Need advice for how to best use 2 Aiyima A07 amps

[Joe’s Apartment]

I read a few threads but couldn’t find anything that addresses my particular needs.

I have a pair of JBL studio530 speakers that are bi-ampable. They’re 6ohm nominal impedance with a sensitivity of 86bB which I’ve heard will sound best powered by an amp/s with more available headroom.

I was using a single Aiyima A07 power amp to drive them and they do sound good (if not a bit bright with the class D amp) but are noticeably quieter than the more sensitive speakers I own with a 4 ohm impedance.

I purchased another A07 and have the following questions:

Would it be possible to run my 2 A07 amps in bridged mono parallel? I’d be using the stock 32v power supplies so as not to overload the op amps.

Or

Do you think it would be better to just bi-amp the JBLs with the A07s?

PS. I’m trying to do this on a budget and can’t really afford a better amp ATM.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

I’m also concerned about any potential problems or damage that might result from a bridged mono parallel setup using these particular amps. I’ve heard a lot of people discouraging using them in this way but I don’t plan on driving them to excessively loud volumes. I just want them to sound their best at low, mid-higher volumes and think that driving them hard with just the one amp is introducing some distortion.

 

[Doodski]

if not a bit bright with the class D amp

Where did you get this idea from?

Would it be possible to run my 2 A07 amps in bridged mono parallel? I’d be using the stock 32v power supplies so as not to overload the op amps.

Where did you get this idea from?

Two identical questions...lol

 

[Holmz]

I would run the left channel to the top post and the right channel to the bottom posts.
Or visa-versa.
And put an amp behind each speaker so that the speaker cables are short.

You may want a 40V or 50V power supply for each one, if you are cranking up the volume.

I think 50V gives ~300W, and the 20-something V power supply gives 100-something watts. That was at 4 ohms, so it goes down by 1/2 into 8 ohms.
You’ll almost certainly want the 50V power supply with a 6 ohm nominal.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

I would run the left channel to the top post and the right channel to the bottom posts.
Or visa-versa.
And put an amp behind each speaker so that the speaker cables are short.

You may want a 40V or 50V power supply for each one, if you are cranking up the volume.

I think 50V gives ~300W, and the 20-something V power supply gives 100-something watts. That was at 4 ohms, so it goes down by 1/2 into 8 ohms.
You’ll almost certainly want the 50V power supply with a 6 ohm nominal.

Thanks for your input Holmz.
So that’s one vote for bi-amping. Still curious what you think about running them bridged in parallel? Would there be any perceivable benefit power wise vs bi-amping? Would it help or hurt SQ? I read somewhere else that it was necessary to create ventilation cuts in the chassis when upgrading the power supply and even adding a small fan for cooling to extend the life of the capacitors that are touching the heatsink. Thanks for your help!

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

Where did you get this idea from?

Where did you get this idea from?

Two identical questions...lol

…

 

[NTK]

Thanks for your input Holmz.
So that’s one vote for bi-amping. Still curious what you think about running them bridged in parallel? Would there be any perceivable benefit power wise vs bi-amping? Would it help or hurt SQ? I read somewhere else that it was necessary to create ventilation cuts in the chassis when upgrading the power supply and even adding a small fan for cooling to extend the life of the capacitors that are touching the heatsink. Thanks for your help!

It will not be simple to convert the A07 into parallel BTL. See schematics for the 2 configurations. You'll need to make connection changes before the output filter.

 

[deadwood83]

Bi-amp. Also, class D doesn;t typically sound more bright, It usually sounds slightly different than a Class A/B because well... the signal is usually cleaner in a similar to lower price bracket. All bets are off with $15 ali amps though. . Feed them with some Y splitters and have fun. I;d set amps to max so as to avoid most channel imbalances and pot tolerances and asjust volume upstream at your dac/preamp if possible.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

Bi-amp. Also, class D doesn;t typically sound more bright, It usually sounds slightly different than a Class A/B because well... the signal is usually cleaner in a similar to lower price bracket. All bets are off with $15 ali amps though. . Feed them with some Y splitters and have fun. I;d set amps to max so as to avoid most channel imbalances and pot tolerances and asjust volume upstream at your dac/preamp if possible.

Bright wasn’t the word I was going for but “semblance”. I tried the JBLs with other Chinese class D amps with similar results. Details are very clear and resolved but the upper frequencies on some recordings were a bit fatiguing through the horn-loaded compression tweeter. Conversely, this semblance was all but eliminated when paired with my hybrid A/B integrated amp with tube pre-amp buffers. I do love the surgical sound the class D provides.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

It will not be simple to convert the A07 into parallel BTL. See schematics for the 2 configurations. You'll need to make connection changes before the output filter.

View attachment 241738 View attachment 241739

Hey thanks NTK. I think that about puts an end to that option for me! Bi-amping it is! Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Holmz]

Bright wasn’t the word I was going for but “semblance”.
…

Sibilance might be the word you are thinking of?
Those amps are o pretty decent for $70, the power supply will cost a bit more.

… Feed them with some Y splitters and have fun. I;d set amps to max so as to avoid most channel imbalances and pot tolerances and asjust volume upstream at your dac/preamp if possible.

^This^
A pair of Y connectors, and maybe a pair of high pass filters.


I think that you would still want the higher voltage power supply.

One could run some inline filters (at least on the higher freq side) is they wanted to rolloff the voltage.
Maybe a high pass at 200Hz or more… depends on where the lower terminal posts have their crossover, and then go a bit low so that only the 100 (or so) Hz and below is really cut out.

E.g. “FMOD hi pass 200Hz”.

Line Level Crossovers

Line Level Crossovers

www.hlabs.com

 

[Tangband]

I read a few threads but couldn’t find anything that addresses my particular needs.

I have a pair of JBL studio530 speakers that are bi-ampable. They’re 6ohm nominal impedance with a sensitivity of 86bB which I’ve heard will sound best powered by an amp/s with more available headroom.

I was using a single Aiyima A07 power amp to drive them and they do sound good (if not a bit bright with the class D amp) but are noticeably quieter than the more sensitive speakers I own with a 4 ohm impedance.

I purchased another A07 and have the following questions:

Would it be possible to run my 2 A07 amps in bridged mono parallel? I’d be using the stock 32v power supplies so as not to overload the op amps.

Or

Do you think it would be better to just bi-amp the JBLs with the A07s?

PS. I’m trying to do this on a budget and can’t really afford a better amp ATM.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Do biamping as a start. One amplifier only for the bass units L/R and one only for the tweeters.This way you can at least finetune the balance between the horn and the bassdriver, with the help of the volume controls on a07. You need a source/pre amp before the Aiyimas with global volume regulation.
This way the sound might be better than with a single, more expensive amplifier. Try and listen.

I did a project with my 530:s making them truly active with the help of a dbx pa2 . The sound was much improved.
Optimal crossover freq is 1,8 KHz with this speaker.
Dont go there If you dont have measurement gear.

Easy mod. on jbl 530:
You can start putting some more damping material inside the speakers. They are almost empty - optimal is about the double amount. Use rockwool or sheep wool. You open the speaker removing the bass unit. Dont block the port.

 

[Holmz]

Do biamping as a start. One amplifier only for the bass units L/R and one only for the tweeters.
…

I am not sure horizontal bi-amping gives anything beneficial except for extra speaker cable length?
A vertical bi-amping just slaps one behind each speaker.

…This way you can at least finetune the balance between the horn and the bassdriver, with the help of the volume controls on a07. You need a source/pre amp before the Aiyimas with global volume regulation.
This way the sound might be better than with a single, more expensive amplifier. Try and listen.
…

They will already be fine with the same signal on each set of posts as the speaker’s crossover is already tuned properly for a full range signal.

… You need a source/pre amp before the Aiyimas with global volume regulation.
This way the sound might be better than with a single, more expensive amplifier. Try and listen.
…

They could just run the volume from the AIYAMA, it shoudl be possible, but would be stumbling around the room to do so, unless it is a DAC with a volume control.

 

[deadwood83]

Bright wasn’t the word I was going for but “semblance”. I tried the JBLs with other Chinese class D amps with similar results. Details are very clear and resolved but the upper frequencies on some recordings were a bit fatiguing through the horn-loaded compression tweeter. Conversely, this semblance was all but eliminated when paired with my hybrid A/B integrated amp with tube pre-amp buffers. I do love the surgical sound the class D provides.

Interesting! Your room might be amplifying all the wrong parts of the signal.

My friend has a pair of Studio 590's and while they're awesome speakers (he paid 600 cash for the pair BNIB), it would be difficult for me to listen to them all day (in his room). The last part in parenthesis is vital, because he has them in a room with hard floors, vaulted ceilings, and a single, thin Ikea floor rug. Large flat wall with glass-covered posters behind the seating. Walls with glass windows (one interior, one exterior) and a gas fireplace 90* to the speakers. All his furniture is waxed pleather too; so it just reflects highs for ages. At least they're worlds better than the Jamo S807's he replaced. Those were AWFUL. Boomy and screechy all in one.

If the highs bother you, I would honestly look at your room. The measurements of those speakers would indicate they should have a rather smooth and pleasing sound with slightly recessed highs. If you have a PC USB microphone, sometimes the MFG will put out a generic frequency response curve whcih you can digitize and put into REW. Even this rough calibration will do WOLRDS for your sound. I think I used something like http://www.graphreader.com/ or https://apps.automeris.io/wpd/ to digitize the user manual frequency response from my MPM-2000u to generate a CSV for REW. It;s crude and not anywhere near as accurate as a calibration mic but for a little time and $0 (assuming you have a mic with some sort of MFG frequency response curve) it makes a massive difference.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

Interesting! Your room might be amplifying all the wrong parts of the signal.

My friend has a pair of Studio 590's and while they're awesome speakers (he paid 600 cash for the pair BNIB), it would be difficult for me to listen to them all day (in his room). The last part in parenthesis is vital, because he has them in a room with hard floors, vaulted ceilings, and a single, thin Ikea floor rug. Large flat wall with glass-covered posters behind the seating. Walls with glass windows (one interior, one exterior) and a gas fireplace 90* to the speakers. All his furniture is waxed pleather too; so it just reflects highs for ages. At least they're worlds better than the Jamo S807's he replaced. Those were AWFUL. Boomy and screechy all in one.

If the highs bother you, I would honestly look at your room. The measurements of those speakers would indicate they should have a rather smooth and pleasing sound with slightly recessed highs. If you have a PC USB microphone, sometimes the MFG will put out a generic frequency response curve whcih you can digitize and put into REW. Even this rough calibration will do WOLRDS for your sound. I think I used something like http://www.graphreader.com/ or https://apps.automeris.io/wpd/ to digitize the user manual frequency response from my MPM-2000u to generate a CSV for REW. It;s crude and not anywhere near as accurate as a calibration mic but for a little time and $0 (assuming you have a mic with some sort of MFG frequency response curve) it makes a massive difference.

I’ll be the first to admit that my room is not ideal at all. It’s an old peer and beam house with wood floors and no room treatments. I won’t be living here much longer so don’t want to spend time/money trying to fix this odd-shaped living space. I also have a pair of Polk R200s that sound silky smooth in the treble in the same spot as the JBLs (I got the JBLs for $289 on sale!) as well as a pair of Sony SS-CS5s with the GR research redesigned crossovers and they sound great with no fatigue as well. I’m just not used to horn loaded tweeters I suppose (never owned a Klipsh). But don’t get me wrong, there’s something special about the sound coming out of those 530s that’s addictive- even in my crappy room! I’ll have to look into that stuff you mentioned too.

Just an FYI for those responding in this thread (thanks!) here’s my current “stack” of budget “separates”
Bluetooth receiver: Antsonic BRX-03 Pro
Preamp: Douk Audio ST-01
Amp: Aiyima A07

The douk ST-01 is technically a fully integrated amp and dac, bluetooth receiver with a tube preamp buffer and tone controls, volume, and remote control. I’m only using the preamp function atm (it sounds pretty good as a all-in-one solution but I needed more power to drive the JBLs.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

I’m primarily streaming Hi-Res music through Qobuz from a Pixel phone that supports LDAC and it sounds great. I also have a CD player and record player (and several old tape players) that I don’t use much these days. I love the convenience of streaming.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

I am not sure horizontal bi-amping gives anything beneficial except for extra speaker cable length?
A vertical bi-amping just slaps one behind each speaker.




They will already be fine with the same signal on each set of posts as the speaker’s crossover is already tuned properly for a full range signal.




They could just run the volume from the AIYAMA, it shoudl be possible, but would be stumbling around the room to do so, unless it is a DAC with a volume control.

Unfortunately, my better quality rca cables aren’t long enough so I’ll have to run more speaker wire (which I have plenty of atm). My speakers are only 5ft apart so it won’t be an excessive amount of wire.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

Do biamping as a start. One amplifier only for the bass units L/R and one only for the tweeters.This way you can at least finetune the balance between the horn and the bassdriver, with the help of the volume controls on a07. You need a source/pre amp before the Aiyimas with global volume regulation.
This way the sound might be better than with a single, more expensive amplifier. Try and listen.

I did a project with my 530:s making them truly active with the help of a dbx pa2 . The sound was much improved.
Optimal crossover freq is 1,8 KHz with this speaker.
Dont go there If you dont have measurement gear.

Easy mod. on jbl 530:
You can start putting some more damping material inside the speakers. They are almost empty - optimal is about the double amount. Use rockwool or sheep wool. You open the speaker removing the bass unit. Dont block the port.

I saw NRD opening a pair and I’m not sure I want to give that a go. The Sony Ss-CS5s were a PITA as well but no where near as bad as the JBLs. I’m not sure the benefit would be noticeable in my crazy room layout anyway. There was a noticeable damping improvement with the NoRez panels I put in the Sonys though. I might try it somewhere down the road in another house.

 

[Joe’s Apartment]

Sibilance might be the word you are thinking of?
Those amps are o pretty decent for $70, the power supply will cost a bit more.




^This^
A pair of Y connectors, and maybe a pair of high pass filters.


I think that you would still want the higher voltage power supply.

One could run some inline filters (at least on the higher freq side) is they wanted to rolloff the voltage.
Maybe a high pass at 200Hz or more… depends on where the lower terminal posts have their crossover, and then go a bit low so that only the 100 (or so) Hz and below is really cut out.

E.g. “FMOD hi pass 200Hz”.

Line Level Crossovers

Line Level Crossovers

www.hlabs.com

Thanks for the tips! Yea, the auto suggest did me wrong, lol”

 

[tonycollinet]

If you want more volume, you need to be dual mono/btl.

Bi-amping will not increase the volume, since each amp will still be outputting the same voltage - hence the same power into each speaker.