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3e Audio A5 Stereo Amplifier Review

Rate this amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 5 1.7%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 11 3.8%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 50 17.2%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 225 77.3%

  • Total voters
    291
I received A5 few hours ago. I tried it instead Aiyima in my bedroom system: Wiim pro streamer/SMSL D300 dac/ Aiyima A07 max/ Heco Celan Revolution 3 loudspeakers. After about 30 min. normal listenning session suddenly there was a loud clicka loud in the right channel and the sound disappeared. Now works only left channel.
 
I received A5 few hours ago. I tried it instead Aiyima in my bedroom system: Wiim pro streamer/SMSL D300 dac/ Aiyima A07 max/ Heco Celan Revolution 3 loudspeakers. After about 30 min. normal listenning session suddenly there was a loud clicka loud in the right channel and the sound disappeared. Now works only left channel.
Could it be an opamp failure? Someone else experienced that.
 
I received A5 few hours ago. I tried it instead Aiyima in my bedroom system: Wiim pro streamer/SMSL D300 dac/ Aiyima A07 max/ Heco Celan Revolution 3 loudspeakers. After about 30 min. normal listenning session suddenly there was a loud clicka loud in the right channel and the sound disappeared. Now works only left channel.
Sorry...I wonder if was the speakers which can do 4 or 8 ohms but they are easy to drive 99 db, I will wait until is sold on Amazon.
I have owned several tpa3255 amp. and the old Aiyima A4 tpa3251 and never have anything going wrong
 
I received A5 few hours ago. I tried it instead Aiyima in my bedroom system: Wiim pro streamer/SMSL D300 dac/ Aiyima A07 max/ Heco Celan Revolution 3 loudspeakers. After about 30 min. normal listenning session suddenly there was a loud clicka loud in the right channel and the sound disappeared. Now works only left channel.
Needs warranty return.

Assuming the speaker is still working with your old amp
 
Assuming the speaker is still working with your old amp
Or simply connecting it to the other channel. :)

Sorry...I wonder if was the speakers which can do 4 or 8 ohms but they are easy to drive 99 db, I will wait until is sold on Amazon.
I have owned several tpa3255 amp. and the old Aiyima A4 tpa3251 and never have anything going wrong
The A5 can drive any load down to 2 ohm, regardless of phase angle (up to 60° capacitive or inductive). The speaker is not the problem.
 
Post #134:

Ah... looks like this could be a really common issue. One of them died in my A5 as well, killing one channel, but not before making my speaker make loud popping noises beforehand.
 
I received A5 few hours ago. I tried it instead Aiyima in my bedroom system: Wiim pro streamer/SMSL D300 dac/ Aiyima A07 max/ Heco Celan Revolution 3 loudspeakers. After about 30 min. normal listenning session suddenly there was a loud clicka loud in the right channel and the sound disappeared. Now works only left channel.
@Scenic

can you do a try to swap the opamp?

we start CNY off and response may slower.
 
@Scenic

can you do a try to swap the opamp?

we start CNY off and response may slower.

It's really weird that a company just shuts down its server along with its website instead of posting something like: "Dear Clients, we apologize, but we are temporarily unable to process your requests as we are closed for [X] weeks for the Chinese New Year."

How much money do they expect to save by not running the server during this period?

It's also strange when a company sends a representative to English-speaking forums who can barely express his thoughts in English.

What kind of impression does that give about your brand?

Channels dying shortly after arrival, incorrect left/right channel identification colors, and an auto-sensing feature that doesn't allow playback at low volume...

What else can we expect from these "serious high-end amps"?
 
It's really weird that a company just shuts down its server along with its website instead of posting something like: "Dear Clients, we apologize, but we are temporarily unable to process your requests as we are closed for [X] weeks for the Chinese New Year."

How much money do they expect to save by not running the server during this period?

It's also strange when a company sends a representative to English-speaking forums who can barely express his thoughts in English.

What kind of impression does that give about your brand?

Channels dying shortly after arrival, incorrect left/right channel identification colors, and an auto-sensing feature that doesn't allow playback at low volume...

What else can we expect from these "serious high-end amps"?
Just a bit of history - over here you will see the evolution of this: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...finished-amplifier-with-pffb-is-coming.54799/

So some of these : channel identification, and mentioned elsewhere the 12 v trigger - these were on test prototype models.
Regarding English I think the person is using auto-translate, and with basic English (rather than employing someone).

What you / we are dealing with here is classic 'start up' now experiencing 'over trading' problems - 3e have jumped in at the deep end (for them), with new (for them) mainstream products. 5 or something or so at once...

I've just got access to my A5 so I'm going to test the low playing volume issue for me and report back. I think cut some slack with the English ... but yes 3e are now going to need to rapidly join the more established outfits or fall victim to 'over trading', which can actually make companies fail. Trying to do too much too quickly and please too many people - and then run into cash flow problems to sustain the ambitions.
 
Just got A7 yesterday in the morning. My set-up is: Wiim Pro Plus -> 3e Audio A7 -> XTZ 99.36 MK2
Tried to listen music in the evening and yes, the problem is indeed there - auto-sensing just switched off the amp. And it was not even super-low volume.
Tbh it's a bit disappointing that there is no tumbler with something like "on/auto/off", to be able to override auto-sensing completely.
 
It's really weird that a company just shuts down its server along with its website instead of posting something like: "Dear Clients, we apologize, but we are temporarily unable to process your requests as we are closed for [X] weeks for the Chinese New Year."

How much money do they expect to save by not running the server during this period?

It's also strange when a company sends a representative to English-speaking forums who can barely express his thoughts in English.

What kind of impression does that give about your brand?

Channels dying shortly after arrival, incorrect left/right channel identification colors, and an auto-sensing feature that doesn't allow playback at low volume...

What else can we expect from these "serious high-end amps"?
Thanks for your suggestion,website is off due to bandwidth over limited,we hadn't recognize this as recently many people visit after review by ASR.
there are still many things we keep learning and improve.
 
Just got A7 yesterday in the morning. My set-up is: Wiim Pro Plus -> 3e Audio A7 -> XTZ 99.36 MK2
Tried to listen music in the evening and yes, the problem is indeed there - auto-sensing just switched off the amp. And it was not even super-low volume.
Tbh it's a bit disappointing that there is no tumbler with something like "on/auto/off", to be able to override auto-sensing completely.
Is it with Bypass the Volume knob? Does it also happen with Not bypass and Turn the Volume knob from the A7 to max.? Thx
 
I wonder if this is more prevalent with the A7 / A7 mono models for some reason? Everyone seems to be reporting this with the '7' 's .

With my A5 I've been trying out for the first time, I have switch on and stay on with very low volume. I won't be able to give a dB measure for a week or so.

Any A5 users out there with this issue?
 
Is it with Bypass the Volume knob? Does it also happen with Not bypass and Turn the Volume knob from the A7 to max.? Thx
Bypass enabled and volume set to max (with bypass disabled) result in exactly the same gain, so there is no difference.

Reducing the volume using the built-in pot does mitigate the issue, but isn't practical for everyone. If you e.g. have a sub connected to your pre-processor you want don't want to accidentally change the power amp's gain as this would upset the balance between mains and sub.

I wonder if this is more prevalent with the A7 / A7 mono models for some reason? Everyone seems to be reporting this with the '7' 's .

With my A5 I've been trying out for the first time, I have switch on and stay on with very low volume. I won't be able to give a dB measure for a week or so.

Any A5 users out there with this issue?
The A7 models have 3 dB higher gain than the A5 models but the same auto on sensitivity. So yes, the A7 is more prone to experiencing this as a problem.
 
Bypass enabled and volume set to max (with bypass disabled) result in exactly the same gain, so there is no difference.

Reducing the volume using the built-in pot does mitigate the issue, but isn't practical for everyone. If you e.g. have a sub connected to your pre-processor you want don't want to accidentally change the power amp's gain as this would upset the balance between mains and sub.


The A7 models have 3 dB higher gain than the A5 models but the same auto on sensitivity. So yes, the A7 is more prone to experiencing this as a problem.
3dB is certainly significant enough at low volume to explain these different user experiences.

Perhaps Amirm will test this with the A7 review ... but 3e are already sold out of this batch...

Chinese New Year regardless, @3eaudio - for your next batch, reducing the auto-off sensitivity and lengthening the delay to 10 minutes strikes me as essential, and within your current 'tooling' capabilities.

(Just saying). :) ... I'm glad I did not buy the monos and went for the A5, and will hold off pending.

PS - thank you @harkpabst for establishing this point of fact
 
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Thanks for your suggestion,website is off due to bandwidth over limited,we hadn't recognize this as recently many people visit after review by ASR.
there are still many things we keep learning and improve.
Your website is still down.

This is not inspiring confidence.
 
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