Aiyima A07 Pro Amplifier Review

[Doodski]

Better use SOIC housings - much higher choice of opamps and cheaper as well.

Plus they learn to solder and amass tools.

 

[restorer-john]

Let's get into all important power measurements starting with 4 ohm:

So, @amirm, the amplifier shut down into 4R at ~115W at 0.1%THD (-60dB). Even the Benchmark got to 0.3% before it shutdown.

@AIYIMA Is there any possibility you can be honest with your power output claims?

 

[amirm]

So, @amirm, the amplifier shut down into 4R at ~115W at 0.1%THD (-60dB). Even the Benchmark got to 0.3% before it shutdown.

Kind of. The analyzer is hunting for that specific percentage by going above and below it. So the thing that shuts it down is when it goes beyond that point. How far that was, I can't quite tell but yes, it wasn't far.

I suspect this is a function of the IC uses and Aiyima has no control over it.

 

[restorer-john]

I suspect this is a function of the IC uses and Aiyima has no control over it.

I'd like to see Aiyima specifying the power their completed product can actually achieve, as opposed to a best case IC data-sheet spec @10%THD with a layout and power supply they clearly don't employ.

They claim 300Wx2@4R for this thing.

The SMPS you tested with was 216W (rated) and you squeezed 110WPC (2 channels driven), so even with the maximum voltage supply (48V), the amp might manage 140WPC (I highly doubt it). That's still not even half of what they claim...

I really miss conservatively honest and regulatory compliant specifications. There's a few generations of people who have grown up seeing a total lack of honesty plastered all over the fronts of gear and with the various bodies tasked with ensuring truth in advertising being comatose at the wheel.

Why not claim 50wpc@8R and 100wpc@4R? That's what it achieved and is a bargain for that amount of power.

 

[amirm]

Why not claim 50wpc@8R and 100wpc@4R?

Because their competitors don't. Either they all need to do it, or none would.

When I was at Microsoft we often wanted government regulation for such things as otherwise, our good intentions here would be punished in the marketplace with competitors not following the same rule.

FYI, here, even the chip company advertises such silly power numbers!

 

[restorer-john]

Because their competitors don't. Either they all need to do it, or none would.

When I was at Microsoft we often wanted government regulation for such things as otherwise, our good intentions here would be punished in the marketplace with competitors not following the same rule.

I'm all for the market determining what is acceptable and what isn't, but where uneducated consumers are buying based on inflated specification numbers, it becomes fraudulent behaviour. The FTC stepped in in 1974 as we all know, but home audio was a much bigger (and more expensive relatively) at the time. They won't do anything these days, got bigger fish to fry.

But your testing shines a light on the issue and that is a good thing.

 

[AIYIMA:GUO]

Reading between the lines, I think people (including me) looking for and willing to pay more, say $100 to $250, for a full featured 3255 based amp with features like:

a bigger, quality, higher wattage, UL listed (@amirm) power supply, (brick);
clean output (low THD) and honest ratings at .01% THD. (None of this 10% cr4p.)
remote;
blue tooth;
socketed op-amps (though we could question the real benefit of rolling op-amps);
tone controls (with defeat switch);
headphone out;
subwoofer out;
decently spaced output plugs that fat fingers can work with;
a not-so-bright power LED that doesn‘t light up a bedroom when used at night;
I would like to see a case that has some vent holes to make me believe that the innards aren’t running too hot.

Did I miss anything?

In a nutshell, I think people would buy a full-featured, high performance Aiyima, particularly if they could implement some of the Topping tricks for a low distortion amp.

Think value not cheap.

@AIYIMA , are you listening?

This is a good idea.We will take your suggestion and conduct design research for the new model

 

[grogi.giant]

And please use soldered opamps to prevent layman from fiddling with them.

Socketed op-amps are a big selling point and such ommition would cost Aiyima a lot of customers that watch certain youtube reviewers.

It costs (almost - I see your further comment) nothing to have socketed op-amps. People that know things simply ignore it. Less fortunate will play with it and be happier as result. Most of the time you cannot reason with individuals that know what they hear...

Socketed Op-Amps also give Aiyima ability to upsell some as well, with a heafty markup. I've seen some shops were offering already upgraded...

Win-Win really...

It helps you from dealing with broken amps,

While this might be true, I think that amount of people breaking the amp by trying to fiddle with opamps is not really that high.

it makes no sense since any decent opamp since the 1990's is so good that any additional gain of performance is swamped by the TPA3255, and it helps the scientific minds at ASR from dealing with claims of night and day differences due to opamp rolling based on non controlled sighted subjective listenings.

I love when subjective tests reveal "much deeper bass" or "more details"... Those little devices can handle frequencies in MHz, audible spectrum is like DC for them.

 

[Guddu]

Almost every vendor is advertising swappable opamp as one of biggest feature, it does not harm those who don't want to change and doesn't limit those who want to change it.
There are many posts on ASR where people were showing their modified A07 with different caps, etc. and Aiyima are saying that they have changed those components to better ones in A07 pro.
My reason to have one sent to Amir to see if changing these components could make difference in performance.
@amirm Thank you very much for the review, I would also request for a tear down review if its possible for you.

 

[NTK]

Using socketed OpAmps instead of soldering to the PCB compromises performance.

 

[T&T]

The reason why I buy Aiyima and other DAC with opamps, is because I can change the opamp and how sound...I don't want a device with a cheap or fake opamp welded, I don't care about the measure, I care how will sound with Sparkos opamp, BB or others opamp

 

[Doodski]

The reason why I buy Aiyima and other DAC with opamps, is because I can change the opamp and how sound...I don't want a device with a cheap or fake opamp welded, I don't care about the measure, I care how will sound with Sparkos opamp, BB or others opamp

Have fun! How are your soldering skills coming along?

 

[T&T]

Have fun! How are your soldering skills coming along?

They are fine, I just don't want to expend one hour taking apart a device, every time I want to try a new opamp...what a waste of time. I guess your are one of those who do a recap of old amps... for the low low price of 500.00....Aiyima is killing your business.

 

[Doodski]

They are fine, I just don't want to expend one hour taking apart a device, every time I want to try a new opamp...what a waste of time. I guess your are one of those who do a recap of old amps... for the low low price of 500.00....Aiyima is killing your business.

What on earth are you talking about? Recapping? Are you dellusional?

 

[T&T]

What on earth are you talking about? Recapping? Are you dellusional?

Looks like from your prior comment in other forum.
.. you clean circuit etc.

 

[Doodski]

Looks like from your prior comment in other forum.
.. you clean circuit etc.

I've cleaned tens of thousands of PCBs. What is your point other than coming across like some sort of naming and blaming game.

 

[375HP2482]

Thank you for your suggestion. We are also working on a solution to provide a 600W power supply. If the power supply can solve the problem, we will soon launch a fully powered TPA3255 amplifier

Sounds like a poor man's PA7: the A07's SINAD with the Topping PA7's power.

Interesting, but might be too much power for the bookshelf class that often starts to lose it around ten watts.

 

[WinWiz]

No, I ignore the bluetooth input.

Why do you ignore BT?
You may dislike BT but don't you think it's relevant for a bt enabled amp?
Your review made me order the fusi bt20a pro. But bt implementation is so bad I regret my purchase

 

[Talisman]

But bt implementation is so bad I regret my purchase

I always advocate bluetooth built into dacs and amplifiers, it's incredibly convenient, however, if the implementation isn't good, you can get a good bluetooth ldac receiver (which is the only really high quality codec) for $50 or so, and you can use it on any amp you will have in the future

 

[WinWiz]

I always advocate bluetooth built into dacs and amplifiers, it's incredibly convenient, however, if the implementation isn't good, you can get a good bluetooth ldac receiver (which is the only really high quality codec) for $50 or so, and you can use it on any amp you will have in the future

I don't live in USA. So with tax and shipping your 50$ will probably increase to something like 75$.
I purchased the bt20A pro because I wanted an affordable bt enabled amp with reasonable power. Also appreciate manufactors that listen and seems active on forums like asr.
112$ + 50$ + TAX will make the bt20A pro an expensive little amp...