SMSL Audio Sap-7 black Portable Headphone Amplifier, Black

I bought this to go with my Schiit Modi 2. It works extremely well, great sound quality, very clear. I have used it to drive Takstar Hi 2050s (very underrated cans, which are awesome for the price) and Sennheiser HD 558s. Even with the 558s, it could go loud enough to (probably) cause hearing damage, so power is definitely not an issue. As this is a solid state amp, there is zero distortion and zero hiss, which is great for (relatively) low impedance cans, where hiss can be very pronounced. Also, the ability to switch between 3.5mm and RCA audio inputs is a pretty slick feature, although I don't use it that much. The volume pot is decent, but nothing to write home about. Pros: - excellent value for the price - very powerful - nice aesthetic design - low distortion/hiss - switch between two inputs - excellent build quality Cons: - blue power indicator behind the volume knob is slightly annoying in dark environments Overall: 10/10 - excellent value for the price, great build quality, would recommend for any low-medium range audio setup!

I ordered this a couple of months ago to try with some power hungry headphones like Fostex T50 MkIII and and Beyerdynamic 990Pro. The day it arrived, I unboxed it and put it to the test. My headphones exploded (phonically). Never knew they could sound so fantastic, all because of this SMSL sApII. I put it in my file cabinet as we were going for an extended family visit. A couple of months went by before I pulled it out again... last night. Excited about finally using this thing, I loaded TIDAL, grabbed my Fostex, plugged in and nothing. The SMSL got really hot and I got no sound out of it. Today I have tried it again with nothing. I've used line in and audio in with the RCA plugs, nothing. My return eligibility expired two weeks ago, so although I've only used this amp once (and it worked fine), I have no option on Amazon for return. I buy a pile of stuff from Amazon and give great reviews on pertinent orders, especially within the audiophile community. I'm very disappointed that this SMSL amp only worked once and more disappointed that I have no recourse with the place I buy everything, Amazon.

One thing I'd like to point out first. There are currently at least four listings for this identical product on Amazon, each with its own set of reviews. Check all the listings for "SMSL sApII" if you want to get a real feeling for buyers' experiences. I don't know just how to do the stars on this. The problem is that, like two other reviewers, it was dead out of the box. It just click-click-clicked and no sound other than pops out of the output. Well, before I returned it, I did try it with a 20V laptop power supply I had lying around, and problem disappeared. It now (so far) works reliably, and actually sounds great. And, an update. The seller ("Global Cyber Mart") made me a small refund to apply toward a new 24v power supply, which arrived a couple of days ago. It works well, and even sounds marginally better than it did with the laptop supply. I bought a good 24v 3A supply from Binzet. Very happy with it now. I bought it to drive a couple of pairs of high-impedance phones I have, an old pair of AKG K240s (the old 600 ohm version) and Sennheiser HD580s (300 ohms nominal, but rises to almost 600 ohms at 100 Hz). Output sections of portable devices, even the Pono, just couldn't quite drive these. This drives them divinely. Away from the main system, I use the Pono line out, or a couple of old portable CD players with line-out, as sources. Everything sounds gorgeous, especially the Pono... There's plenty of detail to tell just how much better the Pono is than the CD players. So, I love it, so far, but not at all happy that the included power supply is evidently useless, nor particularly confident that it will continue to serve with this replacement power supply. I hope so, because it does exactly what I hoped it would do--drive a couple of 'phones that modern portable devices just don't have the output for. And, a further update 1 year + out. With the new power supply, everything is good. Have had no problem at all yet, and I have come to appreciate just how good this sounds. I was listening to the Sennies through the headphone output of my Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver over the holidays, and it just doesn't sound half as good as the SMSL. I've upped my stars from 2 to 4, as it was obviously the power supply which was supplied that was the problem. It seems this is quite a common problem. A decent 24v 3 amp dc power supply will do the trick. The amp is solidly built (it's taken a dive off the shelf more than once), all the switches and pots are holding up well, and I am very happy with the sound.

I had really high hopes for this and out of the box it did sound great. However the power adapter cord had several flawed spots that caused it to cut in and out intermittently. At first moving it around would remedy it, but by the second day it was completely hosed. Another example of poor quality control from overseas suppliers I would assume. I was going to have a replacement shipped when submitting the refund that didn't appear to be an option so I guess this supplier has a policy where if you send it back they don't want you as a customer any more. Docked one point for a defective part, and another for making it a hassle to replace it.

Realtek HD Audio > SMSL Sap-II PRO > Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones Great build quality, no noise, just pure signal amplification. I bought this to drive a pair of ATH-M50X's as my onboard sound device is terrible (low volume/ distortion & artifacts above 90% system output). At 65% system output I can drive my headphones (38 ohm) to uncomfortable levels using 1/3 total power. No distortion, artifacts or background noise of any kind. At 1/3 power the amp generates a little heat but is not concerning in any way. I've seen a couple of reviews criticising the headphone adapter and power supply but i've not had any issues. It came with a UK power supply that seems as robust and reliable as any other; Same for the headphone adapter. If you're looking to get the best out of your headphones and you don't need the functionality of a DAC then I couldn't recommend this amp more.

Could not notice a significant difference using this amp on my Galaxy S9+ with 300 ohm Sennheiser's HD6xx or DT770 pro 250 ohm. The product works but I could not tell the difference although the bass was a little too much so I wrote the seller. They promptly responded and solved my problem. Would buy from them again. Happy customer.

At this price cannot go wrong, sounds great.

magnifico

Can't go wrong with this price, build quality is amazing, soild, everything scream SOLID and quality. Case is hard, feel unbrakable, same switch and knob..it feel like it will last years. sAp it self is small but very powerfull. I have no distortion what so ever(that was my biggest concern in this price range), secound concern sound... It have decend sound stage, Vocal are superb, it sounds so natural. As Amp is powerful i use 10% knob to drive psb m4u2 headphones with damaging levels of sound. On bad side... cymals (part of drum set) sound un natural, metalic...a bit harsh sometimes, sometimes amp dont manage to play all the sounds...struggles ....I still is awesome deal. If you plan your first amp for 30 pound... just do it. Well worth it. I play with audio procesing in cars, and i work with sound quality audio aplication since 2008. Music is mian part of my life. Fully Recomend this product.