SMSL Q5 Pro Vs SainSonic FX Audio D802 Vs Other Stereo Digital Amplifier's

[elangoas]

Some more unboxing pics..

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[Murlidher]

Great. It looks like they gave you twin plugs. One three pin and one two pin?

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[elangoas]

Great. It looks like they gave you twin plugs. One three pin and one two pin?

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Yes.. 1 x Two pin and 1 x 3 pin plug..Using the 2 Pin @ the moment..

 

[elangoas]

Some factors that influenced me to consider SMSL Q5 Pro..

- Having lost my center of entertainment (AVR), i had to look for a product.. 9 Channel AVR is too expensive.. So decided to wait for sometime and then pick it up.. So this product will be a stop gap..

- If i decide to get an amplifier, wanted to keep my lil princess away from getting hold of the input selection switches & volume Knob.. Very difficult to monitor her all the time, give the space limitation we have (Live in FLAT).

- Could have very well considered used stereo amplifier in OLX / FM here.. But for 10K budget, hard to find something in perfect working condition..Especially with remote..

- Also stereo amplifiers have bunch of Analogue inputs, which i would not be using @ all, as i don't have a DAC/CD player (or) if i take that route, DAC becomes an additional cost.

- This product doesn't have a DAC and a Pre-amplifier, which is really interesting.. 3 digital inputs (Optical, co-axial and Async USB) and one 3.5mm Analogue inputs and a remote control..

- 3 Digital inputs, gives you the flexibility to connect to devices.. (HD STB & PC are my source right now).

- Importantly cost of the product, Prices around the world $130 - $140 on amazon.com (Bet 8 - 9K INR), 90Pounds on Amazon.uk (8K INR) and 530 RM in Malaysia (9K INR).

- Product dimensions & 1 Kg weight.. Really compact, the width of the amplifier is approx the size of the 7 inch tab..

- Only downside if we may call it, is the power output.. 25W max @ 8 Ohms and 40W Max @ 4 Ohms..

- Absolute blind buy, went thru few you tube videos and read some actual user experience reviews on amazon and discussion threads to collect input's.

 

[tuff]

It 'Does' have a DAC and a preamp. just tucked away inside. without them no magic happens.25 watts seem pretty low, 96db efficiency on speakers is awesome though. Should be able to rock out.(at a reasonable volume)

 

[tuff]

It says 50 watts per channel. Class D amplification(it seems).

 

[elangoas]

It 'Does' have a DAC and a preamp. just tucked away inside. without them no magic happens.25 watts seem pretty low, 96db efficiency on speakers is awesome though. Should be able to rock out.(at a reasonable volume)

I don't know much technically.. But from general reading, this is what i found..

Q5 pro adopt SA9023 + CS8422 + TAS5508C + TAS5342A

SA9023 - Micro USB receiver

CS8422 - SPDIF input's receiver

TAS5508C - Digital Audio PWM Processor from TI

TAS5342A - "high-performance, integrated stereo digital amplifier power stage" from TI webpage.

I guess there is no DAC in it..

It says 50 watts per channel. Class D amplification(it seems).

Again from googling, " PCM is converted to Pulse with modulation (PWM) signal and then amplified using DDX power output stage, enabling it to drive speakers directly".. I didn't get a hold of this...hyeah:

This link gives some information - soundcheck's - audio@vise: Ever heard about Full Digital Amps ??

 

[elangoas]

Choice of speakers for SMSL Q5 Pro...

Having decided on SMSL Q5 Pro purchase, it was time to think abt pairing speakers with it..

- Sonodyne Sonus 1501 BS is what i had with me, which was 86db efficient.. Didn't know how it would pair up with SMSL Q5 Pro as it might need more power due to efficiency...

- The new speakers that i would be getting will double up for stereo/HT when i get the new AVR, so wanted to make sure i get a better pair & then get a center speakers from same family @ a later stage...

- Two brands that i considered for BS were Klipsch due to efficiency and Taga Harmony for very good pricing in India.

- Given the exorbitant rates for some brands here, i knew i would be taken for a ride... Anyways called Cinebels, chennai and enquired the pricing for Klipsch RP 160M BS.. They said 65K hyeah: and after discounts 59K hyeah:. Was in a shock because the same speakers were available in US (Amazon.com for $400 - 27K INR). I told the same to Cinebels that the speaker cost 27K in US and 30 - 32 2K in Europe.

- Cinebels was treating me a dumb and tried to persuade me away from buying abroad saying it is price for single speaker ..But i managed to get a pair for 27K... Not sure if the dealer/distributor is carrying the speaker on his shoulder all the way from china to India to charge more than 100% of the US price.. So saved 33K by not buying it from Cinebels, India. The more i hear the prices here, the more it encourages me to get it from the cheapest place in the world.

- Taga Harmony Platinum B-40 (89 db) was an other BS speaker that i considered only because of its pricing in India 22K (Hifimart) while the price in UK is 320 + Pounds (30K INR) and Europe for a lil more.. I think very good pricing ..

Sure you can carry your source & may be your amplifier to the dealer place for audition to see if you like them.. Sometimes exorbitant prices like these compel you to make it a complete blind buy..

 

[rpanand25]

While i know that you had purchased the Amp as an interim arrangement for about two years, I was wondering what would be the probable life span of these chip amps? They may be cost effective, with decent sound quality and with number of inputs/outputs, would they serve for long for a person satisfied with their performance and who does not want to upgrade in near future? I would be comparing with entry level integrated amps with discrete components or with receivers(stereo). Like in Amazon there are number of receivers in $100-200 range and how would these amps longevity compare with chinese amps like SMSL, TOPPING ETC. I would hope that these are not use and throw away amps given the price point.

Anyway pl give your review on sound signature with your speakers as they get progressively broken in.

 

[elangoas]

While i know that you had purchased the Amp as an interim arrangement for about two years, I was wondering what would be the probable life span of these chip amps? They may be cost effective, with decent sound quality and with number of inputs/outputs, would they serve for long for a person satisfied with their performance and who does not want to upgrade in near future? I would be comparing with entry level integrated amps with discrete components or with receivers(stereo). Like in Amazon there are number of receivers in $100-200 range and how would these amps longevity compare with chinese amps like SMSL, TOPPING ETC. I would hope that these are not use and throw away amps given the price point.

Anyway pl give your review on sound signature with your speakers as they get progressively broken in.

Am not very sure of the life span... Since this amp has a power adaptor like Laptop/TV, i guess that might be the only equipment that might fail, which i think can be replaced..

Have read been few reports of SMSL Q5 ( 1st v) some failure pieces within shirt span.. But haven't read Q5 Pro issues yet... Hope it lasts for a year atleast...

Sure... Will share it here...

 

[elangoas]

SMSL Q5 Pro - Features

- Direct Digital Amplification (DDX)
- 25W max @ 8 Ohms nad 40W max @ 4 Ohms output
- 3 Digital inputs & 1 Analogue input.
- Optical & co-axial inputs accept 192/24
- Micro USB limited to 96/24
- Sub output.

SMSL Q5 Pro - Functionality

- The supplied USB cable was little hard to plug it in to the amp.
- Front panel is clean with power button & volume knob.
- No physical buttons to switch between inputs.
- toggling the power button switches between the inputs.
- Long pressing the power button, enables switching on & off the amp.
- Toggling the volume knob gives you accees to 8 different preset modes.
- Prest modes (Bass, Super Bass,Heavy Rock, Lite Rock, Jazz. Country, Rap) and EQ0 - FLAT

SMSL Q5 Pro - Remote

- Remote is simple and quite easy to hold. Almost the size of waffer's.
- Round D-pad to adjust the volume.
- input switching, EQ & mute are independent buttons.
- some buttons dont have any functionality assigned.
- Guess future versions of the amplifier will have some feature assigned to this butons.

Klipsch RP 160M Bookshelf - Speaker features

- 96db effcient
- Horn loaded titanium tweeter (First time hands on with metal tweeter)
- The horn looks different from the previous generation ones. They start with a circular shape around the tweeter for about 20 - 30mm and then opens to square area.
- 90 x 90 degrees Horizontal x Vertical beam dispersion Horn. Earlier generation used 90 x 60 degrees..
- Looks like the horn have rubber coating to tame the famed harshness of the Klipsch speaker.
- Tactrix shape rear ported.. looks very good.
- Huge for a bookself.. To me it looks like Half the floorstander.
- Heavy @ approx 10 Kgs each..

Klipsch RP160M - Design & Apperance

- From the front, the speaker looks like it is slightly tited backwards. The speaker sits on a base.
- it is speaker base that has been designed in such a way that is slightly tapered towards the back side. Nice touch. Felt like the speaker were saying hello
- Trapezoid front grille gets attached to the speaker cabinet magnetically.
- The front of the speaker sides has been designed to deceive a Trapezoid appearance, while it is regular rectangle shape .. Nice touch.
- The copper woofer looks lovely with grille off..
- Surprised to see speaker Binding posts are plastic.
- full marks for design & appearance.. Love it.

Pairing the Klipsch RP-160M with SMSL Q5 Pro...

Listening Area - 14 feet length x 11 feet wide. (Untreated room)

Speaker placement : Approx 5 feet apart, minimum of 25cms away from the rear wall and to the side wall of right speaker. Speaker was placed on plastic chair (temporary)

Acoustics in the room : A sofa right opposite to the tweeter @ 14 feet distance, not so thick screen that starts on the sides of each speaker.

cables & connector - MX banana plugs with Belden speaker cable.

Connectivity - PC connected to the amp via Micro USB.

HD STB - Co-axial connection.

Burn in - - Roughly would have clocked 50 - 60 hrs of uage.

Stereo Playback - Used foobar to play the FLAC/WAV & MP3 file (44/16), HS STB & You tube video's. (2.0)

- My first experience with Klipsch speakers was few years back in Cinebels, it was paired with Marantz.. Don't recollect if it was an AVR or stereo amplifier. It was very harsh even for 5 - 10 min listening
- Though Cinebels, Chennai have decent acoustics in the room, it was really harsh.
- Right out of the box, when i played it, the speakers didn't sound harsh Was pleasantly surprised. Klipsch being commonly known for famed brightness in treble.
- played some familiar indian films songs that have sounded fractionally bright on silk dome tweeter (Sonodyne Sonus 1501 BS paired with ONkyo AVR).
- Again surprised that the same material didn't sound harsh on metal tweeter.
- Bass was stupendous for a BS. They are slick not bloated.
- With a volume of 12 - 16 out of 60 max, it was playing loud in my 150sqft room.
- Picks good amount of details. (Think this is because of sensitivity and the crossover point in the speaker @1.5 Khz, and horn that preserve the details beam them to the user. Sonodyne Sonus had 3.5 Khz crossover point).
- I could sense that something wasn't right.. The high frequencies are not playing the way it should.. It is somewhere skewed.
- To double confirm that , i connected to STB channels (Co-axial) and observed the same thing. Some HF were not right.
- Don't think it is distortion that causes the skewed HF, since rest of the band, felt clean.
- Even when pushed to little more volume, it went loud, but didn't feel distorted.

Multichannel movie playback - Used Kodi, and selected output as 2.0

- Didn't check the subwoofer output as i dont have a sub. Will coonect to my brother's subwoofer in a weeks time & update here..
- Takes more volume for a decent output.. Went up to 25/60 on the amp..
- Don't think there is much difference when i increase volume beyond a point.
- If you have movies in 2 channel AAC, Dolby format, volume is right up there.. But down-mixing 5.1 to 2.0 is not what the amplifier meant for in my opinion.

Anyways have SMSL IDOL USB DAC that i have. Will try connecting to Analogue input of the amplifier and update here..

Finally

- Good enough for small rooms (Second system)
- some more power, atleast 50Watts per channel @ 8 ohms would do good.
- If the SMSL Q5 Pro had DTS/Dolby decoder, would have been a brilliant product.(Basically a 2,1 receiver).
- For movies, i would love LFE to be untouched and fed to the suboutput.
- There is no mention of crossover for the amp. If it was aval, would have taken the load off the speakers when watching movies..

 

[yugaaa]

Digital amps are compact, probably handy and useful for a computer desktop speakers .
I do not understand why one would use Digital amps for mainstream applications . A class A/B producing 25w is more powerful and louder than a digital amp producing 25W for me .The music also sounds fuller .

 

[elangoas]

Digital amps are compact, probably handy and useful for a computer desktop speakers .

This was the sole reason of getting it, as i didn't have any stereo amplifier with me / AVR right now..

I do not understand why one would use Digital amps for mainstream applications . A class A/B producing 25w is more powerful and louder than a digital amp producing 25W for me .The music also sounds fuller .

Why not? If the amp was capable of producing little more power, i think it makes a fantastic option for buyers... I had a different situation, which i said above & prompted me to get this amp..

May be class A/B is better.. As these products evolve in years,with better features, it gives user plenty of options to consider..

Anyways will be moving this as my stereo set-up with different speakers..