Ampapa D1 Stereo Amplifier Review

[daniboun]

Ampapa VS Douk A5 so you can compare the respective size

 

[GGroch]

Sure, I understand.

To be honest, the discussion about "golden samples" is bandied around often and usually with no evidence of impropriety.

Exactly right, we live in skeptical times, and it is often justified. But as you write, objectively the downside of getting caught shipping golden samples would be worse for sales than any single good review. The Fosi V3 Op Amp kerfuffle on these pages, where Fosi proved not only their honesty but their patience in putting up with baseless attacks, shows how things get out of hand.

Popular Audiophile focused Amps are usually measured by multiple reviewers. Many are off the shelf. The risks are too great. But, it certainly does happen.

In this case, we know Douk shipped the G7 and D1 amps to Amir at the same time. With one "not terrible" and one "fine" poll result, clearly golden sampling is not happening.

 

[Cecill]

Douk, Ampapa, Topping, Wiim, Aiyima, O-Noors, Moondrop, Denafrips, Fosi, Fiio, Hiby, Edifier, iBasso, Hidizs, Hifiman, Vovofox, Hifi Rose, Eversolo… some of the most bizzare names hifi products could have.

 

[Cote Dazur]

The highpass filter is such a smart feature for a product that will most likely only drive bookshelf speakers, even if it would do fine with full range tower.
It is the first I have seen, hopefully it will catch up with others.

 

[john61ct]

Douk A5

RSL, Dayton Audio

Emotiva TA1

SMSL A300

AIYIMA A20

The Gweilo markets are becoming less and less important globally, using a company name catering just to NESs like "Lloyds Audio" would be more of a liability than an asset

 

[KiyPhi]

My SMSL amp bit the dust. I found this on discount for $160. I'm glad I got it when I did. The one gripe I have is that I listen rather quietly so the needle on the VU meter doesn't move much and the spectrograph doesn't move at all. I do wish there was a scaling option.

 

[Bleib]

My SMSL amp bit the dust. I found this on discount for $160. I'm glad I got it when I did. The one gripe I have is that I listen rather quietly so the needle on the VU meter doesn't move much and the spectrograph doesn't move at all. I do wish there was a scaling option.

A clear oversight. If it's used on the desktop the needle barely moves at all. I'd be OK with that if the display actually turned off like many SMSL after 5s
So, despite it's size it still has power for the main system and that's where it's used the best

 

[KiyPhi]

A clear oversight. If it's used on the desktop the needle barely moves at all. I'd be OK with that if the display actually turned off like many SMSL after 5s
So, despite it's size it still has power for the main system and that's where it's used the best

Yep, that is where mine is at, but even if I go to the other end of the room and listen there, I never go above 30 even with room correction. The display is at least unobtrusive so I don't mind it being always on, however.

 

[delta76]

Douk, Ampapa, Topping, Wiim, Aiyima, O-Noors, Moondrop, Denafrips, Fosi, Fiio, Hiby, Edifier, iBasso, Hidizs, Hifiman, Vovofox, Hifi Rose, Eversolo… some of the most bizzare names hifi products could have.

When you have 1.4B people, you tend to have million of companies. Then names.

Good names are hard to come by. You can pick pretty bizzare names by western companies as well

And wait until you get to product names! As if they make senses at all

 

[StivVid]

My SMSL amp bit the dust. I found this on discount for $160. I'm glad I got it when I did. The one gripe I have is that I listen rather quietly so the needle on the VU meter doesn't move much and the spectrograph doesn't move at all. I do wish there was a scaling option.

This makes no sense. VU meters aren't meant to show output levels at the speaker terminals. They're meant to reflect output levels at the pre-out or tape out terminals.

 

[Kevinfc]

Love the aesthetics with the meters and the glass case top, but the measurements are pretty ho hum, even for the price.

 

[Mnyb]

If you as a producer can find a golden sample something is seriously wrong in the production facility, they will all be more or less the same and perform to thier design spec and some duds that are broken . If performance varies all over the place , go and visit the factory ?

With the amount of feedback and complex feedback used ( class D for example) there is often no or very little fine tuning possible .
The performance is more or less set by the circuit design.

The golden sampling a manufacturer can do is to decide to not send a broken unit for test

I gave it not terribly for failing to not implement post filter feedback properly. It would only cost some engineering time to do right, can not imagine the part cost would go trough the roof ? Probably a hurried schedule to get the product to market.

 

[Tatteredmidnight]

I do worry about the longevity if an always on OLED display on a device like this. The display on my SMSL M8 is a total mess because it didn’t have an auto-off option in the firmware when I purchased it. Sometimes LCD is the superior choice even if it doesn’t sound as fancy on paper.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Hear the errors directly over 10kHz? Maybe us oldies couldn't, but I have an old Linn LK1 preamp which rolls down from above 10kHz (I bought it cheap and then non working - leaky mempory battery - as an inexpensive MC phono stage I run from the fixed-level tape outs which don't seem to be band limited as much). It doesn't sound dull or rolled off subjectively, but a bit 'packaged' and 'constrained/contained' to the ear, absolutely justifying the need for measurements to show exactly what's going on!

These little amps so nearly get it spot on, but the errors they often still show, really do need some more work I feel. Many modern tweeters take off at 25kHz or higher, so I'd still politely suggest that response/IMD over 20kHz shouldn't be pushed to one side.

I can't hear 20 kHz but my fear about these HF peaks would be about possible damage to the tweeters when playing music loud, as these peaks sometimes equate to about double the power compared with < 20 kHz.

(I also owned an LK1 in a previous century and rather liked it!)

 

[Olivastro]

Hi,
before Amir reviewed it, I had been looking to buy an amplifier for some time, so I searched, compared, and asked for advice.
In the end, I decided to buy the D1 that had finally been reviewed.

I was mainly looking for a subwoofer output with HPF. Almost all of them offer it, but very few have the filter!
I won't bore you with my listening experience because you would say it's subjective, so I'll move on to a question. Some people claim that it's a DoukAudio A5. To me, however, it seems more similar to the Aiyima A2, even looking at Amir's tests.
A few SINAD points, not by chance, but the same features.
So, between the A5 from the same manufacturer and the Aiyima A2, which do you think is more similar?

Thanks to Amir, before Christmas I didn't know about this site and I thought that even one more SINAD point should be considered when choosing an amplifier. Today I made the right choice, I'm very satisfied, which is why I pushed the panther to... golf!

 

[AudioSceptic]

Well, not bad for the price, for sure (winking an eye to our President), but definitely not the equal of other cheap amps from Topping, 3E Audio, Smsl.

I don't give a damn about the large digital vu meters but I would prefer a well implemented PFFB (clearly, this amp is not load immune. From 5Khz, the FR isn't linear) and also no "plop" at power On and power Off.

I'd much rather go for a small well done classic class AB amp like the Yamaha S201 (about same price, same power, but linear FR until past 20khz and much more connections In and out, and a classy/classic design). And believe me (because i have a vintage Yam amp for years), they don't draw that much power and they don't get warm.

Cheap class D amps are small and Ok, but they're not all equal.

You can get as well SOTA little jewels like some Topping or 3E, as just average good (not more) like the two Douk Audio reviewed these last days by Amir.
And by the way, who in France is going to be proud of owning an amp named Ampapa (what a silly/funny name) ?

The Yamaha does look like amazing value and a safe buy (Richer Sounds in the UK has it with a 6-year guarantee and Yamaha have a good rep anyway) but it's not small W 435 x H 141 x D 333!

 

[xanalog]

Thank you for the review, @amirm,
If they had tossed-in a USB interface; it would have even made GolfingPanther happy!

A few members referenced the 3E-A7, for comparison purposes.
I seems like the 'AmpSINAD' bar-chart needs to be recompiled, to include the 3E-A7.

3E-A7 has been MIA from this chart, for the last few power-amp reviews.

OT: Your reviewed 3E-A7 stereo-amp had the 52V@9A(465W) GaN power brick:
Would substituting that in place of the 48V@5A(@40W) improve the headroom (etc.), w/o causing excessive heat or triggering protection circuitry?

 

[john61ct]

> 52V@9A(465W) GaN power brick

If any specific recommended examples are available for separate purchase, please link.

Ideally from a USA-friendly source

 

[WillBrink]

If i didn't already have a Fosi ZA3 for my desk top set up due to high marks for $ recs here, that amp would be short list.

 

[xanalog]

If any specific recommended examples are available for separate purchase, please link.

Just dial-in "GaN Audio Power supply 52V 9A" at aliexpress.com

First hit was ^this^....
I haven't been levied any tariffs from them, to the WestCoast-USA, since Potus#47.