This is a subjective review of the Aiyima A20 “chip amp”. It’s a small class D amp, with enough room inside to install any of the aftermarket Op-amps, but the main feature is something I have been asking for them to include: an adjustable high pass filter!!
A20 Black Friday 20% off: https://www.amazon.com/AIYIMA-A20-Amplifier-Balanced-Adjustable/dp/B0FMR7SLP4
T20 Black Friday 20% off: https://www.amazon.com/AIYIMA-T20-Fully-Balanced-Preamp/dp/B0FFSVFZCC
#tubeamp #audiophile #aiyima
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Honestly I am using a smsl d200 pre/dac driving my a20 stereo…it is for me extremely musical and enjoyable 😊
Great review! Thank you 😁👍👍 If you had to choose, would you recommend the Sparkos over the Burson for best performance upgrade for the A20?
Hi. Other reviews say that the subwoofer output is set at 200Hz, could I use an active subwoofer and set the crossover on the sub lower?
Que tal. No, actualmente hay varios subwoofer que ya no traen crossover, ni fase … esos ajusten se hacen desde los amplificadores.
In regards to the Burson V7 Vivid op amps I've been doing a lot research on them and from what I've learned is they really seem to shine in dac's. In fact Burson recommends them for dac"s.
Just a heads up! Be careful with the RCA on the A20. I had to return mine due to the gold sleeve coming off when removing the RCA cable. If you are changing cable regularly (only 4-5 times for me) and using good cables the RCA may collapse. It’s a weakness on the A20. The entire RCA section is very weak and now a known issue with Aiyima whom have acknowledged the problem and are seeking to revise the unit. Those with expensive, larger, grippy plugs and cables should consider a lighter option in the meantime.
I would certainly avoid using WBT plugs on the A20/T20, those plugs grip like a Pit Bull and will pull the RCA gold sleeves out. I managed to replace the gold sleeve but it didn’t grip again and remained loose. Looking inside the unit I found how cheap the RCA unit is and it’s literally as weak as wet paper and had plenty of play My Aiyima A70 is the complete opposite as far as the RCA is concerned, very solid, no play at all! The rest of the unit is fine and the balanced inputs a strong enough to last. Again, Aiyima have acknowledged this issue and are have said that they seek to revise the unit.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I see some people dont like those cheep gear revues,but manny people dont have monney to buy costy gear,so i like those low cost reveus.realy hoping you will make an video about tape deck one day,after all its analogue,low cost,and if the tape and player are fine,they dont sound that bad.I have great funn going trough old cassettes.
The exact same thing happened to me. I stripped the screw on the heat sink and had to bore it out. It got me wondering if I should have loosened the screws on the back and nut on the front if there could have been any tension pulling the screws to one side, dunno.
Anyway, I bought the A20 and T20 to learn about op amps and tubes and how to customize the sound to my liking. These are perfect for it.
After an initial listen to the pair, I decided to start testing different op amps on the A20 using my Exposure 2510 that has a passive pre as a pre amp. The 49720's sounded clean and punchy with a really nice tight bass, but a little brittle up top. Then I switched to BB 2134'S. They're more mid-range focused with out that much air or deep bass, but it's a pleasant sound you could listen to all day. After that I tried the SX52B's from Aliexpress which are rated as class A. Now, I was getting a taste of that audiophile sound. Albeit, the sound didn't extend much beyond the speakers, but it was more spacious with a nice decay. Next up are the SS3602's which I plan to order soon and I bet they sound great. When that's done, I'll probably start on the T20 and start mixing and matching op amps between them.
And then on to tubes…. 😁
The real standout is their matching T20 balanced tube preamp – it’s really good! I would love to get your listening impressions since you have so much experience with tubes (it uses a pair of 12AX7s) and also has swappable op amps in the output stage. It has both balanced and single in/out so it works with anything. 😊
Guys use a Tube pre or buffer between yur digi sources and this amp and woo!
I'd be interested in your comments on the Decware speakers. I have a Glow Audio 5 watt amp that I'm trying to match to 93+ db speakers.. Nice review on the amp.
I believe the first class d prototypes where developed in the 1960's. So it is not digital and not even new technology.
would be great if you can do video on single ended (rca) vs balanced (xlr)? Why would tube amps only have rca?