[rocketron]

Meat on the bones.
That’s exactly what the PA10 adds.

 

[emilsoft]

PA10 is an interesting amplifier. I'd like it to have more class A warmth - it has a touch of cold/steely sounding timbre but coupled with the other class A goodness (headroom and good transients).

It pairs well with warmer headphones I feel, or warmer sources. Generally fares better with dynamic drivers - JVC FDX1 for example becomes an explosively dynamic funk master - smooth but without any overhand or sloppiness in the transients, something my DAPs don't quite achieve.

I may be under the impression that it needs burn in, and on top of that warmup time of 30mins to an hour every time it's turned on to get some bloom showing through.

 

[RIGATIO]

PA10 is an interesting amplifier. I'd like it to have more class A warmth - it has a touch of cold/steely sounding timbre but coupled with the other class A goodness (headroom and good transients).

It pairs well with warmer headphones I feel, or warmer sources. Generally fares better with dynamic drivers - JVC FDX1 for example becomes an explosively dynamic funk master - smooth but without any overhand or sloppiness in the transients, something my DAPs don't quite achieve.

I may be under the impression that it needs burn in, and on top of that warmup time of 30mins to an hour every time it's turned on to get some bloom showing through.

It definitely needs to warm up, just like any class A amp.
It has a typical AK timbre but supported by class A warmth and dynamics just like you mentioned. AK sources arent shy on top, they will present trebles with high accuracy, detail and sharpness when needed. I actually find other sources bit dull and grayish sounding in comparison.
I pair the pa10 with the sp1000 and find this combo extremely good. After 15-20 min it transforms the spicy Sundaras and Aryas into a very dynamic, warmish and delicate listen. Actually, the IFI Zen Dac v2 which is considered warm, sounds sharper and rawer in comparison.
I think, more warmth would be too much, the whole transparency would be compromised and the dynamic range would drop significantly.

 

[emilsoft]

It definitely needs to warm up, just like any class A amp.

Not sure what happened today - I had my Sony DAP plugged in balanced on the PA10 most of the day, the sound was nice enough but it didn't strike me as particularly warm or enough class A sounding. When I got home, I again was not particularly impressed even with the Fiio q15 as source.. then I left the PA10 for an hour or so on, and plugged it with my RME ADI 2 dac, the difference was stark on my HD800S - this is on non balanced outputs! super smooth, warm, easy on the ear, nice bloom and great bass and overall control - essentially all the qualities I expect out of class A. it sounded so pleasant I could even listen to the HD800 without EQ, it completely transformed the headphone, an improvement over all my other amplification - not sure what's going on, either burn in, long warm up times, synergy.. although going to the RME headouts it sound much brighter and less zen, so the difference is obvious and to do with the PA10 and not so much the source (although good DAC is noticeable). I will have to investigate more with other source to see what's going on here, why I wasn't getting the smoothness I expected with my DAP (on balanced).. perhaps it's balanced vs single different sound

 

[RIGATIO]

Not sure what happened today - I had my Sony DAP plugged in balanced on the PA10 most of the day, the sound was nice enough but it didn't strike me as particularly warm or enough class A sounding. When I got home, I again was not particularly impressed even with the Fiio q15 as source.. then I left the PA10 for an hour or so on, and plugged it with my RME ADI 2 dac, the difference was stark on my HD800S - this is on non balanced outputs! super smooth, warm, easy on the ear, nice bloom and great bass and overall control - essentially all the qualities I expect out of class A. it sounded so pleasant I could even listen to the HD800 without EQ, it completely transformed the headphone, an improvement over all my other amplification - not sure what's going on, either burn in, long warm up times, synergy.. although going to the RME headouts it sound much brighter and less zen, so the difference is obvious and to do with the PA10 and not so much the source (although good DAC is noticeable). I will have to investigate more with other source to see what's going on here, why I wasn't getting the smoothness I expected with my DAP (on balanced).. perhaps it's balanced vs single different sound

Yeah, the pa10 is not warm, its warmish and smooth but its still warmer and smoother than most desktop amps ive tried. Its even slightly too smooth at times when i pair it with the Softears Twilight but still best ive heard from any portable.
I also have set the Current to High as it extracts more of typical class A qualities.

 

[emilsoft]

It essentially cocoons the mid and high frequencies so they aren’t harsh - typical good class A - everything is there, details etc, just cocooned in a safe smooth environment. I think it might be the single ended output which may be smoother also over the balanced. I also felt the same thing with JVC fdx1 - I could just enjoy the music without fearing harshness. I think I prefer the single ended out due to this

 

[RIGATIO]

It essentially cocoons the mid and high frequencies so they aren’t harsh - typical good class A - everything is there, details etc, just cocooned in a safe smooth environment. I think it might be the single ended output which may be smoother also over the balanced. I also felt the same thing with JVC fdx1 - I could just enjoy the music without fearing harshness. I think I prefer the single ended out due to this

Just checked the 3.5 mm on the pa10 and tbh i dont hear any difference. Maybe the 4.4 mm has slightly blacker background. Maybe my iems play the role here.

 

[RIGATIO]

It essentially cocoons the mid and high frequencies so they aren’t harsh - typical good class A - everything is there, details etc, just cocooned in a safe smooth environment. I think it might be the single ended output which may be smoother also over the balanced. I also felt the same thing with JVC fdx1 - I could just enjoy the music without fearing harshness. I think I prefer the single ended out due to this

Im not a cable believer but i think that having silver cable as an intetconnect could brighten the sound a bit. I have a custom made 4.4 interconnect made from copper and it just sounds smooth and warmish.
There is also another way to make the sound even warmer but that depends on the source. Im using the sp1000 wich has line out but its not a typical line out where the loudness is automatically set to max but it works like a preamp, so i can still change the volume on my source. When its set a couple levels below max, the sound becomes warmer on top but i lose some clarity and separation on top. Everything seems bit too warm.
One thing to mention- the JVC are rather smooth but have higher peak at 4-5k relative to 2,8-3k peak which would be more correct. It can cause this slight metallic timbre. Also the hd800s are rather harsher and bright on top. So your impressions can be strongly influenced by your transducers but im just guessing.

 

[123peter]

Just as there used to be two versions of SP2000 and the cheaper SP1000,
now Astell & Kern announces that in 2024, in addition to SP3000T, the already announced cheaper model from the Ultima series will appear.

I wonder if @RIGATIO will be tempted to directly upgrade his Ultima SP1000 , which he is in love with - he will be tempted, he will be

"In addition to the SP3000T, Astell&Kern has plans for a more user-accessible product in the A&ultima line to be released in the second half of 2024, giving audio enthusiasts an additional option for high-end, flagship music playback."

You will be able to experiment with sources from older and newer A&K DAPs + PA10 A&K.

I am convinced that at the end 2024 of the year there will be a PA10T version with Dual RAYTHEON JAN6418 MIL-SPEC Vintage Vacuum Tubes.
A double sandwich with A&K DAP + A&K PA10 will blow your mind, and a triple A&K DAP + A&K PA10 or PA10T does the job.

The tube has a specific sound, something different in sound, it would be nice to have such an option, but when listening to amplifiers based on Dual Nutube 6P1 vacuum tubes, i.e. Cayin C9 or Ibasoo PB5 OSPREY, I have not pulled the trigger yet, I am waiting for an amplifier balanced with Astell & Kern tubes.

Let's wait for the premiere of the SP3000T tube amplifier - and how good it sounds.

 

[RIGATIO]

Just as there used to be two versions of SP2000 and the cheaper SP1000,
now Astell & Kern announces that in 2024, in addition to SP3000T, the already announced cheaper model from the Ultima series will appear.

I wonder if @RIGATIO will be tempted to directly upgrade his Ultima SP1000 , which he is in love with - he will be tempted, he will be

"In addition to the SP3000T, Astell&Kern has plans for a more user-accessible product in the A&ultima line to be released in the second half of 2024, giving audio enthusiasts an additional option for high-end, flagship music playback."

You will be able to experiment with sources from older and newer A&K DAPs + PA10 A&K.

I am convinced that at the end 2024 of the year there will be a PA10T version with Dual RAYTHEON JAN6418 MIL-SPEC Vintage Vacuum Tubes.
A double sandwich with A&K DAP + A&K PA10 will blow your mind, and a triple A&K DAP + A&K PA10 or PA10T does the job.

The tube has a specific sound, something different in sound, it would be nice to have such an option, but when listening to amplifiers based on Dual Nutube 6P1 vacuum tubes, i.e. Cayin C9 or Ibasoo PB5 OSPREY, I have not pulled the trigger yet, I am waiting for an amplifier balanced with Astell & Kern tubes.

Let's wait for the premiere of the SP3000T tube amplifier - and how good it sounds.

Ive had the sp2kT for a short period of time as well as the dx320 with amp13 (this one i really loved) and it indeed sounded bit different than the solid state amplifiers.
But all these tube amp characteristics became too boring after some time, just too much coloration. I always came back to the SS on the sp2kT, which i found less correct than the sp1k and the dx320 with a SS amp just sounded too analytical to my ears.
Thats why i prefer class A amp as it doesnt color the sound, it just makes everything bolder and more spacious but without any loss in transient precision and incisiveness.

 

[RIGATIO]

Not sure what happened today - I had my Sony DAP plugged in balanced on the PA10 most of the day, the sound was nice enough but it didn't strike me as particularly warm or enough class A sounding. When I got home, I again was not particularly impressed even with the Fiio q15 as source.. then I left the PA10 for an hour or so on, and plugged it with my RME ADI 2 dac, the difference was stark on my HD800S - this is on non balanced outputs! super smooth, warm, easy on the ear, nice bloom and great bass and overall control - essentially all the qualities I expect out of class A. it sounded so pleasant I could even listen to the HD800 without EQ, it completely transformed the headphone, an improvement over all my other amplification - not sure what's going on, either burn in, long warm up times, synergy.. although going to the RME headouts it sound much brighter and less zen, so the difference is obvious and to do with the PA10 and not so much the source (although good DAC is noticeable). I will have to investigate more with other source to see what's going on here, why I wasn't getting the smoothness I expected with my DAP (on balanced).. perhaps it's balanced vs single different sound

I was also interested in q15, could you please write some short sound comparison between listening straight out of the q15 and when paired with the pa10?
Thanx in advance

 

[BS5711]

............. another way to make the sound even warmer but that depends on the source. Im using the sp1000 wich has line out but its not a typical line out where the loudness is automatically set to max but it works like a preamp, so i can still change the volume on my source. When its set a couple levels below max, the sound becomes warmer on top but i lose some clarity and separation on top. Everything seems bit too warm.............

Odd that this should come up.

I have recently started using the adjustable line out from the 4.4mm of my FiiO M11 Plus LTD with the signal set to mid gain and between 80 and100 out of 120 so that I have much more range on the volume control of the PA10 which is important with sensitive IEM like Campfire Solaris Mercury (2020) and AuR Audio Neon pro to a lesser degree.

My immediate thought was that the sound was perhaps a just a bit more lush and smooth versus using full voltage 4.4mm output.

I rationalise that the lower voltage signal from the DAP (acting as the DAC) relative to the increased amplification required from the PA10 due to the lower voltage input signal makes the sound less influenced by the DAC and more by the amplifier. That makes logical sense to me but frankly I am not sure there is any technical merit in that thinking at all, it could be expectation bias

 

[RIGATIO]

Odd that this should come up.

I have recently started using the adjustable line out from the 4.4mm of my FiiO M11 Plus LTD with the signal set to mid gain and between 80 and100 out of 120 so that I have much more range on the volume control of the PA10 which is important with sensitive IEM like Campfire Solaris Mercury (2020) and AuR Audio Neon pro to a lesser degree.

My immediate thought was that the sound was perhaps a just a bit more lush and smooth versus using full voltage 4.4mm output.

I rationalise that the lower voltage signal from the DAP (acting as the DAC) relative to the increased amplification required from the PA10 due to the lower voltage input signal makes the sound less influenced by the DAC and more by the amplifier. That makes logical sense to me but frankly I am not sure there is any technical merit in that thinking at all, it could be expectation bias

I think its due to the fact that when the volume on the amp can be set to higher levels, it shows more of its characteristics. It can be more handy with a more sensitive iems, so setting lower levels of volume on your source an higher volume on the amplifier will give you more play with the overall loudness and you will give the amp more headroom to shine. Thats how i understand it.

 

[RIGATIO]

But i myself get the best results when the LO on the sp1k is set to max and just adjust the volume on the pa10. At least it works best with most my iems, like Monarch 2, Twilight and headphones like Sundara and Arya.
Of course the Crossfied is set to OFF, Low Gain and Current to High.
Amazing controll, full and dynamic, subtle, bit distant mids and spacious sound. Whatever recording i throw at it, it just controlls it like a master.

 

[RIGATIO]

I find the sp1000 sounding even bit wider and more impressive, vivid in layering when listening straight from a dap but the pa10 gives this immaculate controll over every frequency, this warmth, punch and dynamics which are a typical characteristics for a higher end desktop amp.
When im listening to this sandwich, i just enjoy how the music flows- no peaks, no holes, everything is full, smooth and musical.