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86% would recommend to a friend 
SMSL AD18 Bluetooth & USB Power Amplifier
01 / 07
SMSL AD18 Bluetooth & USB Power Amplifier
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Product Description
A compact, versatile DAC/amp for powering your entire audio setup, the SMSL AD18 supports a wide range of inputs, including USB, optical, coaxial, auxiliary, and Bluetooth 4.2. Connect it to your computer and use it to drive your headphones with an amp or to power your passive speakers Read More
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Customer Reviews
4.2
(83 reviews)
5star(44)
4star(25)
3star(5)
2star(7)
1star(2)
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keyboard_arrow_downMuLy
5
May 2, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Je suis français, je vais donc écrire en français pour les francophones.
C'est un excellent périphérique, énormément de pêche ! Léger et robuste il se placera partout dans la maison, le mien je l'ai branché pour une platine vinyle preamplifiée et pouvoir écouter ses vinyles avec autant de force ça n'a pas de prix. Le nombre d'entrées qu'il possède est excellent ! Une micro USB pour s'en servir sur un ordinateur, une coaxiale pour s'en servir avec énormément de périphériques, une entrée aux, et le Bluetooth c'est juste parfait !
Le seul défaut c'est de prévoir tous les câbles pour brancher tout ce petit monde, la coaxiale est sur la même jack que la sortie pour le caisson de basse...
Absolument pas déçu de mon achat je recommande.
C'est un excellent périphérique, énormément de pêche ! Léger et robuste il se placera partout dans la maison, le mien je l'ai branché pour une platine vinyle preamplifiée et pouvoir écouter ses vinyles avec autant de force ça n'a pas de prix. Le nombre d'entrées qu'il possède est excellent ! Une micro USB pour s'en servir sur un ordinateur, une coaxiale pour s'en servir avec énormément de périphériques, une entrée aux, et le Bluetooth c'est juste parfait !
Le seul défaut c'est de prévoir tous les câbles pour brancher tout ce petit monde, la coaxiale est sur la même jack que la sortie pour le caisson de basse...
Absolument pas déçu de mon achat je recommande.
Pro7484
9
Feb 20, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
I got better sound out of my speakers using a schitt fulla 2 output to a smsl a-50. Not as loud as the AD18 but I believe the fulla dac made a noticeable difference over it. The headphone out is lacking in power. Using the knob to change anything (inputs/volume) requires someone who doesn't get angered easily. If it wasn't wired to everything already, I would have chucked it across the room by now. The AD18 is a budget combo with lots of power. I wasn't expecting something amazing so I'm fine with the purchase.
MrCharlz
10
May 6, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
This was exactly what I was looking for in a desktop speaker amp. It has all the features I wanted and a few nice-to-haves that I wouldn't have thought to ask for. When looking for an upgrade over my previous amp, the Dayton Audio DTA3116HP, I wanted something that kept the banana connectors and headphone output, while adding a built-in DAC and outputs for a powered sub-woofer, all without being enormous or outrageously expensive. The AD18 ticks all of these boxes and then keeps on going, including Bluetooth 4.2 w/NFC pairing and a full-featured remote. It does have some quirks, like the "1" volume level that produces no sound despite also having a level 0 and the generic remote (w/SMSL branding) that includes function-less buttons. For me, these are minor faults for something that under-promises and over-delivers in every other area especially at this price point.
MrCharlz
10
Oct 30, 2019
MrCharlzUpdate: From day one I had weird issues with a ticking/clicking sound on the headphone output. It would happen at any volume level and regardless of input (USB, analog, optical, Bluetooth) but it never affected the speakers. I spent a lot of time troubleshooting and trying to see if anyone was having similar issues to no avail. Eventually I just gave up and reverted to using the on-board audio from my PC when using headphones. Recently I reworked some of the network hardware around my desk and the issue seems to have gone away. My guess is that the power line network adapter that I removed (Netgear PLP1200) was causing enough interference in the power to affect the headphone output's amplifier. My suggestion would be to make sure you have relatively clean power running to this amp to avoid/resolve audio issues.
(Edited)
Xnightcrawl
198
Apr 30, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Overall I'm happy with this purchase. It sounds great with my old Klipsch KG 2.5. I took a star off due to the headphone amplifier. I tested the headphone amplifier w/ my BT 880 Pro 250 Ohm and AKG M220 Pro. I am not an audiophile but the sound was underwhelming. I would recommend this product for a speaker amp, but get a separate amplifier for your headphones.
Update:
After the date of purchase Mar 31, 2019, optical port broke. Luckily I can still use the use the AUX in from my FX-Audio DAC-X6. I think it broke when I was rearranging my desktop setup. I had to unplug/plug the optical cable a few times. I removed another star due to this durability issue.
(Edited)
AUTigerFan
148
Jun 30, 2020
I noticed that the BT antenna is a bit fussy. Had to make sure that it was screwed in very tightly in order to receive a BT signal.
veermaharaj
17
Oct 12, 2020
AUTigerFanGood idea. I got an S.M.S.L SA300 and it is miles ahead of this in terms of BT Performance and everything else.
(Edited)
impactoman
3
Mar 22, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
I am loving my SMSL ad18. Ordered in January 2019. I received the third revision according to the info in the units menu. This version came with a combination optical in, coax in, and mono out for subwoofer. It also had the color changing dimmable screen. NFC works as intended.
Sounds great. Looks great. I love it.
GamrCreed
50
Jan 15, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
User control sucks and remote has several buttons that literally do absolutely nothing (even according to manual) which tells me it's a half @$$3D product.. However, with that aside I bought this to handle output from PC to either speakers (300W) (2 mid and 1 high per channel) or some headphone monitors which it does very well surprisingly. Works great because in windows I can default all media to optical out and all VOIP calls to my bluetooth headset for work without it messing up my music or constantly having to change inputs so thus it does do what I bought it for.
MitchRusso
51
Sep 27, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
The sound quality is not what I expected, but it's pretty good especially for the price paid. Overall I am please with the amp but there's a problem with the remote. When I first received the unit, the remote was broken. I fiddled around with it for hours trying to get the amp to work with bluetooth, which I finally did. The company responded and sent me another remote, which worked for about 2 months. Now it's broken too.
The sound stage is compressed, the dynamic range feels constricted but the sound is loud, clear and lacks artifacts. I am used to the warm tube sound of the McIntosh MC60's which are all those things and more.
I don't have a need to a headphone amp, but after reading the reviews here, I wouldn't bother if thats the only reason I am buying it.
The sound stage is compressed, the dynamic range feels constricted but the sound is loud, clear and lacks artifacts. I am used to the warm tube sound of the McIntosh MC60's which are all those things and more.
I don't have a need to a headphone amp, but after reading the reviews here, I wouldn't bother if thats the only reason I am buying it.
kmathieu2220
79
Sep 28, 2018
MitchRussoAre you POSITIVE the remote is broken? If you press the "B" or "C" button it makes the whole remote stop working and you have to press the "A" button to make it work again. Not sure if that helps at all! I have this for my TV/media set up and really like it personally. Gives me a small and good looking solution with a remote to get plenty of watts to my speakers from both my TV and record player.
AUTigerFan
148
Oct 9, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Great for my home office
Replaced my Yamaha receiver and cheap BT receiver. Connects easily to my iPhone 8, iPad Air 2, and Mac Pro 5,1. Like that it does NOT auto connect to paired devices. Great sound from my Polk bookshelf speakers. Great value.
Recommends this product? Yes
AUTigerFan
148
Dec 24, 2019
AUTigerFanPrevious purchase was installed in my home office. Just purchased another to put in my work office - to connect to my iPhone 8, iPad Air 2, and another Mac Pro 5,1. Will first connect to my spare Bose 101s or Baby Advents before I decide to buy a new set of speakers.
claynpotter
2
Sep 19, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Worked nicely, but died within a year. No support/response from manufacturer.
-Update: the DAC's LCD stopped working after about 10 months of use, then completely dead within a week later.
I contact the company for warranty service, no response after multiple attempt.
It was good while lasted, but died within a year, and no support.
I'll never buy this company's product in the future. What a waste of money.
Powerful sound with enhance bass. I'm using it with my 20 years old bookshelf speaker and it sounds amazing. No driver needed to use as PC DAC. Just plug in to USB port and you are good to go. One thing I don't like about this unit is that you have to manually switch between headset from speaker (or vice versa) - you would expect, if you plug in headset, it'll switch over to headset from speaker automatically.... Works nicely with my Audio-Technica headset.
(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
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It's a good thing I hardly ever need to change inputs or any other settings, because the selector knob interface is hard to navigate. It's easy to get into a mode without a clear indication of how to get out.
The sound quality is better than anything else I've had in a garage, mostly because the entire input signal path is digital, so there's no interference from electric motors, lights, etc. Sound output levels are plenty without overdriving anything. Clarity is excellent whether I'm playing Coltrane at moderate levels when I'm standing at the bench, or Stevie Ray Vaughn at much higher levels when I'm under the car.