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NEW SMSL Headphone AMP HO200: It looks like the SH-8s on steroids

kiyu

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I'm sorry for my poor English, but can someone please help me?

I had a hard time deciding between the "A90" and the "HO200", but in the end I bought the new HO200.

When I received the product, I turned the gain switch to MID and was very satisfied with the clear sound that came out of it.
However, when I switch the gain to HIGH, there is always an obtrusive noise coming through.

By the way, when it is on HIGH, the noise continues to flow even when no song is being output.

Is my unit the only one that is malfunctioning?
I am Not an owner of the HO200 or A90, so I can't help you much, but..when you said a "noise" is like hizzzzz like distortion ? or a different kind of sound? .
if your headphone is IEM and you put in high gain, that could happen,
which headphone are you using? how many ohms?
 

avoidwork

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I'm sorry for my poor English, but can someone please help me?

I had a hard time deciding between the "A90" and the "HO200", but in the end I bought the new HO200.

When I received the product, I turned the gain switch to MID and was very satisfied with the clear sound that came out of it.
However, when I switch the gain to HIGH, there is always an obtrusive noise coming through.

By the way, when it is on HIGH, the noise continues to flow even when no song is being output.

Is my unit the only one that is malfunctioning?
Hi, mine is silent on high gain without signal. Do you get the noise when no inputs are connected, and only power?
 

nakanock

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I am Not an owner of the HO200 or A90, so I can't help you much, but..when you said a "noise" is like hizzzzz like distortion ? or a different kind of sound? .
if your headphone is IEM and you put in high gain, that could happen,
which headphone are you using? how many ohms?
Thank you.
If I had to describe the noise, it would be "zhihhhh", not a swelling high-pitched sound.
I used HD650 (300ohm), DT990PRO (250ohm), and K812 (32ohm). I get the same noise sound with other headphones.
Hi, mine is silent on high gain without signal. Do you get the noise when no inputs are connected, and only power?
Thank you. It's nice to hear from another owner.

No, there is no noise when the input cable is not plugged in.
But when I plug in the input cable, the same noise flows whether it's XLR or RCA input. It's the same noise for inputs from different DACs.
 

kiyu

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Thank you.
If I had to describe the noise, it would be "zhihhhh", not a swelling high-pitched sound.
I used HD650 (300ohm), DT990PRO (250ohm), and K812 (32ohm). I get the same noise sound with other headphones.

Thank you. It's nice to hear from another owner.

No, there is no noise when the input cable is not plugged in.
But when I plug in the input cable, the same noise flows whether it's XLR or RCA input. It's the same noise for inputs from different DACs.
Hmmm well again, I am not an expert, but that shouldn't be there,
please wait for other comments, in the mean time If I were you I would try to record that issue on a video and upload it to youtube or someplace and send that video to the seller, like hey I got this issue, this doesn't seem to be normal, please confirm.. something like that.
 

nakanock

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The subsequent noise problem with the HO200 is still unresolved, but I realized that the cause is just a ground loop, so I'll report it.

PC --(USB)--> DAC-A --(XLR)--> HO200 <--(RCA)--DAC-B <--(USB)--PC

The noise only occurs when the HO200's RCA and XLR inputs are connected from two different DACs, respectively.
One DAC is a USB-powered & data-transfer model, and the noise did not occur when connected to a fully battery-powered macbook pro, which is different from the aforementioned PC.

Therefore, I believe that the loop has been completed in the HO200.
However, I need to figure out how to solve this problem, because ideally I would like to bundle it from one PC via two DACs into the HO200.

Note that I don't understand why the noise is only audible at high gain, and why the noise is almost the same volume whether the volume is at minimum or maximum.
 

avoidwork

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@nakanock does the pc have wireless peripherals? i have a roon raspberry pi under my desk that picks up noise from an iphone8 while both devices are on 5ghz wifi. the trigger device is the phone doing background data syncs.

I started trying to fix a ground loop only to find it was a wireless issue.
 

nakanock

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@avoidwork Thank you. The wireless devices that are connected to my PC are my keyboard and Google Pixel.
However, there are too many other devices nearby, Wifi Router, other smartphones, PS5, etc. to turn them all off, unfortunately it seems impossible for me.
I'm looking into ways to isolate either the USB or RCA cables.
 

d'Brit

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Hey guys,
I just watched a well done, positive review of the HO200 @13th Note HiFi reviews
He mentioned a 6W/3W spec VS what's stated here, so I looked it up.
Quote from SMSL webpage: "High output power, 16 ohm output power up to 6W, 32 ohms up to 3W"
 

robertospeed

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I bought an SMSL HO200 today, as soon as I get to you let me know if my emits the noise, I hope so much, because I have already had a bad asperience with iFi Neo iDSD with the headphone output that I felt Ziiiiiiiiiii
 

nakanock

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Hi there

I received a replacement from the dealer for the noise that only occurs when using the RCA and XLR inputs of the HO200 simultaneously and at high gain.

I tried the new HO200 and there was no change in that situation. So I understood that this is a specification of the HO200.

Perhaps this is caused by the fact that the gain setting of this model is 17db higher in the "high" range than in the "middle" range.

Well, now that I know that I can dodge the noise by separating the power supply of the USB-DAC, I'm okay with this.

However, I found one more problem.

When I stick the 4.4mm plug all the way in, I can't hear the left side of the sound from the headphones.
Of course, that's something that works fine with other amplifiers.

I'm getting a little tired of my lack of luck.
 

kkeretic

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When I stick the 4.4mm plug all the way in, I can't hear the left side of the sound from the headphones.
Of course, that's something that works fine with other amplifiers.
Does everything work ok if you don't plug the connector all the way in? I have the same problem with one of mine balanced cables and my Topping A50 on its 2.5mm output. Got this to adapt the cable to 4.4mm to be used on A50s and got a few plastic transparent spacers included in the box for such a case there are construction/positioning differences of sockets and plugs (as I read somewhere that it serves that purpose). When I put one of those spacers on the connector everything works OK.
 

nakanock

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@kkeretic I see, that's good. If I unplug it just a little bit, it will sound right, and indeed, using a spacer might be the solution.
However, I may need to tweak it so that it can be used commonly with my iBasso DC04, but I'll give it a try.
 

robertospeed

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It does not make any noise to me, I have tried in xlr and rca, and high, I have an SMSL SU-9 DAC, and the meze 99 classic headphones, I do not hear buzzes and uncles, when I had ifi neo idsd, I heard ziiiiiiiii, this SMSL HO200 it's really powerful. I found only one flaw, when I turn down the volume I always hear the music, but very softly, but you can hear it, apart from that it is excellent for me. I tried only with headphones and balanced cable 4.4.
 

spiritofjerry

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They need to start making more combo units with things like analogue inputs and maybe even digital outputs in the top end products.
I remember when Audio-GD NFB-11 was making all the hype some years ago, and precisely because it filled a very specific niche. It measured terribly, and had a high noise floor compared to today's implementations, but it was a very good product because it did sound good, and it was designed well and was built like a tank. A lot of these desktop amps are all on the pre-out train, but I still enjoy my THX 789 because it has a line passthrough. The NFB-11 had a selectable pre-out OR passthrough. I want to see more desktop amps designed to be a for a desktop, and given more usability in that space. Give me a line out/passthrough option -- not everyone is using active speakers!
 

robertospeed

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I have the Meze 99 Classic headphones, but when I turn the volume down to zero on the HO200, I always hear the music, I hear it softly, but you can hear it, does this happen to you too?
 

Snoopy

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I have the Meze 99 Classic headphones, but when I turn the volume down to zero on the HO200, I always hear the music, I hear it softly, but you can hear it, does this happen to you too?

If I do that on my Singxer SA1 it's dead silent.
 

nakanock

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I have the Meze 99 Classic headphones, but when I turn the volume down to zero on the HO200, I always hear the music, I hear it softly, but you can hear it, does this happen to you too?
yes.
I don't have a Meze 99, but I can hear it pretty well even with the volume turned down to minimum on my HO200.
It seems to be designed so that it probably won't go completely to 0%.
 

robertospeed

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yes.
I don't have a Meze 99, but I can hear it pretty well even with the volume turned down to minimum on my HO200.
It seems to be designed so that it probably won't go completely to 0%.
so it's just designed like that, i thought mine was defective, so what do you think about this thing? is it acceptable in your opinion? otherwise it sounds good and is nice powerful, do I have to keep it or do I return it and buy another one?
 

nakanock

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so it's just designed like that, i thought mine was defective, so what do you think about this thing? is it acceptable in your opinion? otherwise it sounds good and is nice powerful, do I have to keep it or do I return it and buy another one?
Even if the sound doesn't disappear completely, it doesn't do any real harm to me, so I wouldn't return it if there's nothing else to worry about.

By the way, the same is true for the headphone output of the Topping EX5 I have connected to the HO200, the sound does not disappear even with the volume set to 0.
 
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