The vampire on Sesame Street is... wait for it... Count Count. Like, the Count who's counting. So he's a numberphile riff on Count Dracula. (Not to be confused with the hapless magician who tries to make the talking cow disappear). Always glad to help. ;-) Cheers.
So I bought this based on your suggestion, however, there is no headphone jack on it, which I bought it primarily as a headphone amplifier. So I need to connect this to a headphone amp in order to use headphones? Won't that negate the tube effect then?
@@MichaelSidneyTimpson this is speaker amp, so no headphone out, not exactly sure if the aux out on the back is from the dac or the amp, i saw some review on amazon claiming it's variable out(so i assume it's from the amp) then you can hook up your headphone amp to the aux out so this amp becomes a pre-amp.
So pleased with this T9. Sounds fine with stock tubes but I replaced tubes with GE Jan 5654w for $16. There is a sonic improvement. I use 40 year old ADS 300c for speakers. Ideal set up for my office. Now i can be productive instead of taking long breaks to go downstairs to listen to my real set up. Yes Johnny Cash (hurt, wont back down, one) and other acoustic string driven tunes are impressive. Happy Camper.
My T9 turned up yesterday and I can’t stop listening, paired with a pair of Q Acoustics 3020i speakers, the combination works perfectly thanks so much 👍
I bought one of these for my nephew back in December. Just for fun I paired it with my full-size speakers and the result was so-so. Then I paired them with a pair of smaller bookshelf speakers and the result was amazing. It's not perfect, but it has a pleasant warm sound that harmonises nicely with that vu meter. I've posted a video on my youtube channel showing how it plays if you are curious, but keep in mind that the video was taken by a smartphone so the sound recording is far from perfect.
Been following your reviews of budget Aiyima and related Class D preamps, amps etc for a while and when this thing came up, with built in DAC and digital-in I pounced. Just arrived today and gotta say this thing is pretty sweet. Never been a fan of bluetooth but Tidal over Airplay via an old AppleTV 3rd gen. I had lying around sounds awesome on my tiny Boston Acoustics CS 23's! The folks perseverating on the one or two annoyances of this groovy little box are missing the forest for the trees. For students on a budget, bedroom, desktop or man cave second system this thing is the bees knees. Total bluetooth speaker killer and with a cheap sub soundbar killer fer sure. Cheers Randy!
Hang on a second, are you kidding me, the single biggest complaint plastered all over the Amazon comments section, that kept me from buying this amp for like 6 months now and I came back twice trying to find a way to fix it.... Can be solved with the press of a button? Is this just a feature, you can disable stand-by? Because I have seen videos that have Aiyima customer service even replying to people saying it's a known issue and they are working on it. Maybe they patched it in newer revs? Hopefully other people can confirm this. But for now, I'm ordering it right now based on your comment lol.
I actually bought this amp, however, labeled as the Douk Audio ST-01, back on January 4th, and paired it with an Audio-Technica AT-LP60X turntable and Moukey M20-3 bookshelf with a Monoprice 8248 8" subwoofer and I absolutely love my budget vinyl system.
I received it today. I was using a 20 year old JVC receiver that randomly had static issues. The Aiyima T9 is a much better fit on my desk. It is connected to Bose Acoustimass 3 series iii. It sounds great!
Have this with a pair of UB5s and a polk 10 inch sub combined with a pair of vintage 5456w tubes.Actually sounds better than my big stereo in the living room.The tubes it comes with are OK but seem to come alive with high end valves.Sound quality is way better than it should be for the money spent.
Thanks Randy! I have made my first purchase that is based upon your recommendation of the T9! (In all actuality I ordered the Douk Audio version. Exact same product. Longer Bluetooth antenna.) This is EASILY the BEST $130 I have EVER spent! (At this point in the video, with you talking about GOT, I have just finished watching all eight seasons. You should reconsider watching. Well worth it when all the storylines pay off. Patience, Randy!) This little guy even pushes my 85db Jamo S-801's! Next month I am getting the Polk ts-100's! Again based off your review. Stoked! Thanks not just for choosing to review "cheap" but quality stuff, but also for your humorous and self effacing manner that is what set's your vids apart from the rest. Most importantly though, thanks for your service! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I bought this. I was unaware how quiet it was. I spose i could have a weak amp but other than that it is very nice. Im running into 8ohms its heats up a bit more than i expected even with pre amp tubes. It is great for my apartment. Im getting good lows and highs. I the power would only be an issue if i filled my house with people. Im happy
Not gonna lie, I thought this thing was going to be a bit of a joke when I ordered it... Yet here it is. In my living room. Powering my vintage NHT Model IIs and sounding pretty decent.
Randy, I just had to tell you that I bought a T9 & I am so very impressed with its sound. I am a 30 year veteran of the Australian hifi industry (well retired)& I don’t remember being so impressed, ever. This thing “gobsmacked” me with its sound. My main system is a Yamaha AS1100 & YP701(vintage turntable), running a pair of Dali Suite 1.5s & a Sonos Connect 1. I am running the T9 in my bedroom but I am seriously thinking of putting in the lounge. Ive not been in so engaged with the music for ages. It arrived on Friday & I listened to music for nearly the whole weekend.(my wife was away, so I could listen as late & as loud as I liked. & boy, does it play loud & clean) Its sound stage & depth staggered me(Im only running a shitty little pair of speakers with a 4” bass, that the company I used to work for made) Ive never heard them sound so damn good. How do you get that much bass from a 4” woofer? I listened to a new Bob James live recording with just piano, bass & drums. The sound of the double bass shocked me with how good & true it was. Thanks for the recommendation, its truly AWSOME,, & I never use that word lightly. By the way, you’d be shocked to hear the prices that we pay here in Australia. Speakers that you talk about for $600US, become &$1200 Aust. Costs a lot to transport so far I guess, then theres import tariffs & duties(I think) Love your no bullshit approach, even if you do sound like the teacher from South Park sometimes, ooh kaaaay? Keep up the good work. Cheers Glenn Gogoll Casterton VICTORIA Australia
It’s 2:30am…I’m about to put on side b of The Lumineers first album. I just got the Douk Audio version of this…wow! I’m running the JBL A130s, and at the right volume I’m in heaven. Thanks! This is a no brainer imo.
The Count was my favorite on Sesame Street. Who you calling a Mookie? VU meters are loved by all drunk or sober audio nuts. I am very pleased to sign up on Patrion. You are the best on UA-cam. Ukraine has made America and Great again.
so the sound is so good, true. but the clicking keeps me awake in my bedroom. so obviously you turn it off, but then it does not always start up immediately. sometimes takes 2 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes. and then the volume resets to a midpoint - doesn't remember your last setting. is there a hack for the click click click aaaaggghhh
That unit does remind me of the tube electronics I worked on in the Navy back in the 70s. I still wonder how it's possible to get that much output power with tubes and a 28 volt external power supply. I know it's class D but wow!
I have not researched this amp yet, but from this video the vacuum tubes appear to be small preamp tubes like the pre's in my guitar amps. Some guitars amps use vacuum tubes in the preamp section { such as ECC 83's } and a solid state power amp section. This appears to be the same type of setup. In the guitar world, these are called "hybrid" amps.
Picked one up recently. After a short break in period, and switching to older more sensitive speakers (Elac Uni-fi UB5 gen1 to late 80’s Advent Legacy III) the sound is fantastic. Not to mention plenty of volume. Going to try tube rolling. Fun little unit!
@@gregorycollins3096 GE JAN 5654W. improved imagery and clarity. Maybe a touch cooler sound, but I prefer it. Not saying the tubes shipped were bad at all. I think they ran $17.00 for the set
The vampire on Sesame Street was a maths teacher. His name: The Count. To answer your inquiry, That is why he was there. I'm pretty sure he was not trying to bite anyone...lol
Bought it after seeing your review Randy. This amp sounds amazing! I am using a Arylic S50 pro and Pioneer SP-BS22LR Andrew Jones speakers . It sounds great. Greetings from The Philippines.
Mine arrived a few days ago - and just learned something a bit annoying about it. The "volume up" on my AVR remote control is apparently the same frequency as "Power On" for the T9. So when I'm sitting there watching TV or a movie.. every time I hit the volume up button, the dang T9 turns off/on/off/on/off/on. Took me awhile to figure this out - I thought the thing was possessed for awhile there.
Ok so, like, I bought this off Amazon for $130 and, well... It's not as smooth as my McIntosh MA6900, not as lusciously balanced as my Hegel H160, but.... DAYUM! In combination with the Aiyima A07 (300W x 2). A tube integrated for $130.00 + a power amp for $80? ? They're driving my Magnepan MMG's very easily with definition, clarity, and bass (yes, MMG's placed well in the right room do have bass). I'm using its optical input for my McIntosh MCD550. Will try next with my Bryston Mini-T's.
Just got myself a T9 based on your review, this thing sounds way nicer than it should for the money. Beats out my Quinpu Q2 in both build quality and features, and sounds great doing it. If I had to knock it for anything, the binding posts are not the greatest, actually they're kinda crap. The Quinpu is guilty of this too, as they both use the same style posts. However, they work just fine with banana plugs, so not that big of a deal. Thanks for doing a review of this.
I just got the Douk version of this today and I love it. It's powering some old Alesis Monitor 1's I've used for PC audio since the 90's, and I'm sending the aux to an active Polk sub. Plugged it into the PC through the USB port and it worked instantly... no drivers to load. It may not get as loud as the big black brick I used before it, but it gets louder than what you'd think. My main gripe is pretty much the same one others have: I don't like that there's no indication for your volume level. But I'm probably just gonna set it at a middle level and use my PC to control volume, anyway. If they ever build one that is TRULY 100 watts/ch for a couple hundred bucks, I'm chucking more money at them.
Also sold in the UK/EU under the Douk Audio name as the ST 01. I have had one since last year. I'm amazed at the sound from this thing driving a set of bookshelf speakers. The vu meter looks great as do the glowing tubes. I have had a number of chip amps. This is by far the best
Love your channel Randy; I’ve ended up with a lot of equipment over the years because of this channel and a few others aligning on reviews (none of which I’ve been disappointed with upon owning). Anyway, this was another pickup and I have a pair of KEF Q150s I was thinking of pairing with in my office, but also have some B&W 607s arriving soon. Would this be capable of cleanly powering the B&Ws? I’d assume so, given the wattage range of the speakers and the assumed power output of the amp at 8 ohms, but thought I’d check. Thanks Randy!
If you have a discrete power amp you could run from the Aux out on the T9 to the low level input on a Emotiva SE8 (or SE12) sub. This sub has a built it high pass filter so the pre-out from the sub to the power amp will not have the sub frequencies, thus making the main speakers more efficient. You could do the same by using a Rolls SX45 crossover and using the sub of your choice.
Thanks for.your great channel and super cool revieuws of cheap audio products. Today i received this small device and what can i say the sound en performance of this little thing are amazing its a True litrle small wonder even without upgrading the stock tubes this thing drives my very big sony apms 66 easy and gives my canton subwoofer a very nice bass using the aux output to drive my active subwoofer remote control. Works fine for this price this thing is absolute a small miracle very very good .
To come to topic: I own the T9 since this review came out. To say it clear: I bought it before this video was made... And i was surprised that short after it arrived to me, Randie´s review came out! And: Everything he says, i share with him! This little thing is great, and i regret almost any other Amp i have here, and if i had to start over with my audio-gear, maybe i would end with a bunch of T9´s for all my speakers...lol OK, my Refrigrator-sized JBL4341´s still need the two Amps to be driven with enough power. Because, Bi-Amping would be not so great with the aiyima T90´s. For this, still a pre-Amp is required so i can divide left and right side to the power-amps! But for single amp - stereo use, the T9 is a great thing - especially in my huge 28m² Appartement lol... So, Soundwise, the T9 is outstanding and compared to my Big Onkyo and my Philips Vintage Receiver (that sounds really great!) the T9 is awesome in all classes! I Love it, although I´m afraid that I´ll buy two three, or five more of them- just to satisfy my playful personality lol...
Chinese products are pretty well dialed in these days and ive used nobsound and brz and douk audio and they have put the smoke to some very high end vintage receivers and amps, I won't bash any names....but yeah, their very very good for the money. Plus what audio nut doesn't want a nice orange old school VU meter dancin around....maybe even while watcin the count on sesame street ya know lmao.
What about the 2 second stand by problem?. Was just about to order one of these, but have heard bad things about the amp going into standby mode when the sound goes really low?
As far as I understand, no one has solved this problem with turning off the sound in its absence (power saving mode after 3 seconds of inactivity and then when sound is output from this mode with a delay of 1 second). If somewhere you find a description of the solution to this issue - write to me, I will be grateful to you.
@@Gryllus2501 Yes, I have already contacted and I hope it is possible to resolve the issue without replacement. Since I really wanted the "AUTOMATIC SLEEP" mode to turn on after 5 -10 minutes, it was optimal! I posted a video of the work on my page.
Aiyima T9 & Douk Audio ST-01 use Texas Instruments TPA3221 amplifier module. Here are some specs for it: • Output Power at 1% THD+N - 88-W Stereo into 4 Ω in BTL - 100-W Stereo into 3 Ω in BTL - 170-W Mono into 2 Ω in PBTL • 5-V Gate Drive or Built-in LDO for Optional Single- Supply Operation • Closed-Loop Feedback Design - Signal Bandwidth up to 100 kHz for High- Frequency Content From HD Sources - 0.02% THD+N at 1 W into 4 Ω - 60-dB PSRR (BTL, No Input Signal) - 108-dB SNR (A-Weighted)
These amplifiers are limited by what power supply they use. 24@4.5A at a 0.95 power factor (as good as it typically gets) is 102.6 W maximum power into the device. Or roughly 45WPC at best, considering power to run the device and losses from the amplifier circuits (tubes aren't exactly efficient) Most of these that are similar have 18V@3A little power bricks which are only good for about 20-25WPC - and that's without a real load applied . So when shopping for these tiny amps it becomes critically important to check what power supply you are getting if you are not ordering from the company directly. I bought an Aiyima A07 for a project recently to power a pair of low efficiency bookshelf speakers (old Tanoys made in the UK) and the reason I chose them was because they were the only option under $100 that had a 24V power supply option. Almost all of these mini amplifiers are the same. What separates them is how beefy the supplied power supply is. 12V@2 amps from a tiny wall wart isn't going to drive a pair of old Radio Shack speakers, let alone anything of quality.
@@rockdriguez80 The main issue with these cheap class D amps is the power supply brick. You need a 24V@5A supply or similar to drive most speakers like that efficiently. That said, the T9 does have that type of power supply and due to the tubes, smooths out the sound quite a bit versus the plain class D models.
@@rockdriguez80 I don't know how this unit sounds, specifically, but none of these small amplifiers sound nearly as good as high-end tube amplifiers or most decent budget integrated amplifiers. At under $100 they are more of a nice curiosity and something to look at if you are doing what I did, which is run an ipad into it to play a digital library in my mom's living room/kitchen area. The compressed sound source from itunes already means it's "class D friendly" - in that it's not able to get any benefit from a class A or B amplifier anyways, so it was perfect. For an actual home stereo, though, better options exist. Jolida, Norh, and several others exist that make good pre-made options without spending outrageous money. if you are into DIY projects, most of these are listed on the diyaudioprojects site. Oddwatt is my current favorite kit maker right now, that that it's dead simple to put together and modify as you wish - and they actually WORK without breaking your wallet.
Hello, i buyed this amp but there is an annoying big problem, a stand by mode, something like auto-mute. Every time there is no sound from the source the T9 (or st-01 from Douk Audio) cut like everything, the sound need 1sec to come back to the speakers. Really annoying, worst for pc installation.
Thanks so muchh for fun and education..please help..newbie..I have a Chromecast audio. If I want to use it on to how do I visualize the channels like tidal. Is the app on the phone the way or better ways...thanks.
I swapped to the T9 from some SMSL "Chi-fi" amp cause my SMSL was too "long" on my desk. Modified some dead Audioengine A2 to be passive and use them with the T9. Swapped the included Chinese 6K4 tubes for a pair of cheapy NOS GE JAN 5654W tubes simply because those tubes are physically shorter and I'm less likely to smack something into the tubes. Does 24 bit, 96000 Hz audio on my PC, nearly plug and play (need to change the audio quality in the settings like any other DAC).
I just subscribed to your channel, not that I am super audio hify buff, but you are the first person I have seen that shares my opinion about "game of thrones" ..... I was starting to worry, but seeing you ... now I feel better ....
Thanks for another great video my friend! Might have to grab one of these, to see if I really need all the equipment in my little office. I like the idea of minimizing and simplifying things.
I always love the reviews. I bought a Emotiva TA 100 this year with Q acoustics 3030i and a Klipsch r-120sw sub. Love the system I upgraded power to the Emotiva A2 amp, more clarity and punch. Some of these products I would of never been aware of if not for UA-cam and people like you. I think I might give this little amp a try for a inexpensive bedroom set up. Keep up the good work.
If i used my Powered speakers with it, via the 3.5 jack in the Aiyima, would i still hear the tube difference, or those matter only with passive speakers?
What are your thoughts on the T9 vs. the A08 + T8? I realize pretty much double the price, but the upside for the A08 + T8 is the ability to use headphones. Thanks and keep up the great content!
I buy spare speaker drivers made by Aiyima, put a pair of their silk dome tweeters into a pair of trashed Shahinian Arc speakers, and they sounded really good! Good quality gear for sure
This is Guy is the most relevant, straight forward reliable Reviewer, Some audio Review guys are just internet gossipers delusional wanna be Actor/Commentator. Lets support this Fella
New problems with the T9: Hooked it up yesterday and noticed the device switches to Mute just after 8 seconds without input signal! Imagine you change your DVD or CD, or just search for another song or video online or in your music library. If you are not "fast enough" and exceed 7 seconds, the relay inside the device will switch it off. In 1 out of 10 cases I noticed the amp even completely shuts off! Now another problem with this is that the relay will wear very quickly. This is my second Aiyima and both are showing serious problems, hence I am quite sure now that their products are completely under-mature. They make good looking stuff but under the hood - quickly baked together obviously. I contacted the Ayima customer support - we'll see if they can provide a solution to the problem.
I just sent one back because of what you are describing. There also was a delay when it would switch back in from audio signal. This behavior was immediate and annoying. The VU meter on mine also did not move except when turning the unit on or switching inputs.
I was this [ ] close to buying one, and I keep seeing reviews like yours. That muting would drive me crazy. Thank you for pointing it out. I wonder how this wasn't a problem for Randy when reviewing.
I agree. When there is no sound, this product goes into power saving mode with an unpleasant ticking sound, and when there is a sound, it works again with a ticking sound. If you use this product on a PC, you cannot watch even a UA-cam broadcast properly, and when you listen to mp3, it can be very annoying to use normally because of that annoying noise at the beginning and end of all music and no sound when restarting. It is a product that is difficult to recommend at all.
@@okpush Did you point to the power saving, in which my device turns off without sound after just 3 seconds, and when the sound is applied, it turns on with a delay? Click, click, click - this is very annoying, but it only happens if the sound is not constantly coming. Does anyone know how to disable power saving?
@@ВладимирШпаков-т4э There is a method that can only be done on PC, but if I write the method on UA-cam, AI will delete it immediately for some reason.
With a great power supply, Aiyima sound is beyond amazing. I use one of their tiny class-d power amps. Installed a pair of premium op-amps & a really good power supply, and the sound easily compares with one of the all-time-best ARC tube amps. Saving $80 per month in electricity. Better sounding than my very expensive class-d amps, and certainly my a/b amplifiers.
I've purchased one last year, maybe a previous version of the T9, it has an SUB out with full RCA instead of the aux out multiporpouse; wonderful gadget. It has some room for improvement, i hope this version it has it covered (example: sometimes it cuts the first second of some tracks (coax input); nothing that are limiting in anyway). beside that 100% bases covered. Regards!
That's my setup. I noticed on their site they now have an amp, the A8, that looks like it's designed for the T8 to dock on top. Would like to know how it sounds.
Just as a heads up, I bought the Aiyima T9 also known as Douk Audio ST-01 a few months ago and it is a great little amp and having a remote is a big plus, however, it will go nuts if I use my TV remote from my Onn 70" class 4k, it will power the amp on/off and also change the input selection. Strangely, the Aiyima's remote does not affect the TV.
some reviews on amazon said this sounds great but there is an issue with it going into standby if there is a pause in dialogue and turns itself on and off with a clicking sound.
Got mine 2 days ago. And yes, hear the clicking sound a lot from the device, when not playing audio. Sound like a relay switching. I have to mention I got it without the power brick from Aiyima. Using a 19V 3,45A laptop one. Anybody having the clicks yes/no, and with what power brick?
I read up on the Amazon reviews. So the clicking sound seems to be about detecting a signal on an input, making the amp active, and worse, going to inactive with no signal, even if it’s just a very temporary silence in the audio signal! What a dumb flaw in the design. 🙄 For a test, with no audio running on any used input (optical & usb), I selected the RCA input, where nothing is attached. After a few clicks it remained silent. So there is some logic at least. Just removing the ‘standby mechanism’ looks like the best solution to get rid of the nuisance. But it will lose on energy saving I guess. I ordered from Aiyima direct (EU region, warehouse in Luxemburg). I will sent them a mail to see what gives. Returning the unit if need be. Would be a pity, since it’s a great and enjoyable amp.
new setup good source, 2 x reasonably priced amplifiers one feeding input into second. Front and side speakers. Subwoofer. fantastic immersive sound. Need to drop all this 2 speakers combo.
I was very intrigued by the T9 after Randy's review, but, in reading other reviews, I saw that quite a few mentioned an issue with the T9 audibly clicking off after 2-3 seconds of silence, then clicking back on when the music/talk resumed. Apparently this was by design - to save wear and tear on the amp from being left on when not in use. I was concerned about this, but decided to take a chance and order a T9 on Amazon Prime day - thinking I could just return it if it had this issue. If this was the case, I think it has been fixed. I've tested mine, and it doesn't click off until after 10-11 seconds of silence (which I timed several times). That is a long pause. I've now listened to this for quite a few hours over a week or so, and have not experienced it clicking off when listening to music or podcasts - only when I deliberately pressed pause. Then, after about 10 seconds, it clicks off. When I press resume, it clicks and the music starts again immediately. I don't find this to be a problem. My guess is that Aiyima has now extended the delay before automatically powering off from 3 to 10 seconds or so. I think that's enough that this is no longer a problem. I think I'd be a lot more annoyed by any programming that regularly has 10-second silent gaps, than from my amp making a faint click after such gaps. It does make a couple of these faint clicks in the first few seconds when you power it on - probably as it warms up. Also not a problem for me. I should also clarify that these "clicks" sound like very faint mechanical clicks from inside the amp itself (about like if you lightly tap your fingernail against an empty glass). They do NOT come through the speakers. I don't think they would be audible if you were not sitting next to the amp, or if there were any significant background noise. I should also note that the T9 doesn't fully power off even after the timeout clicks (the VU meter and other lights stay on). I have mostly listened to Amazon Music HD using my Samsung Note 20 Ultra phone, and a CD using an old Blu-Ray player. My phone connects and works fine using either Blue Tooth or a USB cable (USB C to B Printer cable). The Blu-Ray player works using either the RCA or Toslink optical connection. I didn't try the digital coax connection. Playing a CD via the RCA connection is much louder than using the Toslink or any of the other sources. Makes me wonder it they tried to boost the RCA connection to work with a turntable without a phono preamp or something. But maybe this is normal, or just my player. I have it connected to a pair of Sony SSCS5 bookshelf speakers I also ordered on prime day (all using Randy's links, of course). I got this little system as a birthday gift for my son who is away at college. It cost a very small fraction of what my home system cost, but sounds very good. Anyway, if you are considering ordering one of these, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd get it from someplace you can return it if you have issues. I'm happy with mine (almost hate to give it to my son...I'm trying to think of a reason to get one for myself). I never would have even payed any attention to the faint clicks if I hadn't seen them mentioned in various reviews.
I saw the same reviews. Thanks for sharing... just to be clear, do you have to manually turn it back on to connect bluetooth? For example, if you listen via blueooth, then leave the area and come back, will your phone connect again without manually having to turn back on the amp? Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hey, I know why it clicks ! so what i noticed is when it's plugged to a computer that has a hard drive and not an SSD it clicks every 3 sec or so, but as soon as it's connected to a full SSD computer it just clicks to go into sleep. Mine is connected via RCA to a zendac, works dope at low/medium volume on my large desktop with ls50's. Staying with that until i grab enough for the small Lyngdorf with room perfect
@@cheapaudioman it was on RCA for me, now it has changed lol, i plugged another dac and now it clicks randomly, too bad it sounds really good for the price. But i decided to send it back and buy a burson funk with the extra options to go with my ifi zen signature dac. I know it's not the same budget lol, but i'm tired cycling trought cheap chinese stuff... Great day, keep up !
I just received the Douk Audio version of this today in the UK. Hooked it up to Dali Spektor 2 speakers and a SVS SB1000 Pro sub. Compared to the Onkyo TX SR-705 that the Douk replaced, it was night and day. Having the tone controls really helps. Thank you so much Cheap Audio Man!!
You got some good advive. Got myself good setup for my office and living room. Different experience. And the bank account still looks fine. Just added a smsl to my home office with some old JPW speakers that gathered dust. I was amazed how these old speakers game to life. I used a Denon for movies and listened to music with set of q150’s. Hooked the al cheapo smsl up. No comparison.
I was looking at the T8 and saw this before your review. Really do like this little amp! Especially the Opt and Aux out. Only problem I have with Opt (havent really used USB or RCA yet) is that it likes to turn off a second after the sound stops on my videos etc. Then I have to wait another second for it to start again when I play my video/audio again. Still really nice and perfect price!
I'm surprised that you didn't compare it to the D03? If you don't compare a product to other gear in the same price bracket than it makes it very difficult for us newbies. Fyi i bought the D03 last month based on your review so...thank you🙏
@@cheapaudioman hey Randy do you know anything about the d05? I wonder if it's an upgraded d03. I emailed them asking about it, but didn't get much info from them.
Randy, I bought this on your recommendation along with the little Sony speakers that you rave about. Those speakers are really amazing but I’m having so much trouble with the Bluetooth connection on my tea nine. I guess I need to get rid of it.
Back in Stock! amzn.to/3G9A2DR
You definitely painted a great picture of this in use . I can definitely see it .
The vampire on Sesame Street is... wait for it... Count Count. Like, the Count who's counting. So he's a numberphile riff on Count Dracula.
(Not to be confused with the hapless magician who tries to make the talking cow disappear).
Always glad to help. ;-) Cheers.
So I bought this based on your suggestion, however, there is no headphone jack on it, which I bought it primarily as a headphone amplifier. So I need to connect this to a headphone amp in order to use headphones? Won't that negate the tube effect then?
@@MichaelSidneyTimpson this is speaker amp, so no headphone out, not exactly sure if the aux out on the back is from the dac or the amp, i saw some review on amazon claiming it's variable out(so i assume it's from the amp) then you can hook up your headphone amp to the aux out so this amp becomes a pre-amp.
So pleased with this T9. Sounds fine with stock tubes but I replaced tubes with GE Jan 5654w for $16. There is a sonic improvement. I use 40 year old ADS 300c for speakers. Ideal set up for my office. Now i can be productive instead of taking long breaks to go downstairs to listen to my real set up. Yes Johnny Cash (hurt, wont back down, one) and other acoustic string driven tunes are impressive. Happy Camper.
My T9 turned up yesterday and I can’t stop listening, paired with a pair of Q Acoustics 3020i speakers, the combination works perfectly thanks so much 👍
I cant believe this little thing!
I have the same speakers as my second set up. also thinking of buying this amp. glad to hear that they pair well ;) 👍
I bought one of these for my nephew back in December. Just for fun I paired it with my full-size speakers and the result was so-so. Then I paired them with a pair of smaller bookshelf speakers and the result was amazing.
It's not perfect, but it has a pleasant warm sound that harmonises nicely with that vu meter. I've posted a video on my youtube channel showing how it plays if you are curious, but keep in mind that the video was taken by a smartphone so the sound recording is far from perfect.
Could you share your youtube video link? Thanks ya
Been following your reviews of budget Aiyima and related Class D preamps, amps etc for a while and when this thing came up, with built in DAC and digital-in I pounced. Just arrived today and gotta say this thing is pretty sweet. Never been a fan of bluetooth but Tidal over Airplay via an old AppleTV 3rd gen. I had lying around sounds awesome on my tiny Boston Acoustics CS 23's! The folks perseverating on the one or two annoyances of this groovy little box are missing the forest for the trees. For students on a budget, bedroom, desktop or man cave second system this thing is the bees knees. Total bluetooth speaker killer and with a cheap sub soundbar killer fer sure. Cheers Randy!
Bonus points for using the word perseverating :-)
Just can't wrap my head around manufacturers dismissal of VU meters in new products. They're a $12 upgrade and most people love them! Go figure 🤷♂️
I'm looking at the Vincent amplifier, silver, with their preamp, VU meters baby! And the sound is supposed to be pretty darn good.
Ikr, at least put them all moderately priced integrated.
Most people have no idea what a vu meter is.
VU meters dancing can entertain me all day. Even when I'm sober.
FYI: THE Aiyima T9 clicking sound problem can be fixed by long pressing the "M1" button on the remote
just commenting to push this, wasn‘t until yesterday i found out that u could remove the clicking sound
Hang on a second, are you kidding me, the single biggest complaint plastered all over the Amazon comments section, that kept me from buying this amp for like 6 months now and I came back twice trying to find a way to fix it.... Can be solved with the press of a button? Is this just a feature, you can disable stand-by? Because I have seen videos that have Aiyima customer service even replying to people saying it's a known issue and they are working on it. Maybe they patched it in newer revs? Hopefully other people can confirm this. But for now, I'm ordering it right now based on your comment lol.
I actually bought this amp, however, labeled as the Douk Audio ST-01, back on January 4th, and paired it with an Audio-Technica AT-LP60X turntable
and Moukey M20-3 bookshelf with a Monoprice 8248 8" subwoofer and I absolutely love my budget vinyl system.
Thanks I was curious why I couldn’t find the T9 on Amazon
Thanks for the heads up on the branding.
How do you connect the the turntable to the amp?
@@timmo7610 RCA
@Rick M. What are you using for a phono pre?
I received it today. I was using a 20 year old JVC receiver that randomly had static issues. The Aiyima T9 is a much better fit on my desk. It is connected to Bose Acoustimass 3 series iii. It sounds great!
Yeah this is nearly perfect for my space. Small lounge room, massive near field bookshelf speakers.
Fantastic value...
Have this with a pair of UB5s and a polk 10 inch sub combined with a pair of vintage 5456w tubes.Actually sounds better than my big stereo in the living room.The tubes it comes with are OK but seem to come alive with high end valves.Sound quality is way better than it should be for the money spent.
5456 or 5654, @@davidkgreen? In either case, where'd you get them? Thx!
@@donde2k Tubes on Ebay and speakers from Amazon.Probably get the T20 later on.
@@donde2k 5654W don`t buy the over priced one with faster shipping.Almost 3 times more expensive.
Thanks Randy! I have made my first purchase that is based upon your recommendation of the T9! (In all actuality I ordered the Douk Audio version. Exact same product. Longer Bluetooth antenna.) This is EASILY the BEST $130 I have EVER spent! (At this point in the video, with you talking about GOT, I have just finished watching all eight seasons. You should reconsider watching. Well worth it when all the storylines pay off. Patience, Randy!) This little guy even pushes my 85db Jamo S-801's! Next month I am getting the Polk ts-100's! Again based off your review. Stoked! Thanks not just for choosing to review "cheap" but quality stuff, but also for your humorous and self effacing manner that is what set's your vids apart from the rest. Most importantly though, thanks for your service! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I bought this. I was unaware how quiet it was. I spose i could have a weak amp but other than that it is very nice. Im running into 8ohms its heats up a bit more than i expected even with pre amp tubes. It is great for my apartment. Im getting good lows and highs. I the power would only be an issue if i filled my house with people. Im happy
Not gonna lie, I thought this thing was going to be a bit of a joke when I ordered it... Yet here it is. In my living room. Powering my vintage NHT Model IIs and sounding pretty decent.
Randy, I just had to tell you that I bought a T9 & I am so very impressed with its sound. I am a 30 year veteran of the Australian hifi industry (well retired)& I don’t remember being so impressed, ever.
This thing “gobsmacked” me with its sound.
My main system is a Yamaha AS1100 & YP701(vintage turntable), running a pair of Dali Suite 1.5s & a Sonos Connect 1.
I am running the T9 in my bedroom but I am seriously thinking of putting in the lounge. Ive not been in so engaged with the music for ages. It arrived on Friday & I listened to music for nearly the whole weekend.(my wife was away, so I could listen as late & as loud as I liked.
& boy, does it play loud & clean)
Its sound stage & depth staggered me(Im only running a shitty little pair of speakers with a 4” bass, that the company I used to work for made)
Ive never heard them sound so damn good. How do you get that much bass from a 4” woofer? I listened to a new Bob James live recording with just piano, bass & drums. The sound of the double bass shocked me with how good & true it was.
Thanks for the recommendation, its truly AWSOME,, & I never use that word lightly.
By the way, you’d be shocked to hear the prices that we pay here in Australia. Speakers that you talk about for $600US, become &$1200 Aust. Costs a lot to transport so far I guess, then theres import tariffs & duties(I think)
Love your no bullshit approach, even if you do sound like the teacher from South Park sometimes, ooh kaaaay?
Keep up the good work.
Cheers
Glenn Gogoll
Casterton VICTORIA
Australia
Ja też jestem pod jego wrażeniem - polecam wymienić lampy na GE 5725 W czekam jeszcze na Brimary 6BA6
@@Rafa-iz7sr sorry Hans, I don't know what you've said, I'm guessing that it's something to do with upgrading the valves.
@@glenngogoll6166 Jeżeli chcesz więcej basu to polecam lampy GE 5725 :)
Sorry again Hans, I dont speak or read your language,
@@glenngogoll6166 I am also impressed by him - I recommend replacing the tubes with the GE 5725 W, I am still waiting for the Brimary 6BA6
It’s 2:30am…I’m about to put on side b of The Lumineers first album. I just got the Douk Audio version of this…wow! I’m running the JBL A130s, and at the right volume I’m in heaven. Thanks! This is a no brainer imo.
@Itchyaboi Cool. I have a pair of A130s! Right now hooked up to Jamo s803s and sounds great!
There's a new model, the T9 pro. You might want to review that one. It sports an ESS Sabre DAC.
The Count was my favorite on Sesame Street.
Who you calling a Mookie?
VU meters are loved by all drunk or sober audio nuts.
I am very pleased to sign up on Patrion. You are the best on UA-cam.
Ukraine has made America and Great again.
so the sound is so good, true. but the clicking keeps me awake in my bedroom. so obviously you turn it off, but then it does not always start up immediately. sometimes takes 2 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes. and then the volume resets to a midpoint - doesn't remember your last setting. is there a hack for the click click click aaaaggghhh
That unit does remind me of the tube electronics I worked on in the Navy back in the 70s. I still wonder how it's possible to get that much output power with tubes and a 28 volt external power supply. I know it's class D but wow!
I have not researched this amp yet, but from this video the vacuum tubes appear to be small preamp tubes like the pre's in my guitar amps. Some guitars amps use vacuum tubes in the preamp section { such as ECC 83's } and a solid state power amp section. This appears to be the same type of setup. In the guitar world, these are called "hybrid" amps.
cancelled the A08 pro order and ordered T9 instead for the product of the year before the year disappears. That product seems amazing .
Picked one up recently. After a short break in period, and switching to older more sensitive speakers (Elac Uni-fi UB5 gen1 to late 80’s Advent Legacy III) the sound is fantastic. Not to mention plenty of volume. Going to try tube rolling. Fun little unit!
Please let us know what tubes you try
@@gregorycollins3096 GE JAN 5654W. improved imagery and clarity. Maybe a touch cooler sound, but I prefer it. Not saying the tubes shipped were bad at all. I think they ran $17.00 for the set
Great review. Do I need this? No. Do I want this? YES!!
The vampire on Sesame Street was a maths teacher. His name: The Count. To answer your inquiry, That is why he was there. I'm pretty sure he was not trying to bite anyone...lol
Bought it after seeing your review Randy. This amp sounds amazing! I am using a Arylic S50 pro and Pioneer SP-BS22LR Andrew Jones speakers . It sounds great. Greetings from The Philippines.
Is this the same unit as the Douk st-01? They look the same.
Mine arrived a few days ago - and just learned something a bit annoying about it. The "volume up" on my AVR remote control is apparently the same frequency as "Power On" for the T9. So when I'm sitting there watching TV or a movie.. every time I hit the volume up button, the dang T9 turns off/on/off/on/off/on. Took me awhile to figure this out - I thought the thing was possessed for awhile there.
Masz jakiś sposób żeby to naprawić ?
Would love to see a review of the new T9 Pro and the T5 which has phono in.
Ok so, like, I bought this off Amazon for $130 and, well... It's not as smooth as my McIntosh MA6900, not as lusciously balanced as my Hegel H160, but.... DAYUM! In combination with the Aiyima A07 (300W x 2). A tube integrated for $130.00 + a power amp for $80? ? They're driving my Magnepan MMG's very easily with definition, clarity, and bass (yes, MMG's placed well in the right room do have bass). I'm using its optical input for my McIntosh MCD550.
Will try next with my Bryston Mini-T's.
Have hooked up this to a pair of Rega Jura speakers (replacing an Exposure X and a Rega Mira 3) - blown away- this is a stunning amplifier
I bought it to drive my JBL Northridge E20's for my PC and it is absolutely awesome and looks great on top of my right speaker.
Just got myself a T9 based on your review, this thing sounds way nicer than it should for the money. Beats out my Quinpu Q2 in both build quality and features, and sounds great doing it. If I had to knock it for anything, the binding posts are not the greatest, actually they're kinda crap. The Quinpu is guilty of this too, as they both use the same style posts. However, they work just fine with banana plugs, so not that big of a deal. Thanks for doing a review of this.
Omg, this amplifier is perfect
I just got the Douk version of this today and I love it. It's powering some old Alesis Monitor 1's I've used for PC audio since the 90's, and I'm sending the aux to an active Polk sub. Plugged it into the PC through the USB port and it worked instantly... no drivers to load. It may not get as loud as the big black brick I used before it, but it gets louder than what you'd think. My main gripe is pretty much the same one others have: I don't like that there's no indication for your volume level. But I'm probably just gonna set it at a middle level and use my PC to control volume, anyway. If they ever build one that is TRULY 100 watts/ch for a couple hundred bucks, I'm chucking more money at them.
Also sold in the UK/EU under the Douk Audio name as the ST 01. I have had one since last year. I'm amazed at the sound from this thing driving a set of bookshelf speakers. The vu meter looks great as do the glowing tubes. I have had a number of chip amps. This is by far the best
Thank you Michael!
Love your channel Randy; I’ve ended up with a lot of equipment over the years because of this channel and a few others aligning on reviews (none of which I’ve been disappointed with upon owning). Anyway, this was another pickup and I have a pair of KEF Q150s I was thinking of pairing with in my office, but also have some B&W 607s arriving soon. Would this be capable of cleanly powering the B&Ws? I’d assume so, given the wattage range of the speakers and the assumed power output of the amp at 8 ohms, but thought I’d check. Thanks Randy!
If you have a discrete power amp you could run from the Aux out on the T9 to the low level input on a Emotiva SE8 (or SE12) sub. This sub has a built it high pass filter so the pre-out from the sub to the power amp will not have the sub frequencies, thus making the main speakers more efficient. You could do the same by using a Rolls SX45 crossover and using the sub of your choice.
You're just trying to piss my wife off!! Great idea!
Thanks for.your great channel and super cool revieuws of cheap audio products. Today i received this small device and what can i say the sound en performance of this little thing are amazing its a True litrle small wonder even without upgrading the stock tubes this thing drives my very big sony apms 66 easy and gives my canton subwoofer a very nice bass using the aux output to drive my active subwoofer remote control. Works fine for this price this thing is absolute a small miracle very very good .
I just hooked up the Aiyima T9 to my old, trusted Klipsch RB-75 speakers. Works a treat! Thanks for the tip.
Sitting in the dark on a comfy chair looking at a nice yellow dim VU meter can put me to sleep.. Love them!!!
Thanks CheapAudioMan! Love my T9. Good lookin out ✌️
dude you have gotten very smooth in all aspects, very entertaining and informative.
Lol…just your likening this amp to some old school military device makes me want to get it. Plus your G.O.T. mini-rant pretty well made my day 😂👌🏼
ha.
To come to topic: I own the T9 since this review came out. To say it clear: I bought it before this video was made... And i was surprised that short after it arrived to me, Randie´s review came out! And: Everything he says, i share with him! This little thing is great, and i regret almost any other Amp i have here, and if i had to start over with my audio-gear, maybe i would end with a bunch of T9´s for all my speakers...lol
OK, my Refrigrator-sized JBL4341´s still need the two Amps to be driven with enough power. Because, Bi-Amping would be not so great with the aiyima T90´s. For this, still a pre-Amp is required so i can divide left and right side to the power-amps!
But for single amp - stereo use, the T9 is a great thing - especially in my huge 28m² Appartement lol...
So, Soundwise, the T9 is outstanding and compared to my Big Onkyo and my Philips Vintage Receiver (that sounds really great!) the T9 is awesome in all classes! I Love it, although I´m afraid that I´ll buy two three, or five more of them- just to satisfy my playful personality lol...
There is a new model from Aiyima, Tube-T10. Can you make an update comparison on these two product?
Chinese products are pretty well dialed in these days and ive used nobsound and brz and douk audio and they have put the smoke to some very high end vintage receivers and amps, I won't bash any names....but yeah, their very very good for the money. Plus what audio nut doesn't want a nice orange old school VU meter dancin around....maybe even while watcin the count on sesame street ya know lmao.
Count Von Count...von, two, three. I can count to three. Love it
What about the 2 second stand by problem?. Was just about to order one of these, but have heard bad things about the amp going into standby mode when the sound goes really low?
As far as I understand, no one has solved this problem with turning off the sound in its absence (power saving mode after 3 seconds of inactivity and then when sound is output from this mode with a delay of 1 second). If somewhere you find a description of the solution to this issue - write to me, I will be grateful to you.
@@Gryllus2501 Yes, I have already contacted and I hope it is possible to resolve the issue without replacement. Since I really wanted the "AUTOMATIC SLEEP" mode to turn on after 5 -10 minutes, it was optimal! I posted a video of the work on my page.
Aiyima T9 & Douk Audio ST-01 use Texas Instruments TPA3221 amplifier module. Here are some specs for it:
• Output Power at 1% THD+N
- 88-W Stereo into 4 Ω in BTL
- 100-W Stereo into 3 Ω in BTL
- 170-W Mono into 2 Ω in PBTL
• 5-V Gate Drive or Built-in LDO for Optional Single-
Supply Operation
• Closed-Loop Feedback Design
- Signal Bandwidth up to 100 kHz for High-
Frequency Content From HD Sources
- 0.02% THD+N at 1 W into 4 Ω
- 60-dB PSRR (BTL, No Input Signal)
- 108-dB SNR (A-Weighted)
These amplifiers are limited by what power supply they use. 24@4.5A at a 0.95 power factor (as good as it typically gets) is 102.6 W maximum power into the device. Or roughly 45WPC at best, considering power to run the device and losses from the amplifier circuits (tubes aren't exactly efficient) Most of these that are similar have 18V@3A little power bricks which are only good for about 20-25WPC - and that's without a real load applied . So when shopping for these tiny amps it becomes critically important to check what power supply you are getting if you are not ordering from the company directly. I bought an Aiyima A07 for a project recently to power a pair of low efficiency bookshelf speakers (old Tanoys made in the UK) and the reason I chose them was because they were the only option under $100 that had a 24V power supply option. Almost all of these mini amplifiers are the same. What separates them is how beefy the supplied power supply is. 12V@2 amps from a tiny wall wart isn't going to drive a pair of old Radio Shack speakers, let alone anything of quality.
Hi friend
Hey i have a pair of Sony sscs5 6 ohms speakers,do you think t9 will be a good match? Or should I go for aiyima A07?
@@rockdriguez80 The main issue with these cheap class D amps is the power supply brick. You need a 24V@5A supply or similar to drive most speakers like that efficiently. That said, the T9 does have that type of power supply and due to the tubes, smooths out the sound quite a bit versus the plain class D models.
@@plektosgaming thanks friend I'm considering buy a tube amplifier or a preamplifier I have a lot of curiosity to hear how it sounds
@@rockdriguez80 I don't know how this unit sounds, specifically, but none of these small amplifiers sound nearly as good as high-end tube amplifiers or most decent budget integrated amplifiers. At under $100 they are more of a nice curiosity and something to look at if you are doing what I did, which is run an ipad into it to play a digital library in my mom's living room/kitchen area. The compressed sound source from itunes already means it's "class D friendly" - in that it's not able to get any benefit from a class A or B amplifier anyways, so it was perfect. For an actual home stereo, though, better options exist. Jolida, Norh, and several others exist that make good pre-made options without spending outrageous money. if you are into DIY projects, most of these are listed on the diyaudioprojects site. Oddwatt is my current favorite kit maker right now, that that it's dead simple to put together and modify as you wish - and they actually WORK without breaking your wallet.
Hello, i buyed this amp but there is an annoying big problem, a stand by mode, something like auto-mute. Every time there is no sound from the source the T9 (or st-01 from Douk Audio) cut like everything, the sound need 1sec to come back to the speakers. Really annoying, worst for pc installation.
Thanks so muchh for fun and education..please help..newbie..I have a Chromecast audio. If I want to use it on to how do I visualize the channels like tidal. Is the app on the phone the way or better ways...thanks.
Exactly. What is the best way to play AMHD with greatest bit rate? Not Bluetooth.
I swapped to the T9 from some SMSL "Chi-fi" amp cause my SMSL was too "long" on my desk. Modified some dead Audioengine A2 to be passive and use them with the T9.
Swapped the included Chinese 6K4 tubes for a pair of cheapy NOS GE JAN 5654W tubes simply because those tubes are physically shorter and I'm less likely to smack something into the tubes.
Does 24 bit, 96000 Hz audio on my PC, nearly plug and play (need to change the audio quality in the settings like any other DAC).
You Definitely could get into Game Of Thrones.... Its just the BEST EVER!!!!
I just subscribed to your channel, not that I am super audio hify buff, but you are the first person I have seen that shares my opinion about "game of thrones" ..... I was starting to worry, but seeing you ... now I feel better ....
Thanks for another great video my friend!
Might have to grab one of these, to see if I really need all the equipment in my little office. I like the idea of minimizing and simplifying things.
I always love the reviews. I bought a Emotiva TA 100 this year with Q acoustics 3030i and a Klipsch r-120sw sub. Love the system I upgraded power to the Emotiva A2 amp, more clarity and punch. Some of these products I would of never been aware of if not for UA-cam and people like you. I think I might give this little amp a try for a inexpensive bedroom set up. Keep up the good work.
Link took me to the Douk. Knobs still have the clicky clicky, so I bought it.
That gauge is gorgeous! The amber glow :)
"Count" Dracula just likes to count.
If i used my Powered speakers with it, via the 3.5 jack in the Aiyima, would i still hear the tube difference, or those matter only with passive speakers?
What are your thoughts on the T9 vs. the A08 + T8? I realize pretty much double the price, but the upside for the A08 + T8 is the ability to use headphones. Thanks and keep up the great content!
Not sure if someone made this comment already but the vampire was called "Count" as in counting numbers... its Punny
Thank you for all you do, I'm new to this. I just bought myself and my son an A07, and I'm hoping you'll review the T10.
I buy spare speaker drivers made by Aiyima, put a pair of their silk dome tweeters into a pair of trashed Shahinian Arc speakers, and they sounded really good! Good quality gear for sure
This is Guy is the most relevant, straight forward reliable Reviewer, Some audio Review guys are just internet gossipers delusional wanna be Actor/Commentator. Lets support this Fella
You were so right. I added the a07 to this and wow. I played music all night.
Got mine today and can't be happier. I used to sell top end HiFi in the 80's and this just blew my socks off. Thanks for the review.
In the 80's the top HI FI among others was the Technics brand. How would you compare it to that one?
I have a question, can you hook-up a graphic equalizer to this little unit?
The linked Amazon product is to a "Douk Audio" just a heads up.
New problems with the T9: Hooked it up yesterday and noticed the device switches to Mute just after 8 seconds without input signal! Imagine you change your DVD or CD, or just search for another song or video online or in your music library. If you are not "fast enough" and exceed 7 seconds, the relay inside the device will switch it off. In 1 out of 10 cases I noticed the amp even completely shuts off!
Now another problem with this is that the relay will wear very quickly.
This is my second Aiyima and both are showing serious problems, hence I am quite sure now that their products are completely under-mature. They make good looking stuff but under the hood - quickly baked together obviously. I contacted the Ayima customer support - we'll see if they can provide a solution to the problem.
I just sent one back because of what you are describing. There also was a delay when it would switch back in from audio signal. This behavior was immediate and annoying. The VU meter on mine also did not move except when turning the unit on or switching inputs.
I was this [ ] close to buying one, and I keep seeing reviews like yours. That muting would drive me crazy. Thank you for pointing it out. I wonder how this wasn't a problem for Randy when reviewing.
I agree. When there is no sound, this product goes into power saving mode with an unpleasant ticking sound, and when there is a sound, it works again with a ticking sound. If you use this product on a PC, you cannot watch even a UA-cam broadcast properly, and when you listen to mp3, it can be very annoying to use normally because of that annoying noise at the beginning and end of all music and no sound when restarting. It is a product that is difficult to recommend at all.
@@okpush Did you point to the power saving, in which my device turns off without sound after just 3 seconds, and when the sound is applied, it turns on with a delay? Click, click, click - this is very annoying, but it only happens if the sound is not constantly coming. Does anyone know how to disable power saving?
@@ВладимирШпаков-т4э There is a method that can only be done on PC, but if I write the method on UA-cam, AI will delete it immediately for some reason.
how does this compare to SMSL AD18?
What sub would you recommend for this?
With a great power supply, Aiyima sound is beyond amazing. I use one of their tiny class-d power amps. Installed a pair of premium op-amps & a really good power supply, and the sound easily compares with one of the all-time-best ARC tube amps. Saving $80 per month in electricity. Better sounding than my very expensive class-d amps, and certainly my a/b amplifiers.
I've purchased one last year, maybe a previous version of the T9, it has an SUB out with full RCA instead of the aux out multiporpouse; wonderful gadget. It has some room for improvement, i hope this version it has it covered (example: sometimes it cuts the first second of some tracks (coax input); nothing that are limiting in anyway). beside that 100% bases covered. Regards!
I literally JUST got the t8 today with the A07, lol. Hope it was worth the money!
That's my setup. I noticed on their site they now have an amp, the A8, that looks like it's designed for the T8 to dock on top. Would like to know how it sounds.
Anyone got a recommendation for upgraded power supply. Dont want to fry it. Thanks
Would be really great for a computer desktop speaker setup
Just as a heads up, I bought the Aiyima T9 also known as Douk Audio ST-01 a few months ago and it is a great little amp and having a remote is a big plus, however, it will go nuts if I use my TV remote from my Onn 70" class 4k, it will power the amp on/off and also change the input selection. Strangely, the Aiyima's remote does not affect the TV.
Mam to samo z tv Samsung
My Roku remote sometimes does the same.
AAAAA++++ !!! THAT is exactly the kind of cast I love.
some reviews on amazon said this sounds great but there is an issue with it going into standby if there is a pause in dialogue and turns itself on and off with a clicking sound.
Got mine 2 days ago. And yes, hear the clicking sound a lot from the device, when not playing audio. Sound like a relay switching.
I have to mention I got it without the power brick from Aiyima. Using a 19V 3,45A laptop one.
Anybody having the clicks yes/no, and with what power brick?
I read up on the Amazon reviews.
So the clicking sound seems to be about detecting a signal on an input, making the amp active, and worse, going to inactive with no signal, even if it’s just a very temporary silence in the audio signal!
What a dumb flaw in the design. 🙄
For a test, with no audio running on any used input (optical & usb), I selected the RCA input, where nothing is attached. After a few clicks it remained silent.
So there is some logic at least.
Just removing the ‘standby mechanism’ looks like the best solution to get rid of the nuisance. But it will lose on energy saving I guess.
I ordered from Aiyima direct (EU region, warehouse in Luxemburg). I will sent them a mail to see what gives. Returning the unit if need be.
Would be a pity, since it’s a great and enjoyable amp.
@@GerryVeerman this is why I didn't buy it as all the reviews say the same thing.
Good morning! Is there room for Sparkos op amps in the Aiyima T9?
I see no difference between this and the Douk Audio ST-01
same thing
new setup good source, 2 x reasonably priced amplifiers one feeding input into second. Front and side speakers. Subwoofer. fantastic immersive sound. Need to drop all this 2 speakers combo.
I was very intrigued by the T9 after Randy's review, but, in reading other reviews, I saw that quite a few mentioned an issue with the T9 audibly clicking off after 2-3 seconds of silence, then clicking back on when the music/talk resumed. Apparently this was by design - to save wear and tear on the amp from being left on when not in use. I was concerned about this, but decided to take a chance and order a T9 on Amazon Prime day - thinking I could just return it if it had this issue.
If this was the case, I think it has been fixed. I've tested mine, and it doesn't click off until after 10-11 seconds of silence (which I timed several times). That is a long pause. I've now listened to this for quite a few hours over a week or so, and have not experienced it clicking off when listening to music or podcasts - only when I deliberately pressed pause. Then, after about 10 seconds, it clicks off. When I press resume, it clicks and the music starts again immediately. I don't find this to be a problem.
My guess is that Aiyima has now extended the delay before automatically powering off from 3 to 10 seconds or so. I think that's enough that this is no longer a problem. I think I'd be a lot more annoyed by any programming that regularly has 10-second silent gaps, than from my amp making a faint click after such gaps.
It does make a couple of these faint clicks in the first few seconds when you power it on - probably as it warms up. Also not a problem for me.
I should also clarify that these "clicks" sound like very faint mechanical clicks from inside the amp itself (about like if you lightly tap your fingernail against an empty glass). They do NOT come through the speakers. I don't think they would be audible if you were not sitting next to the amp, or if there were any significant background noise. I should also note that the T9 doesn't fully power off even after the timeout clicks (the VU meter and other lights stay on).
I have mostly listened to Amazon Music HD using my Samsung Note 20 Ultra phone, and a CD using an old Blu-Ray player. My phone connects and works fine using either Blue Tooth or a USB cable (USB C to B Printer cable). The Blu-Ray player works using either the RCA or Toslink optical connection. I didn't try the digital coax connection. Playing a CD via the RCA connection is much louder than using the Toslink or any of the other sources. Makes me wonder it they tried to boost the RCA connection to work with a turntable without a phono preamp or something. But maybe this is normal, or just my player.
I have it connected to a pair of Sony SSCS5 bookshelf speakers I also ordered on prime day (all using Randy's links, of course). I got this little system as a birthday gift for my son who is away at college. It cost a very small fraction of what my home system cost, but sounds very good.
Anyway, if you are considering ordering one of these, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd get it from someplace you can return it if you have issues. I'm happy with mine (almost hate to give it to my son...I'm trying to think of a reason to get one for myself). I never would have even payed any attention to the faint clicks if I hadn't seen them mentioned in various reviews.
I saw the same reviews. Thanks for sharing... just to be clear, do you have to manually turn it back on to connect bluetooth? For example, if you listen via blueooth, then leave the area and come back, will your phone connect again without manually having to turn back on the amp? Thanks for sharing your experience.
I BINGE slept through many a Netflix series.
The vampire was there because he was Count Dracula, and he counted things.
i bought it as it was back in stock....now i hope i can use it
$79.90 on Ali Express if you don't mind waiting a month for it.
And giving your information to the CCP! I went the straight Amazon route. I figure if my every moved is gonna be tracked, I'll let Bezos do it.
@@donde2k I paid with PayPal. I figure just as much risk as anything else.
Hey, I know why it clicks ! so what i noticed is when it's plugged to a computer that has a hard drive and not an SSD it clicks every 3 sec or so, but as soon as it's connected to a full SSD computer it just clicks to go into sleep. Mine is connected via RCA to a zendac, works dope at low/medium volume on my large desktop with ls50's. Staying with that until i grab enough for the small Lyngdorf with room perfect
Cool. Mine never had any issues. I listened mostly to the optical input. Maybe it’s the usb! Thanks so much for adding this
@@cheapaudioman it was on RCA for me, now it has changed lol, i plugged another dac and now it clicks randomly, too bad it sounds really good for the price. But i decided to send it back and buy a burson funk with the extra options to go with my ifi zen signature dac. I know it's not the same budget lol, but i'm tired cycling trought cheap chinese stuff... Great day, keep up !
Are you planning a review of AIYIMA Audio T5? I can't find anything online. Thanks
I just received the Douk Audio version of this today in the UK. Hooked it up to Dali Spektor 2 speakers and a SVS SB1000 Pro sub. Compared to the Onkyo TX SR-705 that the Douk replaced, it was night and day. Having the tone controls really helps. Thank you so much Cheap Audio Man!!
How did you hook it up? Got the same sub/amp combo going on just haven't hooked it up..the towers I have sound awesome right now we're happy over here
@@armandomeza3501 I used the WiiM Mini with a digital optical cable to connect to the amp. The sub is connected using a aux out jack to rca cable 👍🏻
Randy do you think the T9 would be a good match with Sony SSCS5’s since they’re a bit on the bright side? Thanks.
You got some good advive. Got myself good setup for my office and living room. Different experience. And the bank account still looks fine. Just added a smsl to my home office with some old JPW speakers that gathered dust. I was amazed how these old speakers game to life. I used a Denon for movies and listened to music with set of q150’s. Hooked the al cheapo smsl up. No comparison.
I was looking at the T8 and saw this before your review. Really do like this little amp! Especially the Opt and Aux out. Only problem I have with Opt (havent really used USB or RCA yet) is that it likes to turn off a second after the sound stops on my videos etc. Then I have to wait another second for it to start again when I play my video/audio again. Still really nice and perfect price!
...and yes this is my soundbar (tbh its my tv internal speakers) relacement.
I need a new desktop system...got a set if infinity rs-1 monitors laying around! This is what I've been waiting for. Thank you. Brother...I'm on it!
The pun is that he is the "Count" Dracula, so he counts things all the time lol
What an entertaining and convincing presentation! Greetings from Cape Town.🇿🇦
You need to show more b-roll of the product set up while talking about it, great channel
Love the proper old school needle. The orange background also makes it look cool.
Billy! I got some vintage Mcintosh stuff in. Next stop... Proacs!
Hey Billy , I agree , the needle is AWESOME. I would buy it just for that . Randy is the best . cant wait to hear about the Mcintosh stuff !
I love the video Randy, you just found my Christmas present to myself. I love your reviews man! Sith audio is my new favorite audiophile brand.
I'm surprised that you didn't compare it to the D03? If you don't compare a product to other gear in the same price bracket than it makes it very difficult for us newbies. Fyi i bought the D03 last month based on your review so...thank you🙏
it sounds better than the D03, has different features, and is less powerful than the d03
@@cheapaudioman hey Randy do you know anything about the d05? I wonder if it's an upgraded d03. I emailed them asking about it, but didn't get much info from them.
Funny how a few years make such a difference in outlook, I see a “ digital” bar display and ask myself is that cute gimmick even accurate? Subscribed!
Randy, I bought this on your recommendation along with the little Sony speakers that you rave about. Those speakers are really amazing but I’m having so much trouble with the Bluetooth connection on my tea nine. I guess I need to get rid of it.