Does THX audio tech make the SMSL SH-9 THX-888 Headphone Amp good enough?

[@Druezy]

Love your channel. You have helped me navigate the audio world quite a few times!

[@Currawong]

Glad to help!

[@SinisterDev85]

I got the SH-9 and SU-9 stack a few months ago and I've been really happy with them so far.

[@mokobigbro]

I got one a few days ago. The thing to love about it is the level matching on low level monitoring. As far as sound, I prefer my other amps so far.

[@ajuyal]

Cool review. The production values and edits are sharper. Like the evolution of review style :-)

[@lonestar1664]

Good honest to the point review. Thanks for your feedback.

[@Cuthbert80]

lol shots fired towards a certain forum that specializes in audio science :x

[@김지훈-u6s]

Sp400 doubles a lot of the internal designs of sh-9 including the power supply. So it kind of resolves the power supply issue you mentioned. It will be pretty cool to see you review it.

[@black_n5492]

Awesome review. Thanks for sharing your honest opinion. Now I've got buyer's remorse as I'm currently expecting an SH-9 and SU-8 to arrive. Lol. Definitely feeling like I could have made a better choice but oh well, next buying round! Enjoyed how your review was not just based on your personal taste but also on the physics of the thing. You were also the first person to really point out how the SH-9 is not really balanced. Now I'm wondering if there was any point to it. Definitely earned a new sub!

[@casb-]

WHOA HOLD ON! It's not just about measurements?

[@steviesteve750]

Yes it is, and if it doesn't appear to be the case then either the wrong things are being measured, or your ears are deceiving you.

[@gerriepretorius4642]

Great review! Is this issue of the nit enough power supply also there on something like the topping A90?

[@alainmc4147]

Very interesting, thank you

[@arthurhaywood2184]

Frequency measurements & THD numbers aren't everything. One of the biggest things lost in this age of digital reproduction is the artistry in designing proper sounding components.

[@TomClaessens]

but I was under the assumption that we should play music as the artist and/or mastering engineer intended. Or that you'd at least buy equipment that is as transparent as possible, and do the "sound tweaking" in the final stage with headphone selection, speaker selection. You can tweak in software as well. I was thinking the same before. That I'd get a tube amp for the tube sound, or a R2R ladder DAC but then people pointed out that it didn't made sense. You're coloring the signal path with a device. But maybe you don't want the tube sound for all your music? Too bad, you'd have to swap. Or you get bored of the tube sound, or the clinical sound of a chip, you'd have to start replacing devices. By choosing transparent components, as much as possible, you have the last word on how things will sound through DSP or EQ. As a photographer, I understand where this is coming from. I'd rather use filters in the field than to do post processing in Photoshop which is kind of the same thing. So I get why people prefer vinyl over CDs, or would prefer a tube amp over a chip. But it does make sense to do it the other way around, as it offers your more possibilities in the end.

[@redleather420]

@@TomClaessens thats what ASR would tell you however. i find it more like women. no one wants some up tight picture perfect person. sterile. you want character and nuance. music is art and amps and dacs are art, created by minds not computer measurements. yes you dont want crazy distorted sound like a all tube amp all the time but the flavor of different types of amps can be something that is pleasing for all music and then you can flavor more with headphones. measurements dont even tell you 50% about the sound. i got caught up in the measurement game and bought a clean topping amp. i have a low ohm planar and it needs a lot of power and it sounded broken on the topping compared to my hybrid amp. no dynamics it sounded like it was coming from my phone or something. horrific. my hybrid still has over 100 SINAD and measures "flat" and sounds totally different as in actually full sounding. so "flat" isnt really good maybe for IEMs

[@steviesteve750]

@@redleather420 This is the key question, do you want absolute reality, or do you want a pleasurable experience. The biggest problem is many reviewers not understanding that, and claiming that there ears are somehow golden and represent some kind of reference, they probably don't.

[@johnellison3173]

Im getting bored of the sterile compressed THX sound now. Im going back to my Asgard 3.

[@vipernecklampy8773]

Tried checking if you like your headphone at best? :) THX 887/789 are my preferred amps so far, had both.

[@quantum.9883]

There are some songs and artists where you would want that kind of clinical accurate sound. But not more older music genres like classic rock, jazz, classical and etc (which happens to be currawongs music tastes I believe).

[@InIcarus]

1:35 You should use the balanced inputs anyway. This will guard against ground loops which the RCAs will not. Whether or not the amplifier is differential internally, shouldn't make any difference to your choice of using balanced interconnects. The internal topology doesn't matter in the least in this case. But I'm pretty sure that Currawong knows this and that it was a slip-up frog of the moment kind of thing.

[@Currawong]

I hadn't thought about ground loops, so thanks for that suggestion.

[@vipernecklampy8773]

Nice to hear! Expected, because i had 2 SMSL Products before, M500 Dac and SP200 amp, their performance was just not so good. In fact, i think their super cool SP400 will not outperform thx 789/887 amps, it looks really balanced this time, just double independent power supplies of their 'shit*y' ones. Not quite positive on it, even if on paper it looks stunning, with THX 888 chips (If they are yet the real ones). At this rate i guess the SU-9 isn't so good, i guess it doesn't have the treble extension and details up there on treble, etc. I'm waiting one of your honest review about it. I think maybe a great measuring, Gustard X-16 sound better overall, with a better power supply.

[@chunkycheesemonkey99]

Do topping a90!!!

[@LeWpD]

Thank you for the distinguishing difference between measurements and the real world. The mental pigeon-holing on measurements is so detrimental in my opinion.

[@LordVictorHalgaard]

Yea, it is really getting out of hand lately - I’m all for measurements, but when pretty much everyone else agrees they don’t seem to properly describe reality in a satisfactory degree, we either need better/different measurements, or to stop obsessing over them to such a degree.

[@autoexec5367]

err I just bought the 789 from Drop hours ago and now I'm watching this 😬

[@evshrug]

Wait till you get to the end before you feel buyer’s remorse 😉

[@autoexec5367]

@@evshrug It's indeed a happy ending for me 😆

[@Currawong]

I reckon you made a good choice.

[@autoexec5367]

@@Currawong thanks for confirming!

[@michasieczko9654]

same here!

[@JohnFHendry]

Excellent review... I was wondering how the PS needed for a headphone amp could be so different 7:32 that you could replace it with the SMSL's small power supply and still get the dynamics of the "big sound" associated with larger high capacitance power supplies. I guess not. Not yet at least but with progressing DNA/Nano particle research where the "Standard View of Matter has been Upended" and everything we thought we knew is wrong it won't be long before a new "inertial frame" phase timed power supply technology is introduced. Interesting how many discoveries are just an accident waiting to happen using technology someone else discovered by accident and few if anyone understands.

[@albertguev]

What a breath of fresh air. This solidifies my decision of not buying that stack.

[@TechnoGuy11]

You should review the new iFi Neo iDSD. I've had one for over a week now and I love it, sounds great with my Arya or my warm headphones like the Z1R. Other than the screen and remote I don't think this amp is any different than the SP200 because all the measurements look the same.

[@markflower8885]

I can see there is a Neo iDSD on the shelf below the SMSL stack in the video. 😁

[@TechnoGuy11]

@@markflower8885 good eyes 👍

[@Currawong]

Yup, it’s coming. I want to try it in a few more headphone/amp/source combinations first.

[@prateeksamuel8603]

what if the larger amps you have are not linear. 888 is a linear amp. If the percussion does not have impact in the recording its not gonna come out of the other end. none of your amps are gonna sound as good as the audio gd because its a boutique amp. your comparing apples to oranges.

[@Currawong]

They are only linear with test tones under a consistent load. That's the problem.

[@jonharvey6295]

I don't agree with you on the part where it is the same whether using xlr in or rca in, because xlr output of dacs output 4 volts while rca outputs only ouput 2 volts. So it might be different.

[@Currawong]

You might be able to measure a difference, but it wont matter over the

[@HiFiGOAudio]

Which one do you prefer more between this and the SP200?

[@Currawong]

Terrible is subjective, but I find both somewhat flat-sounding. But someone for whom this is their first good amp wouldn’t notice it I reckon.

[@renamamiya9128]

Which amp would you choose between this and the Asgard 3?

[@Currawong]

h-ear.audio/faq

[@JPC326]

SMSL SH-9 / SU-9 VS Schiit Magnus/ Modius ?

[@chinoauma]

please review topping A90

[@digitalnation2876]

vs L30 / a50s ? much love from Indonesia, ♥♥♥♥♥

[@LordRedDragon]

i really hate that these doesnt have an RCA out. would it really kill these people to put an RCA out. better go for schitt magnius

[@evshrug]

2nd!

[@Artaois13]

Wrong the SP400 is out. Lol

[@AY-dw4om]

you clearly do not understand electricity or electronics what so ever with your power supply explanation. The amount of current needed in the music you listen to, at peaks, is not close to the power capabilities of those power supplies. and what is being used in peak demand , in fact are the capacitors reserves. first go to learn electrical engineering and then return to us educated.

[@Currawong]

Clearly I don't. What you say about the capacitor reserves makes sense. My experiments with adding capacitor reserves to the Drop amps (easy to do since the PSU is external) very clearly changed the sound. I think, though, that the obsession some manufacturers have with low THD is also to blame for this.

[@AY-dw4om]

@@Currawong If you want a true 1 on 1 conversation via whatsapp or zoom session I will spare you my time and enrich your understanding. also will explain the measurements, what they give us and what they don't. Next you will be much more equipped to conduct your videos on your channel due to better understanding. Answer here with option to get in contact if you wish to advance my suggestion.

[@Currawong]

If you have a Head-Fi account, please send me a PM there.

[@stuka78]

I cannot make myself liking smsl products…