Sabaj A30a announced

[Roland68]

The SMSL sdb setting is identical to using the tone controls with treble at +4 dB and bass at +5 dB - at least in my ao200 (measurements in this thread). And those tone controls come 'for free' in the analog volume-control chip they use in many of their products. There is nothing magic about it, and I suspect you can adjust the bass and treble controls on the A30a to suit your preferences.

It's exactly as you say.
SDB is not a magical setting of SMSL, but just a combination of the existing setting options for the tone controls and has nothing to do with DSP.
It is very noticeable that the NJW1194 chip is used in almost every device with an SDB.

This analog chip cannot be used in the A30a because the processing is completely digital and the analog input is also converted directly into digital.
Based on past experience, it is better if these companies work as little as possible on the firmware (I'm just holding back a bad word) so that unnecessary errors are not introduced. Just the fact that the specified possibilities of the ICs used for 2.1 were not implemented properly... A simple series of measurements or listening session at different volumes would have shown that something was wrong.

So don't cry that the "magic" SDB isn't there and find your own setting. Or use one of the 31 presets (not from SMSL), the 32nd is the default setting Flat.

 

[zeluxao]

It's exactly as you say.
SDB is not a magical setting of SMSL, but just a combination of the existing setting options for the tone controls and has nothing to do with DSP.
It is very noticeable that the NJW1194 chip is used in almost every device with an SDB.

This analog chip cannot be used in the A30a because the processing is completely digital and the analog input is also converted directly into digital.
Based on past experience, it is better if these companies work as little as possible on the firmware (I'm just holding back a bad word) so that unnecessary errors are not introduced. Just the fact that the specified possibilities of the ICs used for 2.1 were not implemented properly... A simple series of measurements or listening session at different volumes would have shown that something was wrong.

So don't cry that the "magic" SDB isn't there and find your own setting. Or use one of the 31 presets (not from SMSL), the 32nd is the default setting Flat.

Man...who's crying? It was just a question. Did i say it was Magic? Why the attitude?

 

[zeluxao]

The SMSL sdb setting is identical to using the tone controls with treble at +4 dB and bass at +5 dB - at least in my ao200 (measurements in this thread). And those tone controls come 'for free' in the analog volume-control chip they use in many of their products. There is nothing magic about it, and I suspect you can adjust the bass and treble controls on the A30a to suit your preferences.

I know it would be identical to some boosting in the tone controls. Didn't know how much dB each. You actually can only change 2 dB at a time so no 5db adjustment possible i Guess. But not a big deal. I actually prefered using The eq presets in this sort of Units as it is much more practical from a distance. (My use case scenario) Screens aren't that big, neither is The font used. Also doing The operation using the tone controls require a lot more work in the remote.

 

[Roland68]

Man...who's crying? It was just a question. Did i say it was Magic? Why the attitude?

I didn't address you personally, but just made a general statement about SDB and what it is related to. Just my own opinion.

 

[zeluxao]

I didn't address you personally, but just made a general statement about SDB and what it is related to. Just my own opinion.

I introduced the subject. You didn't just make a general statement. Criticism was implied under the form of irony and sarcasm. Read my previous post (answer to jasonRF) and maybe you'll understand.

 

[Roland68]

I introduced the subject. You didn't just make a general statement. Criticism was implied under the form of irony and sarcasm. Read my previous post (answer to jasonRF) and maybe you'll understand.

I'm sorry that you feel personally offended by the topic, but I can assure you that from my side it was all about SDB and settings related to Sabaj, SMSL, VMV A2 and A30a.
It was definitely not against you, otherwise I would have spoken to you personally. That's also a reason for my signature.
You are also not the first to bring up the topic of "SDB", it was already a topic in this thread in 2022, as well as in the VMV A2 thread, in the SDB thread, and in well over 100 posts on ASR. I'm not even talking about the rest of the Internet.
Yes, there is a lot of irony and sarcasm in my post, which is directed against "SDB" and the manufacturer(s).
SMSL may be able to protect the term "SDB", but not settings that can be set on any amplifier from any user or manufacturer using a third-party chip. Actually, these settings are possible on almost every amplifier ever built with bass and treble controls. And that's exactly what I find so ridiculous and why I wrote "magic SDB".
And the "don't cry" simply refers to countless posts on ASR and on the web about the non-existent "SDB" in an amplifier, which gives you the impression that it is a deciding factor in the purchase. And I personally find that ridiculous, in general.
But that's just my personal opinion on the subject of "SDB", which I'm allowed to have, but which no one else has to share.

 

[zeluxao]

I'm sorry that you feel personally offended by the topic, but I can assure you that from my side it was all about SDB and settings related to Sabaj, SMSL, VMV A2 and A30a.
It was definitely not against you, otherwise I would have spoken to you personally. That's also a reason for my signature.
You are also not the first to bring up the topic of "SDB", it was already a topic in this thread in 2022, as well as in the VMV A2 thread, in the SDB thread, and in well over 100 posts on ASR. I'm not even talking about the rest of the Internet.
Yes, there is a lot of irony and sarcasm in my post, which is directed against "SDB" and the manufacturer(s).
SMSL may be able to protect the term "SDB", but not settings that can be set on any amplifier from any user or manufacturer using a third-party chip. Actually, these settings are possible on almost every amplifier ever built with bass and treble controls. And that's exactly what I find so ridiculous and why I wrote "magic SDB".
And the "don't cry" simply refers to countless posts on ASR and on the web about the non-existent "SDB" in an amplifier, which gives you the impression that it is a deciding factor in the purchase. And I personally find that ridiculous, in general.
But that's just my personal opinion on the subject of "SDB", which I'm allowed to have, but which no one else has to share.

That's fine. I wasn't offended. Although i tend to respect everyone's opinion i just have a hard time putting up with the way they're manifested sometimes. In this case I introduced the subject. I only asked if there was some eq preset similar to sdb on the sabaj because there was on previous Units and because i find it more practical and easier to engage from a distance. I usually alternate between flat and "loudness" (or sdb in the given case) whether i listen to moderate/ Higher volumes or lower ones. I alternate quite Often so it's much easier and faster just to pick up The remote and choose between The 2 presets than to use tone controls. Much like some older amps had tone controls and also loudness Button, I guess it's just a matter of practicality. This is why i asked and why i use (used) it and for no other reason. I never mentioned it being something special or magical or whatever you want to call it nor did i say you couldn't get The same result using tone controls. It's fine, no hard feelings.

 

[Sebcior]

I also purchased a Sabaj A30A. It works with Heco Aurora 700. I just have doubts whether it works properly. From about 80 on the scale it cuts off the left or right channel or both... Restarting prevents playback. Is this how overload protection works? How is it with you? I would like to point out that I usually listen at levels 30-36. I just wanted to check the possibilities when listening loudly. The amplifier simply does not allow operation with high distortions and cuts off the channels, do I understand correctly?

 

[ModDIY]

I also purchased a Sabaj A30A. It works with Heco Aurora 700. I just have doubts whether it works properly. From about 80 on the scale it cuts off the left or right channel or both... Restarting prevents playback. Is this how overload protection works? How is it with you? I would like to point out that I usually listen at levels 30-36. I just wanted to check the possibilities when listening loudly. The amplifier simply does not allow operation with high distortions and cuts off the channels, do I understand correctly?

At very high sound volumes, my amp never stopped working (with restart). At -80 81, I have never put it at this volume, much too low or inaudible, so I can't say and for me it's not a problem.

 

[Roland68]

I also purchased a Sabaj A30A. It works with Heco Aurora 700. I just have doubts whether it works properly. From about 80 on the scale it cuts off the left or right channel or both... Restarting prevents playback. Is this how overload protection works? How is it with you? I would like to point out that I usually listen at levels 30-36. I just wanted to check the possibilities when listening loudly. The amplifier simply does not allow operation with high distortions and cuts off the channels, do I understand correctly?

I also have the Heco Aurora 700 running on the A30a, but I can't make it that loud. The source is a normal Onkyo CD player connected via Toslink. When I listen loudly, I'm around 40-45 on the A30a, but around 70 my pain threshold is exceeded. I've also had difficult and impedance-critical speakers on the A30a, without any problems.

Have you checked your speaker cables? Good contact and no high-resistance bridge/short circuit?
Do you still have the metal sheets in the terminal or have you already swapped them for cables? Do the terminals have good contact, including with each other?

Does this happen immediately when you turn up the volume control, or does it take some time?
Maybe you should just open the A30a and take a look to see if a capacitor in the power supply is making "big cheeks".
I wrote somewhere in the thread how to open the A30a.

 

[Sebcior]

I also have the Heco Aurora 700 running on the A30a, but I can't make it that loud. The source is a normal Onkyo CD player connected via Toslink. When I listen loudly, I'm around 40-45 on the A30a, but around 70 my pain threshold is exceeded. I've also had difficult and impedance-critical speakers on the A30a, without any problems.

Have you checked your speaker cables? Good contact and no high-resistance bridge/short circuit?
Do you still have the metal sheets in the terminal or have you already swapped them for cables? Do the terminals have good contact, including with each other?

Does this happen immediately when you turn up the volume control, or does it take some time?
Maybe you should just open the A30a and take a look to see if a capacitor in the power supply is making "big cheeks".
I wrote somewhere in the thread how to open the A30a.

I also have the Heco Aurora 700 running on the A30a, but I can't make it that loud. The source is a normal Onkyo CD player connected via Toslink. When I listen loudly, I'm around 40-45 on the A30a, but around 70 my pain threshold is exceeded. I've also had difficult and impedance-critical speakers on the A30a, without any problems.

Have you checked your speaker cables? Good contact and no high-resistance bridge/short circuit?
Do you still have the metal sheets in the terminal or have you already swapped them for cables? Do the terminals have good contact, including with each other?

Does this happen immediately when you turn up the volume control, or does it take some time?
Maybe you should just open the A30a and take a look to see if a capacitor in the power supply is making "big cheeks".
I wrote somewhere in the thread how to open the A30a.

Sabaj loses channels right around 80 on the scale. Of course, if I lower the source level below the maximum, I can set the amplifier to more than 80. I think this is simply the maximum power. There are factory plates in the columns, does it have a big impact? The cables are not super familiar, connected to the terminals in the speakers and the amplifier with banana plugs. I've only had the Sabaj for 3 days and should I already disassemble the casing? As I read in the review, the twin SMSL VMV A2 also does not allow reaching maximum power above 1% distortion, and the overload system will also work.

 

[GiBo61]

Based on your description I think the Sabaj goes in overload protection. If this happens at a sound pressure level (SPL) that is not enough for your setting, you should probably consider buying a more powerful amplifier (400w at 4 ohm will give you only twice the SPL you get with the Sabaj). I never had such an issue: with my A30a I'm driving pretty inefficient speakers (either Elac Vela BS403 or Carina 247.4, both around 85 db/m/W) but I live in a condo and I never pushed my amp above 65/70. Again, the volume number says little without considering also the level of the input source.

 

[Roland68]

Sabaj loses channels right around 80 on the scale. Of course, if I lower the source level below the maximum, I can set the amplifier to more than 80. I think this is simply the maximum power. There are factory plates in the columns, does it have a big impact? The cables are not super familiar, connected to the terminals in the speakers and the amplifier with banana plugs. I've only had the Sabaj for 3 days and should I already disassemble the casing? As I read in the review, the twin SMSL VMV A2 also does not allow reaching maximum power above 1% distortion, and the overload system will also work.

The behavior seems normal.
From Amirm's review of the SMSL VMV A2: "An aggressive protection circuit would shut the unit down when I tried to get max power at 1%. Fortunately the box automatically reboots and is back to business without any user intervention."
What scares me is the 228 watts per channel at four ohms, which is a bit much for the Aurora 700. Be careful not to break it.

The banana plug thing is ok, just make sure that everything is well insulated and that no individual strands protrude. The sheets in the terminals must be tightened well with the large clamping nuts.

Do you already have the latest firmware on the A30a?
If yes, then do a complete reset and reset the device to factory settings. Then go through all the menus and really check every setting. There are sometimes strange default settings in there.

 

[Sebcior]

The behavior seems normal.
From Amirm's review of the SMSL VMV A2: "An aggressive protection circuit would shut the unit down when I tried to get max power at 1%. Fortunately the box automatically reboots and is back to business without any user intervention."
What scares me is the 228 watts per channel at four ohms, which is a bit much for the Aurora 700. Be careful not to break it.

The banana plug thing is ok, just make sure that everything is well insulated and that no individual strands protrude. The sheets in the terminals must be tightened well with the large clamping nuts.

Do you already have the latest firmware on the A30a?
If yes, then do a complete reset and reset the device to factory settings. Then go through all the menus and really check every setting. There are sometimes strange default settings in there.

Software version 1.12. I think I got a new unit. The reset was done, the sheet metal in the terminals was bent and tightened as much as I could. Simply, what I previously considered to be clean sound with a class a/b amplifier was definitely not clean, recently it was the Pioneer A30-K, in tests 2x107 1%THD. I found the impedance characteristics of these Heco, it turns out that locally there are visible lows up to 3.5 Ohm... so we know that the amplifier will then reach peak power earlier. I am simply surprised by the aggressive action of the overload system. I listen from the sources: Tidal USB from the phone in OTG, bluetooth LDAC and SPDIF on the TV... I set the sources to 100%.

 

[GiBo61]

I also purchased a Sabaj A30A. It works with Heco Aurora 700. I just have doubts whether it works properly. From about 80 on the scale it cuts off the left or right channel or both... Restarting prevents playback. Is this how overload protection works? How is it with you? I would like to point out that I usually listen at levels 30-36. I just wanted to check the possibilities when listening loudly. The amplifier simply does not allow operation with high distortions and cuts off the channels, do I understand correc

Software version 1.12. I think I got a new unit. The reset was done, the sheet metal in the terminals was bent and tightened as much as I could. Simply, what I previously considered to be clean sound with a class a/b amplifier was definitely not clean, recently it was the Pioneer A30-K, in tests 2x107 1%THD. I found the impedance characteristics of these Heco, it turns out that locally there are visible lows up to 3.5 Ohm... so we know that the amplifier will then reach peak power earlier. I am simply surprised by the aggressive action of the overload system. I listen from the sources: Tidal USB from the phone in OTG, bluetooth LDAC and SPDIF on the TV... I set the sources to 100%.

Besides the technical considerations, how loud is the music before the overload protection kicks-in? Do you like the sound performance of the Sabaj when you are not pushing it to the limit?

 

[Sebcior]

Besides the technical considerations, how loud is the music before the overload protection kicks-in? Do you like the sound performance of the Sabaj when you are not pushing it to the limit?

I usually listen at about 36 on the scale, in a room of about 34 m2 and this is the optimal value for me. Plays louder in order of the quietest of the recently tested... Loxjie a40, pioneer a-30k, WIIM AMP ... I didn't test the yamaha s300 or s500 for a long time, because the sound just didn't fit. The Sabaj A30a sounds the best, with the greatest amount of detail, the scene at the highest levels. The second one is Loxjie a40, which is of course inferior in terms of power... sound degradation from 40 to 60... 45 means very high distortion. However, it plays very decently. The weakest is the WIIM amp... dry sound, without depth, rough... I don't understand all the rave reviews. So I tested several amplifiers to change from the Pioneer a-30k, which played in pair with the CA DAC 100 and in terms of sound it ranks behind Sabaj and Loxjie.

 

[GiBo61]

I'm reading now that the Heco Aurora 700 speakers have a 92 dB nominal sensitivity (2,8V/1M). Feeding them with 200W should be enough to demolish the entire building.

 

[Sebcior]

I'm reading now that the Heco Aurora 700 speakers have a 92 dB nominal sensitivity (2,8V/1M). Feeding them with 200W should be enough to demolish the entire building.

Yes, Heco Aurora has a rated power of 200 W and 300 Max. As I saw in the photos, the speakers are well ventilated and the tweeter is cooled in oil? The efficiency given by the manufacturer is very optimistic... 92dB... I don't know, somewhere in the review I found 89 measured. However, these are really good speakers, in my room the subwoofer seems unnecessary, they go really low. I'm considering a wiim mini streamer... the quality offered by Sabaj via Bluetooth LDAC is very good... it's hard to notice the difference compared to USB OTG from the phone... source: Tidal Master.

 

[douede]

Important! If you want to open the Sabaj A30a, don't try to remove the bottom panel! They will damage or destroy your device!.../...

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sabaj-a30a-announced.35714/post-1705608
In order to extract the PCB: Remove all the connected wires; desolder the 4 solidcore wires between the PCB and the binding posts. Unscrew from bottom/back.
PCB bottom picture :

 

[Roland68]

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sabaj-a30a-announced.35714/post-1705608
No problem at all when removing the bottom (destroys nothing).
PCB bottom picture :View attachment 353765

If you quote me, please provide the full context.
"Important! If you want to open the Sabaj A30a, don't try to remove the bottom panel! They will damage or destroy your device! The first thing to do is to remove the lid!"
Or did you manage to dismantle the floor first?