Desktop/PC Amplifier Discussion Thread

[-Sora-]

Hey all,

I'm in the market for a small compact amp to pair with passive bookshelf speakers for my 2nd setup and thought I'd share some of the options I've researched, hope it may prove useful to others. Any more recs/experiences or even battlestation pics are welcome too!

Currently I use the NAD D3020 for desktop which is surprisingly powerful. I also have a SMSL AD-18 that I dont quite like, too lean, too digital and flat sounding and therefore want something better.

Budget range: $0 - $300
Aiyima TPA3255 (US$58 w/o power supply)
SMSL AD-18 ($169)
Topping MX3 ($179)
SMSL SA-300 ($222)
Loxjie A30 (USD$160)
SMSL DA-8S ($220) (No DAC)
Arylic A50 ($210) (No DAC)

Budget range: $301 - $999
Dense Home (USD$299 on kickstarter)
Creative Sound Blaster X7 ($499) (SaGu's rec)
NAD D3020 ($699)
Burson Funk (US$599) (No DAC) (Pre-order)
Yamaha WXA-50 ($799)
Rega io ($880) (No DAC)
Quad Vena ($899)
NAD D3045 ($999)


Above $1000 range/Unobtainable in SG(Not considering, just sharing):
PS audio Sprout ($1000 amazon)
Bluesound Powernode 2i ($1299)
Quad Vena II Play ($1300)
Rega Brio ($1400) (No DAC)
Cyrus One ($1500)
Marantz Stereo Integrated Amplifier HD-AMP1
Peachtree Audio Nova 150 ($2500)
NAD M10 ($3899)
Naim Uniti Atom

Unobtainable in SG(Not considering, just sharing)
Keces E-40
Tangent Ampster BT II
Denon PMA-60
TEAC AI-301

 

[wwenze]

sagu suggest to add the Creative Sound Blaster X7 amplifier ($499.00) ?


#saguwisdom

And I suggest not to

#saguwisdom

 

[tk]

And I suggest not to

#saguwisdom

Why not? Curious..

 

[wwenze]

Why not? Curious..

Coz it's horrible if you're spending $499 for an amp that's why

#curiouswisdom

You can get better performance than that for US$58

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/aiyima-a07-tpa3255-review-amplifier.18984/

And I picked the $58 version over the $50 one because the $58 version has better op-amps which, surprise, actually improves performance this time.

 

[86technie]

sagu suggest to add the Creative Sound Blaster X7 amplifier ($499.00) ?


#saguwisdom

I agree with wwenze, X7 is not really a amplifier.
It is still a sound blaster product but using USB and
with banana plug.

X7 product relies on software for most of it's functionality.
A true amp/DAC there are no software needed, you just
plug and play.

 

[86technie]

sagu submit the thread is about desktop PC amplifier not traditional stereo amplifier and besides, the Creative X7 amplifier does play on its own without connecting to the desktop PC, no ?



#saguwisdom

Yes it can play on it's own, my point is amp shouldn't be reliant on software.
If it need software than it is basically a soundcard.
DAC, Sound interface etc. for PC usually are plug and play don't need
for software.

 

[tk]

I had actually bought a small class d desktop amp some years back, but rather disappointed with the sound quality when compared to a entry level class a/b amp. Was therefore intrigued when nad launched the d3020, wondering if class d amps have now improved to be worthy of consideration.

 

[-Sora-]

sagu suggest to add the Creative Sound Blaster X7 amplifier ($499.00) ?


#saguwisdom

Personally it's not something I would consider, 35W at 4ohms is pretty abyssmal for $499, and especially if it's class D, and the 5.1 output looks like its for solution that no one could possibly need. But maybe the headphone amp is good? Might fit the bill for someone, added to the list.

Coz it's horrible if you're spending $499 for an amp that's why

#curiouswisdom

You can get better performance than that for US$58

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/aiyima-a07-tpa3255-review-amplifier.18984/

And I picked the $58 version over the $50 one because the $58 version has better op-amps which, surprise, actually improves performance this time.

This looks pretty interesting, I've tried the cheapest TPA3116 I could get my hands on before(was like $30) and while it played loud it sounded kinda dead and unrefined. How much better are these? I'm tempted to get both this and the burson funk to see how they compare. Also, power supply do u use with it? Most 48v ones look so ugly like they are for industrial use, will 32v 5a fit the bill?

 

[-Sora-]

I had actually bought a small class d desktop amp some years back, but rather disappointed with the sound quality when compared to a entry level class a/b amp. Was therefore intrigued when nad launched the d3020, wondering if class d amps have now improved to be worthy of consideration.

Same for me, I've tried TPA3116 amp and thought maybe i went too cheap, so I bought the SMSL AD-18.

Honestly find the SMSL AD-18 overhyped, the digital glare was so bad I hooked up a good DAC to it and it became even worse and was real confused. This made me shy away from Class D for at least 2 years. Later I learned that it wasn't even a traditional DAC+Class D amp, it's straight up a digital amp, so feeding it analog sucks.

I managed to snag the D3020 on carousell for a good price, tbh while it doesn't have the warmth of a Class AB amp, it surprisingly has more than enough power and doesn't leave me feeling like I had sacrificed any audio quality, and I now have much more space

 

[-Sora-]

sagu remind sora that the satisfactory NAD D3020 is similarly spec’ed :

“Power output may sound small at 30W per channel, but like all NAD amplifiers this is very misleading, as a properly designed 30W amplifier can sound superior to a 100W amplifier from a lesser brand“






sagu enlightens sora about the similar DAC ship used in Creative X7 amplifier:


Kickass 100W* Stereo Amplifier

A high-power, high-efficiency Class-D digital amplifier TPA3116D2 delivers up to 100W power (2 x 50W @ 4Ω*), allowing you to connect to passive bookshelf or tower speakers. The Sound Blaster X7 also features an impedance switch to select between 4Ω and 8Ω to match your speakers to deliver the best audio performance.

* Requires upgrade to high-power adapter (24V 6A)


sagu suggest sora to give a listen to the Creative X7 before deciding



#saguwisdom

sagu, sorry but it's not even close.

NAD D3020 has 30W for 8ohms, THD 0.005%, while some quick googling show that on
Soundblaster X7 page they claim 35 W + 35 W (4 ohm, 1 kHz, 1% THD), which means it's actually about 15-20W for 8ohms and with way more distortion.

Plus now that you tell me it's based on TPA3116D2 I'd stay far far away from it lol.
I see that the DAC is actually Burr-Brown PCM1794 which is pretty ok in 2015, but in 2021 the fight is honestly between ESS sabre and AKM DACs, pretty much any 50USD dac from aliexpress would likely outperform this
imo.

Not hating on creative, I'd buy their product if it was high performing with good value for money and not shaped like a pyramid.

 

[benedium]

Yah and newer TPA 3255 amps are 3 times cheaper like the aiyima a07.

 

[AZE]

Coz it's horrible if you're spending $499 for an amp that's why

#curiouswisdom

You can get better performance than that for US$58

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/aiyima-a07-tpa3255-review-amplifier.18984/

And I picked the $58 version over the $50 one because the $58 version has better op-amps which, surprise, actually improves performance this time.

https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/title-report.php?id=649#gsc.tab=0

You even realised that you are comparing headphone amp output of X7 to high power speaker amp output of the aiyima?

 

[AZE]

Yes it can play on it's own, my point is amp shouldn't be reliant on software.
If it need software than it is basically a soundcard.
DAC, Sound interface etc. for PC usually are plug and play don't need
for software.

It can run without SW or any connections to PC.

The connections to PC/apps are meant for adjusting internal DSP settings.

 

[AZE]

Why not? Curious..

X7 is an AIO device.

Headphone amp, speaker amp, DSP, multi IO(line/mic/spdif/bluetooth) connect.

If the purpose is to just use it for 1 of the features then it is under utilised and might be a little overpriced for that aspect.

 

[AZE]

sagu, sorry but it's not even close.

NAD D3020 has 30W for 8ohms, THD 0.005%, while some quick googling show that on
Soundblaster X7 page they claim 35 W + 35 W (4 ohm, 1 kHz, 1% THD), which means it's actually about 15-20W for 8ohms and with way more distortion.

Plus now that you tell me it's based on TPA3116D2 I'd stay far far away from it lol.
I see that the DAC is actually Burr-Brown PCM1794 which is pretty ok in 2015, but in 2021 the fight is honestly between ESS sabre and AKM DACs, pretty much any 50USD dac from aliexpress would likely outperform this
imo.

Not hating on creative, I'd buy their product if it was high performing with good value for money and not shaped like a pyramid.

Top DAC tech ish already at the point where supporting components and overall design matters much more than the DAC chip itself, and that was many years ago.
ESS is good because of big number really, much easier to advertise big numbers.
For the multibit DAC fans, the PCM1794 is the last of the series(hybrid multibit).

 

[YouHeypiCanLiao]

so far can't find any reasonably good digital amp for pc use.

 

[zephyr11]

i'm using the nad c328, hybrid digital integrated.

quite happy with it, managed to get a good price on it when lenbrook awhile back, it might be a tad pricey but quite worth it imo. i think retail is under 1k, so should fit in the category, it is a full sized amp though, if space is a constraint, best to look at the 3020 or similar.

also it comes with a built in dac, and phono, works but of course, as all built in stuff, it just works.

 

[wwenze]

Hmm the C 328 Hybrid Digital contains something that looks familiar...

UcD really don't pray pray

https://www.stereophile.com/content/nad-c-328-integrated-amplifier-measurements

Speaking of which the D 3020 also uses UcD, just a cheaper one.

 

[petetherock]

so far can't find any reasonably good digital amp for pc use.

I'm using a Denon RCD 38 and I'm very happy with it. The current version is the RCD 41

 

[benedium]

So many happy people