Looking for a Mini low cost amp that performs (is the Topping MX3 for me?)

[Vixenlotus]

Hi i am looking for a mini low cost amp (under $200 but better if under 150) to drive a set of Pioneer SP-BS22-LRs (not bought yet) for a bedroom. i am going to stream lossless music to it.
I have seen the review of the Topping MX3 and it looks like it could fit the bill however i know i will never use a headphone with it and i will not use Bluetooth. Is there a Topping product that has these stripped away and still will perform well for speakers. Or one that performs a bit better and does not have these on it.

Feel free to recommend other devices as well including alternatives for the speakers. Budget for the whole system should be under $300 US. I could even go with a set of powered bookshelf speakers if i found some that sounded good (i just returned a set of Edifiers that sounded very bad the R1700bt).

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

i am spoiled by my main 2 channel set up with my Conrad Johnson Sonographe SA250 amp and my Revel F30s so i know this will be a compromise.

thank you

 

[Cahudson42]

Given the budget, might an AVR/Receiver compromise be acceptable? For a bedroom that likely will not require ear-shattering volume?

Yamaha R-S202BL Stereo Receiver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EMQI2CU/
$149..

Subjectivist but FYI:

https://www.cnet.com/news/this-149-yamaha-rs-202-stereo-receiver-wowed-the-audiophiliac/

 

[TimW]

Parts Express just got a bunch of FX Audio amps in on Factory Buyout. The quality and performance of these amps is questionable but the prices are killer. I find the D502 Digital amp most interesting.

https://www.parts-express.com/cat/h...eca:matches(.,"P_Searchable","1")]&PortalID=1

 

[Vixenlotus]

The D502 looks very interesting. I wonder how it compares to the Topping MX3.

 

[Cahudson42]

https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...opping-tp60-and-fx-audio-fx502spro-amps.5025/

 

[Vixenlotus]

The fx502 is a very different amp.

 

[BillG]

A number of people over at diyaudio.com love the following - There's a WiFi version of it around with streaming via DLNA/UPnP:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32594479261.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000023.4.38cb63d5vxxK82


Here's a thread at diyaudio.com where it's being discussed - there are some performance measurements included if you dig around a bit:

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/280228-am-v200-fx-audio-d802-optimisation-tpa3116.html

I happen to own one, pictured below though it's no longer in service, and was quite satisfied with it for the price when I was using it...

 

[Webninja]

JBL 305s + Chromecast? Might be a great bang for your buck.

I know I keep posting about the 305s, but for the money I have not found better. Maybe go up to the 308 for more bass.

 

[TimW]

I picked up the FX-Audio FX252A from Parts-Express for a battery powered portable project. For $30 it's a steal, usually I can only get an amplifier board for that much without casework or power supply. The unit feels as well built as older SMSL and Topping products. Maybe not as good as their newer stuff but certainly adequate. What's cool about this unit is the ability to adjust gain using dip switches in the bottom. A lot of these cheap class D amps have way too much gain in an effort to make them seem powerful, which comes at the expense of volume knob usability and noise floor. I'm not going to claim that this or FX-Audio's other amps will perform as well as the Topping MX3, but I doubt you could hear much of a difference between them and this is much cheaper.

BTW you can use coupon code TMK5BB to get $5 off an order of $50 or more this month.

 

[BillG]

Here's a thread at diyaudio.com where it's being discussed - there are some performance measurements included if you dig around a bit:

I actually have the performance measurements from that thread on file on my computer- by the way, I have no idea about the test conditions the person used:

THD:

Frequency response:

Noise levels, dynamic range, etc.- V200 is the one is question: