Sabaj A20d 2022 Version Owners Feedback

[PH14]

I got that much. But only the manufacturer can clear this up for sure. Hopefully we'll get the facts from them.

 

[peterwen]

I've been urging amir to review our products, but he may be more concerned about topping's new products, but we've been waiting for the results. This made me sad. The audio market shouldn't have just one brand that is sought after.

 

[regan]

But only the manufacturer can clear this up for sure. Hopefully we'll get the facts from them.

They won't do that. The "cultural barrier" makes it so they ignore the question. Implicitly or even explicitly "in your face".

Just assume the worst and expect 0 customer support. It's for the best. Talking from experience.

 

[peterwen]

I got that much. But only the manufacturer can clear this up for sure. Hopefully we'll get the facts from them.

That is not a fully balanced headphone amp. The error of the retoucher caused a misunderstanding, and the details page has been changed.

 

[James-F]

I've been urging amir to review our products, but he may be more concerned about topping's new products, but we've been waiting for the results. This made me sad. The audio market shouldn't have just one brand that is sought after.

Topping paid more money.
Very simple.

 

[BHazard]

@peterwen Sabaj isn't known as well as Topping yet. Years ago I didn't know anything about Topping either. Now I consider Topping good but a bit overpriced.

The a20d 2022 is a good breakout product from Sabaj to get themselves on the map as a quality audio vendor, but it needs more product awareness. You may need to expand to other sellers such as Shenzhen Audio, Linsoul, and definitely make sure Amazon becomes an option. While I myself have no issues buying direct from China, other may want domestic shipping instead.

Sending samples to some well known Youtube influencers may help as well. Ultimately, we that are on this forum love seeing data backing performance up, so I hope this does get the review treatment here.

Two big thumbs up here though. I love the a20d 2022 and have Sabaj, Loxjie, and Hifi-Express on my radar for future audio purchases.

 

[sthaus]

That is not a fully balanced headphone amp. The error of the retoucher caused a misunderstanding, and the details page has been changed.

What was the claim ??? 4.4mm was not balance ??? 6.35mm is clearly not balance. !!! I heard about people complain about volume issue for L,R at low volume as well in stereo mode. !

 

[Cloth-mdir]

What was the claim ??? 4.4mm was not balance ??? 6.35mm is clearly not balance. !!! I heard about people complain about volume issue for L,R at low volume as well in stereo mode. !

Please answer this and
Is the two xlr out on the back fully balanced with Amp usable for headphones? or is it DAC out only?

 

[BHazard]

Please answer this and
Is the two xlr out on the back fully balanced with Amp usable for headphones? or is it DAC out only?

The XLR Out is a Line Out. I run it to my THX-887.
The Amp 4.4mm Balanced Jack will output if you have a balanced cable running to your IEM/Headphone, but the Amp itself is not dual amp chips each separately feeding L or R, which would be truly balanced. That's my understanding of it.
Not a huge deal. I consider the amp a bonus, and any enthusiast would have a separate powerful amp for their power hungry headphones anyway.

 

[sthaus]

Please answer this and
Is the two xlr out on the back fully balanced with Amp usable for headphones? or is it DAC out only?

XLR is a balance output for sure for Dac.. otherwise it would be a crazy product. However I only concern about the headphone amp with 4.4mm output .. 6.35mm is not a balance for sure ! But 4.4mm is usually a balanced port .. and I was not sure what was problem with the claim .. since Sabaj still has the ads with 4.4mm balance !!!

 

[BDWoody]

Topping paid more money.
Very simple.

Ignorance abounding...

Don't spew this garbage unless you have some kind of evidence. Otherwise, you just get a time out.

 

[Doodski]

Topping paid more money.
Very simple.

Dangit! Where is the whack-a-mole feature when I reallly need one!

 

[jhenderson0107]

I received my A20d a few days ago. Comfortable to use, simple menu system, works and sounds great with ample volume using HD650s equalized via Roon. A fair value at $377, but I suspect the A10d sounds identical and saves a c-note.

 

[Sinquito]

I received my A20d a few days ago. Comfortable to use, simple menu system, works and sounds great with ample volume using HD650s equalized via Roon. A fair value at $377, but I suspect the A10d sounds identical and saves a c-note.

Good to hear you are enjoying it. I also think that getting the A10d was the smart move since probably both are sonically indistinguishable to the human ear, but I like the way the screen looks

 

[Foxenfurter]

That was my thinking too!

 

[yavormoskov]

I tried the Headphone Amp section today, running 4.4mm Balanced with my Hifiman Edition XS.

If I didn't already have a Lokius and Monoprice 887, I could very much get away with listening via the built in amp on high gain. I went to about 70 out of 99 max on the volume knob with the built in HPA and didn't hit any intolerable distortion. I missed my EQ too much to use this full time though. I think that's the next step in a DAC/AMP like this, built in hardware or software EQ/DSP. That would make this an absolute monster IMO.

The LCD screen is much better than my Gustard X16. With the remote I'm able to move between and select menu options pretty quickly. It's obvious it's an LCD screen though, as the background screen is a milky black/grey like most edge lit LCDs. Maybe OLED in the future for a slightly higher price?

The A20D 2022 is much lighter than the X16 as well. I also quite like the design and choice of silver, along with the handles on the front of the case.

I really liked my X16, but I'm liking this more, and I'm sure the ES9038PRO has much to do with it.

I don't quite understand why this hasn't gotten more attention? Are people unsure of trying Sabaj? I don't think they are that new of a company. Shipping from Hifi-Express was via DHL Express for me in the US (no extra cost, which was a nice surprise), and it arrived in less than a week from China, which was impressive.

I don't care about built in EQ. I use Equalizer APO software for Windows. It's far superior to any DAC's tone controls by my opinion.

 

[jhenderson0107]

...I also think that getting the A10d was the smart move...

Smart would have been repurposing one of the many other DAC/amps I have littered around the house instead of buying yet another.

But I was mezmerized by specification overkill, a sleek chassis and OLED display.

 

[peterwen]

Amir still missed all my message. so to wait the review of A20d.

 

[ces04848]

Did you get this figured out in the end?

So to update, the unit was sent to repair/tech in NJ as per conversation with Mandy at Sabaj/hifi express. After a few messages back and forth instructing me to remove headphone and change headphone gain - despite never using headphones with this DAC/amp - and resetting from menu repeatedly I was sent explanation below, again from Mandy:

"This is just an individual phenomenon, it may touch the low frequency protection switch, and it will be checked here before issuing a new one"

Unit was sent July 8 and delivered to tech July 11. I have sent a number of follow up messages to Mandy at Sabaj/hifi express but no updates/replies provided... Overall a very negative experience thus far, I don't mind waiting for the unit to be inspected but any reply or update on order status would be appreciated. I get the feeling it is a small team (or even team of 1) but I still can't recommend hifi express based on my experience. I am also not confident a replacement unit will fix my issue - my use case was DAC only, fixed output so not sure why "low frequency protection" would need to trigger... If anyone has similar issue with the DAC or hifi express I would love to hear how/if you were able to resolve. Thanks in advance!

 

[peterwen]

So to update, the unit was sent to repair/tech in NJ as per conversation with Mandy at Sabaj/hifi express. After a few messages back and forth instructing me to remove headphone and change headphone gain - despite never using headphones with this DAC/amp - and resetting from menu repeatedly I was sent explanation below, again from Mandy:

"This is just an individual phenomenon, it may touch the low frequency protection switch, and it will be checked here before issuing a new one"

Unit was sent July 8 and delivered to tech July 11. I have sent a number of follow up messages to Mandy at Sabaj/hifi express but no updates/replies provided... Overall a very negative experience thus far, I don't mind waiting for the unit to be inspected but any reply or update on order status would be appreciated. I get the feeling it is a small team (or even team of 1) but I still can't recommend hifi express based on my experience. I am also not confident a replacement unit will fix my issue - my use case was DAC only, fixed output so not sure why "low frequency protection" would need to trigger... If anyone has similar issue with the DAC or hifi express I would love to hear how/if you were able to resolve. Thanks in advance!

So sorry about this, the package has send out on 14th and forget to update it to your order. Mandy have send you the tracking number via email.