Cal_Cobra
New Member
I found this forum from my curiosity of the Dayton Audio HTA200 tube amp. I've been wanting to check out the new inexpensive tube amps that are making so much noise, so I decided to test two different hybrid tube amps, the AIYIMA T9 PRO 200W Integrated Bluetooth Digital Class D 2.0/2.1 Channel Hybrid Tube Amplifier, and the Dayton Audio HTA200 200W Integrated Bluetooth Class A/B 2.0/2.1 Channel Hybrid Tube Amplifier.
I have zero doubt that the Dayton Audio will blow away the AIYIMA as far as power goes.
My AIYIMA T9 PRO landed early today so I decided to get it setup. I let it acclimate to room temp for several hours, then put everything together, and then let it warm up for about 30 minutes.
I was shocked at how tiny the AIYIMA T9 PRO is. Build quality is quite good for the price. It came with a pair of GE MIL spec JAN5654 vacuum tubes. I like both VU meters, the digital version has a stereo VU meter and shows the bit rate the DAC is decoding, and the source. It's tiny, so unless you have fantastic vision, it'll be hard to view. The analog VU meter is a welcome addition to such an inexpensive hybrid tube amp.
Forty years ago I had some small tube amps I used, but I couldn't even tell you what they were it was so long ago. The current crop of modernized hybrid tube amps opens the doors for a new generation to dip their toes into the analog vacuum tube world without breaking the bank.
For my initial test, I used Apple Music via a BT stream to the AIYIMA, and initially listened to Dark Side of the Moon, and all I can say is this little amp is incredible. I continued listening to various artists, and the detail from this thing is a joy to listen to. I'm auditioning it with a pair of 6ohm Sony bookshelf speakers and it sounds fantastic. The 200W power rating is 100W/channel @ 2channels @4ohms, 75W/channel @6ohms, and 50W/channel @8ohms. I was able to play the amp at max volume and the speakers could still take more. I'd say the amp is a bit light on it's suggested power rating, yet the one I received is a very clean amp, with a detailed sound stage. Everything just sounded "better" played through this amp.
The sound out of this inexpensive $120 chinese hybrid tube amp is really quite unbelievable for the price. I was planning to keep the better of the two amps, but given that the Dayton will likely be the superior amp for many reasons and will be a keeper (will it?), I'll likely still keep the little AIYIMA just because it's such an incredible tiny little value amp!
Here's my very temporary listening area on my kitchen island
I have zero doubt that the Dayton Audio will blow away the AIYIMA as far as power goes.
My AIYIMA T9 PRO landed early today so I decided to get it setup. I let it acclimate to room temp for several hours, then put everything together, and then let it warm up for about 30 minutes.
I was shocked at how tiny the AIYIMA T9 PRO is. Build quality is quite good for the price. It came with a pair of GE MIL spec JAN5654 vacuum tubes. I like both VU meters, the digital version has a stereo VU meter and shows the bit rate the DAC is decoding, and the source. It's tiny, so unless you have fantastic vision, it'll be hard to view. The analog VU meter is a welcome addition to such an inexpensive hybrid tube amp.
Forty years ago I had some small tube amps I used, but I couldn't even tell you what they were it was so long ago. The current crop of modernized hybrid tube amps opens the doors for a new generation to dip their toes into the analog vacuum tube world without breaking the bank.
For my initial test, I used Apple Music via a BT stream to the AIYIMA, and initially listened to Dark Side of the Moon, and all I can say is this little amp is incredible. I continued listening to various artists, and the detail from this thing is a joy to listen to. I'm auditioning it with a pair of 6ohm Sony bookshelf speakers and it sounds fantastic. The 200W power rating is 100W/channel @ 2channels @4ohms, 75W/channel @6ohms, and 50W/channel @8ohms. I was able to play the amp at max volume and the speakers could still take more. I'd say the amp is a bit light on it's suggested power rating, yet the one I received is a very clean amp, with a detailed sound stage. Everything just sounded "better" played through this amp.
The sound out of this inexpensive $120 chinese hybrid tube amp is really quite unbelievable for the price. I was planning to keep the better of the two amps, but given that the Dayton will likely be the superior amp for many reasons and will be a keeper (will it?), I'll likely still keep the little AIYIMA just because it's such an incredible tiny little value amp!
Here's my very temporary listening area on my kitchen island