New cutie from SMSL - A50

[redDEAD]

We need a thread about amp/speaker (active) hiss,pop sound turning them on/off like quietest active minitors on gearspace

"Quietest" Active Monitors? Hiss, etc - Gearspace.com

So it seems well established that most, if not all, ACTIVE monitors, emit some sort of self-noise or hiss when they're on standby (with no music playin

gearspace.com

How are you going to quantify and compare "hiss" on separate components with varying speaker configurations? You link to a 9 year old thread with ~60 posts and no activity from Oct 2015 to June 2023.

This is budget chi-fi for fun small setups. No pop when using line in / bluetooth. Like any speaker setup you're gonna hear "hiss" when crank the volume up and you put your ear next to the tweeter with no audio playing and powered on.

For a $65 amp that you pair with cheap speakers your not gonna get perfection but there is no audiable hiss when close to the speakers with volume maxed at 100. Your gonna have to search for hiss when your unit is at normal volume, 30 ish, and your not right on top of the tweeter.

 

[Joe Smith]

This is a cute guy but for just a little more money, the AO100 is a great little BT/line input amp from SMSL, with remote control, good sound. Also worth checking out. I keep pushing this model because SMSL has so many amps, it gets lost in the shuffle.

 

[redDEAD]

This is a cute guy but for just a little more money, the AO100 is a great little BT/line input amp from SMSL, with remote control, good sound. Also worth checking out. I keep pushing this model because SMSL has so many amps, it gets lost in the shuffle.

Check my signature, been using the AO100 for about a year now to power my PC speaker setup. I also have no complaints about the amp. AO100 is definitely the way to go especially if you want to use a subwoofer. Has a great thread on the forums, https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...00-amplifier-class-d-subjective-review.37398/

Best part of that thread is the second post recommend people spend a little more and buying the SMSL A300.

I don't think I would use the A50 for anything more than a fun satellite system in a bedroom, but in the three months I've had it never gotten in my way. Just easy to use, powers on/off quickly, and lets my speakers do their thing.

 

[gasolin75]

Check my signature, been using the AO100 for about a year now to power my PC speaker setup. I also have no complaints about the amp. AO100 is definitely the way to go especially if you want to use a subwoofer. Has a great thread on the forums, https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...00-amplifier-class-d-subjective-review.37398/

Best part of that thread is the second post recommend people spend a little more and buying the SMSL A300.

The infineon ma 12070 don't have much power, under 2x20 watt in 8 ohm and no more than 40-43 watt in 4 ohm, i think it's 1% thd, 4 ohm okay, 8 ohm only 88-90 db sensitive speakers would be okay, loud enough and even then there are people who don't think 2x50 watt and 88-90db sensitive speakers isn't loud enough for them

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Finally unpacked the a50. The speaker terminals when using bare wire isn't the best experience. I would avoid this. Wish the RCA terminals were colored, but this is fine.
Hooked this up to an old Cambridge soundworks ensemble IV 2."1" system I have sitting around. Drives them easily. Playing with the tone controls yielding that the Rock (EQ 3) or Direct (Eq 0) sound best for this setup.

The manual tone controls are not too great.

Tried the bluetooth to verify operation and seems to work just fine, need more testing.
Moved on to watching some TV via the RCA inputs. Sounds as good as this set can sound from my experience with these speakers. Dialog is very clear and no noise from the AMP when the input is selected, but no sound is playing.

I'm not sure how to change inputs without the remote, but I don't know how often I need this. The display is great and easy to read from a distance, making volume adjustments is great.

I have a ten band EQ I might toss into this setup to see if that really brings out the best of the setup, but it seems to do the job. I MAY pick up a better set of speakers as the current ones are just barely above that of a small soundbar from today's standards lol.

I still have the Ensemble IV set I bought in the '90s to use with the VCR and Onkyo 30wpc receiver I had. I used them in a bedroom system till a couple of years ago.

 

[Joe Smith]

The infineon ma 12070 don't have much power, under 2x20 watt in 8 ohm and no more than 40-43 watt in 4 ohm, i think it's 1% thd, 4 ohm okay, 8 ohm only 88-90 db sensitive speakers would be okay, loud enough and even then there are people who don't think 2x50 watt and 88-90db sensitive speakers isn't loud enough for them

I don't think the AO100 is a good match for a very large room, or for inefficient speakers, but it's great in a medium sized room with normal listening volume, with 6 ohm nominal speakers. It definitely does not play as loud as an Aiyima A07 amp with the 32v power supply.

So much of the recent discussion around our class D amp choices has bent to "how much power can we push them to deliver" but that's not the use case for a lot of people who normally listen at moderate volumes. And if I wanted to go to very high volumes, frankly, I'd pony up for a new Hypex or Purifi amp that are a better match for that kind of use.

 

[gasolin75]

it's just that you don't choose speakers based on there sensitivity

if you happen to have low sensitivity speakers this amp is only okay in 4 ohm

If you think 2x70-80 watt in 4 ohm is enough even for low sensitivity speakers, you have a problem with infineon 12070 chiped amps

Low dynamic,no punchy sound,bass

 

[Joe Smith]

All my speakers are between 87 and 92 efficiency, mix of 8 ohm nominal speakers and 6 ohm nominal. Get good sound from the AO100 for low to normal listening. Yes, sure, more power is ideal if wanting to play loud (+85 dB).

 

[jbattman1016]

I still have the Ensemble IV set I bought in the '90s to use with the VCR and Onkyo 30wpc receiver I had. I used them in a bedroom system till a couple of years ago.

Yeah, I'm still using this with the AMP. I enjoy how quickly the bluetooth connection comes up on this device. I'm still tempted to change the speakers to something else, but I use it sooo infrequently I can not justify.