AIYIMA A80 Review: A $200 Class D Amp Measured Against One 10x the Price

Named Best Value in our Best Speaker Amps and Preamps guide.

The AIYIMA A80 is a small integrated amplifier that costs about $200, and about the same in euros. To see what that money buys, I compared it with my reference system, the Heaven 11 Billie MkII, an amplifier that costs about ten times as much. Up front, I didn't use a subwoofer: I didn't have the 3.5 mm cable needed to plug one into the A80. Even so, this little amplifier is very surprising for the price.

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First I'll cover the technical specifications and what the A80 is like to use, then a side-by-side listening comparison with the Billie MkII over five tracks. After that, I measured the frequency response of both amplifiers with REW (Room EQ Wizard) software and a measurement microphone. And finally, my conclusions: is this amplifier worth recommending if you're on a tight budget?

TPA3255 specs, 300 W at 4 Ω and what's in the box

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The A80 comes with a Bluetooth antenna, optical and USB-C cables, and a nice remote control. When I say nice, I mean for the price: it's totally fine.

Inside, a TPA3255 Class D amplifier chip is paired with an ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip. One thing that is nice is that you can swap the op-amp chips if you want to, and AIYIMA provides other options as well. Distortion is rated at 0.006%. The signal-to-noise ratio on the TRS and RCA inputs is 109 dB or better. The frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, which is totally fine, and the A80 takes speakers from 4 to 8 Ω. Maximum output power is 300 W per channel into 4 Ω, which is very powerful for such a tiny machine.

Overall, for about $200, the A80 looks like an amazing deal. It has really impressive technical specifications. But is it a good deal? That depends on two things: the user experience, and the performance, meaning the sound.

Build quality: light, and the knob could be sturdier

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Does it sound good? First, the user experience. This amplifier is a little lightweight, so when you plug in your cables, it moves, and it sometimes has trouble staying put. Depending on the cables you're using, it can lift a little, so that might be a problem. Also, the knob doesn't feel very solid. I'm not saying it's weak, but the feeling is not super solid.

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Six inputs with Bluetooth, but no phono stage

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Besides those two things, the rest of the user experience is very impressive. You can use this amplifier as a preamp or as a power amp, and you can use it with your TV, your computer, your tablet, your cell phone, a streamer, or any other audio device. It's very flexible. The only exception is a turntable: you can't plug one directly into this amp, so you need an external phono preamp, an extra box between the two.

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A one-knob menu with tone controls and VU meters

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The menu is extremely simple to operate. You just click the knob and turn it to navigate the menu. There's no learning curve, and it's pretty much straightforward: you try it the first time, and you feel like you've known this amplifier the whole time. There's only one knob and a small screen, which is plenty for this amplifier, and the same knob controls the volume.

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In the menu, you first choose the audio input: Bluetooth, USB-C, optical, coaxial, TRS or RCA. Then you can shape the tonality of the sound with the treble and bass controls, and adjust your settings. Finally, you can choose between four VU meter styles. It's as easy as it can be.

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So this tiny integrated amplifier seems to do it all. It's impressive on paper, but the real question is how it sounds.

Sound quality comes close to a $2,000 tube hybrid

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To find out, I listened for differences between the Heaven 11 Billie MkII and the AIYIMA A80 over five tracks, and they were really, really slim. In the room, the differences are there, but they're not that obvious. Both are Class D integrated amplifiers, but the Billie has tubes in its preamp stage, running in Class A, which tint the sound a little, though very subtly.

So, at ten times the price, is my reference system worth it? Well, it depends. First, it wasn't connected to a subwoofer, and a subwoofer really makes the Billie MkII shine. Second, the result was so close that I wanted to measure it.

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Frequency response measurements barely differ

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I measured the frequency response of both amplifiers in my room, with REW and a measurement microphone. Comparing the two, the Billie MkII has more sub-bass, up to 60 Hz, but the A80 has more prominent bass from 60 to 400 Hz. Then, from 400 Hz to 10 kHz, the Billie MkII performs better. But the differences are subtle, it must be said.

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Is the AIYIMA A80 worth it at $200?

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In conclusion, the AIYIMA A80 is very surprising for the price. For about $200, you get an amplifier that can compete with higher-grade amplifiers. I would still say that in the room the Billie MkII shines: it was a little fuller, more pleasant and more alive. But for the price, the A80 can challenge some people's decision.

So I'm confident recommending this amplifier for the price, the ease of use, the usability and the quality of sound. It's very, very surprising. And again, you can connect your TV, your computer, your smartphone, your tablet or any other audio device to it.