3e Audio A5 Stereo Amplifier Review

[falang]

EDIT: Amir's A5 review sample as well (go to the first page of this thread)

The Soyyin branding on Aliexpress was not there when Amir first reviewed it and for many months afterwards. It's a recent development if I recall correctly.

 

[ziggurcat]

Yes ... but Topping, Fosi, Douk, Sabaj, Loxjie, SMSL, etc... are not changing their brand name. It takes time to build a brand and well, my tuppenny's worth is that 3e have developed a brand that equates to quality and value ... despite being slightly more expensive than Fosi, Douk etc.

A good niche.

I found the post where they talk about the branding

Also here

 

[falang]

I found the post where they talk about the branding

Also here

Perhaps I'm being too judgmental - the utilitarian design probably helps keep the cost down.

 

[ziggurcat]

Perhaps I'm being too judgmental - the utilitarian design probably helps keep the cost down.

It's just an amp, so I personally don't think it needs to be super fancy-looking. I do, however, appreciate nice-looking gear, so I am with you on that.

 

[bboris77]

I just purchased this amp as it finally became available on Amazon Canada and am very excited to compare it to my main Class A/B A-S501 Yamaha amp.

Can someone with an A5 and a multimeter share what kind of DC offset voltage figures they are seeing on its speaker outs with volume being turned all the way to the minimum? The reason why I’m asking is because I recently had a bad experience with a Topping PA5 II that started outputting a full 14V of DC voltage on one of its speaker outs within 24 hours of being turned on.

 

[howard416]

If it's working properly, there would be no significant DC voltage on the output...

 

[Nyarlathotep]

If it's working properly, there would be no significant DC voltage on the output...

Maybe @bboris77 meant to imply, “what is a significant DC value I should worry about?”

 

[bboris77]

Maybe @bboris77 meant to imply, “what is a significant DC value I should worry about?”

Oh, I know exactly when I should start worrying about DC offset voltage Anything over 60mV and I am out. Most amps I own are below 20mV DC offset on the speaker outs.

The only reason why I even brought it up is because some people mentioned that the A5 and the PA5 II use the same TPA3251 chip. However, I am aware that they have very different PCB layouts and that 3a A5 seems to have a better reputation.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Oh, I know exactly when I should start worrying about DC offset voltage Anything over 60mV and I am out. Most amps I own are below 20mV DC offset on the speaker outs.

The only reason why I even brought it up is because some people mentioned that the A5 and the PA5 II use the same TPA3251 chip. However, I am aware that they have very different PCB layouts and that 3a A5 seems to have a better reputation.

Gotcha, that makes sense. And apologies, I didn't mean to put words in your mouth, so to speak.

 

[harkpabst]

Oh, I know exactly when I should start worrying about DC offset voltage Anything over 60mV and I am out. Most amps I own are below 20mV DC offset on the speaker outs.

The only reason why I even brought it up is because some people mentioned that the A5 and the PA5 II use the same TPA3251 chip. However, I am aware that they have very different PCB layouts and that 3a A5 seems to have a better reputation.

Here comes one of my 3e Audio A5 amplifiers:

DC offset left channel: 3-4 mV
DC offset right channel: 17-18 mV

Inputs: open circuit
Outputs: open circuit
RCA or XLR: no difference
Volume fully on or off: no difference

 

[bboris77]

Here comes one of my 3e Audio A5 amplifiers:

DC offset left channel: 3-4 mV
DC offset right channel: 17-18 mV

Inputs: open circuit
Outputs: open circuit
RCA or XLR: no difference
Volume fully on or off: no difference

Thank you! This is fantastic information. How long have you had this amp, if you don't mind me asking? It is good to see that it is still well within specs.

 

[harkpabst]

Thank you! This is fantastic information. How long have you had this amp, if you don't mind me asking? It is good to see that it is still well within specs.

It's one of the first retail units (no trigger input, non-configurable auto-sensing) and it sounds great. Absolutely transparent.

 

[ziggurcat]

Thank you! This is fantastic information. How long have you had this amp, if you don't mind me asking? It is good to see that it is still well within specs.

If it's at all helpful, I have a PA5 II that I can test at home. I've had it for almost a year (about 10 months), and just swapped it out for a 3e Audio A7.

 

[bboris77]

Here comes one of my 3e Audio A5 amplifiers:

DC offset left channel: 3-4 mV
DC offset right channel: 17-18 mV

Inputs: open circuit
Outputs: open circuit
RCA or XLR: no difference
Volume fully on or off: no difference

Hi, I just got mine. Here are the numbers:

DC offset left channel: 14.16 mV
DC offset right channel: 8.43 mV

Looking good so far

 

[ziggurcat]

Hi, I just got mine. Here are the numbers:

DC offset left channel: 14.16 mV
DC offset right channel: 8.43 mV

Looking good so far

Now, I'm not sure if I've done it correctly, but I did check my own PA5 II amp, and got readings of 21.3 and 30.2 (Right channel/Left Channel) with the multimeter set in the V with solid line/dotted line section at the "200m" option on the dial (I've asked, and no one seems to want to tell me what the actual setting needs to be for an accurate reading).

Not sure how it differs from what you have seen with your own PA5 II or if I've even tested it correctly. I turned the amp on, and let it sit for about a minute before sticking the prongs into the binding posts.

 

[bboris77]

Now, I'm not sure if I've done it correctly, but I did check my own PA5 II amp, and got readings of 21.3 and 30.2 (Right channel/Left Channel) with the multimeter set in the V with solid line/dotted line section at the "200m" option on the dial (I've asked, and no one seems to want to tell me what the actual setting needs to be for an accurate reading).

Not sure how it differs from what you have seen with your own PA5 II or if I've even tested it correctly. I turned the amp on, and let it sit for about a minute before sticking the prongs into the binding posts.

This means 21.3mV and 30.2mV which is definitely acceptable.

 

[bboris77]

Hi, I just got mine. Here are the numbers:

DC offset left channel: 14.16 mV
DC offset right channel: 8.43 mV

Looking good so far

After a couple of hours, both channels have settled on around 10mV.

 

[somebodyelse]

V with solid line/dotted line section

That's the setting for DC Volts, correct for measuring DC offset

at the "200m" option on the dial

On that setting 200mV is the full range, and most cheap meters don't have a lower one. This is the correct setting for measuring the DC offset - it should be accurate at the expected offset levels, and if offset is over 200mV then there is probably a problem.

 

[ziggurcat]

That's the setting for DC Volts, correct for measuring DC offset

On that setting 200mV is the full range, and most cheap meters don't have a lower one. This is the correct setting for measuring the DC offset - it should be accurate at the expected offset levels, and if offset is over 200mV then there is probably a problem.

Thank you very much for that. Good to know I was doing the correct thing.

And thanks to @bboris77 as well!

 

[bboris77]

A quick question for the owners - do you hear a quiet tick from speakers (not a pop at all) when the amplifier is manually turned on/off using the knob? I hear this tick a couple of moments after the relay engages/disengages only if I am in very close proximity to the tweeter. Did not even notice it for the first couple of days at all when the amp comes in/out the auto standby mode. I am using mine in RCA out, low gain, volume bypass engaged.