A1 Vacuum Tube Phono Preamp, Headphone Amp, Hi-Fi Audiophile Preamplifier for MM Turntable Record Player with Tone Control for Home Stereo Audio System

I bought this to power dual mono block fosi V3s from my old Kenwood turntable into large Advent bullnose speakers. It sounded horrible. I only listen to vinyl, so I hoped this would be a very clean and direct method for improved sound quality. The mid range was too boosted and the entire sound was tinny...horrible!I plugged the Ampapa A1 into my Kenwood KA-7100 integrated amp and I couldn't believe how good it sounded. The bass response is a gigantic improvement, sound stage is wide and sometimes unbelievably amazing (Pink Floyd DSOTM), and is a huge boost in clarity. I send the mono blocks back and kept the Ampapa. I am listening to my entire catalog again as it is so improved.I love the LED function. It adds a bit of zest to my vintage look without overpowering it. The bass, treble and volume controls are very high quality with noticable effect. The whole package is perfect!! If you are in a similarw situation of wanting an improved phono preamp, do yourself a favor and buy this. My previous phono stage in the Kenwood was very good, by the way, but this blows it away.

beautiful looking-performance even better. makes my pc sound fantastic. hard to believe. not inexpensive but worth the expense.

It’s well made and works very good. Great price for the quality even compared to the high end. You will not disappoint what you bought.

Let's start by admitting we are all shopping for Cheap Phono Preamps. Second, I don't even need one. So why bother and why do I love this one?My cheap audio sound system consists of a Fluance turntable running into Klipsch The Fives powered speakers, both of which already have built-in preamps. The Fives preamp is the better of the two, extremely clean, accurate and full sound. However, this system lacks tone controls and a headphone out, both of which Ampapa A1 provides. As a bonus there is a switchable RCA input, which is perfect for adding a CD player, as the inputs on the speakers are all in use from my TV (HDMI), an Amazon Alexa puck (Aux in) and Wiim Mini streamer (Optical in). Plus let's face it, those funky glowing tubes are just cool!But what about the sound you ask? Decent, but not perfect. The first thing I noticed was when switching to the A1 is that the overall volume is lower than with either the Fluance or Klipsch built-in pre-amps. However the speakers have sufficient power to overcome this minor quibble, just crank 'em up. The background noise is zilch, so you lose nothing, unless you need max volume at 11, I don't, this system cranks plenty loud enough to rattle the room.The second thing I noticed is the sound quality is very different. The Fives have a very broad, detailed and airy soundstage. The Ampapa sound is more intimate, less airy, and adds a richness in the bottom to mid range, curtailing the highs. For example symbols and snares are very muted, but the rest of the drum kit has more visceral punch. The tone controls are very sensitive, give me some nice options for tailoring to my tastes, but those highs and airiness are just gone. On day one I didn't really like it. I don't know if the A1 needed burn-in time, or my ears just needed to adjust, but I stuck with it for a few days and have to say I really do like the sound. Imperfect? Yes, but still very enjoyable. It's staying in my system because, well it make vinyl sound more like vinyl, and the loss of those highs actually help a bit to dampen the flaws of less than perfect records. Oh, did I mention the glowing tubes look cool?The headphone output is just okay, definitely not high quality. My Meze 99 Classics have adequate volume, but the A1 is not even close to the detail and quality I get when using the 99s with an Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt streaming Apple Music from my iPhone or iPad). Plugging in the headphones also do not cut off the RCA outputs, so you can play DJ if you want. For me the headphone out sound quality was a real let down, but at least now I have an option for late night vinyl listening.Lastly, the build quality for this Amp is impressive, the switches all have nice tactile feel. The retro cool tubes and LED lighting options, all add a nice retro vibe.The cheesy Designed in Washington marketing is kind of funny, if not disingenuous, as the lousy English translations on Amazon and in the directions make it all too obvious that this comes from China. Not even sure why they bother with the Ampapa brand, as the product ships from Douk Audio Direct, so I suspect that's the real manufacturer. But who cares really? We're all shopping the cheap Chinese preamps and I do think this is one of the best. My recommendation is buy one while you can, preferably before the tariff threat boosts the price.

I have to congratulate the designers of this little Ampapa pre amp. This device is absolutely audiophile quality with a S/N ratio that makes it truly the quietest I have heard in my audio experience. Response across the sprectrum is outstanding. Only small wish would be that more line inputs were provided.

There's only a couple of reviews so far and most of us buying here rely on these to make purchases, so here's my take on this phono amp relative to the reviews that existed at the time of my purchase.2 star review-Too bright? Maybe, but the criticism lacks context when there are so many other factors that go into the sound. Starting with your stylus/cartridge all the way through to the quality of your speakers. Review mentions a study I am absolutely not going to ever read, but fails to mention you can roll the tubes. You need spares anyway, so skip the reading and have some fun with different(but compatible) tubes. Worst case you add a Schiit EQ after it for around $150.One of the 4 star reviews mentions the issue through his phones is likely his cord...huh? Hard to ding the amp for that. Runs my Bose (and no- I don't know the model number) headphones just fine. The other 4 star seems to love it and never mentions why it deducted a star. .That only leaves the 5 star reviews, of which this is one. Just understand that it's 5 stars in it's class, or price point. Face it, you get what you pay for and this integrates the phono preamp, some EQ, and it's also a headphone amp. So what I really wanted to know is does it outperform it's cost relative to others? Absolutely! I have a $500 Fluance Rt85 with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, this ampapa amp, and Fluance's Ai61 active speakers ($300) I have pretty good RCA cable linking everything and it's all properly grounded. No feedback or ground loops in any of my configurations, and between the Fluance PA10, a Gogroove EQ, headphone preamp- both around $100, this thing blows them both away. Not only is the noise or hiss almost completely gone, the sound was measurably better, and trust me I have been struggling to determine if one thing sounds better than another and this was really, really noticeable.My verdict, if your whole setup is in the thousand dollar range this thing is excellent. If your looking to spend two grand then your options really open up and this may not be your best purchase, though I can't say for sure that it wouldn't support a better turntable/speaker combination than mine and let you free up cash for those other components.Though they advertise a connection to Washington State, this is a Chinese made product. Nothing wrong with that at all... I opted to not go with 3 separate Schiit products to get the same capability and saved around $300. Wish I could hear them side by side to give my impression in case anyone else is wondering which way to go, especially because I already appear to be spending that savings on other tubes...