[Lolito2]

I already told you, mate, this 34mm one works! https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32813579033.html
Although 34mm outer diameter, it has 32mm at the back, so it snugly fits into the recess if you don't push it all the way. I have it, I've installed it and it works perfectly fine:

That one, not only is not 34mm, it is 32mm, but also is a downgrade from the original, since it is extremely ugly, pretty much as tall as the stock one. The molted surface is very low quality, the rolled mechanizing on the front gives this 70's aesthetics, and last but not least, the white triangle has no haptic feedback, unlike the original with the spheric mechanization.

Internet forums...

 

[Alex May]

That one, not only is not 34mm, it is 32mm

I don't have calipers but my ruler shows more than 32mm. It's definitely bigger that the original 32mm knob because only the back ring gets inside the recess, however very snugly and deep enough. The knurled ridges do not fit in there but they are not supposed to. So it perfectly fits if you don't push it too far until the serrations start touching the body. Back it off a little bit and tighten the screw and it works smoothly.

it is extremely ugly

Really? I can't really see what's ugly on my photo... except the omnipresent dust

The molted surface is very low quality

Mine is of good quality, in line with all the other gear I have including MOTU's knobs with the same knurling surface. Those fine serrations provide a secure grip. And I like it a lot more than the original knob where too much resistance is not for the slick surface. And I'd rather have a good visual reference presented by the white triangle rather than a spherical indentation that you can't see in low light unless you paint it white like Zeos did.

the rolled mechanizing on the front gives this 70's aesthetics

That's what I love about this thing! Love how the light plays on it's front.

 

[amiga505]

Just want to also chime in that I still have my SA-1 as my daily driver paired with the ares ii driving mainly HE6SEV2 and Arya and they still sound fantastic to me.

Every time this thread pops up, it’s always due to one of these explanations. One is that SA-1 was designed for balanced connection throughout for optimal performance. Secondly, a dac that can output >4v is ideal for best performance. Gain seeming insufficient is mainly due to using a lower voltage dac or misunderstanding of a logarithmic volume pot. Lastly, imho SA-1 appears to have synergy with planars esp hifimans and may not play nicely with high ohm cans ie hd650/xx, hence properly matching gear in your signal chain is very important (can personally vouch).

this is actually a very good hint, thanks. my Singxer kicked ass paired with a Parasound D/AC-1600 which delivers something like 6V over XLRs, kicked ass that is, until the Parasound died on my 3 days after I got it, I am learning the hard way the perils of the vintage gear path.

 

[Patu]

This has probably been discussed in the thread already but how do you like SA-1 as preamp on speaker setup? Sorry for being lazy and not reading through the 144 pages. I'm considering testing this in front of my ATC actives. It could also replace my ADI-2 as headphone amp since my headphone listening has moved from the office (now children's room) to living room. Thanks for any input.

 

[rjacko01]

I'm using it as a preamp for my AE1 Active's PC desktop set up when not on my he6se and it works beautifully, nice and clean, fed from SMSL SU-9. Would highly recommend

 

[dstarr3]

This has probably been discussed in the thread already but how do you like SA-1 as preamp on speaker setup? Sorry for being lazy and not reading through the 144 pages. I'm considering testing this in front of my ATC actives. It could also replace my ADI-2 as headphone amp since my headphone listening has moved from the office (now children' room) to living room. Thanks for any input.

I don't have the most in-depth input, but I use my SA-1 as a preamp with my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 computer speakers and I like it. I used to just run them out of my PC soundcard, tried the SA-1 when I got it because why not. The bass response improved noticeably.

I wouldn't buy an SA-1 solely for the preamp outputs, but if you already are getting one for use with headphones and could also get some use out of it as a speaker preamp, yeah, it's worth doing, I think.

 

[Patu]

Yeah it would mostly be used as preamp between my Linn streamer and ATC actives. I would still control volume level from Linn but with SA-1 I wouldn’t need to digitally attenuate so much. I tested Benchmark HPA4 there and while it added nice amount of grunt and punchiness, it was just too clinical sounding, which will cause listening fatigue in the long run. SA-1 would be a low cost test and it might just surprise as preamp being Class-A true balanced design.

 

[rjacko01]

If you have something like the ATC SCM50, might want to look for something more in line. That being said did try it with my B&W 802's in the cinema room just out of interest and it didn't disappoint

 

[Patu]

If you have something like the ATC SCM50, might want to look for something more in line. That being said did try it with my B&W 802's in the cinema room just out of interest and it didn't disappoint

Yeah obviously some well-known brand multi-thousand dollar preamp would look great on the equipment stand but it isn’t always about the price. It’ll be an interesting test, mostly a test of no preamp vs preamp.

 

[rjacko01]

can certainly recommend it as a headphone amp, but not too much experience in that area, just have the chord mojo for mobile travelling with the Shure 1540's but knew I needed something a bit stronger to drive the HifiMan. I know there has been discussion about when it transitions from pure class A as it's not class A all the way although tbh I can't detect the change, I'm sure others probably can, but as you say as a low cost test sounds like a great idea

 

[RayMets1]

I paired my Ayras SE with the Hifiman EF400 and it was a definite upgrade from the IFI IDSD Signature. The sound was much more open and the detailed and more prominent. I then purchased the Singxer SA1 amp and attached it to my EF400 and for me I believe have found the perfect pairing I was looking for with no EQ. The Singxer adds a slightly fuller low end and smooths the high end peaks of the Arya a bit, which I like because I'm treble sensitive. Love it.

 

[Patu]

Well I have one arriving next week (I hope so). I'll let you know how it runs my Dan Clarks and also the ATC's.

 

[RayMets1]

Well I have one arriving next week (I hope so). I'll let you know how it runs my Dan Clarks and also the ATC's.

Yes please do when you receive.
I found it sounds best for me in Low gain setting with low Z impedance and attached fully balanced. (made correction to low gain.)

 

[RayMets1]

You can pick up the Singxer SA1 on Apos.com right now for $509

 

[DeckHiFi]

You can pick up the Singxer SA1 on Apos.com right now for $509

Wow that's big news, thanks! The Burton Soloist 3x is on a good sale on headphones.com right now too. But then the SA-1 is looking like a super attractive price on Apos. Dang.