AIYIMA T1 PRO Tube Preamp Vacuum Receiver Home Audio Preamplifier with RCA/Bluetooth & Bass Treble for HiFi Stereo Amplifier&Powered Speakers,with AUX/12V Trigger Signal Output

Aiyima’s T2 preamplifier appears to be well-built and is surprisingly compact. The volume and tone nobs feel positive, with palpable clicks indicating adjustments. The included RCA cable is of very good quality. The tubes installed easily, I did have to make a slight adjustment to some of the pins. Just take your time, make sure the pins are straight, and avoid forcing anything. This unit pairs nicely with my Aiyima A07 amplifier, adding tone controls and Bluetooth connectivity to my system. Not to mention the customizable tube sound (the tubes can be swapped to achieve different sound signatures). I look forward to testing out a few different tubes in the future. Turning on the unit gives off a nice blue glow from the tubes, with hints of an amber bulb color as the tubes warm up. The Bluetooth connected with ease, the Aiyima name popped up immediately on my Android phone and quickly connected. The tone controls offer plenty of adjustment. I can now make quick changes as I jump from one music genre to the next. The T2 comes with two sets of pre-outs, allowing you to connect a second amplifier if desired. Overall if you’re looking to add tube-sound, tone controls, and Bluetooth connectivity, this is what you’re after. My setup: I'm using the internal DAC from an MSI B150i Gaming Pro, connected via 3.5mm aux to RCA adapter to the Aiyima T2 preamplifier. From the Aiyima T2 preamplifier I’m connected to an Aiyima A07. Then from the Aiyima A07 out to a pair of JBL A130 bookshelf speakers and an Emotiva Airmotiv SE8 subwoofer.

Great soundstage, quality volume and tone controls. Stable BT connection. I built some Paul Carmody Speedster bookshelf speakers and a Voxel passive sub. Power my bookshelves with with an SMSL SA-98E (about 50 watts per channel (though they advertised at 100wpc) and a Dayton 2.1 t-amp (where the 2 channel amp is left unused. Findings: The speedsters are power hungry so my SMSL SA-50 didn’t have enough juice to push them. I tried the Dayton amp as a stand-alone 2.1 desktop setup. But found the 2-channel soundstage really compressed and flat. I tried the Fosi 2.1 amp and it was even worse. Read, I plugged it in and immediately opened a return request back to Amazon. It was complete garbage. So I limped along with a cheap Logitech BT adapter and fed the two outputs to the two amps and controlled the volume separately… it was ‘fine’. Sounds was OK but still compressed. So I decided a tube preamp may help. Obviously the dual output would solve the two volume controls, but was going for a better soundstage. Delivered in spades! Wide open staging, clear imaging, clean sound. I’m coming from a mid-fi background. Never paid more than $1000 per speaker (think Martin Logan and B&W) and there’s a lot of snake oil out there. This pre-amp is the real deal. I’m not super picky anymore, but know what decent sound should sound like. This fits the bill.

That expression reveals my age, as does the stack of junk in the photo, where the Aiyima Tube T7 has found a home. I did order the upgraded tubes as well, but they haven't arrived yet. This is my impression of the supplied tubes. Hookup was simple. I ran USB into a Topping DAC into the T7's inputs, then connected the output to the tape loop on the Marantz receiver (lower unit). It feeds a pair of Klipsch Heresies, and a 250 watt 15" sub. I also connected my Android phone to the Bluetooth. First, the Bluetooth performance is exceptional. It pairs quickly and the sound definitely benefits from both the DAC and the tubes' effects on the signal. Running an UltraHD stream from Amazon HD from my PC over USB, it's arguable whether the Marantz benefits from the additional tubes and circuitry or not. Marantz of the the 60s and 70s is considered to be some of the best sounding gear ever made. Still deciding on that, I switched over to the slightly newer (1980) JVC, which has a clean amp section and 25% more power than the Marantz, but is nothing really special. On this receiver, the Tube T7 added a bit of "friendly bounciness" to the sound, a slightly warm colored sound that seems to bring the sound alive. This is a good match. With the Marantz, you'd have to decide for yourself. The effect is good for the most part, but imparts some sibilence and smear to high-frequency details. I'm anxious to try the new tubes, and even more excited to try running this through a class D amp like the A07 or brand new A08. And if you're just looking to add Bluetooth to your setup, this unit should definitely be considered. Update May 30, 2021 The DollaTek upgrade tubes came, and they're a definite improvement -- but they're noisy! (It doesn't matter once the music's going, it's just a slight hum and hiss). The effect of these tubes on the sound is much rounder, less harsh, adding a slight bit of sizzle and shine to the higher frequencies. The tubes that came with the amp were near silent at idle, but didn't sound the same. I'd say not as good in my setup, your mileage may vary. Worth trying both to see the difference. Update June 1, 2021 One knock against the unit is the microphonics exhibited by all the control knobs, because they are aluminum and have a firm mechanical connection through their respective pots soldered to the main circuit board. I'm not saying that I did or didn't hear this in the music, but it is easy to hear wearing headphones and using the knobs.

I have a set of speakers that are very efficient only needing 10 watts. This unit sounded like an old am radio, total garbage. I bought the t9 pro and love it!

This is a solidly made preamp with out-of-box great sound if the tubes are bypassed. The tubes that came with it made the sound muddy; kind of like a less intense version of speaking through a scarf that's in front of your mouth. After getting a cheap matched pair of GE tubes, the sound was much, much better, and was amazing for the price (the price of the preamp and new tubes together). If you get this and have a similar experience from the first listen, I'd recommend changing (rolling) the tubes. Also, I made the mistake of not recognizing this has no headphone out in the front. It's an obvious thing that is clear in the pictures, but sometimes I'm an idiot. There is a line out on the back of the unit that can sit in for a proper headphone output, but since it's on the back, it was ultimately too awkward to keep using for my needs. I am so impressed with the post-roll quality, in fact, that I'm giving it to a family member who's looking for exactly this kind of entry-level audio gear. The 4 stars is only because of the poor quality of the included tubes and not 3 stars because that issue is easily fixed.

Easy set up and it sounds great. Much better sound stage and instrument separation is better. Hooked it up to bridged A07 Max amplifiers with no hassle. I upgraded the tubes with a pair of Riverstone Audio GE JAN 5654W tubes and it was a good improvement. The bluetooth connection was fast and easy. Glad I got this, it improved everything.

Looks good feels good I like the knobs and the Bluetooth antenna,the volume really low,I tried everything sounds good and the bass, treble works but to hear something I had to go to 35 volume to start to feel something, unless my unit came defective

I didnt want to write my review until i had spent some serious time listening and comparing and felt like i really had a handle on what it does to the sound. Starting off, i paired this up with my klipsch r41m speakers. At first listen, i couldnt tell much difference compared to baseline with just my amp. After a while, i realized that the tubes actually had a slight effect on bass delivery, the bass was slightly louder and more full. There was no discernable difference in the fidelity of the music. What really surprised me was that it actually sounded fine whether i played classic rock, bassy pop music, or something quick and technical and very bass heavy like glitch mob. Nobody talks about the fact that tubes also pair nicely with modern music. The other thing i noticed is that while i couldnt put it into words, i felt more drawn to listen to music more often and for longer with the tubes. Fast forward to week 2, and I installed a pair of Lm4562 op amps, and a meanwell switching power supply. I wont pretend either makes any noticeable difference, i simply did it because i could, and for the assurance that i would have the lowest possible amounts of distortion and noise coming out of this device. Now, my JBL a130s come in the mail. Holy BATMAN what an amazing speaker. For the first time in my life i learn that cymbals and guitar strings actually make a sound, not just a note. All kinds of new things in my music! Ok, now its time to add the tubes. Right away now i can hear a difference in the music. That new found detail and "sparkle" in the high frequency is slightly dampened , and replaced with a touch of warmth and a bit of a rolloff of high frequency spl. Still sounds amazing with all music types. Another test I did was to set my system at listening volume with music paused and compare noise floor levels of just the amp, vs tube turned up to full volume vs tube turned all the way down. There is NO discernable difference in noise floor regardless of what you do with this preamp. Im honestly amazed at how silent this thing is. If you are looking for something "tubby" and "soft" sounding, with a bit of crackle and hum this is not it. If you are looking for an aptx hd bluetooth preamp that will maintain music fidelity and add a TOUCH of tube warmth to your music then this is the product for you. I am honestly quite pleased with it and it will become a permanent part of my system for all music types, and i seriously listen to a bit of everything. This is a hands down 5 star recommendation from me

Pus si se nota un cambio ligero en el sonido, es un poco más suave y menos áspero, en mi caso lo puse al final de una cadena de procesadores para reducir el efecto metálico digital de los mismos.

J'ai acheté l'ensemble de la vidéo en plusieurs fois, très content du son et je suis un peu difficile, tout est très bien emballé, pas de casse, je vous recommande, j'écoute sur Qobuz avec le dac en USB sur des enceintes Kef.

Excellent reproduction of streamed music.

Fast and clean interface. Sounds great!

I have a pretty simple audio setup connected to my PC, consisting of a 6.1 creative surround sound speaker system for gaming, but also have the output connected to a cheap D class amplifier from Nobsound that cost me all of about £25 and hooked up to that are a pair of Mission M71 bookshelf speakers. For the price I paid, I have been well impressed with that little amplifier, but it doesn’t have any tone controls, so when offered the chance to test this little tube pre-amp, I was keen to give it a go. The T1 Pro is nice and compact at just 13cm x 11.5cm x 3.5cm (WxDxH) and with it’s all metal exterior, it feels really nice and solid. At the front you have 2 metal switches, with one being used to swap between power off, Bluetooth or RCA mode. The other lets you turn on the tone controls or to bypass them completely. You have 3 metal rotary knobs that are used to control bass, treble and volume – these all feel really nice to use with a smooth action that clicks into place as you turn them. On the top are 2 sockets for connecting the included tubes. These simply push into place and when powered on give off a nice blue glow. Around the back is where all of the connections are made, with an RF aerial socket, a reset hole for the Bluetooth connection, a pair of RCA inputs and RCA output, a 3.5mm AUX output, a 3.5mm 12v trigger to automatically switch on an amplifier and a 12v DC power socket. Finally, at the bottom are 4 nice silicone feet to stop the device from skating around your desk. ***** In The Box ***** 1 x T1 Pro 2 x 6186 Vacuum tubes 1 x BT Antennae 1 x 12v Mains Adapter 1 x User Manual 1 x AIYIMA Sticker ***** Conclusion ***** I will start off by saying that this is my first experience of using a tube pre-amp and the AIYIMA brand, so I have nothing to compare it against, but so far I am really impressed. The quality of the T1 Pro seems really good and I love that they have made the product customisable, by allowing the quick replacement of the OP amp chip and tubes. Having Bluetooth connectivity is a nice bonus, as you can quickly pair a smartphone for playback and I like that it supports the more efficient BT5.1 standard, along with support for AptX HD. Connecting the T1 Pro to my existing setup was really straight forward – I just needed to use a 3.5mm to RCA cable between the input ports and my PC and then an RCA to 3.5mm between the outputs and my Nobsound amp. This has given me the ability to adjust the bass and treble and has also given the sound a nicer, warmer tone. I have only used the pre-amp for around 15 hours so far, but I believe the sound will change as the time goes on and usually gets even better. I think the £79.99 asking price is pretty reasonable for what seems to be a good quality product and I shall look into swapping the cheap little Nobsound amp for the AIYIMA A70 to take advantage of the useful 12v trigger function.