HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Right, sports fans, upgrades elsewhere have freed up the Asus Tinkerboard S so I have given it a try in the Upstairs setup and it sounds damn fine. Also took the opportunity to rearrange everything and tidy up a bit.



On the floor (l-r): SBooster PSU (DAC), CD player with Tomanek PSU on top (Tinkerboard) and the Sabaj monoblocks.
Middle shelf: Schiit Wyrd, Tinkerboard, Alva Duo phono stage on top of DacMagic DAC, P50sa preamp.

Geek talk: USB cables are AQ Carbon from TB to Wyrd, DH Labs Silver Sonic from Wyrd to DAC.

I upgraded the Tinkerboard to Volumio V3, the new OS has markedly better SQ and is faster. Compared it directly with the Allo DigiOne SIG and the USB-connected Tinkerboard was a clear winner.

Also briefly tried the Sabaj A10d DAC here and the results are promising, unfortunately the USB input requires a USB-C connection and the smartphone charge lead I had to use was not allowing the DAC a fair chance to give its best. Off to Amazon for a suitable cable.

With the Tinkerboard in place, overall sound quality has also taken a solid step in the right direction and the Class D amplification is responding nicely with a slowly-emerging refinement.

Thought I would spin an LP, as I've only heard digital sources through the Sabaj amps up to now. First pick was a brand-new, unplayed copy of Editors 'In Dream' from 2015, which I have been playing an awful lot from CD.

Ugh! A flat, processed and fairly lifeless sound emerges that had me wondering at first if the phono stage was properly connected (it was).

This feeling continued all the way through the album and I wasn't happy. Detail and imaging were spot-on. But the 2D flatness was annoying. Then a Caravan record from the 70's with the side-long opus 'Nine Feet Underground'. All is forgiven - that rich, organic, vinyl experience is back again!



Although somebody has screwed up the mastering of the Editors LP good and proper.



Ongoing critical appraisal of the A10a monoblock performance is that they are 95% amazing now. But .... still a touch stiff and grainy, certainly at higher volume, and there remains a lack of 3D depth. Insight into the music and performance is quite astonishing and I am reminded of a Mark Levinson system I once had on loan (not bad for a low-cost Chi-Fi set).

Strengths and weaknesses. Nothing's perfect.

Fretless wrote: ↑Sun Dec 18, 2022 11:00 am But .... still a touch stiff and grainy, certainly at higher volume, and there remains a lack of 3D depth.

Selective quoting but very important to me, especially for extended listening, and where NVA scores. Still I can see the appeal of Class D now that Chi-fi has brought the prices down to realistic levels. Naim fan boys could save themselves a lot of money.

I reckon that after a week of intensive listening I can deliver a verdict on the Sabaj A10a-2022 amplifiers and that is; for the most part, very positive.

In bridged mode, as high-power monoblocks, they deliver a big, solid, wide, clear sound with astonishing detail, imaging and dynamics; providing a hifi experience that I have only come across with very expensive, high-end equipment.

The cons: there is a hint of flat tinniness that only just stops them from sounding completely relaxed and natural. Complex music can be a touch forced, certainly when the volume is turned up. They do need very careful component matching otherwise they will be overly bright.

For the money, though: Exceptional.

CN211276 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 18, 2022 11:48 am I can see the appeal of Class D now that Chi-fi has brought the prices down to realistic levels.

Class D from outside China is still expensive. Stereonet's product of the year in the power amp category is the French Elipson A2700 at nearly 3K. A comparison with the Sabaj A10a at a fraction of the price would be very interesting, not to mention any NVA amp.

If my NVA amp goes wrong it can be repaired.
Whilst initially cheap to buy class D amps seem to be built as disposable items.

Panic!

Yesterday evening 2 of my Volumio network streamers suddenly refused to work. Couldn't connect to them at all.

An evening and a morning of brain-racking, reloading operating systems on SD cards and reinstalling the SBCs but nothing worked.

Until the point where I looked in a corner and saw that I had inadvertently turned off the power to the network switch controlling the links to that part of the house.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

I recently spent half a day trying to work out why my computer had stopped making noises. I eventually realised that when I switched off my SMSL Q5 the previous night I'd managed to flip the input from USB to coax at the same time. Curse these multi-purpose buttons.

DaveyTed wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 7:39 pm If my NVA amp goes wrong it can be repaired.
Whilst initially cheap to buy class D amps seem to be built as disposable items.

That is the impression I can gained too, many surface areas components and rarely a circuit diagram. Of course not all class D amps use surface mount but then they cost rather more. My experience is mainly confined to stage monitors where the sound is acceptable but current best practice is in-ear monitoring so the class D monitors don’t get much use. If they fail I doubt repair would be economically viable, they cost £135 when new, about £150 now I think. It would cost more to open one up without even trying to repair it.

Cube2 speaker with the Hudson silicon hemispheres underneath. I see from the photo that I haven't got them quite symmetrical - something to do later.

After a couple of weeks of living with the Sabaj monoblocks in this setup, they seem to have gently settled into place and the speaker pucks appear to be the final tweak that was needed.

Soundwise this system is performing exceptionally well with a wide and ultra-detailed soundstage, powerful dynamics and a refined, involving clarity.

The metallic sheen has gone, no digital/artificial nasties anymore and can be enjoyed for long sessions.

Just still slightly missing that effortless 3D space and transparency that truly great amps provide (at 10x the price). But these little Class D babies are astonishing me with what they are capable of and I'm loving the music they make.