AIYIMA D03 class D amplifier "Subjective review"

[Bushellj]

I have never used a sub before but in respect of finding the cut off frequency that would be possible by the adjustments on the sub and using your ears..

I don't think this is the case with the D03 as the cut off frequency is defined in software and the sub will only provide the set of frequencies provided from the Sub out RCA connection. My understanding is this output is not the full frequency spectrum just the lower frequencies specifically for the Sub. So setting the controls on the Sub will need to take this into account.

 

[Schlippwhip68]

i had send email at aiyima about the sub out if there is a crossover cut of frequency and they said yes, but they do not specified at what frequency....maybe you could contact them also?

I have sent this question to Aiyima so hopefully I will get a reply soon, preferably before the Chinese new year celebrations kick off.

 

[Schlippwhip68]

I don't think this is the case with the D03 as the cut off frequency is defined in software and the sub will only provide the set of frequencies provided from the Sub out RCA connection. My understanding is this output is not the full frequency spectrum just the lower frequencies specifically for the Sub. So setting the controls on the Sub will need to take this into account.

Do you any ideas of the cut off frequency? Please excuse my ignorance, I have never used a Sub..

 

[AntGom]

Sub output usually have a High pass filter (very rare) for cut off the low frequencies from the main speakers or a low pass filter that will cut off the high frequencies from the subwoofer.
With out high pass filter the speakers will play at full range.
In some cases is just a line out.
My opinion is that low pass filters are useless because modern subs will do that anyway. High pass filters is very difficult at this price point amplifiers..

 

[Schlippwhip68]

i had send email at aiyima about the sub out if there is a crossover cut of frequency and they said yes, but they do not specified at what frequency....maybe you could contact them also?

This is what Aiyima said,

"This amplifier can add an active subwoofer, this is related to the cutoff frequency of your active subwoofer"

 

[AntGom]

This is what Aiyima said,

"This amplifier can add an active subwoofer, this is related to the cutoff frequency of your active subwoofer"

 

[Schlippwhip68]

oh well..

 

[deved]

Hi, does anyone tried to stream music from raspberry pi to DO3´s USB input?
I do not see it not listed in supported systems for USB input, but the the raspberry pi as a digital streamer would be a great combo with DO3.

Thanks!
d.

 

[BladerunnerSC50]

Hi, does anyone tried to stream music from raspberry pi to DO3´s USB input?
I do not see it not listed in supported systems for USB input, but the the raspberry pi as a digital streamer would be a great combo with DO3.

Thanks!
d.

I am using a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ with MoOde Player and it works with USB. I had used it that way before.

But currently I have the Ustars R19 Digital Audio Board integrated on the Pi 3. I am very happy with this combination.

 

[svinyard]

I want to hook up a turntable to one of these combo amps. It seems like the turntable-to-RCA inputs (or is there a better way?) on this kind of ruin the impressive nature of this amp for me, correct? So is the test Loxjie A30 the better option for another 20$? I'm driving some Jamo S 803 or JBL Studio 530's to low-medium power in a decent sized living room. Loxjie is obviously a known quantity now but I'm a bit worried it doesn't have the power and the D03 seemed to beat it there.

 

[antcollinet]

I want to hook up a turntable to one of these combo amps. It seems like the turntable-to-RCA inputs (or is there a better way?) on this kind of ruin the impressive nature of this amp for me, correct? So is the test Loxjie A30 the better option for another 20$? I'm driving some Jamo S 803 or JBL Studio 530's to low-medium power in a decent sized living room. Loxjie is obviously a known quantity now but I'm a bit worried it doesn't have the power and the D03 seemed to beat it there.

Unless your turntable has a built in pre-amp, you will need a phono preamp between the TT and the amp.

 

[svinyard]

Unless your turntable has a built in pre-amp, you will need a phono preamp between the TT and the amp.

Yeah I've got a pre-amp (ART DJ Pre)...but its still just going to plug into the crappy RCA on the D03 right?

 

[Bushellj]

Hi Svinyard.

I already use one of these amplifiers and the RCA inputs are OK but not as good as the Digital inputs.

This is a Digital Amplifier so I would buy this if I was using the Digital inputs as the primary source.

If your turntable is going to be the primary source them I would probably look at other amplifiers. If you don’t need Bluetooth or remote control, the Aiyima A04 or Aiyima A07 amplifiers would be a good choice. I own these as well and they are excellent punching far above their price. All these amplifiers use the TI Chip Set.

I don’t have any experience of the Loxjie A30 so cannot compare and I believe this uses a completely different chipset and will probably sound different. Looks like a nice package but I thought it was a lot more expensive than the D03 depending of course where you buy it.

 

[antcollinet]

Yeah I've got a pre-amp (ART DJ Pre)...but its still just going to plug into the crappy RCA on the D03 right?

Well, yes - you have an analogue source, so it has to go into the analogue input. Why do you say they are crappy?

 

[bloomdido]

Thanks for the review, I think it's important even if subjective: I guess a lot of us are considering buying Aiyima amps (with or without Bluetooth or tone controls etc) and in my case knowing their Bluetooth-enabled amp doesn't sound worse than A07 which was properly measured by Amir is important information.

We all understand that with cheaper equipment a lot of compromises can be made which can degrade audio quality very much so it's nice to see Aiyima provides that great value for money in more than one product.

I own a Bluetooth DAC / headphone amp from that brand which works quite fine but as I have little experience with such devices I have nothing to compare it to so I guess if I posted the review for it here it would really be of little value and the proper place for it would be in customer reviews section of the product Aliexpress page. Not so with this D03 review.

 

[svinyard]

Well, yes - you have an analogue source, so it has to go into the analogue input. Why do you say they are crappy?

A few people on this thread with the amp said the RCA implementation on the inputs is very basic and the audio quality is noticeably suffering a bit from it.

 

[antcollinet]

A few people on this thread with the amp said the RCA implementation on the inputs is very basic and the audio quality is noticeably suffering a bit from it.

The RCA inputs will almost certainly be better than (and good enough for) the analogue output from a turntable.

 

[Walter]

The RCA inputs will almost certainly be better than (and good enough for) the analogue output from a turntable.

That's pretty much what I was thinking, although if the turntable will be the primary source, I might still look elsewhere. One caveat is that I've also read that the volume level through the RCAs is lower, so I wonder if that could be a significant factor in why people think it sounds worse.

 

[Bushellj]

That's pretty much what I was thinking, although if the turntable will be the primary source, I might still look elsewhere. One caveat is that I've also read that the volume level through the RCAs is lower, so I wonder if that could be a significant factor in why people think it sounds worse.

The Input sensitivity of the RCA inputs is : 0.775V. Many domestic sources may output lower than this. Professional gear tends to put out 2 volts in comparison.

The Digital inputs appear to be much louder than the RCA Input for "normal" domestic sources. I certainly have to increase the volume significantly when using an Amazon Echo as an analogue source compared to Bluetooth or Optical sources. I don't have a turntable but as you will almost certainly be using a pre-amp for the cartridge there may be an option to set the gain appropriately to match the input sensitivity of the amplifier.

The quality of the RCA inputs is probably determined by the quality of the ADC chip that is used. It is a fairly basic chip rather than some of the chips seen in high end gear. For most people this will be fine and certainly for the majority of users of this amplifier.

The Aiyima D03 is a great little amplifier and has quickly become the default for the various sounds systems we have scattered around the house - TV (Optical), Amazon Echo (Analogue RCA) and PC (USB). We use Mean Well LRS-200-24 Power Supplies with these units with KEF Q-series or Denon (made by Mission) bookshelf speakers.

 

[antcollinet]

Sorry ADC?

The analogue is not converted to digital in the amplifier. The amplifer is an analogue device. There is a DAC for converting digital to analogue - not the other way around.