You sound like you are talking about the past...The cold war certainly was a wild time.![]()
You sound like you are talking about the past...The cold war certainly was a wild time.![]()
I wish it wasn't so eerily applicable to today. But let's not get too political, shall we.You sound like you are talking about the past...
I just have a suspicion that the cheap D-amp chips from TI and the like don't scale particularly well, or at least they have a range of output levels where they work best that's proportionate to their rated output or supply voltage.Is there a reason you've ruled out the Fosi V3 or the Aiyima A07 MAX? Those are models with a big user base and people mostly pleased with them...good reviews from Amir...good volume control for softer listening...wide range of power bricks that can be used with them...for your use case, you could probably just go 32v 5a...?
Thanks for the info, appreciated.I understand...the one bit of advice I can offer, some of the newer amps have the better volume taper pot rather than log...for me, that's really key for listening at lower levels. I understand you ideally don't want to buy another power brick, but most of the newer amps want a bit more voltage, and that would provide the headroom you say you are seeking...
Don't however get an Aiyima A07, it's still a good amp, but you have a lot less low level volume control than with the Fosi V3 or the Aiyima A07.
My little A04 works so fine in my bedroom system, it's a keeper - you may be able to still find one in the wild if you are persistent.
I got the A07 for a very low price from them because I got the A04 and found it a little underpowered for what I'd intended to use it for...they sold me the A07 for the price of a power brick, basically. So I got both amps and the power brick for around a hundred, I believe. I have found both Fosi and Aiyima folks generally helpful and responsive to email queries.
If you have multiple inputs needed, keep an eye out for Fosi's little P4 preamp - I think it will come out in January. No price yet. Here are photos of it in my workroom. I'll be posting a review on it next week. It pairs very nicely with the V3 amplifier.
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Yeah, I was bringing it up a lot too - now we have the new Schiit Saga 2 at $279, which I own, and now the new Fosi is coming along too. I expect we'll see some others, but these two options will really fill that gap. The Schiit does not have tone controls, but it does have a relay stepped attenuator, very very accurate all the way down to 0 volume. I hope Fosi will price their unit around $125 - I think it would do well at about that price point.Thanks for the info, appreciated.
That's VERY interesting. Occasionally (well more than occasionally) I use the optical-out from my TV for streamed video (amazon et al), and those defeatable tone controls (which I'd otherwise never consider) would actually be very useful.
I bought an SMSL Sanskrit III DAC/'preamp' a while back partly because it gives me at least remote volume control for that optical-in. Also, that pre-out would allow me to go back to using only my SU-1 DAC for all inputs (i.e. dispensing with the Sanskrit).
It occurs to be that I actually enquired on ASR last year about the availability of exactly this kind of preamp!
I use digital attenuation/volume from my PC (via a remote), the volume knob on the Indeed is left at 12'o'clock, so fortunately low-volume channel mis-matches on the pot of whatever amp I use is moot.I understand...the one bit of advice I can offer, some of the newer amps have the better volume taper pot rather than log...for me, that's really key for listening at lower levels. I understand you ideally don't want to buy another power brick, but most of the newer amps want a bit more voltage, and that would provide the headroom you say you are seeking.
I reckon it won't be problem, the TA2020 on 13.5V has been plenty for 99% of my listening for years now, hopefully a TPA3251 on 19.5V will just give me some more headroom to accommodate 18db+ RMS-to-peak 'vintage' recordings in my library....
Your 19.5v power supply may be a bit underpowered even for that guy, but see how she plays with what you have...
It's your ears. Human hearing is volume-dependent in terms of frequency response. It's the reason why loudness functions exist: they're attempts to correct for this behaviour.Just to re-iterate;
has anyone else ever found that their audio rigs, while kicking-ass at 'realistic' SPL's, are just flat, un-detailed and boring when they try and listen at levels that don't make crockery rattle and antagonise their neighbours?
I can't believe I'm the only one.
Yes and no. Of course louder is moar better. But I've repeatedly tried to make the point that my tiny TA2020 amp conjures detail and space that others don't at similar volume.It's your ears. Human hearing is volume-dependent in terms of frequency response. It's the reason why loudness functions exist: they're attempts to correct for this behaviour.
And then there's the psychological aspect: music triggers an emotional response, and if you aren't listening loud enough, that response is less pronounced. Louder is better.
I might say nice things about the recording, or the speakers I'm listening to......That's an odd thing to say. ETA >> what words would you use to describe good sound from a hifi?
Also no load dependency!I think the RSL iA255.1 probably offers desktop users the biggest value with Bluetooth, RCA and USB input, pre out for subs, bass/treble adjustments and an optional 90Hz HPF switch on the mains. All for $110.
Of course this is what in "the old days" we more or less solved by using the loudness circuit. Those varied in quality from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it was a nice way to make a quick adjustment when playing at a lower/background level to boost the bass and treble without fiddling with the tone controls. I still rotate/use a restored Marantz 2216 and Kenwood KA-3500 just for their all-in-one convenience, and I do enjoy having that available. The built in phono preamps sound pretty good, too.Just to re-iterate;
has anyone else ever found that their audio rigs, while kicking-ass at 'realistic' SPL's, are just flat, un-detailed and boring when they try and listen at levels that don't make crockery rattle and antagonise their neighbours?
I can't believe I'm the only one.