Aiyima A07 Max - Aiyima's new TPA3255 amplifier with mono/stereo output

[lcheetec]

Wonder if anyone else has these couple of problems.

My Aiyima A07 Max runs very hot. I also have the Fosi Audio Za3 which runs quite cool in comparison. I know they're different but I seem to recall reading the Aiyima's use of incorrectly spec'ed capacitors, so wonder if that's the case.

The second problem is really odd. I have a Arylic stream which I run into the A07 Max. I have its 3.5mm Aux connected to an active Monoprice SSW-8 subwoofer (RCA-in on it). When I turn off the A07 Max via its volume without turning off the streamed music, the amp turns off (because the speakers go silent), but the subwoofer continues to play! And it's not a time-out thing, it never stops! Meaning the Aux output is live even when the amp is turned off.

Anyone?

 

[Guddu]

Wonder if anyone else has these couple of problems.

My Aiyima A07 Max runs very hot. I also have the Fosi Audio Za3 which runs quite cool in comparison. I know they're different but I seem to recall reading the Aiyima's use of incorrectly spec'ed capacitors, so wonder if that's the case.

The second problem is really odd. I have a Arylic stream which I run into the A07 Max. I have its 3.5mm Aux connected to an active Monoprice SSW-8 subwoofer (RCA-in on it). When I turn off the A07 Max via its volume without turning off the streamed music, the amp turns off (because the speakers go silent), but the subwoofer continues to play! And it's not a time-out thing, it never stops! Meaning the Aux output is live even when the amp is turned off.

Anyone?

A07 Max uses its case as thermal solution. The metal cooler joins TPA3255 chip thermally to the chassis at bottom, the 2 screws on bottom plate does that. This allows heat transfer to the chassis and that’s why you see chassis getting hot which is normal in my view.
On the other hand, ZA3 chassis runs cooler in comparison.
Aux is simply line out, so always passes audio.

 

[rafal.plk]

My 07 max was very hot with the 48V / 5A power supply, I changed to 36V / 6A and the problem disappeared, it did not lose anything musically

 

[dr_mick51]

My 07 max was very hot with the 48V / 5A power supply, I changed to 36V / 6A and the problem disappeared, it did not lose anything musically

The TPA3255 design from TI is meant to use 2 separate power supplies. One (up to 52V) for the amplifier output power and another 12v power supply for Auxiliary functions on the chip and to feed the opamps. The issue lies when one creates an amplifier with a single power supply, and then use voltage regulators to drop to 12v. The regulators need to work harder and produce more heat when dropping from 48V than when dropping from 36V. Additionally depending on the regulators not all of them work with 48V. And if you install power hungry opamps like the Sparkos then regulators need to work even harder.
Of course the solution is to use a 36V and be happy with it. I really doubt one needs more power than what a 36V 6A power supply is able to provide. It is really interesting when I mute my amplifier and notice my power monitor to reduce only 0.1-0.2W compared to playing music loud.

 

[Haklek]

Hi everyone. new to the forum, great to be able to share and get experience from other users
I have some questions but also some experience on the Aiyima a07 max. (5A 48V Power supply)
My present set up is Tidal HiFi - Wiim Streamer (Have both the Mini and Pro plus) - DAC. SMSL C100- two a07 Max in mono mode- Speakers, Audio Pro Black Diamond V3 and one Audio Pro Addon Sub. (+ apple TV, Bluray, Nintendo switch going in to TV and back via Optical/Coaxial converter in to SMSL C100 DAC as well)

1. First experience, a little off topic but.. A Wiim Mini + a DAC. SMSL C100 (Have a remote control) as Streamer DAC combo in to Aiyima a07 Max sounds better in my setup than a Wiim Pro Plus working as both DAC and streamer in to the Aiyima a07 Max, first combo is also a little bit cheaper than one Wiim Pro Plus.

2. Tried the LM 4562NA OP amps vs the original 5532. Wider sound stage with original 5532 and a little more firm bass from the subwoofer. The only thing better with the LM4562 NA OP amps was that the voices had a little more three dimensional effect and the voice and music was pushed forward a bit towards the listening position.
Changing back and forth many times, I decided that the original OP 5532 amps sounded better in general.
I will probably try out the Muses 02 as the next step, and maybe the Sparkos SS3602? (Expensive..), any experience of these with A07 Max?

3. Stereo vs Mono?, hmm this was a tough one, in my honest opinion one a07 Max in stereo sounds a little bit better than two in mono, at least in my configuration.
Don´t ask me why, It is just a little bit extra clarity in some very good recordings.
There is just one challenge, the channel separation/gain is not optimal in stereo, the voices where placed offset to the left of the center image on one a07 max in stereo mode.
When I connected two of them in mono, the center image became perfect again, so for me decided to go for the two mono choice.
My advice will be: Try out one Aiyima a07 max first, and if you speakers get enough power from one Aiyima a07 Max and you don´t have the stereo channel issue, be satisfied with just one amp.

Now to my questions.
1. On Aiyimas home page, as well as in the instruction manual for mono mode, the + speaker cable should be to the right, going in to + on the speaker terminal and the - to the left going in to the -on the speaker terminal (See image)
But.. at the back of the actual amp (See picture). the printing sais that + should be to the left in mono and - to the wright, should we trust the manual or the printing on the actual amp? I went for the recommendation online as well as in instruction manual.
I see that other users and youtubers doing the opposite (See picture)

2. Can I connect one 3,5 mm cable (Aiyima a07/ AUX out) with two RCA stereo input in the other end in to my single sub, when the signal is coming from one of the Aiyima Mono blocks?
Any other idea?
Right now I use two Y adapters on the DAC, splitting the output signal to subwoofer and also going in to the left channel on each amp, but it is not optimal and I got some signal interference from time to time.

3. Most DACs (Like my SMSL C100) have a 2V signal output, Aiyima a07 have 1V input, should I be concerned about this?

 

[dr_mick51]

Hi everyone. new to the forum, great to be able to share and get experience from other users
I have some questions but also some experience on the Aiyima a07 max. (5A 48V Power supply)
My present set up is Tidal HiFi - Wiim Streamer (Have both the Mini and Pro plus) - DAC. SMSL C100- two a07 Max in mono mode- Speakers, Audio Pro Black Diamond V3 and one Audio Pro Addon Sub. (+ apple TV, Bluray, Nintendo switch going in to TV and back via Optical/Coaxial converter in to SMSL C100 DAC as well)

1. First experience, a little off topic but.. A Wiim Mini + a DAC. SMSL C100 (Have a remote control) as Streamer DAC combo in to Aiyima a07 Max sounds better in my setup than a Wiim Pro Plus working as both DAC and streamer in to the Aiyima a07 Max, first combo is also a little bit cheaper than one Wiim Pro Plus.

2. Tried the LM 4562NA OP amps vs the original 5532. Wider sound stage with original 5532 and a little more firm bass from the subwoofer. The only thing better with the LM4562 NA OP amps was that the voices had a little more three dimensional effect and the voice and music was pushed forward a bit towards the listening position.
Changing back and forth many times, I decided that the original OP 5532 amps sounded better in general.
I will probably try out the Muses 02 as the next step, and maybe the Sparkos SS3602? (Expensive..), any experience of these with A07 Max?

3. Stereo vs Mono?, hmm this was a tough one, in my honest opinion one a07 Max in stereo sounds a little bit better than two in mono, at least in my configuration.
Don´t ask me why, It is just a little bit extra clarity in some very good recordings.
There is just one challenge, the channel separation/gain is not optimal in stereo, the voices where placed offset to the left of the center image on one a07 max in stereo mode.
When I connected two of them in mono, the center image became perfect again, so for me decided to go for the two mono choice.
My advice will be: Try out one Aiyima a07 max first, and if you speakers get enough power from one Aiyima a07 Max and you don´t have the stereo channel issue, be satisfied with just one amp.

Now to my questions.
1. On Aiyimas home page, as well as in the instruction manual for mono mode, the + speaker cable should be to the right, going in to + on the speaker terminal and the - to the left going in to the -on the speaker terminal (See image)
But.. at the back of the actual amp (See picture). the printing sais that + should be to the left in mono and - to the wright, should we trust the manual or the printing on the actual amp? I went for the recommendation online as well as in instruction manual.
I see that other users and youtubers doing the opposite (See picture)

2. Can I connect one 3,5 mm cable (Aiyima a07/ AUX out) with two RCA stereo input in the other end in to my single sub, when the signal is coming from one of the Aiyima Mono blocks?
Any other idea?
Right now I use two Y adapters on the DAC, splitting the output signal to subwoofer and also going in to the left channel on each amp, but it is not optimal and I got some signal interference from time to time.

3. Most DACs (Like my SMSL C100) have a 2V signal output, Aiyima a07 have 1V input, should I be concerned about this?View attachment 350835View attachment 350834View attachment 350836View attachment 350837

Thank you for your very detailed experiences.

1. It does not really surprise me. The DAC implementation is better on the SMSL, and separates are usually better.
2. There are many cheap opamps to try. The OPA1656, OPA1612 (the ones I'm currently using) or a low noise NE5532AP (if you really like the sound from the stock opamps).
3. I use one amp and I don't have any imbalance and it provides more power than what I need.


Question 1: yes, positive L and positive R are the right terminals for mono.

Question 2: I'm not sure if I understood correctly. I use a DSP and to me it's the best solution, it ads a high pass filter and equalizer for the amp input, and a customizable 4th order low filter for the sub, and can join L and R low frequencies together on a single RCA directly for a single sub.
Mine is a car audio DSP (ugly as hell) but you can hide it and you can control it from your phone.

Question 3: You should not worry at all. 1Vrms is the voltage the amps needs to reach maximum power. 1Vrms gets in and 30Vrms get out. ((30V)^2 )/8Ohm= 112.5W.
But this only happens with test tones at 0dBFS. Music plays way lower that than. Aproximate -12dBFS in average. This means 4 times lower voltage or 0.5Vrms, which equals to 15Vrms on the output.
15^2/8= 28.125W, still plenty of power for our needs.

 

[Haklek]

Thank you wery much for your answers.
I’m still confused though regarding the first question.
Positive terminals should be used for left and right in mono, check on that one.
But + to the right and -minus to the left or vice versa?
The Manual sais one thing in mono - + and the mono printing on the back sais + - in mono.

 

[dr_mick51]

Thank you wery much for your answers.
I’m still confused though regarding the first question.
Positive terminals should be used for left and right in mono, check on that one.
But + to the right and -minus to the left or vice versa?
The Manual sais one thing in mono - + and the mono printing on the back sais + - in mono.

If you follow the same order. For example positive L connects to speaker negative, and positive R connects to speaker positive on both speakers you will be keeping the same absolute polarity on both. And even if polarity is inverted you keep the same absolute polarity and this is undetectable. Don't sweat it.
You can try both ways to see if you can hear a difference. There are some internet sites where you can test if you can listen and identify absolute polarity:

Absolute Polarity Blind Listening Test

Tests whether your audio system is sensitive to absolute phase.

www.audiocheck.net

The problem is when you use different polarities on each speaker and the soundwaves cancel each other. The speakers will sound weird.

 

[Toku]

A new model A70 equipped with PFFB will be released from AIYMA after March 20th. The amplifier chip is TPA3255 and seems to be a rival of Topping PA5 ll.

AIYIMA A70

AIYIMA's latest TPA3255 power amplifier has PFFB function and is equipped with 48v5a GAN power supply. Parameter:Chipset: TPA3255+NE5532Replaceable operational amplifier chips: RT3609SM, OPA2604, OPA2134, LM4562, JRC5532, OP275GSZ, OPA1612, MUSES01/02/03...

www.aiyima.com

 

[voodooless]

A new model A70 equipped with PFFB will be released from AIYMA after March 20th. The amplifier chip is TPA3255 and seems to be a rival of Topping PA5 ll.

AIYIMA A70

AIYIMA's latest TPA3255 power amplifier has PFFB function and is equipped with 48v5a GAN power supply. Parameter:Chipset: TPA3255+NE5532Replaceable operational amplifier chips: RT3609SM, OPA2604, OPA2134, LM4562, JRC5532, OP275GSZ, OPA1612, MUSES01/02/03...

www.aiyima.com

Also in price I see. There is a serious premium to pay for PFFB. It seems like a nice little amp, though.

 

[Haklek]

If you follow the same order. For example positive L connects to speaker negative, and positive R connects to speaker positive on both speakers you will be keeping the same absolute polarity on both. And even if polarity is inverted you keep the same absolute polarity and this is undetectable. Don't sweat it.
You can try both ways to see if you can hear a difference. There are some internet sites where you can test if you can listen and identify absolute polarity:

Absolute Polarity Blind Listening Test

Tests whether your audio system is sensitive to absolute phase.

www.audiocheck.net

The problem is when you use different polarities on each speaker and the soundwaves cancel each other. The speakers will sound weird.

Ok, that make sense. Thank you for taking the time to answer. I really appreciate it.

 

[Abstracted]

A new model A70 equipped with PFFB will be released from AIYMA after March 20th. The amplifier chip is TPA3255 and seems to be a rival of Topping PA5 ll.

AIYIMA A70

AIYIMA's latest TPA3255 power amplifier has PFFB function and is equipped with 48v5a GAN power supply. Parameter:Chipset: TPA3255+NE5532Replaceable operational amplifier chips: RT3609SM, OPA2604, OPA2134, LM4562, JRC5532, OP275GSZ, OPA1612, MUSES01/02/03...

www.aiyima.com

Oh man, looking at the specs makes me think I should return the two A07 Max's I got to run in mono...
It's only $30 more...

 

[Toku]

Oh man, looking at the specs makes me think I should return the two A07 Max's I got to run in mono...
It's only $30 more...

There are also rumors that Fosi will release a power amplifier equipped with PFPB.

 

[rafal.plk]

Opa1656

I spent $8.0 on two LM4562N chips for my Aiyima A07 MAX. I must admit that I hear a difference compared to the standard NE5532P. In my setup, the LM4562N is clearer in the higher midrange and treble frequencies. This improvement significantly enhanced the dynamics of my somewhat subdued Indiana Line Tesi 261 speakers. The bass is more precise; with the NE5532P, it was a bit “muddled.” The soundstage has also improved, extending slightly forward and widening to the sides. Additionally, a certain tendency toward excessive “sweetening” has disappeared (likely influenced by the Aiyima T8 preamplifier with the GE5760 Triple Mica tube), which ultimately appeals to me because it sounds more natural and less “cozy.” These changes aren’t “night and day,” but they are perceptible, akin to the difference between a sunny morning and the sun at its zenith .

 

[Talisman]

I spent $8.0 on two LM4562N chips for my Aiyima A07 MAX. I must admit that I hear a difference compared to the standard NE5532P. In my setup, the LM4562N is clearer in the higher midrange and treble frequencies. This improvement significantly enhanced the dynamics of my somewhat subdued Indiana Line Tesi 261 speakers. The bass is more precise; with the NE5532P, it was a bit “muddled.” The soundstage has also improved, extending slightly forward and widening to the sides. Additionally, a certain tendency toward excessive “sweetening” has disappeared (likely influenced by the Aiyima T8 preamplifier with the GE5760 Triple Mica tube), which ultimately appeals to me because it sounds more natural and less “cozy.” These changes aren’t “night and day,” but they are perceptible, akin to the difference between a sunny morning and the sun at its zenith .

Have you also noticed a more refined midrange? And certainly more musical highs, with elegant bass

 

[rafal.plk]

Have you also noticed a more refined midrange? And certainly more musical highs, with elegant bass

Yes, for example, Adelle’s voice in Hellow is so realistic as if an invisible curtain fell, muffling her characteristic huskiness, similarly to Sinéad O'Connor

 

[saberger0357]

I couldn't resist and ordered a pair of A07 Max's today. I have so many excellent amps already, including several chip amps that include the ZA3, V3, A07, and others. I also have a pair of SMSL A300's which even though got a poor review hear I continue to use and enjoy on a regular basis. I'm probably going to start using the A07M's with a pair of AR3's since they're the only 4 ohm speakers I currently have in rotation. But as I do with my many amps and speakers, I'm sure I'll get around to using them in other combinations as time goes on.

 

[saberger0357]

Got the amps and all good other then they both got noticeably warmer then my other 3255 amps. Using separate 48v/5a psu’s for each. Did have gain set at max, then backed off to about 11-12 for each. Driving 8ohm Allison One speakers.

 

[dr_mick51]

Got the amps and all good other then they both got noticeably warmer then my other 3255 amps. Using separate 48v/5a psu’s for each. Did have gain set at max, then backed off to about 11-12 for each. Driving 8ohm Allison One speakers.

The A07 Max with a 48V power supply gets hot, not because of actual output power consumption, it's because of the voltage regulators "regulating" from 48V to 12V for the chip auxiliaries components and power for opamps. If you use 48V then try not to overload the regulators by installing discrete opamps which consume way more current than regular IC opamps.
Having a higher power supply voltage is only beneficial is you really require high power output beyond 80W( which I really doubt).
For me the stock 36V 6A power supply is more than enough(provides enough power) and the amp won't suffer from overheating unnecessarily.

 

[saberger0357]

The A07 Max with a 48V power supply gets hot, not because of actual output power consumption, it's because of the voltage regulators "regulating" from 48V to 12V for the chip auxiliaries components and power for opamps. If you use 48V then try not to overload the regulators by installing discrete opamps which consume way more current than regular IC opamps.
Having a higher power supply voltage is only beneficial is you really require high power output beyond 80W( which I really doubt).
For me the stock 36V 6A power supply is more than enough(provides enough power) and the amp won't suffer from overheating unnecessarily.

Thanks. I’m going to go to the 36v’s today. The speakers are not terribly difficult to drive and like more power but you’re right they’ll be fine with 50-60 watts.