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LifeOnMercury
53
Oct 14, 2017
I think the guy who sold me his sap9 via eBay was someone in this discussion board. Well, generally this is an interesting toy to play with and it’s the cheapest balanced headphone amp you can find (at least it looks like a balanced amp LOL). Cokeman is right, this amp’s single-ended output is not really powerful but the balanced output has the strength to drive hd6xx/650/600/580. I honestly don’t know whether it’s “true balanced” or not (though SMSL clamis it’s true balanced) but I can tell when using its xlr inputs (if you have a DAC with balanced xlr out) the amp’s balanced output indeed sounds different than the single-ended out. For hd650, sap9’s balanced headphone jack could make the headphones‘ low end sound more “solid” than using the single-ended. And what about a better channel separation that a balanced amp is meant to have? I have to say not so much you can hear. So what is its overall sound signature? Bright as someone here suggested? Yup, sort of bright. However IMO sap9’s problem is “thin and flat” rather than just “bright“. The thin sound sig actually makes you feel it’s bright. So is it worth buying? Go for it if you happen to already have a balanced DAC and a pair of hd6xx/650/600 with balanced cable and you don’t want to spend at least $300 to buy a single-ended amp that is capable of powering the infamously hard-to-drive Senn’s 6 series. Sap9 won’t bring you those fancy terms such as “vast soundstage”, “deep bass”, “airy”-you name it; but it can at least give your balanced hd650 an acceptable solid sound that most sub-100 singl-ended amps wouldn’t be able to have. Plus, don’t forget it has a balanced 2.5mm jack for IEMs or some balanced portable headphones from Pioneer. Ok, so far it sounds like sap9 is kinda not bad but why did I call it “toy” in the beginning? That’s because I am using it for my PC video game system LOL (check out my picture). Sap9 might not be good enough to match the word “audiophile“ but it can truly enhance your experience with the finest video games. A balanced system plus a pair of hifi headphones are better than those blinking 5.1/7.1 gaming headsets, IMHO.
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Cokeman
1971
Oct 15, 2017
LifeOnMercuryIt is not true balanced even if you use the balanced connector unless you have a fully balanced DAC and run dual XLRs from the DAC to the AMP. But like I said, if you have money for a fully balanced DAC, you have money for a Amp that costs more than $85.
http://www.schiit.com/products/gungnir
LifeOnMercury
53
Oct 16, 2017
CokemanRight, it needs a full balanced DAC. Luckily you can find some cheap balanced DACs - just like my TEAC UD H01 - on eBay for only about 100 bucks. So if someone wants to build a balanced ststem on a really tight budget this sap9 is the one worth considering. An $100 balanced DAC plus an $84 balanced amp are much much much better than a $200 DAC that only has single-ended out.
Jackula
1743
Oct 16, 2017
LifeOnMercuryIs that the feline cat set? It's the best looking set, but I prefer playing with the griffin.
NJboneless
377
Oct 16, 2017
LifeOnMercuryUpvote for Witcher ;)
RJTK
5
Oct 16, 2017
LifeOnMercuryDo you have any experience with this cheap balanced DAC you mention?
LifeOnMercury
53
Oct 16, 2017
JackulaYes it’s master feline set. I like the griffin too.
LifeOnMercury
53
Oct 16, 2017
RJTKI’m using it right now for my gaming system. It’s a balanced 24/192 DAC with decent sound. It’s not fantastic because it doesn’t have great dynamics and wide soundstage, and imaging is just so so, and there is no DSD support. But it is truly the cheapest balanced DAC you can find ( preowned on eBay for about $100 to $150) and its sound is good enough for hd650. However there are not so many of them coming out for sale so you might have to wait for some time.
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