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What the current Aiyima A07 actually needs.

Scrufboy

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Been talking with a friend about this unit in it's current state. As Aiyima have asked what can they do, implement or change for the manufacturing a "Pro" version... We still have to address our existing units.

As I've read, heat can be a big deal with this A07. Causing the lifespan to be dramatically reduced. Aiyima could have made this unit slightly wider and spread these components out much better. Think of the actual Texas Intrument reference unit.

I propose a few ideas to help address this heat issue that may or may not have been discussed.

First, those poor caps. I put a strip of heatshield tape on the sides of the caps that are nearly touching that heatsink. This tape exists for electronics and other things to deflect heat away. Will it work? Will it make things worse? Only time will tell.

But that heatsink Aiyima uses is a joke. If it was closer to a CPU heatsink in design with more fins that were thinner and in our case tapered in length (shorter on the edges). You would of course have a larger surface area to handle the heat with a shape that would pull more heat away from those caps. But that isn't enough..

The real problem is that there is no airflow to remove this heat effectively so the Aiyima A07 is basically a little oven.

The quick and dirty way to address this is to force it to have a natural convection like airflow.

It needs a small set of slots or a series of vent holes on the top at the back of the upper half of the enclosure or directly over the heatsink itself. This along with intake holes on the sides of the bottom half toward the front would serve to dissipate and remove heat faster.

The heat would rise and exit the upper back vents or vents above the heatsink.... This would naturally force air intake at the holes on the side at the front of the bottom half of the enclosure. Airflow across the fins is essential. If there were more fins that were thinner, the unit would cool much faster and more efficiently.

Aiyima could make these units with a better heatsink and these airflow solutions now. This would open the door for an aftermarket solution. Because they would manufacturing new units with the changes, they would also be able offer a new emclosure to those who already have the A07. They could even offer the improved heatsink with a small tube of thermal paste. Sold directly to the customer who wanted them. Voiding all warranties of course.

I know I would buy it. But a dremel, a drill and a way to blacken the aluminum is all we need to start.

We might even find a better heatsink online. They do come in all shapes and sizes.

This would invariably be the logical step to take if someone was addressing the issue of heat with new thermal paste. Using the paste, without airflow across the fins of a heatsink really doesn't help that much.

Can the DIY community rally on this?

Who can say... Just venting the unit properly is a step in the right direction.

Thanks for reading. Share your thoughts. I'll edit this for clarity and correctness if needed. If this thread should be moved. I'm all for it.
 

TheWalkman

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I’ll start this off. How about:

- a quality 36 (to 46 V power supply - need to pop the top and verify the capacitor rating) and;

- perhaps some vent holes for good measure (though mine never runs hot;

- speaker terminals spaced a bit farther apart.

I‘ll get completely crazy, and suggest an A07 (and/ or) A04 plus with upgraded caps, inductors and caps as suggested in the Mod thread over at DIY Audio. It would probably double the price but with a bit of education / marketing, I think it would sell, particularly to, “the audiophile“ crowd found here.

Overall, I really have no complaints. For the price, the Aiyimas are great little amps.
 
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Scrufboy

Scrufboy

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I can totally agree with the PSU... I picked up a Drok 48v 10a and I have it dialed in at 36v and the Amp sings.. Plus I can power the Aiyima A3001 Subwoofer Amp with the same PSU

I've noted they have changed the caps since Amir's review. Probably a few times. My unit has these purple 63v rated caps vs the 50v I have seen in other pics. Better caps /inductors wouldn't hurt at all.

For me the vent holes is key... And to be fair you can't really tell how hot that heatsink is from outside the enclosure. So they can't hurt. And this is the bare minimum of what Aiyima can do... It's even something the end user can do.
 

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Mcpfrid

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Definitely plan on following this thread. My A07 should arrive today. I was searching for heatsink suggestions and found this.
Scrufboy, where did you find that rack? Been looking for something like that.
 

mightycicadalord

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Is this guy still one of the best cheaper options? I've got a pair paul carmody amigas I'm working on and will need something better than the smsl said, but I am also quite strapped for cash.
 
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Scrufboy

Scrufboy

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Definitely plan on following this thread. My A07 should arrive today. I was searching for heatsink suggestions and found this.
Scrufboy, where did you find that rack? Been looking for something like that.
 

Head_Unit

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As Aiyima have asked what can they do
Where/when was that? I'm using one but in a usually background condition, so I'm probably not the toughest customer.
- My one complaint is wow those speaker terminals are like the tiniest things, I had to get smaller gauge wire.
- Put a REAL power rating on there Aiyima peeps!! <1% THD
 

TheWalkman

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Where/when was that? I'm using one but in a usually background condition, so I'm probably not the toughest customer.
- My one complaint is wow those speaker terminals are like the tiniest things, I had to get smaller gauge wire.
- Put a REAL power rating on there Aiyima peeps!! <1% THD
Head Unit,

Get some banana plugs for your speakers. They work well with the Aiyimas and avoid the futzing with small post holes. They cost around a buck a piece.

2DFB16B2-BEDB-4DC5-98A1-8DA2E3EED81B.jpeg
 

restorer-john

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What about this for an idea? Design this cheap piece of junk properly in the first place! It's not hard.

An overheating amplifier is a consumer recall waiting to happen. No excuses. This Chinese chit needs to lift its game.
 

abdo123

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As I've read, heat can be a big deal with this A07.
Really? Where is this coming from?

I use two A07s to power my subwoofers (i have 4 of them so i don't need a gazilion watt) and the case is NEVER warm. Even after a two hour movie or a live performance.

I even watched Hans Zimmer live in Prague and it didn't warm up.
 

peanuts

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lets see, its currently a $77 device including power supply. very few will care about a beafy heatsink, psu or quality caps. nor will they expect a 20year lifespan. its made to be compact and cheap.
 

Joe Smith

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I'm enjoying my two Aiyimas. No problems with heat. The A07 is so powerful that I rarely need to go past 10 o'clock volume, even with a 24v power supply. It's not a thing that will last like my older equipment, but it is very good for what it is. I guess all in all my needs are pretty basic.
 

RHO

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Really? Where is this coming from?

I use two A07s to power my subwoofers (i have 4 of them so i don't need a gazilion watt) and the case is NEVER warm. Even after a two hour movie or a live performance.

I even watched Hans Zimmer live in Prague and it didn't warm up.
Maybe people ore using it with 42V power supplies, which is the maximum allowed. Better stay with 32V or 36V supplies, to stay away from absolute maximum.
I ordered mine with the 36V power brick from Aiyima themselves.
 

DSJR

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I'm enjoying my two Aiyimas. No problems with heat. The A07 is so powerful that I rarely need to go past 10 o'clock volume, even with a 24v power supply. It's not a thing that will last like my older equipment, but it is very good for what it is. I guess all in all my needs are pretty basic.
Careful here - The position of the volume control is NO indication of power being used, as a reduced input level will mean the control is wound round further (used to be two o'clock for normal levels in UK Jurassic times, but now it's all or nothing at nine o'clock for many modern amps and especially since the 'digital standard' of 2V for non balanced sources). The volume control is purely a level matching control, nothing else :)
 

abdo123

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Maybe people ore using it with 42V power supplies, which is the maximum allowed. Better stay with 32V or 36V supplies, to stay away from absolute maximum.
I ordered mine with the 36V power brick from Aiyima themselves.
I’m using it with 48V power supply too.

Class D chips are just uber efficient.
 

RHO

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I’m using it with 48V power supply too.

Class D chips are just uber efficient.
Yes, but voltage stress can break a chip too. You don't have much margin when constantly using it at the maximum allowed voltage. Any voltage spike will be a risk for the chips involved. What does your power supply do at startup? Does it ramp up slowly or does it come on suddenly with a small/large overshoot?
And safe operation at maximum allowed voltage is not always guaranteed for prolonged time. Sometimes there a time limit involved too.
 

mhardy6647

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Judging by the photos of the innards posted elsewhere on this very site, it looks like adding convective cooling should indeed be straightforward.

index.php


lets see, its currently a $77 device including power supply. very few will care about a beafy heatsink, psu or quality caps. nor will they expect a 20year lifespan. its made to be compact and cheap.
<rant>OK, maybe it is just me -- but I can't buy that last comment at all. Correlating lifespan of the product with price shouldn't be necessary from my perspective, especially in the light of growing global cognizance of the rolled-up costs of waste. A disposable electronic component is waste of the worst and most egregious (and inexcusable) kind, from my perspective.
</rant>
;)
 

restorer-john

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It appears the Chinese haven't worked out that extruded fin heatsinks don't work when placed horizontally and particularly, when placed in a sealed box with no airflow. There's no hope for these absolute idiots.

Anyone who buys this garbage deserves exactly what they get.
 
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