I bought this crazy cheap A1 Clone pure class A amp from Ali Express! How Can it be any good? BEST HIFI COMMUNITY OUT THERE patreon.com/cheapaudioman If you want to buy search A1 Clone Amp... I'm not going to link it here and I have no affiliate relationship with Ali Express check out my other channel www.youtube.com/@cheapwatchman_official Intro graphics by johnvilardi.com BEST HIFI COMMUNITY OUT THERE patreon.com/cheapaudioman Support the Channel! Shop on Amazon amzn.to/3W8vsgK Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Join the best hifi community out there! patreon.com/cheapaudioman TRY ROON www.rofjdjk3ns.com/33G977/2CTPL/ Tidal Deal bit.ly/3siuqSF Amazon Unlimited Music Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9 Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Best Buy Deals shop-links.co/cf9yDZeYtUH amzn.to/3GkNaop CAM Store (New Products!) bit.ly/30Lgu4K apos.audio?sca_ref=552340.TY98BPcZ6P massdrop.7eer.net/qnOye5
Not a fair review at all, kind of disappointed in your lack of diligence... ANY real class a amplifier requires hundreds of hours of burn in from new for the very large capacitors to open up and everything to clear up and tighten up. I'll be watching to see if you respond to the many messages I |See you've already received because I've seen other reviews of yours with major manufacturers where you let their products burn in... seems disingenuous, imo.
@@cheapaudioman I've thought of putting " Not A Review " on all my videos just to avoid any confusion. ...especially now with the FTC ruling for review content.
I use a 15W/channel class A amp that I built out of some electronics mag 30 years ago. Still sounds good and has the added benefit of use to warm up food and keep coffee hot.
Major heads up!! - you can disconnect the cable from the volume board and go directly to the amp to bypass the volume knob. No soldering needed, becomes full power amp 😊
If you connect the little cables from the rca input jacks directly to the board, they go right into the board with a little 3 pin connector, you gain about 25% volume and massive imaging improvements. So awesome that you actually bought this amp though! I run mine on a pair of rp600m with a bass shelf EQ. If you add a bass shelf, the low end sounds just as sweet as the mids and highs.
@@Thuddster Well you are bypassing the volume potentiometer on the amp. So it could be the potentiometer value thats holding it back a little bit. I am honestly not sure of the science but I am sure of my ears.
@@ancientalien815 it's the low quality of these pots, the simplest solution is to bypass them as this also solves madness of setting the balance by ear after every volume change
@@paulmilnes6553most amps have pots for each channel like my parasound hca-1500a. The best use of those is to turn them all the way up and use the pre-amp as its supposed to (change the volume). Most pre-amps sounds best whit the pot at 11 o clock tho many new pre-amps uses a digital gain that dosent affect sound quality.
It’s a clone of the power section of the original Musical Fidelity A1. One can easily DIY bypass the volume pots and treat it as a pure power amp. I think BRZ uses the same case elsewhere, hence the Krell label. They definitely don’t claim it to be a clone of any Krell circuitry. Also, definitely worth mentioning is that the original A1 came out way over 20 years ago, so any patent would’ve long expired.
@@foblivio I read many years ago Krell used the J L Hood 1969 circuitry in their amplifiers! That may be one answer why the sticker is on the amp made by BRZHiFi and possibly others. I have both the J L Hood and the Musicsl Fidelity clones they use basically the almost exact same chassis. I hope the Musical Fidelity clone is more reliable than the original which was unreliable and possibly put them out of business. They resurrected the company and the new amps are made in Austria. So far my amps have had no problems, not even one thump. I think the Chinese have put the fear into the HiFi market with affordable basic copies of very good circuits. When you look at a $300 clone keeping up with a $1500 with similar sound it may make some people think why $1500+. Remember a lot of high end audio products are made in China. Why China, it’s cheap labor and manufacturing. Remember Japan started making clones after WWII, look at them now. I just heard a clone of the BBC LS3/5a and I’m impressed. They sell it for $600-700 a pair shipped. A Genuine English made pair are $1500-2400. There mighty close to,the originals. They cloned the drivers and the internal structure of the enclosure including the felt edge sound absorbing materials. (The LS3/5a may have been made in South Korea)
Randy, the second half of this episode belongs in your top 10, it was very interesting! Judging by the input from several aficionados here, most of us have an opportunity to learn something. Please consider substituting speakers with a pair of 4ohm 30-50watt resistors and run it 24/7 at 100%, then configure it with what you have on hand to produce the best sound you can. I’m confident it will be a great end of month show.
I recently got a clone of a Burmester 933 MKII from Ali. At $382usd + shipping it is a bit more expensive but the 933 is substantially more powerful (150w x 2 into 4 ohms) and has solid bass and detailed mids and top end from my experience. Also given that a used genuine 933 MKII sets you back around $2000usd, the clone is a bargain. I am also waiting on an FM Acoustics FM711 MKII clone ($708usd + shipping) that has construction and styling is identical to the genuine amp that sell used for around $18,000usd.
Thanks for the review. I’m intrigued. I like Class A with very efficient speakers. Looking at some of the comments of owners, burn-in is important. Long term review? Thanks! Keep up the great work!
You are like Marco Polo this morning! ...We don't know what route or how long you were gone, but you've got a tale to tell about some weird s*** that you found while you were following rumors of unbelievable goodness just over the horizon. I actually paused the video to literally go pull my final cup of coffee for the day, and now I'm sitting down to watch. ... I do love our crazy world when it does things like this. ... I went to Vietnam for my honeymoon, and the street markets there have PERFECT knockoffs of designer stuff. Its soooo perfect, in fact, that you could be forgiven for thinking it's the real thing but the locals snuck this stuff out of the sweat shop during the night shift, while the French expats were home sleeping.😅 Yeah, I do not wonder about that stray label on there... Don't ask. Don't tell. ... Cheers Randy! Good content as always. Given I lose all continuity at Halloween, HAPPY HOLIDAYS BRO! 🍪
Aliexpress is great. I have a cousin working for them here in Brazil and he explained. If always use and always buy. You get the rating 5 5. With 5 5 even if get scam, they always return your money. I use a lot and buy a lot. I already had problems with products not being delivered. I never lost money there.
FALSE I bought several things and they all cost or they cost little and they break immediately or they don't arrive, or only 1 piece arrives and then you don't get a refund Aliexpress screws you and anyone who says otherwise is a liar
Ebay does the same for buyers as well. In alot of cases it is to the detriment of honest sellers. Reason I stopped using them to sell stuff after getting ripped off a couple of times. That and their fees are highway robbery now! I have bought from Aliexpress a number of times. It is a crap shoot. But at the prices and with the expectation that the quality may be great or down right trash, they are just fine with me.
I bought the Brz D5 Pro out of curiosity. This is a DartZeel clone. I paired it with an R2R Soekris dac, a Yamaha streamer, a Schiit Freya + pre amp, CSS 1 TD X speakers. The sound was fantastic. Given my taste in music this amp was excellent. This clone amp also received some very good technical reviews that convinced me to try it out . If you want to experiment a bit and not spend a lot of money this is a great amp.
I've had a BRZHIFI X21 for three years now and I really like it. 2.1 channels, High Mid Low tone control, sub volume control, BT and optical inputs plus remote control.
If you'd like to know more about this build, sound quality and some technical stuff, take a look at my review and video on volume bypass. This is value build, but there are also monsters like Dartzeel Gryphon or Accuphase clones, in fact, Dartzeel clone is one of the best if not the best sounding amp I've ever heard. It made me start doing videos on these
It's not midrange focused, it has full bass, you just paired it with the wrong speakers. I have this clone and it runs circles around my Fosi ZA3 with sparkos opamps. It gives me around 85% of my 3.5k Pathos amp. With 20 watts class A it is clearly made for high efficiency speakers, not average bookshelf speakers. A decent preamp is also advisable. And it needs a proper burn in.
Cheap audioman never gave this amp a fair shot. From the outset he was looking for things to find fault. Reviewed it without burn in. Ridiculous review.
@@Carl-bd1rf Yes, it's a bit unfortunate because these guys really give us hand made high-end audio at an affordable price. Not like those many Chinese brands that send their Class D products for free to every reviewer all over the world. You just have to understand what these circuits, some of which are 40-50 years old, were designed for and use them accordingly
LHY makes clones of off-patent D'Art Zeel amplifiers. At $1500 it's not cheap, but the build and parts quality are first rate. I have an LHY LPS for my Wiim Pro that is ludicrously well made. I took a look under the hood and the parts are all top-shelf which genuinely surprised me and it does a superb job powering the Wiim. A buddy of mine with a LOT more disposable income bought the D'Art Zeel clone amp by LHY on a lark and it sounds superb. He uses it in his living room system. He loaned it to me over a weekend and it's the best sounding amp I've heard in my system. The only negative is that it's anodized gold faceplate and bright red chassis is a lot to take in. The nameplate says it's a D'Art Zeel clone made by LHY which is a more honest approach. And it's heavy as hell to pick up.
The Chinese make so much hifi gear these days and so many brands in so many categories. Some have made it on the world stage - Denafrips , SMSL, Topping , Fosi , Willsenton, Hifiman, Shanling, Kinki Studio, Eversolo, Line Magnetic , Moondrop , FiiO , Reisong , PSVane and many more that only the Chinese know of. It’s a very very competitive mkt. and with today’s social media , the consumer is super demanding. If you can survive in the Chinese mkt. , you can survive anywhere lol.
@@20CycleMonger Interesting that you brought this up. I live in China atm. Surprisingly I can only find MQA CDs of Chinese artists and not expensive ( around US6 ) , since I bought the Shanling ET3 CD transport that can play these CDs. The quality is surprisingly good. Sadly no western music with MQA. Well in China we are spoilt for choice and chi fi is around 20-25% cheaper so it’s a no brainer. The Chinese mkt is huge so there is every incentive to make a blockbuster product. It’s also extremely competitive.
Don't forget Prima Luna! I have a pre-amp and an amp - both tubes and they pretty much rock! But they are driving my Focal Kanta No2's and I'm jonsing for a Pass Labs x250.8 (9 grand ain't cheap!)
@@CraigSweeney-rg7wg Yes PL is made by the same factory that makes Line Magnetic and Willsenton in Zhuhai. Pass Labs are pretty expensive lol. But Kantas open up with quite a bit of power.
Theres a lot of people denigrate the Chinese for being merely copyist, these people's parents said the same of the Japanese. The Chinese are mad keen on hobby electronics, their suppliers are moral in the old school sense, I ordered a cheap small electronics module from a Chinese company, they had two left on the shelf (bin), they sent both no extra charge.
This is one of very good amplifier clones I've reviewed. There are others, even better, like DartZeel clone, some Accuphase clones etc. This one is based on Musical Fidelity A1, but only power amp section. Whole preamp part of this well known integrated was removed as it was holding this little gem back. Absolutely great value and it gets even better after some burn in (it's class A, it needs that to sing beautifully)!
BRZ was once Breeze Audio. They make a matching pre amp. They sell a kit for both. You got a premade kit, hence KRELL. Think of it as a solid state class A, yet similar to low wattage tube-based class A
I have 2 of these for bi-amping. I was FLOORED and I have several amps over $1000/$2000 range. My Breeze Hifi amps keep up effortlessly. This is good stuff people!
From my experience you would want to cook that amp for a couple of days at least. And then warm it up for an hour before listening to it, plus it didn't look like Randy put a preamp on it. Just a dac?? I'll bet he would have got way way more gain, with a good preamp in front.
@@ronaldweed6103 My everyday drivers are a set of Infinity towers and bookshelves, but I also use my Klipsch rm600s, Stark Sound bookshelves and some Jamos. I got more speakers, but have not tried on this amp yet 😎
@@ronaldweed6103 I have several, but my daily drivers are a set of Infinity towers and bookshelves. My old Jamos sound surprisingly good! I have some Heco speakers that will be fun to try, also Starke Sound. The amp has been a winner with all so far
I suspect it's based on the original Sugden A21 circuit design (around 1968/69). I bought one new in 1972 got over 30 years out of it - 12 watts per channel (continuous mains consumption of 70 watts, yes it ran very warm) smooth musical sound with tuneful bass. Yes it had less slam than some but otherwise very good. I like the Sith Audio sticker idea, and don't think Krell ever made an amp like that in either looks or specification.
If it can't hit 85dB in room listening position on even 83dB at a watt speakers, there's an issue with it's actual output. You should get 85dB from 9 feet away with 8 watts give or take. Headroom might suffer and you may hear that or an instrument might sound less real, snappy, etc. But it shouldn't just outright clip either. Maybe it's 20 watts at 10%distortion which would suggest the undistorted for hearing is more like 6 or 7 watts? Just becasue the caps look big doesn't mean they store enough reserve. What do you think?
@@Munakas-wq3gp Still would be hesitant to purchase a ChiFi product like this unless I were a tinkerer and knew how to upgrade. Then again, I would build from the ground up. It's hard enough buying a branded product and evaluating if the Company didn't skimp out on expected performance. At least they should be expected to have decent technical and build standards to ensure safety, SQ and output performance.
20 watts = 13 dbW, add this to a 83 dB /1 W efficiënt speaker and the result should be...96 DbA I' ordered this amp, should arrive in two weeks, I think ( based on REAL reviews) that I'll be a happy man .
Update: received the unit this morning,sounds absolutely FANTASTIC on my 90Db efficient bookshelf speakers,,blows my MARANTZ pm5004 ,bass,mids, high's super quality
I just picked one up a couple of days ago in a different gold/red chassis. It sounds really nice and is super well built. No trademark issues either. 😅
I used to root for you man! I was one of your first 300 subs and you were refreshing and honest. But then when at your age you think there was a difference between cables, pretend to hear differences in similar speccd dacs (magnitudes above the threshold of human hearing) and amps, and started straying away from integrity I was sad. Like we all know u are a good guy, and I do understand to some point that you do have to go where the money is etc, but this makes you more like most reviewers. There’s nothing more I hate, than people that 99% off the time will review a more expensive product as better than the cheaper version, and the 1% off the time it’s a unicorn cheap product that everyone follows the same subjective descriptions despite it just being as transparent as the previous 30 products you reviewed. Cables sounding different, amps and dacs sounding different, class d vs class a etc. these are exceptions to the rule. There’s a reason in 2024 the top reviewers will not participate in a blind test ( don’t anybody dare say you can’t do a blind test with audio that’s valid. Because of you can review and compare 2 products several months apart, this negates any validity to the myth). The excuses will come thick and fast . My favourite is “yeah but the the box switching sources will introduce coloration”. Really!?! Not saying that’s you Randy, but it’s a myth that most run with and there’s an easy way to invalidate this arguement. If the listener can hear the difference in an abx test with the switch box connected inline or without it in the chain then yes that would be correct. You tell the listeners this and then they will try and move on to the next excuse. Imagine having all the excuses why one can’t tell the difference in a rigorous environment yet having the audacity to talk about “the slight lingering of the transients decay in the upper mid registry”. It’s like spotting Waldo in a where’s Waldo book in a dimly lit room yet with the lights on it suddenly becomes a problem. Or recognising a voice in a crowded party yet claiming it’s a problem in an empty room. There’s not too much difference between the flat earth community and audiophools (once again not saying you are) so please stick to the truth, honesty is what got you started, don’t fall for placebo and if you do, don’t bother to tell the audience as it does not help anyone and makes you sound like a shill, like the time you swore you could hear the difference with the more expensive hdmi cable I think. I remember you saying “I know it shouldn’t make a difference but I did hear one” did you? Just get your wife to test you otherwise it puts doubt in peoples heads and new ppl in audio don’t need that in the sea of deception like those Dutch guys at alpha audio claiming network switches make an audible difference and showing graphs that fool newbs that really show zoomed in graphs out of the audio band that make it look like a huge difference when in fact it was 0.26db @ 1.6MEGAhertz lol god those guys are annoying with that stupid piano music and the toe tapping playing the “air piano” like they are some kind of elite conniseurs
@@sandyw9357 You are right. Nowadays the electronic part of music reproduction is fully resolved. I think the only segment of the sound chain that can introduce audible differences is the transducer, the speaker.
Many, if not most, channels on RUclips have evolved over the years and for many different reasons. To leave a comment implying exactly WHY is incredibly presumptive without having first-hand information. Good grief @ sandyw9357...show some restraint. Not all thoughts that come to mind should become a comment on RUclips.
The scope of your technical knowledge inspires great confidence. By the way, there is an app on your phone called Google Translate - simply set it to Chinese to English and point your camera at the text, and, most amazingly, it will translate it for you.
I bought a "similar" class-A amp from Krell. It was the John Linsley-Hood, and sounded AMAZING... Untill it stopped... I found the power transistors had no heat-paste, which obviously meant, they got glowing hot! Those cooller fins (ribs?) are actualy too small, for a 2 x10 W class-A, so even with cooler paste, the lifespan of the power transistors will be rather limited. My reaction was to buy all the needed components, and in a better quality, while I was at it, and I bought a cabinet with much larger cooler fins... And yes, that cabinet costed more than the entire "Krell" amp... You can also buy finished and predrilled print-boards, from China, for various "variations" of the JLH, like one version with a lot of small capacitors, instead of a few large, in the smoother circuit, and those many smaller, will be faster to do the smoothing perfectly. And this version even has the axact same "smoother/regulator" type, which JLH advised to use... One of the great advantages is, that transistor controlled "smother/voltage-regulator", will reduce the ripple so much, so you only need much less capacity, for the "final smoothing"... I can not see in this vid, wether or not his amp is the JLH amp... But the interior looks different, from the one I bought. So it might be a Nelson Pass, or one of the ofter famous Class-A designs... I will just advice, those who CAN, to check wether or not, there is cooling paste on the power transistors... If so, they should at least last several years, but not 10 years, before you need to change them. Note, when mine burned off, it did NOT destroy my precious loudspeakers... It just went silent! If youbuy replacement transistors, then buy 10, or even 20, and measure them, to chose those with the values closest to each other... Not only will that keep distortion lowest, but will also make right and left equally loud... TODAY I mostly use a Class-D amp, from Lyngdorf, which actually sounds "almost like a Class-A", while using MUCH less energy, even when playing loud! Only during winter, the Class-A is not "a waste of energy", because, in Denmark we NEED the heat in our homes, anyway...
i have that china "1969 Hood amp" and it runs quite hot, but i have ran it without the top cover from day one. I measure 50c max on the most important components, the thoroid, transistors and heatsinks, my room temperature around 23c. Last summer it got to around 55c, but then my room temperature was around 26c. It's been working just fine for the last 6 months or longer. I have been mostly having this as my main amp daily for 8-12h in a row. I have the volume pot locked at around 12 clock, and use my Denon AVR as an pre-amp to adjust volume. This amp is only for my main speakers which are Klipsch Heresy III, quite sensitive, so no no need for mega watts.
Hey@@johto ... 50C and 55 c is "generally concidered too hot" for transistors, but it "only" means, the lifespan is reduced... The lifespan is greatly increased, if they are only 40c-45c. I measured mine to be about 60-65c (with a cheap thermometer) and that temperature "killed them after two weeks"... You have four options: Buy transistors and a cheap mulimeter, to pair them (a pair should ideally have close to the same gain, and the gain should be as high as possible... 3055 is not very expencive, so concider buying 10 and use the 4 which are best together) in order to be ready to replace yours, when they "burn off"... Or/and place a fan to help cool the amp... Or, the most expencive solution: Buy a cabinet with much larger heat sinks... OR the more "creative solution": Buy two much larger heatsinks, and mount the transistors on them, and place the heatsinks externally, like "under the shelf"... It is quite allright, if there is 30-40 cm cable, (like loudspeaker cable) between the cabinet and the exterior heatsinks. As the very least, your choise to run it without the top cover, is very wise ;) And since yours have lasted 6 months or more, it is clear, they ARE mounted with cooler paste... Be happy about that ;)
@@danboron1 Haha. Good info ! Just measured the amp as its been on for few hours. The main thoroid transformer is at 45c, transistors at 50c. My current ambient room temp is 22c. I used a infrared thermometer 🤓
I'm not overly concerned about buying from AliExpress from personal experience. I've bought loads from them in recent years and on the 2 occasions that I've had an issue with an order not arriving (which I don't think was an issue with the sellers, anyway) they have refunded me without any hassle. I think as long as you do your due diligence with checking the listing and reviews (as you should with any purchase online) you shouldn't have an issue. The most relevant purchases I've made to this channel have been a Ayima T3 phono preamp and a SMSL SU-1 DAC (yep really budget stuff) and both got to the UK in just over a week, tracked to my door, in mint condition with free shipping, no nasty import duty surprises and at a significant saving over their Amazon or whoever listing. I've no reason to suspect that payments aren't secure but to be on the safeside I always pay through PayPal
Finally! These are the amps that need to be reviewed. So many of these cheap amps coming out of China aren't getting talked about enough. Almost like some people in this industry don't want us to know.
I saw a u tube channel that specializes in Alli express clone amps, and pre amps etc. He opens them up and shows you how to bypass the volume and upgrade caps if needed. But they are have a lot of really nicely built amps made out of solid aluminum. I'm going to try one out. They have cheap ones and expensive gear that costs 10s of thousands .
@@ChicagoRob2 yes I agree 👍. I have been really interested in how those Alli express amps sound and I couldn't find anything about them until I found that channel. I want to collect a few of them because they are so cheap.
I have had the 10W version of this amp for 6 years now. It is a John Lindley Hood class A clone. I have it powering some Diatone clones, and it sounds amazing. The early versions of these by nobsound had better quality interiors.
Always fun to watch your videos. Did you turn both volume controls to max? In the video @ 8:36 they're barely at nine o clock. To get max output (you probably already know this) you have to turn the volume controls fully up and use your preamp (Ayima) to control the volume.
Your experience with the voicing of the amp is in part, the relationship between your speakers and the amp. If the amp has a low damping factor, and your speakers are underdamped (anything other than full-range of high sensitivity, high Q), then you won't like the base. Try a pair of high sensitivity speakers or a high-sensitivity open baffle.
If you only get 80db out of those speakers then you are only using like 0.1W. Has to be something wrong with the preamp setup or the amplifier gain or volume. Even a pair of bookshelf speakers are really loud (85db+) at 1m if you are really outputting 1 Watt.
Are you sure it's class A and not the usual AB? With the amp powered up and just idling, if left on, the thing would be cooking, not just a little warm.
I have to wonder about that 20 watt spec. I can easily get into the upper 80 dBA range with my SMSL VMV A1 on my KEF LS50 and that amp is only rated at 10 watts. I had originally bought the amp for some 94 dBA efficient speakers but though I would try it with the LS50s and it works surprisingly well. It doesn't drive them the same as a really good 50+ watt class AB and there some speakers that are no go but 10 class A watts can go further than you'd think it should. Also if some of these classic amps are out of patent protection and no longer being made it would be really cool to see some DIY ACA style kits built around quality parts and good quality case work.
I snagged one for around $110 USD (plus $70 shipping). It does a pretty excellent job driving my Apogee Stage planar magnetics; fast and lively, brings out bass slam, great image depth and width, localization of instruments. Only gets around 110F on a pair of low efficiency speakers (~82 dB/W) to 70 dB sound level. Plenty more headroom. Thanks for the tip, Randy! 👍👍👍
Using room correction on my Wiim Pro I also get the wonky pulsating in and out you mention. I’d describe it like it’s breathing in and out. System is vintage (posh word for old) Quad 66 preamp and Quad 309 class A amplifier. Both fully reconditioned. Feeding a pair of Mission 737 Renaissance speakers. Maybe the Wiim has a bit of a problem doing room correction on old design class A amps. I just keep the Wiim flat.
An old friend who was an electronics tech believed that burn-in was a thing even for solid state equipment, so it's probably a real effect, mostly the capacitors settling in. He would slightly overclock any new computer he built and run test and benchmark software for several days and then set it back to stock speeds if he was satisfied with it.
I recently bought a BRU5, TPA3255 amplifier with DSP for $40 with shipping to Poland included. The amplifier requires an external power supply (preferably 48V 15A, but it works with 24V 8.5A without any problems, giving out less power). The amplifier has one RCA input, Bluetooth and USB for connecting a computer to set the DSP.
Regarding the "Krell" sticker: I might have 1 of 2 thoughts. Either Krell legitimately supplied the chassis to BRZHiFi or worse, BRZHi purchased these cases in bulk for cheap from a 3rd party seller, and intentionally or unintentionally neglected to remove the Krell sticker. Now, if BRZHiFi actually added some generic "Krell" sticker during the manufacturing process, then yea, that would be terrible.
The Chinese factories oem for many western brands, they're too lazy to swap stickers for their house brands aka no brands products, they're many that comes with no brands.
1: Bypass volume contols and use with a preamp! 2: Burn in using moderately efficient speakers as long as possible 3: Match them with higher sensitivity speakers that are appropriate for 20wpc One of the best sounding amps i have heard is the classic Beddinni 20x20. It drives Totem Ones surprisingly well with plenty of robust power. (Totem Ones can make much more powerful amps sound thin and anemic) Then get back to me... Really, i hope you give it a chance and let us know.
Well, Randy given its recommended to let it burn in for 300hrs. You for the point of interest let it run for 2 weeks and let our curiosity be sated. My old great Yamaha CA-800 was when the option switch was flipped I went from AB Amp with 45 watts RMS to Class A 10 RMS and even at 10 watts it still drove my HPM 60's to loud enough to bother people. But as you said it could be a really interesting platform. You could have the Capacitors checked for capacitance as well as other components in the chain and see what upgrades could make it sing. If you were so inclined.
Interesting product. Thanks for the peek inside which provides a glance at parts and layout which appear to be pretty good. I gather that it's loosely based on a Musical Fidelity model, one which was well-regarded in its heyday. I wonder if a schematic diagram is available: I'd like to look it over. Possibly there's an obvious reason why bass isn't quite up to the quality of mids and highs. Unless driven at higher levels, lack of bass "weight and heft" may be indicative of other circuit-related parameters beyond power output. It may be a nice amp to play with, modify, or re-design.
I bought one of these and I love it. Was advertised as a clone of a 1969 Hood amp.Also has a Krell plate on the front and a champagne finish.I also have a Chinese clone tube preamp with a Goldmund plate on the front.
Hi Cheapaudioman, you're right in all of your statements, these kind of devices are best known in German Audiophile circles in combination with a Loudspaker originally self built by French Audiophiles, named "Le Petit" built with a Fostex fullband Chassis or some JBL 2-Way monitor clone called Monitor #1, from which you can find several variants. A good performing speaker (i.e. > 90-95 dB/1W 1m) which is not so demanding in power (W) will work best. Also as a DAC, there is probably plenty of doing a good job, i.e. musical Paradise DX, a tube preamp and DAC or on the budget line the astonishing HifiMan AF 499 R2R DAC, which sound ways more laid back than the AF 500 R2R DAC. Thanks again, kind regards Oliver
I've had pretty good luck with cheap amps of similar construction, but that coil will probably start to whine after a few years of use. I had to discontinue daily use of a 160W amplifier because the coil whine made me not want to be in the same room with it. I figure I'll get around to potting it at some point, or I'll just keep it on the shelf for the times I need 160W.
I did bought it, i also own the ACA from Pass ( burning hot when powered), they dont sound the same. As you say, a curiosity to play with, Sound is basic, it gets warm at best.
Last week I got a D9 amp from Ali that is a clone of a Dartzeel NHB-108. The D9 is similar to the D5 Pro amp but with XLR inputs. The D9 sounds amazing, lots of detail, good soundstage, nice tight bass. It sounds very similar to my Hypex Nilai amp. Well worth the money.
I have a pair of BRZ 300b monoblocks and I can't believe how good they are. However they are configured for China's 110v power and require bucking transformers to get our 120v down to 110.
I had a British Fidelity (aka Musical Fidelity) A1 back in the 80s (bought it around 1987) when I was in college. It was my first serious amplifier (after the Sony receiver I had in high school). I loved that amp and always regret selling it. It was definitely a little under powered to "rock out" but wow was it awesome with jazz and most classical music. I think I had it for maybe 5-7 years and sold it it when I bought new speakers. It definitely got me hooked on class-A amplifiers though. Musical Fidelity has started selling their A1 again too.
I would love find another one. I loved mine. It's become such a cult classic that Musical Fidelity has re-released it. Sadly, it has 2024 pricing as well. $1800! But it does include a 3 button remote now!
Wow!! You didn't even dust the shelf when switching out components??!! 😮. My OCD went through the roof. I wiped it down for you (in my mind) 😂. Love the channel!! Oh, I have the Dartzeel class A clone from another Chinese website and it's the BEST sounding Amplifier I have ever owned. Like ever.
wish you and your family a happy new year ;-) I treated myself to 2 of these really good Class A amplifiers a few months ago. I'm still happy with that. But I think I need higher quality speakers (Dali Oberon 7), that's what you meant too, right? Greetings to you and continued success!🎉
I think they are using the 1969 John Linsley Hood (JLH) 10w per channel design. Nelson Pass has written about it and even made his own version with power fets. You won't get 10w unless your speakers are a good match to the design target impedance - typically 8 ohm. The JLH is about 30% efficient so if the heat sinks are not dissipating 120+ watts, you are not getting 20w+20w. Great little amp.
that aint the "1969 John Linsley Hood" model, i have that version, and mine runs HOT !" I had to take the top cover off or else the transistors / thoroid was running too hot (too small case imho). Mine definitely is biased high for that 10w advertised (230v model). Anyways, sounds very nice, kinda mid heavy and airy treble as also in this amp in review, but not the same layout i can see. My JLH amp drives my main left right spakers, Klipsch Heresy III. Been having it on for more than 8+ hours daily for around a year, still works, no smoke ;)
Hey boss😊Fun review. Something doesn’t make sense though. Martin sent me a Schiit Ghorn to listen to for a bit. I had no problem getting 85db from that through the stock Elac Unifi 2.0. Seems like you should have no problem getting there with 20 WPC? Just thinking out loud💁
My reaction to this review is bitter sweet. Your description of how this amp sounds is very close to how I would describe the Krell KSA150 that I used have. But why you use cardboard cruddy speakers and a mediocre digital source is puzzling. I would suggest a much better clone from the same company. Their Dartzeel clone bumped my Classe amp out of my main system. The D5 pro combined with my B&W 801s are jaw dropping. A clone of a $50k amp with components in the signal path that match the original one for one. An open loop design which the audio signal passes through only three circuits. I won't put a link because the last time I did that it got deleted.
Ey dude great video, that amp from the inside looks like it has more to offer, tweek ur EQ im sure it can correct your thoughts on the lower, wont burn the fuses on each out put will pop. Look forward to seeing more. Cheers 🍻 from CPT
I am one of the DIY guys, and have had a few of the Class A kits/amps from China. None of them hold a candle to a decent tube amp. Not even close. I don't even think that can be said as opinion. They are pretty good for the low price, but they are far from great kit. And it's not hard to find a great tube amp.
Even if your speakers were 86dB at 8ohm at 1 meter efficient, you should be able to have them produce 98dB at 16 watts at 1 meter. If you were sitting 2 meters away you would subtract 3 dB, so you should still be able to produce 96dB, with 4 watts of headroom. Are you sure the output setting for the WiiM is set to 2V?
It sounds great too , just need a sensitive speaker the only issue of that amp is the Power output, I got 2 of these plus class D amp for Bass driver, amazing
With 20 watts, it should be able to get a lot louder than 80DB. It’s likely that the amp doesn’t have enough gain, and requires a preamp. This problem will be made worse if using a source that puts out less than the typical 2 Volts of output, such a cell phone or echo device.
Early in the Pandemic, I bought a BRZaudio Dual Mono Pure Class A Mark Levinson ML 2 clone amplifier.( 25 wpc,like the original ones). Very Heavy! ( Not a one hander). It's a Great amp for the money! I took the top cover off, and I was impressed! High End components throughout. It was about $600.00. I also bought a JC 3 Mark Levinson Dual Mono class A preamp for $195.00, and a Yaqim High End tube CD player that is Stellar! ($400.00). So, for about $1,200.00, I acquired High End Components that if made in Europe or America, would have cost over $10,000.00! The funny thing is, is that these Chinese components actually use High End European and Japanese Capacitors, Resisters and Pots, when American, and European brands use exclusively cheap off the shelf Chinese parts! Go Figure!
My first impression was "Wow Randy got balls to pull this Amp from Aliexpress and review it", but what you did was pleasing the masses by showing the AMP without actualy realy reviewing it - smart move but man i get you, gotta feed the kids right. Just imagin, Randy giving this AMP a burn in of over 140hours and then reviewing it with some full range speakers. But what Randy wont tell the masses is that this AMP and the Hood 1969 Clone combined with a full range driver speaker is the entry into HIFI that would usualy cost you way over 1000 bucks.
I considerered buying this thing but in the last moment I got an Onkyo receiver from 98/99,probably the biggest model already with Bluetooth and RDS and an optical exit for my Sony Minidisc for 60 bucks only! This is the right time to buy the good old stuff if you’re into High fidelity
Very cool. You mention near the end something about it being $175 retail. From Ali, this is more like a wholesaler price. Retail on this, by the time it got distributed and marketed through shops, would be at least $699 if not $899. How much would that change your opinion of it?
I have what I think is pretty much the same amp… Nobusound, and it uses a stereo volume pot rather than dual mono. It’s excellent paired with some old Tannoy System 12 DMT studio monitors. Needs an efficient speaker with a simple crossover (like any Class A amp)
Sorry I am not going to read all 645 comments, but this amplifier is a Musical Fidelity A1 clone. Also, all new amplifiers, speakers need to run for say 100 hours before serious listening. Also, I am using low sensitive Dynaudio Craft speakers with a 15-20 watt amplifier and this goes loud in a 40 sqr mtr room. Sorry but this is a very poor review. So please do some homework.
I picked up the D5 Pro, which is based on the DartZeel NHB-108 design (like a $50,000 amplifier) and it's a fantastic amplifier. I would not call these clones, as they simply are not. They are based on reference designs from their originators, who's patents expired long ago, so it's probably more like buying a generic pharmaceutical. BTW the D5 Pro is a WHOLE LOT MORE THAN 20 WATTS :) Closer to 200Watts/channel and that's pure class-AB goodness.
I bought this crazy cheap A1 Clone pure class A amp from Ali Express! How Can it be any good?
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Not a fair review at all, kind of disappointed in your lack of diligence... ANY real class a amplifier requires hundreds of hours of burn in from new for the very large capacitors to open up and everything to clear up and tighten up. I'll be watching to see if you respond to the many messages I |See you've already received because I've seen other reviews of yours with major manufacturers where you let their products burn in... seems disingenuous, imo.
@@I-Am-Klaus It took my Sugden A21 clone 400 hours to settle-in. Same for my Yamaha A-S1200.
@@I-Am-Klaus I would say what I do is more informing and entertaining than “reviewing”. I can barely spell capaciter and rezister
@@cheapaudioman I've thought of putting " Not A Review " on all my videos just to avoid any confusion. ...especially now with the FTC ruling for review content.
Finally you did it!!! A whole new chapter in "A Cheap Audioman" and no more excuses that you reviewed all products available 💪💪🚀🚀✍✍🆙🆙☺☺
I use a 15W/channel class A amp that I built out of some electronics mag 30 years ago. Still sounds good and has the added benefit of use to warm up food and keep coffee hot.
@@petergaskin1811 phuc yea
Can you remember which magazine it was in ?
most of the electronics and radio magazines going back 100 years are online. a lot of old books too.
Major heads up!! - you can disconnect the cable from the volume board and go directly to the amp to bypass the volume knob. No soldering needed, becomes full power amp 😊
If you connect the little cables from the rca input jacks directly to the board, they go right into the board with a little 3 pin connector, you gain about 25% volume and massive imaging improvements. So awesome that you actually bought this amp though! I run mine on a pair of rp600m with a bass shelf EQ. If you add a bass shelf, the low end sounds just as sweet as the mids and highs.
@@ancientalien815 If you just bypassed the volume knobs, say so.
@@Thuddster Well you are bypassing the volume potentiometer on the amp. So it could be the potentiometer value thats holding it back a little bit. I am honestly not sure of the science but I am sure of my ears.
@@ancientalien815 it's the low quality of these pots, the simplest solution is to bypass them as this also solves madness of setting the balance by ear after every volume change
@@k4syx Yeah, that just seems pretty crazy to me to have a left and right volume that are independent... what a huge pain.
@@paulmilnes6553most amps have pots for each channel like my parasound hca-1500a.
The best use of those is to turn them all the way up and use the pre-amp as its supposed to (change the volume).
Most pre-amps sounds best whit the pot at 11 o clock tho many new pre-amps uses a digital gain that dosent affect sound quality.
It’s a clone of the power section of the original Musical Fidelity A1. One can easily DIY bypass the volume pots and treat it as a pure power amp. I think BRZ uses the same case elsewhere, hence the Krell label. They definitely don’t claim it to be a clone of any Krell circuitry. Also, definitely worth mentioning is that the original A1 came out way over 20 years ago, so any patent would’ve long expired.
@@foblivio I read many years ago Krell used the J L Hood 1969 circuitry in their amplifiers! That may be one answer why the sticker is on the amp made by BRZHiFi and possibly others. I have both the J L Hood and the Musicsl Fidelity clones they use basically the almost exact same chassis. I hope the Musical Fidelity clone is more reliable than the original which was unreliable and possibly put them out of business. They resurrected the company and the new amps are made in Austria. So far my amps have had no problems, not even one thump. I think the Chinese have put the fear into the HiFi market with affordable basic copies of very good circuits. When you look at a $300 clone keeping up with a $1500 with similar sound it may make some people think why $1500+. Remember a lot of high end audio products are made in China. Why China, it’s cheap labor and manufacturing. Remember Japan started making clones after WWII, look at them now. I just heard a clone of the BBC LS3/5a and I’m impressed. They sell it for $600-700 a pair shipped. A Genuine English made pair are $1500-2400. There mighty close to,the originals. They cloned the drivers and the internal structure of the enclosure including the felt edge sound absorbing materials. (The LS3/5a may have been made in South Korea)
@@foblivio I bought the original A1 in 1986 and still have it with the original box !!!
Randy, the second half of this episode belongs in your top 10, it was very interesting! Judging by the input from several aficionados here, most of us have an opportunity to learn something. Please consider substituting speakers with a pair of 4ohm 30-50watt resistors and run it 24/7 at 100%, then configure it with what you have on hand to produce the best sound you can. I’m confident it will be a great end of month show.
I recently got a clone of a Burmester 933 MKII from Ali. At $382usd + shipping it is a bit more expensive but the 933 is substantially more powerful (150w x 2 into 4 ohms) and has solid bass and detailed mids and top end from my experience. Also given that a used genuine 933 MKII sets you back around $2000usd, the clone is a bargain. I am also waiting on an FM Acoustics FM711 MKII clone ($708usd + shipping) that has construction and styling is identical to the genuine amp that sell used for around $18,000usd.
Thanks for the review. I’m intrigued. I like Class A with very efficient speakers. Looking at some of the comments of owners, burn-in is important. Long term review? Thanks! Keep up the great work!
You are like Marco Polo this morning!
...We don't know what route or how long you were gone, but you've got a tale to tell about some weird s*** that you found while you were following rumors of unbelievable goodness just over the horizon. I actually paused the video to literally go pull my final cup of coffee for the day, and now I'm sitting down to watch.
... I do love our crazy world when it does things like this.
... I went to Vietnam for my honeymoon, and the street markets there have PERFECT knockoffs of designer stuff. Its soooo perfect, in fact, that you could be forgiven for thinking it's the real thing but the locals snuck this stuff out of the sweat shop during the night shift, while the French expats were home sleeping.😅 Yeah, I do not wonder about that stray label on there... Don't ask. Don't tell.
... Cheers Randy! Good content as always. Given I lose all continuity at Halloween, HAPPY HOLIDAYS BRO! 🍪
Thank you so much!
Aliexpress is great. I have a cousin working for them here in Brazil and he explained. If always use and always buy. You get the rating 5 5. With 5 5 even if get scam, they always return your money.
I use a lot and buy a lot. I already had problems with products not being delivered. I never lost money there.
FALSE I bought several things and they all cost or they cost little and they break immediately or they don't arrive, or only 1 piece arrives and then you don't get a refund Aliexpress screws you and anyone who says otherwise is a liar
Ebay does the same for buyers as well. In alot of cases it is to the detriment of honest sellers. Reason I stopped using them to sell stuff after getting ripped off a couple of times. That and their fees are highway robbery now! I have bought from Aliexpress a number of times. It is a crap shoot. But at the prices and with the expectation that the quality may be great or down right trash, they are just fine with me.
I bought the Brz D5 Pro out of curiosity. This is a DartZeel clone. I paired it with an R2R Soekris dac, a Yamaha streamer, a Schiit Freya + pre amp, CSS 1 TD X speakers. The sound was fantastic. Given my taste in music this amp was excellent. This clone amp also received some very good technical reviews that convinced me to try it out . If you want to experiment a bit and not spend a lot of money this is a great amp.
I added the Wiim ultra to the A1 clone amplifier and you won't believe the sound quality and functionality you get. It sounds amazing.
I've had a BRZHIFI X21 for three years now and I really like it. 2.1 channels, High Mid Low tone control, sub volume control, BT and optical inputs plus remote control.
If you'd like to know more about this build, sound quality and some technical stuff, take a look at my review and video on volume bypass. This is value build, but there are also monsters like Dartzeel Gryphon or Accuphase clones, in fact, Dartzeel clone is one of the best if not the best sounding amp I've ever heard. It made me start doing videos on these
Highly recommended
And best regards to Ancient Alien :)
Our man at the HiFi Zone is the GOAT.
This video actually came from your video. You convinced me to try it and I loved it so much that I had to convince Randy to try it lol.
@@ancientalien815 he is rather convincing ain't he? We will all have a clone wall of amps soon
It's not midrange focused, it has full bass, you just paired it with the wrong speakers. I have this clone and it runs circles around my Fosi ZA3 with sparkos opamps. It gives me around 85% of my 3.5k Pathos amp.
With 20 watts class A it is clearly made for high efficiency speakers, not average bookshelf speakers.
A decent preamp is also advisable. And it needs a proper burn in.
@@quma001 👍
Cheap audioman never gave this amp a fair shot. From the outset he was looking for things to find fault.
Reviewed it without burn in. Ridiculous review.
@@Carl-bd1rf Yes, it's a bit unfortunate because these guys really give us hand made high-end audio at an affordable price. Not like those many Chinese brands that send their Class D products for free to every reviewer all over the world.
You just have to understand what these circuits, some of which are 40-50 years old, were designed for and use them accordingly
@@quma001 absolutely love your comment, cheers!
@@k4syx Thanks man, and I love your videos
A five minute change due to simple disconnects, you can bypass the volume controls and use it as a power amp with another preamp.
Bro, it's absolutely fine when you review expensive stuff but I LOVE this.
These Chinese amps are what people should be reviewing but the big guys paying bills won't like that.
LHY makes clones of off-patent D'Art Zeel amplifiers. At $1500 it's not cheap, but the build and parts quality are first rate. I have an LHY LPS for my Wiim Pro that is ludicrously well made. I took a look under the hood and the parts are all top-shelf which genuinely surprised me and it does a superb job powering the Wiim. A buddy of mine with a LOT more disposable income bought the D'Art Zeel clone amp by LHY on a lark and it sounds superb. He uses it in his living room system. He loaned it to me over a weekend and it's the best sounding amp I've heard in my system. The only negative is that it's anodized gold faceplate and bright red chassis is a lot to take in. The nameplate says it's a D'Art Zeel clone made by LHY which is a more honest approach. And it's heavy as hell to pick up.
We need more videos like this. Live upto your name "cheapaudioman" :)
like cheapaidioman china trip 😊
Yes, cheap audioman prefers cheap coffee!
The Chinese make so much hifi gear these days and so many brands in so many categories. Some have made it on the world stage - Denafrips , SMSL, Topping , Fosi , Willsenton, Hifiman, Shanling, Kinki Studio, Eversolo, Line Magnetic , Moondrop , FiiO , Reisong , PSVane and many more that only the Chinese know of. It’s a very very competitive mkt. and with today’s social media , the consumer is super demanding. If you can survive in the Chinese mkt. , you can survive anywhere lol.
Hopefully their domestic customers drive the development of good sounding music reproduction too😊😊😊
@@20CycleMonger Interesting that you brought this up. I live in China atm. Surprisingly I can only find MQA CDs of Chinese artists and not expensive ( around US6 ) , since I bought the Shanling ET3 CD transport that can play these CDs. The quality is surprisingly good. Sadly no western music with MQA. Well in China we are spoilt for choice and chi fi is around 20-25% cheaper so it’s a no brainer. The Chinese mkt is huge so there is every incentive to make a blockbuster product. It’s also extremely competitive.
Don't forget Prima Luna! I have a pre-amp and an amp - both tubes and they pretty much rock! But they are driving my Focal Kanta No2's and I'm jonsing for a Pass Labs x250.8 (9 grand ain't cheap!)
@@CraigSweeney-rg7wg Yes PL is made by the same factory that makes Line Magnetic and Willsenton in Zhuhai. Pass Labs are pretty expensive lol. But Kantas open up with quite a bit of power.
Theres a lot of people denigrate the Chinese for being merely copyist, these people's parents said the same of the Japanese.
The Chinese are mad keen on hobby electronics, their suppliers are moral in the old school sense, I ordered a cheap small electronics module from a Chinese company, they had two left on the shelf (bin), they sent both no extra charge.
Honestly that construction looks awesome
This is one of very good amplifier clones I've reviewed. There are others, even better, like DartZeel clone, some Accuphase clones etc. This one is based on Musical Fidelity A1, but only power amp section. Whole preamp part of this well known integrated was removed as it was holding this little gem back.
Absolutely great value and it gets even better after some burn in (it's class A, it needs that to sing beautifully)!
BRZ was once Breeze Audio. They make a matching pre amp. They sell a kit for both. You got a premade kit, hence KRELL. Think of it as a solid state class A, yet similar to low wattage tube-based class A
I’ve been very curious about this one! Thank you for the video.
I have 2 of these for bi-amping. I was FLOORED and I have several amps over $1000/$2000 range. My Breeze Hifi amps keep up effortlessly. This is good stuff people!
What speakers do you have?
From my experience you would want to cook that amp for a couple of days at least. And then warm it up for an hour before listening to it, plus it didn't look like Randy put a preamp on it. Just a dac?? I'll bet he would have got way way more gain, with a good preamp in front.
@@ronaldweed6103 My everyday drivers are a set of Infinity towers and bookshelves, but I also use my Klipsch rm600s, Stark Sound bookshelves and some Jamos. I got more speakers, but have not tried on this amp yet 😎
@@McgarickWAstate Yes to this, I notice the same
@@ronaldweed6103 I have several, but my daily drivers are a set of Infinity towers and bookshelves. My old Jamos sound surprisingly good!
I have some Heco speakers that will be fun to try, also Starke Sound. The amp has been a winner with all so far
Thanks!
I suspect it's based on the original Sugden A21 circuit design (around 1968/69). I bought one new in 1972 got over 30 years out of it - 12 watts per channel (continuous mains consumption of 70 watts, yes it ran very warm) smooth musical sound with tuneful bass. Yes it had less slam than some but otherwise very good.
I like the Sith Audio sticker idea, and don't think Krell ever made an amp like that in either looks or specification.
You could just peel of the Krell sticker and replace it with: Sith Audio, Messman Randall A1
If it was a piece of real Krell gear I'd be very happy.
If it can't hit 85dB in room listening position on even 83dB at a watt speakers, there's an issue with it's actual output. You should get 85dB from 9 feet away with 8 watts give or take. Headroom might suffer and you may hear that or an instrument might sound less real, snappy, etc. But it shouldn't just outright clip either. Maybe it's 20 watts at 10%distortion which would suggest the undistorted for hearing is more like 6 or 7 watts? Just becasue the caps look big doesn't mean they store enough reserve.
What do you think?
Yes sounded odd that with a full 20 watts he couldn't even get 85db. Perhaps the cheap volume pots are causing the amp to not give a full output.
@@Munakas-wq3gp Still would be hesitant to purchase a ChiFi product like this unless I were a tinkerer and knew how to upgrade. Then again, I would build from the ground up.
It's hard enough buying a branded product and evaluating if the Company didn't skimp out on expected performance. At least they should be expected to have decent technical and build standards to ensure safety, SQ and output performance.
20 watts = 13 dbW, add this to a 83 dB /1 W efficiënt speaker and the result should be...96 DbA
I' ordered this amp, should arrive in two weeks, I think ( based on REAL reviews) that I'll be a happy man .
Update: received the unit this morning,sounds absolutely FANTASTIC on my 90Db efficient bookshelf speakers,,blows my MARANTZ pm5004 ,bass,mids, high's super quality
I just picked one up a couple of days ago in a different gold/red chassis. It sounds really nice and is super well built. No trademark issues either. 😅
I used to root for you man! I was one of your first 300 subs and you were refreshing and honest. But then when at your age you think there was a difference between cables, pretend to hear differences in similar speccd dacs (magnitudes above the threshold of human hearing) and amps, and started straying away from integrity I was sad. Like we all know u are a good guy, and I do understand to some point that you do have to go where the money is etc, but this makes you more like most reviewers. There’s nothing more I hate, than people that 99% off the time will review a more expensive product as better than the cheaper version, and the 1% off the time it’s a unicorn cheap product that everyone follows the same subjective descriptions despite it just being as transparent as the previous 30 products you reviewed.
Cables sounding different, amps and dacs sounding different, class d vs class a etc. these are exceptions to the rule. There’s a reason in 2024 the top reviewers will not participate in a blind test ( don’t anybody dare say you can’t do a blind test with audio that’s valid. Because of you can review and compare 2 products several months apart, this negates any validity to the myth). The excuses will come thick and fast . My favourite is “yeah but the the box switching sources will introduce coloration”. Really!?! Not saying that’s you Randy, but it’s a myth that most run with and there’s an easy way to invalidate this arguement. If the listener can hear the difference in an abx test with the switch box connected inline or without it in the chain then yes that would be correct. You tell the listeners this and then they will try and move on to the next excuse. Imagine having all the excuses why one can’t tell the difference in a rigorous environment yet having the audacity to talk about “the slight lingering of the transients decay in the upper mid registry”. It’s like spotting Waldo in a where’s Waldo book in a dimly lit room yet with the lights on it suddenly becomes a problem. Or recognising a voice in a crowded party yet claiming it’s a problem in an empty room.
There’s not too much difference between the flat earth community and audiophools (once again not saying you are) so please stick to the truth, honesty is what got you started, don’t fall for placebo and if you do, don’t bother to tell the audience as it does not help anyone and makes you sound like a shill, like the time you swore you could hear the difference with the more expensive hdmi cable I think. I remember you saying “I know it shouldn’t make a difference but I did hear one” did you? Just get your wife to test you otherwise it puts doubt in peoples heads and new ppl in audio don’t need that in the sea of deception like those Dutch guys at alpha audio claiming network switches make an audible difference and showing graphs that fool newbs that really show zoomed in graphs out of the audio band that make it look like a huge difference when in fact it was 0.26db @ 1.6MEGAhertz lol god those guys are annoying with that stupid piano music and the toe tapping playing the “air piano” like they are some kind of elite conniseurs
@@sandyw9357 You are right. Nowadays the electronic part of music reproduction is fully resolved. I think the only segment of the sound chain that can introduce audible differences is the transducer, the speaker.
tl;dr
Many, if not most, channels on RUclips have evolved over the years and for many different reasons. To leave a comment implying exactly WHY is incredibly presumptive without having first-hand information. Good grief @ sandyw9357...show some restraint. Not all thoughts that come to mind should become a comment on RUclips.
He should be heart broken.
Oh , and I've heard differences in wires.
The scope of your technical knowledge inspires great confidence. By the way, there is an app on your phone called Google Translate - simply set it to Chinese to English and point your camera at the text, and, most amazingly, it will translate it for you.
I bought a "similar" class-A amp from Krell. It was the John Linsley-Hood, and sounded AMAZING...
Untill it stopped...
I found the power transistors had no heat-paste, which obviously meant, they got glowing hot!
Those cooller fins (ribs?) are actualy too small, for a 2 x10 W class-A,
so even with cooler paste, the lifespan of the power transistors will be rather limited.
My reaction was to buy all the needed components,
and in a better quality, while I was at it,
and I bought a cabinet with much larger cooler fins...
And yes, that cabinet costed more than the entire "Krell" amp...
You can also buy finished and predrilled print-boards, from China, for various "variations" of the JLH,
like one version with a lot of small capacitors, instead of a few large, in the smoother circuit,
and those many smaller, will be faster to do the smoothing perfectly.
And this version even has the axact same "smoother/regulator" type,
which JLH advised to use...
One of the great advantages is, that transistor controlled "smother/voltage-regulator",
will reduce the ripple so much, so you only need much less capacity,
for the "final smoothing"...
I can not see in this vid, wether or not his amp is the JLH amp...
But the interior looks different, from the one I bought.
So it might be a Nelson Pass, or one of the ofter famous Class-A designs...
I will just advice, those who CAN, to check wether or not, there is cooling paste on the power transistors...
If so, they should at least last several years, but not 10 years, before you need to change them.
Note, when mine burned off, it did NOT destroy my precious loudspeakers...
It just went silent!
If youbuy replacement transistors, then buy 10, or even 20, and measure them, to chose those with the values closest to each other...
Not only will that keep distortion lowest, but will also make right and left equally loud...
TODAY I mostly use a Class-D amp, from Lyngdorf,
which actually sounds "almost like a Class-A",
while using MUCH less energy, even when playing loud!
Only during winter, the Class-A is not "a waste of energy",
because, in Denmark we NEED the heat in our homes, anyway...
i have that china "1969 Hood amp" and it runs quite hot, but i have ran it without the top cover from day one. I measure 50c max on the most important components, the thoroid, transistors and heatsinks, my room temperature around 23c. Last summer it got to around 55c, but then my room temperature was around 26c. It's been working just fine for the last 6 months or longer. I have been mostly having this as my main amp daily for 8-12h in a row. I have the volume pot locked at around 12 clock, and use my Denon AVR as an pre-amp to adjust volume. This amp is only for my main speakers which are Klipsch Heresy III, quite sensitive, so no no need for mega watts.
Hey@@johto ... 50C and 55 c is "generally concidered too hot" for transistors, but it "only" means, the lifespan is reduced...
The lifespan is greatly increased, if they are only 40c-45c.
I measured mine to be about 60-65c (with a cheap thermometer) and that temperature "killed them after two weeks"...
You have four options: Buy transistors and a cheap mulimeter, to pair them (a pair should ideally have close to the same gain, and the gain should be as high as possible... 3055 is not very expencive, so concider buying 10 and use the 4 which are best together) in order to be ready to replace yours, when they "burn off"... Or/and place a fan to help cool the amp... Or, the most expencive solution: Buy a cabinet with much larger heat sinks...
OR the more "creative solution": Buy two much larger heatsinks, and mount the transistors on them, and place the heatsinks externally, like "under the shelf"...
It is quite allright, if there is 30-40 cm cable, (like loudspeaker cable) between the cabinet and the exterior heatsinks.
As the very least, your choise to run it without the top cover, is very wise ;)
And since yours have lasted 6 months or more, it is clear, they ARE mounted with cooler paste... Be happy about that ;)
@@danboron1 Haha. Good info ! Just measured the amp as its been on for few hours. The main thoroid transformer is at 45c, transistors at 50c. My current ambient room temp is 22c. I used a infrared thermometer 🤓
I'm not overly concerned about buying from AliExpress from personal experience. I've bought loads from them in recent years and on the 2 occasions that I've had an issue with an order not arriving (which I don't think was an issue with the sellers, anyway) they have refunded me without any hassle. I think as long as you do your due diligence with checking the listing and reviews (as you should with any purchase online) you shouldn't have an issue. The most relevant purchases I've made to this channel have been a Ayima T3 phono preamp and a SMSL SU-1 DAC (yep really budget stuff) and both got to the UK in just over a week, tracked to my door, in mint condition with free shipping, no nasty import duty surprises and at a significant saving over their Amazon or whoever listing. I've no reason to suspect that payments aren't secure but to be on the safeside I always pay through PayPal
Finally! These are the amps that need to be reviewed. So many of these cheap amps coming out of China aren't getting talked about enough. Almost like some people in this industry don't want us to know.
Competitions will do that. It's a dog eat dog world.
They ain't going to last along time
@@BoRerunn I have several Chinese tube amps that are over a decade old and still work fine.
@@BoRerunn You're basing that opinion on what?
@@jamesvandamme7786 no name brand knock offs are here today and gone tomorrow
I saw a u tube channel that specializes in Alli express clone amps, and pre amps etc. He opens them up and shows you how to bypass the volume and upgrade caps if needed. But they are have a lot of really nicely built amps made out of solid aluminum. I'm going to try one out. They have cheap ones and expensive gear that costs 10s of thousands .
That would be HiFi Zone. Great channel, BTW.
@@ChicagoRob2 yes I agree 👍. I have been really interested in how those Alli express amps sound and I couldn't find anything about them until I found that channel. I want to collect a few of them because they are so cheap.
This channel is excellent…
@@thomastsiopoulos8597 I agree 💯👍
I have had the 10W version of this amp for 6 years now. It is a John Lindley Hood class A clone. I have it powering some Diatone clones, and it sounds amazing. The early versions of these by nobsound had better quality interiors.
I work with pa. amplifiers.
When I needed 5 amps for my 5.1 system in my house , I used 4 qsc 2500's and 1 qsc4000 for the subs .
Always fun to watch your videos. Did you turn both volume controls to max? In the video @ 8:36 they're barely at nine o clock. To get max output (you probably already know this) you have to turn the volume controls fully up and use your preamp (Ayima) to control the volume.
Your experience with the voicing of the amp is in part, the relationship between your speakers and the amp. If the amp has a low damping factor, and your speakers are underdamped (anything other than full-range of high sensitivity, high Q), then you won't like the base. Try a pair of high sensitivity speakers or a high-sensitivity open baffle.
Very glad you did this!
Now try one of these type amps in a Class A/B design! Theres a few out there that tout 300wpc and up!
I assumed when I saw "A1" that itwas a clone of the Musical Fidelity A1 fro the 80s. Incidentally, Musical Fidelity has a modern version now.
I had the original and you could cook a steak on it.
I love the way the badge says "Krell"! If that's not impertinence!
If you only get 80db out of those speakers then you are only using like 0.1W. Has to be something wrong with the preamp setup or the amplifier gain or volume.
Even a pair of bookshelf speakers are really loud (85db+) at 1m if you are really outputting 1 Watt.
Are you sure it's class A and not the usual AB? With the amp powered up and just idling, if left on, the thing would be cooking, not just a little warm.
I have to wonder about that 20 watt spec. I can easily get into the upper 80 dBA range with my SMSL VMV A1 on my KEF LS50 and that amp is only rated at 10 watts. I had originally bought the amp for some 94 dBA efficient speakers but though I would try it with the LS50s and it works surprisingly well. It doesn't drive them the same as a really good 50+ watt class AB and there some speakers that are no go but 10 class A watts can go further than you'd think it should.
Also if some of these classic amps are out of patent protection and no longer being made it would be really cool to see some DIY ACA style kits built around quality parts and good quality case work.
It's an older code.... But it checks out. I was about to clear them
😂 Good one!
Leave them to me. I will deal with them myself. 🤓
I feel like CHEAPaudioman is back!!! Me likey!
I snagged one for around $110 USD (plus $70 shipping). It does a pretty excellent job driving my Apogee Stage planar magnetics; fast and lively, brings out bass slam, great image depth and width, localization of instruments. Only gets around 110F on a pair of low efficiency speakers (~82 dB/W) to 70 dB sound level. Plenty more headroom.
Thanks for the tip, Randy! 👍👍👍
Using room correction on my Wiim Pro I also get the wonky pulsating in and out you mention. I’d describe it like it’s breathing in and out. System is vintage (posh word for old) Quad 66 preamp and Quad 309 class A amplifier. Both fully reconditioned. Feeding a pair of Mission 737 Renaissance speakers. Maybe the Wiim has a bit of a problem doing room correction on old design class A amps. I just keep the Wiim flat.
An old friend who was an electronics tech believed that burn-in was a thing even for solid state equipment, so it's probably a real effect, mostly the capacitors settling in. He would slightly overclock any new computer he built and run test and benchmark software for several days and then set it back to stock speeds if he was satisfied with it.
I recently bought a BRU5, TPA3255 amplifier with DSP for $40 with shipping to Poland included. The amplifier requires an external power supply (preferably 48V 15A, but it works with 24V 8.5A without any problems, giving out less power). The amplifier has one RCA input, Bluetooth and USB for connecting a computer to set the DSP.
Enen with speakers rated at 87 Db/1 watt/m, 20 watts of near anything should get them honking for anyone's living room
Regarding the "Krell" sticker: I might have 1 of 2 thoughts. Either Krell legitimately supplied the chassis to BRZHiFi or worse, BRZHi purchased these cases in bulk for cheap from a 3rd party seller, and intentionally or unintentionally neglected to remove the Krell sticker. Now, if BRZHiFi actually added some generic "Krell" sticker during the manufacturing process, then yea, that would be terrible.
The Chinese factories oem for many western brands, they're too lazy to swap stickers for their house brands aka no brands products, they're many that comes with no brands.
I got mine this month and it came with a BRZHifi sticker, not Krell.
1: Bypass volume contols and use with a preamp!
2: Burn in using moderately efficient speakers as long as possible
3: Match them with higher sensitivity speakers that are appropriate for 20wpc
One of the best sounding amps i have heard is the classic Beddinni 20x20. It drives Totem Ones surprisingly well with plenty of robust power. (Totem Ones can make much more powerful amps sound thin and anemic)
Then get back to me...
Really, i hope you give it a chance and let us know.
A good, honest overview which has attracted expert info.
Very few channels are as good as this one for gaining access to experience.
Well, Randy given its recommended to let it burn in for 300hrs. You for the point of interest let it run for 2 weeks and let our curiosity be sated. My old great Yamaha CA-800 was when the option switch was flipped I went from AB Amp with 45 watts RMS to Class A 10 RMS and even at 10 watts it still drove my HPM 60's to loud enough to bother people. But as you said it could be a really interesting platform. You could have the Capacitors checked for capacitance as well as other components in the chain and see what upgrades could make it sing. If you were so inclined.
Interesting product. Thanks for the peek inside which provides a glance at parts and layout which appear to be pretty good. I gather that it's loosely based on a Musical Fidelity model, one which was well-regarded in its heyday. I wonder if a schematic diagram is available: I'd like to look it over. Possibly there's an obvious reason why bass isn't quite up to the quality of mids and highs. Unless driven at higher levels, lack of bass "weight and heft" may be indicative of other circuit-related parameters beyond power output. It may be a nice amp to play with, modify, or re-design.
I bought one of these and I love it. Was advertised as a clone of a 1969 Hood amp.Also has a Krell plate on the front and a champagne finish.I also have a Chinese clone tube preamp with a Goldmund plate on the front.
That is a different amp. Class A though and single rail supplies, which is why there is an output cap.
Love the Krell badge. Clearly legit!
Also, I think you need a few more ‘things’ in that room, there is floor space.
Hi Cheapaudioman,
you're right in all of your statements, these kind of devices are best known in German Audiophile circles in combination with a Loudspaker originally self built by French Audiophiles, named "Le Petit" built with a Fostex fullband Chassis or some JBL 2-Way monitor clone called Monitor #1, from which you can find several variants. A good performing speaker (i.e. > 90-95 dB/1W 1m) which is not so demanding in power (W) will work best. Also as a DAC, there is probably plenty of doing a good job, i.e. musical Paradise DX, a tube preamp and DAC or on the budget line the astonishing HifiMan AF 499 R2R DAC, which sound ways more laid back than the AF 500 R2R DAC.
Thanks again, kind regards
Oliver
Fiio K11 R2R
holy crap soo many links AND NOT ONE LINK TO THE ACTUAL PRODUCT!!! AMAZING!
Randy set the volume control to 75 percent put a good pre-amp in front of it dude, you'll be able to drive a lot more speakers just fine..
I've had pretty good luck with cheap amps of similar construction, but that coil will probably start to whine after a few years of use. I had to discontinue daily use of a 160W amplifier because the coil whine made me not want to be in the same room with it. I figure I'll get around to potting it at some point, or I'll just keep it on the shelf for the times I need 160W.
The A1 is a Musical Fidelity design, a rather well known design, from the 80s. It was designed by Tim de Paravicini, I believe.
I did bought it, i also own the ACA from Pass ( burning hot when powered), they dont sound the same. As you say, a curiosity to play with, Sound is basic, it gets warm at best.
Last week I got a D9 amp from Ali that is a clone of a Dartzeel NHB-108. The D9 is similar to the D5 Pro amp but with XLR inputs. The D9 sounds amazing, lots of detail, good soundstage, nice tight bass. It sounds very similar to my Hypex Nilai amp. Well worth the money.
Was looking at this amp and actually ended up going with the Mini Amp Camp. Funny that you said they look similar.
I have a pair of BRZ 300b monoblocks and I can't believe how good they are. However they are configured for China's 110v power and require bucking transformers to get our 120v down to 110.
I had a British Fidelity (aka Musical Fidelity) A1 back in the 80s (bought it around 1987) when I was in college. It was my first serious amplifier (after the Sony receiver I had in high school). I loved that amp and always regret selling it. It was definitely a little under powered to "rock out" but wow was it awesome with jazz and most classical music. I think I had it for maybe 5-7 years and sold it it when I bought new speakers. It definitely got me hooked on class-A amplifiers though. Musical Fidelity has started selling their A1 again too.
I would love find another one. I loved mine. It's become such a cult classic that Musical Fidelity has re-released it. Sadly, it has 2024 pricing as well. $1800! But it does include a 3 button remote now!
I’ve got the new A1. Love it. So musical….
Wow!! You didn't even dust the shelf when switching out components??!! 😮. My OCD went through the roof. I wiped it down for you (in my mind) 😂. Love the channel!! Oh, I have the Dartzeel class A clone from another Chinese website and it's the BEST sounding Amplifier I have ever owned. Like ever.
wish you and your family a happy new year ;-) I treated myself to 2 of these really good Class A amplifiers a few months ago. I'm still happy with that. But I think I need higher quality speakers (Dali Oberon 7), that's what you meant too, right? Greetings to you and continued success!🎉
I think they are using the 1969 John Linsley Hood (JLH) 10w per channel design. Nelson Pass has written about it and even made his own version with power fets. You won't get 10w unless your speakers are a good match to the design target impedance - typically 8 ohm. The JLH is about 30% efficient so if the heat sinks are not dissipating 120+ watts, you are not getting 20w+20w. Great little amp.
that aint the "1969 John Linsley Hood" model, i have that version, and mine runs HOT !" I had to take the top cover off or else the transistors / thoroid was running too hot (too small case imho). Mine definitely is biased high for that 10w advertised (230v model). Anyways, sounds very nice, kinda mid heavy and airy treble as also in this amp in review, but not the same layout i can see. My JLH amp drives my main left right spakers, Klipsch Heresy III. Been having it on for more than 8+ hours daily for around a year, still works, no smoke ;)
This is a very NICE amplifier!
Hey boss😊Fun review. Something doesn’t make sense though. Martin sent me a Schiit Ghorn to listen to for a bit. I had no problem getting 85db from that through the stock Elac Unifi 2.0. Seems like you should have no problem getting there with 20 WPC? Just thinking out loud💁
I need to know if your beard and your hair fight with one another off camera.
wow!!! I was not expecting what I saw inside, soooo cooll!!!!!!
Randy, you should do a 2-3 part series on this unit. "Modding the A1 clone", or "A1 Clone Wars".
@@hifiman4562 lol that's already done and gone :D
My reaction to this review is bitter sweet. Your description of how this amp sounds is very close to how I would describe the Krell KSA150 that I used have. But why you use cardboard cruddy speakers and a mediocre digital source is puzzling. I would suggest a much better clone from the same company. Their Dartzeel clone bumped my Classe amp out of my main system. The D5 pro combined with my B&W 801s are jaw dropping. A clone of a $50k amp with components in the signal path that match the original one for one. An open loop design which the audio signal passes through only three circuits. I won't put a link because the last time I did that it got deleted.
I was going to ask how the DarTZeel clone amps sound? So, you like yours better than Classe’?
Ey dude great video, that amp from the inside looks like it has more to offer, tweek ur EQ im sure it can correct your thoughts on the lower, wont burn the fuses on each out put will pop.
Look forward to seeing more.
Cheers 🍻 from CPT
I am one of the DIY guys, and have had a few of the Class A kits/amps from China. None of them hold a candle to a decent tube amp. Not even close. I don't even think that can be said as opinion. They are pretty good for the low price, but they are far from great kit. And it's not hard to find a great tube amp.
Just curious, what do you think about something like an HH Scott LK-72 lab kit integrated tube amp?
This power means high efficiency speakers with bigger drivers so the humf shouldn't be a problem.
Even if your speakers were 86dB at 8ohm at 1 meter efficient, you should be able to have them produce 98dB at 16 watts at 1 meter. If you were sitting 2 meters away you would subtract 3 dB, so you should still be able to produce 96dB, with 4 watts of headroom. Are you sure the output setting for the WiiM is set to 2V?
It sounds great too , just need a sensitive speaker the only issue of that amp is the Power output, I got 2 of these plus class D amp for Bass driver, amazing
I have one of these and and I am pretty Impressed
With 20 watts, it should be able to get a lot louder than 80DB. It’s likely that the amp doesn’t have enough gain, and requires a preamp. This problem will be made worse if using a source that puts out less than the typical 2 Volts of output, such a cell phone or echo device.
Early in the Pandemic, I bought a BRZaudio Dual Mono Pure Class A Mark Levinson ML 2 clone amplifier.( 25 wpc,like the original ones). Very Heavy! ( Not a one hander). It's a Great amp for the money! I took the top cover off, and I was impressed! High End components throughout. It was about $600.00. I also bought a JC 3 Mark Levinson Dual Mono class A preamp for $195.00, and a Yaqim High End tube CD player that is Stellar! ($400.00). So, for about $1,200.00, I acquired High End Components that if made in Europe or America, would have cost over $10,000.00! The funny thing is, is that these Chinese components actually use High End European and Japanese Capacitors, Resisters and Pots, when American, and European brands use exclusively cheap off the shelf Chinese parts! Go Figure!
They should'a used a picture of a shrimp and called it Krill.
HAHA
Those clowns make ´clones´ of everything. Clone clowns.
I buy their pcbs. Those are perfect and cost nothing. I´m not gonna buy their clones.
@@martinlawrence4200 ClownFishClones. I apologize I must have soldered too much today... Those fumes!
My first impression was "Wow Randy got balls to pull this Amp from Aliexpress and review it", but what you did was pleasing the masses by showing the AMP without actualy realy reviewing it - smart move but man i get you, gotta feed the kids right. Just imagin, Randy giving this AMP a burn in of over 140hours and then reviewing it with some full range speakers. But what Randy wont tell the masses is that this AMP and the Hood 1969 Clone combined with a full range driver speaker is the entry into HIFI that would usualy cost you way over 1000 bucks.
First thing that goes through my mind, is what can they make for 500 bucks?
Surprisingly a lot.. way more than expected... Just give it some time to burn in
DartZeel NHB-108 clone
Changing the DC gain rolloff capacitor in the amplifiers feedback path for a film capacitor should improve the bottom end.
I’m interested to see if any of the alliexpress/banggood cd players are worth a listen. Doesn’t anyone make a decent budget cd player these days?!
I considerered buying this thing but in the last moment I got an Onkyo receiver from 98/99,probably the biggest model already with Bluetooth and RDS and an optical exit for my Sony Minidisc for 60 bucks only!
This is the right time to buy the good old stuff if you’re into High fidelity
Very cool. You mention near the end something about it being $175 retail. From Ali, this is more like a wholesaler price. Retail on this, by the time it got distributed and marketed through shops, would be at least $699 if not $899. How much would that change your opinion of it?
I have what I think is pretty much the same amp… Nobusound, and it uses a stereo volume pot rather than dual mono. It’s excellent paired with some old Tannoy System 12 DMT studio monitors. Needs an efficient speaker with a simple crossover (like any Class A amp)
John Linsley Hood 1969 Single Ended Class A amplifier. 10 Watts Per Channel. look very similar.
I have JLH's book on a shelf somewhere.
It claims to be Musical Fidelity (UK brand) A1 integrated amp. Does it generate a lot of heat? If not, it's unlikely to be biased towards class A.
It runs super hot
Brought a Russsound amp about 2yrs ago off of Amazon. 50w per channel $183. Run my 30 year old Forte 2s very well. Have fun😊
Sorry I am not going to read all 645 comments, but this amplifier is a Musical Fidelity A1 clone.
Also, all new amplifiers, speakers need to run for say 100 hours before serious listening. Also, I am using low sensitive Dynaudio Craft speakers with a 15-20 watt amplifier and this goes loud in a 40 sqr mtr room. Sorry but this is a very poor review. So please do some homework.
I picked up the D5 Pro, which is based on the DartZeel NHB-108 design (like a $50,000 amplifier) and it's a fantastic amplifier. I would not call these clones, as they simply are not. They are based on reference designs from their originators, who's patents expired long ago, so it's probably more like buying a generic pharmaceutical. BTW the D5 Pro is a WHOLE LOT MORE THAN 20 WATTS :) Closer to 200Watts/channel and that's pure class-AB goodness.