SONCOZ SGP1 Stereo Amplifier Review

[daniboun]

I thank you very much! As preampli has only one input, if I'm not wrong. Something with multiple inputs?

Read good things about this one

AUDIOPHONICS AP310-PREAMP Préamplificateur Symétrique MUSES72320

Audiophonics est fier de vous présenter l’AP310-PREAMP, un préamplificateur symétrique purement analogique. Associant une puissance confortable à un contrôle de volume MUSES72320 et une connectique complète...

www.audiophonics.fr

Or if you have a good budget

TOPPING PRE90 Préamplificateur Symétrique / Asymétrique NFCA Noir - Audiophonics

Le Pre90 de Topping est un préamplificateur extrêmement performant, basé sur un circuit totalement symétrique et des modules NFCA hautes performances. Celui-ci profite qui plus est d'un atténuateur de volume de grande qualité.

www.audiophonics.fr

+

TOPPING EXT90 Extension d'Entrées pour Topping PRE90 / A90 DISCRETE Noir - Audiophonics

Le Ext90 est un appareil s'associant exclusivement avec les Topping Pre90 et A90 Discrete, permettant à ces derniers de profiter de plus nombreuses entrées. Ainsi, en associant les appareils, vous disposez de 2 entrées RCA et 4 XLR symétriques.

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[JeremyFife]

Could I ask you suggestion: which pre-amp to use with this Soncoz sgp1, please?

Hi, can I ask what you want a preamp for? To manage multiple inputs, to add volume control (or remote) or to increase the voltage of your inputs? What sources do you want to use?

 

[EJ3]

No way, that thing looks better than this?

There is a reason why North American and European brands cost more, because they actually invest in proper industrial design.

View attachment 309093

FUGLY!

 

[EJ3]

Yeah, that one looks a boring in the front, although it's better than this, which is basically a non-design as if nobody actually even worked on it

View attachment 309095

The rounded corners are nice. But that's about it.

 

[Genpattonj]

FUGLY!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some like understated construction, some like big fat meters.

 

[EJ3]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some like understated construction, some like big fat meters.

I like all sorts: but not that particular one: don't know why because I don't want to look at it long enough to find out why.

 

[ehabheikal]

It seems that soncoz web site has been down for sometime. Are they still in business.

 

[Ben1987]

It seems that soncoz web site has been down for sometime. Are they still in business.

The website is currently undergoing upgrades. Please refresh the page later.

Ps:
Our new office in Chengdu is currently under preparation.

 

[WeekendWarrior]

Does anyone know/ read anything to suggest that the reliability problems associated with this amp have been addressed.

 

[Jimster480]

The website is currently undergoing upgrades. Please refresh the page later.

Ps:
Our new office in Chengdu is currently under preparation.

The website is still down months later...

Does anyone know/ read anything to suggest that the reliability problems associated with this amp have been addressed.

I doubt, the amp only has a few in stock at various retailers... If the company can't get the website up in months.... I doubt they are doing much else. Which is a shame. This looks like a great amp, even if I think the price was a bit too high.

 

[WeekendWarrior]

The website is still down months later...

I doubt, the amp only has a few in stock at various retailers... If the company can't get the website up in months.... I doubt they are doing much else. Which is a shame. This looks like a great amp, even if I think the price was a bit too high.

It's sold via Audiophonics, I'll ask them what they think. I guess if they'd sold a few and they kept failing they'd stop selling them, or they've not sold many so don't know.

 

[WeekendWarrior]

It's sold via Audiophonics, I'll ask them what they think. I guess if they'd sold a few and they kept failing they'd stop selling them, or they've not sold many so don't know.

I asked them.

Yes, it did have reliability problems and is now discontinued (although I think it's still being sold online, so buyer beware).

Shame as I liked the look of it, and it seemed to perform well, if only for a few weeks!

 

[EJ3]

I asked them.

Yes, it did have reliability problems and is now discontinued (although I think it's still being sold online, so buyer beware).

Shame as I liked the look of it, and it seemed to perform well, if only for a few weeks!

I liked the look quite well. Then...

 

[EJ3]

Dead right. They need to go back to the design board and clean it up.

They've clearly tried to copy the basic look of the Benchmark AHB-2, and even some old Hafler designs, but they've missed the mark.

View attachment 309094

Look at how they label their meters with this text "The Power of Original Sound" WTF were they thinking? Put your silly tagline on a clear sticker if you must- like the Japanese* did so people can peel it off. It just looks glaringly cheap and goes a long way to ruining the look of what is otherwise a very nicely constructed product.
View attachment 309098
The meter markings are weirdly linearly spaced. All power meters have been log forever.
Mark the meter with the reference impedance! The are obviously using 4 ohms as it doesn't do 200W at 8 ohms. Write it on the meter...
What are the horizontal arrows all about- get rid of them!
And these other markings either side of the dB scale- they look stupid.
Label the power switch with "Power" not the LED with PWR. The shortened capitalized markings look cheap. Go with capital and lower case word like the "Left" and "Right" on the meter above.
OUT L and OUT R? You don't need it. Make it Clip or Clip/Fault so it is off, not default lit up. Again, this is basic chit.

Here's how a power meter is done properly (log markings, 10dB jumps until around 0dB with +/-3dB points).
View attachment 309099

*Sony used to put "It's a Sony" on everything HiFi back in the day. Their longest running tagline. But the stickers were designed to easily come off...

More chicken scratch is not better?

 

[EJ3]

Jungson, Xindak etc... I was a dealer of those almost two decades ago.

Are they still around? (I never even heard of them [maybe because I never lived near a city with more than 600,000 people] but that causes people to buy things that are reliable for the long term, instead of something that will go out & be unrepairable or be un-able to get the parts, etc). No waste of time, buy once, think about it again in 20 years: "well, maybe I should go through the internals of that."

 

[EJ3]

SMPS are everywhere! -They are also in your remote controlled integrated power amp even if it has a large toroidal. It is in your TV. In your subwoofer. In your PC. PC SMPS are high power devices which often are 700 W and up to 1400 W. I have a PC with a 700 W SMPS that have been in use daily for over 10 years. There are regulations IR to how much electrical noise they can make. Some newer amps with SMPS even have power factor correction circuits.

Coca-Cola is damn near everywhere, too. That doesn't mean that it is the best drink for you available.
Water just doesn't have Coke's marketing behind it.

 

[EJ3]

There comes a time in life of every audio enthusiast when they realise that reliability, longevity and build quality costs money. It's a very inconvenient truth.

Thank God that I learned that before I was 19.

 

[EJ3]

Look at what happened with Kia when thet hired ex Audi designer Peter Schreyer. They went from ugly as sin, to some of the most attractive, consistent and awarded designs ever. He went on to redesign their entire look and Hyundai's as well. Changed the entire perception of those brands across the world and sales skyrocketed.

Talk to the mechanics that work on them. They are making money hand over fist.
Lipstick on a Pig is what it is.

 

[PristineSound]

Looks like they are out of business.

 

[EJ3]

Well, I'm not a fan of anything that's not the standard 430mm width, I know some will rebuttal with, "so you like all the empty space?". Yes, I do, so long as it's 430mm wide, so that I can match it with any other standard components on my AV shelf.

Yes and that "empty space" is a plus for internal air circulation which, while I cannot absolutely prove it, I believe has a lot to do with why my 40 & 50 year old gear that is still just fine, is still just fine. Yes, I have had about 2/3 of it refurbished: but not because it stopped working, but because I did not want it to quit working.