…in theory.
But in theory I should be better at basketball than Mugsy Bouges because I’m 16in taller.
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Wow Mugsy plays basketball too?
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love your impressions. since it’s so good for cello, I may have to get this ASAP! 
how well do you think it would do with a high impedance headphone? 250? 600?
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I got zero high impedance headphones, sorry. 
I don’t know how “risky” it would be to buy this if you only plan to use like 600 ohms headphones.
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A class A amp uses a single device (transistor/valve/whatever) to amplify the entire wave form, this requires the wave to be biased into the middle of the devices operating range, so it’s always on.
A class B amp uses 2 devices to amplify the wave, one for the top half and one for the bottom, this means when nothing is being amplified the devices are idle.
Because devices do not turn on a 0V you have to bias the devices by their threshold voltages.
So a class B amp can introduce additional noise at the crossover point, which a class A device can’t.
Since there are 2 devices in the amplification of a singe wave, you also need good matching of the devices in question for a linear response.
A class A amp requires at least 3x the output power of the amp, and in practice it can be MUCH more.
This impacts component selection, and drives cost up, so they aren’t usually cheaper than equivalent class B or class AB designs.
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Oh, and, FX Audio Tube-03 with Voskhod 6J1P-EV Tubes + this SAP-1 is the shit.
So, 50$ tube buffer, 20$ tubes, 90$ amp.
160$USD for tubes and Class A is a f-ing great deal.
I already reviewed this little tube buffer, and it makes everything “airy”. It’s like they made the SAP-1 for this.
You get a treble and bass knob on the Tube-03 if anything doesn’t sound right to you.
And you turn the volume knob to max on the Tube-03 for “more tubes”,
or to like 10% and you turn the Class A volume knob to max for more “analog” Class A “smoothness”.
Or 50-50, or 75-25, or 25-75, depending on how you feel and which one you prefer.
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Forgot this, added to the review.
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PS3 plugged via RCA in a tube buffer and a Class A headphone amp.
“When even fucking youtube ads sound classy”. 
Realy sounds like a great deal. Hng… I don’t have the money to do this…
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Dead honest, FX Audio Tube-03 is the only thing I got that makes music sound “normal” instead of “compressed” through this Class A amp. You need an “airy” source for this if your goal is “harman neutral to 20khz”. I don’t even know if a DAC with ESS chipsets is enough.
Also, 270mA of Class A power is more than enough T50RPs. That was unexpected!
A french website said the SAP-1 was enough for 300 ohms.
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Just got Monoprice (Monolith) M650s. Slight V-shape, a lot of information above 10khz. Poor man’s Sundaras or something lol. Lacking mids, but otherwise they’re a great pairing with this little amp (amp not doing much above 10khz, M650s compensate).
Added this to the review:
Nevertheless, I’m keeping it. I just got a great combo with this and my Tube-03 together for my tube and Class A needs.
Maybe it’s because I’m treble-sensitive, but I found the “PS3 -> JDS Atom” pairing to be a bit too treble-y for me (too much sibilance). But the SAP-1 with the PS3 makes a great CD player.
SAP-1 is not just good for tubes! 
Is SMSL SAP-1 the best (quality for price) headphone amplifier up to 90 $ ?
I’m buying one for the $42 drop, and have not yet used it. BUT, I will say emphatically, noway is it the best sub-$90 amplifier. Atom, a B-Stock Magni. I just like the form factor, I’m keeping expectations low.
It’s a really smooth amplifier with really laid-back treble. Making everything done with a computer and 100% digital stuff sometimes sound like it has been recorded and mastered on analog tapes. Perfect to pair with a tube buffer, but otherwise, is it “the truth” ? I honestly don’t know.
I also got a JDS Atom amp, and it sounds digital and shrill compared to this (I still have, and love, my JDS Atom amp – paired with my recording interface with laid-back treble – pairing is everything).
If you want inoffensive treble, but “realistic” sound, the Liquid Spark is often recommended here. 100$. Fun fact: They “measure” exactly the same. i.e.: +/- 0dB @ 0hz to 20 000hz… but a lot of people who tried the Atom and the Spark said the spark sounded smoother – so measurements aren’t everything, heh.
Adding to my sAp-1 review.
Oh well. Zeos received one! Review soon?
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Can y’all stop reminding me this thing exists?
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