Could not agree more with your excellent review, Greg! I also just picked up a pair of Sparkos opamps for position 2 in my monos and was blown away by the difference it made. I also upgraded the others to the modest but long time well regarded and affordable LM4562 opamps. I also picked up a pair of cheap figure 8 to standard IEC adapters so I could use high quality after market power cords on the power supplies - wow, here again, very nice improvement. These have quite frankly unseated a Pass DIY 40 w/ch class A amplifier called the Burning Amp 3 (circuit Nelson Pass gifted to the community) that’s kin to his First Watt line. While it sounds beautiful, the Fosi’s are surprisingly better, it’s crazy!
You make a very substantial point about replacing stock AC cords... I am shocked at how many music-lovers STILL don't know about, or more importantly, actively deny, the difference power cords (_and supplies!_)can make. This underlying truth is touched on by two of my audio axioms - #1, Cables are components, and #6, Piss Poor Power Prevents Proper Performance. I detail these parameter's of audio truth in Episode 9, "the audio analyst's audio axioms" - ua-cam.com/video/G_mWN76rqAI/v-deo.html Thanks for watching, and for sharing your experiences. 😊
Agreed on all counts. My personal experience with the Sparkos upgrade was with the Fosi ZD3 Dac/Pre. The result mimics your description with the Fosi power amp.
Thanks for your input here. This seems to be a common thread from EVERYONE who has tried using these discreet devices... Kudos to Andy (Andrew!) Sparks and his team at SparkoS Labs, LLC, in the Denver area...
Thank you for covering this. I have the same Sparkos upgrade in my Fosi BT20A Pro. And yes it’s more of the good things I hear. I hope you dig further on this topic. Few have your vast experience in this space. Appreciate your approach and honesty. These little amps can embarrass quite of few others. Some can’t except that fact. I one the other hand would have no problem saying so. I have vintage Adcom and Nad I should compare. All the best.
THANK YOU, for watching, writing, and your kind words. It is SUCH an amazing time to be a music-loving audiophile... The choices today are SO MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIAL than they have ever been... I hope you are having as much fun with this hobby/sport/disease as I am! 😉🤣😇
Good expose. And I could say I told you so, but who am I. However it was Virtual Hifi channel who put me on this track. I also have a lot of experience swapping parts to improve the sound. And about 15 years ago I already bought Tripath 2021 amps, early predecessors, that had sincere audiophile qualities. I have several tubeamps, including a fine 300B SET. And since recently a very good Gato class AB. Very expensive, very good. But im using two Aiyima A70 mono's with the same Sparkos. They match very well with my new Laiv Harmony R2R DAC and HP2a pre-amp. Visually and sonically. It sounds fantastic. (I also dislike dome tweeters so I use AMT's as supertweeters for dipole Ti fullrange speakers). I also have a pair of Fosi ZA3's that I bought earlier, and like the Aiyima A70 mono's they only need 1 upgraded opamp per channel. And of course there are other options for discrete opamps that are really not expensive. Opamp swapping is the new tuberolling.
So, I have to wonder how you feel you may be entitled to tell me that you told me so? Do I know you? I don't recognize your UA-cam handle, so feel free to DM me it you like... And as I mentioned in the episode, I owned and operated an electronics repair and mod shop back starting in the late 1980s, over 35 years ago! 😉 There I modded upright video game consoles for Arcade use, turntables, CD Players, and worked on that era's personal computers, like the Commodore 64... Most recently, I upgraded my Ideon Absolute Epsilon DAC and Absolute Stream to the META status...so I'm still sniffing solder, and still enjoying it! 😉🤣😇
@@theaudioanalystThat's a good point. That was a bit clumsy of me. I keep telling people the same thing for months if not years, and they just won't believe me. The thing is, I can't keep track of everyone (so maybe I didn't tell you). But I do follow your channel and I really appreciate it! And it is a credit to you that you simply tell the truth. So many people are just discarding it because it's cheap. I just acquired both the Laiv Harmony dac and HP2a preamp and I'm using Aiyima A70 mono amps with the same chips and Sparkos opamps. And it sounds really magnificent. Normally that would be a crazy combination. $3k dac and preamp with $300 amps? But it does. I have 20 years experience in Chinese audio, over 40 years in modifying audio. Buying, listening and modifying units. I even have a Chinese turntable with 3 arms and several Chinese MC cartridges (Shibata stylus, sapphire cantilever, silver coils you name it). I built my own speakers that outperformed my trusted Genesis VI that are relegated to lowly bass duty. I modify my tube- phono- or integrated amps and DACs. So I have plenty of burns too. I have several tubeamps, even a 300B SET and a Gato Amp150 that is €4500 but I am playing with a pair of Aiyima A70 mono's with (oem) Sparkos. That's a bit more than 10x the price. And that Gato is more than worth its price. I'm not rich but I know what sounds good. You can't just buy a system and expect it to sound good.
I know who that picture is to your left behind you but it kind of looks like Putin. I really like your large Fred Flintstone chair. Enjoy your videos, always happy when I see them.
LOL. No, it is NOT the Russian President... It is actually Phil Collins, on a picture disc release of his "Face Values" album. But, thanks for writing, and I'm happy to learn you are still following the channel... Thanks, and have a wonderful holiday season! 😉
Could not agree more with your excellent review, Greg! I also just picked up a pair of Sparkos opamps for position 2 in my monos and was blown away by the difference it made. I also upgraded the others to the modest but long time well regarded and affordable LM4562 opamps. I also picked up a pair of cheap figure 8 to standard IEC adapters so I could use high quality after market power cords on the power supplies - wow, here again, very nice improvement. These have quite frankly unseated a Pass DIY 40 w/ch class A amplifier called the Burning Amp 3 (circuit Nelson Pass gifted to the community) that’s kin to his First Watt line. While it sounds beautiful, the Fosi’s are surprisingly better, it’s crazy!
You make a very substantial point about replacing stock AC cords... I am shocked at how many music-lovers STILL don't know about, or more importantly, actively deny, the difference power cords (_and supplies!_)can make. This underlying truth is touched on by two of my audio axioms - #1, Cables are components, and #6, Piss Poor Power Prevents Proper Performance. I detail these parameter's of audio truth in Episode 9, "the audio analyst's audio axioms" - ua-cam.com/video/G_mWN76rqAI/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching, and for sharing your experiences. 😊
Agreed on all counts. My personal experience with the Sparkos upgrade was with the Fosi ZD3 Dac/Pre. The result mimics your description with the Fosi power amp.
Thanks for your input here. This seems to be a common thread from EVERYONE who has tried using these discreet devices... Kudos to Andy (Andrew!) Sparks and his team at SparkoS Labs, LLC, in the Denver area...
Thank you for covering this. I have the same Sparkos upgrade in my Fosi BT20A Pro. And yes it’s more of the good things I hear. I hope you dig further on this topic. Few have your vast experience in this space. Appreciate your approach and honesty. These little amps can embarrass quite of few others. Some can’t except that fact. I one the other hand would have no problem saying so. I have vintage Adcom and Nad I should compare. All the best.
THANK YOU, for watching, writing, and your kind words. It is SUCH an amazing time to be a music-loving audiophile... The choices today are SO MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIAL than they have ever been... I hope you are having as much fun with this hobby/sport/disease as I am! 😉🤣😇
@@theaudioanalyst yes I am the most fun ever
Good expose. And I could say I told you so, but who am I. However it was Virtual Hifi channel who put me on this track.
I also have a lot of experience swapping parts to improve the sound. And about 15 years ago I already bought Tripath 2021 amps, early predecessors, that had sincere audiophile qualities.
I have several tubeamps, including a fine 300B SET. And since recently a very good Gato class AB. Very expensive, very good. But im using two Aiyima A70 mono's with the same Sparkos. They match very well with my new Laiv Harmony R2R DAC and HP2a pre-amp. Visually and sonically. It sounds fantastic. (I also dislike dome tweeters so I use AMT's as supertweeters for dipole Ti fullrange speakers).
I also have a pair of Fosi ZA3's that I bought earlier, and like the Aiyima A70 mono's they only need 1 upgraded opamp per channel.
And of course there are other options for discrete opamps that are really not expensive. Opamp swapping is the new tuberolling.
So, I have to wonder how you feel you may be entitled to tell me that you told me so? Do I know you? I don't recognize your UA-cam handle, so feel free to DM me it you like...
And as I mentioned in the episode, I owned and operated an electronics repair and mod shop back starting in the late 1980s, over 35 years ago! 😉 There I modded upright video game consoles for Arcade use, turntables, CD Players, and worked on that era's personal computers, like the Commodore 64... Most recently, I upgraded my Ideon Absolute Epsilon DAC and Absolute Stream to the META status...so I'm still sniffing solder, and still enjoying it! 😉🤣😇
@@theaudioanalystThat's a good point. That was a bit clumsy of me. I keep telling people the same thing for months if not years, and they just won't believe me. The thing is, I can't keep track of everyone (so maybe I didn't tell you). But I do follow your channel and I really appreciate it! And it is a credit to you that you simply tell the truth. So many people are just discarding it because it's cheap.
I just acquired both the Laiv Harmony dac and HP2a preamp and I'm using Aiyima A70 mono amps with the same chips and Sparkos opamps. And it sounds really magnificent. Normally that would be a crazy combination. $3k dac and preamp with $300 amps? But it does.
I have 20 years experience in Chinese audio, over 40 years in modifying audio. Buying, listening and modifying units. I even have a Chinese turntable with 3 arms and several Chinese MC cartridges (Shibata stylus, sapphire cantilever, silver coils you name it). I built my own speakers that outperformed my trusted Genesis VI that are relegated to lowly bass duty. I modify my tube- phono- or integrated amps and DACs. So I have plenty of burns too.
I have several tubeamps, even a 300B SET and a Gato Amp150 that is €4500 but I am playing with a pair of Aiyima A70 mono's with (oem) Sparkos. That's a bit more than 10x the price. And that Gato is more than worth its price.
I'm not rich but I know what sounds good. You can't just buy a system and expect it to sound good.
Terrific review!
Thank you!
I put a dual single sparkos in an ole Stereo 2 channel receiver STRSDE197. It makes a.grand difference.
I could well imagine someone modding a few of these to assemble a multi channel system with some decent finesse and clout for not so much cash.
Don't you know it, Marcus...
I know who that picture is to your left behind you but it kind of looks like Putin. I really like your large Fred Flintstone chair. Enjoy your videos, always happy when I see them.
Phil Collins looks like Richard Burton as Big Brother in 1984.
LOL. No, it is NOT the Russian President... It is actually Phil Collins, on a picture disc release of his "Face Values" album. But, thanks for writing, and I'm happy to learn you are still following the channel... Thanks, and have a wonderful holiday season! 😉