SMSL A300 (£150/$175)
These are my impressions of the new SMSL A300 integrated amp.
I tested it with my SMSL SU9N DAC playing Spotify from my TV through TOSLink. I used a pair of Quad S2 (87dB at 8ohm impedance nominal) speakers as they are very revealing and fairly neutral from 200Hz upwards.
I ordered the unit straight from SHENZENAUDIO, it was discounted 10% because of the “late summer sale”, and it arrived (UK) without any glitches in 7 days.
I have been paying attention to this segment of the amplifier market as I was looking to switch from my Rega Brio-R class AB amp(£450 amp), to a Class D amp with more power ( 50W compared to A300 claimed 85W into 8 Ohm). I just wasn’t that impressed with the PA5 and DA9 but when A300 appeared at $175 equivalent, I was compelled to buy.
Overall, I am quite happy with this move (sold the Brio) and I will explain in more detail why. I would give the A300 a solid 8.5/10 score).
BUILD QUALITY
The amp feels solid , weighs about 1Kg, looks well designed, I like the in line speaker binding posts as it allows more easy connection, as opposed to the array (2x2) posts, which can be tricky to deal with because of lack of space- especially in this small form factor. I was a bit confused when I connected the RCA cables on the back as Line input 2 is the first one on the left of the back of the amp and then Line1 comes. So when I switched it on I heard nothing and for a moment thought I got a faulty amp (haha). Anyway I figured that I had connected to Line2 and it started playing. The menu is easy to navigate and I really like the fact that one can dim the display for late night dark listening.
HOW IT SOUNDS?
I tested the amp with Direct mode (E0) and Tone (E1) and SDB (E2). I didn't test the BT functionality or the SW out.
In Direct, it sounds really flat over 20HZ to 20Khz, i didn’t detect any kind of coloration to the sound, and with my flat sounding speakers, I would say too much of a neutral sound. I wouldn’t call it boring sounding but nothing stands out and that may seem boring to some. I didn’t detect any harshness in the upper registers, just neutrality ( and believe me if that was the case the Quads would have pointed that out to me). Compared to the Brio, I would say it is more neutral sounding and it extends a bit further in the upper and lower frequencies.
BASS (Direct) – one of my reasons for going Class D and going for more power was related to bass control provided that the amp is well built. Oh boy, there is plenty of bass control. Bass is tight, articulate, well controlled, especially when I crank up the volume to >80db. The amp doesn’t lose composure ( I cant say the same about the Brio), A300 grabs those woofers and makes them sing.
MIDS (Direct)- very neutral sounding , nothing stands out, voices are played well, natural sounding. Timbre sounds correct for most instruments, and there is no harshness detected at 2K-4K. IT is not mid centric as the Brio was, but I guess that’s what British sounds is all about right?
TREBLE (Direct)- this is quite funny and surprising, as many Class A/Class AB buffs have described in the past Class D as harsh, shimmery etc… This amp is the opposite of that , it is smooth ( too smooth for my ear) in Direct mode. There is detail, Cymbals and other instruments sound correct but with a bit of a veil on top, which can bother some, but hey we have DSP and tone controls.
SO to sum up, this amp is neutral, natural sounding, quite smooth and may fit many speakers. 9/10.
Now, the fun part, the DSP. SMSL promote their SDB patented DSP as the next best thing. To be honest, I like it quite a lot at low listening levels (<65dB). Think of it as a good ol’ LOUDNESS button on the old receivers. It does exactly the same thing.
What I preferred actually is E1 – TONE setting- for normal listening 65-75dB. I bumped up the BASS to +2 and Treble to +2 and the whole combo sounds amazing. To be honest I cannot believe that £150 Class D can bring this much to the table.
SOUNDSTAGE/IMAGING- quite wide left to right soundstage, instrument separation is excellent ( better than my old Brio-R), there is width and depth to the sound (the amp doesn’t play a role in this anyway). Very happy.
I have to mention the
POWER, the amp is powerful, definitely more powerful than my old Brio, I t can play really LOUD without losing composure, without any harshness, and that is what I mainly wanted in this purchase. It gets a bit warm but nothing to worry about. Very happy.
DOWNSIDES
I have a few comments related to the build and functioning of the amp too.
- The remote- while very nice to have – I use the amp in far field ( I sit about 2.5 m away from it) and sometimes IF I don’t AIM within a cone of 30-40 deg from the receiver diode – it is hit and miss. I wish they improved that.
- The menus- sometimes they glitch ( some other characters appear on display)- not too bothersome but had to mention- 99% time it works perfectly fine- I guess they focused mostly on sound performance and didn’t put too much into the user experience budget.
- The background noise- So I noticed as I connected my speakers that a high frequency HISS sound does come out of them when no music is playing- I can hear it at <20cm from the speaker. It doesn’t increase with Volume so at normal listening levels it is un perceptible. One thing I noticed is that if I mute the amp the noise disappears. Maybe this is just my unit ( although I doubt that) but yes, there is a background noise that may bother some of you.
This was it, my subjective review, and I hope someone gets to measure this amp soon and we can all see how well it stacks vs other high value Class D amps. Absolute steal of an amp for the money! If you asked me whether it beats the Brio-R- i would say yes by a small margin, and remember the Brios have been the best thing Class AB has to provide in terms of pure sound for under £600-$700 according to various HIFI magazines and websites.
