Disclaimer: I won this Aiyima A80 in the Christmas giveaway by the end of December last year, but this review reflects my honest experience as a user.
My Setup:
Sound Quality & Performance:
I primarily listen to FLAC files ranging from 44.1kHz/16-bit up to 192kHz/24-bit in bit-perfect mode. The A80 handles all sample rates flawlessly without any issues. I appreciate that there is no pop/click at all when switching sample rates.
I compared the A80 to my previous combo (Topping E30 II Lite / O-Noorus D1 Pro) and honestly couldn't detect any notable difference in sound quality. The only minor observation is the absence of a high-pass filter on the Aiyima, which is not really perceptible in the lower end of the spectrum compared to my other setup.
The sound quality is excellent – detailed and precise. I've been listening to various genres including pop, rock, metal, electronic, and the A80 delivers consistently across all of them. Instruments are well-separated, vocals are clear, and the overall presentation is clean and transparent.
The unit runs almost cool even after extended listening sessions – temperatures stay well within acceptable ranges. I'm particularly impressed by the dead-silent noise floor: there's no hiss from my speakers when the A80 is powered on.
Build Quality & Usability:
The build quality is impeccable. The unit feels solid and well-constructed. Both control methods are excellent – the remote is responsive, and the volume knob has satisfying detents with great tactile feedback. The display is crystal clear, and navigating menus and submenus is straightforward and intuitive.
Linux Compatibility:
Perfect out-of-the-box USB compatibility with Linux – no drivers needed, everything just works.
Power-On Behavior:
There's a very slight pop when powering on, but it's minimal – there's no risk of damaging equipment. More importantly, the A80 features startup mute (delayed output) which prevents power-on pop/thump – the audio output has a brief delay after power-on, which is exactly the kind of speaker protection feature you want. This is especially important in my setup since I have an active subwoofer connected to the A80, making this protection feature all the more valuable. Without this startup mute feature, an active subwoofer can produce a loud boom during power-on, which could potentially damage the driver over time. No problem here with the A80.
Input/Output:
I've only tested the USB input in my current setup, connected to a PC, and it works flawlessly.
On the output side, the banana plug connectors are standard – no issues connecting my speakers. I'm using the AUX output to connect my subwoofer. This AUX output is variable, meaning the subwoofer volume follows both the A80's master volume and bass level adjustment. So when changing the master volume or tweaking the bass setting on the A80 (it has separate bass/treble controls in the menus), it directly affects the signal sent to the subwoofer, which gives you good integration and control over your low-end response.
Cons & Suggestions for Aiyima:
1. VU Meter Issue (Frustrating): I've noticed the VU meter barely moves during normal use, and I've seen many other users reporting the same issue on forums (on this forum or others). The problem is that the VU meter currently displays the output signal level after volume adjustment, whereas it should display the input signal level. At normal listening volumes, this results in minimal VU meter movement, which defeats the purpose of having VU meters. This is especially disappointing since the newer version of the A80 now includes four different VU meter styles.
2. Display Always On: The screen remains illuminated at all times. An auto-dimming or auto-off option (after 30 seconds of inactivity, for example) would be a welcome addition. This is particularly important when the A80 is used in a dark room, a bedroom, or in my case with a PC setup – the permanently illuminated screen can be distracting when I'm not actively listening to music or watching videos, even when set to the lowest brightness setting.
@AIYIMA I hope you'll consider addressing these two issues in a future firmware update to make this a perfect DAC/amp combo. The VU meter behavior and display timeout option would significantly enhance the user experience without requiring hardware changes.
Overall Verdict:
Despite these minor gripes, the Aiyima A80 is an excellent DAC/amp combo. The sound quality is outstanding, the build quality is solid, and the user experience is genuinely enjoyable – from the satisfying tactile feedback of the volume knob to the intuitive menu system. The dead-silent noise floor, cool operation, and flawless Linux compatibility are just icing on the cake.
The VU meter and display issues are frustrating, but they're firmware-fixable problems rather than fundamental design flaws. If Aiyima addresses these in a future update, this would genuinely be a perfect all-in-one solution for desktop audio.
Even with these minor quirks, I'm extremely happy with this unit and would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a capable, well-built DAC/amp combo for their desktop or near-field listening setup.
A big thank you to @AIYIMA for sending me the A80 through their Christmas giveaway – I'm thrilled to have won it!
My Setup:
- Speakers: Triangle Elara LN01
- Subwoofer: Tangent Spectrum XSW-8
- Source: PC running Linux, connected via USB
Sound Quality & Performance:
I primarily listen to FLAC files ranging from 44.1kHz/16-bit up to 192kHz/24-bit in bit-perfect mode. The A80 handles all sample rates flawlessly without any issues. I appreciate that there is no pop/click at all when switching sample rates.
I compared the A80 to my previous combo (Topping E30 II Lite / O-Noorus D1 Pro) and honestly couldn't detect any notable difference in sound quality. The only minor observation is the absence of a high-pass filter on the Aiyima, which is not really perceptible in the lower end of the spectrum compared to my other setup.
The sound quality is excellent – detailed and precise. I've been listening to various genres including pop, rock, metal, electronic, and the A80 delivers consistently across all of them. Instruments are well-separated, vocals are clear, and the overall presentation is clean and transparent.
The unit runs almost cool even after extended listening sessions – temperatures stay well within acceptable ranges. I'm particularly impressed by the dead-silent noise floor: there's no hiss from my speakers when the A80 is powered on.
Build Quality & Usability:
The build quality is impeccable. The unit feels solid and well-constructed. Both control methods are excellent – the remote is responsive, and the volume knob has satisfying detents with great tactile feedback. The display is crystal clear, and navigating menus and submenus is straightforward and intuitive.
Linux Compatibility:
Perfect out-of-the-box USB compatibility with Linux – no drivers needed, everything just works.
Power-On Behavior:
There's a very slight pop when powering on, but it's minimal – there's no risk of damaging equipment. More importantly, the A80 features startup mute (delayed output) which prevents power-on pop/thump – the audio output has a brief delay after power-on, which is exactly the kind of speaker protection feature you want. This is especially important in my setup since I have an active subwoofer connected to the A80, making this protection feature all the more valuable. Without this startup mute feature, an active subwoofer can produce a loud boom during power-on, which could potentially damage the driver over time. No problem here with the A80.
Input/Output:
I've only tested the USB input in my current setup, connected to a PC, and it works flawlessly.
On the output side, the banana plug connectors are standard – no issues connecting my speakers. I'm using the AUX output to connect my subwoofer. This AUX output is variable, meaning the subwoofer volume follows both the A80's master volume and bass level adjustment. So when changing the master volume or tweaking the bass setting on the A80 (it has separate bass/treble controls in the menus), it directly affects the signal sent to the subwoofer, which gives you good integration and control over your low-end response.
Cons & Suggestions for Aiyima:
1. VU Meter Issue (Frustrating): I've noticed the VU meter barely moves during normal use, and I've seen many other users reporting the same issue on forums (on this forum or others). The problem is that the VU meter currently displays the output signal level after volume adjustment, whereas it should display the input signal level. At normal listening volumes, this results in minimal VU meter movement, which defeats the purpose of having VU meters. This is especially disappointing since the newer version of the A80 now includes four different VU meter styles.
2. Display Always On: The screen remains illuminated at all times. An auto-dimming or auto-off option (after 30 seconds of inactivity, for example) would be a welcome addition. This is particularly important when the A80 is used in a dark room, a bedroom, or in my case with a PC setup – the permanently illuminated screen can be distracting when I'm not actively listening to music or watching videos, even when set to the lowest brightness setting.
@AIYIMA I hope you'll consider addressing these two issues in a future firmware update to make this a perfect DAC/amp combo. The VU meter behavior and display timeout option would significantly enhance the user experience without requiring hardware changes.
Overall Verdict:
Despite these minor gripes, the Aiyima A80 is an excellent DAC/amp combo. The sound quality is outstanding, the build quality is solid, and the user experience is genuinely enjoyable – from the satisfying tactile feedback of the volume knob to the intuitive menu system. The dead-silent noise floor, cool operation, and flawless Linux compatibility are just icing on the cake.
The VU meter and display issues are frustrating, but they're firmware-fixable problems rather than fundamental design flaws. If Aiyima addresses these in a future update, this would genuinely be a perfect all-in-one solution for desktop audio.
Even with these minor quirks, I'm extremely happy with this unit and would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a capable, well-built DAC/amp combo for their desktop or near-field listening setup.
A big thank you to @AIYIMA for sending me the A80 through their Christmas giveaway – I'm thrilled to have won it!
Last edited:
