Holographics? YES PLEASE!! IotaVX SA40 Review!
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- IotaVX SA40 Integrated Amplifier with HDMI ARC: iotavx.com/IOT...
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…easter egg???
Here is an early access link to the 3-way comparison!! Don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret okay.
Emotiva TA2 vs. IotaVX SA40 vs. Outlaw RR2160 MK2, Is there a Best?
• Emotiva TA2 vs. IotaVX...
I see nemo, I watch
thanks Nick!!
And then I like❤
me too my friend......
Good, finaly a review of something we can buy :)
I've had this amp for a month replacing an Audiolab 6000a and driving Polk R200's. The first thing I noticed was the open, airy, and yes holographic sound this amp puts out. Nemo is not steering you wrong! Second, the unit has the power to really dig deep. It absolutely monsters the 6000a in the bass dept. I love the tone controls, remote is well done, features for the price are unmatched. I started running it with the balanced inputs and noticed an increase in top end clarity. I second Nemo's opinion on not needing the companion amp to double the power, this amp already sounds great.
Unlike Nemo I did not find the midrange to be pleasing. At least certain aspects of it. The amp sounds fine for music and generally quite exciting and fun to listen to. But watching UA-cam video's I sometimes hear a muffled sounding lower midrange (male voices). It's funny how it can sound fine with one video but sound much less intelligible with another. Also there is an elevation in the lower treble with extended S-sounds. Not quite sibilant but also not natural either. I can actually here this listening to Nemo. Some of this could be a combination of my SMSL SU-10 DAC (warm upper bass) and the R200's (peaky at 1,100hz) but to my ears the Audiolab 6000a and Rotel A11 Tribute have much more natural sounding midranges in the same setup. When I buy another amp it will be to fix this problem.
But in the meantime I'm going to be having a lot of fun with this amp. I highly recommend it for it's exciting presentation of music and feature set. I think that most people that order it are going to be surprised how good it is. One additional note to add is that in order to import this unit (ships from Germany) I had to provide my SSN to DHL. This is a new requirement from Customs that was just put in place a few months ago. Previously only commercial importers had to do this, now it's everybody. I took a week to make sure this was legit and eventually provided it. The amp was cleared by customs within an hour and moving again. So don't be surprised about this potential hassle. Well worth it in the end though!
TLDR: Huge, spacious, exciting sound for music. Not the best tonality for general use. Possible importation hassles.
Thanks for this! I currently have a 6000a and polk r200's, also. I have serious upgradeitis. All this helps trying to decide to upgrade the 6000a or speakers first.
What about using the built in DAC?
@@ThomasAndStereoThat's exactly what i just mentioned in my comment. I just got the SMSL DO200 PRO. If the IOTA's DAC is on par with it, I could save some money, but i have no idea.
@@ThomasAndStereo I've only ever used it as a power amp. I generally don't consider built in DAC's to be good enough for my ears. If it helps I'd just go ahead and get the SA40. You can use it's DAC and if it doesn't do it for you upgrading later. The amplifier alone justifies it's price for sure.
@@lloydbrown3223 I was really surprised how much more the R200's had to give when I hooked up this amp. They are the cheapest part of my system but they have scaled up with every new piece of gear so I have kept them. That said now that I have this amp, I think upgrading the speakers next is in order.
I think ordering the amp will cure your upgradeitis for a while! It will definitely wake your system up.
Speakers first or amp first? Buy whichever one you know you want for sure. That way you can get to know it's character and use that experience to guide the second purchase.
Happy listening.
It's a great brand .. very overlooked by many. Good to see them getting some coverage.
Good to see another solid option around the $1k price point. Thanks.
Outstanding as always Nemo, what a great review. I've had a SA3/PA3 stack for a few years now and love them. I knew the company had been sold and it's nice to see the new owners put out a quality product. Thank you and keep up the great work.
I have been waiting for someone other than Thomas to review this. Sounds like I have another amp I'm going to get! Nice review, and thank you!
Great video. The pace of your reviews are spot-on for me. Thx!
Side-note-Just got my RSL 10E last week. Incredible value. Get another one next week.
This company kind of reminds me of Schiit. Decent products at fair prices.
I got thr PA40 a little while ago and I finally hav4 an amp im happy with for my magnepan lrs!
in India?
I am definitely looking forward to that three-way comparison, that is exactly where I am right now. I have looked at some other similar price range. You know around $1000 type amps, not an easy decision to make.
What if I told you the link was hidden somewhere, possibly on this very page 🤷🏻♂️ happy hunting! Easter eggs easter eggs…
Still one of the best reviewers out there!🤟
aye! thank you for the kind words!
Yes HDMI can work Denon, Yamaha have the INPUT TRIM setting to match the source properly that actually is very important for the Holographic presentation.
And it's Fantastic more MFGs are perfecting input PreAmp buffer to get that top notch sound at a cheaper price point.
The word Holographics has me waiting in the queue 8 hours early. Looking forward to this one Nemo. Will you be reviewing the Wiim Ultra?
hey what's up my man!! Wiim Ultra... hmmm, it sure is a good looking unit but I'm not a huge fan of screens on hifi gear, they're usually cheap LCD's that look hazy to me, at least that's how the dmp a6 was. Possibly in the future if people seem to really like it. The wiim amp had a ton of excitement at first and turned out to be just alright.
@@NemoPropaganda The screen has no appeal to me either, when I get deep into the final hours of a listening session I don't like any form of lighting in the room and the screen would be switched off. The PEQ, Sub management, HDMI & USB functionality has really perked my interest. The value for money seems too good to be true and I have my reservations about how such a low costing unit will perform. Regardless of performance, I really like what Wiim are bringing to the table.
On another note, absolutely loving my Heco Celan Rev 3's, I think its going to take a very special speaker & a lot of money to replace them in my home. Will the SA40 bring out the best of their holographic abilities?... only 4 hours 15 mins to find out more.
Keep doin yo thang brother.
Respect from Ireland.
@@garethbrownlee5457 hi bro, yeah I think that would be a great combination and def bring out some holographics, but bring out the best? We have to remember $5k amps like the Pathos Inpol Remix MK2 exist and of course will bring out even more with the Celan Rev3, but in the price range of around $1k the SA40 is one of the better options for the Celan, only other thing I can think of for an absolute winning combo is the CHoco amp but you'll have to give up any and all features since its a purist piece. A cheaper way to gain some holographics is room treatment at the first reflection points if you can accomodate that. I use GIK Gobo panels that can easily be moved around.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks for the advice man. I enjoyed the review as always.
Thank you Nemo
I always watch till the end... even when youtube deletes my whole youtube account/channel (without any strikes btw) and I have to create a whole new account to watch your content probably for the 3rd time now (and yes I will keep reuploading the video that makes them delete my account every time I create a new account because I love to have fun)
hey whats up yama!!! why they keep banning you bro?
@@NemoPropaganda not much bro... YT hates something about this video from Dr Campbell I reshared on my channel but they refuse to tell me what their issue is specifically with it... ua-cam.com/video/LsPmGzvhF4Q/v-deo.html
Cheers NEMO,, 🍻😎👍
Seems like a great product to buy and be able to build off of for many years. I approve!
The Marantz remote on the Cinema 30 is fantastic! It is made of metal. The remote on the Cinema 70s is the exact same, but it is plastic. Still good.
Hello Nemo, I always liked your reviews, particularly THIS ONE on the SA 40 because I've been considering replacing my IOTA SA3 (which I've now had for three years) but haven't seen much out there in the $1K to $1.5K range that would provide a "good/ substantial" improvement over it, and based on your review/ comments, this SA40 looks like the ticket for "me/ my needs". BTW the Outlaw might be good/ slightly better than the SA 40, but I can't get past its looks (and that's coming from a guy who places 70% on function/ 30% on form when it comes to stereo equipment).
I hear that, so the SA40 would for sure be an upgrade, a bigger upgrade would be the CHoco but that's also bigger dollars and you can play that game forever and the CHoco is a purist piece so you gotta keep that in mind.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks Nemo, I appreciate what you are saying. If I wanted an even bigger upgrade the CHoco (great piece of equipment) would most likely be it. As for me, a 73-year-old audio enthusiast (I know my hearing is not what it was), also with my Speakers/ Equipment placed in my living room, (its room acoustics is far from perfect) sort of makes for the perfect storm of my being careful regarding the upgrade bug. All the best to you!!!
@@MikeK6046 I hear that, only thing to keep in mind is the CHoco is a bit darker up top and there are no tone controls so depending on your taste I could see some guys around your age group feeling the CHoco is perhaps too dark and may prefer Kinki's EXM1 or EXM1+ instead.
Sounds Excellent ..Thanks
i want to see the comparison vid........i love the idea of hdmi arc...........of course i will watch you anytime i can as i LOVE your voice and channel............
maybe it's already there, maybe it's right in front of you if you just click on a couple things :) 60 people have already found it, I believe in you!! As always thank you for the kind words!! you rock!
Sounds like a good option for something I can actually afford. I'm wondering about the internal DAC . Also how does it compare to Choco sound integrated amp? Thanks great video!
most internal DAC are good enough in my opinion but of course you can add an external for those who want to upgrade later. The CHoco is a purist piece with zero features, nothing cheaper than the CHoco can compete with the CHoco. The CHoco competes with amps that are double its price. The price you pay to have such great sound at the low price of the CHoco is giving up any and all features, it's a completely different product for the absolute audiophile purist where the IotaVX SA40 is a full featured amp.
Wow! So the Totem Bison was the "one". Gotta learn about that speaker.
Just bought a Schiit Ragnarok and wondering how the Bisons might work
with it? I currently run Elac DBR 62s and although they're "OK", they, at times.
can sound veiled or slightly masked in the midrange.
hmmm I'm just guessing as I've only heard a couple Schiit amps but I'm guessing it will be more neutral & open in the mids but you may wish to -1 or -2 on the treble with the ragnarock/bison combo. The DBR is a great speaker and the mids are a little warm, you may not like warm mids, something in the same price range that sounds like the Bison tonally is the RBH 5i, not sure what their in home trial is but could be worth a shot!
I mean the RBH 5i are in the same price range as the DBR.
Nemo, fantastic review, as usual! Is there any difference hooking up a sub with the pre outs vs. sub out?
I didn't notice a difference with this model specifically but my OCD brain tells me pre-out sounds better no matter what, we're all a little crazy sometimes and that just might be one way my brain is a little crazy, some amps sub out for sure is garbage though.
Hey pal. Getting the Zu DWX speakers thanks to your review. Still looking for an amp to compliment it and thinking one of these, Choco Emei,, Yamaha RN1000, and now I feel this Iota VX SA40 also should be considered. Perhaps you haven’t heard them all but of the ones you have heard, if money wasn’t the reason for getting it , but rather sound was, which would you personally prefer to compliment the DWX and why? Also if I need a separate DAC and Streamer any recommendations in your humble opinion? Thanks so much and always truly appreciate your honest and forthcoming reviews. Have a terrific day my friend.
I have not heard the Yamaha, this SA40 should pair well, the CHoco would be a step up from the SA40 but costs more and is a purist pieces so you won't get any features. Cost no object, CHoco for sure as long as you don't mind not having tone controls or sub-out. Reason is simple, its refinement and SQ overall is more on par with something double its price, the CHoco is a hidden gem! As far as dacs & streamers there are so many at every price point. I personally use the bluesound node with an LHY PSU kit, and the long discontinued ares2 dac. If I were you I'd use the internal DAC for now and just add bluesound node. The Cambridge MXN10 is also pretty good. IotaVX also has their own streamer but I don't have any experience with it. Laiv is working on a streamer too and after hearing their Harmony DAC I have high hopes for it but given the price of their DAC I think the streamer will not be cheap.
Cool. I had a choice between Bisons and their more expensive Signature bookshelf. I chose the more expensive speaker and it never worked for me. Too bright etc. Sold them on, but in all fairness, the buyer, when I sold them on, loved them, so who knows? Should have gone the Bison route .Never heard a bad word about them. Add a Blue Sound with a LPS and you are into the good stuff for about $4k. That is a bargain in this crazy hobby.
for the record I did use the SA40 tone control to -1dB on the treble :D
@@NemoPropaganda If there is a knob twist it. Thats what it's there for.
Not in my experienced. I have the sa40 and pa40. Eversolo dmp a8 to holo cyan2. Tried it with different speakers. Bass is weak, It sounds better with dark speakers which balance the sound in my setup.
Put mine in the box after 2 and half weeks. Thinking of better speakers to pair.
damn that's a bummer, maybe it was just bad synergy or just not suited to your taste, not everything can be a hit for everyone but I did love this amp in my room and the Bisons are fairly energetic up top.
@@NemoPropaganda i know i had high hopes with iota, but i guess it needs more time to break in, coz its only sounded neutral when i have the cheapest and warmth speakers of mine. Im not giving up just like my Cambridge cxa81 when i paired it with right speakers and DAV its sound nostalgic.
@@elmerbais oh that makes sense, the cambridge stuff is very tonally colored so you may prefer that sound more, nothing wrong with that my bro!
I wonder if the two less expensive Totems have good depth of stage like the Bison? There are two I believe, the Kin One (new) and the Loon. The small Kin One is supposed to have incorporated tech from the Fire series and with an appropriate sub at moderate SPLs, just might be a great mini system.
I'm not sure but since all 3 speakers you're curious about are made by the same company it might be helpful if you emailed them. From my interactions with them they seem extremely informed and familiar with their own products.
Hi, great review...
Got two questions...
Per the specs... 150W @8ohm and 300W @4ohm. Assuming that the specs aren't fudged, This seems to be a well powered amp.
I notice that there are a lot of amps that cannot do this (2X the wpc at 4ohm vs 8ohm. ) Is this something that should be important when considering an amp?
The other thing... At this price point... a decent Class D (even GaN) vs AB... your thoughts?
Thx.
class ab doubling into 4ohms is highly unlikely with the same measurement. But its still a powerful amp so it doesn't really matter. No it is not important, it's just the watts game and you should not play the watts game. I don't really like class D amps so I don't have much comment beyond that.
Thanks for the review. Hmmm... this might be the amp I've been waiting for to match with my HECO Celan Rev 3's. Was hoping you would have tried that combo, but you can't always get what you want. It's hard to get recs about amp pairings with the HECOs because they're not well known in the states. I also just got the SMSL DO200 PRO DAC. If the DAC in the IOTA is about equal, i could get the IOTA and sell the dac...Tempting...
From what I hear the Celan's (which I wanted but are no longer sold here) have some pretty good low end. I would bet this amp really juices them up. But if it's too much you can always EQ it down.
@@bearclaw5115 Yes, they do a great job, especially for their size, though i opted to add a sub, at least for now. Maybe i won't feel any need with the right amp. Thanks for your reply. I talked to a help desk person at the u.s. distributor for HECO about six months ago, and he swore they would get more in stock, but (at least at Amazon) they're still out..
I've used the Celan with $7k amps and still use a sub :) I don't think an amp will change that, a speaker making bass will never be like a subwoofer making bass.
The Celan Rev3 sounds pretty good with most amps, it's not too fussy. I'm not familiar with that DAC so I can't really comment.
@@NemoPropaganda True, but I'm hoping for that elusive "synergy." ;) With more common speakers it's easier to come across reviewers who mention a synergistic match with an amp and/or dac, but, in the end, no biggie. I'm just another dude thinking about making his system(s) better. On a good day, i see the search as entertainment. ;)
They don't seem to list any specs regarding the sub out. Is it true bass management, where it high passes the mains and low passes the sub? If so, at what frequency and is it adjustable?
bass management is extremely rare in a stereo amp, the only 2 that I know of that have it at this price are the RR2160 and the Emotiva TA2.
Thanks Nemo! In your view, how does it compare to the Cambridge CXA81 Mk1 or MK2?
I have not heard those :(
@NemoPropaganda thank you for the reply Nemo. If I were closer I'd ship you mine. Appreciate your reviews!
I know i juuusstt got an answer to a question...but you mentioned that it compares decently to the choco emei...can you do a short coomparison with choco, billie and this? Kinda like...under 2000 comparison ..im assuming you cant really go wrong with any of these 3.
First lets keep in mind the CHoco costs 60% more money than these SA40 and on numerous occassions I've said the CHoco can compete with amps that cost double its price. Ultimately we have to remember purist amps without features dollar for dollar will generally outperform full featured integrated amps at the same price, all those features cost money just like all the high end parts the purist amp uses cost money. If you don't need all the features these amps offer and you can afford the higher price of the CHoco you absolutely will gain more SQ by going with a purist amp like the CHoco. A great reason to get the billie over the SA40 is you don't mind spending more money for a similar sound, have the option of changing tubes, want a smaller amp that looks more stylized. Billie is a great amp for sure but some of that money is going towards that beautiful case where the SA40 uses more of the standard AVR style construction with stamped steel. With the standard tubes the SQ difference is not that big. In my experience really good $1k amps like the IotaVX SA40 and really good $2k amps have simlar SQ but the $2k ones have much nicer build quality and sometimes more advanced features like Buchardt i150 having room correction for example. The CHoco is the hidden gem where the SQ is much higher than the price would suggest.
@@NemoPropaganda man you rock for not only answering your comments but giving such full answers. Wow ty for the human-ness! I learned a lot ty bro!
I don't think comparing it to a non tpa3255 class D is giving me a good Idea how it would do against the Likes of the Fosi ZA3 or V3 monos.
I'm sorry you did not find every aspect of the video helpful.
How does it compare to the Choco Sound amp?
CHoco is an upgrade, little darker in the treble, the rest is similar and better in every way.
Should I even shop for a stereo amp for home theater? I would love to buy this exact amp but wouldn't it sound off compared to the other speakers?
depends what you're trying to do and what goals you're trying to acocmplish.
How's the dac
most internal DAC are good enough in my opinion but of course you can add an external for those who want to upgrade later.
did you try it with maggies?
I don't own maggies :(
@@NemoPropaganda oh you should!! 🫶
@@net_newsi think my room is too small :(
@@NemoPropaganda oh yes, maggies shine in medium to big rooms that's true. BTW give it a try to the LRS+ they are designed for smaller rooms and I think you'll love them.
In fact, I have a pair of LRS+ in a 10 feet by 6 feet room and they sound amazing as long as you put them far from the front wall (you don't need so much space to the sides, but at least 3 or 4 feet away from the front wall).
What speaker cables did you use?
Maze Audio Eden series, they're like $89 on ebay I think.
Toroidal kw size w BJT per bank 😮
21lbs 6oz little lite don't ya think 😮
It’s only about 2/3rd as deep as the outlaw rr2160 & emotiva ta2 and doesn’t have a super thick front plate like those do so the weight makes sense.
You think weight automatically means better?
@dicmccoy Experience says so
Ask the local audio club member
With the Pilium Achilles @ 265lbs
I couldn't disagree more :) It just goes to show how subjective this hobby is.
What are you disagreeing with? Are you saying the sound signature I describe is not what the amp sounds like?
@@NemoPropaganda
Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying! I didn't get the holographic imaging from it; I would describe the center image as dissolved, but not in a good way. It wasn’t pinpoint accurate, and I had trouble getting my speakers to work well with this amp. I sit in a semi-treated room with bass traps and first reflection point absorbers. Even after switching rooms, I had the somewhat the same experience.
The midrange felt very neutral, and the overall sound signature was clean with excellent bass control - which was quite impressive. However, the amplifier didn't have that organic sound like the SA3 + PA3, and that was my main issue. It just didn't sound as alive as the previous models. The best experience I had with it was using it as a power amp for my surround receiver, both for music and movies.
The remote control felt very light and plasticky. It had these small brushed steel details on the front, but the feel contradicts the look-it almost feels weightless, like a remote without batteries inside.
So yes, my experience was quite different.
I think Thomas and Stereo did a spot-on review of this product, and they captured exactly how I felt.
@@NemoPropaganda
Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying! I didn't get the holographic imaging from it; I would describe the center image as dissolved, but not in a good way. It wasn’t pinpoint accurate, and I had trouble getting my speakers to work well with this amp. I sit in a semi-treated room with bass traps and first reflection point absorbers. Even after switching rooms, I had the same experience.
The midrange felt very neutral, and the overall sound signature was clean with excellent bass control - which was quite impressive. However, the amplifier didn't have that organic feel like the SA3 + PA3, and that was my main issue. It just didn't sound as alive as the previous models. The best experience I had with it was using it as a power amp for my surround receiver, both for music and movies.
The remote control, however, feels very light and plasticky. It has these small brushed steel details on the front, but the feel contradicts the look-it almost feels weightless, like a remote without batteries inside.
So yes, my experience was quite different.
I think Thomas and Stereo did a spot-on review of this product, and they captured exactly how I felt.
@@NemoPropaganda My answer keep getting deleted
@@JOXperience are you trying to mention a brand that reminds you of iron man as in Tony S---k? That brands words are block on my channel because they use bots and kept spamming my comments section. That's the only way your comment will auto delete unless its something YT is doing on their own.
I want my amp to be all analog and for what ever reason my Samsung Q70 TV (2019) recognizes my Brand New Rega Brio via toslink and I'm able to control motorised volume of the amp with my TV remote
🕳️😜🤷🏿♀️
This new iota seems to rock though like you 🫵🏾👍🏿 (best subwoofer reviewers also)
that is pretty interesting, I wonder if that's a feature inside the Rega Brio, it has to be, pretty cool either way!!