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Review and Measurements of SMSL SP200 THX HP Amp

Incursio said:
I was on the fence as to whether to get this amp or not, and I did.

What swung me was that it reminded me of the control panel of the Mandalorian's space ship, the Razor Crest.

View attachment 54672

Also, that slight case lean to the right. I like that.

"This is the way."
Click to expand...
Personally, I prefer my cases left leaning...but I agree it's an awesome (and cool looking)
amp :)
 
Can anyone who has the SP200 do me a favor and check the - poles on the XLR headphone out and/or check if it's truly a single ground?
I don't wanna risk blowing up my amp with an XLR to 3.5 mm adapter if the XLR on the amp is not truly single ended

(I just wanna be able to plug in two headphones into it, both are unbalanced)
 
So, I am observing an unexpected outcome on the sp200.

I am pairing the SMSL SP200 with SMSL SU-8 V2. Listening on Hifiman HE1000SE headphones using stock XLR headphone cable from the XLR out on the SP200. Using Amazonbasics RCA and Amazonbasics XLR interconnect cables (Mogami Gold on the way) from SU-8 to SP200.

I expected the XLR will give similar or better output on the SP200 compared to using the RCA interconnects between the DAC and amp. However, I can clearly hear that using RCA yields a much cleaner output. Treble is much clearer, the instrument separation is more precise and the soundstage is more open. The XLRs sound more subdued comparatively on all fronts.

Any reason why this should happen?? I thought cables shouldn't make any difference or XLR should be better.

Has anyone observed similar output disparity?
 
maulikt said:
Any reason why this should happen?? I thought cables shouldn't make any difference or XLR should be better.

Has anyone observed similar output disparity?
Click to expand...

XLR is a much "hotter" signal. The SP200 is a fairly high gain amp. Hot+hot imo gets too loud too fast. In these kind of amplifiers, I myself would also consider RCA input just to have a more manageable volume range. That is, as long as there is no noise picked up over RCA, XLR has much better common mode noise rejection properties which can be helpful in case of problems.

If RCA works fine and sounds best to you, I would simply advise to use it. Nothing wrong that.
 
I just bought one from Aliexpress at what seems to be a staggering deal. The price is initially down from $289.99 to $263.99, but seller is currently running a stackable coupon of $6 on every $65 spent, so that adds up to $24 off. Then, you have an Aliexpress coupon of $15 off above $150. Together, it's $39 off, so down from $289.99 to $224.99.

Aliexpress coupon: 15bday

I plan to stack it on top of the Topping DX7s I just ordered as well.
 
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All the "official" product images seem to show a slanted case, but I've seen other pictures that show a regular rectangular case. I just want to verify that this has a regular rectangular aluminum front plate, correct?
 
I think the slant is less than appears in some pictures, but it's there. Strange design decision.
 
Thank you. I;m trying to figure out if my OCD could handle that lack of symmetry.
 
Guys you are making me nervous with your talk, im very noob in this topic. Is there a sound quality difference between this "4pin" and 6.3 mm output? I just want to plug my normal single ended dt 1990 inside
 
nhatlam96 said:
Guys you are making me nervous with your talk, im very noob in this topic. Is there a sound quality difference between this "4pin" and 6.3 mm output? I just want to plug my normal single ended dt 1990 inside
Click to expand...
No, 4-pin has twice as many connection points and will go twice as loud. But your normal single ended dt 1990 can go plenty loud over its normal connection. You don't need 4-pin: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audio-myth-balanced-headphone-outputs-are-better
(Edit: on SP200 the 4-pin output is same power as SE output though, same wiring different connector! not really balanced).
 
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It's been a while, have they fixed the channel inbalance on the newer units already? Also what is the origin of the hiss? Is it the source?
My setup would be:
PC motherboard->{USB}->Aune X1S->{RCA}->SP200->{6.3mm jack}->DT1990
 
nhatlam96 said:
It's been a while, have they fixed the channel inbalance on the newer units already? Also what is the origin of the hiss? Is it the source?
My setup would be:
PC motherboard->{USB}->Aune X1S->{RCA}->SP200->{6.3mm jack}->DT1990
Click to expand...
The channel imbalance is luck of the draw. I ordered over Apos US and sent back a unit with imbalance, second unit was perfect. The hiss is picked up over the source's RCA. I had better luck with RCA-XLR interconnect cable into SP200 XLR input. Chances are X1S RCA will be fine, you just gotta try.
 
Veri said:
The channel imbalance is luck of the draw. I ordered over Apos US and sent back a unit with imbalance, second unit was perfect. The hiss is picked up over the source's RCA. I had better luck with RCA-XLR interconnect cable into SP200 XLR input. Chances are X1S RCA will be fine, you just gotta try.
Click to expand...
I dont understand why they wouldnt check their products more often, that's unacceptable. RCA to XLR?: https://www.amazon.de/Adapter-Kabel-XLR-male-Cinch-Blau/dp/B000T88Q4U
 
nhatlam96 said:
I dont understand why they wouldnt check their products more often, that's unacceptable. RCA to XLR?: https://www.amazon.de/Adapter-Kabel-XLR-male-Cinch-Blau/dp/B000T88Q4U
Click to expand...

It's typical of volume pots. Some companies only use custom, graded pots. JDS labs only uses verified proper ones. Not all companies do this. More expensive products than the SP200 use larger, better pots like Alps, but even these can have worse performing units if not graded. So not atypical.

Yes, RCA to XLR worked better in my case, but I'm not saying you should buy it before trying a normal cable. Could be you don't need it :)
 
Veri said:
It's typical of volume pots. Some companies only use custom, graded pots. JDS labs only uses verified proper ones. Not all companies do this. More expensive products than the SP200 use larger, better pots like Alps, but even these can have worse performing units if not graded. So not atypical.

Yes, RCA to XLR worked better in my case, but I'm not saying you should buy it before trying a normal cable. Could be you don't need it :)
Click to expand...
Why did you need the RCA to XLR? Was it some defect in your DAC or faulty cable?
 
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