Best Class D Speaker Amp - But Is it Worth It? SMSL SA400 Speaker Amp Review
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
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Recommended Speaker List
Around $100 (These prices will fluctuate between $75 - $150)
Sony SSCS5 - Lively amzn.to/3pZNnGk
Pioneer AJ First Gen - Laid Back
Neumi BS5 -Neutral amzn.to/3q0SR3B
Around $200
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ - Crystal Clear and Punchy emotiva.com?aff=9
Elac Debut b5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/2WPNQxw
Wharfedale Diamond 11.2 (In and Out of Stock) - Laid Back/Bassy/Detailed amzn.to/37W8hPA
JBL Stage A130 - Neutral/Great All Arounder at $179 the best value amzn.to/3t7gOHe
Around $400
Klipsch RP600M - Neutral amzn.to/3pBoXCf (This speaker’s price can fluctuate between $440-630 which is really dumb)
Jamo C93ii Bit - Boosted on Top amzn.to/3beIG6F (Can also be found cheaper at Crutchfield)
Q Acoustics 3030i - Neutral with Punch - amzn.to/2OQkpLo
Around $500
SVS Prime bit.ly/2LozJgF
Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 bit.ly/2ZckoD9
Around $600
Elac Uni-Fi UB5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/3s3srPG
Elac Debut Reference - Buttery but Detailed amzn.to/39bt6WC
Polk Reserve R100 - Neutral
Aperion Novus - Neutral and probably the best desktop speaker one can get $599 bit.ly/2Q1H9rW
Aperion Novus Open Box $449 bit.ly/3us8zGx
Wharfedale Diamonds Lush and Detailed amzn.to/3aBAso0 Come as singles
Recommended Amp List
Under $100
Aiyima A07 - Neutral and Full amzn.to/3g9YLNf
Around $130
SMSL AD18 - DAC/Amp Lively on top but solid tone controls amzn.to/3rVZxkN
SMSL SA300 $140 amzn.to/3u83oLs
Around $250
SMSL DA-9 Balanced Amp amzn.to/34SdbLs
Around $400
Emotiva TA-100 - DAC, Phono Stage, Pre Outs - Balanced and Tasty emotiva.com?aff=9
Vista Audio Spark www.vista-audio.com/products.htm
Recommended DACs
Ifi Zen DAC amzn.to/2T3wuyY
FX D01 amzn.to/3d9GY6U
SMSL SU8s amzn.to/2SWTGiw
Denafrips Ares 2 www.denafrips.com/ares
Subs
Emotiva SE8 emotiva.com?aff=9
Emotiva SE12 emotiva.com?aff=9
SVS SB1000 Pro bit.ly/3scmwsc
SMSL SA400 Speaker Amp bit.ly/3s9yW6e
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Been running a Starke AD4.320 with a Schitt Saga preamp. Replaced my Adcom 5500 amp and was amazed. My Vandersteen Model 3's and 2 CE signatures don't need a sub anymore. Really opened them up. Class D has really surprised me.
I have had this amp for almost two months now. Paired it with it’s sibling M400 DAC, Quad S2s, and a single SVS SB1000 Pro (thank RUclips reviewers). In a carefully arranged smaller room, it’s blown me and all my audio-enthusiast friends away. I use it 70/30 music/movies in my home office. I rarely find myself in the larger media room of late. The amp was a bit of gamble when I bought it with not a ton of info out there, but after having it awhile, I’m not surprised it’s popping up on my RUclips heroes radar. Thanks for the review and sanity check Randy!
Hello Heath, what do you think of how hot it gets?
@@anthony2010707 Still going strong with no issues. It’s playing background music in my office all day. I did go into the secret menu and lowered the temp trigger for the fan just in case. The fan could be a little quieter, it’s small and is audible when sitting a few feet away at low volume.
Spot on. It’s hard to justify that price for a brand that isn’t established yet.
Thanks Randy for another honest review! I do see SMSL trying to up the ante with the competition, but for $650 there are way too many options! Although in the end... the consumer wins!
Great review Randy. I was not expecting this to be so highly rated and compared to some really well know equipment. I guess that goes to the comparison of pricing and where it should be. Thanks
check Patreon. I sent you a message
This is a great little amp, comparable with $1000 to $1500 class A/B integrateds. I listened with KEF LS 50’s. Great value for the sound quality. The amp is clean and open, with no harshness. The heat is a non-issue, just set the fan to 45C, and the case is only slightly warm.
I had two SMSL amps. Both suffered from QC issues, volume chip on one, speaker terminals pulling out in the other. $650 makes me take pause. Thank you for the info! Great video
Same for Topping, which has the lowest reliability and highest DOA rate on the market. Customer service is almost nonexistent.
I just built my first budget system after watching a ton of your videos. Ended up with the SMSL SA300 + Chromecast Audio + Neumi BS5's + JBL 550P sub. I then converted a spare Raspberry Pi into a Volumio machine and have been using that to stream local music from my NAS as well as act as my Spotify Connect device.
Already looking for the next step. Don't have any major complaints with the sounds; I feel like the Neumi's have a dip in a certain part of the midrange that I only notice in a very few particular songs. I think my next step may just be replacing the SA300 with something a bit nicer that can apply a high pass to the bookshelves.
Wow, now thats a cool setup
Great content. Thank you for adding levity to audiophile... stuffing. :)
Great review and I agree with the comment that for this price and power, most will go with a more established brand 's A/B. I bought a Hypex Ncore NC252MP Class D amp from Audiphonics in France, 250W into 4 ohms and quality is top tier, with shipping it came out to about $750 Canadian. Small and light, not too much heat, you won't get near to that quality and power in class a/b for that price. I use a Marantz 2-channel receiver's preamp outs as my preamp so I still have a substantial Marantz in my rack with remote so it doesn't look too dinky. So my point is, go up a little bit in the Class D options for quality and power and you get into a good sweet spot, paired with a quality preamp with remote and you have super value and quality right there!
I don't mind class D amplifiers at all. If they have the soundstage and instrument separation, awesome. You're spot on about the price vs. brand reputation. But honestly, I've spent a lot on some big names and been disappointed, so why not try something new?
Thanks Randy, great review on the amp. Looks like a really nice amp. I bought a XTZ A-2 300 and am really impressed with it, but this one has a lot more features. Worth considering for sure, Thanks.
I think the Swiffer mop and liquid would make a good audiophile product. You know a clean floor is going to sound so much better without sawdust muddying up the sound.
I think the big issue is that people aren't even aware of *embedded* sawdust that you just can't get out of your wood, tile, or even vinyl flooring with non-audiophile floor cleaning products. Audiophile cleaning products remove sawdust that can't be measured with our current scientific knowledge, but you can DEFINITELY hear the difference. A truly audiophile floor cleaning will give you way cleaner sounding lows. It will greatly improve your noise floor too.
Happy with my Sabaj A10a for £120 for use in my office connected to a Zen DAC V2 from my PC.
I loved the grin after the Babbabooey homage.
Damn Randy! You're really cranking out new vidoes at breakneck speed! I can barely keep up. At what point do you run out of space for amps, DACs, headphones, and speakers, and have to buy a bigger house, build a storage shed in the backyard, or rent a storage space?
would be so nice if integrated amps had processor loops so i could connect my DBX Driverack PA2 (EQ, Parametric EQ also, sub harmonics, etc). Cuz I like to tweak!!! Also, for goodness sake, why does it not give you a high pass option when you run it with a sub. So frustrating. BTW, Randy, love this channel. Thank you for doing such great work.
Brought to you by Sith Audio Class A Dryer Vent Brush. When you don’t mind the heat and deserve nothing but the very best!
Nice review. I agree I think at that price point it needs just a little more somethin somethin. One or two more unbalanced inputs and an HDMI input would make this very compelling.
I will be getting my first class D to add to my collection of Yamaha PC2002, P2200, MX-1 amps, wonder how they will sound with my NS-1000m but thanks to you will venture into it and find out. I have been using SMSL Sanskrit on my desktop with my HS7/HS8s combo and have been quite satisfied with the sound and now I upgraded to SU-1 thanks to your review.
I wonder if this has a high pass crossover on the speaker outputs when using a sub? I think this would be great amp if so.
Hi Randy, love your channel. Just want to inform you that the tabebuia eq setting is designed for the SMSL tabebuia speakers.
well it sounds pretty good on other speakers too
I bought class D monoblocks from Nuprime and am very happy with them.
Been using class D amps for almost 10 years. Started with Rotel 1091, 500W 8ohm, B&O modules with switch mode supply. Bit bright, but totally effortless. Then went to Bel Canto uses same modules but standard psu. Different sound, much smoother and better midrange. Have now only used D class for bass units in a tri amped system. Recent class D sounds are improved, Mola Mola for instance, design by Bruno Putzeys, really good. Now use AB amps for mid and treble, Harmon Kardon Signature amps. Might be old, but still cut the mustard. PSU design is great, similar to the HK 8500 AVR but each amp board in this 5 channel has it’s own rectifier and filter caps. Used Krell 700W class A , with electrostatic speakers it is magic!
What is a good amp that is used for under $800?
@@Stevef2234 I am Australian, possibly not relevant for pricing from here. The HK signature amps are about half that price here, have nothing but good words. Second hand Rotel class AB from 90s to 2005 are great too. That price should get you something quite respectable. Wouldn't buy Emotiva sh.
Thank you for the excellent review (as usual). Now I am keen on buying a D-Class amp in the price bracket upto 300 $.
My DAC/Streamer currently is a Arylic S50 Pro + and my question would be if you would recommend the SMSL DA9 or the Loxjie A30 ?
I understand that the SMSL is more powerful but soundwise is there a big difference. I was planning to connect the amp to a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 220 speakers.
Your input woould ne greatly appreciated.
Class D engineering is really coming into it's own this past decade. And I predict that it will become the preferred home theater amp class in about 10 years. And it could possibly become the preferred audiophile class 20 or 30 years out.
Completely agree. I started with a NuForce DDA-120 (50 W) about nine years ago; I was very impressed at the time, but it sounds rather skeletal now compared to my current PS Audio Stellar S300. Both are Class D but the PS Audio sounds almost tube-like. I think that Class D has already reached the top audiophile level and that the next 20 - 30 years will bring only minor improvements.
It’s not gonna take that long
XTZ a300?????? I read several reviews, good ones. Excelent video as always !!!!!! Thanks Randy. Greetings from Argentina!
Dont sell the Crown short either, Randy...I know you said you didn't care much for it, but I swear to you, with my Maggie's? Its magical..
Someone told me to put rice in my speaker stands to deaden them, unfortunately they forgot to tell me to use uncooked rice. Took me a week to figure out where the rotting smell was coming from. I'd imagine it's the same with speaker stuffing.
Audiophile Cotton Candy has a decent shelf life for speaker filling.
I prefer bass and treble controls to presets. Toss in a midrange control and you're golden.
It has all of that in addition to the baked eq's
Any thoughts on how well this would work with say the Schiit Freya pre-amp? Never mind, too expensive.
Any chance to try their SP400 as Preamp together with SA400 as Poweramp, wonder how would they sound when in pre + power combo setup.
My current speaker are the Jamo s807s and the recommended wattage (i think) was 100w at 8 ohms. I was using the sa300 but I was getting a lot of noise and it just didn't get loud enough for me(If I remember correctly it was 40w at 8 ohms). This compared to the da-9 meets that 100w at 8ohms while the da-9 is only 50w at 8 ohms. Does it make sense to pay nearly $700 for that power or be underpowered with the da-9? I'm like big new to the audio world so all the help I can get I'll take 😅
The beauty of class D amplifier is it's fit into a small case and power consumption is ultra low compared to class AB amplifier. Class D is very efficient and doesn't heat up like the alternatives. Love class D
Unless you live in a Tiny Home or tree house even the heat from a high power Class A amp is not enough to even notice unless you put your ice cream right on top of the amp and could watch it slowly melt.
the power consumption topic is so key (for some of us at least). I have the da9 and it pulls 2-5 watts during regular use in a mid size room, at reasonable volume for an apartment dweller. I'm reading reviews of "good" a/b amps and reading rave reviews that "it only consumes 25 watts when idle!" and I simply cannot comprehend how people afford their electricity bills :D (then again I'm in Germany where electricity is substantially more expensive, especially since the Ukraine invasion began) I *can* afford it but do I want to? Not really convinced this is a good use of resources. The small footprint is also a key factor as, you know, I live in an apartment (which is not large).
CAM: The Ted Lasso of cheap audio.
Great point of SMSL being like KIA. One thing they could do to help their image is probably come up with a better remote design, at least for the $500+ products, the A/B/C buttons don't help the image IMO.
We are coming to a point where DAC and amplification are getting near perfect. Active speakers are the next logical step. Having properly assigned amplification to each individual driver is the future. Digital crossover can be tuned to a perfection. The main reason for this not happening more than it is - is the money that can be made selling DACs and amplification.
Genelec?
waiting for an SA500 to pair with the M500
. . . move over Swanson . . .
- nice visuals, Randy .
I would ove to see you review the Topping PA5. It measured very well on ASR and I wonder how it compares.
I think I have one coming in
Does this get hot when using xlr connection or only when you use passive speakers
Tabebuia is the name of SMSL made speakers. I’d like to try a pair of those
Looking for a good amp for Polk R100 for nearfield listening to replace my D30 + PA3, would you recommend the SA400 or Maybe Aiyima combo or cambridge? Thanks!
Hai Randy🙋♂️
Can you make a review for top five integrated amplifier 😁
I think you right on with telling us your thoughts about hi-end SMSL , You say it sounds great and is worth the 660 dollar price and I believe you but in my head I still think of Marantz, Yamaha or Parasound as my go to for mid priced stereo amps. SMSL is not a name I associate with quality reliable gear.
How does this amp compare to the emotiva basX a2 power amp? does it sound much better or about even?
So, I have a question... if an amp, any amp, has USB, OPT, or COA inputs (which are digital), would it not then have to have some kind of DAC built in? I would want to be make sure I could bypass any built in DAC before I would want to buy an amp if I'm understand this correctly?
A very balanced review and the price mention is right on the money (pun intended).
The SA400 is priced in the same ballpark as the Sonos Amp which has more power and more features,mind you some would say they serve different purposes but not really. Most folks stream SA400 cannot,the Amp can be hooked up to a phono or CD player what I am missing here? I have not listened to the SA400 so hopefully it is better sounding by a lot to justify the price.
BTW I own a Sonos Amp and SH-9 headphone amp and extremely happy with both.
Sonos Amp has unavoidable latency, otherwise a a great amp.
@@monksalve The latency is intentional to ensure multiple rooms/units staying perfectly synced. I've never had issues with the SQ because of the latency, common dig that does not mean anything in real use of the product.If used with a TV the latency can be ajusted to sync perfectly with your TV IF that is an issue in your system the settings are there most folks simply don't know how to use them.
Hi! Could you see something like this driving a Sonus Faber Lumina 2s?
Might be super cool if they could be bridged and run as monos
I use a couple of Crown xls 1502's class D and I prefer them over my 200 watt Emotiva and 170 watt Parasound.
I continue to be impressed by my crown xls 1002. Really like it, especially with lively speakers.
@@robertdevoy3119 make sure you ground components together(each other) and you have a good ground to earth. Hope this helps.
Build quality matters at this price. It should look it's price and SMSL looks like a cheaper option not the premium one. When maybe SMSL looks really expensive it can then compete in the higher price points.
Hi Randy and friends, I just ordered my Smsl Ho200 Amp and Smsl Do200 Dac, I could use some advice in what speakers do you recommend for this combo. It's for my desk so, size matters 😂 300€/$ top price also. My current headphone is the Sennheiser 599SE, and for gaming it's doing an average job, but I would love to get more imaging and soundstage, what is your recommendation for this features ? Price range up to 300€/$ also. Thank you for all and keep blasting this channel, you are awesome! Happy New Year!!!, filled with health and happiness.😉
What is the crossover of the sw out? Nobody mentions this.
Priced at $600.00, 100 WPC, endless connectivity and controls, good looking and great sounding, I believe the Cambridge AXR 100 is a better choice, at least in my opinion.
Time will tell if the SMSL will follow the success of the Korean car companies.
How would you compare this to the PS Audio Sprout 100?
Thanks Randy! Which amplifier would you rank better for soundstage+imaging between the Schiit Vidar and the Akitika you built? I just replaced my Elac Unifi 2.0's with some Wharfedale Lintons (90db & 6ohms with dips down to 3.5ohms). The new speakers are amazing but I'm looking to regain some of that magic Elac soundstage if I can. Looking to upgrade from my Aiyima A07 w/48V 7a PSU. It's fantastic, but you've got me thinking about the potential soundstage improvement via amplifier. Thanks!
sound stage is Akitika
@@cheapaudioman Grazie!
Good morning from Singapore
Good morning!
Tabebuia or whatever is the name of their mini monitors, curious about those things
Great review Randy. This seems like a good unit but I have to say that I've been disappointed with SMSL. I own the DP5 streamer/media player. It sounds great but it has a crappy screen that doesn't show full album art. If you use this unit for playing FLAC files from a SSD as I do, the navigation is stinks and relies on a 3rd party app Hiby which is buggy as hell to navigate with. Their support acts like they don't understand you. I wish I could return the unit but overall it sounds good and the price was fair at $630 while other units that do the same thing cost way more.
Hi, I have been following you for a while, I enjoyed the arguments choices. I bought a Aiyma T9 and a pair of ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2. I have one question. would it be worth it to try either an Elac ELAC - Debut Reference DBR62 or an ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 with that amp? Would the difference be significant? French here
I would be interested in the answer to this one as I already have the DBR62's. I am considering an upgrade to my da9 and just not having any luck finding a class D that sounds better (yet).
have you reviewed the A2 model ??
Does it support 6 ohm or 8 ohm output. I didn't see any ratings on 8 ohm or 6 ohm output capability!!! It's says 4 ohm 230 watt output!!!!
sdb is a personal favorite
I recall really liking a SMSL 400 DAC. A stack partner for the amp? Maybe if it sounds better than the built in.
it just has bluetooth, Jim so no traditional dac. I'm sure there's a matching DAC i just havent seen it.
@@cheapaudioman I actually preferred it to the Ares but it was also expensive as I recall about $700. That said, things move on and at a used price I think it would be a killer deal. A Christmas present to old No. 1. Ones 😅self.
I agree with you about the price and how people view the company. If they would drop the price to $400-450 and get these into peoples hands, that could open the door for them.
I got a Parasound 2350 demo from Audio Advisor for less than $900. 600 x 2 really gets my two pairs of ELAC B6.2 thumping. Parts Express has a new high power Class D amp (1200 watts for $700) called the Dayton Audio APA1200DSP. When's the review on this?
I think class D amplification has gotten so much better that it compares extremely well with class A/B these days. I was a little skeptical at first, but I bought a Rogue Audio Hybrid Integrated amp which is class D amplification with a tube preamp section. It sounds amazing. It is $1500 so it isn't cheap by any means, but I compare it to expensive class A/B offerings from many of the Big Boy names in Audio at $2000 to $4000 and it holds its own very well. So it doesn't surprise me that there are class D amps out there in the $500 - $750 price range that sound extremely good.
SVS Soundbase sounds incredibly clean, and solid. Good across the entire range.
I'll bet I could build a class D amp for under $100 with nearly the same specs.
@@AudioGuyBrian okay, so go into business and start selling them. I bake some really good cookies, better than store bought. Lol!
Class D still has a sound that differs from AB amps. You can say the same with AB amps when you have tube in the chain and says it's even better. Less is usually better and rather than tube masking class d shortcomings maybe they should redesign class D to sound better to begin with. Price though very tempting.
@@francisdelacruz6439 SVS nailed this one, it is worth the entry price.
At 650, how would this compare to the NAD D 3020 v2?
how about comparison with LM3886 very cheap amp 68w?
Randy, you should affiliate with some coffee company so you can do ads for them! Since I found you, I've been drinking TWICE as much coffee!!
Great idea!
should chech SMSL VMV top of the line 1000 dollars A2 class D amp. thanks
I have a DA-9 on my desktop, which makes my passive speakers into great powered speakers for a fraction of the cost. The SMSL amps represent the near future of audio. Small, efficient and powerful amps. Soon, class a/b will go the way of class A. D has a little way to go, but it will get there.
Also, when you buy a Vidar, it's just am amp...nothing else. The SMSL is everything in one.
As one of those ‘new’ Kia customers…NOT lovin life as you describe. Wife bought a ‘20 Telluride in ‘19 with have put over 50k and already had it in shop to replace cv joints, AWD transmission slipping when accelerating into a turn or incline, high beams haven’t operated for months, washer fluid hose became disconnected and sprayed onto engine…Much prefer the well-built Mazdas I’ve owned - from a company that has been around a lot longer.
Swing and a miss on that analogy. I’m sorry for your car issues.
I have a hard time deciding I bought the SMSL DA9 and the right channel does not work I have no power to send it back to China and be without any amplifier at all so I am thinking of ordering the SA400 but I'm scared ... my speakers are paradigm studio 40 v3
I like external power supplies in case it goes out.
Hi Randy, what do you think when this amplifier match with their own M400 DAC and the Denafrips Ares II?
I don't have the M400. It was a great match with the Denafrips. I had to use some of the internal EQ to get the sound just right
@@cheapaudioman great to hear that, will arrange to go my friend shop and request him to setup the similar system: SMSL SA400 + Denafrips Ares II + Elac 😄
Sprout100 has equivalent power. I paid $699. It has a DAC built-in. And the remote is milled aluminum.
Watching first. have a nice weekend Randy
Tabebuia is SMSL's passive speaker lineup.
Have you compared it to the LSA Warp-1 @$1099?
I have not. Although I would like to
I remember when I bought my Xbox 360 on day-one in 2005, and $300 seemed like a lot of money. That was the threshold (for me) in regards to a normalization of what I thought of as almost too much. Now, it seems like $300 is kind of the starting point, and $600 is the sweet-spot. Am I Mugatu?
Hi Randy . Just because power is not everything this amp is not that competitive at 600 USD.[600 euros in France]I 'd like to have your opinion on the new TOPPING PA 3 S [150 euros in France]Thanks in advance and keep up the good work .
I cook my audiophile stuffing on top of my tube amp!
Yeah at that price I'd go elsewhere. Great review
Can it drive speaker with recommended amplifier power of 50-125 watt per channel @4 ohm without causing any damage!!!!
Yeah. Just don’t turn it up too much
With Yamaha, Cambridge Audio, NAD, Vincent and of course Rotel, all having amps at this price, its hard to persuade someone to get this instead.
How do you compare the sound (not features) to Schiit Vidar/Aegir?
I haven’t heard the Aegier yet. It’s hard to make a direct comparison because of the EQ settings the 400 has. I think the Vidar with a Loki or lokius wins but then it’s more expensive too
@@cheapaudioman thanks for the reply. I just returned a Ragnarok2 (that I really liked) to get a Frey+ and Vidar or Aegir. This little SMSL sa400 is real interesting. With eq setting do you feel it may sound better than Vidar without eq?
@@garyarnold5699 no. The “direct” mode isn’t Quite up to par with the Vidar. They’re getting closer though
At what price point does something become no longer “cheap”. Also what is the bottom of being “Hifi”. Asking as a noob.
Hifi is whatever you want it to be, brother. I love the Aiyima A07 which is $80. Many great options available that sound great. I don't put a label on anything. As long as you enjoy music through it, it's hifi
I don't think you've reviewed Sith Audio's Soylent Green yet - Charlton Heston Approved
That's a great film, underrated, audiophile soundtrack!
This thing is pressed excessively considering the amount of class a b amplifiers that are out there. I don't see them selling a lot of these at least not to me LOL
I bought it. It's hard to find this clean of amp with this much wattage at a price point under $1,000. I was looking at wireless active speakers, but really couldn't find something that had this much power to really give me some punch. I combined this with my PSB CS1000 speakers for a weight room and am really blown away with the imaging and punch. Very clean, very airy combination and while I wanted AMT tweeters I'm happy with the amp and titanium tweeters for those clean highs
They really need a few more features like hi-pass, a streamer & better EQ/balance controls for this market point they want to be in or drop the price to $400ish and throat punch errybody til their gear & designs are ready to stomp the hi-end world
I got a steal on a good pair of towers(JBL580s) & with my very limited budget($4-500ish) for now I'm still waiting to find a nice int-amp so I can enjoy'm. The markets sooo close to being there, but it's tuff as I've been lookin at them in a box for a yr now & I don't know/trust 2nd hand market yet. The price jump on new TA1 puts that on edge but it still don't tick enough boxes at msrp. Somebody will fill that market void soon 🤞🏼😅
I would not want my streamer in the same box as my power amp. Not a recipe for good sound....
Tabebuia .... Hallelujah !!!!
I’m hungry so Sith Audio stuffing sounds good. Buh dum tss.
I bet Behringer A800 is the king of cheap class D. It costs 250 bucks and outputs 400 W into 4 Ohms... and OMG it delivers with tough speakers. I can't believe there is anything that can beat it at even 500 usd new if high power is required.
Had a 60 or 80 watt per channel Rotel class A/B integrated that people raved about. Cost probably close to a $1000 in the early 2000's. It was driving a pair of 4 ohm Swan Diva 4.1 speakers. Never sounded as good as it should have to my ears. Bought a Crown XLS 1002 after watching some RUclips videos and it blew me away how much better it sounded. Speakers finally woke up and the proverbial veil was lifted. Ended up with an XTZ A2-300 which was bit more refined than the Crown. Put a $30 chinese tube preamp in front of it and it sounds fantastic. Class D is a wonder for power starved speakers. I think it's funny that every Class D review on the internet starts with "it doesn't sound like Class D"...
These journeys we go on together are costly.
I've been hearing great reviews about class D amps. I was set on buying a class AB but I think I might actually buy a class D one.
Class A/B Sounds better.
@@AudioGuyBrian I was skeptical about D sounding any different than AB, as I'd used D for over 10 years and it sounded fine. Then I recently did a comparison of a modern D and an old AB on the same set of speakers. The old AB was night and day better across the board. I couldn't believe it. The AB literally sounded 20Hz deeper in the Bass department and Treble sounded cleaner too. Changing Bass and Treble did not improve the sound quality either. I'm afraid inferior stuff is getting pushed just because it's cheaper for manufacturers to make, while selling for the same price and making huge profits.
A good class D amp sounds amazing. And they don't have to cost a ton of money. I would rather have a good system that gives me true sound at a lower volume level than one that blows your ears off and causes listening fatigue.