Fiio Air Amp - TPA3255 amplifier + ESS9020Q DAC + Streamer | New Product

[SoySalsaPicante]

Picked up one of these to play around with. The simplicity of a single all-in-one appealed to me, especially as a Roon user. Yes, I know WiiM Amp Pro and WiiM Amp Ultra exist, but they cost more and don’t come in black (laugh all you want, these things matter to some of us), and the Eversolo Play not only costs more but doesn’t even have PFFB. I swapped it into my system in place of DAC/pre and monobloc separates, and frankly, I hear absolutely no induced flaws. It sounds just as good to my ears, and that’s a win as far as I’m concerned. I didn’t rely on high-pass filtering to begin with for bass integration, so the simple sub out on Air Amp worked fine for me, and actually allowed me to reduce that connection by a cable as well (previously was using XLR to monoblocs and stereo RCA to my sub from the DAC). Bass integration is clean (30Hz low-pass for the sub):

For $250, I find this difficult to beat, especially for Roon users. Performance is transparent, and it has so far proven reliable without a single hiccough streaming Roon over Ethernet.

 

[PeterMac]

I'also can't wait to buy it and test it with my LS50 Meta. Currently use Loxjie A40, it has a lot of power, sounds very clean, but for my taste midrange are a bit too extended, at higher volumes in nearfield listening is little fatigue some notes/frequences. Hope FiiO Air Amp will be a bit better and more neutral with also crisp very good details on top. Does it hot, warm at higher voluems ?, does it cool when not playing ?, for example as I remember Wiim Amp Ultra even when was do nothing it was little hot.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

I'also can't wait to buy it and test it with my LS50 Meta. Currently use Loxjie A40, it has a lot of power, sounds very clean, but for my taste midrange are a bit too extended, at higher volumes in nearfield listening is little fatigue some notes/frequences. Hope FiiO Air Amp will be a bit better and more neutral with also crisp very good details on top. Does it hot, warm at higher voluems ?, does it cool when not playing ?, for example as I remember Wiim Amp Ultra even when was do nothing it was little hot.

Just listened for over an hour and the case is still barely warm. Driving MoFi SourcePoint 8 loudspeakers at reference level.

 

[LesterHiggins]

I'also can't wait to buy it and test it with my LS50 Meta. Currently use Loxjie A40, it has a lot of power, sounds very clean, but for my taste midrange are a bit too extended, at higher volumes in nearfield listening is little fatigue some notes/frequences. Hope FiiO Air Amp will be a bit better and more neutral with also crisp very good details on top. Does it hot, warm at higher voluems ?, does it cool when not playing ?, for example as I remember Wiim Amp Ultra even when was do nothing it was little hot.

How do you know that it's the amp that makes the midrange too extended for your tastes and not some aspect of the speakers and the way they interact with the room environment? What does "extended" mean in this context - do you mean the mid-range is too loud compared to bass and treble? Or do you mean that what you perceive as "mid-range" extends farther into frequencies that you otherwise perceive as belonging to lower or higher bands? What specific frequencies do you find fatiguing? Do you have a way to high pass the LS50 Meta? People say that they improve dramatically when high-passed. Personally, I didn't experience any dramatic changes when I high passed the LS50 Metas I had. I found them difficult to set up properly in a nearfield setting, and that subtle changes in placement and toe-in have a big effect on the sound I heard. I'm asking questions but also suggesting that you may want to consider the bigger picture, particularly the placement and arrangement of your speakers relative to the room and your listening position, possibly the speaker selection itself. I would suggest experimenting with the way they're placed and aligned, and also considering something like Neumann KH80 if you're constrained to nearfield. I personally have recently tested both LS50 Meta and KH80 nearfield and found the latter, with the MA1 alignment system, was better-aligned with my preferences and produced better measurement results. Ultimately I put a lot of effort into reconfiguring the space to allow for speakers to be placed outside of nearfield and that has provided the most benefit so far. I don't think you'll experience much of a difference between these two amplifiers alone. If you're looking for something shiny and new with PEQ, you will likely be temporarily elated by the FiiO followed by an inevitable decline of those feelings until you settle into a quiet acceptance of the new object that will slowly erode as you find ways to be dissatisfied as justification for repeating the cycle. But by all means, go for it! I love buying shiny new stuff.

 

[PeterMac]

I use Loxjie A30 for few years with few speakers, Elac DBR62, B&W 707 S3, KEF Q100 now with LS50 Meta, and wanted to change it to try more power amp and decied to buy Loxjie A40.
It sounds little different from A30, maybe not worse, but at higher volumens some frequencies are too much to my ears, I mean midragne ~3-5kHz, this amp sounds more stiff at sounds compare to A30 which is more soft relaxed. In some review someone said A40 have "mid-centric" sound, and I agree more or less.

Overall Signature – Speaking of which, the tuning is more or less the same as the SMSL entry-level sonic tuning, which is a mid-centric sound with a soft, and gentle presentation, smooth treble and a fluid texture for all instruments.

Also I had Wiim Amp Ultra with LS50Meta for some time, and it sounds warm, very relaxed sound little too much, highs was even to calm, and it had not this agressive stiff sound as A40. Depends what who like

 

[michwoz]

Not having HPF is not a problem if it has PEQ. Even without proper filter you can imitate it wit PK filter.

Not having LPF on sub out is a problem though. Of course subwoofers have active crossovers but most have analogue, imprecise ones. So often you have to measure and do try and error to set it up and match HPF or speakers curve. Digital HPF and LPF, like in Wiim devices, is order of magnitude easier to setup and simply much better.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Not having HPF is not a problem if it has PEQ. Even without proper filter you can imitate it wit PK filter.

Not having LPF on sub out is a problem though. Of course subwoofers have active crossovers but most have analogue, imprecise ones. So often you have to measure and do try and error to set it up and match HPF or speakers curve. Digital HPF and LPF, like in Wiim devices, is order of magnitude easier to setup and simply much better.

Right; my sub has DSP, so the sub out is fine as it is for me as well.

 

[LesterHiggins]

I tried

 

[Cote Dazur]

@PeterMac, reading your very subjective comments on how those amplifiers sound to you, made me think that you have a lot of reading to do on this site.
Live and learn.

 

[PeterMac]

@Guddu - can you tell me what these names shortcuts means on display, G, PO, LE, SE ?

 

[Guddu]

@Guddu - can you tell me what these names shortcuts means on display, G, PO, LE, SE ?
View attachment 557118

PO = Speaker Out
LO = Pre Out
PO LO = Speaker + Pre Out
SE = Sub Out ON
G = Ground Connected (not confirmed but most likely)

 

[PeterMac]

@PeterMac, reading your very subjective comments on how those amplifiers sound to you, made me think that you have a lot of reading to do on this site.
Live and learn.

Almost all audio equipment reviews on internet is based on author subjective feelings about sound apart from measurements. I'm reading with a pleasure

 

[Svend P]

Almost all audio equipment reviews on internet is based on author subjective feelings about sound apart from measurements. I'm reading with a pleasure

All amplifiers sound the same when not driven to distortion. So reading about how one sounds better than the other seems crazy once you know the secret.

Do all amplifiers sound the same? Level matched listening test

Do all amplifiers sound the same? Level matched listening test One more to this neverending discussion. Two very different amplifiers are tested, however both with very flat frequency response in the audio band. The test level is set such that 0dBFS of digital data corresponds to THD = 0.9% for...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[PeterMac]

Some quick observations:
- Subwoofer needs to be enabled/turned-on with front knob

Everytime when power on, or once for all time ?

Also, does Treble/Bass you can adjust on display without app, also I do not saw this even on app on your screenshots.
Thanks.

 

[Guddu]

Everytime when power on, or once for all time ?

One time, turn ON once and it remains as is until changed.

Also, does Treble/Bass you can adjust on display without app, also I do not saw this even on app on your screenshots.
Thanks.

Adjustable from front knob or remote.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

All amplifiers sound the same when not driven to distortion. So reading about how one sounds better than the other seems crazy once you know the secret.

Do all amplifiers sound the same? Level matched listening test

Do all amplifiers sound the same? Level matched listening test One more to this neverending discussion. Two very different amplifiers are tested, however both with very flat frequency response in the audio band. The test level is set such that 0dBFS of digital data corresponds to THD = 0.9% for...

www.audiosciencereview.com

This is especially the case when we talk about, "real world usage," because unlike instrumented testing straight from the speaker outputs, miniscule differences between amps (as well as with DACs), assuming reasonably transparent performance/nothing actually broken, will be completely masked by any one, a combination of, or all of a multitude of factors including:
Room interaction,
Speaker transducer limitations, and/or
Human hearing limitations.

I was not surprised that Air Amp was competent enough to replace a K17/B200 chain in my case. I'll be making some money back on selling those previous pieces.

 

[LesterHiggins]

One time, turn ON once and it remains as is until changed.


Adjustable from front knob or remote.

Oh, really? Nothing beats good ol' dedicated bass & treble knobs, but having any tone control, especially adjustable on the device, is a close 2nd. Still, gotta' have that high pass, that is probably the only reason why I am not considering purchasing it today, and I sort of wish I got a subwoofer with high-passed output instead of a Rythmik L12... nah, I made the right call there.

Almost all audio equipment reviews on internet is based on author subjective feelings about sound apart from measurements. I'm reading with a pleasure

All crappy ones, yes, and they should be ignored and/or mocked. It may sound mean at first, but folks on ASR are sharing this information out of sincere care and compassion, they don't want people to suffer in the darkness of ignorance, they're like grumpy Bodhisattvas of clean audio, waiting to ascend to audio nirvana until all living beings can unite as one over an inaudible noise floor.

Not having HPF is not a problem if it has PEQ. Even without proper filter you can imitate it wit PK filter.

Not having LPF on sub out is a problem though. Of course subwoofers have active crossovers but most have analogue, imprecise ones. So often you have to measure and do try and error to set it up and match HPF or speakers curve. Digital HPF and LPF, like in Wiim devices, is order of magnitude easier to setup and simply much better.

But the PEQ would apply to both mains and sub, so that's not feasible, and what subwoofer made in the past 30 years doesn't have a low pass dial?

 

[michwoz]

But the PEQ would apply to both mains and sub, so that's not feasible, and what subwoofer made in the past 30 years doesn't have a low pass dial?

If that's the case then it is indeed not an option.

About the (analog) dials. Those are often imprecise so for proper integration you need measurements and try-and-error. That's why digital crossover in amp/dac with sub out is kind of big deal. It makes subwoofer integration both easier and better.

 

[wing8337]

Wow!! There is 0 discernible difference between Air amp and Mark Levinson No 534 Dual-Monuaral amp. Incredible.​

Listen here and hear. File.

Hope you are enjoying your Air amp if purchased.

 

[Svend P]

Wow!! There is 0 discernible difference between Air amp and Mark Levinson No 534 Dual-Monuaral amp. Incredible.​

Listen here and hear. File.

Hope you are enjoying your Air amp if purchased.

Have you blind tested the two? Our own host has expensive Mark Levinson amplifiers, but would buy Hypex today. Wonder why?