Sabaj A30a announced

[Roland68]

My opinion Is that Sabaj is a wonderful way to enjoy music when space and money are limited, I use a wiim streamer and a pair of tiny Spendor bookshelf in my home office and I'm really impressed. Anyway, when you have a large room and a Parasound Hint there's no need to spend 500 bucks on Sabaj, even if I'm convinced there's no day/night difference in sound quality.

Did you connect the Wiim streamer digitally or analogue?

You assume that the Parasound or other significantly more expensive amplifiers would be better, or at least as good. I would be cautious about that, of course that could be the case, but it doesn't have to be. This amplifier uses a completely different technology and there are only a handful of amplifiers of this type on the market.
Two friends have already discovered that expensive does not always mean better. Both then switched from audiophile amplifiers for around €3000 and €5000 to the A30a. However, there were more reasons than just sound and performance.

 

[Querulo]

Did you connect the Wiim streamer digitally or analogue?

You assume that the Parasound or other significantly more expensive amplifiers would be better, or at least as good. I would be cautious about that, of course that could be the case, but it doesn't have to be. This amplifier uses a completely different technology and there are only a handful of amplifiers of this type on the market.
Two friends have already discovered that expensive does not always mean better. Both then switched from audiophile amplifiers for around €3000 and €5000 to the A30a. However, there were more reasons than just sound and performance.

Streamer is connected digitally via spdif (fixed volume) .
I have a cheap turntable connected to analog RCA input but I rarely use It, last time I listened tò vinyl It was... ok, not great but not awful, sometimes I connect a CD walkman to It and it's quite good, even if digital inputs are clearly superior. I never use DSP or tone controls, always pure flat.

 

[Roland68]

Streamer is connected digitally via spdif (fixed volume) .
I have a cheap turntable connected to analog RCA input but I rarely use It, last time I listened tò vinyl It was... ok, not great but not awful, sometimes I connect a CD walkman to It and it's quite good, even if digital inputs are clearly superior. I never use DSP or tone controls, always pure flat.

Do you have a phono preamplifier for the turntable or does the turntable have one built in?
Without it, the analog input of the A30a is not suitable for phono.

 

[Querulo]

Do you have a phono preamplifier for the turntable or does the turntable have one built in?
Without it, the analog input of the A30a is not suitable for phono.

My turntable has internal preamp, as I said there's nothing wrong with RCA input in Sabaj, but of course what passes the ADC conversion has not the same quality and transparency. By the way, the RCA input in wiim pro seems quite the same quality and it's good enough for my needs.

 

[Ludodo57]

I receive a30a on Wednesday, I ordered them on Amazon, what is the best cable connection to make between the wiim pro plus and a30a?

 

[Querulo]

I receive a30a on Wednesday, I ordered them on Amazon, what is the best cable connection to make between the wiim pro plus and a30a?

In my system I had better results with coaxial and optical spdif, no discernible differences between them. Once I had a Raspberry connected to USB and It was even better but the simplicity and better software of Wiim has won at the end because the quality is high enough for my standards.

 

[Roland68]

My turntable has internal preamp, as I said there's nothing wrong with RCA input in Sabaj, but of course what passes the ADC conversion has not the same quality and transparency. By the way, the RCA input in wiim pro seems quite the same quality and it's good enough for my needs.

I receive a30a on Wednesday, I ordered them on Amazon, what is the best cable connection to make between the wiim pro plus and a30a?

The implementation of the PCM1804 ADC is OK, but not particularly great.
Since the A30a only processes digital data anyway, the digital inputs, including USB, are always preferable.

 

[Querulo]

By the way, I had wi-fi issues yesterday and, for the first time in years, I used bluetooth on the Sabaj streaming from my Google pixel 6a (I had to find the antenna because I usually don't bother to connect them).
Well, pleasantly surprised, the amp shows LDAC on the screen and the sound is pretty good.
Other points for Sabaj, the swiss knife of nearly-high fidelity.

 

[Ludodo57]

I received a30a today, do I need a dac or audio converter to optimize the flow with the wiim pro plus?

 

[Roland68]

I received a30a today, do I need a dac or audio converter to optimize the flow with the wiim pro plus?

Definitely not, just a digital connection.

 

[Querulo]

I received a30a today, do I need a dac or audio converter to optimize the flow with the wiim pro plus?

to be fair, I'm in the same situation as yours and it's a super cool combination because in the small office I connect WiiM to Sabaj using toslink or coaxial with fixed volume taking advantage of lossless music and digital amp, but sometimes I pick up the WiiM and connect it via RCA to a pair of active speakers for parties and other occasions, WiiM Pro Plus has a great AK DAC chip and it really is a portable preamp with unbeatable price/quality rate (mine was bought used for 179 bucks, I really think it was a steal).
Enjoy your music, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[Querulo]

The implementation of the PCM1804 ADC is OK, but not particularly great.
Since the A30a only processes digital data anyway, the digital inputs, including USB, are always preferable.

Do you think the huge price difference with SMSL VMV A2 derives from what? better components? I searched the web extensively but the only difference I saw was that SMSL has a single RCA that can be coaxial SPDIF input or subwoofer output (stupid choice, indeed).

 

[Roland68]

No, both devices use the same components and parts, the circuits and power supply are also identical. The implementation of the PCM1804 is just as bad or good.
In a brief comparison, there was not a hint of a difference in sound.

VMV is SMSL's luxury brand. The A2 also has an AES input.

 

[GiBo61]

I received a30a today, do I need a dac or audio converter to optimize the flow with the wiim pro plus?

Hi Ludodo57, let us know the outcome of the comparison between the Sabaj A30a and the Parasound HINT6.

 

[Ludodo57]

Hello, I was supposed to receive a30a yesterday but there was a small delivery problem, I received it today, I will give you my opinion compared to my parasound

 

[Ludodo57]

Hello, a little feedback from the a30a and my parasound hint 6, my test did not last very long, a30a started to have a malfunction after 2 hours of use, the amplifier turned off and I never managed to restart it, so I will return it to amazon for a refund, for the little that I listen to them it is equal to the parasound on the lyrics, egu / medium, the parasound hint 6 wins in the hands for the management of the bass, the bass is more present deeper and I find the sound warmer with the parasound the tests were done on latino hip hop, us hip hop, drum n'bass, I did not have time to listen to other songs.

 

[GiBo61]

Hello, a little feedback from the a30a and my parasound hint 6, my test did not last very long, a30a started to have a malfunction after 2 hours of use, the amplifier turned off and I never managed to restart it, so I will return it to amazon for a refund, for the little that I listen to them it is equal to the parasound on the lyrics, egu / medium, the parasound hint 6 wins in the hands for the management of the bass, the bass is more present deeper and I find the sound warmer with the parasound the tests were done on latino hip hop, us hip hop, drum n'bass, I did not have time to listen to other songs.

It's a pity that the A30a broke down and you did not have time to complete your tests. Did you have time to evaluate if it was powerful enough in your setup?

 

[Roland68]

Hello, a little feedback from the a30a and my parasound hint 6, my test did not last very long, a30a started to have a malfunction after 2 hours of use, the amplifier turned off and I never managed to restart it, so I will return it to amazon for a refund, for the little that I listen to them it is equal to the parasound on the lyrics, egu / medium, the parasound hint 6 wins in the hands for the management of the bass, the bass is more present deeper and I find the sound warmer with the parasound the tests were done on latino hip hop, us hip hop, drum n'bass, I did not have time to listen to other songs.

That's a real shame.

Have you checked the subwoofer settings?
Most A30a models are set to on when they are delivered and have a cut-off frequency of 70 Hz, which of course gives the impression of little bass. This is also the case after firmware updates.
For me, the A30a is the amplifier with the strongest and very clean bass, even in comparison to the Yamaha A-S 1xxx/2xxx/3xxx and the NAD 2200 power amplifier. With the Sabaj, I even get into trouble with my neighbor for certain songs.

Please leave the Sabaj switched on (rear switch) without the power cable for a few minutes and then press the rotary knob at the front 2-3 times. Then switch it off again at the back and plug in the power cable.
Can it be switched on again after that?

 

[Ludodo57]

following your advice I just connected a30a at this moment, I managed to start it, so I deactivated the subwoofer option, in fact it really works much better than yesterday, I still don't know why it turned off yesterday. concerning the power yes it really gives enough power, I'm going to take advantage of it today to see what it gives

 

[Roland68]

following your advice I just connected a30a at this moment, I managed to start it, so I deactivated the subwoofer option, in fact it really works much better than yesterday, I still don't know why it turned off yesterday. concerning the power yes it really gives enough power, I'm going to take advantage of it today to see what it gives

Great that it's working again and you can continue testing. It just seems to have gone a little off track. I wouldn't worry about it for now.
Back in the 1980s, computer companies sent customer devices that were returned within the first week due to problems to a 48-hour long-term test and then released them again. Well over 95% of the devices were not returned after that.
I give every device, whether industrial, IT or audio, 50 hours before I worry. Of course, only if there is no serious hardware error.