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Argon SA1 Amplifier Review

Rate this amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 31 11.4%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 167 61.6%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 69 25.5%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 4 1.5%

  • Total voters
    271

JaccoW

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Sep 25, 2021
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Argon have a little reasonably priced streaming box which has gathered some buzz in the YouTube reviewing space. Interesting to see they have other strings to their bow. This little amp, while far from perfect, does not look dreadful for the price though would not be my choice.
I own their Forte A5 active speakers and enjoy them, especially for their price of €400 when on sale. :)
And their new TT4 turntable looks quite interesting as well.

 

dtaylo1066

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Lack of USB input seems a big miss. On the other hand, for 400 clams it is rather amazing what you can get in hi-fi these days that would satisfy a high percentage of listeners, though not too many on this forum.
 

Hipster Doofus

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This white unit would look really handsome against some of your garden tomatoes
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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This white unit would look really handsome against some of your garden tomatoes
That would be true if I already had some garden tomatoes! Have about 100 plants out there without a single ripe tomato!!! Got a late start this year. Usually we would have some in June....
 

damirj79

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Based on the price and features, it could cost a little less, but the again, many other other amps are pricier in the last year. Huge point in favour is high WAF factor, by not being just black or silver box, but maybe not all of you have this problem. Based on the results, I might just try it, but lack of proper USB connection for DAC function and some more advanced types of connection like HDMI are important deal breaker. I just hope V2 is in plans soon, active speakers from Fenris line all have better connectivity and include HDMI port also.
 

Nordling

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@amirm which of the two optical inputs did you use? According to the manual there's a difference: Optical input D1 is "Optimized for TV input", while Optical input D2 is for "Hi-fi":

Screenshot_20220803-093858_1.png
 
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amirm

amirm

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@amirm which of the two optical inputs did you use? According to the manual there's a difference: Optical input D1 is "Optimized for TV input", while Optical input D2 is for "Hi-fi":

View attachment 222047
I don't recall especially since the front LEDs don't have labels. Does anybody know what the difference is anyway?
 

Doodski

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I don't recall especially since the front LEDs don't have labels. Does anybody know what the difference is anyway?
Aragon specifies separate power supplies for analogue and digital circuits (6 in total). That might be a dividing line.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz aragon.png
 

gfx_1

Active Member
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Nov 9, 2019
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Argon Audio is well known here in Germany.
Same in the Netherlands, maybe depending if they are into hifi a bit from Danish origin, the hifiklubben stores sell it.
I got a DAB+ tuner from the argonaudio site, reasonably priced (€110) and works fine no audible difference (to me) from the one in the Iotavx NP3
 

nygafre

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Aug 25, 2022
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I have the Argon SA1, and find it a pleasant sounding device.

I asked my local dealer about the (rather striking) similarity with the NAD AMP1. He explained that the amp was developed by Argon, and that NAD found it interesting enough to ‘copy’ and sell it in their own packaging. The difference is the aluminium (NAD) vs plastic (Argon) chassis, and the chromecast implementation added in the NAD version.
 

jdinkelman

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Oct 23, 2022
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I am considering upgrading from my Denon Ceol N9 in my living room. Would this be a step up?
 

ThsM

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May 6, 2019
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I do like the looks of the Argon SA1 (especially in white) and that the unit automatically come on, if the source starts playing. Also the two optical in come in handy, as I want to connect the SA1 to my TV and CCA.

Actually, I don't get the review in terms of analog vs. optical in. Would it sound worse to connect the CCA via an external DAC (I have a Topping E30 1st gen) to the analog in, compared to connecting it directly to the optical in of the amp?

The Argon went on sale last year on BF. If it is again<300 € this year, I consider buying one. Do you think the Argon is on par (in terms of sound quality) with something like the Loxjie A30 (which I am currently using with my TV) or even SMSL A300 + Topping E30?

Speakers are the elac uni-fi 2.0 ub52. But it is likely to upgrade or at least change speakers occasionally. You know the game ;)
 

damirj79

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Oct 1, 2021
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I do like the looks of the Argon SA1 (especially in white) and that the unit automatically come on, if the source starts playing. Also the two optical in come in handy, as I want to connect the SA1 to my TV and CCA.

Actually, I don't get the review in terms of analog vs. optical in. Would it sound worse to connect the CCA via an external DAC (I have a Topping E30 1st gen) to the analog in, compared to connecting it directly to the optical in of the amp?

The Argon went on sale last year on BF. If it is again<300 € this year, I consider buying one. Do you think the Argon is on par (in terms of sound quality) with something like the Loxjie A30 (which I am currently using with my TV) or even SMSL A300 + Topping E30?

Speakers are the elac uni-fi 2.0 ub52. But it is likely to upgrade or at least change speakers occasionally. You know the game ;)

The current price is 258€ if interested. It will most probably not go any lower than this.
 

ThsM

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May 6, 2019
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The current price is 258€ if interested. It will most probably not go any lower than this.
Actually, I got mine today. I will set it up this weekend and see if it will replace the Loxjie A30 for TV duties :D
 

Marijnvp

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Nov 17, 2022
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I’m considering to pick one up. I just sold my sonos amp because I cannot connect live instruments, it has a 0.75ms delay.

I have b&w 607. The argon might be underpowered for these heave to drive speakers? Does anyone has advice on this? Maybe better alternatives up to €600? As long as it’s a small form factor :)

Edit: I see topping has some great new releases as well.
 
Last edited:

jdinkelman

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Oct 23, 2022
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The amp arrived last Thursday and I am very pleased.

It is part of my living room setup. The sources are a mini pc with Douk U2 usb converter) and TV both connected to the optical inputs. Te automatic input switching took a little getting used to. In most cases this serves me well but when I listen to music from the pc, it will switch to tv when I switch the tv on. It’a easy to switch back and the feature can also be switched off (but will go back after it has been switched off).

It power’s vintage (but recently serviced) Phillips FB690 speakers. These are not an audiophile’s dream but I am very happy with them. Combined, it provides a warm but punchy sound with plenty of detail in the high frequencies.

It is a bit odd not to be able to tell where I am an the volume control but there is always enough power (for me) with headroom to spare.

Highly recommended for a minimalist setup with digital sources!
 
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