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Allo Volt+ D Amplifier Review

marX

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Hello Guys!
I'm in the market for a new HiFi system (moved to the UK for studies). Was looking at the Volt+D (audiophonics.fr) as the amp and Wharfedale Diamond 220 as the speaker. I have the Topping NX4 DSD as the dac. So, is this still the bang for the buck king? Or the alternatives like 3eaudio's 3255 a better option? https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/ampl...d-balanced-tpa3255-2x-225w-4-ohm-p-14690.html

What about these new MA (Infineon chips) based amps like Sabaj and SMSL and the like?
There are also not so famous brands like Breeze audio in Aliexpress which has like 25 pounds shipped to the UK price!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

sychan

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Hello Guys!
I'm in the market for a new HiFi system (moved to the UK for studies). Was looking at the Volt+D (audiophonics.fr) as the amp and Wharfedale Diamond 220 as the speaker. I have the Topping NX4 DSD as the dac. So, is this still the bang for the buck king? Or the alternatives like 3eaudio's 3255 a better option? https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/ampl...d-balanced-tpa3255-2x-225w-4-ohm-p-14690.html

What about these new MA (Infineon chips) based amps like Sabaj and SMSL and the like?
There are also not so famous brands like Breeze audio in Aliexpress which has like 25 pounds shipped to the UK price!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

From the threads by people who are always sniffing out the latest shiny new amps, the complete MA12070 based amps seem to be the darlings of the sound quality for $$$ space, and there are tests of a few of MA12070 amps on ASR with good numbers. If you want to get higher power with reliable quality the JLE Sylph amp seems to a good choice, it has been reviewed on ASR: https://www.jlelectronicsph.com/product/sylph-d200-tpa3255-pffb-stereo-ready-to-run-amplifier-module

For bare boards with maximum bang for the buck, and cheap enough to just buy another if its broken, the Shui yuan amps with upgrades caps seems to be the best deal: https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/368179-shui-yuan-audio-tpa3255-modification-thread.html

If you're buying the 3eaudio board, might as well buy their completed amp: https://www.3e-audio.com/finished-amp/tpa32xx-all-in-one-amplifier/

Disclaimer: I don't run any of these amps, I got a deal on an Audiophonics NC122 amp and have been running that, though I have a Shuiyuan that is waiting for me to finally put it into an enclosure and try it out.
 

marX

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From the threads by people who are always sniffing out the latest shiny new amps, the complete MA12070 based amps seem to be the darlings of the sound quality for $$$ space, and there are tests of a few of MA12070 amps on ASR with good numbers. If you want to get higher power with reliable quality the JLE Sylph amp seems to a good choice, it has been reviewed on ASR: https://www.jlelectronicsph.com/product/sylph-d200-tpa3255-pffb-stereo-ready-to-run-amplifier-module

For bare boards with maximum bang for the buck, and cheap enough to just buy another if its broken, the Shui yuan amps with upgrades caps seems to be the best deal: https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/368179-shui-yuan-audio-tpa3255-modification-thread.html

If you're buying the 3eaudio board, might as well buy their completed amp: https://www.3e-audio.com/finished-amp/tpa32xx-all-in-one-amplifier/

Disclaimer: I don't run any of these amps, I got a deal on an Audiophonics NC122 amp and have been running that, though I have a Shuiyuan that is waiting for me to finally put it into an enclosure and try it out.
1. Loxjie, Aiyima, Sabaj and SMSL to name a few who are running the MA chips.

2. Thanks for the recommendation on the JL amp. Its like $182 incl shipping which is 137 pounds. I need to compare it with Allo which is cheaper than this.

3. 3eaudio finished product is way cheaper but the aliexpress product page says it's not possible to ship to UK. Weird! I'm facing the same issue with multiple items on the website. Could be a sitewide problem or something happened between UK and China?

4. That NC122 amp is sweet though. Hypex modules are the best, so I heard!


EDIT:

Aliexpress site is back - now showing shipping (3eaudio) to the UK! 74.4 pounds while the Allo D is like 90.36.
 
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deekdeek

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I bought the Volt+d to see how it would power my totem arrows (for lower listening in a small room) and i am disappointed. sounds very empty and IF i do crank it up a bit it gets shreiky real fast. Im going to try to pair it up with some small paradigm bookshelf's over the next few days and see how that does.
 

Poultrygeist

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I bought the Volt+d to see how it would power my totem arrows (for lower listening in a small room) and i am disappointed. sounds very empty and IF i do crank it up a bit it gets shreiky real fast. Im going to try to pair it up with some small paradigm bookshelf's over the next few days and see how that does.
The Totems aren't efficient enough for the Volt+D.
 

sychan

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The Totems aren't efficient enough for the Volt+D.
I've played Volt+D on RB42C's which are about the same nominal sensitivity, and they sounded fine to me, but a lot may depend on the PSU being used - I was using a 25V SMPS, and I didn't try to push a lot of bass heavy music through the Volt+D when I had them.
 

deekdeek

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Interesting that they roughly have the same sensitivity , i could only find a 19v 4.5 amp (dell laptop ) adapter to test. I might try 24v after i make sure there is nothing wrong with it after trying to pair it with less demanding speakers. Also i find it strange that the AC adapter does not get warm at all, whats the actual current being pulled from the adapter? even if it was pulling a light to moderate load should still feel a bit warm so not sure whats going on there.
 

MCH

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Hi,
I would like to get rid of the attenuator and leave the amplifier at full volume (controlling volume from a DAC, of course) or ideally with a switch to select between just two volume positions: max and somewhere around 50-60%.
Can someone advice how to do that? Which of the 6 cables i need to short or put a resistor in between? Thanks!!
 

Poultrygeist

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Hi,
I would like to get rid of the attenuator and leave the amplifier at full volume (controlling volume from a DAC, of course) or ideally with a switch to select between just two volume positions: max and somewhere around 50-60%.
Can someone advice how to do that? Which of the 6 cables i need to short or put a resistor in between? Thanks!!

There's no need to remove the attenuator to use the +D as a power amp with a separate preamp. The +D's attenuator is high quality and there's no SQ to be gained by its removal. I max the volume of my +D and use a tube preamp to control the amp's volume. The FX Audio preamp bumps the gain so the +D has more usable power. I think the Mark Audio drivers in the Frugal Horns below are 87 dbs. The FX tube preamp and +D is a marriage made in heaven.

P1010023.jpeg
 
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MCH

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Thanks Poultrygeist, it is actually a matter of space, not of sound quality. Long story short i need, since long time, to squeeze the amp into a smaller box, and the attenuator doesn't allow. I don't use the volume control of the volt anyways so.... the "two settings idea" is a sort of safety feature because sometimes i stream content to it and it is not the first time that the volume of the streamer is set to 100% without being aware. Does it make sense now? :)
 

Poultrygeist

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If space is an issue it hard to find an amp smaller than the Volt+. Excellent sound for $39.

PA020016.jpeg
 

maxchau

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Years of experience taught me one important lesson (among others), that the power supply of an equipment made or broke the deal. For this reason I have purchased high performance 46-bit, super low ripple linear power supplies at 5V, 12V, 24V and 48V in order to play with all kinds of class D amps. When fed with these PSs, low cost amp boards on Amazon or Eby (3116, 3118, 3255, 7498, 8406, 7850(a/b), 7377(a/b)) all performed admirably. None had weak basses, shrill highs, or under powered, given their design limits... McIntosh XR5 (87db) and Celestion 7000 (86db) sang so beautifully with these amps. A few of them even drove my Mc XRT18 to very satisfied level with clean high, mid and tight deep bass. One thing for certain, clean juice provides listener with tight and detailed sound with no fatigue. There is no desire for me to keep wanting to turn up the volume. (If one finds himself exhibiting such phenomenon, it only means the system has major weaknesses).

I have found switch mode PS (Mean Well LRS-150-24) while providing clean power, it tends to gloss over the musical detail at reduced micro dynamics. The sound produced was just not as "engaging" as with a good linear PS.

Compared with excellent batteries (Redtop and Yellowtop by Optima), the said linear PSs were still preferred due to the more robust/accentuated presentation.

In my experience a good low cost class D setup outperformed Williamson based 6L6 and Leak TL12+ tube amps which sounded veiled with less detail, tight and dynamic in comparison. JE labs based 2A3 SET with One Electron UBT-3 output trans showed more pure high end than the class D amp boards mentioned above.

These observations of mine are just that, and by no means the absolute truth. Many have come to the same conclusion in the past. And I have convinced myself by doing the validation.
 

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apastuszak

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Years of experience taught me one important lesson (among others), that the power supply of an equipment made or broke the deal. For this reason I have purchased high performance 46-bit, super low ripple linear power supplies at 12V, 24V and 48V in order to play with all kinds of class D amps. When fed with these PSs, low cost amp boards on Amazon or Eby (3116, 3118, 3255, 7498, 8406, 7850(a/b), 7377(a/b)) all performed admirably. None had weak basses, shrill highs, or under powered, given their design limits... McIntosh XR5 (87db) and Celestion 7000 (86db) sang so beautifully with these amps. A few of them even drove my Mc XRT18 to very satisfied level with clean high, mid and tight deep bass. One thing for certain, clean juice provides listener with tight and detailed sound with no fatigue. There is no desire for me to keep wanting to turn up the volume. (If one finds himself exhibiting such phenomenon, it only means the system has major weaknesses).

I have found switch mode PS (Mean Well LRS-150-24) while providing clean power, it tends to gloss over the musical detail at reduced micro dynamics. The sound produced was just not as "engaging" as with a good linear PS.

Compared with excellent batteries (Redtop and Yellowtop by Optima), the said linear PSs were still preferred due to the more robust/accentuated presentation.

In my experience a good low cost class D setup outperformed Williamson based 6L6 and Leak TL12+ tube amps which sounded veiled with less detail, tight and dynamic in comparison. JE labs based 2A3 SET with One Electron UBT-3 output trans showed more pure high end than the class D amp boards mentioned above.

These observations of mine are just that, and by no means the absolute truth. Many have come to the same conclusion in the past. And I have convinced myself by doing the validation.
This is something that's very easy to back up with measurements. Send some PSUs to Amir to test.
 

Poultrygeist

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I use linear regulated power supplies with all my class D amps and tube preamps except for the Volt+D ( TPA3118 ). The reason being is the Volt+D has built in capacitance multipliers which reduce the noise from less quality PSU's. You can see the outboard CM unit in this picture. Allo.com was nice enough to send it free of charge.

P1010007 2.jpeg
 

apastuszak

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I use linear regulated power supplies with all my class D amps and tube preamps except for the Volt+D ( TPA3118 ). The reason being is the Volt+D has built in capacitance multipliers which reduce the noise from less quality PSU's. You can see the outboard CM unit in this picture. Allo.com was nice enough to send it free of charge.

View attachment 178010
I like that black cover. Where did you get it?
 

sychan

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I wish that Allo produced a CM that accepted higher voltages. Does anyone know of one that you could use for up to 48V, for TPA325x boards?

The reason being is the Volt+D has built in capacitance multipliers which reduce the noise from less quality PSU's. You can see the outboard CM unit in this picture. Allo.com was nice enough to send it free of charge.
 

Poultrygeist

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I like that black cover. Where did you get it?

It's black contact paper ( actually vinyl ) from Amazon.

At least one CM or perhaps two CM's ( it's dual mono ) are already built into the Volt+D. Allo.com sent me the extra outboard unit which I mounted on a little box although at one point it's stand offs were screwed to the top ( see picture ). I think of the CM as like having a second inline filter on my refrigerator ice maker which I happen to have. :)

P1010006 4.jpeg
 
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apastuszak

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It's black contact paper ( actually vinyl ) from Amazon.

At least one CM or perhaps two CM's ( it's dual mono ) are already built into the Volt+D. Allo.com sent me the extra outboard unit which I mounted on a little box although at one point it's stand offs were screwed to the top ( see picture ). I think of the CM as like having a second inline filter on my refrigerator ice maker which I happen to have. :)

View attachment 178151
You're not worried about the vent holes being covered up?
 

MacCali

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I use linear regulated power supplies with all my class D amps and tube preamps except for the Volt+D ( TPA3118 ). The reason being is the Volt+D has built in capacitance multipliers which reduce the noise from less quality PSU's. You can see the outboard CM unit in this picture. Allo.com was nice enough to send it free of charge.

View attachment 178010
What this gentleman said I was told on multiple forums @maxchau

Not saying you’re wrong, but I think strictly on the volt the difference will probably be there but just far less than a unit that doesn’t host this technology.

Haven’t tried it myself in a blind test to say, nor do I own the linear power supply
 
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