What is the BEST amp below $200? and $150

[NgtFlyer]

If using a PC sound card optical out to DAC can the imbalance be accounted for in the balance settings of the soundcard? Also, I have not been able to determine if the A-100 requires a pre-amp. In your setup above a pre-amp is not used so seems one is not needed? Thanks

If you use the A-100 as just an amp, set its volume to about where you'd want max to be, and then use your DAC's volume control (or a preamp of your choosing). There are also variances from device to device the same model as the quality of the pot used can vary. So you might find an A100 that has very near perfect linearity all the way down to the bottom, where another might display more of an imbalance near the bottom. Once you get to about 15% volume, most of them are fine.

 

[skinnyq]

I'm also trying to find a relatively cheap (under $200, preferably $150) AIO solution for an Amp+DAC+BT so I can connect my TV with TOSLINK and also listen to music from my phone through BT.

At this point, I'm not sure what the best route for that is.
On the one hand, you have the Loxjie A30 which measured well but unsure if it's able to drive a 84 dB pair of speakers sufficiently in a living room setting.

On the other hand, you have other well-measuring Class D amps like Allo Volt D or Aiyima A04 or other TPA325x amps but they come without TOSLINK inputs and usually without BT.

There's also the route of going with a huge old used AVR but these are so old I can't find measurements for them anywhere and they don't have BT.

Any ideas?

 

[escape2]

If using a PC sound card optical out to DAC can the imbalance be accounted for in the balance settings of the soundcard?

It can, but it would be highly impractical because every time you turn the volume up slightly more on the A-100, you would have to go back to the settings of your soundcard and reset the balance.

Also, I have not been able to determine if the A-100 requires a pre-amp. In your setup above a pre-amp is not used so seems one is not needed? Thanks

Yeah, preamp is not required. Instead, you're relying on the volume knob on the A-100 itself.

The imbalance issue is only at the lowest possible volume - when the knob is between 7 and 8 o'clock, and it disappears right past that initial point, so as long as you can stay out of that area, it's a non-issue. Adding a preamp would eliminate this issue because then you can set the A-100 volume level much higher and just use your preamp to adjust volume from there. So my plan is to get a new DAC with a preamp.

 

[Willem]

So my plan is to get a new DAC with a preamp

You mean a DAC with volume control?

 

[escape2]

You mean a DAC with volume control?

Yes, a DAC with a so called preamp mode and volume knob as opposed to a fixed output mode.

 

[Ataraxia]

It can, but it would be highly impractical because every time you turn the volume up slightly more on the A-100, you would have to go back to the settings of your soundcard and rest the balance.

Yeah, preamp is not required. Instead, you're relying on the volume knob on the A-100 itself.

The imbalance issue is only at the lowest possible volume - when the knob is between 7 and 8 o'clock, and it disappears right past that initial point, so as long as you can stay out of that area, it's a non-issue. Adding a preamp would eliminate this issue because then you can set the A-100 volume level much higher and just use your preamp to adjust volume from there. So my plan is to get a new DAC with a preamp.

Understood. My preference was an all in one unit for cost/desk space/wire management. Per our chat I was leaning towards and would have gotten the SMSL A30 except for stock and delivery issues. I'm pretty much sold on the A-100 now but will be using it nearfield with my shortly arriving Q150's.

The possible imbalance would have been kind of a big deal but it sounds like I'd most likely have volume past 7-8 with Q150's @86 db sensitivity and with the pot variance ( @NgtFlyer ) I could even receive a unit with better linearity, hope for better rather than worse obviously. The only thing is now I'm rabbit holed into researching DAC's, and volume controlled ones at that, which I was trying to avoid, but... Not a huge deal. {:

 

[escape2]

Understood. My preference was an all in one unit for cost/desk space/wire management. Per our chat I was leaning towards and would have gotten the SMSL A30 except for stock and delivery issues. I'm pretty much sold on the A-100 now but will be using it nearfield with my shortly arriving Q150's.

The possible imbalance would have been kind of a big deal but it sounds like I'd most likely have volume past 7-8 with Q150's @86 db sensitivity and with the pot variance ( @NgtFlyer ) I could even receive a unit with better linearity, hope for better rather than worse obviously. The only thing is now I'm rabbit holed into researching DAC's, and volume controlled ones at that, which I was trying to avoid, but... Not a huge deal. {:

Or just reduce volume of your source content. For example, I mainly use Foobar2000, so I can reduce volume there. This forces me to turn the volume knob on A-100 higher, thus going past the imbalance point.

 

[jrampoldi]

if small size is not required
SOUNDARTIST SA-200IA
$169.36 open box (ships to US only)

SoundArtist SA-200IA stereo integrated amplifier Class AB 200W+200W with SUB-out : China-hifi-Audio online store, Yaqin,Meixing Mingda,XiangSheng,Line Magnetic Tube Amplifier, power amp, preamp,hi-fi CD Player high end audio for sale [MUIA9832271] - $269.36 USD (china-hifi-audio.com)

 

[wje]

if small size is not required
SOUNDARTIST SA-200IA
$169.36 open box (ships to US only)

SoundArtist SA-200IA stereo integrated amplifier Class AB 200W+200W with SUB-out : China-hifi-Audio online store, Yaqin,Meixing Mingda,XiangSheng,Line Magnetic Tube Amplifier, power amp, preamp,hi-fi CD Player high end audio for sale [MUIA9832271] - $269.36 USD (china-hifi-audio.com)

Not bad. But, looking at their shipping rate, it appears to be around $140 to get it to the U.S. Still could be a bargain.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

Due to your location I would avoid most well known amp manufacturer that though relatively cheap and common in North America are vastly over priced in south east Asia. I would actually forgo the monitor audio speakers if I were you and just go with a pair of active monitors. It’s not like the monitor audios will sound better, in fact they’ll most likely sound worse since you’re not using them as intended, on stands that bring them to ear level and with sufficient boundary space. You’re better off with a pro audio monitor because they engineer the speaker to sound good on a desk close up to the walls. AFAIK monitor audio is a hifi speaker manufacture and I doubt they have engineered their speaker in the same manner as the big players at Harman and Yamaha, etc.

 

[escape2]

Not bad. But, looking at their shipping rate, it appears to be around $140 to get it to the U.S. Still could be a bargain.

And then there are the specs:

Specification:
Rated output power: 150W+150W (8 ohms RMS 1KHz)
200W+200W (4 ohms RMS 1KHz)
Harmonic distortion: (THD) ≤ 0. 05% (1KHz)

Rated at 1 kHz only? Really?

 

[adamjohari]

Fellow Malaysian here. I just got a Topping D10S and a Fosi Audio BT20A for my desktop setup. Will let you know how they pan out. The idea is to set it up this way:
Desktop -> USB -> Topping D10S -> RCA -> Fosi Audio BT20A -> Speaker Cables -> B&W 607 S2 Anniversary
If for some reason I don't feel like the Fosi Audio is good enough (despite all the good reviews I've read about them), I'll swap it for a Yamaha WXA-50. Then I can hook up my Topping D10S to the WXA-50 via Toslink and RCA to decide which Dac I prefer, whether it be the Topping Dac or the Yamaha Dac. Good times!

 

[Dougey_Jones]

(I doubt that the Fosi will come anywhere close to the performance of a $310 Class-D Ghent/ICEpower 200ASC/200AC amplifier which produces 100wpc@8Ω.)

I have a PS Audio Trio A-100 that shipped with the original B&O 200ASC ICE modules. I took the 10+ year old modules and sold them on eBay, then bought brand new 200ASC modules off Parts Express and installed them. They took about six months to get to me as the supply chain for ICE modules was apparently affected heavily by Covid.

My frankenstein PS Audio ICE amp sounds amazing in case anybody is considering a similar project.

 

[thomasward00]

I received an Cambridge Audio AXA25 for Christmas, it is $225 on their site, it sounds great.

 

[Wonder]

https://fosiaudio.com/products/blue...dio-bt20a-updated?_pos=1&_sid=922dcab86&_ss=r

 

[Wonder]

I would just save a little more and move up to a higher price bracket. You are going to lose money if/when you're not happy with a cheap amp and decide to upgrade.

Or try to source some used gear (I know you mentioned that is difficult where you live). I paid 100€ for my used NAD C 320bee (95db SINAD).

fosi audio BT20A, cheap and high quality, I'm so satisfied with it

 

[escape2]

fosi audio BT20A, cheap and high quality, I'm so satisfied with it

Link to test results please.

 

[adamjohari]

fosi audio BT20A, cheap and high quality, I'm so satisfied with it

I had the BT20A. It's a good amp. Recently I upgraded to the SMSL DA9 and it was a huge improvement. I'd recommend saving up for it. Since getting the DA9 I havent felt the need to buy a more expensive amp to replace it. It's small, runs cool, sounds terrific.

 

[Xulonn]

I had the BT20A. It's a good amp. Recently I upgraded to the SMSL DA9 and it was a huge improvement. I'd recommend saving up for it. Since getting the DA9 I havent felt the need to buy a more expensive amp to replace it. It's small, runs cool, sounds terrific.

Since most modern Hi-Fi amplifiers should sound the same when used within their performance limits, I am curious about your basis for making an audiophile-type claim of a "huge improvement"? Were you driving the Fosi amplifier into distortion with loud music and hard-to-drive loudspeakers? Did you have noise problems with the Fosi that the SMSL DA-9 that the balanced input fixed? (Unlike some other SMSL amplifiers, this one apparently has true differential balanced XLR inputs.)

The SMSL DA-9 was discussed here at ASR [LINK] in a long (41 page) thread which I have not read in its entirety. That thread seems to contain a fair bit of sighted listening, subjectivist style "huge improvement" claims. That being said, it still might be a good budget amplifier, and it does seem to be developing a base of enthusiastic fans.

The DA-9 uses a built-in Meanwell power supply and not a wall wart or external brick-type PS, which I prefer. It is based on the new technology Gallium nitride on Silicon carbide transistors, but I do not know if the chips are the same as in excellent, but hard-to-find 40wpc Loxjie A30 that @amirm measured. However, the manufacturer's measurements are apparently limited to rudimentary single frequency distortion ratings. Sold by Shenzhen for $250 on Amazon, it's a bit more costly than the $150-200 range of this thread, although not by much. I find it appealing, but I will reserve judgement until @amirm puts one through its' paces. (I find it interesting that SMSL says that it has "two levels power input filtering brings its own power supply purification process to thoroughly filter the mains interference" which supports recent statements by @amirm regarding power conditioning.

 

[adamjohari]

Since most modern Hi-Fi amplifiers should sound the same when used within their performance limits, I am curious about your basis for making an audiophile-type claim of a "huge improvement"? Were you driving the Fosi amplifier into distortion with loud music and hard-to-drive loudspeakers? Did you have noise problems with the Fosi that the SMSL DA-9 that the balanced input fixed? (Unlike some other SMSL amplifiers, this one apparently has true differential balanced XLR inputs.)

The SMSL DA-9 was discussed here at ASR [LINK] in a long (41 page) thread which I have not read in its entirety. That thread seems to contain a fair bit of sighted listening, subjectivist style "huge improvement" claims. That being said, it still might be a good budget amplifier, and it does seem to be developing a base of enthusiastic fans.

The DA-9 uses a built-in Meanwell power supply and not a wall wart or external brick-type PS, which I prefer. It is based on the new technology Gallium nitride on Silicon carbide transistors, but I do not know if the chips are the same as in excellent, but hard-to-find 40wpc Loxjie A30 that @amirm measured. However, the manufacturer's measurements are apparently limited to rudimentary single frequency distortion ratings. Sold by Shenzhen for $250 on Amazon, it's a bit more costly than the $150-200 range of this thread, although not by much. I find it appealing, but I will reserve judgement until @amirm puts one through its' paces. (I find it interesting that SMSL says that it has "two levels power input filtering brings its own power supply purification process to thoroughly filter the mains interference" which supports recent statements by @amirm regarding power conditioning.

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It just sounds better. I did a comparison video, but I'm using music from Maroon 5 (copyright) so I don't think I'll be able to post it online. Guess you'll just have to take my word for it? Any way I could share it?