Singxer SA-1 / Balanced Amplifier Fully Discrete Class A - beyond THX 888 ?!

[jwilliamhurst]

I’ve received my Singxer Sa-1 and have been listening for a few days. I bought this from another headfier that has only used the amp for 20hours or so. So I’m sure the amp needs more burn in time.
As of now, the transients are snappy and fast. Everything sounds punchy and clear. The amp does not seem warm to me at all but also not cold or sterile…. However the bass may be the deal breaker for me….it’s very soft. Sounds like the kick drum has a blanket thrown over it. It’s def not the bass I thought I would get from a balanced amp, at least not at the moment. I’m going to give it a few weeks but if it doesn’t open up I will be selling.
My whole chain is balanced, using the 4.4 balanced. I can hear the potential of the amp and it does a lot of things well. The soundstage seems average…I was hoping for more after all the rave reviews of its wide open soundstage. So far Schiit is winning in my books. I’ll be back with an update in a few weeks….

 

[Lolito]

I’ve received my Singxer Sa-1 and have been listening for a few days. I bought this from another headfier that has only used the amp for 20hours or so. So I’m sure the amp needs more burn in time.
As of now, the transients are snappy and fast. Everything sounds punchy and clear. The amp does not seem warm to me at all but also not cold or sterile…. However the bass may be the deal breaker for me….it’s very soft. Sounds like the kick drum has a blanket thrown over it. It’s def not the bass I thought I would get from a balanced amp, at least not at the moment. I’m going to give it a few weeks but if it doesn’t open up I will be selling.
My whole chain is balanced, using the 4.4 balanced. I can hear the potential of the amp and it does a lot of things well. The soundstage seems average…I was hoping for more after all the rave reviews of its wide open soundstage. So far Schiit is winning in my books. I’ll be back with an update in a few weeks….

what headphones are you using them with, and dac or speakers?

 

[jwilliamhurst]

what headphones are you using them with, and dac or speakers?

I’m using Oriolus Traillii iem with a Denafrips Pontus 2 R2R Dac. Haven’t tried with speakers as I’m mainly an iem user.
Traillii already has an impressive soundstage but sounds wider and more life like on my lyr 3 and the lyr sounds more natural, just not as fast and punchy as the singxer. Which makes sense due to the tube hybrid aspect. Maybe that’s just my preference.

 

[seppukuslick]

Has anybody tried this with CA DacMagic200m? Interested in getting this.

 

[Muataz]

That's the problem, even my Grado's need to go to 3:00. All my planars also, Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire, Hifiman Sundara's, etc

What player do you use and you use DSP EQ ? and do you max your DAC output to max, I think you can output +6v from REM ADI ?

However, the volume and the sound quality should not changed even if you used it all max.

 

[Bob Ley]

What player do you use and you use DSP EQ ? and do you max your DAC output to max, I think you can output +6v from REM ADI ?

However, the volume and the sound quality should not changed even if you used it all max.

I usually keep the dac output at -15 dBr. I do use the EQ.

 

[Muataz]

I usually keep the dac output at -15 dBr. I do use the EQ.

Okay -15dBr is too much and this why you have to raise the volume much higher in the SA-1

If you do EQ in you DAC, I'm sure you are not boosting the Bass 15+db ! so you can reduce the DAC output the same amount of your maximum gain db+ in your EQ.

For example: if your maximum value in EQ for Bass by +5db then reduce the Dac preamp output by -5db only otherwise you loss a lot of headroom .

 

[jwilliamhurst]

**UPDATE**

Alright, alright, alright…..ALRIGHT!! I now understand the hype of the almighty Singxer Sa-1!

I came home tonight and turned on the sa-1 in low gain and let her warm up for about 45 min before starting my journey…
Plugged directly into the 4.4 with my Oriolus Traillii.

I know I posted earlier today I was a bit let down by this amp….(backstory…I use roon upsampled to dsd before the dac.)…Well, tonight I turned off upsampling via roon and let the dac upsample in os mode, slow filter and I heard the magic!!

First and foremost the soundstage became EPIC!!! Wide and spacious, deep and tall! All directions! The Traillii really helps here as well, but def could tell the amp was pushing it further in a natural way. I now hear the warmth and it’s welcomed because all the transients are still there in spades; articulate, fast and punchy but with a layer of warmth. The layers and imaging are all present and in good measure. The trailli resolves like a champ and the sa-1 shows it off with muscle.
I have to be completely honest here.( I know this is a controversial subject about this amp…) but, I love the volume pot! It’s PERFECT for iem use! It’s quite amazing in my opinion but YMMV. The bass is still a bit blunted. Which I hope () tightens up more with burn in. That is my only complaint as of now. I’m pretty impressed by this affordable balanced amp. It definitely deserves all the praise it’s been getting. Kudos to Singxer!

I read a review on Audiophilia by Michael Johnson about the Pontus 2 dac which I own and use. He stated “Dynamics on the Pontus are impressive and reminiscent of a good 45rpm vinyl record, they ebb and flow and can really hit you with impact when required.” I concur completely! It IS very analog and natural with so much clarity and is easily doubled when adding the sa-1 into the equation.
I will be enjoying this burn in process. I will report back soon.

 

[Middy]

**UPDATE**

Alright, alright, alright…..ALRIGHT!! I now understand the hype of the almighty Singxer Sa-1!

I came home tonight and turned on the sa-1 in low gain and let her warm up for about 45 min before starting my journey…
Plugged directly into the 4.4 with my Oriolus Traillii.

I know I posted earlier today I was a bit let down by this amp….(backstory…I use roon upsampled to dsd before the dac.)…Well, tonight I turned off upsampling via roon and let the dac upsample in os mode, slow filter and I heard the magic!!

First and foremost the soundstage became EPIC!!! Wide and spacious, deep and tall! All directions! The Traillii really helps here as well, but def could tell the amp was pushing it further in a natural way. I now hear the warmth and it’s welcomed because all the transients are still there in spades; articulate, fast and punchy but with a layer of warmth. The layers and imaging are all present and in good measure. The trailli resolves like a champ and the sa-1 shows it off with muscle.
I have to be completely honest here.( I know this is a controversial subject about this amp…) but, I love the volume pot! It’s PERFECT for iem use! It’s quite amazing in my opinion but YMMV. The bass is still a bit blunted. Which I hope () tightens up more with burn in. That is my only complaint as of now. I’m pretty impressed by this affordable balanced amp. It definitely deserves all the praise it’s been getting. Kudos to Singxer!

I read a review on Audiophilia by Michael Johnson about the Pontus 2 dac which I own and use. He stated “Dynamics on the Pontus are impressive and reminiscent of a good 45rpm vinyl record, they ebb and flow and can really hit you with impact when required.” I concur completely! It IS very analog and natural with so much clarity and is easily doubled when adding the sa-1 into the equation.
I will be enjoying this burn in process. I will report back soon.

I panicked and thought id bought into the hype train and failed....why i quoted my initial impressions.. Horrible and disjointed ... When you said before about the denifrips i read that it was a warmish midrange R2R Dac. I jumped the gun early with the mod.. i am at the point of it sounding like a spacious empty concert dependant on the recording.... does take so settle time, i just hope its what you like or at least better than before... thats all we can hope for...

Good luck
Dave

 

[ActuallySparky]

My SA-1 arrived about a week ago, and I thought I'd share some impressions. So far I'm VERY impressed with this, although admittedly it's more than twice the cost of any standalone amp I've used, so I'm likely easy to impress. It's also worth noting that I'm primarily an IEM guy, and am using this to power the IER-Z1R, so only really bothering with low gain.

Net-net, I really like it. It's a little warmer than the Topping A30 Pro, but not so warm as to be 'flavored' (not that I'm against a little flavor now and then). The SA-1 handles impact, punch, and dynamics better than any amp I've ever auditioned; percussion is crisp from the lows to the highs. The bass is beautifully powered, although not overdone. The bass was a little limp for my taste on the A30 Pro, and the SA-1 fixes that. Overall though, the Topping and Signxer have a similar sound profile.

Compared to the JDS Labs Atom there's more differences in profile - the SA-1 is dramatically faster. I love the Atom for being warm and punchy, but to the extent of being a bit of a flavor amp. I'm certainly keeping it around on the RCA output of my Bifrost for when I'd rather chill and enjoy beats, but the SA-1 is a much faster, crisper, and more engaging. The Z1R isn't perfectly powered by the Atom, but is absolutely commanded by the SA-1. Easier to drive options like the Atlas or Andromeda Gold lean into the more laid back Atom presentation a bit more.

I see why people like the Singxer.

 

[shwnwllms]

Just ordered my Singxer SA-1 today from ShenzhenAudio. (Along with a Gustard X16 DAC). Curious from any recent owners how long international shipping on the SA-1 is taking lately?

 

[Bob Ley]

Just ordered my Singxer SA-1 today from ShenzhenAudio. (Along with a Gustard X16 DAC). Curious from any recent owners how long international shipping on the SA-1 is taking lately?

DHL has been crazy fast lately (for me) Order was shipped out on a Friday and at my door by Tuesday (Boston)

 

[Middy]

DHL has been crazy fast lately (for me) Order was shipped out on a Friday and at my door by Tuesday (Boston)

Yes i was expecting month but its like they popped around from next door..

 

[Celty]

DHL has been crazy fast lately (for me) Order was shipped out on a Friday and at my door by Tuesday (Boston)

I ordered a Singxer SA-1 amp on May 21st. They followed through swiftly with a price match (same day). The expected delivery by DHL was June 1st, and I received emails from Apos and DHL on May 22nd that the item was shipped!

On May 24th, Apos notified me that they had done a complementary upgrade of the shipping of my order from Priority Shipping to Express Shipping to get it to me a few days sooner. I was surprised and of course pleased. I emailed my thanks, but also let them know that the DHL tracking showed the order had been stuck on hold and had not advanced from the original location. They responded quickly that the Support Team had alerted the Transportation Manager to look into the DHL delay. I received several more updates until the 27th, when I got emails from both Apos and DHL that the shipment was advancing and DHL said they had experienced a high growth of shipments from Asia-Pacific into the U.S, which had resulted in a slight delay.

I actually got the SA-1 on May 28th. The point of all this is to say that Apos went above and beyond with their responsiveness and communication, and exceeded expectations. I cannot say that about any other vendor that I have dealt with. My thanks to Bob, Darwin, and Sheila of Apos, they are great!

 

[shwnwllms]

I ordered a Singxer SA-1 amp on May 21st. They followed through swiftly with a price match (same day). The expected delivery by DHL was June 1st, and I received emails from Apos and DHL on May 22nd that the item was shipped!

On May 24th, Apos notified me that they had done a complementary upgrade of the shipping of my order from Priority Shipping to Express Shipping to get it to me a few days sooner. I was surprised and of course pleased. I emailed my thanks, but also let them know that the DHL tracking showed the order had been stuck on hold and had not advanced from the original location. They responded quickly that the Support Team had alerted the Transportation Manager to look into the DHL delay. I received several more updates until the 27th, when I got emails from both Apos and DHL that the shipment was advancing and DHL said they had experienced a high growth of shipments from Asia-Pacific into the U.S, which had resulted in a slight delay.

I actually got the SA-1 on May 28th. The point of all this is to say that Apos went above and beyond with their responsiveness and communication, and exceeded expectations. I cannot say that about any other vendor that I have dealt with. My thanks to Bob, Darwin, and Sheila of Apos, they are great!

Apos was out of stock on the X16 so I just ordered both the X16 & SA-1 from ShenzhenAudio. So far I haven’t received a shipping confirmation, so I have no idea what lead time to expect from them. Sounds like a great experience with Apos, I’ll certainly keep them in mind for future purchases.