AIYIMA A70 Stereo Amplifier Review

[AlexWolf]

Hello.
What do you think my problem could be?
I bought Aiyima A70 to replace my old amplifier. It works in a bundle Macbook M1 + Dacmagic 100 DAC + A70 + Focal 716V.
In terms of sound, the A70 turned out to be better than the old one, but it turned out that if I set the volume in audio players (any) on the Mac to maximum, then a crackling sound appears, similar to clipping. No equalizers are used.
If I lower the volume in the system (the DAC does not have volume control), the effect disappears. Even if I make the amplifier itself louder than before.
I could just listen not at full volume of the player, but I also have a TV (and an xbox), also connected to this DAC, and I can't make it quieter there.
The old integrated amplifier with this DAC did not have this problem.
Is buying a DAC with a preamplifier the only solution to the problem, or could this be due to a malfunction of the amplifier?
If you connect the A70 directly to the Macbook, there is no such problem at any volume.
Sorry for the long text and my English.

 

[magreen]

Most devices have "line level" output of 2V RMS. But some DACs have 3V "line level" output (e.g., Chord Mojo). Some DACs let you choose. Perhaps the Dacmagic is one of those 3V line level devices, and it's overdriving the Aiyima's input. Did you check the Dacmagic manual for its spec, and perhaps whether it lets you set the line level to 2V?

Edit: I note from the Aiyima A70 product page that it has "RCA input sensitivity: 1.9Vrms (25 DB)/1.1Vrms (28.5 DB)"

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

 

[AlexWolf]

Most devices have "line level" output of 2V RMS. But some DACs have 3V "line level" output (e.g., Chord Mojo). Some DACs let you choose. Perhaps the Dacmagic is one of those 3V line level devices, and it's overdriving the Aiyima's input. Did you check the Dacmagic manual for its spec, and perhaps whether it lets you set the line level to 2V?

Edit: I note from the Aiyima A70 product page that it has "RCA input sensitivity: 1.9Vrms (25 DB)/1.1Vrms (28.5 DB)"

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

Dacmagic 100 has a very ordinary 2.3V, passport, non-adjustable. They are confirmed by Amir's review.

So it turns out that the A70 cannot have any DAC at all on the RCA input? I have never seen a DAC below 2V.
And no one has had problems with it before, everyone uses a preamp with the volume turned down? That's strange.

 

[magreen]

Dacmagic 100 has a very ordinary 2.3V, passport, non-adjustable. They are confirmed by Amir's review.

So it turns out that the A70 cannot have any DAC at all on the RCA input? I have never seen a DAC below 2V.
And no one has had problems with it before, everyone uses a preamp with the volume turned down? That's strange.

It sounds from your post above that your Macbook's built-in DAC stays below 2V.

 

[AlexWolf]

It sounds from your post above that your Macbook's built-in DAC stays below 2V.

According to the MacBook Pro review by l7audiolab, its output can reach 3Vrms. I guess I'm missing something. Maybe it's the input resistance.
I agree that I missed the point about the A70 input power in the Aiyima passport, but I didn't even suspect that it doesn't fit any modern DAC (output powers from 2.1 to 4.5Vrms).

 

[mlsstl]

Dacmagic 100 has a very ordinary 2.3V, passport, non-adjustable. They are confirmed by Amir's review.

So it turns out that the A70 cannot have any DAC at all on the RCA input? I have never seen a DAC below 2V.
And no one has had problems with it before, everyone uses a preamp with the volume turned down? That's strange.

I use an A70 with the line-out from my Ultra DAC with no issue. I set the A70's volume at 3 o'clock and then use the Ultra's volume control to adjust loudness. I have a set of Ohm 1000 speakers which are ordinary efficiency at 88 dB (6 ohm load) and have no problem reaching my desired listening volume in the mid-80 dB range with room to spare. I've been very pleased with the amp. Note the A70 also has an input sensitivity slide switch on the rear that lets you adjust gain by +/- 3 dB. You might want to play with that.

A couple of other thoughts -- it's possible you may have a defective unit. Or, you may want to try the 48 volt/10 amp power supply instead of 5 amp version. Finally, I know nothing about your speakers, their sensitivity and impedance curve, nor your desired listening volume. If you like to listen at high volume levels, a combination of those factors be pushing the amp into clipping.

 

[magreen]

Note the A70 also has an input sensitivity slide switch on the rear that lets you adjust gain by +/- 3 dB. You might want to play with that.

Great point about trying the input sensitivity switch. Their published specs that I quoted above show only 1.1Vrms on the RCA inputs when using the higher gain setting.

 

[AlexWolf]

I use an A70 with the line-out from my Ultra DAC with no issue. I set the A70's volume at 3 o'clock and then use the Ultra's volume control to adjust loudness. I have a set of Ohm 1000 speakers which are ordinary efficiency at 88 dB (6 ohm load) and have no problem reaching my desired listening volume in the mid-80 dB range with room to spare. I've been very pleased with the amp. Note the A70 also has an input sensitivity slide switch on the rear that lets you adjust gain by +/- 3 dB. You might want to play with that.

A couple of other thoughts -- it's possible you may have a defective unit. Or, you may want to try the 48 volt/10 amp power supply instead of 5 amp version. Finally, I know nothing about your speakers, their sensitivity and impedance curve, nor your desired listening volume. If you like to listen at high volume levels, a combination of those factors be pushing the amp into clipping.

Thanks for the advice, I completely forgot about the +3Db RCA regulator, I'll try it tomorrow.
I use Focal 716V speakers with a sensitivity of 91.5dB, 8 ohms at low volume (I don't like listening loudly) and now the amplifier's power is enough with the regulator for nine hours. The volume reserve is huge, but there is clearly an overload at the input from the seemingly pathetic 2.3V

What volume is your Ultra DAC set to? Is it Wiim?

 

[AlexWolf]

Great point about trying the input sensitivity switch. Their published specs that I quoted above show only 1.1Vrms on the RCA inputs when using the higher gain setting.

The +3dB control is currently disabled. By enabling it, I will lower the input from 1.9 to 1.1 and make it worse?

 

[magreen]

The +3dB control is currently disabled. By enabling it, I will lower the input from 1.9 to 1.1 and make it worse?

Potentially.

(Sorry I'm not sure what the answer is but I couldn't resist. )

 

[mlsstl]

What volume is your Ultra DAC set to? Is it Wiim?

Yes, it is a WiiM Ultra. Line out is set to 2 volts and I have the A70 on the +3 dB gain setting. I've also used the A70 with other DACs such as the Hifiberry DAC2HD and the Schiit Modi Multibit 2 without issue.

One other thought -- are you doing any digital EQ? Bumping up various frequencies can result in signal overload. If this is the case, you might see what happens if you turn the EQ off.

 

[3eaudio]

Hello.
What do you think my problem could be?
I bought Aiyima A70 to replace my old amplifier. It works in a bundle Macbook M1 + Dacmagic 100 DAC + A70 + Focal 716V.
In terms of sound, the A70 turned out to be better than the old one, but it turned out that if I set the volume in audio players (any) on the Mac to maximum, then a crackling sound appears, similar to clipping. No equalizers are used.
If I lower the volume in the system (the DAC does not have volume control), the effect disappears. Even if I make the amplifier itself louder than before.
I could just listen not at full volume of the player, but I also have a TV (and an xbox), also connected to this DAC, and I can't make it quieter there.
The old integrated amplifier with this DAC did not have this problem.
Is buying a DAC with a preamplifier the only solution to the problem, or could this be due to a malfunction of the amplifier?
If you connect the A70 directly to the Macbook, there is no such problem at any volume.
Sorry for the long text and my English.

most likely overdrive the input from your DAC, why there must need play at max volume in your payer?

 

[AIYIMA]

Hello.
What do you think my problem could be?
I bought Aiyima A70 to replace my old amplifier. It works in a bundle Macbook M1 + Dacmagic 100 DAC + A70 + Focal 716V.
In terms of sound, the A70 turned out to be better than the old one, but it turned out that if I set the volume in audio players (any) on the Mac to maximum, then a crackling sound appears, similar to clipping. No equalizers are used.
If I lower the volume in the system (the DAC does not have volume control), the effect disappears. Even if I make the amplifier itself louder than before.
I could just listen not at full volume of the player, but I also have a TV (and an xbox), also connected to this DAC, and I can't make it quieter there.
The old integrated amplifier with this DAC did not have this problem.
Is buying a DAC with a preamplifier the only solution to the problem, or could this be due to a malfunction of the amplifier?
If you connect the A70 directly to the Macbook, there is no such problem at any volume.
Sorry for the long text and my English.

You need to lower the gain or turn it off.

 

[cobby]

i got my A70 just yesterday, but too high input sensitivity sounds strange to me as i think its not very sensitive on its RCA even with the 3dB boost enabled.
Just hooked a AV Receiver to its RCA inputs, theyre not the strongest outs in general.
Had to crank the volume knob to 100% even with the boost and the av receiver still sets the fronts 3dB louder then the rears.
its all fine this way, just wonder if its ok to have the amp set to 100% or better to aim the usual two third.
Connected my DAC with XLR so cant comment on that, in both configs i had no problem pushing the digital volume of the player to max without hearing digital distortions.
Nice Amp btw, sounds good, draws little power, offers nice features.

 

[AlexWolf]

most likely overdrive the input from your DAC, why there must need play at max volume in your payer?

Of course it is not necessary on a laptop, but besides it there is an xbox connected via optics through a TV and then to a DAC and there the sound adjustment is impossible and the DAC overloads the amplifier again, since it is not adjustable itself. Always 2.3Vrms

You need to lower the gain or turn it off.

I see, so Aiyima amplifiers should not be connected to a DAC without output power adjustment. At least if they are close to or above 2.3Vrms

Yes, it is a WiiM Ultra. Line out is set to 2 volts and I have the A70 on the +3 dB gain setting. I've also used the A70 with other DACs such as the Hifiberry DAC2HD and the Schiit Modi Multibit 2 without issue.

One other thought -- are you doing any digital EQ? Bumping up various frequencies can result in signal overload. If this is the case, you might see what happens if you turn the EQ off.

According to the specs, all three of your devices are 2 to 2.1Vrms. Apparently, this is the maximum for this amplifier, since it can't handle my 2.3Vrms without clipping. As soon as I lower the volume in MacOs by at least 10%, the effect disappears. And no, I don't use any equalizers. The same effect when listening to music from Xbox through the same DAC.

 

[antcollinet]

Dacmagic 100 has a very ordinary 2.3V, passport, non-adjustable. They are confirmed by Amir's review.

So it turns out that the A70 cannot have any DAC at all on the RCA input? I have never seen a DAC below 2V.
And no one has had problems with it before, everyone uses a preamp with the volume turned down? That's strange.

Or just turn the volume down on the DAC (assuming it has this capability). Certainly a Mac does.

Alternatively put in-line passive attenuators at the input to the amp.

 

[Sylvia]

Aiyima is announcing today an A70 mono.

Has anyone by any chance tried the mono version? It is on sale at Amazon's prime days and according to specs it delivers a lot of power. Any reason to believe it might be worse than the Aiyima a70 stereo?

 

[Guddu]

Has anyone by any chance tried the mono version? It is on sale at Amazon's prime days and according to specs it delivers a lot of power. Any reason to believe it might be worse than the Aiyima a70 stereo?

I recently bought a pair on Amazon, and just hooked up.
They have clearly improved on a few things with this mono version.

 

[Blair]

I saw the new A80 amplifier displayed by Aiyima at Asia World-Expo, and I was very satisfied! This product integrates a power amplifier and DAC with a simple and elegant design.

completely fits my aesthetic style! It is also equipped with an electronic screen and remote control function, which is very convenient to use. I am very much looking forward to the official release of this product!

 

[Vlvvv]

I saw the new A80 amplifier displayed by Aiyima at Asia World-Expo, and I was very satisfied! This product integrates a power amplifier and DAC with a simple and elegant design.
View attachment 397982completely fits my aesthetic style! It is also equipped with an electronic screen and remote control function, which is very convenient to use. I am very much looking forward to the official release of this product!

It looks very nice, there is a display with an arrow indicator, a remote control... I would also like to know the power of this amplifier and what inputs/outputs it has...