3e audio A7/A7 Mono Amplifier Review

[SMen]

Practical note for the 3e A7se + Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary (6 ohms, minimum 3.4 ohms) setup:
When listening for extended periods to music at a moderate level of about 75 dB in a 20 m² room, absolutely nothing warmed up—neither the amplifier itself nor the 48 V / 5 A power supply. You can comfortably listen even to energetically demanding music with a large amount of bass. This includes works such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Op. 49. Here, however, be careful—the cannon shots are so intense they’ll make you jump out of your slippers.

Doubly useful as I'm thinking hard about getting some Lintons ... even the Supers...

Researching them though, I am wondering if there is an easier speaker to drive out there?! Apparently they are totally benign from top to bottom in the frequency range so should pose no problem for the se's as @Roland68 points out.

I described my experiences with the 3e A7se and Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary. They may be useful for those who are concerned about such a pairing. If you have any experience with the 3e A7se and more demanding loudspeakers, please describe it—it could be helpful to others.

now just come to this ... yes useful: thumbs up.

 

[peng]

Doubly useful as I'm thinking hard about getting some Lintons ... even the Supers...

Researching them though, I am wondering if there is an easier speaker to drive out there?! Apparently they are totally benign from top to bottom in the frequency range so should pose no problem for the se's as @Roland68 points out.



now just come to this ... yes useful: thumbs up.

For my use, even the A5 would do but I got the 7 anyway.. TI did a wonderful job with those chips and the mini amps are taking advantage using them wisely.

 

[JW001]

Got my stereo a7. Sounds... Like an amp.

I would say: "Like any other good amp."

 

[TheHighContemplator]

For my use, even the A5 would do but I got the 7 anyway.. TI did a wonderful job with those chips and the mini amps are taking advantage using them wisely.

The A5 would have been fine for me as well, but it wasn't a lot more to future proof myself with the A7 Monos.

 

[Decisionmaker]

The power supply question is confusing me a bit. 3e only offer the 5A version in their box set. Separate 10A power bricks are around £70.
Would there be any need whatsoever for the higher powered version for use in a living room with 4ohms 93db sensitivity speakers - room size is 20 metres squared so not looking to go for anything above 80db volume!

 

[Good Vibes]

The power supply question is confusing me a bit. 3e only offer the 5A version in their box set. Separate 10A power bricks are around £70.
Would there be any need whatsoever for the higher powered version for use in a living room with 4ohms 93db sensitivity speakers - room size is 20 metres squared so not looking to go for anything above 80db volume!

Hi

I wondered the same thing before I purchased my 5A version. My speakers are 90db sensitivity and I am very happy with the amp and the sound that I get with no shortcomings at all. 5A will be totally fine for your use case.

 

[Roland68]

The power supply question is confusing me a bit. 3e only offer the 5A version in their box set. Separate 10A power bricks are around £70.
Would there be any need whatsoever for the higher powered version for use in a living room with 4ohms 93db sensitivity speakers - room size is 20 metres squared so not looking to go for anything above 80db volume!

The A7 is offered with 5A and 10A power supplies; you might need to check with another retailer or ask in the shop.
Audiophonics, for example, offers the A7, A7 Mono, and A7se with a 48V/10A power supply as standard.

However, the 5A power supply would also be sufficient for speakers like these.
In that case, I would even choose the A5 or A5se with the 5A power supply, as it's slightly better and has somewhat better measured values.

 

[Decisionmaker]

The A7 is offered with 5A and 10A power supplies; you might need to check with another retailer or ask in the shop.
Audiophonics, for example, offers the A7, A7 Mono, and A7se with a 48V/10A power supply as standard.

However, the 5A power supply would also be sufficient for speakers like these.
In that case, I would even choose the A5 or A5se with the 5A power supply, as it's slightly better and has somewhat better measured values.

yes interestingly, 3e's marketing info itself shows the A5 to have better audio performance.
I wonder whether that's based on the ASR tests, since they seemed to respond to the reviews here.
My speakers are 4 ohms and rated 300W - would I not benefit from the extra headroom of the A7, over the potentially inaudible audio performance improvement of the A5?

 

[peng]

The power supply question is confusing me a bit. 3e only offer the 5A version in their box set. Separate 10A power bricks are around £70.
Would there be any need whatsoever for the higher powered version for use in a living room with 4ohms 93db sensitivity speakers - room size is 20 metres squared so not looking to go for anything above 80db volume!

What's you listening distance, and is 80 dB requirement average, or peak?

 

[Roland68]

yes interestingly, 3e's marketing info itself shows the A5 to have better audio performance.
I wonder whether that's based on the ASR tests, since they seemed to respond to the reviews here.
My speakers are 4 ohms and rated 300W - would I not benefit from the extra headroom of the A7, over the potentially inaudible audio performance improvement of the A5?

View attachment 505459

The TPA3251 is marginally better than the 3255; that's the reason for the difference. However, the 3255 can handle more power.

The speaker's rated power is irrelevant to the amplifier, whether it's 100 or 1000 watts.
Assuming the efficiency rating is inflated and we're talking about 90dB, then you can easily reach over 100dB of volume with the A5 in a large room. Do you need that?
The 80dB you mentioned is already reached with less than 2 watts; doubling the volume requires about 10 watts.

You could post the speaker model, then we can give you a more precise answer.

 

[Decisionmaker]

The TPA3251 is marginally better than the 3255; that's the reason for the difference. However, the 3255 can handle more power.

The speaker's rated power is irrelevant to the amplifier, whether it's 100 or 1000 watts.
Assuming the efficiency rating is inflated and we're talking about 90dB, then you can easily reach over 100dB of volume with the A5 in a large room. Do you need that?
The 80dB you mentioned is already reached with less than 2 watts; doubling the volume requires about 10 watts.

You could post the speaker model, then we can give you a more precise answer.

My understanding is that the more headroom the better. But obviously audio quality is a priority.
These are the speakers https://vestlyd.com/products/v12c?srsltid=AfmBOorzdZYR8tU5xZ2pLzxmm9LnaQaM5gg6JUeka3mXwxKoiS-N39ad

 

[peng]

My understanding is that the more headroom the better. But obviously audio quality is a priority.
These are the speakers https://vestlyd.com/products/v12c?srsltid=AfmBOorzdZYR8tU5xZ2pLzxmm9LnaQaM5gg6JUeka3mXwxKoiS-N39ad

Assuming you listen from 12 feet, you would about 120 W into 4 ohms (your speaker's nominal impedance) to get 80 dB average, 100 dB peak. I don't like using watts but that's what most people use so I go along with that. That's based one speaker, no room gain assumed.

So, it does look like the A5 can do it comfortably if you don't listen to higher level and/or sit further. For me, I would stick with the A7 because the price difference isn't significant ($20-$30 right?), and then you get some extra headroom and flexibility when you listening habit and/or speaker upgrade/placement etc. change.

 

[Roland68]

My understanding is that the more headroom the better. But obviously audio quality is a priority.
These are the speakers https://vestlyd.com/products/v12c?srsltid=AfmBOorzdZYR8tU5xZ2pLzxmm9LnaQaM5gg6JUeka3mXwxKoiS-N39ad

Headroom is fine, but multiple headroom is pointless. Double the headroom (volume) is more than sufficient.

Nice speaker, by the way.
In reality, they measured just over 89dB in the test.

For a 20 square meter room, that's over 103dB with the A5, about 100dB at half power, and about 97dB at a quarter power.
The A7 is over 106dB, about 103dB at half power, and about 100dB at a quarter power.

If you know that you listen at a maximum of 80dB, then, assuming a 6dB doubling, the A5 has a headroom (volume) that corresponds to a factor of almost 16. Based on the old assumption (10 dB = doubling of volume), that's still a factor of over 5.

Now the choice is yours.

 

[SanojS]

I have started to design my cottage sound system - house in the woods.
Will be using standmount speakers and subwoofer.

Right now, I will be using Luxsin X9 as DAC/preamp fed by HDMI from TV and via Wiim Mini for streaming music.

Next step is the power amp. My budget is around 500 USD, absolute maximum 1000 USD. My shortlist contains this amp discussed here, and the competition is:
Fosi V3 Mono
Topping B100
Used class A/B (e.g. Xtz AP100 often found around 500 USD)
Used Hypex monos

People who have the 3e monos, would you rate it same, worse or better than any of those?
I.e. should I put 3e A7 on the top of the list or should I rather go for another of those?

(The speakers will be something that isn't too hard to drive and up to 150W should be more than enough oomph, e.g. KEF Q Concerto Meta, Polk R200, Magnat Legend 703, etc. - pretty standard bookshelf speakers).

 

[Roland68]

I have started to design my cottage sound system - house in the woods.
Will be using standmount speakers and subwoofer.

Right now, I will be using Luxsin X9 as DAC/preamp fed by HDMI from TV and via Wiim Mini for streaming music.

Next step is the power amp. My budget is around 500 USD, absolute maximum 1000 USD. My shortlist contains this amp discussed here, and the competition is:
Fosi V3 Mono
Topping B100
Used class A/B (e.g. Xtz AP100 often found around 500 USD)
Used Hypex monos

People who have the 3e monos, would you rate it same, worse or better than any of those?
I.e. should I put 3e A7 on the top of the list or should I rather go for another of those?

(The speakers will be something that isn't too hard to drive and up to 150W should be more than enough oomph, e.g. KEF Q Concerto Meta, Polk R200, Magnat Legend 703, etc. - pretty standard bookshelf speakers).

Most A/B amplifiers can't match the A7's measured performance. Add to that weight, size, the potential need for servicing on used units, and power consumption, especially at idle.

With Purifi/Hypex, you'd have to go for the higher-end models, which are often quite expensive even used.

I would only buy the B100 once you've decided on your speakers, as it has relatively low power and is sensitive to speakers with a minimum impedance below 4 ohms.

The V3 Mono amplifiers aren't on par with the A7 in terms of quality or measured performance.

If you're not placing the monoblocks directly next to the speakers, you could use a single A7 instead of two A7 Mono amplifiers. It offers the same power output and measured performance as two A7 Mono amplifiers (the A7 is essentially two A7 Mono amplifiers in one unit).

 

[SanojS]

Most A/B amplifiers can't match the A7's measured performance. Add to that weight, size, the potential need for servicing on used units, and power consumption, especially at idle.

With Purifi/Hypex, you'd have to go for the higher-end models, which are often quite expensive even used.

I would only buy the B100 once you've decided on your speakers, as it has relatively low power and is sensitive to speakers with a minimum impedance below 4 ohms.

The V3 Mono amplifiers aren't on par with the A7 in terms of quality or measured performance.

If you're not placing the monoblocks directly next to the speakers, you could use a single A7 instead of two A7 Mono amplifiers. It offers the same power output and measured performance as two A7 Mono amplifiers (the A7 is essentially two A7 Mono amplifiers in one unit).

Thanks! Yes I know about the drawback of the b100. Was wondering how it compares.
Fair on the used feedback, I would buy something maximum 10 years old.

So the a7 stays near top.

 

[peng]

It is interesting to see of the top 3 on the ASR chart, 2 are class B, 1 class AB. Other than that it seems there is only 1 more class AB, the Benchmark amp that is in the top 10.

 

[peng]

Still trying to hear some differences between the NC502MP and the A7 but it seems impossible, frustrating…, can’t wait to get someone else to try, hopefully soon.

 

[Decisionmaker]

Headroom is fine, but multiple headroom is pointless. Double the headroom (volume) is more than sufficient.

Nice speaker, by the way.
In reality, they measured just over 89dB in the test.

For a 20 square meter room, that's over 103dB with the A5, about 100dB at half power, and about 97dB at a quarter power.
The A7 is over 106dB, about 103dB at half power, and about 100dB at a quarter power.

If you know that you listen at a maximum of 80dB, then, assuming a 6dB doubling, the A5 has a headroom (volume) that corresponds to a factor of almost 16. Based on the old assumption (10 dB = doubling of volume), that's still a factor of over 5.

Now the choice is yours.

Thanks for these numbers - indeed, even with the A5, I would assume , it would rarely go to half power or more.
However, in terms of longevity of the amp, would it not be better to regularly use a more powerful amp at 20%, than a less powerful one at 35%?

I have read that the A5 has a slightly warmer sound - is this from a few purely subjective anecdotal accounts? Given that class D is supposed to produce a transparent colourless sound in general..

 

[Roland68]

Still trying to hear some differences between the NC502MP and the A7 but it seems impossible, frustrating…, can’t wait to get someone else to try, hopefully soon.



View attachment 505541

We already conducted similar comparisons between the NC502MP and the well-measuring TPA3251/55 some time ago, and the differences, if they exist at all, are marginal and barely audible. If anything, the chances are slightly higher with the TPA3251.

You can also include the Sabaj A30a and SMSL VMV A2 in the test; the results will be the same.