3e Audio A7 [TPA3255 PFFB Stereo] Finished Amplifier - User Impressions | Owner's Thread

[ziggurcat]

I had opened up my 3e A7 unit's case couple days back for something and I can confirm that there aren't any wires used for binding posts ... It shouldn't be difficult to replace them as long as unsoldering isn't an issue for you without damaging but 3e have used similar binding posts as Topping A7 (or Aiyima A07 Max, Aiyima A70, Aiyima A80 etc.) and are thicker/heavier than you get on

Huh... the photo I posted was from someone who bought one in April this year, so it's wild that they would have different configurations in their production models (it also appears that that person swapped out the op amps). Was your unit received recently or is it the same pre-production model as what's in your OP of this thread?

I definitely do not want to be doing anything that involves soldering, so that settles that unless your image is from the pre-production model.

These may not be expensive but much much better than you see on others, I am saying this because I use thick spades which many such small amplifiers can not accommodate but worked well with A7. Along with the quality of the binding posts, the spacing/arrangement is also better than many others. @3eaudio haven't left any scope for complains there, just excellent.

They definitely look to be a bit more robust than the ones on my PA5 II. I'm excited about this amp, truly. Are you able to comment on how quiet this amp is on power up/shut down? I'm not bothered by power up/shut down ticks, I just want to get a sense of what to expect since it's not mentioned in the review here. My PA5 II has no tick on power up, but a small one when I turn it off (that is mostly masked by the sound of the toggle switch flipping).

 

[Guddu]

Huh... the photo I posted was from someone who bought one in April this year, so it's wild that they would have different configurations in their production models (it also appears that that person swapped out the op amps). Was your unit received recently or is it the same pre-production model as what's in your OP of this thread?

Mine is a pre-production unit.
Here are an internal pic I took couple of days back, you should be able to see PCB risers to binding posts.

They definitely look to be a bit more robust than the ones on my PA5 II.

Absolutely, Topping PA5/PA5 II have those cheap binding post you get on older Aiyima’s and all Fosi’s etc.

I'm excited about this amp, truly. Are you able to comment on how quiet this amp is on power up/shut down? I'm not bothered by power up/shut down ticks, I just want to get a sense of what to expect since it's not mentioned in the review here.

I have power on/off pop and full power hiss observations in my OP.
But to summarize, no hiss at all on full potentiometer or volume bypass.
A minor tick sound on ON/OFF which I can’t hear from 1 meter, hear it only when keep ears on tweeter. It’s not at all a pop sound as you get on Fosi v3 mono or others that have it. I don’t worry about it at all.

My PA5 II has no tick on power up, but a small one when I turn it off (that is mostly masked by the sound of the toggle switch flipping).

Probably this is same.

 

[ziggurcat]

Mine is a pre-production unit.
Here are an internal pic I took couple of days back, you should be able to see PCB risers to binding posts.

Ah, if it's pre-production, there's a good chance that the configuration has changed. I suppose this would be something @3eaudio can confirm/clarify.

I have power on/off pop and full power hiss observations in my OP.
But to summarize, no hiss at all on full potentiometer or volume bypass.
A minor tick sound on ON/OFF which I can’t hear from 1 meter, hear it only when keep ears on tweeter. It’s not at all a pop sound as you get on Fosi v3 mono or others that have it. I don’t worry about it at all.


Probably this is same.

Definitely not bothered by it at all as that seems "normal" to me, I just wanted to get a sense.

 

[harkpabst]

No offense taken. I occasionally like to do some low-level tinkering, and given that 3e Audio -- at least at some point -- had the kits/parts for people to build the amp themselves (it is still listed under the products dropdown on their site, but the buy it now buttons take you to a 404 error page on AliExpress), I don't see the issue with inquiring about a little customization/personalization. I don't think of it as being any different than swapping out the op amps.

I also asked because I've had the binding posts on these types of amps fall apart on me before (hence my comment about them being my biggest complaint). In that specific case, it would be easier for all parties involved if it was something the end user could replace themselves in 15 minutes rather than send the whole thing back, and wait for a new unit to arrive.

If that's being nitpick-y, I do apologize. It's just how my brain works. If they're as decent as @harkpabst says they are (and I have zero reason to doubt that), then I likely won't feel a need to replace them.



This photo does seem to indicate that it might not be too difficult?

Is this confirmed to be an A7 or could it be it's an A7se?

There are subtle differences ... apart from the obvious big difference.

 

[fredreadrick]

After a week I opened my A7 stereo to change roll opamp.
Sharing the pictures here for reference of others.
Aside from I can't bring this unit into a standby mode so I can change the auto sensing mode, all but praises for this beast.

 

[ziggurcat]

Is this confirmed to be an A7 or could it be it's an A7se?

There are subtle differences ... apart from the obvious big difference.

The screenshot was listed as A7, not the SE version:

"Color:A7-48V5A-US

Very well made and excellent sound quality"

They posted two photos in their customer review. This was the other photo:

 

[ziggurcat]

After a week I opened my A7 stereo to change roll opamp.

Thank you! Based on this photo of yours, it appears that the wires are soldered to a separate tab that slides out when you undo the bolt (which is how it should be done IMO), meaning a binding post swap wouldn't be a problem. Assuming those white globs are thermal paste, I would imagine a fresh application would be almost necessary.

Yay! That makes me happy to see.

 

[harkpabst]

Thank you! Based on this photo of yours, it appears that the wires are soldered to a separate tab that slides out when you undo the bolt (which is how it should be done IMO), meaning a binding post swap wouldn't be a problem. Assuming those white globs are thermal paste, I would imagine a fresh application would be almost necessary.

Yay! That makes me happy to see.

If these are pictures of A7 (non-se) units indeed (and I have no reason to doubt this) then 3e Audio really applied a couple of changes compared to the pre-production units.

Changing the binding posts (if even necessary) looks pretty easy. Also the additional daughter board for the A7 I the power supply section on the right has gone.

 

[ziggurcat]

If these are pictures of A7 (non-se) units indeed (and I have no reason to doubt this) then 3e Audio really applied a couple of changes compared to the pre-production units.

Changing the binding posts (if even necessary) looks pretty easy. Also the additional daughter board for the A7 I the power supply section on the right has gone.

I think @fredreadrick confirmed that their photos were from a non-se A7, so I don't think there's any "if" there.

I mean, changing them out would only be a last resort, and if something were to be wrong with any of them, it just makes more sense to me to be able to swap them out at home rather than go through the whole PitA return process/exchange. I had to do a return for a defective Topping MX5 from AliExpress once, and while it wasn't a complete nightmare, it was more work than what seemed necessary. At any rate, this is all good news for me.

My A7 is currently leaving China right now, so it's going a lot faster than I was expecting.

 

[fredreadrick]

I think @fredreadrick confirmed that their photos were from a non-se A7, so I don't think there's any "if" there.

I mean, changing them out would only be a last resort, and if something were to be wrong with any of them, it just makes more sense to me to be able to swap them out at home rather than go through the whole PitA return process/exchange. I had to do a return for a defective Topping MX5 from AliExpress once, and while it wasn't a complete nightmare, it was more work than what seemed necessary. At any rate, this is all good news for me.

My A7 is currently leaving China right now, so it's going a lot faster than I was expecting.

Yes it is A7 Stereo PBTL

 

[yavormoskov]

Is the auto on/off feature automatically enabled by default or not?

 

[Guddu]

Is the auto on/off feature automatically enabled by default or not?

It comes enabled.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

maybe there used to be a problem with the auto on/off sensitivity -
i also own A5 "newer version" for over a month now, in which there's a function you can turn off/on the auto standby.
I encountered zero issues with this function, actually i'm completely amazed with how good it works. i can't remember when was the last time i manually put the amp into standby

This is promising, maybe I'll give it a try at some point.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

No, there is no industry standard and what comes closest to being one is the sensitivity at a distance of 1 m with an 1 Watt input power. This is a pretty useless standard as it leads too man companies to nominally label their speakers as 8 Ω when they clearly should be (nominally) labeled 4 Ω.

I see. I'd still say that it is overwhelmingly common to state the measured sensitivity at 1m/1w/2,83w, be it useless or not. That's what we got.

Depending on the use case, some users have complained. A use case is not simply defined by “listening to music”. I wasn't trying to trap you; I was asking a simple, serious question. And I also explained long ago in which cases problems could arise.

And I gave a simple answer - I use my system only for listening to music, I was not trying to be offensive.

So, problem? Yeah, for some. Crap? No.

Agreed.

There are only two sales channels for us customers in Europe, either the official 3e Audio AliExpress store or audiophinics.fr. Both are.long out of stock as far as the first batch goes. You can also ask before buying.

Nice, and thank you for clarifying certain details.

But now back to tinkering with my no.2 set, just managed to haul my old Elac FS207A floorstanders here and oh boy do they sound good compared to Magnat Quantum 757's.

 

[harkpabst]

Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to offend either. I just want to make sure we're talking about facts (initially, the sensitivity of auto sensing was not perfectly suited to some scenarios), not rumours (3e Audio amps are having trouble with auto sensing).

I see. I'd still say that it is overwhelmingly common to state the measured sensitivity at 1m/1w/2,83w, be it useless or not. That's what we got.

2.83 Veff equals 1 Watt into 8 Ω. The sensitivity of (nominally) 4 Ω speakers is usually given at 2.0 Veff, because this equals 1 Watt into 4 Ω.

Why does it matter? Because high sensitivity speakers are much more prone to be affected by the auto sensing problem. I'm not just nitpicking here because I want to be right (at least that's not the only reason ), but because sensitivity ratings for the same speaker might differ by 3 dB just depending on how sensitivity was measured.

Hope my intention is clear and we got it all settled, so we can continue to discuss good and better (sounding) gear.

 

[ziggurcat]

My A7 is now in Canada, and has apparently cleared customs, so I am hoping to have it in my hands by mid-week. Can't wait!

I have to want to order the 10A power supply, but need to wait until the end of the week. And with Topping's DX5 II slated to be released on Tuesday, it's gonna be an expensive week

 

[wkamil]

want to order the 10A power supply

I've ordered 2pcs for my dual A7 mono system. I should receive them next week.

 

[yavormoskov]

After a week I opened my A7 stereo to change roll opamp.
Sharing the pictures here for reference of others.
Aside from I can't bring this unit into a standby mode so I can change the auto sensing mode, all but praises for this beast.

And have you noticed any subjective audio difference between the stock opamps and bursons?

 

[fredreadrick]

And have you noticed any subjective audio difference between the stock opamps and bursons?

Hard to hear the difference from stock Opa1656 to Burson V7vivid.
Pc> Topping D70 pro octo> Topping Pre90> 3e A7> MA Maop11.2
I guess it's all bragging rights

 

[wkamil]

I just received a shipment of 48V/10A power supplies. They are huge and heavy, almost as big as the A7 mono. I didn't notice any changes in the sound On the less pleasant side... Just when I received the shipment, the price per unit dropped in the 3eaudio store by almost a third...