REVIEW / MEASUREMENTS: AIYIMA A08 PRO - TI TPA3255 Class D amp with AAC/LDAC/AptX Bluetooth input. On "giant killers" and "CHEAP" amps. Goodbye TIDAL MQA.

Over the last while it has been interesting checking out some TI TPA3255 "PurePath" chip Class D audio amplifiers such as the Fosi Audio TB10D [Upgraded] and AOSHIDA A7.

As you can see in the image above, I've got another one to put on the test bench for a look and listen - the AIYIMA A08 PRO (currently <US$130). Depending who you read/listen/watch, you'll see supporters who like the amp, sometimes calling it a "giant killer" of sorts, such as this blog post, or there are detractors like Andrew Robinson who seem to think these kinds of amps are only good in the nearfield and below 60dB SPL (see from 10:30). We'll talk about this below. :-)

As usual, let's start with a peek at what you get for a low price...

The amp arrived in a simple brown box with a few items like instruction pamphlet, an AIYIMA sticker, and power supply with cable (in my case for North American plugs):

The switching external power supply is relatively beefy:

Rated at 36V/6A, here's the company's table listing expected output based on power supply characteristics:

As with many manufacturer specs sheet, we're often not sure what amount of distortion these number are quoted for. Unless clarified, assume something like 10% THD!

Assuming the power supply rating is trustworthy, it should perform a bit better than the 32V/5A supplies which were what the Fosi Audio TB10D and AOSHIDA A7 were supplied with. We'll see whether this amp can provide a bit more juice in the measurements later.

As you can see, the amp chassis has a distinctive dip in the middle which is meant for the AIYIMA T8 tube Preamp, with headphone amplifier to sit in. The dual assembly would look like this:

Yeah, I guess that would keep the footprint small and could look alright on a desktop computer setup. Here's a look at the back of the amplifier:

Notice the small 3.5mm phono auxiliary output which could be used to feed an active subwoofer (with crossover control) for a 2.1-type setup. There are the two RCA single-ended inputs, and an antenna for Bluetooth 5.1 audio. The wireless chip is the Qualcomm QCC5125, quite a capable little device that can handle the full range of aptX Adaptive, LDAC, AAC, and SBC codecs. Speaker binding posts are of reasonable quality but in keeping with the price, is not as sturdy as they could be.

The box is metal, measures a compact 6.25"x5.25"x1.5" without antenna with a weight of 1.5lbs (~700g). No complaints about chassis ruggedness.

Here she is in use sitting on top of a couple other Class D amps - the AOSHIDA A7 and my Hypex nCore NC252MP.

Size is about equivalent to the AOSHIDA A7 including similar sized, responsive VU meter. Be mindful that the meter is linked to the left channel only. I see it as mainly decorative but do keep an eye to make sure the meter doesn't get into the red zone which suggests the input level is approaching the clipping point.

Turn the volume knob counterclockwise all the way to switch OFF/ON. Notice there's a red light around the volume ring in the image above which means it's using the RCA input. When Bluetooth is connected, the light turns blue. Bass and treble knobs are self-explanatory and I'll measure the effects. Keep it at the 12 o'clock position for flat frequency response. The volume knob is smooth with nice resistance. Bass and treble controls have a pleasant, finely indented feel.

As with other TI TPA3255 Class D amplifiers I've tried, the box barely gets warm when playing music at normal levels.

Let's put this thing on the test bench and see how it performs. For testing, I'll be using a combination of my Linear Audio Autoranger with the RME ADI-2 Pro FS as measurement ADC. I'll use the Beelink SER4 4700U computer for test signal & data collection with the Topping D10s as high-resolution single-ended signal generator (connected to Intona USB isolator to avoid ground loop risk).

Objective:

Without further ado, let's have a look at some data. Unless stated otherwise, I'll leave the Bass and Treble knobs to 12 o'clock. Maximum gain on the amplifier is measured at +28dB.

Here's a 1kHz sine wave, 1Vrms level, left and right channels on the oscilloscope:

Channel balance is excellent. We can easily see the high-frequency switching noise in the waveform as expected for a Class D device without filtering applied. Let's have a look using the oscilloscope out to 1.2MHz to identify the frequency of that noise:

Looks like a pretty clean ~460kHz switching noise. This is typical for TPA3255 chip amps which will be attenuated with a bit of inductance in your system.

Here's the damping factor and output impedance using a 4Ω load:

While there's some slight variation with each manufacturer's amp, what we see above is similar to other TI TPA3255-based devices. Output impedance increases (damping dips) from about 1kHz up and it's around 1Ω by 20kHz. As with others, average damping factor into 4Ω across the audible frequencies is around 30-40x which is totally fine and will not lead to much frequency response variation using typical loads until around 10+kHz.

Let's confirm this with frequency response measurements using various loads including my "standard" Sony SS-H1600 speaker for these measurements - note the "zoomed in" Y-axis of only 8dB range in the graph:

Notice a similar pattern we've seen with other TI TPA3255 amplifiers with that load-dependent variation at higher frequencies. This amp is quite "flat" into a 4Ω load but there tends to be upper treble accentuation with the higher 8Ω load and the Sony speaker. The Y-axis is tight, so these are in fact small variations, only +1dB with the 8Ω load at 20kHz.

For completeness, here's the frequency and phase into 4Ω:

No problem with the phase response at "flat" EQ settings.

While I have not really noticed an issue, I've heard that some listeners might experience a "harshness" with the high end not just with TI chip amps but also just in general folks claiming to hear this with Class D devices. If we think this might be related to the slight accentuation of the treble when paired with higher impedance speakers, we can apply the treble control, let's "tune" this down a little bit:

A slight reduction of the treble by just a couple tiny "clicks" as in the picture results in about 0.5dB lowering of the 20kHz response which gets it a little flatter into 8Ω but will droop the 4Ω response. Have fun with playing with the EQ settings depending on your speaker; maybe bright speakers with tweeter break-up resonance close to 20kHz could benefit from more fine-tuning.

Realize that in reality, when we connect speakers like the Sony above, there will be more complex fluctuations and things are not as simple as aiming for a flat response into a 4/8Ω load. Regardless, the complexities are likely not going to result in massive changes given the reasonably low output impedance.

Here's what the Bass and Treble knobs do if we examine the limits:

For the graph above, I normalized the curves to 0dB at 1kHz and varied the Bass and Treble knobs to maximum amounts. Basically what we're seeing is +/-6dB in the high frequencies, and +/-13dB in the low end. This is about the same as the tone controls of the Fosi Audio TB10D [Updated].

I had a quick look at stereo crosstalk examining the amount of seepage of 0dBFS 300Hz and 4kHz signals from one channel to the other and see less than -90dB crosstalk on average - excellent.

Let's now move on to the power vs. distortion graphs to see what we can get from this little amplifier with its stock power supply - as usual, tested with 4Ω and 8Ω loads.

Up until clipping, THD remains at most down at -70dB or 0.03%.

As mentioned above, this amplifier has a higher rated power supply (36V/6A) than the other TI TPA3255's I've tested so far and indeed we can see higher output using my usual "hi-fi" threshold of 0.1%/-60dB THD+N achieving 90W into 4Ω and 55W into 8Ω. (The 0.1% threshold selected based on empirical results of the blind test here awhile back.)

While staying below THD+N -60dB, notice that this amp tends to have an increase in 2nd order harmonics above 2Vrms which results in that rise in THD relatively early compared to something like the AOSHIDA A7.

Looking at the stepped sine results, linearity is very good:

Output level keeps track all the way down to about -108dB at which point it derails by 0.5dB.

Let's double check the THD+N across audible frequencies (at 2Vrms into 4Ω) to make sure it looks reasonably well controlled:

Looks good. Total distortion remains flat throughout the audible frequencies. Notice that the 3rd harmonic tends to rise from about 1kHz. Most of the distortion is low-order 2nd and 3rd harmonics and should not be objectionable.

Time for some high resolution 1kHz THD+N FFTs; my "standard" is 2V into 4Ω (1W), both left and right channels driven:

Notice that there is some asymmetry between the distortion characteristics of the 2 channels even though I'm using the same ADC and resistive load. This is typical so long as the results are not wildly different. I wondered if this asymmetry might have anything to do with the left channel being connected to the VU meter. Regardless, we're looking at THD+N around -81dB at 1W into 4Ω. This is in-line with other TI TPA3255 amplifiers.

Using a more complex signal, here's the Triple Tone TD+N using 48/960/5472Hz components, again as usual, both channels driven:

Average Triple-Tone TD+N of -84dB (~2Vrms into 4Ω or ~1W) is very respectable especially when you consider that this is a <US$150 amplifier capable of quite a good amount of power as well! As you can see, all the harmonics and intermodulation products are below -80dB from the primary tones.

And finally, let's use an even more complex tone, the 1/10 Decade Multitone 32 described previously; let's mix it up with output levels at ~2V into 4Ω (~1W), and ~6.3V into 8Ω (~5W):

We're seeing better than -70dB distortion-free range from the complex multitone peaks within the audible frequencies which again is indicative of high-quality audio playback (just think about the noise floor in your room and how much dynamic range you actually need).

For the 8Ω measurement, I ran it longer with 32 samples averaging and kept it running for 10 minutes to make sure I catch any elevated noise peaks (red) found during that time. As you can see, there are no surprises, the amplified complex test signal remained clean over time.

Subjective:

Let's not spend too much time here. To be honest, an amplifier that hits the objective bases including full and relatively flat frequency response, low distortion, and good dynamic range consistent across a battery of modern tests will perform as expected playing music. IMO, subjective evaluations of sound quality are highly injected with the listener's imagination; better to listen for oneself and enjoy the music rather than spending too much time reading/listening to the opinions of others.

In the last while, I've been spending time exploring the massive expansion of multichannel/Atmos content that is available out there now thanks to the drive towards "Spatial Audio" and "immersive" sound. IMO, this has been the most significant step towards providing new experiences for music lovers in decades. The nature, production, and playback of music is shifting significantly, and I believe for the better.

No, it's not that we did not have multichannel content before (since the 1970's we've had quadrophonic sound and discrete 5.1 since the early 2000's), but we're at the point now where finally, in some genres like pop and modern rock, the catalogue of multichannel/Atmos mixes is getting substantial. Thank you Apple, Tidal, Amazon, and Dolby for making the tools and policies needed to expand the mixing techniques and creative options. This is IMO what leadership looks like.

To put it through its paces, I ran this AIYIMA amp as my front channels from the analog pre-outs of the Yamaha RX-V781 receiver switching out between this and my "high-value/quality" reference Hypex nCore NC252MP amplifier. Output levels were equilibrated between the amplifiers.

I listened to a wide genre of material - some lossless 5.1 multichannel classical from Qobuz (as discussed last time), Joe Haisaichi's soundtrack material, pop stuff like some Ariana Grande / Ed Sheeran / Olivia Rodrigo, progressive rock like Pink Floyd / Roger Waters, rock like Kiss / Rolling Stones, some jazz and blues like Miles Davis / Joe Bonamassa (the album Time Clocks [2021, DR9] is very cool).

[By the way, if you like Joe Bonamassa's work, check out the BluRay concert Tales of Time (2023, DR12, TrueHD 5.1 multichannel) which is well done with good surround immersion.]

For completeness, I also listened to some 2-channel stuff comparing the Hypex and AIYIMA with quick speaker cable and interconnect switches as well.

While not blinded, the best I can say is that the difference is so minimal between the AIYIMA A08 PRO and the Hypex nCore NC252MP that it really doesn't matter; I can easily enjoy both of these playing at normal listening levels (~75-85dB SPL average) driving my Paradigm Signature S8 v.3 front speakers.

Yeah, I still have a bias towards the Hypex NC252MP with a subjective sense that it sounds a bit smoother in the higher frequencies. This is minimal though and I don't believe I would be able to notice a difference without some quick A/B switching.

"Clean" amplifiers that measure with low distortion and noise (if we want to put a number on it, say triple tone TD+N at 1W into 4Ω of better than -70dB) IMO will sound much more alike than different assuming there's nothing remarkably anomalous with output impedance / damping factor, and the frequency response itself. I personally don't see a need to get too excited about whether an amplifier is Class D, or A or AB if in general the measurements check out fine and the sound is clean. All things considered, it would be wiser to spend time optimizing the speakers/room and perhaps adding DSP correction if an audiophile seriously wants to make a meaningful improvement than spending too much time on amplifiers.

When differences are so minute with modern "hi-fi" amplifiers regardless of price these days, we're simply more free to sit back and enjoy the music.

Summary:

Alright audiophiles, here's the summary graphic:

It's good. The AIYIMA A08 PRO with its more powerful switching supply can provide up to 90W into 4Ω and 55W into 8Ω loads while keeping THD+N below -60dB/0.1% than the other TI TPA3255 amps I've tested thus far. At 1W into 4Ω, distortion is at a very respectably low -84dB using the triple-tone signal. And the frequency response is reasonably well controlled through most of the audible range although be mindful of those high frequencies >10kHz; there is a treble control that one can use to finesse the sound.

Looking at the fine details, we see that THD does increase a little more than similar amps (like the AOSHIDA A7) above ~1W (both 4 and 8Ω). I still don't think it's a problem because this is all <0.1% total distortion and since this is low-order stuff, maybe some listeners might even have a preference to that extra "detail" from added 2nd and 3rd harmonics. :-) 

Given that the AIYIMA is the third TI TPA3255 Class D chip amp I've measured, I must say that across the board, this inexpensive, high-efficiency amp chip technology works well for moderate-power amplifiers that many audiophiles and music lovers will enjoy in the home. As such, these amplifiers represent a level of sonic performance at the $100-150 price point as a kind of benchmark which I would hope more expensive products should exceed.

Although I obviously cannot vouch for longevity of these inexpensive amplifiers or manufacturer quality control, what I can measure and hear represents an astounding value; an important reminder of just how good sound quality can be without in any way "breaking the bank". As usual, I have no issues with audiophiles spending thousands and thousands of dollars on amplifiers. That's totally fine, just realize that for "high fidelity" playback, the base quality is already very high so I would make sure something more expensive at least can perform up to par and represents acceptable value in the construction, materials, features, and whatever "non-utilitarian" benefits one might also seek.

It has been years I think since publishing on Bluetooth audio measurements. Let me see if I can examine Bluetooth quality of a device like this over the next little while since it accepts multiple codecs.

--------------------

To end, I thought it would be fun addressing how in audiophilia we often talk of finding products that are "giant killers", and on the other extreme a tendency to devalue certain products, especially those viewed as "cheap". All kinds of opinions on blogs, magazines, and of course these days, YouTube videos out in cyberspace...

On GIANT KILLERS:

At the start of this post, I mentioned the fascinating blog post from a Hong Kong writer about the AIYIMA A08 PRO written in October 2022 (and other contributors to the page). Amazing that for the writer, with the AIYIMA: "I was forced to use my best setup to squeeze out its maximum potential and I felt that it would go from strength to strength if paired with good associated equipment". From a guy with an interest in more expensive gear driving his Dynaudio Crafft studio monitors (86dB/2.83V/m, rated 4Ω). The article certainly reads like he sees this <US$150 amplifier as a kind of "giant killer" that can take the place of all kinds of more expensive stuff (including his 47 Labs GainCard which costs something like $1500 itself, then you have to add at least another $1800 for the official power supply).

Let's think about this... If there are to be giants to kill, then we must believe that there are giants out there. Among the high-fidelity amplifiers, the mythical ideal being "straight wire with gain", are there truly amazing devices in the 2020's that sound "even more high fidelity" than much less expensive amps when paired with typical loudspeakers?

I would argue: No, there are no giants left to slay. Sure, some amps are giants when it comes to size and weight, or have giant-sized MSRPs; however, we're talking about sound quality. Salespeople and the audiophile media would like you to think otherwise since there must be a market out there for the ever-more-expensive "ultra high end" based on sound quality, right?

If we look at the blogger's 47 Labs GainCard (see Stereophile measurements here), we see a less powerful amp performing at around 20W (into 8Ω) before clipping, modest distortion vs. frequency performance with increased distortion at low and upper frequency extremes, and maybe some power-supply related noise in the FFT. The fact that he preferred the AIYIMA A08 PRO is no surprise based on the objective performance since it can deliver more than twice the amount of power with more consistent, low distortion across the audible frequencies.

Sure, one could subjectively use all kinds of claims to justify a preference in the sound quality, for example to quote from the blog:

"This little guy got rhythm and PRAT and is also very musical as well. It also has great soundstaging; despite not being the deepest, it’s wide enough to fill my whole living room! I also hear nuances of musical instruments and details. Vocals are natural, uncanny and realistic, not at all without emotion. Highs are a tad on the dark side, but while they don’t sparkle there's no lack, smooth and soothing (perhaps it's also the signature of the Watt Emerson). Bass is solid, with body and authority, tuneful and with a tactility that is lifelike! Overall picture is very musical. On some music I detect some hardness on the edges, which may or may not be limitations or characteristics of Class D amp; I may want to use some softer cables to pair with it."

That IMO is beautifully written and I wish I could come up with subjective content like that! (Maybe ChatGPT can. :-) But are those descriptions true in the sense of them being reliably replicable perceptions among many audiophiles? Who knows, even though I would agree with the blogger that the AIYIMA does sound very good even if I can't honestly use terms like "PRAT" with a straight face.

I think with the improvements in amplifiers over the years, and the quality we're getting with inexpensive Class D devices these days, we're approaching the point of "perceptually more than good enough" even at the $100 price point for most audio lovers and audiophiles. This is similar to the state of hi-fi DACs where at a low price, the fidelity IMO has easily reached a point of "perceptibly perfect". Sure, we can spend more on features, build quality, etc... but be extra careful when describing uncontrolled, unblinded evaluations of the sound quality!

If there are truly hi-fi amplifier "giants" out there, show us which ones and into what speakers. Let's see if audiophiles can agree on the remarkable sound quality such giants supposedly can provide.

On being CHEAP:

Let's face it guys and gals, much of the content we read and watch online is vacuous stuff. There's definitely a lot of "style over substance" out there. To be honest, that's the sense I get when watching material like this as I was researching opinions on the AIYIMA:

So, if you watched the video, did you learn anything in that presentation from a channel with the tagline "Audio - Video - Tech - Design"?

Let's see... There's side discussion on nearfield listening which is a bit nonsensical when talking about amps that can provide >50W power. There are also inaccuracies here - why is nearfield 75dB any different than 75dB SPL in a room when it comes to being "loud" (around 2:45)? True, manufacturers claiming TPA3255 amps hitting "300W" are selling a fantasy, but these little boxes can easily go beyond some expensive Pass/First Watt amps (like this). Besides, as an audio reviewer, he knows that exaggeration of power specs is everywhere right? If there's anything we've learned from reading manufacturer advertising, it's that we should independently verify the specs regardless of whether it comes from an inexpensive brand or stuff in the "high end". And what has he done to verify for viewers just how much power the amplifiers he reviews can honestly provide?

For example, he claims this video was initially supposed to be a review of the Arylic B50. He talks as if he believes the Arylic is truly a "50W" amp [5:20]; it's actually 30W into 8Ω since it's a TI TPA3116 inside and that 30W is at 10% THD+N. Is it any surprise then that it may not have driven his speakers particularly well and distortion at "100%" volume might not have been good? The Arylic has features like the HDMI input which could be useful, but as an amplifier, it clearly belongs to a tier below the TPA3255 devices like the AIYIMA - was he able to notice the difference and express this basic fact to his viewers? (The TPA3116 is what was in the Yeeco I measured many moons back, in general not the kind of amplifier I would recommend to audiophiles.)

He jumps around in that video between the different amps while making generalizations that I don't think are accurate. Specifically for the AIYIMA A08 PRO, check out his frequency response measurement at 7:14. Hmmm, looks to me like he turned the AIYIMA up a little louder! And if he doesn't like the relatively higher treble in that measurement (is it also possible that the Cambridge is "darker" sounding?), isn't that what the Treble knob is for? What's the problem? And what does it mean that his results are "different" each time he measured the frequency sweep in his room!? There's always a small difference if that's all we're talking about, or maybe there's something wrong with his technique or amp if the results are truly way off each time? Maybe the "quality control" he needs to think about is what he's actually doing to test these things, not necessarily manufacturer issues.

Then there's the part about audible "ringing or whine" from his tweeters (8:15) with these inexpensive amps. He must be talking about a high pitched noise, not "distortion" since this is arising out of silence. Odd, I don't hear any issues on my end with various speakers using the TPA3255 amps. We don't know what source, preamp (gain structure), or speakers he's specifically using to complain of this problem. He apparently has done nothing to diagnose the source of the issue (this noise can be measured, right?). As such, I think the viewer can't know what he's actually talking about.

Notice his version of the wife-hearing-something anecdote with Kristi asking him "Do you hear that?" (8:30), supposedly about distortion heard at just 60+dB SPL as evidence that there's an anomaly. It's similar to the apocryphal anecdote of a wife in the kitchen who can hear all kinds of amazing differences claimed by audiophile magazine writers. He also says Kristi's high pitch hearing doesn't go to 20kHz in auditory testing - does his!? So is this then justification that the sound anomaly is even more significant because someone with less-than-childhood-perfect hearing acuity can hear it? How odd.

By the way, if indeed there is some "ringing" when listening and it's not just persistent noise, one could try a simple EQ to deal with perceived harshness. Something like this gentle high-shelf with low Q to tame excess content mainly from 5kHz up:

44.1 and 48kHz upsampled to 88.2 and 96kHz respectively; give the software a bit more latitude for the EQ processing. Sounds smooth, reduced fatiguability with some of the harsher pop sounds on "bright" speakers. Also can help some of the old "tinny" material from the '80s. "Procedural EQ" option to apply to different speakers in the multichannel system.

Might be especially helpful for those with metal tweeters (eg. aluminum, titanium) that have break-up modes close to 20kHz.

I could go on, but this is just a painful video to watch and listen to from a guy who's supposed to have been reviewing for years (he says 20 years near the end). I guess I'm not completely surprised given his review of the Fluance speakers and presentation on measurements I noted years ago. To me, this is an example of what "style over substance" looks like in the age of the YouTube video monetization cottage industry, much of which is obviously questionable even at a surface level for experienced audiophiles.

Dear readers, it's not that I want everyone to buy "CHEAP" China-made amps or DACs or whatever. I suspect most of us reading here can easily afford a $1000+ amplifier if we really want to. But being "more objective" in examining the properties of these recent inexpensive devices, I'm impressed by how they sound and what they can do regardless of comparisons with other devices - feel free to compare, but objective results can also stand on their own. Small size, low weight, good power level, low distortion, and high efficiency are I think desirable characteristics that satisfy playback needs, not just the low price.

Andrew Robinson and Kristi seem to like the Cambridge AXA25 amplifier which looks like a reasonable unit as well with multiple inputs and a balance knob which is good. Nonetheless it is only rated at 25W into 8Ω, would be less efficient as a Class AB amplifier, is larger, asking twice the price of something like the AIYIMA, and lacks Bluetooth input if that's useful for you. Maybe I'll give it a try at some point... But I have a strong suspicions that the Cambridge's performance is not going to be particularly impressive for distortion and power. I suspect it's much more likely that Robinson's opinions in that video are based on negative biases rather than actual performance characteristics - negative biases related to these amplifiers being "CHEAP" (emphasis his) surely must play into this!

Many YouTube reviews/channels are to me like certain audiophile magazines with nice pictures but at best add little to the discussion, and forgettable. A bit like the superficial glossiness of TAS with paucity of technical details, and no real insights since everything reviewed will have their plusses and minuses spoken in vague subjective testimonies - one device is "fun", another is "articulate", and another is "refined" (have a look at Robinson's B&W 703 S3 review for a taste). Some videos add to misinformation and the viewer ends up more confused afterwards given overgeneralized or just plain incorrect content (IMO, like this video above).

I believe that a good balance between objective and subjective reviewing is still far and away preferable with a meaningful legacy that adds to the audiophile hobby. Despite some missteps, I still think that among mainstream magazines, Stereophile over the years has done a reasonable job at straddling the balance.

--------------------

The new TIDAL quality tiers: hi-res "MAX", CD-quality "HIGH", lossy 320kbps "LOW". MQA "MASTER" no longer an item.

In other news, it looks like TIDAL is likely flipping on the FLAC hi-res content this month beyond the iOS beta subscribers, superseding the failed MQA. About time they saw the light and inevitable since the bankruptcy. Over time, the old MQA content will get replaced as they clean up the "MQA-CD" 16/44.1 stuff along the way - TIDAL team has confirmed this. Furthermore, it looks like the web player will be able to handle hi-res playback. This is a nice upgrade, perhaps related to the fact that there's no need to decode any proprietary codec.

Hmmm, I wonder when the major audiophile magazines will say something about this!?

MQA went into bankruptcy protection on April 3, and I don't think Stereophile or TAS or Hi-Fi+ have even acknowledged this on their pages over the last 4 months - more than a fiscal quarter! It's not like there has been much other news in the audiophile world recently. Considering they were very quick to praise the company with articles, isn't it kind of weird that they don't even report that the company is essentially defunct and the last significant source of MQA-encoded content is abandoning it? Shouldn't "journalists" tell their readers about these things, especially for those deciding on whether a DAC purchase should include MQA decoding (typically adding to the price)? As usual, we have to wonder how much responsibility the magazines should have in presenting a balanced perspective for their readership. Maybe by the time the mainstream audiophile media finally reports on this, it's basically the bookend to this unfortunate codec drama.

August is here! Time for a little holiday soon. Hope you're all enjoying the music and having a great season...