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Is the SMSL AO200 a true "Digital Amplifier"? (or do the analog inputs bypass its built in dac?)

printerlights

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I'm wondering if the analog inputs on the AO200 bypass its built in dac? All of the marketing material for the AO200 calls the unit a "Digital Amplifier," but that would imply that every signal going through the amp is converted to digital before amplification, is there a way to test if the RCA/XLR inputs are only being amplified and bypassing the dac?
 
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Chrispy

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Not my area of expertise nor am familiar with the marketing of that unit....but seems you're needing an analog to digital conversion to use your analog signal via rca/xlr for the "digital" amplifier, no? Or do you mean providing a digital signal via xlr/rca?
 

Doodski

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Not my area of expertise nor am familiar with the marketing of that unit....but seems you're needing an analog to digital conversion to use your analog signal via rca/xlr for the "digital" amplifier, no? Or do you mean providing a digital signal via xlr/rca?
@bcerauli suspects there is a AD/DA converter in the SMSL AO200 and he wants a method to test and see if there is a AD/DA converter in it. He suspects there might be a AD/DA converter in it because SMSL calls it a digital amplifier. :D .. pant... pant... what a tongue twister...lol! :D
 
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printerlights

printerlights

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Not my area of expertise nor am familiar with the marketing of that unit....but seems you're needing an analog to digital conversion to use your analog signal via rca/xlr for the "digital" amplifier, no? Or do you mean providing a digital signal via xlr/rca?
My understanding is that a true digital amplifier will convert any analog signal you feed it to digital and then back out to analog again, the AO200 does have a USB input (so it definitely has a DAC) but I'm wondering if the RCA/XLR inputs bypass any sort of AD - DA round trip and are only being amplified in an analog state.
 
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DVDdoug

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I think digital means it has Bluetooth & USB inputs...

Otherwise, it appears to be analog.

Their website mentions two chips - One for volume control which appears to be analog with digital control. That chip has some "tone" circuitry built-in so that's probably the extent of the "EQ" and it's also analog.

The other chip is the class-D amplifier chip, and class-D might be called "digital" in marketing terminology. ;) ...Class-D is quantized/digitized in time (at a very-high frequency) while the amplitude remains analog.
 

fpitas

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fpitas

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Isn't that the, "◦ Digital Power Management Algorithm?" :D
Yeah...I guess. I'll have to study that thing to see what's up.
 

Doodski

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...and what is the, "Channel configuration?"
zzzz digital.png
 
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printerlights

printerlights

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sarumbear

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sarumbear

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printerlights

printerlights

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There is no digital audio amplifier!
I understand, but there are some amplifiers which convert all inputs signals back to digital for processing and then back out to analog, and I'm asking if the AO200 is one of those amps
 

sarumbear

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I understand, but there are some amplifiers which convert all inputs signals back to digital for processing and then back out to analog, and I'm asking if the AO200 is one of those amps
There are no power amplifiers that does that.

Look at their volume control chip; it’s analogue.

 

sarumbear

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It is a class-d integrated amplifier with a digital input. Power amplifier is still analogue. Read the specs.
 
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