Aiyima A07 Max vs A08 Pro

Letter from Hong Kong (24-2): ELO asks: Aiyima A07 Max, better than my A08 Pro?

Readers know that I'm a big fan of the Aiyima A08 Pro (here). Lately my system has reached an equilibrium that I spend much time listening to music everyday instead of worrying about what I have missed on this and that. Is it perfect? Not really, but I believe my current setup can compare nicely against many setups which are many times more expensive than mine. (Every HiFi lover has this objectivity implanted in their heart~)

I have been toying with a decent LPS for my Wattson Emerson. Or upgrading a cable or two (maybe Viard? A French name with products that are amazing for their price, not cheap but really good value). Of course, the "Studer" cables that I am using now are no slouch at all (here)! 

Or perhaps I should replace my A08 with a Hypex, Purifi or GaN Fet Class D? 

While I am constantly looking for my next upgrade, I have also noticed that Fosi has released some interesting products like ZA3. Also the latest Aiyima release of A07 Max had really caught my attention. By cutting down all the bells and whistles and using higher grade parts by Wima, Elna etc, has Aiyima produced a pure amp that can compete with the elite names and claim itself as a legitimate giant killer?

When it comes to budget amps, a lot of Youtubers have reviewed them, but only to match them with inferior equipment which do not do justice to some excellent products. They seldom assess these budget products in a serious manner be examining all hifi attributes. Often, I hear  "it does has a lot of power...clean and can be the best desktop amp and for this price...it serves nicely as an entry product of hifi beginners!". Very few people are as crazy as DJ and I trying to feed all the goodies to budget equipment to get amazing results. Most reviewers always miss the point and treat them as cheap amps and often biased with "cheap amp expectation" embedded into their minds, with which I do not agree at all.

Before I have drifted too far with my conundrum, I pressed the button and ordered the A07 Max and it arrived at my door in less than a week's time. All I was worrying about was that A07 Max does not have bluetooth and I cannot connect it to my TV and WEA at the same time. I was quite convinced by the brilliant specs of A07 Max, and even hoped it can dethrone my A08 Pro. I did not buy the power supply and instead used the one that came with A08 Pro, so I could compare apple to apple.

After listening to the A07 Max for 5 days, I unhooked it and put my A08 Pro back again to hear the difference. I also realized that I needed to max out the A07 Max in order to match the A08 Pro at 11am position.

Put it this way, unlike many reviewers' view, my conclusion is that all budget Class D amp are NOT EQUAL, even under the same brand name! They do sound different and the difference is not small at all!!!

When I first hooked up the A07 Max, I sensed an improvement in the coherence and musicality of piano notes. However, the bass was so subtle that I could follow the bass line, which is not a good sign. The highs were simply missing the air surrounding and decay of instruments. This separates a high end gear from the average off the rack stuff. Yes, the A08 Pro is a special product, indeed.

I came to realize that A08 Pro is a little gem that A07 Max is not able to match! High end parts simply fail to give A07 Max the edge. With the A07 Max, highs are missing like a head being truncated, and bass is light footed. A08 Pro also does have way better separation of images. Also, harmonics are much better heard in the A08 Pro.

I have to give the A07 Max a pass this time. Or simply put, the A08 Pro far exceeded my expectation and is firmly embedded in my setup at this moment. If the A08 comes out with a Max version, I would be very curious. 

There are a lot of interesting Class D amps in the market which I am interested in, but some are out of my budget like the AGT, SPEC, AAVIK. One can buy a cheap amp to review even if it fails expectations, but one cannot do that with much more expensive stuff.  It is important to hear something and to evaluate. This is part of the reasons that my A08 Pro is still firmly embedded in my system.

Well, I have full confidence that the engineers at Aiyima will straighten things out given I already know they can design a great product like A08 Pro! 

Editor's Note: Some months ago I actually briefly heard at Aiyima headquarters a comparison of 3 amps, the original A07, the A07 Max and a Fosi amp (don't remember the model). The original A07 was coherent, warm sounding but not the last word in details. The A07 Max sounded completely different. My feelings then mirrored what ELO wrote above. Not much air in the treble. What bothered me about the bass was less the quantity than the timing; in fact, I thought rhythm and pace as a whole were suspect. On that occasion, I thought the Fosi, though as usual on the hifi side, to be the better performer. Based on my impressions then, I decided not to take home the A07 Max for further audition. But do note that the listening session was short, with rather bare bone ancillary gear (same as before, see here), much unlike what ELO used the amp with. Also, I'd like to remind readers that I've actually heard the A08 Pro in my own home; see Editor's Postscript in ELO's review (link at top).

Before I edited this article, I actually read the audioscience "review".  As usual, aside from the measurements, the "review" and "sonic assessment" are a joke. YMMV.

I don't knock all these technology. More and more very big names have embraced digital amp technology. I have heard at shows some of the amps ELO lusts after, and they can sound decent (have heard at least SPEC and Aavik). Indeed many very expensive gear now use SMPS too. Each has his own way to improve things. But in the end proof is not in the measurement, it's in the listening. The better the ear, the more discriminating. Not everything that measures well sounds good, but like ELO alluded to, there are just too many bad listeners passing as critics out there.