Is the Aiyima A80 the best for my needs?

[solderdude]

How did you determine that output filters is needed?

because of this:

EMC output filter Considerations
The proprietary 5-level modulation significantly reduces EMC emissions, and the amplifiers can pass the Radiated
Emission test with speaker cables lengths up to 80 cm with just a small ferrite filter.
For cables longer than 80 cm it is recommended to use a LC-filter.
For more information regarding filter type, components and measurements, see the document “Applications note –
EMC Output Filter Recommendations” at the Infineon homepage.

Power amplifiers with speaker output connections can certainly have cables attached that are longer than 0.8m in which case the output should have a proper LC filter.
The manual does not mention a maximum cable length either so proper EMC filtering at the output is needed.

It is not needed in active speakers.

 

[Mike123]

Below is what an AI agent said with the data pulled primarily from Infineon published docs.
Granted Infineon could be twisting the truth?

Several forums known to me have already banned quotes from various artificial intelligences. This is not information, but nonsense. And often far from neutral, but produced for specific purposes. The datasheet for the microcircuit must be studied independently, and not listen to artificial intelligence. Page 24 of the Infineon MA12070 datasheet:

EMC output filter Considerations
The proprietary 5-level modulation significantly reduces EMC emissions, and the amplifiers can pass the Radiated
Emission test with speaker cables lengths up to 80 cm with just a small ferrite filter. For cables longer than 80 cm it is
recommended to use a LC-filter.

 

[gnat_leader]

because of this:


Power amplifiers with speaker output connections can certainly have cables attached that are longer than 0.8m in which case the output should have a proper LC filter.
The manual does not mention a maximum cable length either so proper EMC filtering at the output is needed.

It is not needed in active speakers.

We can all agree that that increased EMC/EMI is not desired, but what affect does this have to it's own sound and perhaps other nearby devices... TV, speakers, preamp, dac, etc? I mean given the high frequency we are talking about here well above the limit of audibility.
Have people reported actually experiencing bad ramifications of this?
Have people reported using this amp made their system sound bad/worse/noisy?
It's not that I dont' believe EMI is created, just wondering how audible or detrimental it is and if so,
why SMSL be so dumb as to do this just to save a buck of manufacturing cost?

 

[gnat_leader]

Several forums known to me have already banned quotes from various artificial intelligences. This is not information, but nonsense. And often far from neutral, but produced for specific purposes. The datasheet for the microcircuit must be studied independently, and not listen to artificial intelligence. Page 24 of the Infineon MA12070 datasheet:

I firmly disagree with your opinion here. All AI agents are NOT the same, not by a long shot. If you think so, and that they are ALL purposely biased you are just flat wrong, and you need to learn a lot more about them. Go try out Perplexity, VeniceAI, and many others, and the many LLM's the use on their backends.

In the case of Perplexity it operates more as a search engine than most other AI agents.
It's pulling most of it's data from the internet the same as you and I would using Google. It's just much faster. A much faster way of searching.
To the extent that it seems biased it's because the data it's finding is biased itself, eg. user's opinions on DIYAudio, here on ASR, and the documentation of manufacturers. They are not creating bias, just repeating what's already there and we encounter every day on the internet.

Perplexity told me the same thing you did from the datasheet - because, shocker, that's the same place it got it's info.

Also, btw, I think most humans in the audio world are FAR more biased than even the most manipulated AI agent.

 

[gnat_leader]

by the way, I presented the info found by the AI as a topic of discussion, and for myself to come to a better understanding, not that I think the AIs conclusions or data is always 100% correct.
So you don't need to get all huffy and talk about banning. Geez!
People lose their mind if they think their opinion is being questioned,
esp if the source of the info is from the latest search engine technology, but WHY?

I understand that some designs are dumb and that very low cost gear made in China sometimes cut corners that should not be cut.
But I also own an chifi amp that cost $35 new and sounds pretty damn good (connected to large 96db/1w open baffle speakers).

 

[gnat_leader]

That said, I still want to hear more from people who have actually owned and used the amp.
if it sounds bad, it's bad. That's all I care about.

 

[solderdude]

It's not that I dont' believe EMI is created, just wondering how audible or detrimental it is and if so,
why SMSL be so dumb as to do this just to save a buck of manufacturing cost?

It has nothing to do with sound nor it becoming detrimental.
It has to do with compliance to FCC and CE emission standards.
It has to do with possible interference with other devices.

The amp will comply on its own but won't when longer speaker cables are connected.

And ... they just want to pass certification and may not have added the minimum required length and load.

 

[Nytrex]

I read everything but it's getting too technical for me and I'm still considering something a little better than the A50 Pro even though it could be good.
I'm struggling so much to choose an amp it's so difficult.
When I created this thread I was almost convinced to take the Aiyima A80 and now I'm not really sure.
It's really great but it's 200€ which is a lot for me. There's the Aiyima D03 that costs 140€ that have everything I need (optical or HDMI input, Bluetooth, power, remote control...) but it's already a few years old and the chip used is even older, the dac is worse than the A80 too so I'm afraid that the sound quality and especially the distortion and load dependency are noticably worse.
On the other side there's the O-Noorus D3 Pro that has been released a few months ago, it's even more expensive than the A80 (it's 255€) but it seems so perfect. Great chip, great DAC, latest Bluetooth codec, good design, the sound quality is apparently even better than the A80. So even if it's so expensive for me, I'm thinking "maybe it's worth putting all this money once and keep a great device for years instead?"

So please, if anyone read this can you please tell me anything that would help me choose?

Here is some information that could help to guide me:
I will keep my current speakers (Hitachi HS-E20) for quite a time because making money is hard. I will probably upgrade my speakers someday and when I do I will not spend more than 200€ per speaker (or 400 a pair) so if the difference between the amps is not noticable with speakers of this price please let me know. Secondly, I would like to have at least as good but if possible better sound quality than my current amplifier (Hitachi HA-1 from the 80s) but I don't know if it's possible because I don't know if this amp is good or not.

Anyway, thanks for reading this and for any help given!

 

[gnat_leader]

It has nothing to do with sound nor it becoming detrimental.
It has to do with compliance to FCC and CE emission standards.
It has to do with possible interference with other devices.

The amp will comply on its own but won't when longer speaker cables are connected.

And ... they just want to pass certification and may not have added the minimum required length and load.

I personally don't care about complying with emission standards, but... if it's unhealthy or messes up my Wifi or other electronics that's a no go.
I noticed looking at all the MA12070 based amps on one online shop all but one Aiyima amp did not have coils on the output filter.

I read everything but it's getting too technical for me and I'm still considering something a little better than the A50 Pro even though it could be good.
I'm struggling so much to choose an amp it's so difficult.
When I created this thread I was almost convinced to take the Aiyima A80 and now I'm not really sure.
It's really great but it's 200€ which is a lot for me. There's the Aiyima D03 that costs 140€ that have everything I need (optical or HDMI input, Bluetooth, power, remote control...) but it's already a few years old and the chip used is even older, the dac is worse than the A80 too so I'm afraid that the sound quality and especially the distortion and load dependency are noticably worse.
On the other side there's the O-Noorus D3 Pro that has been released a few months ago, it's even more expensive than the A80 (it's 255€) but it seems so perfect. Great chip, great DAC, latest Bluetooth codec, good design, the sound quality is apparently even better than the A80. So even if it's so expensive for me, I'm thinking "maybe it's worth putting all this money once and keep a great device for years instead?"

So please, if anyone read this can you please tell me anything that would help me choose?

Here is some information that could help to guide me:
I will keep my current speakers (Hitachi HS-E20) for quite a time because making money is hard. I will probably upgrade my speakers someday and when I do I will not spend more than 200€ per speaker (or 400 a pair) so if the difference between the amps is not noticable with speakers of this price please let me know. Secondly, I would like to have at least as good but if possible better sound quality than my current amplifier (Hitachi HA-1 from the 80s) but I don't know if it's possible because I don't know if this amp is good or not.

Anyway, thanks for reading this and for any help given!

yes it is hard to decide.

"the sound quality is apparently even better than the A80" ... how do you know this to be true? or are you just guessing because the D3 Pro is higher cost and the chips used have better specs? did you find very many reviews of the D3 Pro? I have found hardly any.

 

[Nytrex]

I personally don't care about complying with emission standards, but... if it's unhealthy or messes up my Wifi or other electronics that's a no go.
I noticed looking at all the MA12070 based amps on one online shop all but one Aiyima amp did not have coils on the output filter.

yes it is hard to decide.

"the sound quality is apparently even better than the A80" ... how do you know this to be true? or are you just guessing because the D3 Pro is higher cost and the chips used have better specs? did you find very many reviews of the D3 Pro? I have found hardly any.

I might have use the wrong words. What I meant is that I read all the pages on the thread on ASR dedicated to the O-Noorus D3 Pro (https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-a-new-tpa3255-pffb-amplifier-with-dac.61278/) specifications wise and from the measurements that are available in the last pages (the only measurements are from the developing team of O-Noorus so that something to consider) it seems to beat the Aiyima A80, less distortion, better SINAD, less load dependency... The chips used are also well-known to be pretty good so if the implementation is good to it should deliver a great sound at least similar to the A80. The Bluetooth for example should in theory be better too because it supports higher bitrate codec (LDAC, Aptx Lossless) than the A80.

Apparently a unit has been sent to be test on ASR but I don't know if the review will really be done and if so when. I can wait a few weeks but I don't want to wait months...

 

[French Meloman]

I read everything but it's getting too technical for me and I'm still considering something a little better than the A50 Pro even though it could be good.
I'm struggling so much to choose an amp it's so difficult.
When I created this thread I was almost convinced to take the Aiyima A80 and now I'm not really sure.
It's really great but it's 200€ which is a lot for me. There's the Aiyima D03 that costs 140€ that have everything I need (optical or HDMI input, Bluetooth, power, remote control...) but it's already a few years old and the chip used is even older, the dac is worse than the A80 too so I'm afraid that the sound quality and especially the distortion and load dependency are noticably worse.
On the other side there's the O-Noorus D3 Pro that has been released a few months ago, it's even more expensive than the A80 (it's 255€) but it seems so perfect. Great chip, great DAC, latest Bluetooth codec, good design, the sound quality is apparently even better than the A80. So even if it's so expensive for me, I'm thinking "maybe it's worth putting all this money once and keep a great device for years instead?"

So please, if anyone read this can you please tell me anything that would help me choose?

Here is some information that could help to guide me:
I will keep my current speakers (Hitachi HS-E20) for quite a time because making money is hard. I will probably upgrade my speakers someday and when I do I will not spend more than 200€ per speaker (or 400 a pair) so if the difference between the amps is not noticable with speakers of this price please let me know. Secondly, I would like to have at least as good but if possible better sound quality than my current amplifier (Hitachi HA-1 from the 80s) but I don't know if it's possible because I don't know if this amp is good or not.

Anyway, thanks for reading this and for any help given!

I found the specifications for your Hitachi amplifier on the hifiengine website link: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/hitachi/ha-1.shtml. I wouldn't recommend a specific device, but you should make your choice based on the measurements you can find on this site or elsewhere. You may also consider a standalone DAC + amplifier combination. You can easily find a DAC around €100 that has absolute audible transparency with a SINAD >= 115 dB. For amplifiers, a model that has a SINAD of at least 80 dB and a power under 8 ohms >= 40 W will very likely be more technically proficient than your HITACHI amplifier. However, the choice will be more limited than for DACs.
Otherwise, your initial idea about the Ayima A80 is wise if you prefer an all-in-one that fits your budget. The measurements taken by Amir on this site demonstrate that the device has quite respectable performance. Also keep in mind that the most significant improvement will be the replacement of the speakers. It is better to have good speakers with a mediocre amp rather than the opposite.

 

[Nytrex]

I found the specifications for your Hitachi amplifier on the hifiengine website link: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/hitachi/ha-1.shtml. I wouldn't recommend a specific device, but you should make your choice based on the measurements you can find on this site or elsewhere. You may also consider a standalone DAC + amplifier combination. You can easily find a DAC around €100 that has absolute audible transparency with a SINAD >= 115 dB. For amplifiers, a model that has a SINAD of at least 80 dB and a power under 8 ohms >= 40 W will very likely be more technically proficient than your HITACHI amplifier. However, the choice will be more limited than for DACs.
Otherwise, your initial idea about the Ayima A80 is wise if you prefer an all-in-one that fits your budget. The measurements taken by Amir on this site demonstrate that the device has quite respectable performance. Also keep in mind that the most significant improvement will be the replacement of the speakers. It is better to have good speakers with a mediocre amp rather than the opposite.

Thank you, I did look at separate amp and dac but since I need remote control and Bluetooth the options are almost inexistent.
There's the Topping E30 II Lite (100€) that has a remote but no Bluetooth so the Amp needs to have a Bluetooth chip and a remote too. I didn't find any that's under 100€.
An all in one seems to be the only option. I will think about it and I will definitely upgrade my speakers when I have the money.

 

[carsonpoland]

I read everything but it's getting too technical for me and I'm still considering something a little better than the A50 Pro even though it could be good.
I'm struggling so much to choose an amp it's so difficult.
When I created this thread I was almost convinced to take the Aiyima A80 and now I'm not really sure.
It's really great but it's 200€ which is a lot for me. There's the Aiyima D03 that costs 140€ that have everything I need (optical or HDMI input, Bluetooth, power, remote control...) but it's already a few years old and the chip used is even older, the dac is worse than the A80 too so I'm afraid that the sound quality and especially the distortion and load dependency are noticably worse.
On the other side there's the O-Noorus D3 Pro that has been released a few months ago, it's even more expensive than the A80 (it's 255€) but it seems so perfect. Great chip, great DAC, latest Bluetooth codec, good design, the sound quality is apparently even better than the A80. So even if it's so expensive for me, I'm thinking "maybe it's worth putting all this money once and keep a great device for years instead?"

So please, if anyone read this can you please tell me anything that would help me choose?

Here is some information that could help to guide me:
I will keep my current speakers (Hitachi HS-E20) for quite a time because making money is hard. I will probably upgrade my speakers someday and when I do I will not spend more than 200€ per speaker (or 400 a pair) so if the difference between the amps is not noticable with speakers of this price please let me know. Secondly, I would like to have at least as good but if possible better sound quality than my current amplifier (Hitachi HA-1 from the 80s) but I don't know if it's possible because I don't know if this amp is good or not.

Anyway, thanks for reading this and for any help given!

hi! ive bought A80 to replace my D03 which im using for few years but im not sure there is any noticeable improvement over D03 in sound therms. Im also having problems with sub output (AUX) - buzzing after A80 turn off. A80 is turning off with low volume - i cant listen music quietly. UVmeter/spectrum barely moves at low volumes. Remote looks worse than D03 remote. Im not sure ill keep A80

 

[Nytrex]

hi! ive bought A80 to replace my D03 which im using for few years but im not sure there is any noticeable improvement over D03 in sound therms. Im also having problems with sub output (AUX) - buzzing after A80 turn off. A80 is turning off with low volume - i cant listen music quietly. UVmeter/spectrum barely moves at low volumes. Remote looks worse than D03 remote. Im not sure ill keep A80

That's weird, did you reach out to Aiyima about this? Maybe your unit is faulty. What input are you using?

 

[RPoitou]

Before getting further carried away with discussing the possible DAC or amplifier solutions I'm sure many here would agree that what will make a bigger difference to your system would be some more modern speakers, carefully positioned:- have a look for second hand bargains on Facebook Marketplace or Leboncoin....
Meanwhile to solve your amplifier problem I'd be quite happy to send you a lightly used Tangent Ampster BT (optical and BT inputs) for €60 (inc. delivery) - got to encourage our younger enthusiasts

Notre moteur de recherche n'a pas pu répondre à votre demande.

www.son-video.com

 

[Nytrex]

Before getting further carried away with discussing the possible DAC or amplifier solutions I'm sure many here would agree that what will make a bigger difference to your system would be some more modern speakers, carefully positioned:- have a look for second hand bargains on Facebook Marketplace or Leboncoin....
Meanwhile to solve your amplifier problem I'd be quite happy to send you a lightly used Tangent Ampster BT (optical and BT inputs) for €60 (inc. delivery) - got to encourage our younger enthusiasts

Notre moteur de recherche n'a pas pu répondre à votre demande.

www.son-video.com

I'm definitely going to upgrade my speakers because even though my current speakers have a pretty high sentimental value I know that while sounding a lot better than the integrated speakers in my TV, they are probably far from the performance of new speakers. I did take a look on the used market and didn't find anything that seemed really good. I'm willing to spend 600€ for the entire setup (amp + speakers), I took a look at active speakers too because some people say that it's the best budget to sound quality ratio but since I need optical input, being able to control volume remotely and being able to turn off remotely or have an auto standby mode that drastically reduce the options available. I'm also worried about reliability, I will probably keep this setup for a long time and passive speaker seems to be the way to go for this.

I live near Le Mans I can drive about 50km max if you want to take a look at the offers on the used market near me. Like I said, I didn't find anything really interesting.

Thank your for the offer on the amplifier! Would you have any measurements or reliable review of it? It's a 2x50W, I worried it's a bit low to drive 8 Ohms speakers no?

 

[RPoitou]

I'm definitely going to upgrade my speakers because even though my current speakers have a pretty high sentimental value I know that while sounding a lot better than the integrated speakers in my TV, they are probably far from the performance of new speakers. I did take a look on the used market and didn't find anything that seemed really good. I'm willing to spend 600€ for the entire setup (amp + speakers), I took a look at active speakers too because some people say that it's the best budget to sound quality ratio but since I need optical input, being able to control volume remotely and being able to turn off remotely or have an auto standby mode that drastically reduce the options available. I'm also worried about reliability, I will probably keep this setup for a long time and passive speaker seems to be the way to go for this.

I live near Le Mans I can drive about 50km max if you want to take a look at the offers on the used market near me. Like I said, I didn't find anything really interesting.

Thank your for the offer on the amplifier! Would you have any measurements or reliable review of it? It's a 2x50W, I worried it's a bit low to drive 8 Ohms speakers no?

I don't see much on offer that close to Le Mans except for a pair of Elipson Melodine on leboncoin.
Here is a review of the amplifier, it was bought for TV sound in our large living room and the only reason we stopped using it is that my wife didn't like the remote control. If you turn up the volume enough to run out of power you will soon get complaints from the neighbours Do remember that watts are deceiving - you need watts x 10 to double the volume (loudness), not 2x.

Tangent Ampster - Review - HiFi and Music Source

This is a review of the Tangent Ampster, a modern mini stereo amplifier from Denmark with Bluetooth and bags of power

hifiandmusicsource.com

 

[Nytrex]

I don't see much on offer that close to Le Mans except for a pair of Elipson Melodine on leboncoin.
Here is a review of the amplifier, it was bought for TV sound in our large living room and the only reason we stopped using it is that my wife didn't like the remote control. If you turn up the volume enough to run out of power you will soon get complaints from the neighbours Do remember that watts are deceiving - you need watts x 10 to double the volume (loudness), not 2x.

Tangent Ampster - Review - HiFi and Music Source

This is a review of the Tangent Ampster, a modern mini stereo amplifier from Denmark with Bluetooth and bags of power

hifiandmusicsource.com

Yeah unfortunately the used market close to me is not very good. The amplifier does seem interesting but I saw that it weigh 8kg, given that it's going to be on my desk that is made of glass and that there's already quite a lot of heavy things on it, I'm a bit concerned that one day I'll hear a giant noise and everything's going to be broken. I don't have anywhere else to put it really, I don't want to put it on the floor because it's going to pick up a lot of dust. Even if it's a lot more expensive I believe a small class d amp would suit me better and maybe have better power efficiency too?

 

[RPoitou]

Yeah unfortunately the used market close to me is not very good. The amplifier does seem interesting but I saw that it weigh 8kg, given that it's going to be on my desk that is made of glass and that there's already quite a lot of heavy things on it, I'm a bit concerned that one day I'll hear a giant noise and everything's going to be broken. I don't have anywhere else to put it really, I don't want to put it on the floor because it's going to pick up a lot of dust. Even if it's a lot more expensive I believe a small class d amp would suit me better and maybe have better power efficiency too?

That 8kg figure is complete nonsense! don't know what that reviewer had been smoking In fact the amp is a very small and lightweight class D at 190 x 52 x 139 mm and 1350g.

 

[Nytrex]

That 8kg figure is complete nonsense! don't know what that reviewer had been smoking In fact the amp is very small and lightweight at 190 x 52 x 139 mm and 1350g.

Oh wow that's quite a big difference lol
1.3kg is way better! I have not yet gathered all the money I need to upgrade my setup, I might have enough next month but I'm not perfectly sure. If you haven't sold that amp I might get back to you