boards and they've been working flawless for about 2 years :) I run them hard and they just perform!
Amir, congrats on the YT channel! i hope you'll get to review the so called YJ blueboard amplifier based on the TPA3116d.
Can you make a searchable database with all this test and product data? Love the reviews and the channel. I bought one of these on your recommendation
This exists already on his website
@@NakeanWickliff Exactly. If you go to www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php on top you see there indices for different classes of products. You can sort on price and other categories such as whether a product is recommended or not.
Funnily enough I happened to buy the Audiophonics unbranded version of the AIYIMA A07 about three months before the Audio Science Review test and measurements.
Turned out to be a great budget find by me. Exact same amplifier as the AIYIMA A07, I bought only a 36V external power supply. As its paired to 90dB sensitivity 8ohm surround sound speakers in a small room.
Just bought this (cheap audio man recommended) to pair with the Micca RB42's I just got. Tried running them on an Emotiva BasX A-100 and it is a no-go. Apparently, 50WPC 8ohm is not enough for these little speakers (they are 6ohm). But even at low volume, I can tell that they are phenomenal little speakers and I highly recommend them.
Do they work better now?
Could I kindly ask you to do a similar video about DACs? I took a really depth look at your site and seems under 200€ the choices are Topping D10s, E30 and SMSL MKII. Am I missing something? I would be really happy if you could share your knowledge about it. Thanks in advance.
Would love this as well
Ordered at AiyimaStore on AliExpress. It didn't come with power supply for UK, even though there was space in the box. And it didn't work at all with my nobsound 12V/5A supply. Now I'm not sure if the amp is bust, or of it just doesn't work at less than 24V. So if you are inexperienced, like me, maybe order it with the stock power supply. (There are reviewers who've started with the stock supply, which they found adequate, then added a higher spec power supply and were disappointed...) Or do the experts here have any tips on buying a better supply that they are certain is not going to introduce problems?
Class D amps are been the budget amps for a long time, the famous ones are TPA3118/16/10. Although the cheap implementations make them sound too harsh and not so forgiving (cheap channel filters).
Other Class AB amps rule a big chunk too, like the legendary 2.5$ amp 2x15W miracle amp: TDA7297.
The TDA AB stuff are well ahead of the game, it's awesome that we can get THD under 1% with amps under 10$.
thank you very much. now i know i need different power suply for my 8ohm inceiling speakers👍🤙
You mentioned in this video that you may cover the benefits (or not, as the case may be) of op-amp 'rolling'. I don't yet see this topic covered but would be very much interested to hear your thoughts. So, just a reminder that this would make an interesting topic for a future video. Thanks!
Ah yes, I still need to do a video on that. I have done text write ups on it though: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/rolling-op-amps-in-gustard-h20-headphone-amplifier.7407/
ANd: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/rolling-replacing-op-amps-in-topping-d10-dac.4576/
Would love to know your thought on running 2 of them to bi-amp speakers?
I wonder how much better it would measure with a better powersupply? Would even the crosstalk improve somewhat?
Crosstalk likely won't improve but signal to noise ratio would.
Hi, I have ordered on of these amps. I use a blackberry Pi audio streamer with a dac hat. I've always used an integrated amp before and I'm wondering what the best way to get tone control etc. I have a Fosi Audio - TDA7498E which I bought a cheap tube pre amp for in order to get tone control for testing purposes (SENUCN-AUDIO 6J1 Tube-T1) but I don't like it at all. It distorts the sound too much. I want something similarly priced that will keep the signal as pure as possible.
I bought one of these and for the money it pretty good. I upgraded to a small emotiva $300 and the budget AB class kicked the budget D class by a big difference. I've since bought a 4 cannel emotiva and that was a lot better. I guess you get what you pay for. I
Sounds like a great little unit for the $ for desktop applications.
£90 currently in the UK - that's both UK inflation and the continued collapse of the pound. Still a great value amp - especially with it having rollable Op amps.
I love your videos and explanations. I wonder for a deskshop or garage if not would be better a radio car 12v in built mosfet 45 or 50 watts per channel with a power supplies 12 v 10 amperes or wouldn't ?
This little unit was shown to belt out 80 clean watts per channel at demanding test conditions. Peak music power is somewhat more, depends on the music and the power supply. The A07 really is a little stick of dynamite.
are opamp swap a noticeable improvement in sound quality ?
Do you respond? How does this compare to its 'TPA cousin', the Fosi audio BTR20A-S.
Great video and very technical. very much appreciated. I have sub to this channel!
Hey i think you should review the A08 model. It comes with a good smps power supply but its without the nichicon caps.
Very good review. I will also suggest MA12070 class D Amplifier IC from Infineon technologies.
Would like a video that concentrates on power supply size, current capabilities, and any other relevant specifications that have to do with driving speakers (especially hard to drive speakers).
How does class A/B and class D differ with respect to power and current capability? Can they be equally capable of delivering current? Etc.. What other specs are relevant? Damping factor? Etc?
Thanks. (:
The thought came to my mind as well as I was doing the video. :) Since I don't have the material for it just now, it will take a bit before I can wrap my arms around it and make a video.
@@AudioScienceReview Awesome Amir! I think it would be really popular material! (:
I just watched a video that tested this with a 48v 5A power supply and it produced 200w at 4 ohms... I'm going to be running mine with 6 ohm speakers so should get 133w... Should be perfect as the speakers are rated at 140 w at 6 ohms. You need a 48v 10A power supply and wire it up manually to get the full 315 watts. My unit came with a 36v 6A power supply but it's plenty powerful! Much more powerful than my old Kenwood 100w receiver!
The 36 volt supply should give you 75 watts per channel on 8 ohms and 140 on 4. That's plenty for anything but stadium use.
I am using PSU 48v 10a, this baby drives my two ' 8" woofers w cdu ' nicely and clearly
Can you recommend a good power supply for that? I have problems to find one
It comes with a 32v brick style power supply. I realize you can get more power up to 48v but you may not need to. I'm running this on klipsch rp600m in a smaller room and this amp hasn't gone much over 1/4 volume with the included power supply
Very interesting review - but what does it sound like? Bright, warm etc? Or am I to understand that the sound is 'neutral'?
It is neutral. You can tell this from the flat frequency response through the audible range.
@@danryan4272 Thanks.
That's one hefty McDonalds order! ;)
I have a pair of speakers, 8ohm 65W RMS (right) + 8ohm 65W RMS (left), TPA3255 Amp it's a good choice? (input 34V 3A)
Wondering if a lower voltage(24v) with high current(10.5a) so 250watts will preform better worse or the same as the 160watt stock psu. Found a pretty intrigue option on eBay I’m considering
You will get less output and more clipping with lower voltage supplies.
But how does it sound? I understand it performs well and definitely for its price.
the peformance will represent how your speakers should sound with this amp.
This one really stands out among the little chip amps, since most have one or multiple serious flaws unfortunately.
80€ incl. power supply is not bad at all.
Despite providing measurements, whoever listed this on Amazon could not completely abstain from lying and claims 300W/channel.
The description in the product listing on Ayima's website also shows Output power: 300W+300W - www.aiyima.com/products/amplifier-aiyima-a07-tpa3255-2-0-channel-300wx2-hifi?variant=32922293272651
@@ericjohnson829 Yeah. It is not a rare practice these days to quote the chip spec power instead of the measured amp power. I agree it is dishonest.
With a more powerful supply , I'd be very curious to see the max power. We are clearly limited by the power supply in Amir's test. I have seen the same chip produce 300W per channel on another board with 10% THD+N on diyaudio.com
The one thing I would like to see more is integrating the power supply into the amplifier. Since its class-D, it wouldn't cause any harm to have it in the same enclosure. Of course that ignores the fact that almost always the switching converter has to be sourced separately since its quite specialist, and its overwhelmingly cheaper to buy it as a packaged "wall wart" and toss it in the cardboard packaging but still I hate snagging those things with my foot and having everything on the desk get sucked off the side.
@Douglas Blake -- Are you sure ICEPower is a TPA3255 user? I ask because they're known for OEM modules using discrete MOSFETs and using some other company's monolithic output chip wouldn't give them any room to add any value speak of.
Can u make a video about the m51 dac u reviewed on the website? Im too dumb to understand the review especially the conclusion. I noticed i get your videos much better because it has some explanation of the graphs.
Was wondering something. The larger vintage amps were so heavy and so big. But, I'm seeing stuff get smaller and smaller? Is this advantages in chip technology and such?
It is due to using class D amplification which is far more efficient. It almost eliminates the need for heat sink and requires smaller power supplies. On the latter, the power supply can be switching itself which further reduces the size and weight. And yes, all of this comes from advances in switching transistors (MOSFETs) and more advanced designs.
@@AudioScienceReview Thanks so much. I never will forget the weight of my dad's old receivers. I have one now and it is a behemoth. Love this thing.
WE MISS YOU AMIR!!!!
Your technical and scientific reviews are as enjoyable as music itself !!! Great work Amir !!!!!
Continuing this amp discussion I would love to see a review of a power amp combined with one of those headphone/pre amps like the topping L30. Second hand classical power amps from for example Rotel are dirt cheap these days and I would love to know if that is actually a good option for driving some speakers. As an alternative to buying active speakers, which I think most people would do.
Possibly those old power amps use lot of power and would stil have very poor snrs compared to something modern
@@ATommy-lz4jd Power amps are in a different class I think when they can actually drive 300+ Watts per channel int 8 ohm, but this is of course also why I would be interested to look into this. :)
Unfortunately headphone output on just about every power amp is a checklist item rather than a high-performance output. They just put a resistor in-line which raises its output impedance. Or just use a low power opamp/headphone amp and call it done.
@@AudioScienceReview Thanks for the reply, maybe I described it wrong. What I mean is, would putting a power amp behind the pre-out of say an Topping L30 or an A50s be a cheap way of getting good quality power for speakers? For headphones I would just use the headphone out of that said L30 in this example. Prices of these pre-amp enabled headphone amps are so low I am interested to know if that is a good or a bad idea that is why. :)
what about the Allo Volt+ D? your review shows that excellent, however you ran it at 20db
*i see on their website they have an upgrade to the op amp, I see you mentioned earlier that op amps make no difference. Which op amps does this unit use? LM4562 is the one in this unit or that is the upgrade?
This was with NE5532. Another ASR member measured the A07 with LM4562 and it did improve performance a bit. A cleaner PSU helped too.
Allo is good but also more expensive.
@@eetu2532 Nice, thanks for the info. I am an ASR member, but it is hard to find detailed info on all those posts and threads.
@@AudioScienceReview I cant find this unit on amazon, a bunch of the other units they make though. The only thing is if I purchase it directly from the website I am sure it's going to take a long time to get the item. I may as well just go with the Allo for convenience, it ships out of florida or chicago from the north american distributor.
@@eetu2532 Oh, I was going to ask, I know I saw that the company posted they are making a pro edition, is that the A08? A08 looks kind of poopy with all that junk they loaded it up with. Didn't see any review on that
Amazing work