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Iridist

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Mar 6, 2024
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So I'm looking at a pair of headphones (maybe the Ananda Nano's) as well as a set of passive speakers for nearfield listening at a desktop setup (KEF Q150's). So far I've considered the Topping E30 II/L30 II Stack, JDS Atom 2 Stack, and Schiit Modi/Magni Stack. But then I came across the SMSL DO100, HO100, and AO100 stack (DAC, Headphone AMP, and Speaker AMP), which looks way more uniform than a amp/dac + a seperate speaker amp. Are there any combos like the SMSL one with all three units that works well for my needs (or is the SMSL stack comparible with the stacks mentioned above?) or should i stick to a normal amp/dac stack or combo unit instead while the speaker amp is seperate?
 
oh cool, a triple combo unit didnt even cross my mind. how would they compare dedicated units (stacks)? i can see they're less expensive, would they be alright to power Ananda Nano's and KEF Q150's well?
 
For $223 used with warranty you can get an SMSL AO300 all in one. If it's got enough power for you, can't beat it.
 
For $223 used with warranty you can get an SMSL AO300 all in one. If it's got enough power for you, can't beat it.
This looks quite nice, thanks! Don't mean to sound redundant, but I'd assume they would work well with ananda's and kef q150's? And I'm also not too familiarized with comparing amp or dac chips, how does the amp/dac performance of the ao300 compare to lets say the topping 30 ii stack? And the power amp too, which admittedly i havent done nearly as much research on as amp/dacs, but compared to something like loxjie a30, fosi v3 or smsl as300, how does it compare?
 
This looks quite nice, thanks! Don't mean to sound redundant, but I'd assume they would work well with ananda's and kef q150's? And I'm also not too familiarized with comparing amp or dac chips, how does the amp/dac performance of the ao300 compare to lets say the topping 30 ii stack? And the power amp too, which admittedly i havent done nearly as much research on as amp/dacs, but compared to something like loxjie a30, fosi v3 or smsl as300, how does it compare?
I imagine that you are looking at those two devices being audibly indistinguishable from one another (the Fosi vrs SMSL). I own the A0300, and it is a decent little device for sure. I use it streaming Bluetooth from my phone and I play the drums along too music. The A0300 is powering some old Celestion DL-8 series 2 speakers. I do feel that the DL-8s have lost a small amount of high frequency presentation with the A0300, but I have no measurements to back that subjective impression up with.

And even if this perception of mine is true, that does not mean that your speakers will interact with the A0300 in the same manner. Some Class D amps I understand show this frequency dependance to varying degrees, and the review of the A300 (same amplifier) shows some potential for this type of frequency dependent interaction, but how audible it will be (if audible at all) depends on the speaker. I certainly would give the A0300 a try. If you get it from Amazon for instance, and it just doesn't work to your satisfaction, you could return it. I did with the A300 which I started with, but I did not feel the Bluetooth was up to snuff with the A300. The A0300 in comparison has better Bluetooth support.
 
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