I think the source can do wonders on how a hifi set up can sound . This sounds very listenable. Nice and punchy but smooth at the same time and those little nuances coming through . Nice.
Low bass response is not a big aspect for the EVO series (even the 4.4's), and they all benefit from a sub or two. But that's a bit of an expectation from stand-mount speakers. The pure joy of the EVO series is everything from 100hz and up. The detail and clarity from the soft-dome mid and large AMT tweeter is WAY above the price range they sell at. Yes, need a sub, but totally worth it. I still think the EVO series are the best in their category and will compete with many speakers 2-3 times the price.
cheers terry. nice insight into the different sound/ tones etc out the speakers youve been playing lately. ive got my new tester pmc 12 signatures turning up in 2 weeks. always a good time of the year when your purchasing new speakers..ha
Cheers Terry, always a good watch. I don't know if you have had a chance to hear the Evo 4.4's but they are one of todays audiophile bargains in my book - as long you run them in for long enough :) These 4.2's seem to have some of the sonic characteristics of their big brothers, which I guess is to be expected, but without the wonderful solid bass of the 4.4's (4.4's do Astrix proud!) Pretty impressive little amp that - I can see that doing it for a lot of people who just want to dip their toe in. I wont be swapping my Atom for it, but it seems really decent value. Thanks for all your work bringing us these videos - we do appreciate it.
@@PursuitPerfectSystemyou wouldn't need the 4.4 if you have a good sub or 2 with the 4.2, plus it would be easier to place and integrate, not sure your getting the extra for double the money for 1 extra woofer and larger cab
Just for context for us old soul music fans, Let’s Straighten it out was written by Latimore and my favorite version is by O.V. Wright. Very good version by Gwen McCrae as well!
All things considered they make a good account of themselves - I see what you mean by them sounding a little lean though. Each speaker cable probably cost more than the amp & speakers combined!
Your high-tech tech and electro-treatment can make a cheap component shine. Also a great component would be pulled down by a cheap (bad) system. I think people with budget gear will get avarege result from this unit, let's not forget! Love your work! 👍
Some of this SMSL gear is staggering what it does for such little money. Try some of their flagship DACs, they are as good as anything, but they're just way more affordable.
I ordered an AO200 and a pair of Elac Carina 243.4. Makes me very glad to hear such positive reviews on the AO200! Have you by any chance had the chance to hear the Elac Carina bookshelfs before? It would be extremely interesting how they compare to the Wharfedale Evo 4.2, as the Elacs are a tad smaller, a bit more expensive, but overall built comprably with the attached metal stand and the downfiring woofer.
@@njkdsnckscnka32443It's truly funny that you ask now, as I'm invested way deeper into the Elac universe by now. The carinas are a great speaker for the money, however, they are not comparable to the JET 5 equipped "proper" Elacs, especially not the Velas. If you are looking to buy something in the ~600€ area, try to snipe a used pair of Elac BS speakers with the proper jet, just like the 243.3, 263, etc. However, for the money (considering new pairs only), the Carinas are a good deal. Detail retreival is impressive, musicality is given, they even got a fair bit of bass for the small size. But if you are financially able to go one step beyond, the true JET bookshelfs are significantly superior.
This speaker sound so good with slow paced music .can you play any metal or hard rock song ? Really want to know how this sound in song with distortion like thrash metal ?
Hello legend, great review. I have purchased some Polk RTi A5 and A1s and a sub recently and wondering how this would be driving those? Either the A5's or A1's separately.
I've always wondered about what to expect from these topping/SMSL digital amps. I must say I am impressed but can't help but say that there is a bit of too much leanness. Is that because of the Dirac? I was expecting the 4.2s to be more bass heavy. There's plenty of detail up top for sure although a bit too hot for my liking. Still for ,£200 very good value. Thanks Terry!
How come we never have any classic EDM on these? I would love some classic solar quest. Frightened of this thing I've become. Do de di do do di do da da
They are the TAD CE1 speaker stands, I had them in a really nice spot in my room and I didn't really want to move them so the best way I could keep my spot is use those stands with the EVO 4.2, when I measured the 4.2 for the Dirac Live calibration that is the best they have measured for me so far, must be a good stand :)
Does it sound digital Class D? Sounds unmistakably digital solid state. But nice for a value system. Speakers though much more expensive than the Amp. Heard a Magnepan LRS with Crown XLS 1002 and could be a terrific budget system too where you could just upgrade the amp and source and it will just scale well up to USD 4k system.
@@3582jj phone controls the library but I try and use the same source as much as possible for consistency and because that's where I have Dirac installed
@@PursuitPerfectSystem as a 51 year old starting over again in hi-fi I think a just add speakers system would suit me. Technology has surpassed me to use pc music servers etc.
Thanks for the review as always! Quick question, would this be good to use as the following set up in your opinion? iPad playing Apple Music to the ao200 to Dali zensor 5’s? Or improved with also throwing in an ifi zen dac 2? Thanks
You could use the Ipad and connect to the AO200 but I dont know how you would connect to the Zen Dac without another music source / streamer - not sure the Zen Dac on its own is your best route here
Not bad at the price, but the amp seemed somewhat characterless. Maybe some would call that neutrality, but to me it lacked a degree of engagement and I don't think I could live with it myself. Might have something to do with the speakers, which I don't like much either. That said, if one is on a tight budget, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and might be okay for a desktop setup with smaller speakers.
To be fair you can clearly hear the difference between each track so adele sounds like adele and then the next track sounds like it's from the 70s and so on. That's good transparency and there is only a small amount of sound carried over from song to song for £230 that's pretty cool
@@steven2809 Yeah, but in practice, imho an amp needs to be engaging. Few if any amps are straight wires with gain. And if they were, might as well buy one with only enough power to drive one's chosen speaker. And maybe one choses one's speaker to add one's desired colouration. We all have our colouration preferences.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Well, to be fair I didn't say one couldn't hear differences between each track. Despite those differences, imho, it lacks an engagement factor for all tracks I heard. BTW, Adele sounding like Adele isn't my cup of tea. I'd as lief listen to fingernails scratching on a blackboard. I don't know why some rave about her. Give me Jennifer Warnes or Mary Black or Joni Mitchell any day of the week :-).
I wonder how you can conclude what the amp itself sounds like without hearing these speakers in this set-up with different amps. You are listening to the combination of all elements at the same time: The audio source > amp > speakers > room character > microphone placement and character > recording interface > adjustments > digital encoding > youtube compression > your playback gear. So how in this long chain, can you determine what the character of the amp is by itself?
smsl calling an amp "Bluetooth amp" is as silly as calling an amp for a rca amp. a input is only a feature. bluetooth is a bad thing so they are doing themself a disservice featuring it.
It's an impressive little amp for the price but I couldn't listen for more than 2 mins and I have a decent DAC/amp/headphone system. The sound is sterile, artificial.
Ma esiste per voi la musica classica, la sinfonica, ad esempio, per testare veramente un paio di casse, spendete patrimoni in merdacce di apparecchi per poi ascoltarli con merdaccia di musica...........................asini con le orecchie lunghe
This amp sounds better than many AV amps used in direct stereo mode but in 25% of their prices. Kudos for this demo! 🙌
Thanks Terry, excellent review.
The people wanted to see an affordable system, others wanted to see the 4.2s again... The dude provided.
I think the source can do wonders on how a hifi set up can sound . This sounds very listenable. Nice and punchy but smooth at the same time and those little nuances coming through . Nice.
Woooowwwww..... a kickass amp for £200!!! Thanks Terry. Great review as always 😎👍
Wow. Great sound from that little amp. Enjoyed the set. Nice diversity of music.
Thanks yeah ot shocked me and you can see why I was upbeat in the review I was trying to not overdo it but its legit a good product for a great price
Unbelievable sound from those speakers and what a system and the choice of music is superb especially Toto one of my favorite bands 👍👍
SMSL AO200 + Wharfedale EVO 4.2 Walnut = very likely this will be my next hi-fi system, I only need an extra suitable CD player and network streamer
Love your reviews and especially the music selections.
I have an AO200 with XTZ 99.26 speakers and listening to them is a pure pleasure.
Wow..it really sounds great. Hoping you include the subs in future demos
Low bass response is not a big aspect for the EVO series (even the 4.4's), and they all benefit from a sub or two. But that's a bit of an expectation from stand-mount speakers. The pure joy of the EVO series is everything from 100hz and up. The detail and clarity from the soft-dome mid and large AMT tweeter is WAY above the price range they sell at. Yes, need a sub, but totally worth it. I still think the EVO series are the best in their category and will compete with many speakers 2-3 times the price.
Evo 4.2 only goes down to 52Hz.A sub is needed for the fullness of sound. With my sub, the Evo 4.2 becomes a 4-way speaker. Completely entertaining.
@@charlieliu007 that sucks.
They are bookshelf/stand mounts. 99.999% of those type speakers need a sub. The way it is. The EVO 4.2's are stellar speakers.@@AmbientWanderer
cheers terry. nice insight into the different sound/ tones etc out the speakers youve been playing lately. ive got my new tester pmc 12 signatures turning up in 2 weeks. always a good time of the year when your purchasing new speakers..ha
Cheers Terry, always a good watch.
I don't know if you have had a chance to hear the Evo 4.4's but they are one of todays audiophile bargains in my book - as long you run them in for long enough :) These 4.2's seem to have some of the sonic characteristics of their big brothers, which I guess is to be expected, but without the wonderful solid bass of the 4.4's (4.4's do Astrix proud!)
Pretty impressive little amp that - I can see that doing it for a lot of people who just want to dip their toe in. I wont be swapping my Atom for it, but it seems really decent value.
Thanks for all your work bringing us these videos - we do appreciate it.
The EVO 4.4 would suit me better, the bass is the limiting factor of the 4.2 I always have them on the limit !! :)
@@PursuitPerfectSystemyou wouldn't need the 4.4 if you have a good sub or 2 with the 4.2, plus it would be easier to place and integrate, not sure your getting the extra for double the money for 1 extra woofer and larger cab
As they say "dynamite comes in small packages". Terry the song by Gwen McCrae is awesome, thanks for introducing new artists to some of us.
A Dirac Live calibration customer introduced me to that song the other day, I swiped it double time :)
It's not on Tidal:(
Beautiful song.
Just for context for us old soul music fans, Let’s Straighten it out was written by Latimore and my favorite version is by O.V. Wright. Very good version by Gwen McCrae as well!
Love that Gwen McCrae track!
I wonder how the SMSL amp compares to the Bluesound Power node amp? I like that 'all in one' solution.
Vocal is beautiful
All things considered they make a good account of themselves - I see what you mean by them sounding a little lean though. Each speaker cable probably cost more than the amp & speakers combined!
Amazing video buddy
Thanks
@@PursuitPerfectSystem your very welcome. I have the DA 9. I was thinking of AO200 as the 2nd unit for my basement.
Your high-tech tech and electro-treatment can make a cheap component shine. Also a great component would be pulled down by a cheap (bad) system. I think people with budget gear will get avarege result from this unit, let's not forget! Love your work! 👍
Some of this SMSL gear is staggering what it does for such little money. Try some of their flagship DACs, they are as good as anything, but they're just way more affordable.
I have an SU9, goddamn it's good. No point buying a D90SE.
I ordered an AO200 and a pair of Elac Carina 243.4. Makes me very glad to hear such positive reviews on the AO200!
Have you by any chance had the chance to hear the Elac Carina bookshelfs before? It would be extremely interesting how they compare to the Wharfedale Evo 4.2, as the Elacs are a tad smaller, a bit more expensive, but overall built comprably with the attached metal stand and the downfiring woofer.
did you end up liking the carina's?
@@njkdsnckscnka32443It's truly funny that you ask now, as I'm invested way deeper into the Elac universe by now.
The carinas are a great speaker for the money, however, they are not comparable to the JET 5 equipped "proper" Elacs, especially not the Velas. If you are looking to buy something in the ~600€ area, try to snipe a used pair of Elac BS speakers with the proper jet, just like the 243.3, 263, etc.
However, for the money (considering new pairs only), the Carinas are a good deal. Detail retreival is impressive, musicality is given, they even got a fair bit of bass for the small size.
But if you are financially able to go one step beyond, the true JET bookshelfs are significantly superior.
The whispered curses are hilarious Terry. I would have said the same. 😂😂
Mind blown yes, have them on my way for only €420, box opened (they got returned).
which of these amps is best for these speakers?
roksan K3;
Rega elicit R;
exposure 3010s2d?
This speaker sound so good with slow paced music .can you play any metal or hard rock song ? Really want to know how this sound in song with distortion like thrash metal ?
Thanks 👍
Fantastic
Hello legend, great review. I have purchased some Polk RTi A5 and A1s and a sub recently and wondering how this would be driving those? Either the A5's or A1's separately.
Can you test a WiiM Amp?
I've always wondered about what to expect from these topping/SMSL digital amps. I must say I am impressed but can't help but say that there is a bit of too much leanness. Is that because of the Dirac? I was expecting the 4.2s to be more bass heavy. There's plenty of detail up top for sure although a bit too hot for my liking. Still for ,£200 very good value. Thanks Terry!
Hola.
Es escuchado de un tal Sunbuck av 688e
Tienes alguna referencia ?
Saludos.
How come we never have any classic EDM on these? I would love some classic solar quest.
Frightened of this thing I've become. Do de di do do di do da da
sounds great
Which one are better, these or Arendal 1723 bookshelves? especially considering AV usage...
Nice review Terry - Those speaker stands are different from your normal ones. Which manufacturer makes them?
They are the TAD CE1 speaker stands, I had them in a really nice spot in my room and I didn't really want to move them so the best way I could keep my spot is use those stands with the EVO 4.2, when I measured the 4.2 for the Dirac Live calibration that is the best they have measured for me so far, must be a good stand :)
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Very impressive! Guess the stands maybe more expensive than the EVO's themselves?
@@mikebooth8858 I don't know if they are sold separately think they only come with the speakers but probably yes :)
Are this amp good to acoustic, jazz music ? Thank you
Can you please review the Evo 4.1 ?
Does it sound digital Class D? Sounds unmistakably digital solid state. But nice for a value system. Speakers though much more expensive than the Amp. Heard a Magnepan LRS with Crown XLS 1002 and could be a terrific budget system too where you could just upgrade the amp and source and it will just scale well up to USD 4k system.
really nice
Hi, just want to ask if I can have this Speaker with Cambridge AXA25 Amps, thanks. Love your Videos.
I think you could use these speakers with a big variety of Amps so most probably yes
@@PursuitPerfectSystem thanks for the Reply, by the Way this is my budget Setup; ruclips.net/video/iB02Vwsk8bw/видео.html
Nice, what's the streaming source? I can't see it listed in description
Its all through my customer music server I built most of whats in it is listed in the video description
@@PursuitPerfectSystem ah thanks Terry, I wasn't sure if it was a phone or tablet BT to the amp.
@@3582jj phone controls the library but I try and use the same source as much as possible for consistency and because that's where I have Dirac installed
@@PursuitPerfectSystem as a 51 year old starting over again in hi-fi I think a just add speakers system would suit me. Technology has surpassed me to use pc music servers etc.
@@3582jj great to have you back in the hobby :)
Did i hear you swear in background after the drilling stopped? Ha ha ha ha
I never swear in front of a Lady Will.....
@@PursuitPerfectSystem made giggle but i understand your frustration
Wait so this is just the amp and speakers? Where’s the source from.?
As I explained at the start I am using the amp just as an amp in my normal review hifi system which is all listed in the video description box
The secretnof bores : they say everything
I hear a muffled deep base, are those subs on back there or is this speakers only?
Sounds great otherwise I should mention
@@knobbshots no subs on there is no deep bass
@@PursuitPerfectSystem ?????
Hi how are you Terry?
The dac is used in the amp?
No all the system used is listed in the video description box
Thanks for the review as always! Quick question, would this be good to use as the following set up in your opinion? iPad playing Apple Music to the ao200 to Dali zensor 5’s? Or improved with also throwing in an ifi zen dac 2?
Thanks
You could use the Ipad and connect to the AO200 but I dont know how you would connect to the Zen Dac without another music source / streamer - not sure the Zen Dac on its own is your best route here
🤗🤗🤗🤩🤩🤩😍😍😍
I like so much I love Linton,but this hmmmmmm.
Lost me on the Adele but Gwen McCrae redeemed it. Am I the only person who doesn't get Adele! Geez though! the SMSL is a proper little bargain
Je possède ces fameuse wharfedale evo 4.2 relié sur un denon pma-2500ne avec sacd marantz sa15s2 un régal en sonorité
.. замыленная синтетика - вообще НЕживой звук)))
Not bad at the price, but the amp seemed somewhat characterless. Maybe some would call that neutrality, but to me it lacked a degree of engagement and I don't think I could live with it myself. Might have something to do with the speakers, which I don't like much either. That said, if one is on a tight budget, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and might be okay for a desktop setup with smaller speakers.
To be fair you can clearly hear the difference between each track so adele sounds like adele and then the next track sounds like it's from the 70s and so on. That's good transparency and there is only a small amount of sound carried over from song to song for £230 that's pretty cool
An amp should not have a "character'...just 'a straight wire with gain' ......🙂
@@steven2809 Yeah, but in practice, imho an amp needs to be engaging. Few if any amps are straight wires with gain. And if they were, might as well buy one with only enough power to drive one's chosen speaker. And maybe one choses one's speaker to add one's desired colouration. We all have our colouration preferences.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Well, to be fair I didn't say one couldn't hear differences between each track. Despite those differences, imho, it lacks an engagement factor for all tracks I heard. BTW, Adele sounding like Adele isn't my cup of tea. I'd as lief listen to fingernails scratching on a blackboard. I don't know why some rave about her. Give me Jennifer Warnes or Mary Black or Joni Mitchell any day of the week :-).
I wonder how you can conclude what the amp itself sounds like without hearing these speakers in this set-up with different amps. You are listening to the combination of all elements at the same time: The audio source > amp > speakers > room character > microphone placement and character > recording interface > adjustments > digital encoding > youtube compression > your playback gear.
So how in this long chain, can you determine what the character of the amp is by itself?
The Adele song has been mastered awful. Her voice sounds super distorted no matter what hifi she’s playing on. It’s a shame. Great demo either way
smsl calling an amp "Bluetooth amp" is as silly as calling an amp for a rca amp. a input is only a feature. bluetooth is a bad thing so they are doing themself a disservice featuring it.
You really need to learn more about Bluetooth sudd. "Received wisdom" is not a good idea.
@@narabdela have all the bluetooth you want, its not good for enyeone. i call that destructive behavior.
@@sudd3660 I call that poor spelling and grammar. Explains a lot.
not for me
I found them quite fatiguing 🤷🏻♂️
I think considering the amp costs about £250 criticism is a little harsh
It's an impressive little amp for the price but I couldn't listen for more than 2 mins and I have a decent DAC/amp/headphone system. The sound is sterile, artificial.
In the flesh you might feel a little differently
upper frequencies are to sharp!!! china sound...no thx
Ma esiste per voi la musica classica, la sinfonica, ad esempio, per testare veramente un paio di casse, spendete patrimoni in merdacce di apparecchi per poi ascoltarli con merdaccia di musica...........................asini con le orecchie lunghe
Dont be a classical music snob is my answer to that
only the hifi classic sounded good to me, the rest not so stellar. I'm not liking it. easy on the ears but something is lacking for me.
the cost
Amp sucks
Not for the money it doesnt
@Helsinki Oslo Then name something better in it's price range then?