It beats me why they did not make balanced input in this amplifier while the matching DO300EX DAC has balanced output. Another annoying thing is that the dimensions of their devices differ with every new release.
@headshotke
10 ай бұрын
I think because as it's an all in one, they expect you to use like it, what would you connect?
@catminister1075
9 ай бұрын
I'm actually pretty pleased with mine and haven't experienced the same troubles with the sound, I did fidget a bit with the filters though. I do think sound quality may be dependent on the connection and output type like IEM's, Headphones, Speakers etc. For example cheap equal poor sound quality. But my AO300 isn't my primary amplifier for music or video. So I'm not all that picky about sound quality. I suggest minimising the use of adapters. I've also noticed significant changes in quality between connection types.
@vinylmonster4907
11 ай бұрын
I recently grabbed this AO300 off Amazon and have to say I'm pretty impressed so far. I had previously used the SMSL AD18 and Fosi Audio BT30D Pro - I bought the AO300 because of the front headphone jacks, the USB C, BT and HDMI connections each sound quite different - I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more experiences with this gear. Thnx
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
Fosi Audio products are not that good when it comes to sound. AO300 is really a steal for this price.
@vinylmonster4907
11 ай бұрын
@@audioAI not sure what Fosi Audio products you've had but I've been please with every amp/dac of theirs I've used and tried. The BT30D Pro with the upgraded 48V 5Amp power supply was pretty damn good for what it did.
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
@@vinylmonster4907 I meant their DAC solutions.
@helifan2346
9 ай бұрын
@vinylmondter4907 I’m the same way as you I have the AD18 and just bought this AO300. I got it today, tried the Bluetooth to hear it and what disappointment with this unit, It sounds dull. I tried first the earphone connection and music is missing something. Then I hooked up the speakers and the same. Not very bright sound, can’t hear some instruments that I hear with the AD18. Bought it from Amazon is going back to them. I can’t believe that it would sound that bad. Maybe I got a lemon? Everything seems legit with the unit, but who knows How yours sound? Does it sound better than the AD18? What makes it different? I don’t have 4.4 cable for the IEMs that I’m using so I bought the 4.4 male to 3.5 female for this unit and I’m sending it back too as this unit is a disappointment for me As soon as I see my money back from the return I may get same unit from different seller and see if it makes a difference or if is the model that is in that way (don’t think so)
@listerino316
Жыл бұрын
its a nice piece of kit, ive been looking for someone to shed light on this unit as ive seen no real reviews of it. how have you found it so far?
@audioAI
Жыл бұрын
Just unboxed 2 hours ago and connected my external speakers only, tomorrow I will test with headphones. There is also bass and treble adjustments in the setting menu which was a good surprise. I will write more tomorrow :)
@j0my77
6 ай бұрын
This device looks great and I'm looking at getting one, but that screen looks cheap, bright and distracting. Their marketing images which makes it look like an OLED panel. The Loxjie A40 screen looks much more subtle. Can you tell me your thoughts of the screen, or is it the camera that makes the background look so bright and jarring against the black.
@audioAI
6 ай бұрын
The device is amazing, they fixed many things with a firmware update but you are right about screen. It's just bad, its bright without any dimming options like for example D series. I put the screen to off, it looks that cheap.
@andreweadie5390
9 ай бұрын
hello from the uk. just had an smsl ao 300 delivered. i noticed that the one in your video has what appears to be air bubbles on the display. mine does to. is there a screen protector to peel off. or are they all like that. i would be grateful if you could help me out in comments . thanks.
@audioAI
9 ай бұрын
Yes there is a screen protector :)
@andreweadie5390
9 ай бұрын
@@audioAI thank you so much. i wasnt sure and i didnt want to damage the sceen if there wasnt one. my camera screen went like that once due to damp. anyway thanks again from England.
@audioAI
9 ай бұрын
@@andreweadie5390 You are welcome, I hope you enjoy your AO300. Greetings from Istanbul.
@bigd9706
Жыл бұрын
could you say something about the overall build and sound quality ? is there a filter for the sub out ? does the hdmi-arc work without problems ?
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
There is no special filter for the sub out only. But there are filters yes, also EQ support also treble and bass adjustment support. Cant say anything about HDMI, I don't have any gear to test that. Build quality is super, its also heavier than it looks.
@mich4463
11 ай бұрын
According to the company, frequency cutoff is around 200hz.
@iScorpio1971
Жыл бұрын
Great addition! looks and has all for a two speaker+SW 2.1 setup. Thinking to bring it in for the TV audio system along my night table DO300EX ;)
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
I have them both on my desk :)
@myroslav6873
11 ай бұрын
I have recently ordered a pair of Monolith Encore T5 speakers for 90$ each without realizing they are passive and need to be powered (I am a complete noob when it comes to sound). Would you say this amp is good to run those? Another suggestion I received online is Cambridge Audio CXA61 amp, but it's quite expensive here where I live at 750 EUR. Thank you.
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
Monolith requires 4 ohms 50 ~ 180 watts, AO300 gives you 4 ohms 165 watts, so yes you can use this one.
@myroslav6873
11 ай бұрын
@@audioAI Thank you a lot!
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
@@myroslav6873 You are welcome.
@shaunyweaver1144
11 ай бұрын
I have tried a few, but I still have found nothing better than the Sabaj A30a yes it's double the price, but it's a fantastic amp, Ldac is top notch as is the coax and usb, it is not balanced and no HDMI but hey, you get optical . After 50hrs of use it settles down into a truly great d class amplifier . Bags of power and will suit many different speaker sets . I like smsl products but feel they have not taken the next step up in affordable amplification, the Sabaj gives you that .
@CinemaDemocratica
11 ай бұрын
How does it sound? I believe it has the same op-amps as the AL-200 but a little better chip for the ... is it for the headphone amp, or the USB decoder? Anyway, the AL-200 is supposed to be a giant-killer except for not having a subwoofer output, and this one does, so unless you're pretty disappointed I'd be inclined to give it a go. What did you hook it up to you, what's your taste in music, and how did it do?
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
Soon I will publish my review.
@CinemaDemocratica
11 ай бұрын
@@audioAI Smash or pass? :D
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
@@CinemaDemocratica Oh this one sounds good for sure.
@iikatinggangsengii2471
11 ай бұрын
dont think you have another option on particular budget, but try topping one if you want more clarity
@CinemaDemocratica
11 ай бұрын
@@iikatinggangsengii2471 There's a new reviewer just getting started and in two videos he made two of the best points I've ever heard: First, that if you spend $300 on an amplifier instead of $3000, you don't have to drive yourself crazy by squint-listening for the colorations, and can instead just enjoy the music. Second, if you spend $300 on a pair of speakers, you can buy more than one pair and swap them out when they start to sound too familiar, instead of having to start over.
@tipok1929
10 ай бұрын
Tell me if several inputs are connected, does it remember the selected one after a complete shutdown?
@audioAI
10 ай бұрын
Yes.
@tipok1929
10 ай бұрын
@@audioAI Thanks
@MrSlicer2424
11 ай бұрын
Anyone have specs on the headphone amp?
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
Let me ask the company.
@johngault-9597
9 ай бұрын
Your title says review....I'm assuming you know that KZitem reviews need the spoken word but you decided to go in another direction...
@audioAI
9 ай бұрын
Really? Dont you see the link?
@Puggs420
8 ай бұрын
How was the sub out performance? I am reading that lots of people having issues when using this in a 2.1 system. Thanks.
@audioAI
8 ай бұрын
I dont have a sub to test, sadly.
@giottodiotto1
4 ай бұрын
I ordered one on amazon, the thing worked for two days straight, then just on the third day when it started to sound really good, was getting very pleased with the sound, unfortunaly it died the same third day ( total dead, no sound nothing.... So it send it back to amazon, after receiving the mony spend on this thud i ordered a LOXJIE A40, with is essential the same amp but with a PHONE stace as extra build in. This one is allso burning in, for four days now, but i have hy hopes this time, the price is the same, the sound allso, in short a very neutral, spacious precise sound with depth and bags of clean power, nice deep base, phono stage is allso very good, amp thoes not heat up very much, so i hope this will be my new musical vriend for many years to come. EXTRA: i doe own the Aiyma T9pro with the texas instruments TPA 3250 chip, those sound a bit warmer, more like the old NAD amps, this LOXJIE with the GERMAN INFINEON chip sounds very much like the Musical Fidelity A1 (class A cooking plate) of the 80ś) it is THAT GOOD!
@DanielMonroy-db7uo
4 ай бұрын
What is your sound like with movies and television series?
@audioAI
4 ай бұрын
I prefer my LG TV's sound over this.
@Amp1tude
2 ай бұрын
@@audioAI can you explain yourself? was this a joke?
@goodsound4756
10 ай бұрын
Title promise a review, but it‘s not. Unboxing and view at Menus on screen. A review means that you test it, compare it and give your opinion. All of these is absent.
@audioAI
10 ай бұрын
www.androidbrick.com/smsl-ao300-review/, what is this?
@polop566
11 ай бұрын
I have had the SMSL AO300 amplifier at my place for 2 days now. I have mixed feelings about this device. I had quite high expectations looking at the specifications, but I guess it's not a fully refined product yet. I was most curious about the HDMI-ARC connection feature. I was a bit disappointed with the SMSL implementation. The inability to turn the device on and off using the TV remote control is quite problematic (maybe no HDMI-CEC in AO300?) Fortunately, the volume control is a bit awkward, but it works. This does not directly control the amplifier's volume level (the volume level values do not change on the amplifier's display), but the sound becomes quieter and louder within a certain range. I tested the headphone amplifier using Sennheiser 560S headphones and for me it's great. In my opinion, it sounds better and stronger than, for example, Topping DX3 Pro+, with which I directly compared it. Bluetooth on the Samsung S23+ works seamlessly with the LDAC codec. The optical Toslink connector works very well, I tested with Google Chromecast Audio and the sound was more resolved and clear than via the HDMI connector. I connected the amplifier to the ELAC Debut 6.2 speakers and was a bit disappointed. When it comes to TV and HDMI, it may be. Quality doesn't matter. However, when listening to music, you can hear that the amplifier is playing in class D. For comparison, the Primare I15 in class D sounds several levels better. SMSL has a sound that is a bit unrefined and not very smooth. For comparison, I also connected the Sabaj A3 amplifier and with the Elac Debut 6.2 the Sabaj sounded better. Its sound was more light, airy and clear. The SMSL was a bit muddy in the midrange. It certainly performed better at higher volume levels than the Sabaj, but the amplifier itself sounds so-so in my opinion. I will probably give my device back, because the Sabaj A3 I have is not inferior to SMSL in terms of sound quality at the volume levels I listen to. The headphone amplifier is of a similar class as in the Topping DX3 Pro +. However, if I did not have a headphone amplifier for my desk and needed an amplifier for loudspeakers at the level of the Elac Debut 6.2 or similar, this would be a good option. What I miss most about this device: - Turning on the device and switching to the selected amplifier input after detecting a signal on a given input. - Automatic switching to standby mode after a specified period of signal loss. - Ability to set an independent volume for each input (also setting a constant value for the analog input) - Possibility to set the cut-off frequency for the subwoofer output.
@audioAI
11 ай бұрын
Thank you for your input. I can confirm that headphone output really sounds better than expected. For Power AMP I just connected two 8-Ohm, 70W speakers, AO300 drives them well but the sound quality is a bit dry compared to my old Harman pre-AMP. About the HDMI stuff, I have no idea and no use too :)
@valentinvalentin8916
11 ай бұрын
What brand tv do you have? I think you should wait and let amp run for a few days, maybe will be sound much better. I just ordered also. Thanks for your feedback!
@polop566
11 ай бұрын
@@valentinvalentin8916 I tested HDMI on Philips PUS85xx and LG OLED C1 TVs. It worked in each case as I described. SMSL had to be turned on and off with its remote control. With the TV remote control, you could only turn up and down the volume to a certain level, already set on SMSL. This value was nowhere to be seen because the volume level value did not change on the SMSL screen. I will definitely give this device another chance, but I wouldn't expect miracles here. The amplifier sounds appropriate for the price. I also tested it with better and more demanding 4 Ohm floorstanding speakers: Pylon Audio Diamond 28. Unfortunately, the difference between it and the Primare I15 was overwhelming in Primare's favor. Of course, the Primare price is a multiple of the SMSL price. However, at the price at which SMSL is currently offered, if its firmware were improved, it would be a great solution for many people.
@Lethargyca
11 ай бұрын
@@polop566 Between this and the AL200 which one sounds better for you? I use mostly BT and optical to play music from my cellphone/TV and I have no plans to upgrade past the elacs b6.2. Do you think this is a solid purchase?
@polop566
11 ай бұрын
@@Lethargyca I haven't had a chance to listen to the AL200. I was originally going to buy the AL200, but I saw on Amazon that there is another interesting device AO300, which seemed to me to be a development of the AL200. For me, the AO300 is the AL200 with an additional HDMI ARC port, a subwoofer output and an additional 4.4mm headphone output. If you don't need these additional features, I think there is no point in paying extra for the AO300. As for the final assessment of the device, I will wait. I need to listen to it some more. It's a neat little box that has almost everything. Certainly, taking into account the sound quality and capabilities, it is very fairly priced. I really like it visually, I know that some things could be improved, e.g. the display should be replaced with OLED. But then the price would increase and I don't know if this direction of change would be appropriate. The main advantage of such devices, however, is their price. At the moment, the AO300 has no competition at its price. However, I am very curious about the next iteration of this device, or at least the firmware. If SMSL will add at least the auto-standby and autosense options in future updates, AO300 gains much value for me.
@valentinvalentin8916
11 ай бұрын
This is sound better than bluesound powernode n330?
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