Aiyima A07 PRO

[Scrufboy]

Well, the DAC theft, I believe was the Amazon driver or someone in my building. Amazon has graciously refunded me and are going to investigate.

They are supposed to deliver to our
apartment door now. But... You know.

The op-amps will be a different issue.

Andrew at Sparkos is an independent entrepreneur. He or I will have to call the US Postal depot, verify the information, open a claim, wait... For how long, who knows. Be approved... Be reimbursed - Before I can order again and receive the 5 SS3602's + risers. I'm not sure what else I can do. For now, I'm out that cash and it sucks.

This is in total just under $800 for me.

Getting the refund for the Aune X8 helps... Relieves some of the anxiety, but none of the accompanying despair.

So let's try and turn this around a bit and return to our show.

The goal of this thread was for us, this community, to get that darn A07 pro tested by @amirm if possible... Then begin with upgradimg/augmenting.

Amir is being tagged so he can be apprised of the issues that have arisen.

He did accept my offer to send him the A07 pro I received. However, with this little setback, I will need to wait on some funds and I can possibly ship it out to him on Friday/Saturday

About the upgrades:

Andrew at Sparkos advised me that 5 op-amps, particularly his, could quite possibly destroy the voltage regulators in the A07 pro. He believes that they could heat up quite rapidly and fail. They are soldered down to the board as well so they could be difficult to remove and replace. One regulator is mounted between the connectors for the 2 switches in front.

We discussed options such as replacing the VR's or even adhering heatsinks to the OEM regulators.

Replacing them will help the Amp be more efficient and will slightly improve some of those SNR and THD+n issues that Aiyima has introduced with their tone control implementation. These issues could also be slightly addressed by an op-amp swap

This "Pro" unit will definitely need the case modded for convective cooling. Holes on each side, holes over the heatsink and a row of holes across the back edge. Just like we did with the original A07.

So... Stay tuned.

If any members are here in the fray with me and would like to contribute to this post, please feel free. Many of you are at least AS enthusiastic about tinkering as I am... Some are way more inclined and skilled. So feel free to contribute with your A07 Pro/not so pro Amp adventures and experiences.

If you don't hear from me...

 

[Holmz]

Well, the DAC theft, I believe was the Amazon driver or someone in my building. Amazon has graciously refunded me and are going to investigate.
…

Nice!

If any members are here in the fray with me and would like to contribute, feel free.
…

PM me your email.
I’ll chip in a few $ to support your efforts.

 

[Scrufboy]

Nice!




PM me your email.
I’ll chip in a few $ to support your efforts.

I didn't mean cash contributions, I meant contributions to the thread. Thank you kindly though.

 

[Holmz]

I didn't mean cash contributions, I meant contributions to the thread. Thank you kindly though.

Ah OK - I m liking your work, so happy holidays… and good luck on the replacement stuff.

 

[Adaboy4z]

Oh it gets worse...

The new Aune X8 XVIII I ordered, supposed to be delivered today... ALSO STOLEN.


WORST DAY EVER.

My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I noticed in the last year many of my packages have been tampered with. Several where clearly opened and resealed by postal workers. My Father who retired from the Post Office was held up at gun point. The Feds come in an interview him to make sure it wasn't an inside job. He said there are thieves in the network.

 

[Holmz]

My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I noticed in the last year many of my packages have been tampered with. Several where clearly opened and resealed by postal workers. My Father who retired from the Post Office was held up at gun point. The Feds come in an interview him to make sure it wasn't an inside job. He said there are thieves in the network.

“going postal”

 

[Scrufboy]

Update.

Andrew at SparkosLabs is graciously sending me a re-ship of the 5 op-amps and the risers. We are having them sent to the UPS store in Manhattan.

So, in essence I have recovered all that was lost/mishandled/stolen.

 

[rolbo]

I've got the following use case:
- I installed ceiling speakers in my bathroom : FOCAL: 100 ICW5.
- I'm looking for a cheap amplifier to play music in the bathroom via my phone playing Spotify.
- I won't have easy physical access to the amp, since it will be hidden in the attic.
- I got a server with Spotify Connect, which I could use (requiring a DAC/USB port)
- OR I could simply use Bluetooth.

Reading great reviews on the A07, the Pro edition caught my eye since it has Bluetooth aboard.

- Since I won't have access to the volume control, can I just adapt it via the phone, while the physical volume button is basically the 'max'?
- Would you USB over Bluetooth?
- To save power, I'd like to disable the amplifier during night/ when not home. Could I use a smart plug to do this (comparable to pulling the plug in/out)? Or would this break the amplifier?
- What would be the best alternative amplifier considering the use case?

 

[Scrufboy]

I would set the A07 pro volume to 2 o'clock - not at max. Controlling the volume of the source from the phone.

There is no USB input for the A07 Pro. Only RCA in and Bluetooth. You could use an A07 with a DAC and use USB but your phone would either need a Bluetooth connection to something or through wifi with apps to would send the music to the rig.

There are probably other folks here that use wifi, ethernet or what have you. Something other than Bluetooth. Perhaps members who know members could be tagged so they could join the thread and help you.

Note - You probably would have been better off starting your own forum post for these questions. It would have had more eyes as a NEW post. This thread is really only attracting the few who were curious and wanting to see what the A07 pro is like and the thread is really at "end of life" status.

To answer you more fully...
I currently use smartplugs to power on my entire system. I have my custom power supply for both Aiyima amps, along with a USB cooling fan between my mini racks. I use an APC wifi smart power strip for those, the DAC and the USB Dock. (these APC units are discontinued since Aug '22') My Schiit Loki Mini and Heretic are on one sengled smart plug, hub required. Then to an Anker cube power strip My subwoofer is on another sengled smart plug.

Geeni makes smart wifi, Alexa enabled power strips but I have issues with them switching on and off at random. Amazon actually refunded me for one unit without asking for it to be returned. Sengled units in my house as well as the hub have had to be reset and reinitialized several times just this past month. Take that for what it is worth.

My routines turn them on and off in specific order with a 5 second wait between the sub, Loki and Heretic and the rest of the gear on each routine. I still have to manually turn on the Anker 575 USB C Dock that is the go between my PC and DAC. But my DAC is also Bluetooth so I can use the system with my phone without the USB Dock or the Laptop.

I have a widget on my phone that acts as the voice commands to Alexa. I can use this button or my voice.

The smart plug situation seems to be fine. I've been running the setup like this for a little over a year with no pops or issues that I can tell other than the devices no longer responding and needing resets.

I would rather use the switches on the units because I believe there is probably some protection in the circuit for when they're powered on. So as to whether or not just sending power through the open circuits is harmful... Only time will tell.

Schiit devices still put their power switches on the back and in my setup, reaching them is a near impossible task. That's why I chose the smart plug route. If someone here with experience were to tell me that using smart plugs this way was harmful, I certainly would consider redesigning my gear layout.

For sound quality, convenience, capability and size. The similar Fosi BT10D amplifier is available... There are many little Bluetooth amps though. The A07 Pro is available, but I am unable to comment on the sound though, as I have yet to use it. It's a test unit intended for evaluation and modification. But it should be a reasonable choice for the simplest implementation for your application. I am sure others here have experiences that could lend themselves to helping you in this endeavor.

But again... Starting your own thread would have got the most attention. This thread only has a few followers.

 

[rolbo]

Thanks for all your answers already! Will follow-up and start a new thread.

 

[Scrufboy]

Not that you can't or shouldn't post here, It's just that a new post will grab more attention. More eyes, more help. Best of luck!

 

[Berlun]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, and I apologize if my English is not correct, since it is not my native language.

I have received my Aiyima a07 pro, I am using it together with my ELAC DBR62, I have not yet been able to give it an intense use to test it, but for the moment I am quite satisfied. It replaces my Fosi Audio BT20A, and the truth is that at the moment it seems much much better.

I am planning to start making some modifications on this amp, just out of curiosity and to expand the hobby a bit, here in Germany the winter is already starting and it is always good to have something extra to do at home.

I have a question, maybe a bit silly, but I am intrigued to know what is the reason to have more or less op amps in an amp. This Aiyima has 5 op amps, why is that?, the Aiyima a07 has only 2, and from what I see in most of these amps are also 2, if I'm not mistaken. Is it more advantageous to have more or less op amps?

To start with my tests I have already bought 5 OPA1612 (I had a hard time getting them, as they seem to be out of stock everywhere, especially these ones that come already mounted on their DIP8 adapter) but I found them in an online store in France and they are on their way), I have read good reviews, and the price is not bad to start some tests and see the results.

I would appreciate if you can give me an idea on this subject.

Thank you!

 

[AIYIMA:GUO]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, and I apologize if my English is not correct, since it is not my native language.

I have received my Aiyima a07 pro, I am using it together with my ELAC DBR62, I have not yet been able to give it an intense use to test it, but for the moment I am quite satisfied. It replaces my Fosi Audio BT20A, and the truth is that at the moment it seems much much better.

I am planning to start making some modifications on this amp, just out of curiosity and to expand the hobby a bit, here in Germany the winter is already starting and it is always good to have something extra to do at home.

I have a question, maybe a bit silly, but I am intrigued to know what is the reason to have more or less op amps in an amp. This Aiyima has 5 op amps, why is that?, the Aiyima a07 has only 2, and from what I see in most of these amps are also 2, if I'm not mistaken. Is it more advantageous to have more or less op amps?

To start with my tests I have already bought 5 OPA1612 (I had a hard time getting them, as they seem to be out of stock everywhere, especially these ones that come already mounted on their DIP8 adapter) but I found them in an online store in France and they are on their way), I have read good reviews, and the price is not bad to start some tests and see the results.

I would appreciate if you can give me an idea on this subject.

Thank you!

Replace the operational amplifier chip of U2, U3, U8 and U9

 

[Berlun]

Replace the operational amplifier chip of U2, U3, U8 and U9

I see you say to replace only 4 op amps, but this amp has 5 op amps, is there a special reason to replace only 4 and not all 5?

 

[AIYIMA:GUO]

I see you say to replace only 4 op amps, but this amp has 5 op amps, is there a special reason to replace only 4 and not all 5?

U8 input buffer amplification

U9 Tone

U2 left channel single end differential

U3 right channel single turn differential

U16 aux output buffer
This is the reference corresponding to the operational amplifier chip

 

[Berlun]

U8 input buffer amplification

U9 Tone

U2 left channel single end differential

U3 right channel single turn differential

U16 aux output buffer
This is the reference corresponding to the operational amplifier chip

Great, thank you!. In case of connecting a subwoofer to this amp, does it make sense to change the op amp U16?

 

[AIYIMA:GUO]

Great, thank you!. In case of connecting a subwoofer to this amp, does it make sense to change the op amp U16?

Of course, redundant chips can also be replaced.

 

[Scrufboy]

For those who are interested, the A07 Pro is now available through Amazon.

 

[Berlun]

I bought mine from Amazon last week, delivered in 24hs with its 36V6a power supply.

 

[Scrufboy]

So, Welcome @Berlun...

If you're following the thread, you would know that I too am rolling out my op-amps. Mine arrived today(Finally). I am using SparkosLabs SS3602's, I am looking into securing some Burson V6 Vivids or some hybrids to mix and match as I'm not sure what the Sparkos will do in this unit. I will of course need to modify the case for the tall Burson or get their extender. Case modification is planned anyway because the amplifier will of course benefit from being able to exhaust the heat. I will also be attaching a copper and aluminum set of heatsinks to the 2 12 volt power regulators inside possibly the 5 volt as well. This because of the Sparkos.

I'm not sure If I will use all 4 of these though. Aiyima, with how they explained their implementation to you, will require Andrew from Sparkos to translate that for me. It may very well a bad choice for me to use these op-amps in this "PRO" model. They are an amazing upgrade for the A07 though. Perhaps I'll use some simple opa1612's or opa1656's, who knows.. I do suspect that the 5532's that the unit comes with might not be genuine.

My main issue is the noise that their tone controls introduce. Not sure how these op-amps will affect that

Sorry to ramble on... Welcome. I'm looking forward to your results... I hope others consider this amplifier and are willing to play around with various combinations of both IC op-amps and discrete op-amps.