About 15 years ago, I experienced my first taste of super mini class D amplifiers out of the PRC, and frankly, they were brutal. Noise level was high, build-quality was disastrous. To be honest, they seemed like stocking stuffers that might last until spring. But, for all concerned, things changed, especially in the past five or so years. Quality is way up, and with the help of some pretty incredible bench measurements of DAC’s from Emir at Audio Science Review, SMSL, Topping, and Fosi have charged into the mainstream of online buyers.
While late to this budget/value segment of ChiFi as its’s commonly known, with the help of Ed of Old HiFi Guy, I was introduced to Apos, the distributor of many such brands. A few emails with Rosemary at Apos, and the SMSL A200 integrated amplifier was on its way for review. I am not being paid or compensated in any way for this review.
Over three days I let the A200 power the Galion TS Voyager TL transmission line stand mount speakers. This, one would at 84DB it would require more current than the A200 to get them jumping, the transmission line design of the Voyager TL makes up for the lack of horsepower to push a typical 84 DB speaker. Therefore, this pairing would make a decent, though not spectacular match. There is enough bass, especially if the front rectangular port is free of the two choices of plugs, and the room is not overwhelming a large or have very tall ceilings. In my listening space after hooking up the small LCD TV, both a Transformers DVD and my reference movie, Runaway Train, the combination provided plenty of bass. Therefore, outside of the Voyager TL, I would recommend speakers that are at least 87DB if not higher. You can find happiness with the A200 in a recreation room, just have a bit of awareness about your speaker choice.
Touring the design
The A200 replicates 21st century steam punk with the dual VU meters. Within the audio community the return of VU meters is either love or hate, with the exception of McIntosh gear. I, for one, don’t mind them in the least, and since the A200 is so small at approximately 7 x 7 x 2.25 high at just 3.6 pounds. I really doubt that the A200 ever be a distraction. The metal casing has a tight, solid feel, with venting slits on either side. To the right of the meters is a same-size round LED display, and a multi-function dial knob. Press to power on and change to source choices and EQ setting points. Then turn the dial to adjust volume or change source, EQ, or Bass/Treble settings. The volume/input adjustment is rather touchy between the two, I definitely recommend using the remote for such changes. The volume control on the remote goes up just one step at a time which I appreciated.
The rear panel is well laid out for its diminutive size. From left to right: Vertical RCA , COAX, Optical, Bluetooth antennae socket, USB-C, HDMI ARC, 5-Way binding posts, rocker master power switch and standard three-way socket. Pushing on the RCA and Binding posts showed zero give, impressive at this price point.
Lifting the hood, one can see the dual Infineon MA12070 graphite silicon chips which operate at 92% efficiency. Output is 30wpc into 8 Ohms, and 70 into 4 Ohms. These chips also perform the digital direct to analog conversion, eliminating the need for a separate DAC chip. More on their performance later.
Since I believe this amp would be perfect in a recreation room set up for kids mainly to use, I did spend some time using the Bluetooth feature through a cell phone. Streaming connection never dropped, even when I took the phone with me out of the room and around the corner, thus creating a couple of walls. This was worth the experiment as the output quality was typical Bluetooth, with some flatness dueling of certain songs and instruments and of course, the vocal limitations. But that’s what’s not in play here. It’s the idea that group of young people can walk in take turns sharing the music and listening to it while they play pool board games eat too much junk food, whatever the case may be in this regard the A200 is an excellent solution.
Listening
Upon first powering up any amplifier, I like to put my ear to the speaker before any music’s played at normal volume in order to detect any noise. The A200 outputs a noticeable amount of hiss from any of the inputs and thru all four of the speakers I paired the amp with, along with both the stock and Shunyata Venom power cord. Even more than a vintage Adcom GFA555ii. This is the first class D type amplifier where hiss was so obvious. This is not normal, and honestly, a bit disappointing, especially after chatting with a long-time audio buddy who owns an older SMSL amplifier. Overalow price$269 price (based on current tariffs), the A200 deserves comparison to other mini-integrated amplifiers. Let your own ears decide.
An instrument I like to test the amplifier with is the xylophone. The combination of its percussive yet radiating sound is she cat to my ears probably because I spent a year in high school trying to play one in orchestral piece but regularly failing. I was a tympani guy, nothing more.
There’s a richness of that instrument yet at the same time it’s a true test of equipment, whether it can get the sound texture and tone correct. The A200 performance with the Infineon chip and its decoding doesn’t make the instrument sound harsh, but it also can’t give it the warmth that I would like. The hiss I believe is a significant culprit, but as I said, I’m picky, and this is not an easy instrument, especially in the budget realm of audio to reproduce. The hiss also creates a fuzz over cymbals, both in the initial strike and the decay. Noise like this shades the full color or saturation of each note, thus limiting the users musical experience.
Listening to the snare drum in a variety of traditional small jazz ensembles, especially when using a brush has more fuzz to their sound than with any other amplifier in my stable. With vocals, a light haze hangs over the notes. This is most noticeable with autotune-free and older recordings from Rickie Lee Jones, James Taylor, Lucinda Thompson, among others. This gives a nasal intonation to the various performances.
The A200 is fairly quick with his dynamic shifts and instrument changes. This is an area where playing music by Supertramp, Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, and other groups with a variety of instruments dabbed in really shows off chip amplification. Those sounds don’t get lost in the layering due to a slower attack.
Conclusion
The a 200 amplifier should be considered a lifestyle audio unit. It is not designed for the audiophile even in a well-thought-out second system. It’s a provider of music, not a soul-touching experience. The SMSL A200 is not a bad unit by any means, but it misses out on what other inexpensive, class D amplifiers offer, which is a silent background. The fuzz, haze, hiss, noise is present and would be immediately picked up by any audiophile. it’s value I can really see as in a rec room where the kids want to listen to their music using their cell phones to transmit over Bluetooth, or watch movies with the HDMI ARC connection. With its very compact size, it makes for a very unobtrusive placement in the room, hook it up to a pair of small speakers on bookshelves, or mini-towers and let the kids have their fun. Best of all with its small footprint, if the kids get grounded, you can easily unhook it and take it away for a while.
The other possibility is as a background music provider, say a dining room, patio, or workshop. Let’s say you have a pair of banged up bookshelves that you hang up on a wall in the garage or maybe even something bigger from your single days that been beaten up, and you have a perfectly good set up while you work away. At its $269 price (based on current tariffs), the A200 deserves comparison to other mini-integrated amplifiers. Let your own ears decide.
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