Aiyima A07 Max Class D Amplifier Review-
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- In this video I give a subjective listening review of this little $90 class D chip amp. Looks like you can swap other op amps into it, it has a sub out which is nice and for this price point, sounds really good! Does it compete against higher priced HiFi gear? Does this little box really make 300W of power? Sorry no spoilers, go watch the video!
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![Технический анализ усилителя AIYIMA A07 MAX на TPA3255 [DacMaster]](/img/1.gif)
I have two of these setup as mono blocks. They have had no issues driving a set of Polk legend 200 speakers which do like power. Sounds good to me especially for the low price. The TI chip is surely a very popular one these days.
At this price point, yeah they are good. But just don't think you are getting the same sound quality as a $2000+ amp for $160.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronicsabsolutely. I totally agree. This is kind of like a tertiary system for me. Just like messing around with these low cost class d chips. My main setup is a Yamaha a-s2200.
Thanks for taking the time to check this little amp out, I use mine for the sundeck and garage, a powered sub really helps. One thing nobody really mentions is how reliable these are, well my A07 has been chugging away for 3 plus years driving some Elac 6.2 's.
@rickszabo4312 what powered sub would you rec using with the Aiyima A07 Max?
The AIYIMA classic version A07 and the high-end bridged version A07 MAX ,They are both very good value for money, both in terms of sound quality and appearance, and if you're an prime member, you can even get the prime price
Which is what I said, great value for the money. What I also said is this $90 box doesn't outperform a $1200+ HiFi amp.
Funny thing about this TPA3255 based amp is that it uses a single/non-symmetric DC rail voltage (like tube amps) and has an inductor in it's output signal path which considerably influences distortion and sound quality (like a tube amp, only much smaller/cheaper indictor). Thus, similar to 'tube rolling' people could do 'inductor rolling' if only those were pluggable and not SMD soldered.
TI has a white paper somewhere about their tests with different output inductors on the TPA3255. Quite eye opening.
Pretty much all conventional transistor amps use an inductor coil bypassed with a resistor to couple to the load, albeit for a different reason, than with a class D amp. I have never seen an additional inductor on a transformer coupled tube amp output though, transformer inductance and interwinding capacity are more than enough of a challenge.
In TI’s application note on PFFB, they show a plot that clearly shows the effect of using two grades of inductors.
the Aiyima A07 Max sounds nice for a cheap amp when using it as a simple stereo amp, but when two of these units are used as monoblocks they are really impressive budget amps.
I don't doubt that, I do wonder though if it wouldn't be better to just buy something like their A70 model?
Ive gone through dozens of these chifi amps. The A07 is one of the few thats really decent. It likes tube pres or a dac thats warmer like the Geshelli Labs J2
Btw.. you can daisy chain out the 3.5 aux out. Its full range
My set of Aiyima A07 MAX sounds very good with Akliam LC5 discrete class A opamps and Yaqin cd3 tube buffer with 6sn7 Psvane cv181-tII tubes and a R2R DAC on my Proacs speakers, I wouldn't change anything
@tofffsymagic1099 I haven't heard those op amps yet. I tried the sparkos and Burleson classics and came to the conclusion that although it both sound ever so slightly better, the super cheap opamps they used were really well thought out. I will hopefully give those a listen. Also, I haven't heard anything by Yaqin, but they appear to make some pretty decent gear. Proacs.... I'm also a fan!
@@ufarkingicehole I also tried Burson V7 Classics but they sound way too warm and suppress too much details, the human voices sound unnatural and unpleasant to my taste. Stock opamps sound too arsch to my ears, too much sibiliance on voices. Akliam LC5 are cheap, less than 40€ a pair plus shipping and neet dip8 extenders, no more arshness and wider soundstage with those one. YAQIN buffer with Psvane cv181-tII make voices sound natural and beautiful, any listening fatigue with this combo and no lack of details my DAC is an Audio-gd NOS 19 and my Proacs the Studio 140, i use a KHOZMO passive preamp/attenuator since i get better result with the DAC straight in the Aiyimas but need an input for my turntable. Very happy with the KHOZMO also, it's transparent no sound difference with or without it connected between the DAC and the Ayimas
Great from the heart and honest review... Thanks!
I feel better now and dont think I am insane.... I bought a $500 48 volt LiFe Po 4 battery (28Kg!!) with a max current of 50 amps instantaneous current delivery to replace the lap top power supplies that came with 4 small chip amps (Fosi TPA 3255 ) each one running in Mono as part of a four way active system.... They sounded good with the switch mode power supplies, but wow.... Sooooo good with the "mother of all batteries" power supply.
I still want to replace them with four of your KT 150 mono blocks (once the tubes are available) but hey I am still loving the music with the "cheap as chips" amps!!
I have a couple of these, Aiyma, and Fosi, they are not that bad and they will drive my Maggie LRS+ speakers without breaking a sweat. At least at the levels I normally listen at. One thing I found is that using a Douk Audio $35 line level booster will improve the sound, as I understand these TI chips like a healthy input line level voltage. The 48v power brick helps, but with more efficient speakers, I did not find it mattered, the 32v brick was fine. I found them all pretty punchy, detailed etc. But, they were two dimensional in regards to the sound, and they can get a bit fatiguing in time. A nice warmish DAC helps in this regard. The SMSL SU-1 comes to mind as a good pairing. I think it is pretty cool what they are doing in regards to hifi gear.
To add, my buddy has a $1400 Deer Creek, the latest Class D chip, I forget what it is called, go to Deer Creek Audio, they are there, the two channel model in assembled form. My buddy has that Deer Creek amp, and he also bought the Fosi V3, their ZA3 and their TB10D, the Fosi with tone controls, around $80. I own several of these little amps, and internally, they are all pretty much identical. Well, he put his $80 amp up against that Deer Creek, he kicks himself now for purchasing that unit. He stated yesterday that this little Fosi TB10D when put up against the Deer Creek, that there is not $1325 worth of difference in the sound.
But you are comparing one class D to another class D. And this channel is not SS or chip amp focused, I'm just giving my listening impressions compared to the tube amps I normally listen to. Yes, these are better than some of the bad tube amps I have been sent, but they don't exceed the performance of a good one.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I was simply surprised to see you actually showcasing one of these amps. They are simply a novelty for me, and fun to play around with, but are still solid performers for the money.
As far as that Class D sound, and I have owned more expensive, they all, in the end are quite fatiguing to listen too. Even the better ones I have owned. They always sound sterile, dry and two dimensional to me, especially after listening to for a few hours. I much prefer my little Cayin EL-84 tube amp over any of these.
Reason why this amp freaks out on analyzer is that its output is symmetrical. Most D class amps are like that. speaker terminals are + and - negative is not ground!!! If you connect analyzer probe - one pin is live and one is ground. So you short one terminal to ground.
I have a new board to sort this out and will do another objective review later! Thanks for the info.
Yep, you're going to need a differential probe to measure that bad boy. In order to isolate the ground
Now that I think of it the analog Discovery 2 does have differential inputs however the audio analyzer software may not have an option to use the negative input on the Discovery 2
I'm honestly not that interested. I know it has around the same in room SPL as this 5-6W tube amp.
Great video in that $$$ vs value are key points to consider when evaluating any product. Secondly, for your realistic approach to the review...
Like I said, for the price it sounds great. Anyone that thinks this $80 outperforms a good tube amp is delutional.
Hi, i compare it with my Accuphase E-600 and this 2 little Aiyima A07max with 2x 48V 10A with or without a Tube Pre-amp destroy the Accuphase on 15T $$ Speakers...
I love them..😊
Thanks for this. I trust your judgement.
I would love it if you could review a high-end class D amplifier and compare it to what you normally listen to. For example, Orchard audio makes $4,000 class D amplifiers. Could they possibly compare to a well-designed tube amp?
Yeah, doubt I'm gonna be buying a $4000 class D amp
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics They might lend you one.
This is what I’m thinking for my tri amp set up to run my heils and mid, crown for the 15 sub
A lot of those little inexpensive amps are great for a desktop system or a bedroom. I imagine that if it weren't for cheap Chinese labor we wouldn't even have many of these kind of products.
These amps have $1 op amps in them. The sparkos ss3602 op amp is a big improvement. Makes it sound analog. I'm sure it still wouldn't compete with the tubes but it sounds a lot closer.
Tweaking these type devices is outside my area of expertise :) I'm just trying to find an out of the box budget amp for folks to use until they can afford or can build a nice tube amp!
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I understand. Though they are very simple to change, Just pull out the stock ones and plug the new ones in, no soldering or special tools needed. It's very much like tube rolling in effort and effect. I haven't heard this amp but I have a similar amp, the fosi za3.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics These op amps are discrete and have higher THD but it's all 2nd order harmonics and you know what that means.
Interestingly, Sparkos just reached out to me :)
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I may have had something to do with that.
Im Surprised class d can beat 400 tube amp, dont you feel class d sound dry?
That specific tube amp has no bass whatsoever, so a whole segment of the mix is just totally missing. Other cheop tube amps I have test all had some specific major sonic issue.
Thank you for being honest and real.
Very interesting conclusions
Try monoblocking them and swap out the opsamps - LM4562s are good for me. OPA2604 went too bassy. AD823 were not bad either.
I'm looking for a bit more than "not bad" :)
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Sorry - a bit of English understatement there...that means 'good too'.
Fantastic review and comparison
The 300 watt power rating is what the chip manufacturer publishes using a giant 52volt power supply and is a 10%THD rating!
These brick supplies will do good enough for a single 1 khz tone power rating. But with multi-tone and noise input they drop off the charts. 1) because there is so much voltage drop in those dinky power cords to the amp under load. Never a good idea to separate the power supply from the amp… unless ps is very noisy, but trade off will be much less capable amp. Hence way the output seems similar to 6 watt tube amp.
In the old days, at least we knew what "peak" & "IHF" power ratings meant, but how the power ratings of these current Chinese amps are determined, I have no idea. I think the only possibility is that the CCP has redefined the 1st Law of Thermodynamics to enable them to say that the output power of an amp can be greater than the power input.
There were specifications that were extremely suspect even in the good old days. I remember some car amplifiers in the 80s that provided nowhere near their specified output, even if you measured the peak output. There was one, I don't remember the brand, that was specified as being something like 150 W/ch. We measured it and it went into clipping at about 15 W.
It makes 50Wrms per channel.
in your dreams
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics it has been measured as such by several independent reviewers…it must be a collective dream
hooked up to 8ohm speakers and measuring the in room SPL with a db meter, it's the same as my 5-6W tube amp.
I hook it up to my low sensitivity hard to drive Elac DB Reference and it sounded great, as loud as I like, clean sounding up to 85db.
@@binhvu5071 It seems Amir at ASR also measured their output at 50Wrms. But, hey, he is an engineer. eheheh
Being an electrical engineering and computer science professor and designer and owner of Johnson Audio Group, an audio equipment manufacturer, an audio amplifier output is not measured in SPL which is sound pressure level that loudspeakers produces not amplifiers which produces electrical signals. Hope this helps
It's a way to compare the real use power output using the same speakers. If I have a known 5-6W tube amp and it produces 93db in room SLP, if another amp can only reach this same SPL, it's not a 300W or even a 50W amp.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Unless you have measured the gain of each unit under test, and compensated to match this method is inextricably flawed. Many people believe that the A07 and A07 Max are integrated amps because they have a volume control...they are not. They are power amps with level controls and the A07 max needs at least 4vpp to reach max out. So you need a frontend source that can deliver at least this voltage level or use a preamp....hope this helps and thank you for replying
I'll give that a try, it seems to be counter to my experience in that it started sounding distorted at low frequencies at 3/4 volume using the output of my DAC, which is rated at 2Vrms. My phono pre has a hotter output, and I started hearing this same low frequency distortion at 1/2 volume. I'm going to assume you know 4Vpp is only 1.4Vrms?
And just trying to understand this, their instructions/specs say the input sensitivity is 1V and also warn if the amp sounds distorted, it's likely the result of being over driven, but you are suggesting it requires being over driven? I did try following their instructions and lowered the output of my DAC, that didn't reduce the distortion I was hearing. And maybe I am crazy here, but what matters to me is what the in room SPL the amp is capable of producing. If it's the same SPL as a measured 5-6W tube amp, does it really matter that it's "rated" at 10-30 times that?
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Good question...let us begin this response by first saying, being an engineer--as we have look at your products online, you know that without measurements of the device the conversation is academic and subjective. We have had Aiyima and other TI based TPA 32xx class D products on our bench for close to a year including the Aiyima A07 max, and in all of our testing both listening and bench measurement have we found results to be similar to yours. With that said...what we have found is that the input impedance on the A07 max measures 24k and we see your designs input impedance look to be around 200k, also the A07 max gain in stereo mode we measured 31db.
As far as the input sensitivity specified from Aiymia being 1V, in our measurements and testing this 1v is not a peak value but a rms value with means you need something closer to 1.5v peak to get max output with the level knob being fully clockwise...that is why we suggested 4vpp or 2v peak.
Lastly in our listening tests with the Aiymia A07 we were able to acheive an SPL level of over 102db at 7 meters away using a pair of 3way 4 driver loudspeaker with nominal impedance of around 7 ohms with a 86db sensitivity..we must tell you that the above testing was done with a high current power supply not the supplied one. Good conversation
Except you instantly dismiss what I said since you are "an engineer", so of course I am wrong. Then you treat me like I'm an idiot, did you even read my reply before you wrote yours? I said I understand what peak, peak to peak and RMS values are, oh that's right you think people need a diploma to understand that so you reply like I'm a child. And BTW 4Vpp is 1.4Vrms any day of the week, well within what any DAC or CD deck can output. Now you guys are using a high current power supply and moving the goal posts... It may have been a good conversation if you hadn't brought up "I'm an engineer" three times.
See I post results based on listening to them with gear my viewers are likely to have. And I said for a cheap little box, this thing sounds pretty decent. I got an email from the manufacturer saying they liked the review and actually offered another product of theirs for me to review, so what I said must ring true to the people who make it, but not the fan boys who think this $80 box is some "giant killer" capable of outperforming higher end audio products.
Sounds like since you are so much smarter than me, you should make your own channel and start doing reviews?
Honey, buy yourself an SMSL AO200mkI, replace the OPA with an OPA 1656, replace the electrolytic capacitors with sounding ones and throw out all your tube amps. ))
Sure....
What is the 1656, what caps would you recommend
what areas of sound do you believe would improve, or everything?
Have you heard what you’re recommending
And how much is the SMSL?
Ill buy it from ya for $50 Ha!
D class is big no-no for me
Inductor on the output ay? It's gotta be a class 'D' amp then! Maybe the o/p chip is 'bridged' as well. So the negative speaker terminals won't be the same level on each channel, which may be why your test rig set-up with the Analogue Discovery II went into conniptions! Your ADII probly has common negative i/p's, which kinda shorted the amp outputs.
That Nelson Pass (?) amp you reviewed, from memory, had the worst distortion curves I'd ever seen! - Absolute crap! - & yet the soy boy reviewers were having organ spasms over it! A bit like the world medical authorities - whatever they say - the opposite is probably true.
Nice that Aiyima asked you to review that amp
I did not know how you would approach your review
There are a lot of reviews of that amp but most of them do not really get much into the practical power
Comparing it to a tube amplifier based on practical power is useful information
Powering speakers, that's BS. It produces the same in room SPL as a 5-6W tube amp.
I got a couple of these the 36v is the best way to go...they are fun, they won't replace a good full size amp,,,what I did with mine after playing around with them is I picked up an nice condition Fosgate surround sound processor and I use the Ao7's powering some extra speakers in a surround sound for once in awhile for fun and movies...they are great for adding on small surround sound channels with an old school pro logic processor without messing up your dedicated 2 channel set up....fun stuff for a few bucks
Perfect use case! It is fun for small $$
The tpa3255 comes alive with a high amprage lithium battery pack. I was able to get 255 watts rms out of one
Next someone will tell me they power up a stadium PA system with one using a flux capacitor.
It's summertime folks, your $90 is better off in your pocket to buy older gear at yard sales. Personally I have bought a 2015 Marantz for $20, but my real prize was a Pioneer SX-34 for $3.
I believe a lot of these cheap class-d amps manufacturers publish output figures at 10% thd into 4 ohms.
Yeah those lil chip amps like low impedance loads to drive. They're a current source really xx
I'm not sure I would be investing in 2 ohm speakers specifically to use with a $90 amp as my "end game" hifi.
Hey Stephe, I was wondering if you can compare that A07 Max to the older AV receivers in terms of sound quality. I find a lot of old AV receivers and they are even far cheaper than $80 so I don't know if it's still worth buying them instead of the A07 Max. Thank you.
Oh btw, thanks for the video. It really opened my eyes...or my ears in fact. ;)
I've got one of those here someone gave me, that would make a good video for a super budget system
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I'm glad you agree. I have about 4 AV receivers with me (Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer and Sony). The Onkyo is a 7.2, surround system. I only use them as stereo or a 2.1 configuration and I thought they sound very good. I don't have any of this cheap Class D amps so I could not make any comparison. I bought these AV receivers either at the thrift store or at the yard sale for about $10 - $25 which is still a lot cheaper than that A07 for example.
Total novice here entering the hobby....is this a pure power amplifier?Do i need to hook this up to a preamplifier if my dac does not include one.Thanks in advance!
No, you do not need a pre-amp. Just hook up your DAC and go. I would suggest spending the extra $$ and get the A70 instead of the A07MAX, it sounds nicer to my ears. Add some SparkoS op amps and it's even better!
Amir at Audio Science Review gives this amp a detailed review. Worth looking at his measurements with the 32 and 48 volt supplies.
Dose it suck?
He gives it a good review and is surprised it could drive a very expensive set of speakers. He says it’s not something he would buy.
I listened to it, that's what matters :)
@@LeeBergerMediaProd if is good why he said is not something he would buy then?
@@MasterofPlay7he def didn’t think so
@Skunkie. Surprisingly, some of these mini units really have some impressive specs and DO hit hi-fi levels. They have very low distortion and SN ratio. One of the better units that is out there are from Fosi, Specifically the v3 and (more so) the Za3. You might want to try those out. I am considering the latter for a new desktop computer system I am putting together. I think it would be hard to compare solid state amps with tube amps as the latter are designed to produce a different (colored) sound. However, when you said that the A07 clearly trumped the Musical Paradise unit, it just had me shaking my head on how those amplifiers are made. In terms of the power output of these small units, they rate it at 10% THD, which is ridiculous. BUT, many companies DO offer a rating at 1% distortion too, which is realistic. With a 36 volt supply, you could expect to see about a 30watt output per channel. Going to a 48 volt 5 amp supply, this just about doubles to about 55watts. Cheap Audio Man as well as Erin's Audio Corner has done some reviews on these units already. While the A07 is a nice unit (I have the A08 pro from Aiyima), the Fosi units, I mentione, (currently) surpass them.
Just because a product tests great, doesn't mean it's enjoyable to listen to. I've used everything from a 45W PP KT88 to the 5-6W tube amp in the video and the SPL produced by this little amp into 8 ohm 90ish db rated speakers 30W of usable power. I measured the in room SPL with a db meter to verify this. I've listed to those fozi units and agree they sound good but they are not an engaging and musical as a good tube amp.
Did you try it set to mono output with the analyser? These class d chip amps are great to use with a PC. I have a pair of used Cambridge Audio S30 I got cheap being powered by a Douk Audio ST-01 Pro amp (class d with tubes on the output side). The setup takes up little desktop space and sounds better than a lot of high priced midi systems. If you want to see what state of the art class d sounds like, I recommend Hypex Nilai power amps that use discrete amplifier modules, no chips. Absolutely flat frequency response from 20 to 30,000hz yet none of the top end harshness associated with class d. They have a very detailed, smooth, natural sound that is comparable to high end solid state amps costing 4 times as much.
Steph, you really should build a value for money RH84 SE amp. Use the 10W Edcors, build it for cheap or even get the super budget 5K guitar transformers from Antique Electronic Supply and build it and I bet it'd put the chip amps and Chinese garbage to shame in the 3-4W amp bracket. Seriously, try it. I'd love to see the measurements.
Refreshingly honest. Thank you!
In my opinion, a digital NAD (which has DAC and Bluetooth), would be a no brainer.
Good review. Always enjoy these videos. Very educational.
This is Skunkie !
She's the best.
A very nice and honest review.
My respect, Stephe
What more of these amps need is a switchable high pass for the mains when using a sub like the RSL ia2.55.
That makes sense and avoids even using this for low frequency amplification
Oh wow I can't believe I'm one of the first viewing this video, Skunkie! This one is going to be interesting, I have a feeling (whether that means this little amp is terrible or decent TBD haha).
This is Clay btw (we've talked and messaged about your rp-600m crossovers 😁)
To follow up my first comment, that was nice to hear you found some positivity for this amp, Stephe! They are quite impressive for what they are. Hell, I just plugged in my little first edition A07 and these do have some nice micro detail for sure if lacking in overall coherency a bit. Certainly better, in many examples also, than quite a few entry level solid state AB amps in the detail department as well.
I was definitely almost expecting you to pick the entry level cheapo tube amp as well and was surprised, but in a rather good way that you found more enjoyment out of the little Aiyima 👍🏻
Great and truly honest video, as we can always expect to be blessed to have available to watch from you 😃👍🏻
Color preamp with class D?
Possibly in the future.
I use the class D twenty dollar range chip amps on my tv and computer. they sound excellent. these amps are so good they make tube amps obsolete. sad but the way it goes.
LOL
I would not go that far, hopefully this is tongue in cheek. They sound good, but still Class D and very two dimensional, and can and do get fatiguing in time. My tubes are staying, the little amps are all in their respective boxes.
@@michaelwright1602 these class d amps have their good points but as you have noticed the sound lacks the sound stage of a good no feedback class a single ended low mu triode.
So first you say to throw away all my tube amps...
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics That was not me, I replied to that post saying quite the opposite. I use tubes too, and they are not going anywhere. The little Class D amps I own are all in their respective boxes.
If they could only have the guts to say it is a 7W amp, I would respect them so much more.
Yah, that 300W rating is like "how?"
Yes, the problem lies on the source output voltage. This amp has a 29dB Gain, if you feed it with a DAC with 2v at 0dbFS (test tones), and -12dBFS music signal, this 2V s8gnal basically becomes 0.5V. And the 29dB gain means almost 30 times GAIn. The output voltage of the amp will be 15V. With a 8ohm speaker: 15^2 / 8=28W per channel. You really need a preamp to increase the input signal to at least 4V, which becomes 1V of music signal and 30v at the amplifier output, and 30^2/8=112.5W per channel.
Under normal conditions, I really doubt we need more than a couple of watts to reach good volume levels. Even a 2W tube amp is more than enough for me.
So, when I read people recommending 48V 10A power supplies and saying it will sound better, I can not avoid laughing in the inside(mostly because they are still using the same source or input signal voltage)
@@MiguelAngelVelazquez You know, I think it is even simpler. They go to the data sheet of the output switching FETs and right there it tells you how much that FET can handle (note: handle, not dissipate) when the case temperature is kept at 25 C (they also give you the value at 125 C but that is not impressive enough) Any way, that becomes the rated power for the Chi-Fi amps.
@hugobloemers4425 I know the chip is able to produce more power by using a power supply with more voltage and current (according to datasheet the bigger the power supply voltage the bigger the output swing that the amp is able to produce) but If the input signal is not increased then it does not matter how much power is available. Gain and input signal voltage is what ultimately is going to limit the output signal in this case. If you want to take advantage of the amp capabilities you need a preamp to increase the input signal, even with the stock power supply. This is because music plays way quieter(4 times less) than test tones.
Finally ! a real and honest review for these cheapo classD amps 👌
Thank you for not calling it a giant killer like most You Tubers and their click bait tactics.
I'll give it sounds "good", especially for under $100. It's a stretch to say it holds it's own with "other good quality amplifiers" unless you are talking about other budget class D chip amps.
Class D sucks.