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Jaggi
737
Aug 31, 2016
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NakedChineseIt's op-amp based, I suspect you'd have a hard time finding an amp built with all discrete components at this kind of price.
Here's a quote taken from the head-fi thread I linked above:
"The smsl SAP-8 is a fine little amp for the money, but no one seems to know about it. Most places have it for $100, but I got mine for about $85 shipped, although it took 3 weeks to arrive. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's detailed and warm, with a large soundstage. It advertises "soft class A sounds", but I don't know if it's true class A. The softer sounds seem to come from the 3 op amps (brand VMV). I replaced them temporarily with my own LME49990, which are quite good, but I think the smsl op amps are a little better. Maybe they are trying to copy the famous MUSES01 op amp."
There's a picture of the internals on this page: http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/smsl-sap-8-cnc-class-a-hifi-home-stereo-headphone-amplifier-mkp-alps-tocos.html
It'll be a shame if this drop doesn't get enough buyers to go ahead just because the sap-8 isn't surrounded by the hype of some other smsl products. Based on everything I've been able to find out this is likely one of their best headphone amps, and having the option of balanced xlr input in addition to standard rca is a great little bonus for testing purposes if nothing else!
Here's a quote taken from the head-fi thread I linked above:
"The smsl SAP-8 is a fine little amp for the money, but no one seems to know about it. Most places have it for $100, but I got mine for about $85 shipped, although it took 3 weeks to arrive. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's detailed and warm, with a large soundstage. It advertises "soft class A sounds", but I don't know if it's true class A. The softer sounds seem to come from the 3 op amps (brand VMV). I replaced them temporarily with my own LME49990, which are quite good, but I think the smsl op amps are a little better. Maybe they are trying to copy the famous MUSES01 op amp."
There's a picture of the internals on this page: http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/smsl-sap-8-cnc-class-a-hifi-home-stereo-headphone-amplifier-mkp-alps-tocos.html
It'll be a shame if this drop doesn't get enough buyers to go ahead just because the sap-8 isn't surrounded by the hype of some other smsl products. Based on everything I've been able to find out this is likely one of their best headphone amps, and having the option of balanced xlr input in addition to standard rca is a great little bonus for testing purposes if nothing else!
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