Review and Measurements of VMV VA2 Headphone Amp

[amirm]

And a subjective review by Z:

 

[restorer-john]

I think it's going to be a good seller for SMSL. It's funny, it's the only compact H/P amp that has piqued my interest.

Proper 6.35mm jacks.
Nicely mounted RCAs.
Proper power switch.
Beautifully finished casework by the looks
No BS flashing lights, touch screens or other crap.
Well priced.
Great performance.

 

[Nango]

They also have a VA-1 which is bigger, more powerful and has balanced inputs.

 

[trl]

It looks like it measures pretty well, under most scenarios (I'm not sure I understand that huge output resistance; maybe some naked internals could help). Basically, if one upgrades the internal volume potentiometer with something better, then it gets quite a decent headamp there.

 

[Silou]

Looks like quite an interesting amplifier. I think the horrible output impedance of the one headphone out is a nice bonus, if you are bored of how your headphones sound

 

[bunkbail]

This thing goes for $55 on AliExpress right now (you can get it even cheaper with coupons). Pretty neat.

 

[Silou]

"Oops, this item is unavailable"
This crap comes up so often in the last time. Does anyone know how to fix this?

 

[bunkbail]

"Oops, this item is unavailable"
This crap comes up so often in the last time. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Does it work on Ali? The link works fine for me on desktop and mobile (both on the official app and Chrome).

 

[Silou]

Does it work on Ali? The link works fine for me on desktop and mobile (both on the official app and Chrome).

I found out that the problem is my home country. I live in Germany and a lot of sellers do not want (or can?) ship to Germany. If I select United States or even Austria it works fine. This really sucks, because I have to buy the items from sellers that do ship to Germany and most of the time the items are more expensive.

 

[Nango]

I found out that the problem is my home country. I live in Germany and a lot of sellers do not want (or can?) ship to Germany. If I select United States or even Austria it works fine. This really sucks, because I have to buy the items from sellers that do ship to Germany and most of the time the items are more expensive.

German customs do reject every item that is not labelled with the CE-sign automatically, may be this the reason for.

 

[maxxevv]

Does it work on Ali? The link works fine for me on desktop and mobile (both on the official app and Chrome).

Its a country restricted sale. Not only Germany.

 

[bunkbail]

Its a country restricted sale. Not only Germany.

Yeah looks like some countries are restricted and apparently it works if the seller ships from warehouses located in Russia (some sellers have them). Unfortunately there is no Russian warehouse option in this case.

 

[Nango]

And now look at this, including a DAC and a linear PSU:

https://m.shenzhenaudio.com/smsl-m8...e-amplifier-p1-linear-power-w6-cable-kit.html

 

[restorer-john]

And now look at this, including a DAC and a linear PSU:

https://m.shenzhenaudio.com/smsl-m8...e-amplifier-p1-linear-power-w6-cable-kit.html

View attachment 27991

It's SMSL's answer to the Schiit Stack.

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

This item has a discount now. This model has been discontinued.

https://hifi-express.com/collection...le-headphone-amplifier?variant=18595805560932
But only in stock in the US and Europe.

 

[raideater]

It looks like it measures pretty well, under most scenarios (I'm not sure I understand that huge output resistance; maybe some naked internals could help). Basically, if one upgrades the internal volume potentiometer with something better, then it gets quite a decent headamp there.

It's sort of difficult to get a picture of the internals. You'd have to desolder the connectors to get the board out of the case. The board is one sided and all the internals are on the top side. The soldering is very clean from what I saw when I opened it up. The bottom plate of the case fit perfectly (no movement) into a groove machined in the case, which is indicative of tight tolerances. It's a surprising effort for soething that's purely cosmetic, and most people wouldn't notice it anway.

One thing I should note is that the volume pot on my unit gets scratchy over time. I have to clear it by turning it back and forth while powered off every now and then. I'm not sure if that's just my unit or if it's the same of every unit.

I do like that the distortion curve starts low at 1W. A lot of the other amps' distortion curve don't start dipping to low levels until past 10W. I like listening to my music at moderate levels.

 

[JJB70]

For 40 quid this looks like quite the bargain, it may be outperformed by the Atom in terms of measurements but in terms of audible performance it should be transparent and it has a nice metal case.

 

[Nango]

It's sort of difficult to get a picture of the internals. You'd have to desolder the connectors to get the board out of the case. The board is one sided and all the internals are on the top side. The soldering is very clean from what I saw when I opened it up. The bottom plate of the case fit perfectly (no movement) into a groove machined in the case, which is indicative of tight tolerances. It's a surprising effort for soething that's purely cosmetic, and most people wouldn't notice it anway.

One thing I should note is that the volume pot on my unit gets scratchy over time. I have to clear it by turning it back and forth while powered off every now and then. I'm not sure if that's just my unit or if it's the same of every unit.

I do like that the distortion curve starts low at 1W. A lot of the other amps' distortion curve don't start dipping to low levels until past 10W. I like listening to my music at moderate levels.

Internals are hidden under a plastic cover:

 

[Jimster480]

I skipped over this in favor of the Topping A30... seems that I made the right choice