Forget about Allo then, they have pretty expensive shipping to Malaysia. I was about to buy their Digione Player but had to hold off my intention for now as I'm looking for alternatives.For some reason.. those Yamaha receiver is not available here in Malaysia. Cheapest yamaha I can get online is $350+. Out of the budget as of now coz I still need DAC.
Besides, I will be using a PC. Would that be ok with Yamaha?
My Topping DX7s DAC is great and reliable, but I had two Topping PA3's die within a year - and from here warranty and returns are a pain - it is inconvenient and expensive to ship stuff back to the U.S. from Panama.
I am now using an Aiyima A04 TPA3251 as my battery and portable and backup stereo ChiFi mini-amp. $50 at Amazon.
View attachment 63630
Forget about Allo then, they have pretty expensive shipping to Malaysia. I was about to buy their Digione Player but had to hold off my intention for now as I'm looking for alternatives.
How about Loxjie A10 then? It is based on TPA3116 and has pretty good sound quality IMO. I bought mine from Shopee and received within 2 weeks. But note that it has pretty high gain (32dB if I'm not mistaken) so you might hear some hiss if you have very high sensitivity speakers.
Wow..this is cheap... how was it so far? Decent sound for the price?
Why did your PA3 died that fast ? Are you listening to heavy/loud music everyday ?
the Toppping, Aiyima and I.AM.D. ChiFi mini-amps have all performed well.
Here's what I've searched so far.. any thoughts?
AMPLIFIER
1. Topping PA3
Product Link
Youtube review
2. SMSL AD18
Product Link
Youtube Review
I just read a review somewhere in the forum the terms and graphs is too technical for me. hehe.
Someone is selling me "Onkyo A-9010 " for $200. Is this a good amp? Worth it for the price ?
No.
https://www.intl.onkyo.com/downloads/manuals/pdf/a-9010_manual_en.pdf
43dB SINAD for 1kHz, 4Ohm @ rated power. Will be better at lower power but how much? 10dB? 15? Still bad.
If with the advice already given you are still completely undecided and likely to buy something based on subjective recommendations, then just get the Aiyima 3251 + 32V 5A AC/DC adapter. It isn't any known brand and the quality is cheap but at least it's based on well-performing technology (for the cost), unlike some old used stuff that never measured well and might have worsened over time. If it doesn't meet your expectations for some reason, at least it's not $200 wasted on an ice age audio device.
Wow, that's unexpected. One would think that with how relatively close to China Malaysia is, getting items from Chinese sellers on AliExpress or eBay would be super-easy and cheap.Those recommended are good but not readily available in my area. Not even on the list of items from China ship to Malaysia. If I ever found one... x2 the price in amazon.
That 25 dollar Behringer usb dac is not perfect but clearly better both in terms of measurements and audibly than motherboard dacs, particularly on laptops (most macbooks excepted). With it you can use any cheap and cheerful integrated amp with analogue inputs.
Since dacs are relatively good he needs to spend as much as possible of the budget on the amp.
A dirt cheap usb dac with volume control may be even better. Add a Behringer A800 and he is done.