The "Too good for the price" list

[LeDechaine]

Also, I found this.

@LeDechaine

SMSL AO300: Well, a few years later and the SMSL AD18 got competition… from SMSL. It does everything. And does it well. It’s a DAC: 32bit/768khz/DSD256 + MQA/MQA-CD support (augh) + NOS mode (!). With Coax/Optical/USB-C/RCA and even HDMI-ARC input. And Bluetooth (AptX HD + LDAC). Output to a 280mW headphone amplifier (with 6.5mm and 4.4mm outputs) or the 85Wx2 speaker amplifier (with a Subwoofer out). And there’s a remote. All that for 300$.

Edit: I don’t know about it, but with the same specs (probably similar internals), if you don’t need Bluetooth AptX HD + LDAC or HDMI-ARC or the 4.4mm headphone out, the SMSL AL200 is 260$. Worth mentioning here at least considering “it just does everything and is cheap”.

[LeDechaine]

Added tubes!

@LeDechaine

• Little Dot MK II: Legendary “entry level into tube sound”. A real, 100% tube amplification (i.e.: OTL) headphone amplifier and RCA pre-outs sending “tubey” goodness to your speakers. The left and right tubes affect the left and right channels. Still available for 175$.
• Xduoo TA-66: Another 100% tube (i.e.: OTL) headphone amplifier with the tubes doing the job for both channels and a step-by-step volume pot (someone really hated stereo imbalance there huh!) and impressive bass. But above all, with point-to-point wiring to reduce distortion and interferences… for 250$.

[LeDechaine]

And I’ve added more infos to the Asgard 3 + added the Aune X7S.

@LeDechaine

• Schiit Asgard 3: 200$ for 3.5 watts of Class AB headphone amplification, also modular (you can transform this into a DAC/Amp for 100$ or 200$ – but maybe you shouldn’t). Edit: If you want one watt of pure Class A instead, get a used Asgard 2… or the Aune below.
• Aune X7S: 1 watt of pure Class A headphone amplification. Best friend of my power-hungry Fostex T50RP’s (also has a balanced headphone output, but only RCA inputs, so not shown in “balanced headphone amps” below). A smooth sound, or at least definitely more analog-sounding than digital-sounding, for about 250$.

[MindBreak]

Too bad Asgard 3 is no longer in production, and it will be a while before the successor releases. We shall see if that one fits into this thread (it might end up being a mini Mjolnir 3).

[LeDechaine]

Funny thing about the Aune X7S is that it’s still in production and after all these years they just add a different date sticker to it. I own an “Aune X7S 2018”, because there’s a 2018 sticker on it. There’s a 2019 and 2021 version on eBay. Is there anything different, except a sticker showing a different year of production? I don’t know.

For the first time, there’s now an “Aune X7S Pro”. Still the same enclosure, same specs… but with a “Pro” sticker instead of the year of production.

Edit: They went from a proprietary adapter to a standard power adapter afterwards. Internals don’t seem to change otherwise.

[LeDechaine]

Added a few speakers amps.

@LeDechaine

• Fosi V3: A very well-received, I’d say mid-bass oriented, stereo headphone amplifier. You don’t like that it’s mid-bass oriented? You can change the opamps! Claims to do 300Wx2@4ohms, good luck with that. A very good amp for 80$ (or 120$ if you want it with a 48v/5a adapter, which still means it will be less than 250 watts of power for two speakers – but what matters is, it sounds good).
• Fosi V3 Mono: Déjà vu? The V3 was so popular they decided to make many versions of it, including monoblocs. Yup. 1 amplifier for 1 speaker. You really want that 240 watts per channel? Now you can have it. But above all, you’ll know what monoblocs do to your stereo system with two monoblocs for less than 300$. It even has an XLR input!
• Yamaha R-S202: It’s not a Yamaha RS100: That’s a bike. It’s not a Yamaha RS Venture: That’s a snowmobile. The Yamaha R-dash-S 202 is A big, fat, 125Wx2@8ohms speaker amplifier, like the good old days. Allows you to connect 4 speakers. With bass, treble, FM and Bluetooth (but AAC/SBC only). Old school, modern sounding, for less than 200$.

[John_W_Clark]

@K4sh1ma

I’d consider the Tanchjim Bunny here on this list, for that is one of those rare instances where I love using a budget set all the time.

I just snagged a pair, and they are surprisingly good. The sub bass is a little rolled off, but solid otherwise, with good controlled treble. I am even using the stock tips, and it sounds good on cheap dongles.