SABAJ A30a Built-in Professional Hi-Fi Power Amplifier with Latest DSP Chip and ST High Performance Amplifier Chip, Supports 32Bit/768kHz, LDAC/aptX-HD/AAC/SBC, 200W×2POWER, with Remote Control

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No hums of hiss when no music is playing (I didn't investigate the matter at length by cranking the volume all the way up) On the other hand, it is possible that a replacement won’t come and then I’ll be sorry. What is so great about this design is it compact, powerful, and sounds great. I love that I can set it up anywhere and instantly have awesome sound. I would like to try a Powernode and an Audiolab 6000 as I see these as comparable products. The build quality is really nice too. The reason why most preamps include both digital and analog inputs is simply because most of us have both digital and analog sources... From the contents of the product, it is the Sabaj version of SMSL A2. I don't think the chip configuration has changed either.

SABAJ A30a Integrated Professional-Grade Hi-Fi Power

My plan with the dacs was to try them out in several setups to see their performance relative to my DC-1 and XMC-1. That is ongoing, as I haven’t been able to try all the variations, especially using the dacs as preamps vs dac only. The DC-1 has a pretty nice analog in, and the XMC-1 has a balanced input. The reason for that is I’ve been busy enjoying the Sabaj, which is a pretty incredible piece! And this is still the case for the actual loudspeaker transducers inside "powered speakers" that have amplifiers built into them... The SMSL VMV A2 (which should provide similar measurements to the Sabaj A30) has about 15% less power than the NC252MP (206 vs 236 watts) but with a better SINAD (particularly at 8 Ohm). It should be noted that the SMSL VMV A2 achieves these results using the optical input while the analogue one shows high noise below 50 Hz (maybe this problem has been solved for the Sabaj). This description applies to all "digital amplifiers" as well as a few other types (like PWM amplifier circuits - which can have analog inputs).

I then decided to connect to the Sabaj to my Martin Logan Dynamo 700w subwoofer. I really appreciate the availability of a combined low pass and high pass filter although the lower cutoff setting available (70 Hz) could be limiting in some setups. Considering that my Dali Zensor 3 are not exuberant on the low frequencies, the use of the subwoofer (with a cutoff at either 80 or 90 Hz) significantly improved the final quality of the sound. And mostpower amps and powered speakers still have analog inputs to accommodate the analog outputs from source components... After applying the update I connected again my Chromecast Audio via the optical cable and I had to adjust the "SPDIF Sense” level (now available in the menu after the firmware update) at 7 to get the sound out of it. Question: is it better to set this parameter at the minimum working threshold or rather to set it to a higher value (in my case 8 or 9), to be on the safe side? Later on I connected a Wii Mini streamer to the same optical input and it worked fine with every SPDIF Sense level value I tried (even with 1). I'm wondering if the issue with the Chromecast Audio device is related to the Mini TOSLINK-to-TOSLINK optical cable I used (I have no other one to test).

Sabaj A30a announced | Headphone Reviews and Discussion

It's also true that, while there are a lot of current digital signal standards and formats, analog audio signals are still far more "standardized".)

Shows how much I pay attention to titles a few messages up. Of course that would explain the gaffe. here I must rely on the built-in drivers, however from some weird reason, macOS master volume control is grayed out, and I have to use a 3rd party software called SoundSource to be able to control the volume. That is very annoying, and I hope Sabaj can fix their firmware to allow volume control under MacOS.

SABAJ A30A FDA Amplifier 2x STA516BE AX5689 - Audiophonics

Thanks Keith for the detailed information. It helps to understand just what this product is. I have about ten days left on my potential return, and though I’m very impressed, there are reasons to maybe pass for now and possibly wait for another version. People have observed that the company usually just releases something else rather than fix issues. Not sure about that but they (SMSL and Topping too) are definitely producing a lot of products, at similar price points. Minimalist design although not everyone will like the gold Sabaj logo and the handles on the front plate I can confirm that the Sabaj A30a is a little jewel. You can get more info from users in this forum: www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sabaj-a30a-announced.35714/ Doesn’t look like a gaffe. You did say “Ch-Fi” which is shorthand for Chinese High Fidelity. And all of the companies you mentioned including FIIO and SMSL are from China. Looks like either Guangzhou or Shenzhen. As @Mixed_Messages explained, the A30a uses the entire aluminum case as a heatsink. Therefore, it is very easy to feel the heat when you touch it.

And it should be fine doing that; it’s going into lower-than-rated impedances where things tend to get iffy. This product is another product that is similar in design to the A20d 2022 but has a completely different concept. The A20d 2022 is intended to be combined with an analog input amplifier such as the A20a 2022.

SABAJ A30a Power Amplifier 200W*2 Axign AX5689 XU208 DSD512

For the test I used my Dali Zensor 3 bookshelf speakers (I had no time to switch them with my Elac Vela BS 403). I know the Dali are not considered “audiophile grade” however they perform pretty well in my room and are quite analytic on the mids and highs. However, being a software guy, I must admit I have other concerns that were not discussed here. As my main usage is only while connecting to my PCs via USB From what I can see this amplifier only has a LP filter on the subwoofer output but not a matching HP on the main output. What is the use of that? Doesn't Chinese manufacturers realise that all active subwoofers have a LP filter on them? Has anyone seen an active subwoofer that has no LP filter? Or, is that a speciality on the Chinese market. To your question, "Is there a significant improvement in perceptual/subjective sound characteristics?", my subjective opinion is yes. I did also BRIEFLY connected the Sabaj to my Elac Vela BS403 (that I usually drive with my Denon DRA800 H stereo receiver) and I cannot say I detected a significant improvement over the Denon (maybe the bass are a little bit more tight with the Sabaj than with the Denon). However this is a very preliminary analysis considering that I had to move the Velas on the other side of the room to connect them to the Sabaj.If the cost of the A30a is fine with you, I suggest giving it a try. I hope you can understand what I mean. However, I am not going to move the posts to off topic as I’m not sure the conversation is headed anywhere.