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Ampapa A1, Amplifier for Headphone , Preamplifier Turntable MM "Subjective review"

robertospeed

Active Member
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Mar 29, 2020
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Location
Italia
I present to you Ampapa A1, Amplifier for Headphone , Preamplifier Turntable MM

Ampapa A1.jpg


Since this is a preamp, a separate power amplifier is required.

It has no remote control and therefore I recommend it for desktop use.

I tried this Ampapa A1 preamplifier with an Aiyima A07 class D amplifier which in my opinion sounded too sharp in the mid-highs and the bass was a little lacking, instead with Ampapa A1 the sound of the Aiyima A07 has softened a lot, now it sounds more warm and analog, the basses are improved and they feel more full-bodied and powerful, the sound is also all enhanced, the highs are less sharp, but clear and clean, in short, it has improved the sound of the Aiyima A07.



Front viewed from above

Front viewed from above.jpg


On the front on the right we find 3 levers.

First lever we find written OFF and ON which is used to turn off and turn on.

Second lever we find written PHO and LINE which is used to change input, turntable or other device that we are going to connect in the LINE input.

Third lever we find written ORG and GRN which is used to change colors to the valves and also the front lights, the colors are 2, orange and green, or off if you set the lever in the middle.

Further down we find the output headphone 3.5 mm.

Then we find the 3 knobs at the bottom, BASS, TREBLE, VOLUME

And above the 2 valves

Ampapa A1 has a beautiful design

Here are the 2 colors + color off that I show you in these 3 photos


Green


green.jpg



Orange

orange.jpg



Color off

turned off.jpg




Let's see it from behind

Back.jpg


On the back we find on the left an RCA input for an MM turntable, then an RCA input for any device, DAC, CD player etc ... and an RCA output to connect it to a power amplifier or active speakers.

And an input for an external 12V 1.5A power supply

Power Supply 12V 1.5A.jpg



Here are the accessories that we find inside the box

Accessories.jpg



I have not encountered any problems with this preamp, there is no background noise or hum, when switching on and off there is no pop noise on the speakers,
the RCA input and the RCA output are ok, unfortunately I couldn't try the RCA input of the turntable because I don't have it.

Tried the headphone output with my Meze 99 Classic headphones and it sounds great and has enough volume to break your eardrums and you also have the option to adjust the treble and bass to your liking.

Unfortunately when you listen with headphones you can also hear the sound from the speakers and therefore I recommend that you turn off the power amplifier.


Headphones.jpg



I can tell you that this preamp sounds very good, tested with Magnat 1002 and Q Acoustic 3050i floorstanding speakers and also with small Dali Spektor 1, Spektor 2, Eltax Monitor III bookshelf speakers.
Who knows how it will sound with other better power amps and with a turntable, then maybe I go to my shopkeeper who sells hi-hi and try it there with some good power amps and a good turntable.


YouTube video




Specifications



Audio inputPhono MM / Stereo RCA
Audio outputStereo RCA / 3.5mm Headphone Jack
Input level0.775V RMS (RCA); 0.005V RMS (Phono)
Frequency response20Hz-20KHz (±0.5dB) (RCA); Ref to RIAA +/-2dB (Phono)
Headphone output power125mW(32Ω)
Headphone impedance range16-300Ω
THD≤0.1%
Working voltageDC 12V (≥1.5A)
Output level1.5V RMS (RCA); 0.6V RMS (Phono)
S/N ratio≥106dB (RCA); ≥80dB(Phono)
Weight1.0kg/2.20lb
Dimensions(W*D*H)10*10*10 in
 

mhardy6647

Grand Contributor
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Dec 12, 2019
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Thanks for posting your impressions and some very nice photos of the product!
It does look like it's surprisingly well made, especially given its price point.

It would be really interesting to see a schematic of this gadget.
As I posted in response to a written (only) review at audioasylum:

It'd be very interesting to assess:
1) what the tubes do.
2) how the phono preamp's implemented.
3) how the tone controls are implemented.

I presume they didn't include a schematic with the product -- did they?
 

DTTOM37

Active Member
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Jul 3, 2020
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Location
French side of Europe
By chance, I found a IXBT review of the Ampapa A1 - with measurements.
Google translation is your friend ;-)
 
Last edited:

Skip

New Member
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Nov 10, 2021
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By chance, I found a IXBT review of the Ampapa A1 - with measurements.
Google translation is your friend ;-)
Here is the Google translation. Decent and favorable review.

 

Schlippwhip68

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Nov 28, 2020
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Essex, UK.
Looks like a nice little preamp. I wonder how this would comparte with the Aiyma T10. I think the T10 is going to be the one to beat.
 

DVDdoug

Major Contributor
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May 27, 2021
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In the tube days the orange glow came from the heater (inside the tube) and they didn't change color.

...I'm NIOT a fan of this outdated technology, tubes OR records. :p And I assume there is some solid state electronics because a pair of tubes isn't enough for a phono preamp and a headphone amp. And tubes aren't very good for driving "regular modern" low impedance headphones unless there is an output transformer.
 
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