TL;DR: Good. Could be better. Not high-end. Hasn’t broken or caught fire yet.

Every time (mostly outside of this sub) I mention the A12, people want to know what I think about it. Most internet searches turn up articles or videos about this product created by people with compensated endorsements or otherwise have a vested interest in selling units. While I do have a (barely) monetized YouTube channel, it has nothing to do with audio equipment. Maybe I’ll throw a longer-term review on my second channel but, as I didn't think of a better place to post my thoughts right now, here they are.

Beware, though. I’m not fluent in bullshit and I don’t have any measurements.

Background:

The A12 was an impulse purchase in December 2024. It was intended to replace my first generation Emotiva XPA2 amplifier, Schiit Saga S preamp, Schiit Magni headphone amp and RME ADI-2 DAC (AK 4493-equipped). I’ve owned and used the amplifier since 2011. The DAC has been in use since 2020 and the preamp since 2021. I purchased and installed the headphone amp in 2024 but never used it.

Size:

It is large. The A12 shares nearly identical dimensions to my XPA2 which made it a slightly easier pill to swallow but subtle it is not. My setup is generally frowned upon here as all my equipment is sitting on top of a console under my giant black shiny rectangle. The size isn’t an issue here but likely would be if someone was trying to fit it inside some sort of shelving. You’ll definitely want some space for ventilation.

Related to above, it runs warm in A/B and borderline hot in High Bias. It runs noticeably warmer in High Bias mode than my XPA2 (A/B 500wpc into 4Ω) which is to be expected.

Build Quality:

Does heavy equal quality? My old Emotiva was around 80lbs. This one is around 40.

We all know this was made in China. I’m not sinophobic. Most of my electronics (Apple products, TV, mirrorless camera, etc) are made in China. Location of manufacturing facility does not dictate quality. However, the AP was built to a price.

Front panel ‘glass’ is plastic and, while I don’t see any scratches yet, it is only a matter of time until dusting will damage it. The input/output jacks on the rear are not perfectly aligned with the cutouts on the backplate. They don’t hide this fact as you can see the misalignment on the official pictures posted on their website.

Tubes don’t last forever and these are not intended to be user-swappable. It can be done but you probably don’t want to do it while still under warranty. That’s future me’s problem to worry about. Whether I choose to swap them myself or send it in for repair has yet to be determined. I’ve got a couple years to decide.

The biggest issue is not one I have experienced myself yet: coax jacks being pulled out by cables. Before I deleted everything META for reasons, I was a part of an AP Facebook group. It was a small group but at least two people had an issue where, when removing coax cables, the jacks fell apart and were pulled out with the cable. They are crimped on in such a way that if you have particularly snug-fitting connector on your cable, you might have a bad time.

Long-term reliability will be something I discover over the next 10 years or so.

Features and Sound Quality:

Overall sound quality is very good for my taste. I’m not sure if I’m listening to more music because I have a new toy or if it is genuinely better than my previous equipment. I haven’t A/B’d them and don’t plan to.

It has so many inputs, I’ll never be able to use them all. In fact, I find myself shopping for more sources to connect. There are worse problems to have.

Phono stage:

The phono stage is acceptable. It has variable capacitance and supports both MM and MC. I have stopped using the onboard stage of my SL1500C. There are surely better out there but I don’t see a need to upgrade with the performance I am getting for now. Better turntable/cartridge pairings may require a more sophisticated stage but my Technics/Ortofon MM setup does just fine with it. I think I read somewhere that my cartridge (Concorde Music Black) was designed for better performance with the phono stages included on integrated amps. I don’t remember where I read that, though. Might have been nowhere.

I will upgrade when that particular bug bites but I’ll take contentment when I can get it.

DAC:

Including the PCM1796 DAC was an interesting choice. People rag on it because it is old. The longer I’m in this game, the more I buy into the implementation of a chip being more important than the chip itself. Sure, the chip is older than some people on reddit but I find no discernable difference from my standalone RME ADI2. The RME has a lot more flexibility and I like to watch the spectrum analzyer but I don’t see the need for an external DAC.

I’ve run into a couple issues with the DAC, though. With the WiiM Ultra connected to the A12 via USB, music will sometimes become jumbled. This only really occurs with AmazonMusic streaming high bitrate lossless files and only when playing Amazon’s ‘Classic Blues’ station. I’m not sure if it is the coding of the music itself, an issue with communication between the DAC and the WiiM or something else. I need to troubleshoot further.

The other issue I have run into is related to ARC. I’ve never used ARC before. The amp must be on before the TV for it to work. Sometimes, even then, it doesn’t work. I don’t think I’ve had an issue since my TV received its last update (LG C4) but there were issues prior to that.

Analog Inputs and headphone output:

They are analog inputs. They are fine. I am only using one XLR right now.

I haven’t tested the headphone amp but you can set the gain and impedance for each of the two outputs independently and use both at the same time which is nice. I have a separate dedicated headphone rig which I’m not allowed to talk about on this sub per the rules.

Odds and Ends

One of the reasons I chose the A12 over the A10 because it had 3 knobs instead of 1. I generally dislike multifunction knobs and, while the A12 still has one, at least I can use the other two to choose my input. I am not forced to use one knob to change volume, inputs and menu settings.

Speaking of the menu, I would be more irritated if I didn’t just set it up initially and let it be. It isn’t as difficult to use as the notoriously difficult RME but it isn’t as easy as switches. The manual is complete garbage, as well.

It isn’t the prettiest thing to look at. A big, black box isn’t very stylish. I like the VU meters and the preamp tube accent lighting but the front panel is much too shiny. I would have preferred a matte or brushed metal finish with just the VU meters behind real glass.

The remote is functional but much too large for the few functions needed (primarily input and volume) and build quality leaves much to be desired.

 Price and Conclusion

Price in the USA is $3800. Not cheap at all. Is it overpriced? I don’t think so. It has a lot of features, dual mono configuration and enough power to drive most speakers. It certainly isn’t high end, though. I’d probably compare it to something like a Yamaha R-N2000A without built-in streaming or room correction but with more juice. Yamaha has a proven track record in the States. AP doesn't.

No one is going to connect Focal Grand Utopia speakers or a Burmester 175 Reference turntable to it. What I mean to say is I think Advance Paris is consumer-grade. It might be on the higher end of that category but that’s where it is. Consumer grade audio equipment is just more expensive than it used to be.

A few people I won’t mention have compared it to McIntosh. Aside from VU meters, I don’t see it. I’ve never owned McIntosh but people say they are overpriced, too. Maybe that’s what the two brands have in common.

I am enjoying listening to music with the A12 in my system. That’s really all that matters.

I'm in the "budget" audiophile category, but have some decent (to me) speakers. However, I'm confused because my really cheap setup in my bedroom is kind of blowing away my "nice" setup in my office, and hoping to get clarification on this.

Office:

• Room dimensions: 9.9' x 11.8' with speakers on the shorter wall
• Speakers are on 36" stands, and speaker bass plates have 3/4" isolation feet
• Speakers are about 5 feet apart and toed in toward listening space at the desk
• Aiyima T9 with JAN5654w tubes
• Wharfedale Diamond 220s
• Jamo S808 subwoofer
• No room treatment, nothing but hard surfaces other than my foam workout mat and curtains

Bedroom

• 13' x 11' with speakers on the shorter wall
• Speakers are on DIY MDF/wood shelf, 51" up from floor. No speaker feet, flat on shelf.
• No toe in, speakers pointing straight out, a bit over 3 feet apart.
• Aiyima T9 with stock tubes
• Dayton B652-Airs
• No subwoofer at all
• No room treatment, but thick mattress (11"), heavy curtains on the window, and a dense foam recliner under the shelf

My confusion is that I've tested those Dayton speakers in multiple places, with and without subs, and overall, they're not great speakers. They were the surrounds on my home theater before I upgraded a while back. I stuffed them a bit with some polyfill to improve the sound a bit, but no other modification. IIRC their frequency response only goes down to like 70Hz.

In my bedroom, the Daytons sound amazing. It literally sounds like I have a subwoofer connected. They have plenty of bass (seems as deep as if there was a sub), decent midrange (though they're overwhelmed in complex tracks with lots of instruments, understandable). I just don't get it.

By contrast, I love the sound of my Wharfedales in the office, but they sounded terrible and muddy in the bedroom on the same setup. They're clear with crisp, punchy bass in my office, but because of the room (I guess) don't seem to go that deep, despite the -3db at 53Hz. The Jamo sub isn't great, but helps round out the low end.

I'm struggling to understand how a cheap $40 set of Daytons can sound as essentially as good in my bedroom as my Wharfedales do in my office. It's gotta be something with the room dynamics, but I'm not sure how to understand what's happening there.

And my other question would be, is there any kind of room treatment I could do in the office that might also improve the sound of the Wharfedales in there? Room obviously must make a difference since everywhere else I put the Daytons they sounded pretty terrible and tinny.

Thanks!

So I was about to make a deposit for Decware Zen and saw those 'magic black boxes', and wondering something similar can be an alternative. It does look overpriced even compared to decware amps/preamps, but there may be some other makers with more (relatively) reasonable pricing or even DIY options. For many it probably would be a niche product, but it seems it can be a good way to give flexibility in your system if you are not sure what your speaker and/or amp will be, or you want something less conspicuous. Any thoughts? TIA

I have owned the RP-1400SW for 6 months. Owned the R-12SW before - doesn’t compare - it’s night and day. Was so impressed with the RP-1400SW, became curious about the RP-1600SW, so I purchased that as well a week ago. Couldn't decide between the RP-1400SW or the RP-1600SW. Decided to keep both and place temporarily for now until I come up with a long term placement location.

Hello!

I was at a concert hall and the sound is very diffuse (obviously because of the large space, and design) and reverberates over time. My question is, when we play classical music or any music, the time delay from a diffusor or an absorption panel can never match the width/height of a concert hall. So, is there any way to effectively create that larger sound with the time delay in a room setting or are we limited by small room acoustics and using diffusors?

Many thanks to all in advance…

Question…

I’ve recently moved homes and would like to hire someone to help me set up my audio system in my new home…I already own all my equipment…

Setup is B&W 802 D4s, MacIntosh amps and pre/pro, etc.

I’d like to hire someone to help me setup and tune in the equipment. Local shops don’t seem to be interested unless they can sell me all new equipment, which I don’t need.

How best to find an individual to help me with this?

I’m located in Sarasota area and more than happy to pay appropriately.

Many thanks in advance!

Hey all, pretty darn new to this space. A little background on me: I love music, make music as a hobby and i like collecting physical media. I was in my car and was listening to the self titled Electric Wizard album on Spotify. I remembered that I had the actual cd in the car with me and switched it over and was blown away by how much ‘bigger’ is sounded and there was just a lot more depth to it that I didn’t realize was there. Now I want to be able to enjoy this on my pc. Would using a usb cd reader and ripping it using a good format be considered lossless? If not how would you recommend getting the same audio quality from a cd and convert it to digital?

I would just like to know what other people think.

I’ve been staying away from chi-fi components and despite the exchange rate, shipping and duties was considering companies like Schitt, but now with a trade war in early stages, it’s time to keep things at home.

Are there any companies out there that produce DACs, streamers, speakers, power amps, speakers etc etc etc that are Canadian owned, operated and manufactured?

*awesome list, actually way more than i was expecting. appreciated.

i have noticed new mp3 files all over the net lately, but the weird thing for me is that i've noticed that they hit the 22 KHZ ...

i know some people will say : people doesn't listen with their eyes "TRUE"

but please i wish to know how can i do such thing with converting from WAV or Flac to MP3 to hit the 22 KHZ on spectral apps like spek...

https://preview.redd.it/g6y9fcsm1tge1.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ba4324d56da8b690bb46a87890974f2a36fd9ca

here the image as an example...

please note that i am totally noob, i tried lame3.97 trick and other versions, and adding .bat file won't work on my windows 10 ...

is there an easy way to do it ?

on other note : i tried doing it via adobe audition it won't hit 22 khz unless it's a vbr ... and i want to learn how to do it as CBR...

thank you ...

and excuse my bad english :D

I love hi-res audio and am looking for a good app to control multi-room audio that doesn't leave me wanting to tear my hair out because of bugs or shitty UX. I'm exasperated by how terribly Tidal Connect and BluOS work (or don't) together, and don't get me started on Qobuz and its nonexistent playlist management. I'm even willing to abandon the Bluesound ecosystem if I can find a better alternative.

My goal: find a non-shitty mobile app (not BluOS!) to control audio playback across multiple rooms w/ wired speakers. You'd think this would be a solved problem in 2025, but for reasons below, it's not. Fwiw, I mostly listen to local music files + Tidal (open to alternatives there), with some Spotify. Things I care about besides hifi audio:

• Quickly find my existing playlists in Tidal and play them or add songs/playlists to play queue
• Add & edit play queue on the fly with minimal headache (Tidal & Spotify both do this well IMO)

My Setup: Node 2i streamers connected to a receiver (main room) and multi-zone amps (rooms 2 & 3). All speakers are hard-wired in-ceiling. I am open to inserting a Mac Mini or DAC to feed audio to one or more Nodes if need be. I'm also open to different hardware entirely.

I hate the BluOS interface, esp. on mobile (iOS). Playlist handling is crap. It is insane to me that after all these years there is still no way to search or even "filter" my list of playlists (Tidal or otherwise) in BluOS app, and the search function is laggy and barely passable.

I would just use Tidal Connect and call it a day, except as this other thread explains, Bluesound and Tidal are not friends. Tidal Connect constantly drops and it's just stupid at this point (I've tried every workaround I can find, but open to suggestions).

Spotify's UX is still the best IMO for using & editing playlists, playing songs and adding to a queue on the fly. Of course, Spotify doesn't stream hi-res, so that's only for when I'm hosting a party and prefer simplicity over audio quality.

I've recently been playing with Plexamp, but there doesn't seem to be a way to send high-res audio to the Node, and Tidal recently dropped support for Plexamp (because of course). I also just discovered Audirvana, but again I'm not sure how that solves my issue of controlling the Nodes without a DAC or additional hardware feeding audio to the Nodes.

Are there any decent options out there, or ideas you have tried that work better than the clunky BluOS or non-functional Tidal Connect?

Apologies if this isn't suitable for this subreddit, but when I think of who to ask this question to I believe audio enthusiasts would give the most scrupulous answers.

I have a background in IT, designed simple DC circuits, and studied AC fairly extensively. My audio knowledge isn't great, e.g. I don't fully understand RMS on a speaker.

Recently I was stage manager in an amatuer theatre production. From helping set up lights and sound, to vacuuming the stage between shows. The first time I went to vacuum I plugged into a power board which was cabled in this manner:
dual wall plug > extension cable > power board > lights and speaker

Rather than plug into the wall, I decided to plug into the power board for more reach. However right as I was about to start the sound engineer stopped me, as I was going to "damage the speakers", and he plugs me directly into the wall instead, which has the extension lead also plugged into it.

Now, here is where I'm confused, as I've heard of this logic before but my electrical knowledge tells me that there is little to zero difference to the amount of line noise generated by the vacuum that will reach the sensitive equipment, whether I'm plugged into the wall plug or to the power board - its the same circuit.

What do you guys think? Am I missing something here, or was he being a stickler? Thanks for reading!

Edit: Thanks guys, I realise I've been thinking on my own hurt ego this whole time, and really he was just doing his job how he thought was best.

Has anybody see a nicely designed alcove that holds the turntable, amp, and albums, we can use as inspiration? The speakers will be on the opposing wall (behind camera view). The overall design vibe will be MCM minimalist etc.

https://preview.redd.it/yainctgtosge1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65aca5840a51be0189e694cd55bc8b645e33de9c

I love audio and I want to know more about it. My goal is to build home systems, build my own speakers, and learn how to research new things without necessarily listening to them. I want to know everything, from the speakers to the amplifiers and everything in between. I am a graduate computer engineer, so I now about electronics, just not in the audio world. How can I start?

My bedroom setup is a WiiM Mini > Arcam SA10 > Klipsch Quartets. I use WiiM multiroom regularly.

The amp takes up too much space on my dresser. I can likely sell the Arcam for near to the cost of a WiiM Amp and will get room correction from the WiiM amp as well. Wpc goes from 50 A/B to 60 D. Noting that I'll likely swap the speakers someday for nicer bookshelves.

Am I missing anything, I feel like I must have a blind spot here?

I’ve got a pair of 1968 Coral Bx 200 speakers, as well as a pair of JBL 2800s. I use the latter with my current turntable setup, as the Coral speakers (presumably) blew years back, and I’m not sure if they’re worth taking in for repair.

So, two questions since I’m trying to learn all I can about the equipment I have-

1. Are the JBL 2800s generally regarded as good speakers, specifically in a vinyl/turntable setting?
2. As pretty as they are, are the damaged Coral speakers better off as decor? Would it be worth it to get them diagnosed and (hopefully) fixed up?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, so a week ago my former partner left me and removed me from his YouTube music family plan. Now that I don’t have a music plan to listen to, now I’m stuck between using Spotify, YouTube music and Amazon music or others. Which should I do. By the way, I live in the US for USD prices.

Current setup is a tablet running Spotify into a Xenyx 802 mixing board, into an amp, then a six zone speaker distributor.

As it is, the tablet volume needs to be set to 100, and each other device in the chain needs to be set at half volume or more to get reasonable volume out of the speakers.

While there doesn’t seem to be distortion/clipping due to the tablet needing to be set to 100%, I am wondering if a DAC between the tablet and mixing board would allow the tablet to be set at a more reasonable volume level.

Hello everybody,
I am new to the HIFI world just purchased KEF LSX II and hooked 'em up to my PC via a TOSLINK cable (i have a SoundblasterX AE-5). The difference is day and night i am amazed how they can fill the room. Some reviews said there's little bass but i find it good and the clarity....

Now with my past speakers i've done this:

1. Speaker volume at 100% and used Windows to control volume (it's easier since i have a dedicated know to do that)

Is there any issue why i shouldn't be doing the above and do:

2. Windows volume at 100% and control Speaker volume (less handy).

So please a little help.

Is there any risk or downside to go 1?

I’m really satisfied with this setup. Dimensions of my room are 6 x 5 m.

- audiolab 7000A

- Klipsch RP-8000F II

- Klipsch RP-1000SW

- Bluesound NODE

- Hisense 65U8NQ

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https://preview.redd.it/06lw3s42mrge1.jpg?width=2600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=380ac3829d7e2a4ba559eb4894b77712b3e4c0cf

​

I was listening today to "Misplaced Childhood", 2017 remaster, from Marillion. Towards the end of the album I could already barely stand the fatiguing sound, and at that moment I've realized, that the loudness could be the reason.

I came across this site, are the readings trustworthy?: https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/1/artist/asc?artist=marillion

Genelec comes to mind, but are there any others?

KEF has metal grills but as they are magnetic I think they will come off easily?

I started in 2018 while in work training I got my hands on a nice Pair of JBL TLX 50. Arriving at home turning them up for the first time the Sub and Mids fell apart. So I repaired my first speakers, since then I bought up cheap defect JBL Controls, Charges and Flips. Today I repaired the third Charge Speaker and the 10th pair of JBL Controls (keeping 2 pair of 1G for my self).

When people talk about accurate replication of sounds on high end equipment.

I was wondering would a high end hifi ever be able to accurate replicate the sound of a revving v8 engine or full Marshall stack, so the hifi is indistinguishable from the real thing in the room with you?

I know these are two very loud sounds. But volume aside I feel there is a rawness to these sounds in particular that I really enjoy in real life, that is never truly captured. Do people think that is true?

Is the sound recording equipment the limiting factor?

Recently, I purchased Polk R600 speakers and I'm very happy with them except for one thing. While using the carpet spikes, they are not stable in the least bit and I would like to replace the carpet spikes. They're bottom ported speakers, and the plastic port "cage" touches the ground while the speaker spikes don't. I feel like this is a design flaw and they only tested the speakers on commercial carpet.

Does anyone have recommendations for carpet spikes that actually do the job?

My listening space is semi open and suboptimal in many ways, however my Revel M106s give a decently tall and wide soundstage, though not the best depth. Left speaker is near (1,5ft / 45cm) a bare hard wall and right doesn’t have a first reflection within many meters due to the shape of the space.

I made a quick’n’dirty DIY panel measuring 4ft by 2ft by 2” (120cm/60cm/5cm) with some leftover insulation rock wool. Kind of fluffy stuff, 26kg/m3. I know it’ll mostly affect higher frequencies.

I tried the panel at the mirror method 1st reflection. It does help focus high frequencies ie hi-hats sound clearer and female vocals more coherent. It however feels like it diminishes the soundstage particularly in echoes and the sense of space. Eg the end of Billie Eilish’s Wildflower, without the panel you’re in the echoing hall and with the panel the hall is “over there”. REW measurements don’t show a difference.

YMMV and personal preference and all that, but could this be due to the panel being rudimentary and better results might be possible with a proper panel? Or does my space benefit from high frequency 1st reflections to the point of wanting to not treat them?

If a speaker has a tweeter and 2 midrange drivers, both midrange drivers are about 45cm from the tweeter. So the configuration is midrange on the top, then a tweeter and then another midrange. All of the drivers are time aligned. Will I be able to hear the sound coming from each midrange, or considering the acoustic centre of the 2 midrange units lines up with the tweeter will I not be able to hear where the sound is Coming from?