SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888 Balanced (not) Headphone Amplifier Review - Absolute Clean Power!⚡️🎧!

[@MyNameIsRache]

Just found your channel in search for more informations about the product. Gave me good insight. Thank you, keep it up!

[@TechHyped]

You're quite welcome, mate. Glad to have helped out in some way.

[@nicolascrespo4643]

Wow! What a brilliant review! The quality and level of detail is just perfect. Keep the great work!

[@TechHyped]

Thanks bud’

[@MrBradso]

Great review, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to being back for more reviews shortly!

[@TechHyped]

Hope you keep enjoying the content, bro! And thanks ;)

[@cadetsparklez3300]

oh right I highly recommend making your own cables, same with cusotm sleeved cables for your pc etc

[@dustinmihalcheon5013]

I just ordered this to see if it is a big step up from my Magni Heresy. How do the two compare? Also how does this thing vent heat? Can you leave it on all day like I do with my current stack from Schiit audio? High quality video by the way. Very professional.

[@TechHyped]

Thanks, man. Appreciate it. As for your questions: 1 - the heresy is a cleaner version of the Magni, and the sp200 should provide even clearer output, with quite a lot more power (not that the Heresy is weak, its just that this thing is sort of bonkers). Plus its “kinda balanced” but that’s honestly negligible. Still, THX tech is THE cleanest thing I’ve ever heard. 2 - it doesn’t vent heat. It gets warmish but I leave it on for HOOOOOURS without a problem. Wouldn’t recommend leaving amps on literally 100% of the time either way.

[@dustinmihalcheon5013]

@@TechHyped You're welcome. I love when KZbin shows me someone who is talented and relatable. :) A support guy at Schiit said the whole stack could be left on all the time without affecting it negatively. But then again that's the Schiit idealology and I have never talked to SMSL tech. I will take your advice and turn it off though. I primarily game with a little music with my stack using a 2021 LCD X so it can be on for long periods of time. So that is good to know. Does the power and the THX clean sound add anything to the imaging, soundstage or bass of headphones you tested? I love the Magni Heresy but feel having a 1500 dollar headphone I am missing out on some details of a higher end amp may provide.

[@TechHyped]

Honestly, in terms of soundstage, imaging and "equalization", I don't think it does. What it does make a difference is in how clean and how much amplitude you have to push volume for example and try and extract detail. What you should see is an extra level of detail being pushed through your LCDX despite not necessarily pushing too much volume, and that cleaner detail could give you a greater perception of what you're being served by the cans you're using. Does the SP200 blow the heresy out of the water completely? No. It's clearer, has more power and has a close to non-existent noise-floor. That combination can be killer if you want to extract the "soul of a headphone", especially in headphones that have a certain "sound" to them, and that will push the experience with whatever headphones you decide to use that with. If you're using SUPER CLEAN/clinical headphones with them, I'd say the SP200 have loads of power and will be a great pairing for you to ANALYZE what you're listening to. If you wanna have a great sounding experience to have fun/enjoy stuff, and you headphones are "too clean", then the linear and colder nature of the SP200 (or any THX amp, really) wouldn't be "ideal" (for lack of a better word). Since that's not the case with the LCDX, I think this pairing should work more than fine.

[@dustinmihalcheon5013]

@@TechHyped Awesome. Thanks for all the information. :)

[@dustinmihalcheon5013]

I just got a Topping Dac that goes up to 384000hz in 32 bit. SHould I max that out or leave it default?

[@digaoreviews]

Hi, Would you recommend SMSL SP200 or DX3+ Pro to push a Dekoni Blue?

[@TechHyped]

Considering how infamous the TxxRP family is to drive, I’d gravitate towards the sp200.

[@dennism1919]

Thank you for this review. I found it very helpful, even though I had already ordered one 2 hours prior! I'm really looking forward to using this amp.

[@digaoreviews]

Did you like it?

[@dennism1919]

@@digaoreviews I did. In fact I liked it a lot, though over time I found it to be so clean that it got kind of sterile. But I have since spiced it up by using an XDuoo TA-20 as a preamp. Oh my gosh, this has given this amp a whole new life! I wouldn't run the SP200 any other way now. Mega power with just a nice bit of warmth and character added courtesy of the TA-20 and those delightful tubes. It is a killer combo!

[@TheSnake0444]

how do you connect this device to your desktop there is no usb connection ?

[@TechHyped]

Desktop > usb to DAC > XLR to amp

[@TheSnake0444]

@@TechHyped thNk you sir, will it work with fiio e17k by using it as a dac then connect to smsl sp200

[@TechHyped]

It should work with any "dac" you can put between it and your system, as long as you have a way to connect the 2 properly. The SP200 has RCA and XLR inputs as options, so as long as you can output like that from the DAC (even with an adapter cable), it should work.

[@TheSnake0444]

@@TechHyped very clear, thank you sir !

[@blackstars3720]

Where did you buy your balance cables?

[@TechHyped]

Amazon, I think… I’m officially not a “cable guy”, hahaha

[@blackstars3720]

@@TechHyped lol alright thanks

[@haze5407]

what happen if I used the single-ended output on a balanced Amplifier ? does it still give me the balanced quality ?

[@TechHyped]

Nope. If the amp is truly TRULY balanced, you won't have the same level of "quietness" on the single-ended output. That said, on a THX system, I honestly think there isn't really a reason to go for balanced, outside of overall final power output (balanced is usually more powerful, aside from the noise floor, actually).

[@iritian]

It's on sale on Drop for $140. I'm so tempted to buy it haha

[@TechHyped]

DO IT! DO IT NOW! DO IT!... Too old of a reference?

[@iritian]

@@TechHyped Jajaja I see it "C'MON BUY ME I'M HERE, C'MON BUY ME DO IT NOW! "

[@iritian]

@@TechHyped And I did end up buying it lol. Should be a nice upgrade from my FX Audio DAC-X6

[@Bercyable]

Apos will match the $140.00 price plus, they give you a two year warranty vs. no warranty for the Drop purchase.

[@TechHyped]

What do you mean “no warranty” from Drop? Never got anything from then without warranty 🤔😱

[@cadetsparklez3300]

as a generally smart guy (according to david from work) who is not an electrical engineer but in the field and whose dad and grandpa are, I just found out today what is actually electronically different of balanced vs unbalanced (took a hell of a long time to find real information) and internally it really doesn't matter since the length is so short and the traces on the pcb so thing as long as it was "made well" like everything that references ground goes directly to ground with nothing in the way, assuming the thing you are plugging it into for power & they didn't f up the internal psu. It should make no difference and you could very well have a truly balanced amp that is worse bc it did one of the mentioned not good things to do

[@ameer014]

I am planning on getting this amp and the drop 6xx headphones, However I was wondering if it is possible to connect the amp directly to my computer without getting a separate Dac, if yes would the sound quality be good enough?

[@TechHyped]

Nope. Unless your pc has an audio card with RCA outs, you’re gonna need a Dac.

[@ameer014]

@@TechHyped Thanks, Any recommendations for under $200?

[@TechHyped]

Under $200? Schiit modi3+ or the modius Something from Gesheli Labs The petit smsl su6… Cant really think of anything else right now. Maybe something from ifi, but I can’t remember if the Zen line has a dedicated dac under $200

[@ameer014]

@@TechHyped I ended up getting the TOPPING E30, any thoughts?

[@TechHyped]

Gosh, how did I forget about Topping… Totally, dude. Topping does awesome stuff, and the e30 at the budget is a pretty good option. I personally like the d10s and the d50 (ok, usually harder to get for the $200 mark) a bit more, but they’re all on the ball.

[@cadetsparklez3300]

I refused to pay 500$ for something with half the components than a 100$ motherboard, found this on sale for 160, perfectly acceptable for a non mass produced product and since visibly has about 3x the actual components of a regular 100$ amp that usually just has like 1 ic, 1 ttl, and 6 capacitors

[@prototypecry12345]

there is no even little difference between XLR and 6.3 plug??

[@TechHyped]

Out of everything I tested out with these I'd have to say "no". The advantages of a balanced circuitry are kinda already available through either, due to the THX tech, but in hardware terms, there's no difference between the 2 plugs.

[@DonutsReview]

SP200 VS Topping A50s?

[@TechHyped]

Haven’t tested the a50s properly yet. Just used it for a few minutes at a buddie’s house, so can’t really compare them :/

[@staceejaxx3071]

Comp vs S.M.S.L SH-9?

[@TechHyped]

Haven’t tested the SH9 yet. Waiting for delivery tho!

[@Leo.SKDXL05]

Love your reviews! I did consider this unit over the 789 however this unit has less power than the 789 so i decided to go with 789. Love the sound and power output of the 789 but I'm disappointed with the quality control of the 789. I've sent two back and I'm currently awaiting the third to arrive. First one was dead on arrival and the second had cut off issues until it died two and a half weeks in. Since then I've read some negative reviews from customers stating the same issue. Hope the third one is a charm. 👍

[@TechHyped]

3rd time's the charm, usually... But that's a BAD customer experience... Geez... It sadden's me, really, since Drop is a partner/sponsor of the channel, but if they need to hear this sort of stuff, so be it. Hope your 3rd unit arrives in perfect condition, my friend! As for the power, they measure differently but it's so "close" that I kinda ignored the numbers when I tried them. Never had a 789 myself, but was able to bring my SP200 (which another channel partner was able to send me, thankfully) to a buddy's place and A-B them against his 789.... I was a bit stumped. On high gain, the sp200 pushed HD58Xs, HD600s, T20RPs and T60RPs better than the 789. In turn, the 789 was able to push Sundaras and a couple of Hifiman and Beyers better than the sp200. Since they trade blows and I've been OK with the lack of low-power control on the SP200 thus far, I'm quite happy with it as a unit... The tech itself is great on both, so as long as you don't get a 3rd defective unit, you should end up quite happy with yours. But hey, if you remember to, do let me know once it arrives! And even if it does arrive and works great, make sure to post it to Drop's forums... They need to be on top of this QA thing!

[@Leo.SKDXL05]

@@TechHyped most definitely will post a follow up! Hopefully this unit will be the charm! Thanks for your awesome videos! Be safe!

[@TechHyped]

Likewise my friend! Thanks for watching, too! 🤘🏻

[@nickl.2565]

this ps is not quality product, after 2 years I hear poping noise from headphones when its playing music...

[@TechHyped]

damn bro… sorry to hear that. Mine is still going strong, so can’t help you there… have you reached out to smsl?

[@digaoreviews]

Hi, Would you recommend SMSL SP200 or DX3+ Pro to push a Dekoni Blue?