Is this the most complete amp under 200 euros? Aiyima A80 review

It is great to see companies listen, and deliver what they think their users need. And this is an almost perfect example of such a thing. Upgraded looks, added flexibility, added DAC, great screens with VU meters. And the price remains the same.

Yes I am speaking about Aiyima A80, a great follow-up to Aiyima A70.

Great Versatility and Features

And it is such a different form to previous model. While previous model had this feeling of monoblock, this looks more like regular DAC/amp if nothing. But where the previous A70 was more like utilitarian box, this is more modern with new great screen at box.

I have love and hate relationship with screens. I love them, but I could live without them. But some people really enjoy them, and some people really enjoy VU meters. And Aiyima does allow 3 different home screen designs, two with VU meters, and one more regular like equalizer type looks.

I personally prefer the most the one with one VU meter at it, I think it looks the most pleasing when it moves with your song, but there is one issue I have with all of this. While the screen is truly nice, they made a huge let’s call it vanity error.

It is nice to have all these visualizations at your disposal, but to me always the most important thing is volume and source.

And volume and source are so small, that it is ridiculous. Why they did not create one more visual with big numbers and letters. I barely see volume changing from where I sit, and don't let me start the name of source. It is impossible to read.

I think they chose the route of making things pretty but not so useful. Though remote is nice and useful.

But my problems do not end there. I love XLR, and I loved XLR that existed in Aiyima A70. But here they are sadly non-existent.

But to be realistic, this was probably a concise decision on Aiyima's part. As what A80 have that A70 does not have is DAC. So there are a lot of new digital inputs and outputs that previous model did not have.

As they wanted to remain competitive in this price range, they chose to have DAC instead of balanced inputs. And that might for many be a much better choice.

And not just any DAC, this is an ESS 9038Q2M, not high-end, but definitely a high-performance DAC. This is pretty decent DAC, and I listened to it in many different devices, and it performs quite and clean sound to amplifier.

That DAC is really decent it can match your sub 150 euros DAC, which makes this truly magical. As amp itself is now at or below 200 euros. The versatility that this amp opens is incredible.

You get your coaxial, your optical, and USB-C for connections. There is Bluetooth, and 12V trigger.

Aiyima does speak a lot about cooling and heat sink they have. And truly they have sideways and bottom opens for heat sink to remove hot air. This is great, but I still found that my Aiyima after prolonged work becomes hot. But still heat sink is important piece of every amp hardware.

More companies should invest in better cooling chambers and heat sink, as prolonged exposure to heat could damage your devices.

All in all it is a nice build, small device that can integrate everywhere.

And Great Power

But what is important is what is inside.

Now the device I have is the best one you can buy via AliExpress. It is a device that comes with 48V 5A power brick. In Aiyima specifications they mention 10A power bricks, but unless you have one, Aiyima does not offer it in bundles. Which is sad, because Aiyima flaunter 250, 288W in 5 ohms, but that is only with 10A.

With one you get with this device. It is more 120/144 watts in 4 ohm and 102W in 8 ohms. Not bad numbers, but not something really amazing. But great thing about external power bricks, is that you can add your own linear power supply. Which can be of better quality, and therefore to improve the sound of this amp.

But it does not end there the quality improvements, Aiyima have allowed really easily to swap op amps, which again they bring tangible better results when you purchase more quality ones.

This thing might seem excessive to buy. But great thing about them is that you can use them whenever you upgrade to new amp, and they will always almost certainly improve the sound.

We have your usual suspect of TPA3255 which is by now being used by so many devices, and is proved to be a great Class D chip for amplification.

Other great thing for people that like to tinker with sound you have bass and treble adjustments to equalize the sound to your likings.

Sound Quality

But what all of us are here is the sound of this device. And I might say that Aiyima truly did not skip here also. If you know this sound by this specific chip, you might already know what are you in for.

But what surprised me a lot, is how Aiyima chose to go with route of having great emphasis on balance and transparency. More than anything else.

It truly is clear sounding, it truly is trying to act as a looking glass into production and mastering of your favorite tracks. Honestly I was shocked, how much it sounded pristine. This is a bit different from other amps, where they try to have some dynamicness in one way or other.

This was great for more laid-back listening as it could really work well if some production is not good, it will not go too bright or too dark. It truly helped with uncluttering the mids. To have that clash of mids and bass, just very tamed and organized for you to hear everything.

But I was shocked how good it was, truly I am. Soundstage was also pretty decent, I truly enjoyed with such a clarity catching instruments on their place and lane. That makes the soundstage height bigger and wider. It truly opens with such a great soundstage.

And also the imaging is where this kind of sonic signature helps a lot. And also same like with soundstage it is also really dictated by the speakers you paired them with. This is not a magical wand that makes your speakers that don’t have good imaging or soundstage exceptional. But it helps them little bit. But imaging was on point, in the middle. It did not swing left and right it stayed where it should, clear and uncluttered.

Some Problems

But there is also bad side of this amp. Unfortunately one big issue that I have with it is that it is not dynamically rich amp. You might have noticed that I have not spoken about treble and bass in my previous sections.

It is that they are shy. They will have a decent amount of spread and details, and textures. Do not extend as much as I wanted. Honestly it feels like this amp is maybe a bit too balanced.

Not much colorations, and in that sense, the treble does not extend greatly, nor does bass.

I cannot say that they are poor, they are decent. But that is it, just decent treble and bass. They will work well as a foundation to other frequencies and instruments, they will detail your sound, give it spread and thump.

But never will you feel like there is something special there, or something that can rival other amps. Do you feel that double kick yes. Do you feel that soaring guitar in solo yes. But that is it, it has enough details and texture so you can be satisfied with it. But nothing special here.

Synergy and Pairing Suggestions

Synergy is an interesting thing here. While truly I think that this amp has a dynamics problem. I also think it is a great chameleon, and servant. It just allows your gear to dictate the tempo here. And do it so well.

It’s balanced nature will work well with Polks bass, it will work well with Bowers treble. It does not take anything from them or add. So if they are talented they will not overblown it or downplay it. It works well with a lot of gear.

It will help your speaker flourish in midsection almost certainly. It will help untangle some speakers which are a bit messy in mids, it will help with spreading the soundstage of it, and let vocals have space around it.

Maybe a bit boring with something like Elacs, or too balanced speakers. But in general pair with whatever you want.

This does not mean it is bad, you have Fosi which are a bit warm, SMSL which are a bit bright. Topping also lies in spectrum of balanced. It is all what you want and expect from sound.

You can add excellent Aiyima T20 preamp, to add a bit more character to sound. Now I recommend that you buy preamp to add a bit more character and weight to your sound. So please look at amazing Aiyima T20.

Conclusion

Is this a most complete amp under 200 euros? I think so. It has great sound, great DAC, screen with all those nice visuals, great body with heat sink, lot of power. There is not much to fault here.

But I cannot stress enough how amazed I was with some aspects of this amp. How I enjoyed laid-back but clinical listening's with it. How transparent, clear and superbly organized it is in mids. How joyful it was to listen music with it.

It is not perfect, it lacks a bit dynamism, to make sound more exciting. More reach of bass and treble. It also lacks XLR inputs. But that is it.

If I want something for A90 it is that the sound becomes more interesting, a bit more power hike a price to 300 euros, update a DAC. And you will get almost a perfect device.

But in sea of really tough competition, where some brands might have slight edge of sonics. Aiyima comes full swinging with versatility and quality. Will that be enough for it to win likes of Fosi, Topping, SMSL and similar — it is all on you listener to decide.

Pros

• Improved design & aesthetics

  • More modern look compared to A70, with a high-quality screen and multiple visual styles (VU meters, equalizer).

• Built-in DAC

  • ESS 9038Q2M DAC offers clean, high-performance sound; matches quality of standalone DACs under €150.

• Versatility & connectivity

  • Coaxial, optical, USB-C, Bluetooth, and 12V trigger support.

  • Bass and treble controls for sound tuning.

• Op-amp swapping capability

  • Allows easy sound upgrades and customization.

• Strong amplification chip

  • Uses the proven TPA3255 Class D chip for clear, balanced output.

• Good sound quality in mids

  • Transparent, organized, balanced mids; clear soundstage and imaging.

• Flexible pairing

  • Works well with a variety of speakers without over-coloring sound.

• Upgradable power supply

  • External brick can be swapped for better linear PSU to improve performance.

• Small, solid build with great heatsink design

  • Integrates easily into different setups.

Cons

• Screen usability issues

  • Volume and source info too small to read from a distance; aesthetics prioritized over functionality.

• No XLR inputs

  • Lost from A70 in favor of built-in DAC.

• You will not get most powerful power brick by default

  • Bundled 48V 5A brick limits output power compared to 10A capability; advertised power only achievable with an upgrade.

• Lacks dynamic richness

  • Treble and bass are decent but not exciting; shy extension at frequency extremes.

• May sound too balanced/neutral

  • Can be a bit boring with already balanced speakers.

• Not the most powerful in class

  • Some competing amps may offer more energy or sonic character.