Aiyima A07 Max Class D Amplifier Review-

In this video I give a subjective listening review of this little $90 class D chip amp. Looks like you can swap other op amps into it, it has a sub out which is nice and for this price point, sounds really good! Does it compete against higher priced HiFi gear? Does this little box really make 300W of power? Sorry no spoilers, go watch the video!

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[danielbaty]

I have 2 of these, 1 in each system but with the top GaN 48v PSUs, if you had swapped out the fake 5532 opamps they actually sound superb.
I run mine with Sparko and I run big Spendor S9 floor standers and there is plenty of power and no distortion in the bass, it's good solid and articulate bass actually.
BTW I run it with a Super Natural Audio NoS all valve dac and Super Natural Audio valve line stage preamp.
BTW I am SNA, I make my own valve audio equipment and run a small company here in the UK in my spare time.

Also as an added note, the Aiyima A07 Max and most class D amps have a balanced output so the negative speaker terminal is not tide to ground. 😉
Love your videos, keep up the good work. 💪

[Douglas_Blake]

These little chip amps have BTL (Bridge Tied Load) outputs. It's pretty much like "Bridging" a solid state amp. You will find signal on both of the output posts for each channel. They are driven out of phase to give increased power output. It's like "bridging" a solid state amplifier.

Power wise ... these are TPA3255 chips and they are genuinely capable of 100 watts rms per channel with an 8 ohm speaker, 200 watts on 4 ohms, with very low distortion on 48 volts. The 300 watt power quoted is at 10% distortion.
With the "stock" 32 volt supply that comes in the box you can reasonably expect 50 watts per channel on 8 ohms and 100 on 4. (Yes, really... by measurement)

Subjectively, in A-B comparison, I've stacked the $100 TPA3255 amplifiers up against some pretty substantial gear. Most recently a $70 A07 against a $1600 TS-SA75 and once I got them level matched I honestly had to look to see which was playing.

[andreask]

Hi, i compare it with my Accuphase E-600 and this 2 little Aiyima A07max with 2x 48V 10A with or without a Tube Pre-amp destroy the Accuphase on 15T $$ Speakers...
I love them..😊

[FidelitySoundz]

I have two of these setup as mono blocks. They have had no issues driving a set of Polk legend 200 speakers which do like power. Sounds good to me especially for the low price. The TI chip is surely a very popular one these days.

[rickszabo]

Thanks for taking the time to check this little amp out, I use mine for the sundeck and garage, a powered sub really helps. One thing nobody really mentions is how reliable these are, well my A07 has been chugging away for 3 plus years driving some Elac 6.2 's.

[middleearthltd]

Nice that Aiyima asked you to review that amp
I did not know how you would approach your review
There are a lot of reviews of that amp but most of them do not really get much into the practical power
Comparing it to a tube amplifier based on practical power is useful information

[VinylandKicks]

the Aiyima A07 Max sounds nice for a cheap amp when using it as a simple stereo amp, but when two of these units are used as monoblocks they are really impressive budget amps.

[alwilliams]

Good review. Always enjoy these videos. Very educational.

[ufarkingicehole]

Ive gone through dozens of these chifi amps. The A07 is one of the few thats really decent. It likes tube pres or a dac thats warmer like the Geshelli Labs J2

Btw.. you can daisy chain out the 3.5 aux out. Its full range

[Questionsandconsequences]

Great from the heart and honest review... Thanks!
I feel better now and dont think I am insane.... I bought a $500 48 volt LiFe Po 4 battery (28Kg!!) with a max current of 50 amps instantaneous current delivery to replace the lap top power supplies that came with 4 small chip amps (Fosi TPA 3255 ) each one running in Mono as part of a four way active system.... They sounded good with the switch mode power supplies, but wow.... good with the "mother of all batteries" power supply.
I still want to replace them with four of your KT 150 mono blocks (once the tubes are available) but hey I am still loving the music with the "cheap as chips" amps!!

[Budgethifiamps]

The AIYIMA classic version A07 and the high-end bridged version A07 MAX, They are both very good value for money, both in terms of sound quality and appearance, and if you're an prime member, you can even get the prime price

[StrangeBrewReviews]

I got a couple of these the 36v is the best way to go...they are fun, they won't replace a good full size amp, , , what I did with mine after playing around with them is I picked up an nice condition Fosgate surround sound processor and I use the Ao7's powering some extra speakers in a surround sound for once in awhile for fun and movies...they are great for adding on small surround sound channels with an old school pro logic processor without messing up your dedicated 2 channel set up....fun stuff for a few bucks

[jukingeo]

@Skunkie. Surprisingly, some of these mini units really have some impressive specs and DO hit hi-fi levels. They have very low distortion and SN ratio. One of the better units that is out there are from Fosi, Specifically the v3 and (more so) the Za3. You might want to try those out. I am considering the latter for a new desktop computer system I am putting together. I think it would be hard to compare solid state amps with tube amps as the latter are designed to produce a different (colored) sound. However, when you said that the A07 clearly trumped the Musical Paradise unit, it just had me shaking my head on how those amplifiers are made. In terms of the power output of these small units, they rate it at 10% THD, which is ridiculous. BUT, many companies DO offer a rating at 1% distortion too, which is realistic. With a 36 volt supply, you could expect to see about a 30watt output per channel. Going to a 48 volt 5 amp supply, this just about doubles to about 55watts. Cheap Audio Man as well as Erin's Audio Corner has done some reviews on these units already. While the A07 is a nice unit (I have the A08 pro from Aiyima), the Fosi units, I mentione, (currently) surpass them.

[SheikhN-bible-syndrome]

The tpa3255 comes alive with a high amprage lithium battery pack. I was able to get 255 watts rms out of one

[EskWIRED]

Thanks for this. I trust your judgement.

I would love it if you could review a high-end class D amplifier and compare it to what you normally listen to. For example, Orchard audio makes $4, 000 class D amplifiers. Could they possibly compare to a well-designed tube amp?

[michaelwright]

I have a couple of these, Aiyma, and Fosi, they are not that bad and they will drive my Maggie LRS+ speakers without breaking a sweat. At least at the levels I normally listen at. One thing I found is that using a Douk Audio $35 line level booster will improve the sound, as I understand these TI chips like a healthy input line level voltage. The 48v power brick helps, but with more efficient speakers, I did not find it mattered, the 32v brick was fine. I found them all pretty punchy, detailed etc. But, they were two dimensional in regards to the sound, and they can get a bit fatiguing in time. A nice warmish DAC helps in this regard. The SMSL SU-1 comes to mind as a good pairing. I think it is pretty cool what they are doing in regards to hifi gear.

To add, my buddy has a $1400 Deer Creek, the latest Class D chip, I forget what it is called, go to Deer Creek Audio, they are there, the two channel model in assembled form. My buddy has that Deer Creek amp, and he also bought the Fosi V3, their ZA3 and their TB10D, the Fosi with tone controls, around $80. I own several of these little amps, and internally, they are all pretty much identical. Well, he put his $80 amp up against that Deer Creek, he kicks himself now for purchasing that unit. He stated yesterday that this little Fosi TB10D when put up against the Deer Creek, that there is not $1325 worth of difference in the sound.

[thelowprofile]

Hey Stephe, I was wondering if you can compare that A07 Max to the older AV receivers in terms of sound quality. I find a lot of old AV receivers and they are even far cheaper than $80 so I don't know if it's still worth buying them instead of the A07 Max. Thank you.
Oh btw, thanks for the video. It really opened my eyes...or my ears in fact. ;)

[RomiPetrut]

This is Skunkie !
She's the best.
A very nice and honest review.
My respect, Stephe

[okanaganmedia]

I'm running the Aiyima's in Mono with a Marsh Preamp, through a Chord Cutest using Magnepan .7 Speakers. I have to say, I compared this to an older Rotel 1055 AV amp and I prefer the Aiyima's! I'm using the stock 36V power bricks, but I may try the 48V power supplies. These little amps are shockingly good! Also, this is my first set of Maggies, and the sound stage is amazing! I have another Reference system with 250 watt Class A Mono Blocks and Martin Logan, but this Aiyima setup is in my office. This is a fun system. Well worth giving it a try if you're on the fence.

[alferro]

Refreshingly honest. Thank you!
In my opinion, a digital NAD (which has DAC and Bluetooth), would be a no brainer.