KaeliKoo
Active Member
Aiyima Decoder Amplifier arrived today -> 9 days direct shipped from Aiyima, but was in Texas for 3 days idle so not bad and no tax. Looks incredibly nice....
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Aiyima Decoder Amplifier - User Impressions | Owner's Thread [TPA3255 amplifier + ES9018 DAC]
- Thread starter Guddu
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- 3255 aiyima dac amplifier tpa3255
KaeliKoo
Active Member
Have used this amp now for 1 month heavily, very much like the sound/performance and have it dialed in with Polk R200 & JBL 550P sub. Excellent choice for TPA3255 amp with a remote and tone control. Running great on the 36V6A.
I have just ordered the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier (awful name, fwiw!) from AliExpress (£120 plus about £24 in taxes) to put into the living room (12' by 12' - 3.66m by 3.66m), connected via Toslink to the TV which has a Google Chromecast for various streaming services. The speakers will be my 32yo Mission 760i which I bought with my very first pay cheque (I'm in the UK) back in 1992.
Wish me luck and thanks for the suggestion!
I'll let you know how it fares.
Wish me luck and thanks for the suggestion!
I'll let you know how it fares.
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Update October 1st, 2024.-------------
I am delighted with my purchase of the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier. It's a small, simple system, that, in my case, is largely used as a soundbar alternative. Its low cost, decent sound, varied and modern inputs and size meet my living room listening requirements. Bottom line, don't expect me to go into serious audiophile testing.
IMHO the amp performs beautifully. With the 48V power supply it drives my antique Mission 760i speakers well (impedance 6ohm, sensitivity 89dB) with plenty of space beyond what we could tolerate. So glad I could use my original speakers again!
Sound is clean with no perceptible hiss or hum at high volume but silence from the source. No artefacts, and more power than we can happily withstand. I will leave the 'musicality' reviews to those with better ears than mine. However, I did listen to Mary Black's 'Babes in the Wood' and was not disappointed. The default listening material for mid 90s audiophile equipment in the United Kingdom!
Back to the present:
Bluetooth works well and sounds impressively detailed. Optical In too (once I figured out some changes needed in the TV's menu) sounds perfect.
Sound comes from the TV's optical and is a mix of streaming services and local media files. Google Chromecast serves up Amazon Prime, TuneIn, BBC and Spotify content for us.
Overall:
Overall, I am delighted with my purchase of the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier. The weakest links in my system are almost definitely the speakers and their placement inside an open sided TV floor cabinet. Will be investigating improvements in this area in future, but I think the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier will serve us well for quite a while.
Final Rant:
Still a stupid name though. Like Tesla launching the Electric Vehicle model. Sheesh!
I am delighted with my purchase of the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier. It's a small, simple system, that, in my case, is largely used as a soundbar alternative. Its low cost, decent sound, varied and modern inputs and size meet my living room listening requirements. Bottom line, don't expect me to go into serious audiophile testing.
IMHO the amp performs beautifully. With the 48V power supply it drives my antique Mission 760i speakers well (impedance 6ohm, sensitivity 89dB) with plenty of space beyond what we could tolerate. So glad I could use my original speakers again!
Sound is clean with no perceptible hiss or hum at high volume but silence from the source. No artefacts, and more power than we can happily withstand. I will leave the 'musicality' reviews to those with better ears than mine. However, I did listen to Mary Black's 'Babes in the Wood' and was not disappointed. The default listening material for mid 90s audiophile equipment in the United Kingdom!
Back to the present:
Bluetooth works well and sounds impressively detailed. Optical In too (once I figured out some changes needed in the TV's menu) sounds perfect.
Sound comes from the TV's optical and is a mix of streaming services and local media files. Google Chromecast serves up Amazon Prime, TuneIn, BBC and Spotify content for us.
Overall:
Overall, I am delighted with my purchase of the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier. The weakest links in my system are almost definitely the speakers and their placement inside an open sided TV floor cabinet. Will be investigating improvements in this area in future, but I think the Aiyima Decoder Amplifier will serve us well for quite a while.
Final Rant:
Still a stupid name though. Like Tesla launching the Electric Vehicle model. Sheesh!
It's like you even chose a desktop wallpaper for it!
Hello everyone,
This "decoder amplifier" is a real letdown for me, especially compared to my other devices from the same brand, the A08 Pro and the T9 Pro, which I'm totally happy with.
The first major issue is an annoying buzz coming from the aux/subwoofer output when the amp is turned off, probably because of poor grounding. Not only is this noise a pain, but it also stops the subwoofer from shutting off automatically, making it unusable.
On top of that, in Bluetooth mode, the switch triggers at every pause between tracks, consistently producing this unwanted buzz.
The built-in equalizer is a weird feature that barely does anything, if it works at all.
In the end, I feel like I've wasted money on an unfinished product that I'm going to put back in its box because the user experience is so disappointing. It's a real bummer for me.
Have you guys run into this kind of problem on your end?
This "decoder amplifier" is a real letdown for me, especially compared to my other devices from the same brand, the A08 Pro and the T9 Pro, which I'm totally happy with.
The first major issue is an annoying buzz coming from the aux/subwoofer output when the amp is turned off, probably because of poor grounding. Not only is this noise a pain, but it also stops the subwoofer from shutting off automatically, making it unusable.
On top of that, in Bluetooth mode, the switch triggers at every pause between tracks, consistently producing this unwanted buzz.
The built-in equalizer is a weird feature that barely does anything, if it works at all.
In the end, I feel like I've wasted money on an unfinished product that I'm going to put back in its box because the user experience is so disappointing. It's a real bummer for me.
Have you guys run into this kind of problem on your end?
OP
Guddu
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Does not sound right to me, I have it running full time with a pair of infinity speakers and ELAB subwoofer for TV audio duty and I have no issues at all. All features works well.
I guess its worth asking for a replacement unit.
I have already written to Aiyima about this and here is the response I received
"The engineer said that the design of this product is that the relay is completely disconnected after the power is turned off, which is equivalent to the audio cable connecting one end to the active subwoofer and leaving the other end hanging.
It is recommended to turn off the power of the front power amplifier and active subwoofer when not in use."
This response hardly reassured me, especially since the device arrived in a worrying state: the power cable was cut and lacked connectors. Indeed, it was an unpromising start! Nevertheless, they sent me a new power supply.
I would like to specify that I do not encounter this problem with the A08 pro and T9 pro, so there is no hardware issue on my end.
"The engineer said that the design of this product is that the relay is completely disconnected after the power is turned off, which is equivalent to the audio cable connecting one end to the active subwoofer and leaving the other end hanging.
It is recommended to turn off the power of the front power amplifier and active subwoofer when not in use."
This response hardly reassured me, especially since the device arrived in a worrying state: the power cable was cut and lacked connectors. Indeed, it was an unpromising start! Nevertheless, they sent me a new power supply.
I would like to specify that I do not encounter this problem with the A08 pro and T9 pro, so there is no hardware issue on my end.
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Can you give me your feedback on the following points so I can determine if my amplifier is malfunctioning, in which case I will file a complaint again.
Bluetooth Sound
Do you hear a click from the switch when a track starts or stops in Bluetooth mode?
Equalizer
To what extent does the EQ equalizer E1 to E4 modify the sound output? Are the adjustments noticeable?
Auxiliary Output
Have you noticed a buzz when using the auxiliary output?
Thank you for your feedback and the time you're giving me.
Bluetooth Sound
Do you hear a click from the switch when a track starts or stops in Bluetooth mode?
Equalizer
To what extent does the EQ equalizer E1 to E4 modify the sound output? Are the adjustments noticeable?
Auxiliary Output
Have you noticed a buzz when using the auxiliary output?
Thank you for your feedback and the time you're giving me.
Something in their response does not add up:
If "The engineer said that the design of this product is that the relay is completely disconnected after the power is turned off, which is equivalent to the audio cable connecting one end to the active subwoofer and leaving the other end hanging."
Then "It is recommended to turn off the power of the front power amplifier and active subwoofer when not in use." is moot. i.e. unnecessary.
Thus one can deduce that the unit has not been manufactured correctly since when powered down there is still a signal arriving at the subwoofer.
If you have another power supply or can borrow one I would recommend trying it. Regardless, let them know that their unit does not conform to their stated design specifications.
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