Ampapa A1 Tube Pre-amp & Headphone Amp - A dash of tubes on a budget

Ғылым және технология

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A review of the Ampapa A1 tube pre-amp and headphone amp including comparisons with the xDuoo MT-601 and some brief discussions of tube-rolling.
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00:00 Introduction
00:57 Glamour video
01:32 Price and features
04:27 Sound quality
06:19 Ampapa A1 vs xDuoo MT-601
09:52 Headphone amp vs pre-amp performance
10:32 Final conclusions
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#audiophile #audioreview #tubeamp

Пікірлер: 34

  • @g-mail4743
    @g-mail4743 Жыл бұрын

    Wow I too am impressed you reviewed this one; I've been reading about it in buyers comments on Amazon. This review adds another layer to it, and in the case of this company I feel that it adds credibility to the product. Nice Job!

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad it was helpful! Thanks for letting me know 🙂

  • @JTB--
    @JTB-- Жыл бұрын

    The xduoo mt-604 was a really pleasant surprise for its price tag. It even drove the HE6se V2 pretty decently. Don't overlook these little Hybrid Tube amps. They're a good entry point into tube amps without spending a fortune.

  • @shawnpwatsons1

    @shawnpwatsons1

    Жыл бұрын

    I sure love my 604.

  • @r00s.

    @r00s.

    Жыл бұрын

    Still enjoying your R26?

  • @JTB--

    @JTB--

    Жыл бұрын

    @@r00s. Oh Yeah. I see no need for ever getting another DAC

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, the MT-604 is a great value amp for super fun and engaging sound

  • @carminedesanto6746
    @carminedesanto6746 Жыл бұрын

    Greetings from Toronto ☕️ I run the Xduoo 604 exclusively on my Sen’s 650’s…a surprisingly good match up😊

  • @NeilBlanchard

    @NeilBlanchard

    Жыл бұрын

    I have the xDuoo MT604 with Russian made tubes driving my Dan Clark / Drop Aeon OpenX headphones at home - with a Geshelli J2 AKM, and a dual output 12V linear power supply for both units - and it sounds very, very good, in my opinion.

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    The MT-604 is a bit of a hidden gem. Glad you're both enjoying it.

  • @S.G54321
    @S.G5432111 ай бұрын

    Great review. I bought myself one of these to connect with my SMSL SH-9 and SMSL SU-10. I hope it adds that little extra touch of sweetness in the sound 😁

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked the review. Hope you love the A1 even more!

  • @S.G54321

    @S.G54321

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@PassionforSoundWould you know of any tubes to get maximum soundstage out of the A1?

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    11 ай бұрын

    I think the A1 uses the same tubes as the MT-602 and MT-604 from xDuoo so maybe do some searching on those for some suggestions. I know the Voskhod (spelling?) tubes are popular there.

  • @mkemp01
    @mkemp01 Жыл бұрын

    Looks really nice and a bit of a bargain. Nice review thank you.

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    My pleasure. I think it's a nice option for the price

  • @Panslapper
    @Panslapper7 ай бұрын

    Just arrived today. Rigged it up using the Wiim Pro to Topping E50 w/ iFi Power supply to Ampapa A1 to Aiyima JYCO D325X Class D ti3255 chip amp. I swapped out the valves for a pair of Mullard EF95. The end result was a surprisingly pleasant improvement over the same set up prior to adding the Ampapa A1. Better bass, much better mids, vocals and smoother highs. A little less prevalent treble but still present and still rather sweet. Just a far less boring sound altogether and more dynamically entertaining. The Mullards imo are a big improvement over the Jan 5654 valves. I found the added punch in the bass was very welcome with the EF95, well controlled too. The soundstage was greatly improved to with far better instrument separation and more evenly displaced with better expansion once I added the Mullard Ampapa in to the chain. A big step up in vocal presence. The Aiyima amp was ok by itself but the addition of the Ampapa has really added the Nitros Oxide. The Muses 8920d inside the AIYIMA amp seemed to lap up the Ampapa A1 like a cat with cream. My Monitor Audio Bronze 200 pushed it all out with ease. I used QED Performance 40i interconnects and QED XT25 speaker cable with a Belden/Furutech power cord for the amp and stock cables for everything else. All in all and I wish to be honest here, this little rig impressed me more than the Denon PMA900HNE especially at low volumes. I also have the Iotavx SA3 in mind and I am now a little anxious to be fair on how the SA3 just might not actually stack up against this modular combo…in short I don’t think many people will regret adding this into an appropriate set up, I know I haven’t. Thanks to Passion For Sound for the review!

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing such a detailed write-up? I'm so glad you're enjoying the sound. 🙂

  • @Panslapper

    @Panslapper

    7 ай бұрын

    @@PassionforSound Hi, yeah thanks. Not as eloquently described as some brothers can manage but you get the general idea at least. I compared it all to the Iotavx SA3 tonight and for bass detail, punch with mids, vocal presence and treble air and sheer output power, the SA3 loses but nevertheless I will keep the SA3 for late night sessions or maybe not…nah, probably not, just cant get with that woolly bass on the SA3, my Class D rig slaughters it for punch, clarity and power, costs less too if you have to add the PA3 to get what I have got with the aforementioned mentioned rig.

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    2 ай бұрын

    Yes, it uses the tubes for all signals AFAIK

  • @NeilBlanchard
    @NeilBlanchard Жыл бұрын

    This Ampapa A1 has a phono preamp in, as well? Is it a "pure" tube design - i.e. not just a tube buffer, with some solid state stages? The xDuoo MT601 with a Electro Harmonix 6922 tube is a very capable and good sounding unit. It is a tube buffer, and has a fairly capable Class A solid state output stage. It can drive the Drop HE4xx *much* better than the MT602 with GE tubes.

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm actually not sure of the exact design of the A1 internally. I believe it might be a hybrid design, but I also thought the MT-602 was as well.

  • @NeilBlanchard

    @NeilBlanchard

    Жыл бұрын

    @@PassionforSound Yes, I believe all three of the xDuoo MT60x series are hybrid - tubes as the input/buffer stage and solid state "Class A" output stage. The MT-601 has a beefier output device, with an actual little heatsink on it. It is also the only one powered with 24V. And as I mentioned, it drives the Drop HE4xx in the bass *much* better than the MT-602. The latter just stops on some bass peaks.

  • @1mctous
    @1mctous Жыл бұрын

    I'd keep the LED's off to avoid the RF noise. I bought the Schiit Vali 2 new and a used Loki and got what I needed. With a Gold Lion ECC88 input tube the Vali 2 has plenty of resolution.

  • @NeilBlanchard

    @NeilBlanchard

    Жыл бұрын

    I think LED run on DC - so no RF involved.

  • @1mctous

    @1mctous

    Жыл бұрын

    @@NeilBlanchard You're probably right although I have some very noisy lighting.

  • @NeilBlanchard

    @NeilBlanchard

    Жыл бұрын

    @@1mctous Right - when LED light fixtures are running on AC, they have a driver board, that often is PWM, and can be quite noisy, for sure.

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes, I can confirm that the LEDs create no audible noise and they aren't switching like AC-driven LEDs or they would have flickered in my high speed (super slow-mo) footage

  • @ThankYou_AV
    @ThankYou_AV Жыл бұрын

    Every unit should be balanced!

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    Balanced really isn't that necessary and has its own drawbacks like higher noise floor, more components and therefore higher price, etc.

  • @lupoal4113
    @lupoal4113 Жыл бұрын

    ... ok, now I know... I can't live anymore without a switch to change the color green orange in the tubes... what amazing b.s.

  • @PassionforSound

    @PassionforSound

    Жыл бұрын

    LOL. I don't know that it's BS. Superfluous? Sure, but it's no different to any other cosmetic design choice

  • @jimswenson6131

    @jimswenson6131

    Жыл бұрын

    You can turn it off too, wise guy. Why don't you design something better?

  • @lupoal4113

    @lupoal4113

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jimswenson6131 sorry.. I'm too busy in listening music

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