The speakers and amp is "busy" by the family actually using it today.. But I will do some checks tomorrow when I can leave it runneing when working at home. My son thought it was a noticeable difference versus before though, much tighter, especially at "higher volumes" - poor neighbors earlier today in other words. :-DThanks for the impressions, thats interesting. I have a wiim ultra too with a fosi za3 in my second room/ Office. I defenitly listen also under 20, Sometimes Just at Volume Set on 1, sitting 2m away. With SF Venere1.5 (6ohm) or Sometimes kef ls50 (under 4 ohm), sensetivity i have to Google.
So @henel321 what is jour listenig distance and what sensetivity have your speakers?
Could you Test with Volume Bypass Set on the A7 in what Volume Level with the wiim ultra the Amp goes Auto Off? That would be a nice reference.
@ironmine i guess to observed that many people with high thd distortig ab amps will miss the thd in class d amps. So Here we have nearly Purifi levels, so the Amp (a7) will Show what ever your speakers can give.
Doing some quick testing and interval halving while doing the dishes it shuts of between 6-7 on the Wiim Ultra, and that's playing very soft acoustic music to be a bit mean. (Acoustic Winter on Spotify was my test loop. )Could you Test with Volume Bypass Set on the A7 in what Volume Level with the wiim ultra the Amp goes Auto Off? That would be a nice reference.
It would be good to have the set max. Output level of the Ultra as a reference. 2V is way louder than 1V or less. Only then the volume setting can be used as a reference.Doing some quick testing and interval halving while doing the dishes it shuts of between 6-7 on the Wiim Ultra, and that's playing very soft acoustic music to be a bit mean. (Acoustic Winter on Spotify was my test loop. )
At this level I did not really make out the lyrics clearly at my listening location. A realistic lowest level for me that I would use would likely be around 15 on the Wiim ultra. (This is with the Polk R500, A7 set to passthrough, low gain and RCA connections from the Ultra as it doesn't have XLR)
I likely will never have an issue with this. People with more sensitive speakers listening near field might have though.
3.5 V rmsNot sure if I missed it, but didn't see during a search. Is the balanced input sensitivity 4v?
Ah, thank you! I missed that in the manual. Looks like my DAC might run a bit "hot" for that (a7), but my pre-amp should be able to handle it.3.5 V rms
See the manual here (scroll down to the bottom):
A5x A7x Series Next-Gen PFFB Amplifier | 3e Audio
www.3e-audio.com
That's just the start. Even with the max output voltage se to 2 V rms in two different setups you still cannot properly compare the Ultra's volume settings.It would be good to have the set max. Output level of the Ultra as a reference. 2V is way louder than 1V or less. Only then the volume setting can be used as a reference.
Probably no reports because it doesn't "sound".
If you hear a difference, most likely the previous amp was flawed. Having said that I absolutely do enjoy the fabulous music in two of my systems using the 3e Audio A5.
OPAmp puller is nice addition!I wanted to follow up with details on the A7 (not the SE model) amplifier that I received. I've provided a picture of the power supply that 3E audio included with the A7 amplifier - 48V/5A GaN power supply compared next to the 48V/5A non-GaN power supply that was provided by Fosi audio with my v3 mono amplifiers. Also, while going through the box that the A7 amplifier arrived in, I was happy to see that they included an IC puller in the event I want do some op amp swapping in the future.
Yes, of course.So, the previous class D amps (Fosi V3, etc.) had a sound because they were flawed, but A5/A7 is flawless and has no sound?
If this is so, does it mean that the owners of A5/A7 are going to keep it/use it forever?
@BushelljHi 3e Audio. It is clear you have been following the various discussion groups from people who have received early shipments of the new A7 and A5 amplifier series. It seems quite a few people are having some problems with the Auto Power On / Off feature as music levels can quite often fall below the threshold to keep the Amplifier running. I had the same problem with your previous integrated amplifier as it kept turning off and you published a downloadable file which removed the functionality.
Would it be possible to make a small change to the software on the MCU so that a long press of the volume control switch (say >20 seconds) would toggle this feature on and off. This would require no changes to the current hardware design and satisfy most of you current and potential customers. It is my intention to purchase an A7 model as soon as it is possible to leave it running permanently with only a manual On / Off function.
On future products I would be in favour of having a physical Power Switch (not part of the volume control) that provides On / Auto / Off functions and another switch to select between the inputs. Should any of these product include Bluetooth (I am NOT in favour of this as it dates the product too quickly) could you ensure that the Bluetooth input can be selected manually and not be the default input that overides any other input when there is a bluetooth signal present. This has caused me so many issues with competitors products that I now avoid any amplifier products with Bluetooth functionality included !!
Many thanks for your support. James.
At some point you mentioned a possibility of a hardware DIY fix. Any details on that?@Bushellj
Thanks for your great suggestion and currently we are evaluating your idea in software change.
by now,we had test some change on both HW and FW to achieve the senstitivy down to 250uVrms with RCA and 500uVrms in XLR,this improvement can cover most of the user case.
Regarding that proposal, I already asked (without answer yet), whether the original connector for the Trigger signal is still on the PCB?At some point you mentioned a possibility of a hardware DIY fix. Any details on that?
Yeah, worst case you can use it for nose hairOPAmp puller is nice addition!
Sorry we may miss some post sometimes, actually the components of trigger are not populated yet,so it is hard to do that,also making a hole on the back panel won't be so easy.Regarding that proposal, I already asked (without answer yet), whether the original connector for the Trigger signal is still on the PCB?
If you check photos of the inside (i.e. at audiophonics HP), there is still the external connector with 3(?) short wires going to a connector on the PCB.
If that connector is still there, it would be quite simple to DIY a cable to the outside of the case and add a 3,5mm female connector there.
Or drill a hole in the case and do it properly...
Juergen
Which resistor?Sorry we may miss some post sometimes, actually the components of trigger are not populated yet,so it is hard to do that,also making a hole on the back panel won't be so easy.
we do have a solution by remove 1 resistor to increase the sensitivity by 14dB,RCA down to 400uV and XLR down to 800uV,but this also need some skill of diy...![]()
Many here simply avoid to use fancy words for subjective opinion.So many technical comments in this thread about A5/A7 and so little shared impressions in regard to its sound.
TOTALLY, there isn't going back for me unless it breaksGuys - do you ENJOY its sound?
For me, it's probably better than any other similar amplifier I have. I got a pre-production unit, it has replaced my Topping PA7 and I am not changing it back unless I see any issues not being a production unit.How does it compare to your previous amps?
Amplifier has nothing to do with it, it's speaker and placement w.r.t. sitting spot.How about the width of the sound stage?
***same as sound stage.Does it improve the perceived depth of the sound stage or does it sound flat?
Clean and clear separation, really really goodSeparation of instruments?
Don't know how to calculate Naturalness, but overall its balanced and nothing feels out of the place.Naturalness of sounds?
Absolutely, whatever music has in itDoes it involve you into music emotionally?
Not at allOr does it sound boring and listless?
For me, its smooth and detailed. Very much like PA7.....Do you hear more details or less?
Time to time I can't escape the feeling that the mid and lower base is now better than before, low volume listening wasn't this good with other amps for me in the same setup.Any changes to the bass, mids, highs compared to your previous amps?