Should I buy something better than Aiyima preamp/amp to go with my BW 606s2 anniversary speakers?

[iamthejosh]

I'm a new hifi guy so I read some reviews and bought the B&W 606 S2s and bought an Aiyima A08 amp and Aiyima T8 Preamp and then I plug my laptop into my Fiio M11 Plus LTD in Dac Mode and it sounds great. Is there something I'm missing here by not buying a more expensive amp? If you think so, have you also tried the Aiyimas or anything similar?

I did notice some people ask price range. I could pay up to $1,000 for an amp, but my question is whether it really makes a difference. Most people seem to say that it is a waste to spend that much on an amp for these speakers.

Thanks! First post here!

 

[rainsoothe]

I'm a new hifi guy so I read some reviews and bought the B&W 606 S2s and bought an Aiyima A08 amp and Aiyima T8 Preamp and then I plug my laptop into my Fiio M11 Plus LTD in Dac Mode and it sounds great. Is there something I'm missing here by not buying a more expensive amp? If you think so, have you also tried the Aiyimas or anything similar?

I did notice some people ask price range. I could pay up to $1,000 for an amp, but my question is whether it really makes a difference. Most people seem to say that it is a waste to spend that much on an amp for these speakers.

Thanks! First post here!

Hi, and welcome. If you're happy with it, don't stress 🙂 If you're just in a spending mood, yes, better amps will drive the speakers better. However it's a matter of taste, and only your ears can answer your question.

 

[RoA]

Why not try a couple of options?

You will likely gain refinement and better tonality rather than outright power.

 

[TrevC]

I'm a new hifi guy so I read some reviews and bought the B&W 606 S2s and bought an Aiyima A08 amp and Aiyima T8 Preamp and then I plug my laptop into my Fiio M11 Plus LTD in Dac Mode and it sounds great. Is there something I'm missing here by not buying a more expensive amp? If you think so, have you also tried the Aiyimas or anything similar?

I did notice some people ask price range. I could pay up to $1,000 for an amp, but my question is whether it really makes a difference. Most people seem to say that it is a waste to spend that much on an amp for these speakers.

Thanks! First post here!

The amp is powerful enough and has low distortion figures so I don't think that changing it will bring much benefit.

 

[RoA]

The amp is powerful enough and has low distortion figures so I don't think that changing it will bring much benefit.

Imho Class D amplifiers definitively have a 'sonic foot print' regardless if the figures read similarly to different topologies.

I am talking about the well known, well developed brands/products ie. Hypex, Pascal, ICE.

My previous active speakers used these.

Cheaper chip amps such as the OP's will likely follow a similar sound signature , albeit likely less refined.

The sound I am talking about is a lot of grip and punch in the bass but in a somewhat dry fashion. Good detail retrieval but lacking a little cohesiveness ... the thing that knits everything together and by far the biggest trait standing out ... dry'ish upper mids and treble.

Now I don't want to overstate this. The above is just my clumsy way of trying to put that 'footprint' into some words that perhaps make some sense.

In reality/use this may be a sonic signature some like and it's more subtle than my (clumsy) attempt to describe it but in direct comparison with good class A/B/G amplifiers it is easy to hear.

I think Class D, at least with non linear power (Switching) supplies, regardless of 'paper spec' have not yet evolved to a degree in which I could happily use them.

Having said all this, I have not heard every Class D ampifier out there but I have seen enough reviews and views about even the best measuring examples of today (Eigentakt/Purify) to gather it may not be all that it is supposed to be.

Words like 'control, detail, dark background, firm bass, crystal clear treble etc ' point to a product that you can admire from a technical point of view, one that can impress on first (even 20th) listen but may be a little harder to actually love listening to and keep for the long run.

Subjective stuff which the measurement guys will object to but my experience nevertheless.

So imho ... yes I would try some £1000 alternatives if I was the OP with the caveat that the speakers used may or may not reveal enough difference to make such an expense worthwhile.

I am not the biggest Bowers & Wilkins fan/follower so am probably the wrong person to advise on that even though my last (active) speaker I bought (and sold) was B&W's Formation Duo's.

 

[TrevC]

Here's a review of the AO7, a cheaper model. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/aiyima-a07-tpa3255-review-amplifier.18984/
Perfectly fine for inexpensive speakers. Note the flat frequency response curve.

 

[iamthejosh]

Hey all, thanks for your input. I took your advice and tried a few other options.

I ended up with Roon -> HQPlayer -> Dirac -> Schiit Bifrost -> Schiit Freya+ -> MiniDSP 4x10HD -> Aegir Monoblocks -> LS50 Metas and 2x SVS SB-3000. It has been a fun journey and each piece has added something. Cool hobby!

A note about the A07 - the A08 is the same product but with an inbuilt and more power supply than comes with the A07.

 

[Tinman1952]

Hey all, thanks for your input. I took your advice and tried a few other options.

I ended up with Roon -> HQPlayer -> Dirac -> Schiit Bifrost -> Schiit Freya+ -> MiniDSP 4x10HD -> Aegir Monoblocks -> LS50 Metas and 2x SVS SB-3000. It has been a fun journey and each piece has added something. Cool hobby!

A note about the A07 - the A08 is the same product but with an inbuilt and more power supply than comes with the A07.

Wow that's quite a journey! 😀 Nice kit 👍

 

[rainsoothe]

Hey all, thanks for your input. I took your advice and tried a few other options.

I ended up with Roon -> HQPlayer -> Dirac -> Schiit Bifrost -> Schiit Freya+ -> MiniDSP 4x10HD -> Aegir Monoblocks -> LS50 Metas and 2x SVS SB-3000. It has been a fun journey and each piece has added something. Cool hobby!

A note about the A07 - the A08 is the same product but with an inbuilt and more power supply than comes with the A07.

haha, RIP bank account 🙂

Enjoy, and thanks for reporting back!

 

[iamthejosh]

haha, RIP bank account 🙂

Enjoy, and thanks for reporting back!

No joke that! Also I bought the SVS wireless kit for the subs. Tried a Kef Kube 12b before the SVS subs and it was really nice, but prefer the SVS. The wireless kit works with any sub and is cheaper than most that I checked out so if you decide to move your sub around it is a good look. Adds about 24ms delay so may need to be phase corrected or mains need to be delayed, but the delay is inaudible except potentially as a phase issue.

 

[CheshirePete]

Hey all, thanks for your input. I took your advice and tried a few other options.

I ended up with Roon -> HQPlayer -> Dirac -> Schiit Bifrost -> Schiit Freya+ -> MiniDSP 4x10HD -> Aegir Monoblocks -> LS50 Metas and 2x SVS SB-3000. It has been a fun journey and each piece has added something. Cool hobby!

A note about the A07 - the A08 is the same product but with an inbuilt and more power supply than comes with the A07.

Nice system and Dirac is the way to go imho.