smsl sp200 review

In fact, with 6 watts on tap at 16 ohms, and 3 watts at 32 ohms this basically equates to near-limitless reserves of power for just about every current, and likely any future headphone pairing. I think it looks interesting, it’s not over the top and most importantly doesn’t have any sharp edges. Its build quality is pretty much on the same level as THX-789 from my perspective, I have no complaints. Products like SMSL IDEA, Sanskrit, A8, and M10 are already quite popular. In exchange, SP200 presented a really good see-thought depth where I can easily appreciate how far are all musicians and their location in a 3D field. SMSL proved me wrong on so many levels with its SP200, it offers a balanced sound across the board and delivers truly high-end sonics without murdering your wallet. This is where it gets super interesting. What I really like is how tactile, fast and instant it can be. If you want a revealing amplifier that will show all the strengths and cons of your source (digital or analog), SP200 will offer you that. Midrange is again neutral to a point that at first it might sound as dry or uninvolving but the more I listen to it the more it impresses me and the more I understand why it changes its character so often and so easily. Power wise it is basically on the same level with THX-789 and offers just a bit lower than HPA4 that has a higher voltage power-supply and as a result offers more power on tap and a better control. There is however a small issue with sensitive IEMs: it starts to be really loud really fast so take great care when you touch that volume wheel, I personally can’t listen at more than 8 o’clock position, at 9 it is way too loud for me. Everybody dreamed about it and everybody wanted one. It is ultra-linear and will show its face only when its needed and will go back to shadows in an instant. This technology allows for the highest fidelity with extreme output power and ultra-low crosstalk. I personally enjoyed all my headphones with it and they sounded exactly how I remembered them on the bigger HPA4. SMSL SP200 can be purchased by following this link (they offer 30-day returns in case you don’t like it, an extra 1 year of warranty and lowest price guarantee). SP200 as the rest of the THX family of products are excelling at recreating the original intent of the recording engineer, it will extract everything that the engineer intended us to hear. Unboxing it I couldn’t believe how small and lightweight it was, it brought a smile to my face. As such I can’t say it has a tonality, it is without one. There is however a small issue with sensitive IEMs: it starts to be really loud really fast so take great care when you touch that volume wheel, I personally can’t listen at more than 8 o’clock position, at 9 it is way too loud for me. The only thing that bothers me a bit is how easy I can turn the volume wheel, it has very little mechanical resistance and sometimes I just raise the volume way too easily to uncomfortable loud levels. You have amps that are sounding warm, smooth and involving with their milk with honey approach, then you have linear or bright sounding amps and then you have THX amps that are sounding like all those of the above plus a bit more, a new breed of amps, that will alter their sound signature depending on the quality of the recording, of the source, source material and of the headphones. As with all THX AAA designs, the electrolytic caps are not in the signal path but are used for power filtering and storing. With the right music, SP200 will present spatial cues and render all depth information. Sub-bass is incredibly tight, I think this is the right word, it is palpable and very detailed yet layered and deep. In this review we’re taking a look at the new SMSL SP200 THX 888 headphone amplifier from Chinese manufacturer SMSL, featuring the latest THX 888 amplification technology. Some might say it even has incredible fluidity and smoothness, due to a very low noise-floor you have a darker room and louder sounding musical notes that somehow are bonded to each other. Funny thing is that except for one headphone, every headphone I tested worked great on low-gain position. The SMSL SP400 arrives just over a year after the release of its predecessor, the SP200. Probably the only thing that I don’t consider impeccable is the soundstage size, it is medium in size, sounds outside my head but doesn’t envelop my entire body how hybrid, all-tube designs or just bigger solid-state headphone amps are sounding. SP200 is tiny, but the sound and the power that comes out of it is not. Impressive would be an understatement. With Erzetich Thalia or Sennheiser Momentum 3 it’s a child’s play, it will power them all easily without breaking a sweat. When you lower down the noise, you hear everything else clearer, louder and more outlined. This headphone amp is fantastic and for under $80 its an unbeatable deal. I personally enjoyed all my headphones with it and they sounded exactly how I remembered them on the bigger HPA4. SMSL SP200 THX 888 Review. SP200 as the rest of THX family of products are excelling at recreating the original intent of the recording engineer, it will extract everything that the engineer intended us to hear. I’m very excited about that comparison, stay tuned for that! Housing a premium THX AAA-888 amplification circuit the SP400 has impeccable audio performance with a super clean background and super-powerful output. I consider it linear sounding without putting an emphasis on anything. System matching is crucial with SP200, you really need to love your source as it will enhance all its sonics, including its flaws. I normally use a non tube on my desk (Monoprice liquid spark). No display, but it’s really not needed for a pure analog amp. I connected my sensitive IEMs and I am glad to report that the noise floor is nowhere to be spotted in low gain mode. So take care when you plug or unplug the cables. This review is posted here in partnership with Soundnews.net. Bad mastered music becomes almost unlistenable, you hear all its flaws and you hear them very clear; some people don’t like that. Since it doesn’t have its own character and doesn’t leave a stain, it will pair nicely with every headphone you will throw at it, dynamic or planar-magnetic doesn’t really matter. With portables like Sennheiser Momentum 3 and with Erzetich Thalia I can go higher, maximum to about 10 o’clock position and that’s it. Radiohead’s ‘ Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box’ is an extremely fast, complex and congested track. SP200 is incredibly powerful, I almost can’t believe it drives the Arya like it’s nothing. Listening to Wolf Totem by The Hu at halfway thought the song will present a strong kick in the treble and a lot of presence in the midrange with that magical throat singing and horsehead fiddle that switches places from time to time, that mix was always punchy and kept a faster pace than usual. It is encapsulated inside a metal shell, that is always a good sign and hum or hiss should be undetected. It sounded grainy at first and treble was hotter than usual but just after few hours it didn’t sound that way anymore. System matching is crucial with SP200, you really need to love your source as it will enhance all its sonics, including its flaws. My usual folk-rock tunes and my older electronica kicked some serious punch into my eardrums. We thank Shenzhen Audio for giving us this opportunity. With a close to zero impedance and a whopping 6W of power the damping factor is huge and transient response is on a very high level as well. This is an easy one. The background is black, all I hear is complete silence even at maximum volume. Speed was back and the treble became detailed yet free of harshness as I remembered it. SP200 is the same but to a smaller degree. I tried High gain setting, I paused my music and I started hearing hum from about 10 o’clock position, however if I would press play, I would go deaf at that volume. Midrange is again neutral to a point that at first, it might sound as dry or uninvolving but the more I listen to it the more it impresses me and the more I understand why it changes its character so often and so easily. I was skeptical at first, since in low gain position it doesn’t have a unity gain of 0 dB, but a higher one at +6 dB that might induce a bit of hiss, but my fears are now gone. This amp is … Its build quality is pretty much on the same level with THX-789 from my perspective, I have no complaints. Is the "weak link" in the chain my HIFIMAN HE4XX planar headphones ? If you prefer a bass that lingers a bit more, with a longer and smoother decay then this will not be for you. Sometimes it will sound wet, smooth and involving, sometimes dry or even bright or unbearable. I recently did the S.M.S.L. On the front panel you have two headphone outputs: a ¼” and a 4-pin XLR output, an On/Off switch, an RCA or XLR input selector, a High/Low gain selector and a volume wheel. When noise and distortion lowers, I can now look at a bigger picture, I can appreciate the distance between few notes, between me and the singer, everything becomes so much easier. The features are pretty spartan as well. I’m happy to report that in few days I will also be comparing it to Massdrop THX-789 and with a Benchmark HPA4, it will be a battle of the titans and I am looking forward to that one. SP200 has high transparency, all the flaws from my usual bass tracks to my rock tunes are easily spotted. Let’s check that out! It is available right now, you don’t need to wait for the next batch and you don’t need to preorder anything. Plenty of volume even on low gain. It is priced at $289.99. Bass control is not something a lot of headphone amps can be proud about and yet SP200 has it under a strict control. That is not because it was expensive, not at all, at only $400 it was among the cheapest balanced and powerful desktop headphone amp I knew about. If you wanted to go all-in for the best available THX chips available: the dual-mono only THX AAA-888, you needed to shelve some serious cash for the $3000 Benchmark HPA4 that I also reviewed and later on purchased for myself as I couldn’t sleep at night without one, that’s how good it sounded with all my headphones. The only thing that bothers me a bit is how easy I can turn the volume wheel, it has very little mechanical resistance and sometimes I just raise the volume way too easily to uncomfortable loud levels. It seems that SMSL designed a special 24Watt power supply for this unit to be very efficient, small and obviously an ultra-low-noise one. With portables like Sennheiser Momentum 3 and with Erzetich Thalia I can go higher, maximum to about 10 o’clock position and that’s it. Treble is extended and top-octave can be spotted without even closing my eyes, it extracts treble information so easily and so amazingly vivid and clear. With the introduction of SP200, SMSL embraced the THX-AAA hype train that everybody was talking around the block. I connected my sensitive IEMs and I am glad to report that the noise floor is nowhere to be spotted in low gain mode. $500 for a two 3-pin to one 4-pin joiner is just ridiculous, you can get the exact thing made for a fraction of the price. It doesn’t add a lot from itself, it has close to zero colorations. This technology allows for the highest fidelity with extreme output power and ultra-low crosstalk for a high-quality, low distortion sound. Since it doesn’t have its own character and doesn’t leave a stain, it will pair nicely with every headphone you will throw at it, dynamic or planar-magnetic doesn’t really matter. Background is black, all I hear is complete silence even at maximum volume. SP200 is tiny, but the sound and the power that comes out of it is not. SMSL SP200 Review – Hi-Fi sound at a Low-Fi price This review is posted here in partnership with Soundnews.net. Mid-bass is not overdone or emphasized, the mid-bass hump is not present and will not color the overall performance. It’s a clean, airy and no-frills-sounding amp that draws excellent engagement from its accurate imaging and its gorgeous … Disclaimer: SMSL SP200 was sent to us as a review sample exchange for our honest opinion. If you prefer a bass that lingers a bit more, with a longer and smoother decay then this will not be for you. It’s currently on sale for $289.99 by online distributor Apos Audio , who we must thank for arranging the evaluation sample used for today’s review. Everybody dreamed about it and everybody wanted one. This technology allows for the highest fidelity with extreme output power and ultra-low crosstalk. Disclaimer: The SMSL SH-9 sent to us for this review is a sample in exchange for our honest opinion. A year passed and people are still genuinely interested in it, it carries two THX AAA-788 stereo modules known for lowest distortion, high output power and close to zero coloration. SP200 is brutally honest, it can be slow only when the song asks for it, otherwise expect some impressive dynamics. SP200 is incredibly powerful, I almost can’t believe it drives the Arya like it’s nothing. As with all THX AAA designs, the electrolytic caps are not in the signal path but are used for power filtering. SMSL’s SP200 is a well-balanced, neutral-sounding amp that deftly straddles between musicality and precision. Only the bigger and costlier HPA4 will present a bigger and more believable stage in front and around me. HPA4 by Benchmark Media has a competitor now at just 1⁄10 of its price as SP200 is also using dual-mono THX AAA-888 circuitry inside. SMSL SP200 Review – Hi-Fi sound at a Low-Fi price, TOPPING D50s Review – Strong essences are kept in small bottles, TOPPING D90 DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), TOPPING E30 DAC (Digital-to-Analog-Convertor), SMSL SU-8 Version 2 DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), Linear and straight as a line, zero coloration, Deep and controlled bass, clean top-octave, Ultra-low harmonic or any kind of distortion even at loud levels, Lightning-quick transient response, great slam, Incredibly powerful headphone amp section, Highest value in the headphone amp category as of today. It is brutally honest – this could be a good thing or a bad thing. The only things that personally bothered me was the fact the SH-9 didn’t have any pre outs and that it wasn’t a truly balanced amp. This amp is versatile and can When I first looked at it, I wasn’t really sure I am looking from a right angle at it, but when I got to play with it in my hand, I observed the slightly angled case. SMSL SH-9 was used with two distinct headphone setups. With all those impressive numbers it should drive even the most demanding headphones as high impedance dynamics or current-driver planar-magnetics, we will of course test both instances. Everyone dreamed about it because of the availability of that particular amp, the first batch was sold-out in one hour I recon, second batch sale lasted few hours and only the third one lasted a day or so. Join the Apos Audio community to read member-only content and receive exclusive offers! We even offer Free Shipping, Lowest Price … If you wanted to go all-in for the best available THX chips available: the dual-mono only THX AAA-888, you needed to shelve some serious cash for the $3000 Benchmark HPA4 that I also reviewed and later on purchased for myself as I couldn’t sleep at night without one, that’s how good it sounded with all my headphones. It’s an unusual choice from SMSL, but it does tend to give the … If you really love your headphones and your source be it digital or analog then you will be in love with SP200, I have no doubts about that. Everyone dreamed about it because of the availability of that particular amp, the first batch was sold out in one hour I recon, the second batch sale lasted few hours and only the third one lasted a day or so. This is a different kind of smoothness, SP200 doesn’t roll-off anything in the frequency range, this is just how your music is supposed to sound when you take out all the distortions and noise floor. Inside the foam protected box, you’ll find the SP200 unit, a power cable and some papers with its detailed specifications. I think it looks interesting, it’s not over the top and most importantly doesn’t have any sharp edges. If you’re on a tight budget and $210 difference could be better spent on headphones, than the SP200 will happily give you perfect solid-state headphone performance. As an owner of HPA4, I enjoy that a lot, I can review new records with this kind of gear and at the same time I enjoy those explosive dynamics it reveals in music that you never knew were there in the first place. That said my thoughts are my own and I received no compensation for them. It is encapsulated inside a metal shell, that is always a good sign and hum or hiss should be undetected. 3 watts is a good chunk of power for an amp but I wanted that true balanced design. In the same time, I remembered how good my former reference Gilmore Lite Mk2 from Headamp sounded, or the Burson Fun or even the cute Bacillus from Erzetich Audio, all were small but huge in terms of sonics. Did it impress me? Treble is extended and top-octave can be spotted without even closing my eyes, it extracts treble information so easily and so amazingly vivid and clear. Listening to Wolf Totem by The Hu at half way thought the song will present a strong kick in the treble and a lot of presence in the midrange with that magical throat singing and horsehead fiddle that switches places from time to time, that mix was always punchy and kept a faster pace than usual. You know what its best feature yet? SMSL SP200: This little unit surprised me so many times already as it sounded almost as detailed as HPA4 and actually in terms of frequency response it surpasses the THX-789 because the sub-bass is better, goes lower and has a better sustain. It was originally written and published by Sandu Vitalie of Soundnews.net on Nov. 20, 2019. I was skeptical at first, since in low gain position it doesn’t have a unity gain of 0 dB, but a higher one at +6 dB that might induce a bit of hiss, but my fears are now gone.

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