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Now the SMSL C200 is their first all-in-one DAC and headphone amplifier combined in one compact chassis. I also used it as a DAC for Tidal streaming through my Dell PC. As a preamp, the C100 is more than adequate—wholly hiss-free, with adequate gain, though I much prefer having a physical volume knob like the pricier SMSL units. Mid-range is crystal clean with spacious allocation and excellent articulation, smooth enough but not warm.
As for power, the K7 uses two THX 788+ amplifier modules, which we have seen in the FiiO’s higher-end K9 Pro ESS DAC & AMP. Some of you may have noticed that these modules deliver less power on the K7, which FiiO explains is due to the power consumed and heat generated by the modules. As a K9 Pro ESS user, I think this optimization was a good decision. During operation, the K7 is warm to the touch but not uncomfortably hot. The K7 can dish out 1.2 watts of power to a 32-ohm load via its SE output and it can dish out 2 watts of power via the balanced HPO. 560mW of power into a 300-ohm load means that it has plenty of power to drive nearly every single planar or dynamic headphone on the market. Thankfully, the corners of the front panel are rounded, unlike the less ergonomic SMSL D6 that I reviewed recently. Coming in at 139x32x147.5mm (WxHxD), the C200 takes up little real estate on the desktop. Customers are to bear the consequences and fees incurred, if the parcel was undelivered due to any of the following situation: On top of the device itself and the Bluetooth antenna, which you need to install manually, the SMSL C200’s box comes with a rather slim set of accessories which only includes the remote control, a USB to USB-C cable and the power cable. There are also a manual and a warranty card. Design & Build SMSL C200 brings crisp high-resolution audio signal decoding to your desktop chain. It uses a second-generation XMOS USB processor that provides full support for decoding high-resolution 32-Bit/768kHz PCM and native DSD512 audio signals. Powerful Headphone Amp Circuit:-
The SMSL C200 is lively and sparkling, it is resolving and detailed enough but it could be more refined and nuanced. The SMSL C200 has a reference type approach to the sound reproduction which feels quite detached but on the other hand it shouldn’t be considered as clinical sounding or boring. Bluetooth implementation is great, the connection is stable without drop outs and the sound quality is just fine with the usually expected degradation due to the Bluetooth technology inherent weaknesses.
The SMSL C200 has RCA pre-outs along with TRS balanced outputs instead of the bigger brother DO/HO sporting XLR balanced outs. The headphone output is a 6.35mm single ended and the 4.4mm is the balanced connector, however it doesn’t provide an actual increase in channel separation or more power output, it is for accommodation. The product is returned in original condition (with brand’s/manufacturer's box, MRP tag intact, user generation XMOS solution】C200 supports DoP64 and native DSD512, and PCM supports up to 32bit/768kHz; Coaxial and optical supports DOP64. With good sound performance for the category, excellent build quality, super compact size and impressive functionality it would be an instant recommendation even if it wasn’t so aggressively priced. Over on the rear panel are (from left to right): AC power input, Bluetooth antenna mount, USB-C input, optical input, coaxial input, RCA output and TRS balanced output. Bluetooth
Features & Specs
All testing was done with an SMSL HO100 and Earmen ST-Amp amplifier, combined with a Sennheiser HD560s and a HarmonicDyne Athena for headphone choices. Summary
The C200 is quite musical and engaging but you shouldn't be expecting an organic and analog like sound signature with a very colorful tone palette. use not following the ‘User Guide’ or any additional safety, use, or warnings included in the product materials. While the soundstage isn’t huge, it’s definitely not restricted in any way. It’s not especially wide but it has excellent depth and I can easily guestimate the relative position of musicians in relation to me. It reminds me somewhat of the Topping DX3 Pro Plus, with its precise imaging and clean instrument separation. Verdict Disclaimer: FiiO sent us the FiiO K7 for this review. As always, I am here to convey my honest experience with the product. FiiO If we were keeping score the Aoshida Audio SMSL C200 would loose a half a point in instrument separation in comparison to the DO/HO100 combo, but by itself I do not notice it. I am glad there is a difference between the two options, otherwise SMSL might cut into the sales of the DO100/HO100. I would wager that it is essentially the SU-6/SH-6 instead with improved measurements.
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The SMSL HO100 is a compact desktop headphone amplifier, designed as an entry-level version of the HO200. From the look, it reminds me of Topping recent amp, with a footprint no bigger than an A5 book and front toggles to select your source/gain.
Left on standby, the C100 won’t be too demanding for battery-powered devices since it will only sip less than 0.1W for its essential components. This number will go up a bit to around 5W once the device is fully up and running. In a crowded market of DAC's around this price, I went for this option because it had all the features I wanted - a high end DAC chipset, multiple inputs including high quality Bluetooth, a headphone stage, and a balanced output option. It was also on offer from Twinkle Audio, which is always nice. This model is technically well reviewed - it gets the seal of approval from AudioScienceReview - which is no mean feat as some of the best known (and obscenely expensive) audiophile brands products turn out to be less than impressive for their price, when subjected to rigorous measurement as opposed to the "golden ears" of the hi-fi reviewer. Although it’s so small, the SMSL C200 is able to drive practically any headphones out there. Even fairly demanding headphones such as the HiFiMAN HE-560 are driven easily and show no issues at all.Additionally to the digital inputs (USB, coaxial and optical) the unit also supports wireless Bluetooth 5.0 reception with the high resolution aptX HD and LDAC codecs.
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