X**M
David among Goliaths.
This item seems to be no longer available here, but I'll share my thoughts with those interested still as this amp still occasionally shows up for sale elsewhere and is in my humble opinion highly underrated.First a little background story to give context to my words below. I recently ended up selling a whole bunch of higher end gear before moving to a new place and basically due to a shift in priorities and other passions, I had little intention of starting over with a similarly large budget for a new audio system. My previous system consisted of high end Marantz components, Canton Vento 807 passive speakers plus matching active subwoofer, while my budget for a new system was around $600 for speakers, amplifier and DAC, roughly 1/10th of what I had spent previously. My interest was piqued when I did some research on the more recent class T (sub class of digital D) amplifiers. Previously, the reputation of the relatively affordable T amps wasn't the best in the audio world, but with the advent of the Tripath and later the Texas Instruments based TPA3116 designs, things appeared to have taken a turn for the better. I remained skeptical but wanted to give it an honest try nonetheless and ended up buying the SMSL SA-60 (built around the TPA3116), the matching Sanskrit 6th DAC and a pair of RBH R5bi speakers.This leads me back to the main subject of this review. The diminutive size of this little amp shocked me while unboxing it. Sure, the power supply is housed in a separate power brick that comes in the box too, but coming from full size equipment, it didn't exactly reassure my decision. Surely, not much should be expected from something so small?The eyeopener came when I played the first music through the Sanskrit DAC (connected to PC), the SA-60 and RBH R5bi speakers. The amount of detail being resolved was staggering, considering the modest price point. First I thought it was down to a typical U shaped sound profile for this combination, giving a forward impression of the higher frequencies. But I already had a (also highly rated within the Sub $500 stereo integrated amplifier class) Onkyo A-9010 class A/B amp temporarily sitting in the house to do a comparison and to my surprise, the SA-60 actually resolved midtones more clear and detailed than the Onkyo too. In fact, the whole presentation had a considerably wider sound stage, added several layers of depth (in front and behind the speakers) and height. A guest summarized it best when I channeled sound through the newly acquired setup and he swore there was a 5.1 surround set at work when watching a movie, despite no surrogate "surround" software being used.Usually, setups that are capable of incredible detail lack warmth can sound overly clinical and fatiguing during longer sessions, but none of that appears to apply to this little beast. It adds warmth where you expect it, to voices and instruments but never gives up its toe tapping rhythm and resolving powers. The RBH 5bi speakers used are often said to be quite forward in their presentation, but even sitting right next to them, the high frequencies never come off as harsh with the SA-60. Sure, the Onkyo A-9010 that I can direcly A/B it to, adds even more warmth and a tad more punch at medium low frequencies (around 100 Hz, I compensated for that with a small equalizer boost) with these speakers and have a tad more usable power, but it loses out against the SMSL practically everywhere else in terms of sonic qualities. Basically, the SA-60 is more musical. This was especially surprising since I was anxious to see if the SMSL was even capable of driving the relatively power hungry RBH speakers (85dB (2.83V @ 1 Meter)) to begin with. But there's no hint of distortion even at loud (louder than comfortable in a smaller living room) levels.To be sure the SMSL would be adequate and support it somewhat at lower frequencies (that require the most power), I had also ordered a Klipsch Klipsch RS-10sw subwoofer. This is where I encountered what I thought would be the largest issue: a lack of a subwoofer out (low level line out linked to the volume). But a cheap high level to line out converter for this purpose did the job wonderfully. It connects to the speaker bindings and adds a regular cinch line out for a subwoofer connection. All I needed to do is dial in the right amount of gain on the converter, to make sure the subwoofer auto switch actually turned off and on when the SA-60 was off and on respectively and the speaker wire used can't be too thick or there isn't enough room on this small amp to connect all the extra wires.In my setup, this combination is now good for boatloads of volume in the 28Hz to 20KHz range. Almost full range on a small budget AND with more rhythm, detail and musicality than I have ever heard at anything less than 5 times the cost.What I also like but what others may dislike, is that the amp always turns on to a set volume, regardless of where you leave the (digital) volume dial. The benefit of this is, that you never need to have fear of blowing up any speakers, in case someone accidentally left it too high before turning it off or touched it while off. The downside being that you may find yourself adjusting every time you turn it on, if the default is too low.If you press the volume button, it acts as a loudness button, adding a good amount of bass at around the 100 Hz mark. I don't use it, because in my setup it adds a little too much, even at low volumes, which is what loudness functions are usually intended for.There's a second line in through a 3.5mm connection at the front plate. I would have liked to see that at the back as well, but considering the tiny size, I can see why it ended up at the front instead. The main downside being the fact that any larger plugs and/or cables connected, may block the operation of the main control button at the front.The main remaining downside is the lack of a remote volume control option (let alone input control). This can be addressed with line level IR volume control unit (including remote) for about $40. I don't use it as most of my TV use is through streaming, for which the smartphone can act as a remote volume control device (Chromecast for Youtube, Netflix, HBO, Plex etc.). If you add all the extra devices, you may start wondering if you're not better off investing in a larger stereo amplifier with all those extra bells and whistles from the get-go. And for some that may be true, but just know that I have one like that sitting right next to it, the A9010. And it's gathering dust, while STILL costing more, despite a good sale price.A nice bonus is the lower power requirements, resulting in very modest energy use and very little heat production (never get hot).Build quality is good for the price. Nicely machined case and volume knob, firm gold plated speaker connections and cinch connections. The only 2 parts with small play that I could discover, were the connection of the volume knob and the 3.5mm connection at the front, when used.A quick summary:+ Great detail without being harsh+ Plenty of warmth when required, never dull+ Plenty of power to fill a room, even with less sensitive speakers+ Great soundstaging: wide, deep and even the hardest of all, surprising height definition+ Good build quality+ Does not run hot, low power requirements+ Tiny in size (fits almost anywhere)+/- Returns to the same volume level at turn on every time- No remote volume control options- No subwoofer out line level connectionWhy still a 5 star rating despite the negative points mentioned? Because for the price it was and still is an absolute steal. It makes my previous $6k investment in audio gear look absolutely silly in comparison.
V**D
Great amp, close to perfect
Great amp but flimsy power adapter for US. Could do with a headphone out but sound quality makes you compromise. I've compared the cheaper amps out there, even ones with subwoofer support and they all sound garbled or muffle the treble to get more wattage or bass. The reproduction of the sound is very accurate to the source. I'm using this for a record player so I tend to know the music very well on the digital side. My cheap 20watt Lepai needed an upgrade and everything in between this and the Lepai were way off. The 20watt one did well considering it didn't gave much power but all the ones I've tested after seem like they're for people who have no clue about bass power over sound loss. If it was $20 bucks cheaper or had the other features it would be a 5/5. Even still, after a week of disappointment with one amp and another. This might be the winner!
A**R
avoid at all costs
Do yourself a favor and find another amplifier. I was recommended this amplifier by an audio forum and I wish I would have spent my money on another one. This amplifier functioned properly for a couple of months, then randomly shot sparks out of the back and stopped working. As others have posted here the cord is a complete fire hazard and comes with the shoddiest connector I have ever seen. The amplifier has 1 year repair warranty, but the company stopped responding to me when I was trying to get it repaired.After my amp shorted I contacted the company for support and they were unwilling to help me in rectifying the situation. They even denied requests by Amazon to help me out. Primacy offered me the worst customer service I have ever received bar none.TL;DR:This is a poorly constructed Chinese amplifier, mine shorted within a couple months. The company who sells it also has terrible customer service. Save your money and buy something quality
M**L
The sound quality is excellent and powerful
Just received this item. The intended use is to stream Sonos music 24/7 to my bathroom ceiling speakers. Unpacking and connecting took less than 20 minutes. The sound quality is excellent and powerful. I needed to press the select button a few times before it worked but no problem. The volume button is wobbly and I hope that this will not be an issue in the future.The 24/7 operation will be the proof of the pudding.--------------------------------------------------------------------After using a day, unfortunately I have to return this amplifier as it occasionally flutters the sound. The audio source (Sonos) is also hooked up to another amplifier for an adjoining room and I was able to identify that the sound came through without problems in the other room. I have now ordered another amplifier, hoping for the best.
B**.
Three Stars
Returned do to white noise
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2 months ago
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