Been keeping an eye out for this for a while, cheapest I've seen.
You can also use the $10 app coupon on top if you got it, or cashrewards (not sure what the cashback is though)
CamelCamelCamel.
I got one of these, I don't know about way better, they are incredible units. Where space is an issue they are incredibly good.
Running LS50s on my desk which are known to be extremely hard to drive.
I'm a huge fan of the second-hand audio market, but I think you might be underestimating this just a tad…
to be "way" better than this you'd need to be spending $200+ in my experience, short of finding a rare steal somewhere.
Absolutely agree with you Mel… but only if you already have a known working receiver in my opinion. I also have one of these and as the other two above say they're pretty amazing little units. For anyone starting from scratch these are a no-brainer, worth every cent and sound incredible with a nice little pair of Bookshelfs and a Sub (eg. the new Voll combo for instance)
Yup, alright, they are pretty decent for a beginner. I guess "way better" is quite off the mark. One thing I've observed is that these are more suitable for headphones. For bookshelf speakers with an 8 ohm impedance I still think a better option would be a receiver.
Don't get me wrong though… I'm a massive fan of all things 'Vintage Hifi' and know exactly what you mean… in fact I gave a mate of mine an old Yamaha AV Receiver and a Logitech Bluetooth adaptor to use in his shop only a few months ago. Sounds great too :)
Do you own one? How do you know any second hand receiver will sound way better than this?
My friend owns this one with a pair of bookshelf speakers and I own a Yamaha RX-V361 receiver with a pair of JBL balboa 30s. We've both tried each other's amp and speakers interchanged.
I got the receiver off Gumtree for $80. Guess I was lucky.
I'm going to get shot down by all the "audiophiles" out there, but if an amp has enough power to get to the volume you require and isn't defective in some way, they're all going to sound basically identical. Audio amplification isn't some black art that requires thousands of dollars of electronics to do properly - it's been solved and can be achieved using pretty standard gear.
If an amp sounds better to you it's because it's colouring the sound and you could achieve the same effect with an equaliser. Boggles my mind that people get so hung up on amplification, spend money where it makes a measurable difference - on speakers.
ˆˆˆThis 110%! This is the same industry that can sell $800 USB cables with a straight face.
The SMSL AD18 is a great piece of kit. In fact it replaced a second-hand AVR on my desk. It's also new with a warranty, unlike second-hand AVRs which can be a bad capacitor away from becoming the first piece nicked of your next hard rubbish collection.
I'd be inclined to agree with this. Saw a Marantz 7ch the other day for under $100 on fb marketplace
Any decent sub to pair it up?
I second this. Recently added the Voll sub to my AD18-based combo, very pleased with it.
I have the SMSL Q5 Pro and find it to be excellent and an improvement over my Onkyo AV receiver.
The built in DAC running from a digital source is crystal clear powering my Q Acoustics 3020s.
If space is not an issue a second hand AV receiver would cost almost this price if not less but sound way better. Bluetooth capability can be added by adding a BT receiver bought off eBay. The ones from UGreen and Logitech are good options.