Recent content by gjm

I look forward to hearing how you get on.

I'm unsure what you are expecting from a budget phono stage. You're not going to get the latest, greatest, cutting-edge tech. A well-implemented older solution is a good solution and in combination with contemporary designs, can out-perform many rushed-to-market items. Compare with DACs - there...

Review the blurb on the website - it may answer some of your questions. If we are fortunate, @amirm will have an opportunity to work his magic at some stage, and then we will know more from an independent source.

https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/915.html Promo info includes: "Two years of tuning The PH-1 wasn’t rushed. Over 50 op-amps were tested. The board was revised more than five times. Dozens of MM cartridges were auditioned. The end result is a phono amp that sounds refined...

I'd not describe buying a Z8 as wasting money... It's a superb piece of kit and in terms of function, features and performance, probably knocks the Rotel into next week. Does it sound 'better' to you? That's a whole other question. I recently heard a slightly modified EAD DSP9000 in a...

It is a great product. Talk to @Michael Fidler . He may be able to ship internationally.

Simple, well-designed kit built with quality parts does perform very well. (Proof evident from Michael!)

I've bought a Z8. Secondhand (will see what the previous owner is using now!). Why a Z8? The price (used) was right, the spec we all know to be good, and the variety of inputs provides most of the connectivity I want to use. Essentially - on paper, it meets my requirements. Now I just need to...

What DAC do you use? Why did you pick that one?

I did specifically mention the (official) SMSL 'shop' site: https://smsl.shop/collections/dac.

SU-X no longer appears on the SMSL shop site.

The link is the easy bit. :) What's inside?

USD 15k. Anyone got any inside info? Any details of design and similar? What's in the box? Snake oil and marketeering, or something worth further investigation? (Disclaimer - I don't have $15k for a PC in a fancy case.)

To clarify: Aging - it is now a 4-year-old model. That's not old, but in a market where manufacturers release new models at least twice a year, it is older. And that means there are some available as used models. Current models from some manufacturers will return a better technical result...

Given the aging of this product, and the incessant drive to release the bigger-better-faster-more next thing, this may not be cheap but will represent a very nice (probably) lightly-used entry into boutique hifi. Is it technically better than more recent products? Unlikely. But for those that...