Mr BubbaHyde
Sponsor: iFi audio
I just got this new Ampapa A1 headphone amp from Amazon and I wanted to start a small thread about it.
This is a value amp and should not be compared to the big boys!
I also didn't think it belonged in the Portable category, If I am wrong could a mod please move this where it belongs, Thank you!
I am always on the lookout for little gems that seem to punch above their price point,This little Amp to me is one of those items! For around (US) 139.00 you get a compact Phone/Line in Headphone amp/Preamp. I will post some more as the days go by because I will definitely keep this unit! I will also reach out to Ampapa and see if they would like to participate. The build quality is really good on this little unit. It is a definite stand out from the typical square box type we are all familiar with. The packaging was also top-notch, and I will post more pics if there is interest in it.
Heres some pics and specs from their website at... https://ampapa.net/products/a1
Last night using both my Fiio FH5 direct from the unit I enjoyed Eagles Hotel California from LP on the Phono stage, and also Streamed some Music using Roon thru the line in aspect of the unit. This weekend I will also check out the use of it as a preamp.
I will post more impressions after I give it a real go, but for the money already I can say this is a keeper for me. It's about 6 inches in size so it will be very easy for me to justify moving it for enjoyment if need be. I will also check out the tubes provided, think they are Raytheon JAN version 5654, and some other tubes I have with it.
Here's a link to Ampapa website and also Amazon which has them in stock at this writing.
https://ampapa.net/products/a1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YY3FBCT?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
==========================================================================================
Full thoughts for now...
Ampapa A1
My first impression was this isn’t your typical product in this vein! No brown box with ample amounts of packing tape to get thru. The box proudly sports the name of the product and is of a quality not normally for products in this price range, I was very surprised by it. Inside the unit is well packed in a foam insert designed for this product only. With colorful materials related to the product itself, again not typical.
The unit itself is very solidly built, again not typical for products in this price range. Solid (Clicky) switches for Power, Phono/Line in, and a switch for your led color Orange/Green is available. You then have three very nice Knurled dials for Bass/Treble/Volume across the lower part of the upper face. And of course your Tube ports. This unit came with GE JAN 5654 Tubes, and the unit is compatible with other tubes of this size. Tubes like 6J1, 6K4, 6J5, GE5654W, 6AK5 are all useable here so Tube Rolling will be an affordable way for you to find the “Tubiness” level desire.
After almost a week of listening, I can honestly say I can’t find many faults with this unit. I tested it with just about all of my IEM’s at first. From Fiio to Ikko, to Moondrop, the amp performed very well, with Obviously enough power for any IEM. The Tone controls is a nice touch and in no way is overbearing, and slight touches of the dials was more than adequate to tailor whatever you are listening to! In all honesty 95% of the time I felt no need to touch them, 12 O’clock is the default position for “0” on this unit, and in terms of volume I never exceeded 10 O’clock with any IEM.
With larger harder-to-drive cans the best I’ve got in that category are Sennheiser 58x, and Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 ohm, So I do not have any 600-ohm cans to be able to test that. Once again the unit did not fail in the power department, at least not for the full-size cans I own, never did I feel the need to go over say 12 O’clock in the volume dial to obtain a very full sound from all that I tested.
The unit is still in place and connected as a Preamp as well. In this regard, I really am a fan of it, but then I must admit I do Love that little Touch of Tube sound being brought to my music. I was able to A/B the signal from several DACs like Denafrips, RME, Schiit Audio, and the Leaf Audio CMD-23. In switching between Tube/No Tube during playback of streaming content from Roon, (Qobuz and Tidal) I enjoyed the sound of this unit as a preamp very much, and after streaming Ole Blue eyes I knew that I was going to keep this unit, if not only just for that!
Conclusions,
Tubes are not for everyone, some love, some hate! As a Darkvoice owner, and a Reisong owner for me they have their place, and for certain times and styles of music, tubes can melt me back to my youth with their sound. From syrupy to just a touch of warmth, Tubes are not easy to explain to anyone, again you either like or you don’t, that is completely up to you after listening.
The inclusion of the Phono Preamp here is what puts it over the top for me in this price range. In 5 minutes I put my Fluance turntable in the Spare room, plugged it into the Ampapa, and was spinning Vinyl into my IEMs away from everyone. A very very enjoyable aspect of the A1! And not to be overlooked, or underestimated, as it is a very capable Phono preamp.
I honestly can recommend that at 139 bucks, you at least give this unit a whirl! It is available on Amazon so it’s not like you are stuck with it if you don’t care for what it brings. Oh, and the McIntosh green glow certainly helps the aesthetics of the unit! Lol
Tubes Rolled: Western Electric 1944 Military JW-6AK5, RCA 1965 6AK5, Riverstone audio 5654, Voshkod Rockets (favorite order)
Cheers!!
This is a value amp and should not be compared to the big boys!
I also didn't think it belonged in the Portable category, If I am wrong could a mod please move this where it belongs, Thank you!
I am always on the lookout for little gems that seem to punch above their price point,This little Amp to me is one of those items! For around (US) 139.00 you get a compact Phone/Line in Headphone amp/Preamp. I will post some more as the days go by because I will definitely keep this unit! I will also reach out to Ampapa and see if they would like to participate. The build quality is really good on this little unit. It is a definite stand out from the typical square box type we are all familiar with. The packaging was also top-notch, and I will post more pics if there is interest in it.
Heres some pics and specs from their website at... https://ampapa.net/products/a1
- [Phono Stage / Audio Pre-Amplifier / Headphone Amp] Ampapa A1, designed to amplify the low audio signal from your MM turntables, Phonograph, MP3, MP4, phone, tablet, PC, CD player, lossles music player etc., easier to drive amplifiers, active speakers and most headphones such as HD650 / K701 / DT770 / ATH-M50X / T1 / T90 / SR325 / RS1e .etc
- [Retro Tube Sound & Tone Control] With classic JAN GE5654 vacuum tubes, A1 reveals warm and fine sound, highlights great musicality and improves everything associated with music such as detail, transparency, immediacy, richness, dynamic etc.. Different delicate and smooth sound can be enjoyed via rotating treble/bass knobs or change other tubes according to one's preference.
- [Advanced & Considerate Design Concept] A1 is the first product carefully designed by our senior audio experts in Washington after lots of researches, who are always devoted to exploring the design and craft innovation of HiFi and providing extreme listening experience for audiophiles via our top-class audio devices.
- [Unprecedented Surpass in Functions & Looking] Advanced design and high-end components to build low-noise integrated circuit and ensure clean sound. Solid aluminum knobs, unique shell made of aluminum with whole die-casting molding and CNC machined, all styles of desktop space can be decorated perfectly with A1's warm orange or cool green lights.
- [What You Get] 1x A1 preamp, 2x GE5654 vacuum tube, 1x RCA cable, 1x DC 12V power adapter, 1x cleaning cloth, 1x user manual and our worry-free 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Specifications
| Audio input | Phono MM / Stereo RCA |
| Audio output | Stereo RCA / 3.5mm Headphone Jack |
| Input level | 0.775V RMS (RCA); 0.005V RMS (Phono) |
| Frequency response | 20Hz-20KHz (±0.5dB) (RCA); Ref to RIAA +/-2dB (Phono) |
| Headphone output power | 125mW（32Ω） |
| Headphone impedance range | 16-300Ω |
| THD | ≤0.1% |
| Working voltage | DC 12V (≥1.5A) |
| Output level | 1.5V RMS (RCA); 0.6V RMS (Phono) |
| S/N ratio | ≥106dB (RCA); ≥80dB(Phono) |
| Weight | 1.0kg/2.20lb |
| Dimensions(W*D*H) | 10*10*10 in |
Last night using both my Fiio FH5 direct from the unit I enjoyed Eagles Hotel California from LP on the Phono stage, and also Streamed some Music using Roon thru the line in aspect of the unit. This weekend I will also check out the use of it as a preamp.
I will post more impressions after I give it a real go, but for the money already I can say this is a keeper for me. It's about 6 inches in size so it will be very easy for me to justify moving it for enjoyment if need be. I will also check out the tubes provided, think they are Raytheon JAN version 5654, and some other tubes I have with it.
Here's a link to Ampapa website and also Amazon which has them in stock at this writing.
https://ampapa.net/products/a1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YY3FBCT?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
==========================================================================================
Full thoughts for now...
Ampapa A1
My first impression was this isn’t your typical product in this vein! No brown box with ample amounts of packing tape to get thru. The box proudly sports the name of the product and is of a quality not normally for products in this price range, I was very surprised by it. Inside the unit is well packed in a foam insert designed for this product only. With colorful materials related to the product itself, again not typical.
The unit itself is very solidly built, again not typical for products in this price range. Solid (Clicky) switches for Power, Phono/Line in, and a switch for your led color Orange/Green is available. You then have three very nice Knurled dials for Bass/Treble/Volume across the lower part of the upper face. And of course your Tube ports. This unit came with GE JAN 5654 Tubes, and the unit is compatible with other tubes of this size. Tubes like 6J1, 6K4, 6J5, GE5654W, 6AK5 are all useable here so Tube Rolling will be an affordable way for you to find the “Tubiness” level desire.
After almost a week of listening, I can honestly say I can’t find many faults with this unit. I tested it with just about all of my IEM’s at first. From Fiio to Ikko, to Moondrop, the amp performed very well, with Obviously enough power for any IEM. The Tone controls is a nice touch and in no way is overbearing, and slight touches of the dials was more than adequate to tailor whatever you are listening to! In all honesty 95% of the time I felt no need to touch them, 12 O’clock is the default position for “0” on this unit, and in terms of volume I never exceeded 10 O’clock with any IEM.
With larger harder-to-drive cans the best I’ve got in that category are Sennheiser 58x, and Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 ohm, So I do not have any 600-ohm cans to be able to test that. Once again the unit did not fail in the power department, at least not for the full-size cans I own, never did I feel the need to go over say 12 O’clock in the volume dial to obtain a very full sound from all that I tested.
The unit is still in place and connected as a Preamp as well. In this regard, I really am a fan of it, but then I must admit I do Love that little Touch of Tube sound being brought to my music. I was able to A/B the signal from several DACs like Denafrips, RME, Schiit Audio, and the Leaf Audio CMD-23. In switching between Tube/No Tube during playback of streaming content from Roon, (Qobuz and Tidal) I enjoyed the sound of this unit as a preamp very much, and after streaming Ole Blue eyes I knew that I was going to keep this unit, if not only just for that!
Conclusions,
Tubes are not for everyone, some love, some hate! As a Darkvoice owner, and a Reisong owner for me they have their place, and for certain times and styles of music, tubes can melt me back to my youth with their sound. From syrupy to just a touch of warmth, Tubes are not easy to explain to anyone, again you either like or you don’t, that is completely up to you after listening.
The inclusion of the Phono Preamp here is what puts it over the top for me in this price range. In 5 minutes I put my Fluance turntable in the Spare room, plugged it into the Ampapa, and was spinning Vinyl into my IEMs away from everyone. A very very enjoyable aspect of the A1! And not to be overlooked, or underestimated, as it is a very capable Phono preamp.
I honestly can recommend that at 139 bucks, you at least give this unit a whirl! It is available on Amazon so it’s not like you are stuck with it if you don’t care for what it brings. Oh, and the McIntosh green glow certainly helps the aesthetics of the unit! Lol
Tubes Rolled: Western Electric 1944 Military JW-6AK5, RCA 1965 6AK5, Riverstone audio 5654, Voshkod Rockets (favorite order)
Cheers!!
Attachments
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. I'm sure stock tubes should be nice. But if I wanted a touch more soundstage, what tubes would you guys rec?