Dayton Audio HTA20 Hybrid Tube Amp Review

[JeffS7444]

To be fair, by the late 60s audiophiles had access to R2R tape players and solid state amps that would give you pretty solid 20Hz-20kHz performance but they certainly weren't mainstream.

But now you've jumped ahead more than a decade: My dad owned some prerecorded albums on open reel tape, recorded at 7 ips, and AFAIK, they were a short-lived thing.

 

[EDMoser]

This thing has what's basically a HPF at the outputs. Add a subwoofer and I bet this will sound just fine with some bookshelves in a small room.

 

[SuicideSquid]

But now you've jumped ahead more than a decade: My dad owned some prerecorded albums on open reel tape, recorded at 7 ips, and AFAIK, they were a short-lived thing.

I haven't jumped anywhere, you said 20-20 wasn't available to audiophiles until the 80s. Solid state amps and R2R players were available for consumers in the 60s.

 

[lc6]

One thing I still do not get: With so many plug-ins available for the professional digital recording equipment, simulating all sorts of distortions and noise of long-discontinued physical devices, why not simulate tube distortions using an inexpensive DSP, and lower the cost and power consumption of the product? Yes, I understand some have a longing for ancient tech just like others like steam locomotives, but it makes no practical sense if the goal is, after all, fidelity of reproduction.

 

[kyuu]

Graphs can looks scary, but i suggest thata anyone who wants to hear how it really sounds make the same EQ change

View attachment 484111

It is actually nothing major and can be totally enjoyable.

That does not look like the frequency response graph. It doesn't flatten out at -2dB at 50Hz, and it's nearly -4.5dB at 20kHz. Granted, the rest of the bass roll-off is likely not noticeable with many speakers and most people are stone-cold deaf at 20kHz. If that frequency response applies to the subwoofer out, I'd consider that a pretty big problem.

Importantly, there's no reason to accept an undefeatable roll-off in any part of the nominally audible spectrum at any price point these days.

 

[solawind]

That does not look like the frequency response graph. It doesn't flatten out at -2dB at 50Hz, and it's nearly -4.5dB at 20kHz.

it is indeed -4.5dB at 20kHz just like Amir measurements . There is no point to be precise below 50Hz , the speakers this amp will be used with will have a roll-off at this point anyway

 

[kyuu]

it is indeed -4.5dB at 20kHz just like Amir measurements.

Ah right, couldn't tell without zooming in a bit on that graph.

There is no point to be precise below 50Hz , the speakers this amp will be used with will have a roll-off at this point anyway

As I said. But again, why accept the undefeatable roll-off? It's not like it's a necessary performance trade-off for some other benefit.

 

[Batteries4ever]

I was reading this thinking "this seems pretty passable if you want to hear what a tube amp sounds like on the cheap" until we get to the frequency response graphs. That's just shocking. Complete fail.

Well, if you look at this as a loudspeaker, instead of an amp, it is 40-15 kHz +/- 3 dB , a bit short on the highs, but actually doable. Now read Amir’s story on opamps rolling on the Fossi, where the conclusion is “sure one opamp may be better than another, but the difference is drowned out by the much larger distortion of the rest of the amp” and apply the opamp to Amp analogy to a amp-loudspeaker chain, where the loudspeaker is typically much weaker, this might explain why some people are completely happy with tube amps… and tubes look cute!

 

[early rejecter]

One thing I still do not get: With so many plug-ins available [. . .] why not simulate tube distortions using an inexpensive DSP, and lower the cost and power consumption of the product?
[…] it makes no practical sense if the goal is, after all, fidelity of reproduction.

If the goal is fidelity of reproduction, wouldn’t that preclude the use of the plug-ins you’re suggesting? Perhaps that isn’t the goal.

 

[SuicideSquid]

One thing I still do not get: With so many plug-ins available for the professional digital recording equipment, simulating all sorts of distortions and noise of long-discontinued physical devices, why not simulate tube distortions using an inexpensive DSP, and lower the cost and power consumption of the product? Yes, I understand some have a longing for ancient tech just like others like steam locomotives, but it makes no practical sense if the goal is, after all, fidelity of reproduction.

Because the same people who are searching for "tube sound" think "digital is bad", even if you can perfectly replicate the vagaries of analog audio in the digital domain.

 

[xanalog]

Because the same people who are searching for "tube sound" think "digital is bad"

Are those the same people that do not realize that you can get that 'tube-sound' from digital but you cannot duplicate 'digital-sound' from a tube?

 

[SuicideSquid]

Are those the same people that do not realize that you can get that 'tube-sound' from digital but you cannot duplicate 'digital-sound' from a tube?

Yes

 

[dfuller]

Could you do better job with that tiny output transformer? The transformer is what makes tube power amp performance. It makes no sense to produce such a small tube power amp. Other than "tube sales" rule.

It's a solid state power amp. The tubes are just there for the preamp stages.

 

[beagleman]

Graphs can looks scary, but i suggest thata anyone who wants to hear how it really sounds make the same EQ change

View attachment 484111

It is actually nothing major and can be totally enjoyable.

This entire response curve makes me wonder if "Possibly" the Tone controls, Bass and Treble, may possibly be influencing the output, even at the Neutral center position.

My only reason for wondering, a friend of mine measured an older vintage receiver years ago, and found that to be the exact case, when the detent really did not measure completely flat, but a slight adjustment towards "Plus" made it completely "Flat" from 20-20khz.

In other words a tone control "issue" more than an amp output issue.
Just a thought

 

[Jimster480]

How about the headphone output? Does it connect to the tubes as well, if so it would be interesting to see if it has the same Frequency response considering they wouldn't need to roll off the lows since headphones use so much less power.

 

[Jimster480]

This entire response curve makes me wonder if "Possibly" the Tone controls, Bass and Treble, may possibly be influencing the output, even at the Neutral center position.

My only reason for wondering, a friend of mine measured an older vintage receiver years ago, and found that to be the exact case, when the detent really did not measure completely flat, but a slight adjustment towards "Plus" made it completely "Flat" from 20-20khz.

In other words a tone control "issue" more than an amp output issue.
Just a thought

Does this have Tone controls? It looks like the Fosi model does, but this model I don't see Tone controls on?

 

[beagleman]

Does this have Tone controls? It looks like the Fosi model does, but this model I don't see Tone controls on?

You are correct...I had to go back and look....

 

[JD666]

I have been using this amp for about a year or so now. Hooked up to a pair of LS 3/5a and the sub out to a 8" Active sub from Polk filtered around 90-100Hz. For daily desktop listening, it's a neat kit. The 'tube' warmth is notable when I switched out the amp for the Fosi BT20A pro. Also tested: RS-202, NAD 3225PE and this had its charm at desktop levels of listening.

 

[Head_Unit]

I had been thinking of Dayton as a good budget provider but this seems to be violating that, too bad.