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S.M.S.L DA-9 vs AO200?

abc1234

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As I am a beginner in soldering, I accidentally removed the melef resistor around the op amp while soldering.:eek:
I watched YouTube and found a way to reattach the melef resistor and finally reattached it.
I used the heat gun for so long that I thought the amp would be ruined. But luckily it works. The bass sound is stronger and the outline of the sound is gone, so it seems to have a more natural sound. The parts are much smaller than I thought, so it was hard to work with.
 

Pillars

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This needs to be marked NSFW man. Just heat gun lightly and be patient before lifting. This is...gore lol. But hey, it works! Next time just don't turn the gun up too high or put it too close and it'll go easy. My guess is that you are putting your components more at risk using the tape.
 
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abc1234

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This needs to be marked NSFW man. Just heat gun lightly and be patient before lifting. This is...gore lol. But hey, it works! Next time just don't turn the gun up too high or put it too close and it'll go easy. My guess is that you are putting your components more at risk using the tape.
I'll be more careful next time :(
 

jokan

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@paul1234 There's a good chance you've rendered the original opa1678's inoperable from the looks of the removed op-amp. It might be a good idea to buy a pair of them for later use in the event that you need to have some repair work done or your amp requires a visit to the factory.

All in all, we've all damaged equipment through inexperience. I commend you for your efforts and successful installation of the replacement op-amps.

We all learn through mistakes. And paste can get messy in a hurry! Use it as minimally as possible has given me the cleanest results. I always use a "heat-clip" for easier removal of the unwanted item, it tends to keep things easier to manage. Next time, do your trials on something you don't care about. A discarded device of some nature should help you in the future to polish up your skill-set.

Well done regardless, a success is a success!
 

Pillars

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Exactly. It survived! That is the most important part my friend. You'll get better every single time.
 

abc1234

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@paul1234 There's a good chance you've rendered the original opa1678's inoperable from the looks of the removed op-amp. It might be a good idea to buy a pair of them for later use in the event that you need to have some repair work done or your amp requires a visit to the factory.

All in all, we've all damaged equipment through inexperience. I commend you for your efforts and successful installation of the replacement op-amps.

We all learn through mistakes. And paste can get messy in a hurry! Use it as minimally as possible has given me the cleanest results. I always use a "heat-clip" for easier removal of the unwanted item, it tends to keep things easier to manage. Next time, do your trials on something you don't care about. A discarded device of some nature should help you in the future to polish up your skill-set.

Well done regardless, a success is a success!
Exactly. It survived! That is the most important part my friend. You'll get better every single time.
thank you for your kindness:)
 

Papaya_X

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Hello @jokan ,
I will receive my AO200 pretty soon and I plan to make the OPAMPS mod at one point (I will take the time to ear how it sounds).
Would you suggest I modify all the OPAMPS to OPA1656 or some are not worth to remove ? (I will use a subwoofer at one point also)

I also have a DO200, it is built with OPA1612, do you think it would be interesting to change them to OPA1656 ?

Also, where do you buy the OPAMPS from ? Digikey and others official electronics provider have crazy shipping fees for just a few opamps...
 

Steamrolly

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For those considering to purchase a SMSL AO200, the Aoshida-HIFI Audio Store is offering13% OFF on Ali Express for their 'Winter Sale" which is starting in just over a day. Prices are already posted.
 

Nikita

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Я новый член этого сообщества, я из России.Изучив информацию на этом сайте, я решил заказать smsl AO 200.Теперь я могу только ждать, когда он придет ко мне.Я очень надеюсь, что ом меня не разочарует)
 

lostwind

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@jokan Thanks for the detailed reply.

Ah, if the feet are not included in the 40mm height measurement, a AO200/DO200 (and probably DA-9/SU-9) will likely barely fit under my desk shelf. Might need to swap out the feet like you mentioned though.

I would love to get the latest device of everything, but that would make me keep increasing my budget!
I was initially just looking at the Loxjie A30 all-in-one solution but thought "if I'm just going to upgrade in 6 months or so, mind as well just get myself something that will last me 2 years+".

So here I am now, contemplating to get a separate DAC, Speaker Amp, and Headphone Amp, and as my budget increases, so do my options.
Although, I am limited by desktop space, hence the SMSL/other "chi-fi" devices appeal to me. Planning to run a KEF Q150, Q350, Triangle Borea BR02, BR03, or Dali Oberon 1 btw.

I actually also live in Tokyo, most of the places I have visited recommend Marantz/Denon/Fostex/Luxman/Yamaha/other "big names".
They are all reputable brands of course, but I think I can do better cost-performance wise and desk-footprint wise.

Right now, I am thinking of either
・DA-9/SU-9/SH-9 stack
・AO200/DO200/HO200 stack
・DAC + Speaker Amp combo of above + some other headphone amp (love the JDS knob)
・M300 MKII/SA300/some other headphone amp

I don't plan to make the purchase right away btw.
I'm planning on moving out of my current apartment early next year and am deciding on desk layout/other furniture, hence also deciding on an audio set to place on my desk.
I’m curious about if you have decided what to buy. I will move to Tokyo this month and also plan to buy new audio setup. I have owned hd660s and am looking for amp/dac and speakers. I think I will buy ao200 (Amazon Black Friday sale for 2w4 even cheaper than the price in china)
By the way, the new apartment is 1ldk, the room size maybe 12m2
 

Sengin

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2 questions about the A0200:
Are the 2 subwoofer outputs identical? In other words, does it matter which you plug in to?
And does the knob control power on? In other words, is it off when rotated fully counter-clockwise and then you can turn it clockwise a little to turn it on?

Thanks :)
 

Jon wise

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2 questions about the A0200:
Are the 2 subwoofer outputs identical? In other words, does it matter which you plug in to?
And does the knob control power on? In other words, is it off when rotated fully counter-clockwise and then you can turn it clockwise a little to turn it on?

Thanks :)
The sub outs are combined so each one is stereo, so use either, I plug both into my sub as it has two inputs, I don't know if that's the way to do it, but it doesn't seem to hurt and I don't have to crank the volume up so much on the sub. the volume wheel will just keep rotating, on/off switch on the back of the unit, press volume button to enter menu's. The unit forgets some settings apart from tone set up when switching off.
 

Sengin

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The sub outs are combined so each one is stereo, so use either
I've just never seen a unit with multiple sub outs. I would have found it weird if it was like, "L sub out" and "R sub out"...

Power on is schitt style? :( That's a bit of a disappointment. I assume that's what the remote it for though.
 

pfgiv

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For those considering to purchase a SMSL AO200, the Aoshida-HIFI Audio Store is offering13% OFF on Ali Express for their 'Winter Sale" which is starting in just over a day. Prices are already posted.

FYI, they also recently posted the AO200 on eBay. I asked them to match the AliExpress price and they agreed to. I had to purchase at full price and they are sending a refund after receipt.

May be worthwhile if someone was planning on buying and has eBay bucks to burn
 

Jon wise

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I've just never seen a unit with multiple sub outs. I would have found it weird if it was like, "L sub out" and "R sub out"...

Power on is schitt style? :( That's a bit of a disappointment. I assume that's what the remote it for though.
I think it must be for 2.2 setups? I think I remember seeing outputs with left/right stereo sub outs but why? as bass is non directional. Yep I just turn it off via remote.
 

Feesh

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Has anyone compared the SMSL SA300 to the AO200?


Really interested to hear if it's worth an upgrade/sidegrade.
 

Nikita

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[ПОЛЬЗОВАТЕЛЬ=3115]@Pillars[/ПОЛЬЗОВАТЕЛЬ] использует проверенный и верный метод. Использование его метода занимает меньше времени. Его предупреждение о том, чтобы не нагревать окружающие компоненты, критически важно.

Сначала послушайте свой усилитель некоторое время, как минимум через 2 недели или около того. По - настоящему привыкайте к тому, как это звучит, чтобы вы могли по-настоящему услышать разницу, когда вы включаете операционные усилители. Кроме того, если у вашего усилителя возникнут проблемы, они появятся в течение первых 2 недель *обычно первые 2 часа*.

Я надеюсь, что у вас есть хороший ЦАП разумного качества или лучше. Тот, который имеет регулируемую громкость, так что вы можете использовать AO200 на максимальной громкости и использовать ЦАП в качестве предварительного усилителя.

Это не сложная работа, для этого просто нужна твердая рука, правильный паяльник, надеюсь, у вас есть тепловой зажим, чтобы вы могли работать и снимать операционный усилитель, если он упрямится, а тепловой зажим удерживает вас от потери операционного усилителя, если вы чрезмерно нагреваете плату, и она отлетает. Клип убережет вас от потери заводского усилителя. Здесь вам не нужна высокая скорость, вам нужна только температура.

Не торопитесь, ни с чем не торопитесь, защитите другие окружающие компоненты. Приготовьте новую термопасту, надеюсь, пасту для замены заводской белой термопасты, вы захотите удалить всю оригинальную термопасту белого цвета *внимание, она проникает повсюду, и ее очень трудно снять с одежды. Используйте изопропиловый спирт или спирт для протирания, чтобы удалить и вытереть исходные материалы. Просто не торопись.

Прежде всего, я бы подождал 2 недели или около того, чтобы убедиться, что ваш усилитель без проблем, прежде чем вы начнете что-либо изменять. Вы можете быть удовлетворены звуком оригинального усилителя перед модами.
Ваше мнение о выборе акустики для SMSL ao200 очень важно. Как вы думаете, подойдет ли heco victa prime 702?
 

Actungz

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Anyone know if the 2*Infineon chips actually makes a difference from a single one? Both this and the DA-9 have the same power graph at 8ohms as the Loxjie A30 that only has 1.
 

Papaya_X

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Shuna

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I’m curious about if you have decided what to buy. I will move to Tokyo this month and also plan to buy new audio setup. I have owned hd660s and am looking for amp/dac and speakers. I think I will buy ao200 (Amazon Black Friday sale for 2w4 even cheaper than the price in china)
By the way, the new apartment is 1ldk, the room size maybe 12m2
Sorry for the late reply.

I actually just pulled the trigger on the AO200, as I saw it on sale on amazon.co.jp during the point-up sale, knocking the price down to around 215 USD.

I plan pair it with an RME ADI-2 DAC FS once I move out of my current apartment later this month, really looking forward to it.
 
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