Aiyima A8, a little powerhouse!

[Schlippwhip68]

I have not had time to perform measurements on this amp but after pairing it with the Topping e30 I can without a second thought say that it does actually have some wallop! I was quite surprised to exactly how much power this actually gave me. It arrived with the T8 preamp and in using that i found it was not particularly loud so i decided to mix the marriage and coupled the A8 with the Topping E30 dac and boom! No it didn't explode but the power just seem to open up with some ferocity. From where I was at 2, o'clock on the A8 with the T8 I am now at 10 o'clock with the Topping eE30 plugged in. Using iTunes with the PC. This really is quite a powerful little amp.

 

[Joe Smith]

Haven't seen that model before - can't say that I'm a fan of that case design. But glad it sounds good! I really like my Aiyima a04 and a07 amps.

(I'm hoping in their newer amp models, they can create case layouts where the caps are further away from the heatsink. Since I'm not running mine at high power and volume, I'm not especially worried about cap failure, but they are really close together.)

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Haven't seen that model before - can't say that I'm a fan of that case design. But glad it sounds good! I really like my Aiyima a04 and a07 amps.

(I'm hoping in their newer amp models, they can create case layouts where the caps are further away from the heatsink. Since I'm not running mine at high power and volume, I'm not especially worried about cap failure, but they are really close together.)

It not an usual shape but I find quite intuitive for the desk. The centre channel is to house the T8 but it also can act as an air duct for the E30. I in regards to the actual layout of the internals that I have not seen yet. I would say with the E30 and PC as a audio source that playing this loud in an neighbourly fashion would not go much 12 oclock on the amp and say 75% volume in iTunes. It does not get warm like the Aiyima D03 either, its stays really cool if not cold..

 

[Joe Smith]

Reminds me a little bit of the Cavelli Liquid Spark DAC/AMP units, now discontinued. They had an interesting shape but looked nice paired up. I was going to order one of the DACs just for grins but then they became unobtainium.

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Reminds me a little bit of the Cavelli Liquid Spark DAC/AMP units, now discontinued. They had an interesting shape but looked nice paired up. I was going to order one of the DACs just for grins but then they became unobtainium.

Looking forward to getting my paws on one of these soon...

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Reminds me a little bit of the Cavelli Liquid Spark DAC/AMP units, now discontinued. They had an interesting shape but looked nice paired up. I was going to order one of the DACs just for grins but then they became unobtainium.

The volume knob is also the power on function. Turning it down to zero turns it off with a smooth roll over click and no dreaded pop anywhere to be heard which admittedly is a slight concern with the A08 yet to be heard. But in all honesty I would be happy just to another A8 and have it as a back up.

 

[gael]

So you are completely happy with it sound wise? I'm asking because I just got one myself and it sounds off to me - boomy with muddy mids. Granted, I used it with some old cheap Yamaha speakers, which I am in the process of replacing, but they sound alright with their "native" amp from a mini system, yet they kind of hurt my ears with A8...

 

[Schlippwhip68]

So you are completely happy with it sound wise? I'm asking because I just got one myself and it sounds off to me - boomy with muddy mids. Granted, I used it with some old cheap Yamaha speakers, which I am in the process of replacing, but they sound alright with their "native" amp from a mini system, yet they kind of hurt my ears with A8...

No not at all to be honest but for the money its adequate. Agreed, its a little boomy in the low end. Lower mids are slow and slightly veiled but the upper mids are ok if not a little sharp, certainly not balanced, but i've found that to be the case with the MA12070 chip in general and not just the A8. As mentioned I matched it with the Topping E30 which in turn tightened things up a little better but to be fair i don't use it for critical listening. Its just an cheap everyday driver. I was and still am just a little surprised how much the E30 changed the overall output after I swapped it and took out the Aiyima T8. My T8 on the other hand in my opinion is far better suited to the A04/A07/A08. I have a modded A04 which has opa2604 chips and teaming that with the Aiyima T8 gives a very sweet, tight, fast and much richer sound filled with detail and plenty of ear grabbing punch!. Very listenable indeed. I intend to acquire an Aiyima A08 as I believe that when opa2604 chips are installed into that amp and then teamed with Aiyima T8 is going to give the sound I am looking for which will be similar to the T8/A04 combo but better and more power. I also have some LM4562 Op amps which i am going to experiment with in the A08.
But yes, the A8 is hard to pair up.

 

[Schlippwhip68]

So you are completely happy with it sound wise? I'm asking because I just got one myself and it sounds off to me - boomy with muddy mids. Granted, I used it with some old cheap Yamaha speakers, which I am in the process of replacing, but they sound alright with their "native" amp from a mini system, yet they kind of hurt my ears with A8...

The T8/A8 which I am listening to now does a pretty good job of producing a decent sound quality. Its a fairly well balanced sound overall but it was nothing compared to the T8/A04 combo, that was an instant like with no strain in any particular area of instrumentation, clear and well defined presentation of all the musics details. I am using the T8/A8 with a set of 28 year old Mission 751 speakers which are known for revealing alot of detail and they pair up quite well with a little leaning towards the brighter side but that's something that is balanced out with the opa2604 chips in the A04 when i use that with the T8. In general though the T8/A8 with the Missions is a good match. I would say if this is going to be a daily driver for you then maybe look for a more lively speaker to pair up that may have a warmer sound but with the bass as it is on this amp that may be defeating the object so i would go neutral as possible but then would this little amp be worth that much effort, questionable..

 

[gael]

Thanks for sharing, quite useful.
I should have went for A04/A07/A08 that have [good] reviews, instead of the crapshoot with this one. But I went for the looks I guess, plus other MA12070 amps have decent feedback, not great, but decent. I still dig the package though, fits my place way better than the bulky half-working unit I had for many years now. Oh well, not sure what to do with this one, try to match it with other speakers, or just get rid of the bunch and focus on headphones (which I'm having so much more fun with recently).

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Thanks for sharing, quite useful.
I should have went for A04/A07/A08 that have [good] reviews, instead of the crapshoot with this one. But I went for the looks I guess, plus other MA12070 amps have decent feedback, not great, but decent. I still dig the package though, fits my place way better than the bulky half-working unit I had for many years now. Oh well, not sure what to do with this one, try to match it with other speakers, or just get rid of the bunch and focus on headphones (which I'm having so much more fun with recently).

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Thanks for sharing, quite useful.
I should have went for A04/A07/A08 that have [good] reviews, instead of the crapshoot with this one. But I went for the looks I guess, plus other MA12070 amps have decent feedback, not great, but decent. I still dig the package though, fits my place way better than the bulky half-working unit I had for many years now. Oh well, not sure what to do with this one, try to match it with other speakers, or just get rid of the bunch and focus on headphones (which I'm having so much more fun with recently).

The trouble with feedback is unless is has a massive contribution from different sources saying the same thing it can be a no more than a subjective opinion based on circumstance. In my honest opinion and with the experience of rolling op amps and owning a few class d and an A/B amp the most impressed I have been so far is with the Aiyima T8 with tube upgrade to the GE5670 and my A04 modded with Coilcraft power inductors and the opa2604 replacing the NE5532. I would highly recommend that combo to anyone with a decent set of bookshelves or floor standers. That sound will not disappoint. The T8 has two opa1656 in there and those with the opa2604 in the A04 work really, really well together within Aiyimas implementation. Cant recommend that combo enough to anyone especially those on a budget.

 

[robertospeed]

I have not had time to perform measurements on this amp but after pairing it with the Topping e30 I can without a second thought say that it does actually have some wallop! I was quite surprised to exactly how much power this actually gave me. It arrived with the T8 preamp and in using that i found it was not particularly loud so i decided to mix the marriage and coupled the A8 with the Topping E30 dac and boom! No it didn't explode but the power just seem to open up with some ferocity. From where I was at 2, o'clock on the A8 with the T8 I am now at 10 o'clock with the Topping eE30 plugged in. Using iTunes with the PC. This really is quite a powerful little amp.

I also have Aiyima A8 and Aiyima D03 too, but it seems like the D03 has a lot more power and a lot more watts and sounds louder. I also have Aiyima T8 but it makes the A8 play with a lower volume and then the usb dac emits a background noise to the speakers, I would like to do a little review of this Aiyima A8

 

[Schlippwhip68]

I also have Aiyima A8 and Aiyima D03 too, but it seems like the D03 has a lot more power and a lot more watts and sounds louder. I also have Aiyima T8 but it makes the A8 play with a lower volume and then the usb dac emits a background noise to the speakers, I would like to do a little review of this Aiyima A8

I haven't noticed any noise via usb from the PC with the T8/A8. Mine sounds clean. I understand it may not be the 'most' Audiophile focused unit on the market but it gives enough detail with clarity and I certainly find it pleasant enough to listen to everyday with my PC using iTunes, Netflix, YouTube and so on and I have to say its the best looking amp I have had on my desk, its well designed and as far as i know quite unique in appearance to be fair.
The D03 is alot louder but then I personally never have to use more than half of the power of the T8/A8 either so that's not a deal breaker for me.

 

[robertospeed]

I haven't noticed any noise via usb from the PC with the T8/A8. Mine sounds clean. I understand it is not the most Audiophile unit on the market but I certainly find it pleasant enough for everyday usage with my PC and I have to say its the best looking amp I have had on my desk!
The D03 is alot louder but then I personally never have to use more than half of the power of the T8/A8 either so that's not a deal breaker for me.

Which speakers do you play Aiyima A8 with? , I have tried with Dali Spektor 1 and Q Acoustic 3050i, and I think it can drive the Q Acoustic 3050i better, but Aiyima D03 can drive these speakers even better and with much more volume and it can also drive the Dali well

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Which speakers do you play Aiyima A8 with? , I have tried with Dali Spektor 1 and Q Acoustic 3050i, and I think it can drive the Q Acoustic 3050i better, but Aiyima D03 can drive these speakers even better and with much more volume and it can also drive the Dali well

I switch between two pairs. One pair being the Tannoy Eclipse 3 floor standers which have 90db sensitivity and a pair of Mission 751 which are 89db so both are fairly easy to drive for most amps. I generally leave the T8/A8 most of the time with the Missions. The Missions are quite a detailed brighter speaker so they serve the T8/A8 very well. They still sound good even after 28 years...