[Riverflow]

Do you guys take this amplifier seriously? I recently purchased a linear power supply with a 50 watt talem core for my amplifier, a Dart Aurora DAC, and it turned out to be happiness, better detail, stage, lower bass. I don't want to touch it anymore, unlike singer, it's garbage, muddy sound, an inflated stage and a midbass with weak treble, do you appreciate the sound like that? What's the hype?

Each to their own
But you are talking about a Dac/amp combo and a separate Linear aftermarket power supply, it is apple and pears
At first I was unimpressed with the SA-1 until I read this thread and took some advice ie changed inputs to XLR balanced, silver cables (seem to work well with the SA-1 for my set up) the jumper mod,diffrent DAC.
I also find the choice of headphone my focal clear mg seem to really like this amp.

 

[Hypops]

Do you guys take this amplifier seriously? I recently purchased a linear power supply with a 50 watt talem core for my amplifier, a Dart Aurora DAC, and it turned out to be happiness, better detail, stage, lower bass. I don't want to touch it anymore, unlike singer, it's garbage, muddy sound, an inflated stage and a midbass with weak treble, do you appreciate the sound like that? What's the hype?

Good for you, I guess? Not only would your amp not drive my headphones, but it also wouldn’t have the inputs or outputs that I need. I just don’t see enough in common between the two to warrant a comparison (or the attitude). But cool that you found something that works better for you.

 

[dstarr3]

It's also worth saying that I originally paired this amp with a Schiit Modius for about a year, and then earlier this year upgraded to a Bifrost 2/64 and I've had to completely reacquaint myself with the amp. It's the amp in my collection that I'm the most familiar with and the DAC upgrade completely transformed it into something completely different.

Suffice it to say, synergy matters.

 

[hottyson]

Do you guys take this amplifier seriously? I recently purchased a linear power supply with a 50 watt talem core for my amplifier, a Dart Aurora DAC, and it turned out to be happiness, better detail, stage, lower bass. I don't want to touch it anymore, unlike singer, it's garbage, muddy sound, an inflated stage and a midbass with weak treble, do you appreciate the sound like that? What's the hype?

That is great that you found something that works for your setup.
.
The Singxer SA-1 is a decent headphone amp that works great with dynamic driver headphones but it is priced a little high with performance that is nothing to write home about. The Schiit Jotunheim 2 is cheaper and has similar input/outputs that will also drive planar magnetic headphones nicely. However, the cons against the Jotunheim 2 is that it puts out too much heat and the headphone output still outputs during speaker preamp output selection. Which is why my Singxer SA-1 is used everyday in my system as a preamp to my desktop monitors and stays nice and cool doing so. If one does not need the preamp features of the Singxer SA-1, then I usually don't recommend it to said person.

 

[Dimitry188]

The Schiit Jotunheim 2 is cheaper

I have compared Schiit Jotunheim and Singxer SA-1 directly - Singxer is noticeably better in sound.

 

[Hypops]

I have compared Schiit Jotunheim and Singxer SA-1 directly - Singxer is noticeably better in sound.

SA-1 v. Jot2 opinions seem to be pretty split. Clearly comes down to personal preference. Since I haven’t been able to compare the two, what did you find “noticeably better” about the Singxer?

 

[hottyson]

I have compared Schiit Jotunheim and Singxer SA-1 directly - Singxer is noticeably better in sound.

I compared them both with over fifty headphones.
I found that the Singxer SA-1 was better than Schiit Jotunheim 2 with some headphones.
I found that the Schiit Jotunheim 2 was better than Singxer SA-1 with some headphones.
.
If anyone compared them on many headphones I would be shocked and surprised if they found the Singxer SA-1 better in all instances.

 

[hottyson]

I compared them both with over fifty headphones.
I found that the Singxer SA-1 was better than Schiit Jotunheim 2 with some headphones.
I found that the Schiit Jotunheim 2 was better than Singxer SA-1 with some headphones.
.
If anyone compared them on many headphones I would be shocked and surprised if they found the Singxer SA-1 better in all instances.

For instance here are some of the headphones that the SA-1 seemed lacking in comparison to the Jotunheim 2;
ZMF Aeolus - SA-1 lacked bite in the treble
Hifiman HE6se V2 - SA-1 comparatively muffled, stifled sound stage, less dynamic
Audeze LCD-X 2021 - SA-1 holographic characteristics of headphone gone, dry airiness presentation
Hifiman Ananda - SA-1 too smoothed out, lacking bass slam for my rock tracks

 

[Dimitry188]

If anyone compared them on many headphones I would be shocked and surprised if they found the Singxer SA-1 better in all instances.

Unfortunately, I will no longer be able to complete these studies.
I sold both of these amplifiers and bought Aune S17 Pro, which with all my headphones sounds better than them.
It's probably the best amp up to $1,000 today. And maybe even higher.

 

[Hypops]

Unfortunately, I will no longer be able to complete these studies.
I sold both of these amplifiers and bought Aune S17 Pro, which with all my headphones sounds better than them.
It's probably the best amp up to $1,000 today. And maybe even higher.

I have compared Schiit Jotunheim and Singxer SA-1 directly - Singxer is noticeably better in sound.

Words like “better” and “best” are meaningless in audio (unless you’re an ASR cultist) since they are highly particular to the person, their gear, and their preferred music genres. And saying something like “best amp up to $1,000 today” means that you’ve heard and compared it to every other amp under $1000, which not even the most well-versed reviewer can confidently claim.

Specifics help. As in, what exact traits do you find “better” about the Singxer? And with what kinds of gear? What specific traits make the Aune “best” in its price class? For whom and in which use cases? But by themselves, “better” and “best” are meaningless IMO. This is why many of us have multiple amps, headphones, DACs, etc. We know there is no such thing as “better” full stop, just better for particular use cases, gear, and preferences.

 

[Friskyseal]

SA-1 v. Jot2 opinions seem to be pretty split. Clearly comes down to personal preference. Since I haven’t been able to compare the two, what did you find “noticeably better” about the Singxer?

I also found the SA-1 to be significantly superior to the Jot2. The reason these two amps are compared a lot is they have an identical form factor and therefore stack well with Schiit midlevel DACS that many in this hobby start out with. I went from Asgard 3 to Jot 2 to SA-1.

The Jot 2 is flawed in its design for a minority of users like myself that prefer low-volume (safe!) listening. The output is simply too powerful/loud out of the balanced output. With moderate load headphones, I couldn't go past 9 o'clock on the volume dial without reaching uncomfortable levels. This made it fail its basic function, in my view. Sure, I could switch to the single-ended jack but the sound quality was inferior and then why did I buy a balanced amp if I couldn't even use it? Also, using sensitive IEMS out of the SE-jack produced hiss (even Jason admitted this—his solution was to use the balanced out, which had no hiss, but then the output level is so high that IEMS are similarly unusable). I actually think Asgard 3 is a better amp than Jot 2; not just a better value but better sounding, too.

The SA-1 has a more versatile volume pot and is usable with the full range of IEMS and headphones and is dead silent with everything. I don't think it is powerful enough to drive Susvara but that's about it. I love that I can use it, balanced, with both my 10-ohm CIEMS and also my 300-ohm Sennheisers.

Even in its stock form, I found the SA-1 to sound more "refined" than the Jot 2. It has a slightly softer, more midrange-focused sound than the the Jot 2 that is more aggressive and V-shaped. For someone looking for the most "showy" and "bellicose" sound that only loves hard metal, maybe they would like the Jot 2 more. But I think SA-1's more balanced approach is more accurate and enjoyable for the vast majority of genres and listeners. Maybe headphones also play a role. I only own dynamics and BA-IEMS; I don't like the sound of planars at all. Maybe planars benefit more from the aggression.

I don't think anyone should keep SA-1 if they don't like it in stock form. But keep in mind I had all these impressions even before the various upgrades I did on mine, like the jumper cable "mod", and swapping the power cable and fuse. These all further pull it ahead of Jot 2 into another league. Particularly the jumper mod injects more of that dynamism and aggression that it lacked prior.

 

[Hypops]

I also found the SA-1 to be significantly superior to the Jot2. The reason these two amps are compared a lot is they have an identical form factor and therefore stack well with Schiit midlevel DACS that many in this hobby start out with. I went from Asgard 3 to Jot 2 to SA-1.

The Jot 2 is flawed in its design for a minority of users like myself that prefer low-volume (safe!) listening. The output is simply too powerful/loud out of the balanced output. With moderate load headphones, I couldn't go past 9 o'clock on the volume dial without reaching uncomfortable levels. This made it fail its basic function, in my view. Sure, I could switch to the single-ended jack but the sound quality was inferior and then why did I buy a balanced amp if I couldn't even use it? Also, using sensitive IEMS out of the SE-jack produced hiss (even Jason admitted this—his solution was to use the balanced out, which had no hiss, but then the output level is so high that IEMS are similarly unusable). I actually think Asgard 3 is a better amp than Jot 2; not just a better value but better sounding, too.

The SA-1 has a more versatile volume pot and is usable with the full range of IEMS and headphones and is dead silent with everything. I don't think it is powerful enough to drive Susvara but that's about it. I love that I can use it, balanced, with both my 10-ohm CIEMS and also my 300-ohm Sennheisers.

Even in its stock form, I found the SA-1 to sound more "refined" than the Jot 2. It has a slightly softer, more midrange-focused sound than the the Jot 2 that is more aggressive and V-shaped. For someone looking for the most "showy" and "bellicose" sound that only loves hard metal, maybe they would like the Jot 2 more. But I think SA-1's more balanced approach is more accurate and enjoyable for the vast majority of genres and listeners. Maybe headphones also play a role. I only own dynamics and BA-IEMS; I don't like the sound of planars at all. Maybe planars benefit more from the aggression.

Awesome rundown. Your experience jives with my overall experience with Schiit gear. I tend to rely on the cliche analogy to cars. Schiit products on the whole are like muscle cars (high power-to-cost ratio, but they can get a bit squirrelly), while the Singxer amp is like an entry-level luxury car (well-balanced and understated). Different cars for different customers. I think Jason Stoddard also regularly makes the analogy between Schiit gear and muscle cars FWIW.

I don't think anyone should keep SA-1 if they don't like it in stock form. But keep in mind I had all these impressions even before the various upgrades I did on mine, like the jumper cable "mod", and swapping the power cable and fuse. These all further pull it ahead of Jot 2 into another league. Particularly the jumper mod injects more of that dynamism and aggression that it lacked prior.

I always upgrade power cables on my amps, but I’m curious what, if anything, swapping fuses did. I know some folks swear by fuse upgrades, but I’ve never found them to make any audible difference in my gear. But I haven’t tried it with the Singxer amp. Anything tangible, or was it just vaguely an improvement?

 

[Friskyseal]

I always upgrade power cables on my amps, but I’m curious what, if anything, swapping fuses did. I know some folks swear by fuse upgrades, but I’ve never found them to make any audible difference in my gear. But I haven’t tried it with the Singxer amp. Anything tangible, or was it just vaguely an improvement?

Oh, you just have to try it. I was skeptical, too. "It's a safety device—it has no effect on the sound at all." It doesn't make sense, but for whatever reason it has an impact on the sound. The fuse is coloring the power somehow as it enters into the amp, I dunno. Honestly I originally wrote "huge impact" but I'm trying to tone it down because it's difficult to quantify. They aren't expensive. If tinkering isn't fun for you, why bother. But if you're interested you just have to try it for yourself and report back.

One problem I've had is unlike the jumper mod or power cable upgrade, there is no clear right answer. I can't find a fuse that is the best for this amp; they each impart a special quality but also have some drawback.

If you want a "fast hack" for a first fuse, buy the Acme Audio Labs Silver Cryo Fuse (with the "crystal fiber compound [CFC]")—it's ~$25 and ships from the US. It sounds incredible and it is BRIGHT. It makes the amp come alive with brightness and performances sound like real life. But it is too bright for me and I can't keep it in the amp for long before I swap it out. But the reason I say try this one first is: if you can't hear a difference with this fuse then clearly this project isn't for you or I'm just crazy.

Other fuses that work well:
Gustard HiFi Fuse (1.6A) - A good upgrade to the stock, sounds way more dynamic, great bass. But it creates a strange soundstage, more in-your-head. I tried this one first but it's the same price as the Acme and you have to wait for it to arrive from China. Others here have reported hearing no difference.
HiFi-Tuning Supreme³ Copper - Amazing tone, warmer and slower. I thought it was too slow at first but this is where I've settled for now.
HiFi-Tuning Supreme³ Silver/Gold - Kind of a goldilocks fuse, faster and sharper than the Copper but still toned-down compared to the Acme. Problem here is, it gets a little boring.

I also tried the super expensive Synergistic Research Purple fuse. I only bought it since it had a money-back guarantee, which I promptly took advantage of. Too smooth and boring, puts the SA-1 to sleep even more.

So yeah, I think it is very tangible but you just have to try it for yourself and you don't need to spend a lot of money.

 

[Hypops]

Oh, you just have to try it. I was skeptical, too. "It's a safety device—it has no effect on the sound at all." It doesn't make sense, but for whatever reason it has an impact on the sound. The fuse is coloring the power somehow as it enters into the amp, I dunno. Honestly I originally wrote "huge impact" but I'm trying to tone it down because it's difficult to quantify. They aren't expensive. If tinkering isn't fun for you, why bother. But if you're interested you just have to try it for yourself and report back.

One problem I've had is unlike the jumper mod or power cable upgrade, there is no clear right answer. I can't find a fuse that is the best for this amp; they each impart a special quality but also have some drawback.

If you want a "fast hack" for a first fuse, buy the Acme Audio Labs Silver Cryo Fuse (with the "crystal fiber compound [CFC]")—it's ~$25 and ships from the US. It sounds incredible and it is BRIGHT. It makes the amp come alive with brightness and performances sound like real life. But it is too bright for me and I can't keep it in the amp for long before I swap it out. But the reason I say try this one first is: if you can't hear a difference with this fuse then clearly this project isn't for you or I'm just crazy.

Other fuses that work well:
Gustard HiFi Fuse (1.6A) - A good upgrade to the stock, sounds way more dynamic, great bass. But it creates a strange soundstage, more in-your-head. I tried this one first but it's the same price as the Acme and you have to wait for it to arrive from China. Others here have reported hearing no difference.
HiFi-Tuning Supreme³ Copper - Amazing tone, warmer and slower. I thought it was too slow at first but this is where I've settled for now.
HiFi-Tuning Supreme³ Silver/Gold - Kind of a goldilocks fuse, faster and sharper than the Copper but still toned-down compared to the Acme. Problem here is, it gets a little boring.

I also tried the super expensive Synergistic Research Purple fuse. I only bought it since it had a money-back guarantee, which I promptly took advantage of. Too smooth and boring, puts the SA-1 to sleep even more.

So yeah, I think it is very tangible but you just have to try it for yourself and you don't need to spend a lot of money.

Cool. I’ve tried—and occasionally benefitted from—more than a few “woo-woo” tweaks over the years, so I’m not averse to giving it a shot. When it comes to audio, I trust my ears first, and only then do I look to the science and engineering for explanations, not the other way around. I’m down.

 

[Hypops]

Oh, you just have to try it. I was skeptical, too. "It's a safety device—it has no effect on the sound at all." It doesn't make sense, but for whatever reason it has an impact on the sound. The fuse is coloring the power somehow as it enters into the amp, I dunno. Honestly I originally wrote "huge impact" but I'm trying to tone it down because it's difficult to quantify. They aren't expensive. If tinkering isn't fun for you, why bother. But if you're interested you just have to try it for yourself and report back.

One problem I've had is unlike the jumper mod or power cable upgrade, there is no clear right answer. I can't find a fuse that is the best for this amp; they each impart a special quality but also have some drawback.

If you want a "fast hack" for a first fuse, buy the Acme Audio Labs Silver Cryo Fuse (with the "crystal fiber compound [CFC]")—it's ~$25 and ships from the US. It sounds incredible and it is BRIGHT. It makes the amp come alive with brightness and performances sound like real life. But it is too bright for me and I can't keep it in the amp for long before I swap it out. But the reason I say try this one first is: if you can't hear a difference with this fuse then clearly this project isn't for you or I'm just crazy.

Other fuses that work well:
Gustard HiFi Fuse (1.6A) - A good upgrade to the stock, sounds way more dynamic, great bass. But it creates a strange soundstage, more in-your-head. I tried this one first but it's the same price as the Acme and you have to wait for it to arrive from China. Others here have reported hearing no difference.
HiFi-Tuning Supreme³ Copper - Amazing tone, warmer and slower. I thought it was too slow at first but this is where I've settled for now.
HiFi-Tuning Supreme³ Silver/Gold - Kind of a goldilocks fuse, faster and sharper than the Copper but still toned-down compared to the Acme. Problem here is, it gets a little boring.

I also tried the super expensive Synergistic Research Purple fuse. I only bought it since it had a money-back guarantee, which I promptly took advantage of. Too smooth and boring, puts the SA-1 to sleep even more.

So yeah, I think it is very tangible but you just have to try it for yourself and you don't need to spend a lot of money.

Was just looking into some of these, but I'm clueless when it comes to choosing the correct fuse type. All I can see on the original fuse is that it's rated at 2 Amps for 250V and a quick measurement tells me it's small in size (5x20mm). But nothing visible tells me if it's a fast or slow blow. Not sure how much the difference matters. I also see that you've used one that's a bit lower than the stock fuse (1.6A) which would make it more likely to blow, yes? No idea how wise or safe it is to go lower tolerance than the original (but I can guess that going higher is a very bad idea).