SABAJA20a 2022 Version Power Amplifier MA5332M Chip Class D Bridge tie Load Provide 350W Analog, Bluetooth 5.0 XLR RCA Input, RMS 170W x 2(4Ω) 0.004% THD+N

This speaker amp had all of the makings of what would be a great amp. It is incredibly powerful, with great measurements and the ability to run as monoblocks. Furthermore it has a low pass filter built in and on top of that it has looks to back it up. Now why the low rating? The low pass filter is not for an active subwoofer out as many would have reasonably assumed, rather it is to use this as an amplifier for a passive Sub. Who in their right mind owns a passive sub these days. Sabaj was so close to making an absolutely killer product if you could run these as monoblocks each with their own low pass filters to run with dual active subwoofers. Instead they expect you to own 4 of them, instead of 2 and use them with passive subwoofers (and presumably be running from two independent DACs to duplicate the right and left channels) . What a waste of a great design.Not quite sure why they included bluetooth on this product, it is convenient but ultimately sounds pretty bad (quite a barebones implementation), could have done with just skipping that.Would have preferred if this came with a remote as well, but I'm not too torn up over that. I am hoping that Sabaj takes this as an opportunity to return to the drawing board and reinvent this product, because everything is already there.

I bought two units to use as mono blocks. I use a tube buffer to add warmth in my setup. I replaced my Emotiva amp with these and there is very little sonic difference. The sound is clear and full bodied, just slightly brighter. I’ve had class D amps that got loud but sounded lifeless. These do not.At very low listening levels there is a channel imbalance (one is louder than the other). However, this only at very low levels. Even if you used as a desktop amp for near field listening, it wouldn’t be an issue. Also, these amps are quiet. When connecting the speakers to the amp, volume maxed with nothing playing, there is only a feint hiss with my ear close to the tweeter (using JBL 530, 87db sensitive). I’ve used them 3 days on the JBL and Goldenear Triton 7 with good results. These are powerful little amps that have not gotten warm.The build quality is solid. The case is aluminum with vents on the rear and possible heat sinks on the side. The amps are not heavy but have heft. They don't feel cheap. The power switch, however, does feel cheap (not cheaply made; inexpensive). It’s a large piece of plastic. The volume knob turns smoothly. It doesn’t scream cheap but I wouldn’t characterize it as high quality either. Considering it’s cost, it’s perfectly acceptable.The amp accepts RCA and XLR. I have not and likely will not try the bluetooth. I use them only as power amps.One clarification; the rating states 170x2 into 4ohm, that's at 10%THD. 1% is likely closer to 150x2; still, enough power to drive difficult speakers. In bridged mode, 300 is more than enough.Why 4 stars? I need to give it more time. I’ve had amps that sounded good and were powerful that lasted only 3 months at causal liaening levels (Hi Fosi Audio E10, I'm referring to you...). Let’s see how long these last. Hopefully for a long time!

I primarily purchased this device with plans to run them as monoblocks. There are very few options when it comes to cheap(er) monoblocks, so this was an easy purchase considering they are only $400 a pair. I’ve mostly used amps in the 30W per channel range and figured I’d try something with a bit more power for my Wharfedale Lintons.My two units shipped about a week apart, so I got to spend some time with a single A20a running stereo. Right off the bat, I got a huge increase in volume over my PA3s. REW and my UMIK-1 would achieve a 75db test tone with the PA3s at -24db on my DX3 Pro+. I achieved this same 75db on the A20a at -34db. Subjectively, I thought the bass had a bit more control and perhaps a bit more upper presence to the sound. Curious, I graphed them both on REW. They were essentially identical, with the A20a being about half a decibel louder, just enough to see both colored lines precisely mimicking one another. That being said, it sounds every bit as good if not a bit better than the PA3s. Or in other words, does not have a detrimental effect on the music. Having the extra headroom is a nice bonus too. The PA3s is still much quieter when it comes to hiss from the speakers while idle, so it may be the better pick with sensitive speakers or if sitting nearfield where it’d be easier to hear.So that’s with one. How much better can it get with two?Well unfortunately, I cannot recommend buying these with the intent to use them as monoblocks, at least with RCA connections. With a single A20a, I’d have the volume maxed and only get a slight hiss when I was near my Lintons. It didn’t matter where the volume dial was, the hiss was consistent and remained the same volume. In BTL (mono) mode, I’d have similar hiss levels when at half volume and it would substantially get nastier as I turned it up. Just like the super noisy Rega io, half volume is as high as I could go before the noise became too distracting, rendering the remaining half of the dial unusable. With the A20a, the hiss/hum was very unpleasant, more so than the io. Tried both units separately in stereo mode, and it was back to being pretty quiet. My only curiosity was if this issue would persist if using the balanced connection instead. So, removing the input cable factor, I connected one A20a in BTL mode to one of my Lintons. I flipped the switch between RCA and balanced input. Bingo! The balance setting was a great deal quieter! About the same hiss volume at full as the RCA was at half. Still audible, but bearable. So I would NOT buy these for mono use if using RCA inputs.So what was louder? A20a as monoblocks with the dial at half (the max noise I will tolerate) or an A20a in stereo with the dial at full? The single A20a was significantly louder! That was the dealbreaker right there. I’m not going to use two of the same amps when I get more usable power out of one. Again, balanced or bust.That being said, I didn’t get all that much more volume even when the dials were maxed in mono mode compared to stereo. There was a huge volume difference going from the PA3s to A20a, but a much smaller difference going from a single A20a to double. The added noise definitely isn’t worth it, double the chance for unit failure isn’t worth it (multiple “red dot” failures reported over on ASR), and twice the effort in powering both on/off each listening session isn’t worth it either (I had mine opposite each other on my Linton stands). Oh well, it was fun to try.At the end of the day, I do like this unit… kinda. I wish it came in black, but I also wish Sabaj left out the unnecessary bluetooth, low-pass filter, and the volume dial. Make it strictly a power amplifier. Sure, the plasticy power rocker and knob could feel of higher quality, the blue light could be less bright, and the unit itself could use a visual facelift, but I’m more concerned with having features I don’t want or need. Those savings could have been passed on to the customer and made these even more competitive in their price range. All is forgivable if the unit performs as expected, but as described above, this one’s a toss up depending on your use. Still, I think it’s a good buy at $200, especially if you need power for cheap. As for me, its back to the PA3s.

Both amps have been performing well for 4 months. No noise issues. I haven't used the Bluetooth yet.

I bought two of these and this one arrived Sept. 27th of 22 and worked good. Got a second one and started running them in bridged mode. It died a couple days ago. Red light looks like it went into protect mode. Tried a different cord and still nothing. I have not even pushed these amp yet as my good speakers are currently being rebuilt. I mean they sound good when they work and have never noticed any heat build up so i don't know.