Aiyima T9 Pro == ES9018K2M DAC + Tube pre-amp + TPA3250 amplification

[Guddu]

Disclaimer - No measurements

I was in need of replacing my sound bar, and thought of getting tube pre-amp or amplifier and so recently got this unit - Aiyima T9 Pro (Amazon, 159$ after 10$ discount) to use with ELAC DBR 62.
Overall very nice sounding combination, to me as good as my other setup which is Topping D10 balanced with SMSL AO200 (approx $400).
BTW, I have Aiyima A07 pro running with Elac Debut 6 Floorstands, haven't had any issues with it which made me think for another Aiyima product.

DAC Chip = ES9018K2M, same as Topping D10 but don't know the rest
Tubes = came with Jan 5725, tubes have GE logo
Amplification = TPA3250
Inputs = Optical, Coaxial, USB, Bluetooth (5.1), and RCA
Power Supply = 32V 5A, no manufacturer's logo
Remote = Yes, functional

Package contents:

Package included a USB and optical cable, and USB thumb drive which has software/drivers (ASIO).

Aesthetics
Wins, looks very nice. No sharp edges and case has ventilation on sides.
Nice little glowing amplifier, VU meter works. Left side display could be turned off, but not VU meter light.
Left dial type display looks like a smiley when in operation.

Connectors
Just like A07, speaker connectors are small but I had no issues in connecting 4 mm banana plugs. I am using 12 AWG cables, might be difficult to put in bare wires!
Other connectors has enough space to even connect all of those together without any issues.

USB Connection
I connected USB to laptop, without tubes or even power connection, and Windows 10 detected it right away. Seems like DAC section is operation even with USB power.
Windows 10 saw it as "SPDIF Interface" device, rather than USB DAC or something, but it's just label which could be changed in sound settings.
Surprisingly, Dolby Digital and DTS Audio format were showing supported, haven't tested though.
USB supported 24 bit 192 KHz.

Bluetooth
Uses "Qualcomm QCC3031 Bluetooth v5.1"
Convenient and works fine, iPhone sees it as "BT HIFI AUDIO". I tried 6-8 meters connection, worked fine.
Note: My A07 Pro's Bluetooth shows as "A07 Pro".

Power Supply and Cable
It came with 32V 5A power supply, don't see any issues really but I would look to change the cable which connects wall socket to PSU, may be good for the purpose but feels very thin.
While no brand logo, power adaptor has led to show it has power.

Overall, I liked the features, lots of connections, sounds really good to me. I ran it mostly with 55 - 60% volume and it sounded clear, lots of details, base, etc. etc.
Just one box and that's all.

PS: Someone asked me if this unit has click sound when input is switched, I did not notice any clicking noises on changing inputs. Mine works finds without those issues.

Some notes:
- You get spark if connect power adaptor to wall socket first and then to amplifier. Safer option is to connect everything on amplifier and then connect the power adaptor to wall socket.
- I tried it running without tubes, and YES it works. However the sound level was almost 50% only.
- Volume numbers go up to 99, while bass/treble goes up to 9.
- Probably because of tubes, unit gets some heat while in operation.
- For TV optical out connection, it worked when optical out was set to auto. With my other/previous DACs, I always had to set it to PCM.

I am hoping that this write up might be useful for you to get some information if you are looking for something similar.

 

[JRKC]

I've had a T9P for a couple of months. It works for me.

 

[John.D]

Disclaimer - No measurements

I was in need of replacing my sound bar, and thought of getting tube pre-amp or amplifier and so recently got this unit - Aiyima T9 Pro (Amazon, 159$ after 10$ discount) to use with ELAC DBR 62.
Overall very nice sounding combination, to me as good as my other setup which is Topping D10 balanced with SMSL AO200 (approx $400).
BTW, I have Aiyima A07 pro running with Elac Debut 6 Floorstands, haven't had any issues with it which made me think for another Aiyima product.

DAC Chip = ES9018K2M, same as Topping D10 but don't know the rest
Tubes = came with Jan 5725, tubes have GE logo
Amplification = TPA3250
Inputs = Optical, Coaxial, USB, Bluetooth (5.1), and RCA
Power Supply = 32V 5A, no manufacturer's logo
Remote = Yes, functional

Package contents:
View attachment 277351
Package included a USB and optical cable, and USB thumb drive which has software/drivers (ASIO).

Aesthetics
Wins, looks very nice. No sharp edges and case has ventilation on sides.
Nice little glowing amplifier, VU meter works. Left side display could be turned off, but not VU meter light.
Left dial type display looks like a smiley when in operation.
View attachment 277353
View attachment 277354

Connectors
Just like A07, speaker connectors are small but I had no issues in connecting 4 mm banana plugs. I am using 12 AWG cables, might be difficult to put in bare wires!
Other connectors has enough space to even connect all of those together without any issues.
View attachment 277355

USB Connection
I connected USB to laptop, without tubes or even power connection, and Windows 10 detected it right away. Seems like DAC section is operation even with USB power.
Windows 10 saw it as "SPDIF Interface" device, rather than USB DAC or something, but it's just label which could be changed in sound settings.
Surprisingly, Dolby Digital and DTS Audio format were showing supported, haven't tested though.
USB supported 24 bit 192 KHz.

View attachment 277356

Bluetooth
Uses "Qualcomm QCC3031 Bluetooth v5.1"
Convenient and works fine, iPhone sees it as "BT HIFI AUDIO". I tried 6-8 meters connection, worked fine.
Note: My A07 Pro's Bluetooth shows as "A07 Pro".

Power Supply and Cable
It came with 32V 5A power supply, don't see any issues really but I would look to change the cable which connects wall socket to PSU, may be good for the purpose but feels very thin.
While no brand logo, power adaptor has led to show it has power.
View attachment 277360

Overall, I liked the features, lots of connections, sounds really good to me. I ran it mostly with 55 - 60% volume and it sounded clear, lots of details, base, etc. etc.
Just one box and that's all.

PS: Someone asked me if this unit has click sound when input is switched, I did not notice any clicking noises on changing inputs. Mine works finds without those issues.

Some notes:
- You get spark if connect power adaptor to wall socket first and then to amplifier. Safer option is to connect everything on amplifier and then connect the power adaptor to wall socket.
- I tried it running without tubes, and YES it works. However the sound level was almost 50% only.
- Volume numbers go up to 99, while bass/treble goes up to 9.
- Probably because of tubes, unit gets some heat while in operation.
- For TV optical out connection, it worked when optical out was set to auto. With my other/previous DACs, I always had to set it to PCM.

I am hoping that this write up might be useful for you to get some information if you are looking for something similar.

Great info.
Can you tell if there are heating issues with this? Have you run it for longer period like 2+ hours and seen any issues, there are YouTube videos talking about several?

 

[Guddu]

Great info.
Can you tell if there are heating issues with this? Have you run it for longer period like 2+ hours and seen any issues, there are YouTube videos talking about several?

I have T9 Pro setup with my TV running all the time and haven’t had any issues at all.
It does get a little warm, but nothing alarming at all. I would say that if there is ventilation then shouldn’t be any issues.
I did see some youtube reviews taking about clicking noise etc. but this has no such issues. I guess those were older model.

 

[JktHifi]

Have you click the Test button on DTS Audio windows properties?

 

[Guddu]

Have you click the Test button on DTS Audio windows properties?

It doesn’t play DD/DTS.

 

[Jeromeof]

Just ordered one of these - looking forward to doing a comparison with some of the other amps I have - seems like a solid upgrade over the T9 (and I had a T7 previously)

 

[Guddu]

Just ordered one of these - looking forward to doing a comparison with some of the other amps I have - seems like a solid upgrade over the T9 (and I had a T7 previously)

I have recently changed tubes to GE JAN 5654W, it has surely done something good.

 

[bbjayo]

I've had a T9 Pro for a few months now. There is no clicking when idle or switching inputs and the sound is very good. I have a TV connected via optical, a phono stage (RCA) and WiiM Pro (coax). All work flawlessly and sound good. I use the in built DAC a lot and it sounds good to me. Have tested the unit with a surface thermometer and it doesn't go above 50c. Ambient temp here has been around 26c.

I recently connected the T9 Pro via line out to an A07 using the line out. My Q Acoustic 3030is seemed to sound a bit better with the extra power. Mid range in particular sounded fuller. Tone controls and volume all still work via the remote when outputting from line out. I would definitely reccomend this as a cheap upgrade. The A07 came with a 36v power supply which did the job nicely. Have since put some Sparkos SS3602s in the A07 and am very happy with the sound.

 

[HappyMetalGuy]

Hi there, as anyone find problems with T9 Pro connecting trough coaxial input? Mine when connected to a Sony CD transport sometimes as dropouts, tried different cables but it works ok when I connect the CD Transport to Fiio Taishan D03K (15€). Seems that it's unable to fix the signal maybe a jitter problem?

 

[bbjayo]

Hi there, as anyone find problems with T9 Pro connecting trough coaxial input? Mine when connected to a Sony CD transport sometimes as dropouts, tried different cables but it works ok when I connect the CD Transport to Fiio Taishan D03K (15€). Seems that it's unable to fix the signal maybe a jitter problem?

I didn't notice anything when connecting my WiiM Pro via coax to the T9 Pro. I'm using it mostly with optical now though. Will swap it around and try over the next few days to see if I notice anything.

 

[Jeromeof]

So my T9 Pro arrived and I have been playing around with it. And mostly I think it's a significant improvement over the T9. I would love @amirm to test this tube amp (though I know given it has tubes it will cause the measurements to probably be poor) but I am always curious as to people opinions.

I did think the digital inputs were 'cleaner' (this was from playing the classic John Cage 4.33 track (almost total silence except for the faint audience movement, at near max volume), I thought the SPDIF and USB from a Wiim Pro and then a PC were excellent, but then I did notice an issue with Bluetooth (Specifically the right channel had more noise than the left), the RCA was consistent but worse IMO than the digital inputs. There are 'digital' tone controls which might mean an ADC is involved and possible the gain over the RCA input is slightly different than the digital inputs. But overall other than the bluetooth issue (which I got a resolution for see below) I thought it was very clean sounding with the 'default' tubes not changing the sound too much.

So with the bluetooth issue I contacted Aiyima support - who were excellent I must say - other than the timezone difference which meant roughly 1 or 2 messages exchanged per day, but I eventually sent them a recording I made of the issue with the right channel audio over bluetooth compared with the left channel (and also shared the same from optical) and then eventually their support team diagnosed that the problem must be a 'ground issue' with the power supply which is near the right channel and the bluetooth aerial. They suggested a different plug and with a bit of swapping around the problem was solved. This was a much better solution than the normal Amazon response which is mostly just sent the item back

Anyway, I think the looks over the digital and analog VU meters are the real star of the show and here is a short image/video (the more bass heavy the track the more they move):

Because I was curious and I was talking to Aiyima Support I asked them for some test / measurements that they might have carried out on the device, as I have seen other devices on Aiyima website have AP measurements, but what they did share might be off interest to people here. Its their test report of testing the various inputs and the subwoofer / AUX output on the T9 Pro:

So beyond that I have been enjoying the T9 Pro - I think it sounds good and the visualisations with the VU meters and the nice warm look to the tubes make it one of the most attractive of these small amps, it won't have the power for some people here or be as analytical as other small amps like the Aiyima A07 or the Fosi Audio BT20A Pro but its has tons of options and is a pleasure to both watch and listen too in my opinion.

Only thing missing might be a headphone jack.

 

[RobinS]

I have recently changed tubes to GE JAN 5654W, it has surely done something good.

Hi there - I just got a T9 Pro, and am interested in different tubes - how did you know that the GE 5654W tubes would work? I’s there a reference somewhere that you could point me to?

Looks like an interesting little amp - using it with MoOde and a Pi 4b and a HiFiberry DAC. Thinking speakers now…

Cheers

 

[Guddu]

Hi there - I just got a T9 Pro, and am interested in different tubes - how did you know that the GE 5654W tubes would work? I’s there a reference somewhere that you could point me to?

Looks like an interesting little amp - using it with MoOde and a Pi 4b and a HiFiberry DAC. Thinking speakers now…

Cheers

Just google the compatible tubes for stock tube number and you will get the results.

It’s running nice and strong with Elac Debut Reference bookshelf speakers, don’t think I would look to change it.

 

[Daniel55]

No problem for me so far. Nice sounding little DAC/AMP. Love this combo.

Aiyima T9 Pro with GE 5654W + A07 with 2x OPA1622

 

[TonyJZX]

what do you think of the T9 using its own amps vs. passing 3.5mm out to the A07? is the A07 better?

also:

Assembly Video of the Aiyima T9 Pro

Dear All, the amazing Doctorjohn Cheaptubeaudio (great site, btw) features a video on the assembly of the Aiyima T9 Pro. While it might not be a device that we might pick, it has impressive visuals and interesting insight into one of our favourite chinese manufacturers. You might want to turn...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Schlippwhip68]

No problem for me so far. Nice sounding little DAC/AMP. Love this combo.

Aiyima T9 Pro with GE 5654W + A07 with 2x OPA1622View attachment 290329

Opa1622 is a good op amp. I have a pair of them in my BRZHIFI 3255XLR and they sound far better than most I have tried. Very good dynamics and powerful full sound.

 

[Daniel55]

Opa1622 is a good op amp. I have a pair of them in my BRZHIFI 3255XLR and they sound far better than most I have tried. Very good dynamics and powerful full sound.

Correct. Probably my favourite op amp atm. Love the Opa1656 as well.

 

[Kip]

Disclaimer - No measurements

I was in need of replacing my sound bar, and thought of getting tube pre-amp or amplifier and so recently got this unit - Aiyima T9 Pro (Amazon, 159$ after 10$ discount) to use with ELAC DBR 62.
Overall very nice sounding combination, to me as good as my other setup which is Topping D10 balanced with SMSL AO200 (approx $400).
BTW, I have Aiyima A07 pro running with Elac Debut 6 Floorstands, haven't had any issues with it which made me think for another Aiyima product.

DAC Chip = ES9018K2M, same as Topping D10 but don't know the rest
Tubes = came with Jan 5725, tubes have GE logo
Amplification = TPA3250
Inputs = Optical, Coaxial, USB, Bluetooth (5.1), and RCA
Power Supply = 32V 5A, no manufacturer's logo
Remote = Yes, functional

Package contents:
View attachment 277351
Package included a USB and optical cable, and USB thumb drive which has software/drivers (ASIO).

Aesthetics
Wins, looks very nice. No sharp edges and case has ventilation on sides.
Nice little glowing amplifier, VU meter works. Left side display could be turned off, but not VU meter light.
Left dial type display looks like a smiley when in operation.
View attachment 277353
View attachment 277354

Connectors
Just like A07, speaker connectors are small but I had no issues in connecting 4 mm banana plugs. I am using 12 AWG cables, might be difficult to put in bare wires!
Other connectors has enough space to even connect all of those together without any issues.
View attachment 277355

USB Connection
I connected USB to laptop, without tubes or even power connection, and Windows 10 detected it right away. Seems like DAC section is operation even with USB power.
Windows 10 saw it as "SPDIF Interface" device, rather than USB DAC or something, but it's just label which could be changed in sound settings.
Surprisingly, Dolby Digital and DTS Audio format were showing supported, haven't tested though.
USB supported 24 bit 192 KHz.

View attachment 277356

Bluetooth
Uses "Qualcomm QCC3031 Bluetooth v5.1"
Convenient and works fine, iPhone sees it as "BT HIFI AUDIO". I tried 6-8 meters connection, worked fine.
Note: My A07 Pro's Bluetooth shows as "A07 Pro".

Power Supply and Cable
It came with 32V 5A power supply, don't see any issues really but I would look to change the cable which connects wall socket to PSU, may be good for the purpose but feels very thin.
While no brand logo, power adaptor has led to show it has power.
View attachment 277360

Overall, I liked the features, lots of connections, sounds really good to me. I ran it mostly with 55 - 60% volume and it sounded clear, lots of details, base, etc. etc.
Just one box and that's all.

PS: Someone asked me if this unit has click sound when input is switched, I did not notice any clicking noises on changing inputs. Mine works finds without those issues.

Some notes:
- You get spark if connect power adaptor to wall socket first and then to amplifier. Safer option is to connect everything on amplifier and then connect the power adaptor to wall socket.
- I tried it running without tubes, and YES it works. However the sound level was almost 50% only.
- Volume numbers go up to 99, while bass/treble goes up to 9.
- Probably because of tubes, unit gets some heat while in operation.
- For TV optical out connection, it worked when optical out was set to auto. With my other/previous DACs, I always had to set it to PCM.

I am hoping that this write up might be useful for you to get some information if you are looking for something similar.

Cutting out Optical Digital connection when a high output CD is played in Sony CD Changers

I have enjoyed my T9 pros, but I have ran into an issue. Has anyone else seen this behavior ?
None of this has repeated when connected to anything other than the following Sony CD Carousels. The amps work fine when connected to each of the CD carousels via the RCA

I am encountering issues when I hook two different examples of a T9 pro up to a Sony CDP-CX355 carousel CD player via the Optical connector.
I get intermittent disconnecting 44k bitrate. It blinks on high output CD's.
One example is apparent on U2 Actung Baby "Zoo Station" I have also experienced it on Rusted Root and especially on a Pusifer CD that is recorded.

It seems related to a high output level limitation as it hasn't happened on most optical feeds. An xbox 360 optical played smoothly without any "skips"
These sound like a skip, but they are cyclic, and it's a drop of connectivity. I was able to see this occur on 2 different CDP-CX355 units in addition to the 2 different T9 pros.
My Sony CD carousels are a 2002 and 2005 version.
When I connect the carousel to a Sony STR-DH790, there were no issues. The DH790 shows the connectivity info on the readout of C20C2./OC44.1kHz. Sony read the following optical output specs to me:
The max output level of the optical output connector is –18 dBm and and the max impedance Wave length: 660 nm.

UPDATE: I received a S.M.S.L M300SE and this issue does not occur using the same optical output.
Everything is starting to focus on the T9 pros I have.

 

[KaeliKoo]

Cutting out Optical Digital connection when a high output CD is played in Sony CD Changers

I have enjoyed my T9 pros, but I have ran into an issue. Has anyone else seen this behavior ?
None of this has repeated when connected to anything other than the following Sony CD Carousels. The amps work fine when connected to each of the CD carousels via the RCA

I am encountering issues when I hook two different examples of a T9 pro up to a Sony CDP-CX355 carousel CD player via the Optical connector.
I get intermittent disconnecting 44k bitrate. It blinks on high output CD's.
One example is apparent on U2 Actung Baby "Zoo Station" I have also experienced it on Rusted Root and especially on a Pusifer CD that is recorded.

It seems related to a high output level limitation as it hasn't happened on most optical feeds. An xbox 360 optical played smoothly without any "skips"
These sound like a skip, but they are cyclic, and it's a drop of connectivity. I was able to see this occur on 2 different CDP-CX355 units in addition to the 2 different T9 pros.
My Sony CD carousels are a 2002 and 2005 version.
When I connect the carousel to a Sony STR-DH790, there were no issues. The DH790 shows the connectivity info on the readout of C20C2./OC44.1kHz. Sony read the following optical output specs to me:
The max output level of the optical output connector is –18 dBm and and the max impedance Wave length: 660 nm.

UPDATE: I received a S.M.S.L M300SE and this issue does not occur using the same optical output.
Everything is starting to focus on the T9 pros I have.

I like your update - I just purchased a T9 Pro and had it about a week. It has some serious eye candy, and I thought well the sound is probably sacrificed but the look is killer. Initial listening using the built in ESS dac via usb from my laptop was not impressive although the unit seemed really solid build and they added a few side-vents which I thought was smart and good foresight.

I also have an M300 SE (another new arrival) and when I used the M300 SE to decode the T9 Pro completely changed. I want to say it sounds 7X better, but that is just my subjective opinion. Soundstage, imaging, bass extension, volume was all greatly improved - I just kept repeating wow over and over. I went from probably going to send it back, to most definite keeper. Having a remote for tone controls is just french pastry on top. The aux out works really well too. Liking this M300se/T9 Pro combination, the ESS9018 built-in is a nice feature (I guess), but its quite weak when compared to a better dac. I would like it with no-built in DAC but instead Qualcomm 5125 BT chip which does LDAC & AptX HD codec. My first Aiyama product, I like it a lot.