I was always interested in this little amp since I saw it being sold in local shops. I wanted to put a simple stereo setup in my living room but wanted it to be as compact as possible to keep the wife happy.
http://www.fiio.com.cn/product/index.aspx?ID=27&MenuID=020301Specification
● Output power: 14W*2
● Load Impedance: 4~8Ώ
● SNR: ≧86dB( A weight)
● Distortion: 0.06%（1W）
● Frequency response: 10Hz-25KHz
● Power supply: DC 12V 3.5A
● Size: 166mm×96mm×56mm
● Weight: 481g
There are only a couple of reviews online that I could find which gave it a thumbs up. But i wanted to hear it for myself before I bought one. In December I went to Go Gadgets but they didn't have any speakers to demo the amp. The other week I was in parksquare and saw that Spectra was selling the A1 and they were willing to hook it up for an audition.
Now I'm not an expert nor do I have a lot of experience with high end audio but I do try to educate myself through audio demo discs and listening to good systems when I have the chance. So this is just my subjective view.
Its very basic, just two inputs (RCA and stereo Jack), L and R speaker outputs (binding posts) and a big volume control. The power supply is separate and looks like a laptop power adapater. Its really lightweight, I guess thats why it doesn't inspire confidence when you pick it up.
It was so light it almost fell just from the weight of the heavy gauge wire and banana plugs at Spectra.
The tech hooked up this little amp to a pair of Paradigm Atoms and played some audiophile jazz recordings. I also had my iPhone and LOD with me so I played some AAC lossless tracks of various demo discs. The A1 and Atom combo sounded quite good to my ears. Clean highs and forward mids. The bass was on the weak side but it still sounded full. There was a european customer in the store who was auditioning subs and he was surprised that all that was playing was this tiny amp and bookshelf speakers. The tech switched the output over to a pair of Klipsch FS (I wasn't able to ask the model) that had a high 104db sensitivity and the A1 had no trouble driving them. We never maxed out the volume dial on the amp and it was more than the usual listening level.
I decided to buy the amp despite not having any speakers to pair with them. When I got home I took the MS302 surrounds from my HT to do some listening. The Mordaunt-Shorts are small HT satellites so they really will not produce any bass. But for the vocals it sounded pretty good once again the imaging and separation seemed more distinct than these same speakers with my Yamaha receiver, although I was testing in a different room so that may be the reason. Very clean, neutral sounding amp. Anyway I was again very satisfied with the sound but I was thinking I may need a sub.
In searching for a pair of BS to use with this amp I was able to score a pair of first gen PSB Alphas. These are pretty easy to drive (8ohm, 92db sensitivity) and have great reviews. When I got them home I was blown away by the difference in sound vs the Paradigms I auditioned with the amp. These alphas have bass! Electric bass and stand up bass sound full and rich. Of course you dont get the visceral feel and deep deep bass of a full size speaker or dedicated sub but its definitely there up to about 40-50hz, below that and it drops off steeply. Definitely a good match for this amp. I wont be needing a sub after all.
For the same price (P4,500 BN with 1 year warranty) you can find an old receiver / amp with more power and versatility. But if you are looking for a very compact system and can take the time to find a good speaker to match then this might be an option. Save on electricity too.
Another thing I noticed is that this amp never heats up. Even after two hours of listening at high levels the amp never got warm to the touch.
