SMSL 793-II

[KaminKevCrew]

So, I bought one of these a few weeks ago, and I thought I might as well share my thoughts on it (finally). I've gone through two pairs of headphones since I got it, so I've had some experience with different sounds from it (and certainly different efficiencies...)

 

The SMSL is really, really small. It's about the size of a Keyboard's numpad (and roughly the same thickness as a standard keyboard too, albeit from the back of the keyboard, not the front.) It's a little black box (but you can buy a silver face plate) with a volume knob, a headphone jack and two buttons on the front. The back has two RCA outputs an optical in, a coax in, and a power in. Please note: Just about everything the manual says is wrong; the RCA jacks are line outs, not line in. If you want to be using optical and not coax, the light under the 'select' button should be red, not green (took me a few to figure out, since the manual, which I read first, is lying about both of those things). It's a solid little box, and the thing doesn't get hot at all, which can be nice. Oh, I say it's small because I have a full size receiver under my monitor, and that's what I'm used to for sound... 

 

It's tiny, but definitely packs a punch. On my Denons (which I no longer own), it got very, very loud. I usually listened with the dial sitting at around 9 o'clock. If I put it up much louder, I felt like I was at risk for some serious hearing damage. There are some level matching issues at very low volumes, but that's pretty much par for the course with analog volume, until you get into some expensive gear. I now use the SMSL with my HE-500, which are hugely power hungry. My listening volume (which is pretty close to the Denons in terms of volume, although I can't say for sure) is around 12 o'clock, but I can easily push the amp until it starts clipping without getting uncomfortable. The amp starts to clip at roughly 2 o'clock, despite the fact that it goes to nearly 6 o'clock when turned all the way up. 

 

Now, I haven't tried this, but the power in is a 9V DC input, so you could probably hook up a 9V battery to it, and run it off that, if that's your thing (Much like the O2/ODAC) although you'll need some way to output optical or COAX. I'm certainly thinking about doing it with a little harness of four 9V batteries, to see if I get anywhere, since it's just about the right size to have four strapped to the bottom, and I think it would then make a great portable laptop amp/dac (my laptop definitely has way too high an output impedance, as I get all of zero bass with the HE-500).

 

I can't tell a difference (audibly) between the SMSL and my Denon receiver, so they definitely did something right. It's a great little amp, especially for the $65 or so I paid for it, although I must admit that I don't have anything in the way of high end amplification or DACs, so I really don't have much to compare it to. The clipping does start to get very serious at about 2 o'clock, though, so if you have headphones that are more power hungry than the HE-500, then you should seriously consider something else, as you will probably have some trouble getting the volume that you want out of the amp. I could report more on how it sounds, but really, I can't tell you. I have nothing that creates a difference, and to me, well, it just sounds like it's something that makes sound come out. There isn't anything particularly special about it, but it certainly isn't a bad product, and it works very, very well for what it is, and how much it costs. 

 

Please note: I currently have my setup like this; Computer => SMSL => headphones/Denon receiver => headphones/speakers. As such, I am using the SMSL DAC, and not the one from the receiver, so I have only tried comparing the two amps, and as I said above, I cannot tell a difference. I'll definitely report back if I start to hear something different in the future. 

 

TL;DR: Well worth the $65, and definitely measures better than the fiio E10k. Packs a punch, although it will probably have trouble with anything other than dynamic drivers (too high a noise floor for BA, and too little power to really drive some of the less efficient planars, and as always, electrostats are simply out of the question). If you have optical out on your motherboard, this really is the only way to go for the price, plus optical gets rid of any interference issues. 

 

Would buy again, if I had the need. Although I think I may be stepping up to something else, for more

"POWAAAAA!!!" - Jeremy Clarkson

[SSL]

Thanks for the review. Too bad to hear a bout the clipping, probably insufficient current given the low gain. Sub-$100 is a tough price point to hit, though, so something has to give somewhere.

[KaminKevCrew]

Exactly. That's why I'm not too disappointed in it. I think it's a great product for the price. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

[TumbleButt]

Meanwhile, I'm hear without an amp due to one being defective and the other was tinkered with...