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Showing 1 of 27 conversations about:
painfulpanda
13
Mar 23, 2016
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This is not for thos kind of people. This is a cheaply made Chinese amp. Nobody is throwing Audeze's at this thing. You're on the wrong product page, bruh
painfulpanda
13
Mar 24, 2016
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YakovSMSL doesn't really make any high-end gear. I'd say all of their stuff is just mass produced chi-fi. I've tried using a sAp ii, which broke in 2 days, an M8 and it didn't sound any better than their SD793-ii. When I graduated to an NFB-28, the difference was crystal clear. They both (M8 and NFB) use an ES9018, but Audio-GD at least implemented everything perfectly to really bring out the chips capabilities. SMSL just wanted it as a marketing point.
I don't know what community would shun anyone for starting with motherboard audio. Everyone's gotta Start somewhere. I bought HD600's and HE-400i's before I bought any DAC or amp because that's the device that actually makes the sound.
My advice, if you wanna get in on the glory of truly great audio, then don't waste time with this cheaply made Chinese mass market crap. Get something well made and well thought out. And China does still have well made stuff as long as it's engineered properly
I don't know what community would shun anyone for starting with motherboard audio. Everyone's gotta Start somewhere. I bought HD600's and HE-400i's before I bought any DAC or amp because that's the device that actually makes the sound.
My advice, if you wanna get in on the glory of truly great audio, then don't waste time with this cheaply made Chinese mass market crap. Get something well made and well thought out. And China does still have well made stuff as long as it's engineered properly
AudioSentinel
59
Mar 24, 2016
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painfulpandaAnd what, exactly, would be "well made and well thought out" alternative to SMSL VA2, for $79.99?
Also, he said SMSL is a respected company, not that they make high-end gear. You read what is not there, which says more about you than SMSL gear.
Also, he said SMSL is a respected company, not that they make high-end gear. You read what is not there, which says more about you than SMSL gear.
painfulpanda
13
Mar 24, 2016
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AudioSentinelI'd take a Schiit Magni 2 over this for $10-$20 more. Plus it wouldn't take over a month to receive. Even an O2 can be had second hand for this price.
This is desk jewelry.
This is desk jewelry.
painfulpanda
13
Mar 24, 2016
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jesh462I don't care for most Schiit product, but I'd be lying if I didn't think the Magni 2 was better than this is every way. It is far more powerful, so there is room to grow. It could power basically any headphone. This VMV SMSL would struggle with 600ohm Beyerdynamics. I also think it looks just as good, personally.
PaulMD
70
Mar 24, 2016
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AudioSentinelIn my experience SMSL is mostly known for ultra-cheap speaker amplifiers in the $50-100 range. I can't speak to this one specifically, but their others are OK for the price (and nothing more). They're cheaply-built Chinese junk, their performance isn't fantastic, and their power ratings are quite optimistic at best, but it's easy to forgive faults in an amplifier that costs $50.
But, if you can swing an extra $20, the Objective2 (Massdrop has these for $100+s/h) or Schiit Magni2 are both very nice amplifiers from reputable designers. Don't fall into the trap of false economy.
But, if you can swing an extra $20, the Objective2 (Massdrop has these for $100+s/h) or Schiit Magni2 are both very nice amplifiers from reputable designers. Don't fall into the trap of false economy.
painfulpanda
13
Mar 25, 2016
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PaulMDThank you. He is right, I have some respect for SMSL, but it is far from "audiophile" grade. Most headphone nuts I know (even more than me) love to gush over their gear as much as their cans.
If you don't have a lot of money, sometimes a cheap Fiio e10k or SD793-ii can suffice, but I highly reccomend saving for something with proper specs listed at least. Like you said an O2/ODAC or Schiit stack is leagues better and a person wouldn't need an upgrade to power stuff like the MassDrop/Fostex TH-x00.
The price for an actually good dac and amp has come down so much that it is more logical to get something actially good and respected (among enthusiasts). Spend the extra $20
If you don't have a lot of money, sometimes a cheap Fiio e10k or SD793-ii can suffice, but I highly reccomend saving for something with proper specs listed at least. Like you said an O2/ODAC or Schiit stack is leagues better and a person wouldn't need an upgrade to power stuff like the MassDrop/Fostex TH-x00.
The price for an actually good dac and amp has come down so much that it is more logical to get something actially good and respected (among enthusiasts). Spend the extra $20
PaulMD
70
Mar 25, 2016
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painfulpandaI think if you are trying to skate on the cheap side of things you don't even really need the DAC. Your iPod or whatever is probably fine. Yeah 24/96 or 24/192 is nice and all, but at the end of the day most people only have 16/44.1 audio sources like CDs or iTunes files.
Motherboard audio chipsets in particular can be a little sketchy, and subject to some interference from all the RF energy and electrical noise put off by the rest of your system. But if I was going to skimp somewhere it would definitely be on the DAC rather than the amp - I'd much rather get a $100 amp than a $50 amp+$50 DAC.
Motherboard audio chipsets in particular can be a little sketchy, and subject to some interference from all the RF energy and electrical noise put off by the rest of your system. But if I was going to skimp somewhere it would definitely be on the DAC rather than the amp - I'd much rather get a $100 amp than a $50 amp+$50 DAC.
painfulpanda
13
Mar 25, 2016
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PaulMDI'd agree with you there. I bought a monoprice 3.5mm to RCA cable and a Magni 2U to power HD600's and DT880's because it made more sense to just use my motherboard since it was already available to me.
Now that I have an NFB-11 though, I can certainly see the purpose in having a good DAC, even for 16/44.1. The cost of a good DAC nowadays isn't very high though.
Now that I have an NFB-11 though, I can certainly see the purpose in having a good DAC, even for 16/44.1. The cost of a good DAC nowadays isn't very high though.
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