Appreciate your diligent testing and transparent reviews, enjoyed the video as always👍🏾👍🏾💯

Ended up buying A1 from hifi express thanks to your reviews! I just love the class A sound from my Nobsound 6P1 tube amp with my SA LS3/5a (all caps replaced; soviet tubes). However, I am tired of tube rolling costs and still only getting 2-4 watts of clean power despite offloading most of the bass (90Hz and below) using active DSP into my speedwoofer 10s. Hoping A1 will get me 6-8 watts of clean Class A like sound and remove my minor addiction to tube rolling.

If you can get purifi at this price you should. It’s pretty much perfect with most speakers and that can’t be said of class a amps which are pretty finicky

I love your audio buddies, they make your content more true to life experience and different! Kudos to those guys!

For me class D is the ticket if any of the following are primary considerations. 1. Cost 2. Size 3. Low power consumption 4. Near zero maintenance 5. 24/7 operation. Class AB transistors or class D for subwoofer duty. Everything else is class A tubes with occasional class AB tubes if large room requires it or just for the fun of vintage. I guess it boils down to each critter has its place.

I coming to the conclusion this channel is above my pay status in life.

Another great review. On the topic of class D, the most abrasive part seems to usually be from the upper midrange to lower part of high- say around 2k hz +/- 0.5k hz. This frequency band usually seems over emphasized on class D, unless you get in the 2,000usd and up price range. So I wheeled my Klipsch Cornwalls out of storage recently and started putting them through the paces with several amps. I hadn't broken in these speakers properly before, so I gave them a heavy workout for a couple days. This made a huge difference in the smoothness and tonal warmth (still a Klipsch though). Anyway, the class AB amps continued to offer a more complete sound signature with almost any genre of music. The Cornwall is a good test platform because of using a horn midrange, very revealing of poorly recorded tracks and amplifier coloration. The class D did seem to push those 15 inch woofers with more of a potent kick drum effect, than did the class AB, but the band width of the low frequency response seemed more full with the class AB, especially on upright acoustic string bass and low male vocals. Completely agree with your assessment, that class AB (A) is preferable on midrange. I paired the Peachtree PreDAC with an Emotiva dual reference amp (which I think is primarily class D, but lists as class H). This gave excellent detail and frequency balance through all volumes- no perceived distortion. Of course that amp is many times the power rating than that of the highly efficient Cornwalls, so only a fraction of the power was applied to max the speaker out (damn loud though). Something like an amplifier which uses class A for mid frequency band and D for bass and treble may be an excellent offering (probably some company already has this). I found that I got used to the sound of class D and like it, but they still seem to filter out some frequency bands (your mind filling in the acoustic gaps), this may in part be why the class D seems more efficient and the class AB seems more organic/live and natural.

My experience with class D is with SMSL DA-8 and Bluesound Powernode. I don't know if I'm imagining things or if it's the synergy of the amp with the built in DAC but I find the power node sounds really good, works well with all kinds of speakers, sounds basically like a solid class ab amp and does a good job with speakers 87db and up. really smooth yet transparent. The SMSL DA-8 I have is a bit more limited and speaker sensitive but the tone controls really bring it to life and XLR in is great for use with a desktop audio interface so you can use the speakers you have instead of buying powered monitors (especially if you aren't mixing).

I am amazed you have the energy to swap in and out 4 sets of speakers including heavy floorstanders just to test the amps.

the sound demo at the end of the video was exactly what i was looking for. the song accentuates the prowess of the a1 and hides its limitations. the a1 has exceedingly airy, crisp and very forward vocals. the vocals were exciting and excellent but there some parts of the song that lacked dynamics and felt underwhelming. in my experience, this will work well for acoustic music, bossa or instrumentals. but not so much for pop, rock, jazz, lofi, house, etc. the a1's limited power shows. forward vocals is also not always a good thing as it can become shouty depending on the song and thus fatiguing. the a2 is also nicely airy but more meaty, full bodied, neutral, balanced and better dynamics. better for whole day listening and a bigger majority of songs. all that raw power is showing its potential. i would definitely choose a2 over a1.

At first I didn't have any interest in watching this episode until I seen Harley Lovegrove's video and who's name pops up in the comments, Thomas. So of course I needed to watch your video. I really like Harley's videos. He has this certain way of explaining things. It would be absolutely cool if you could get your hands on a pair of Pearl Acoustics speakers. After watching both videos you both bring something to the table that is good. Thank you for this.

Perhaps, it's more of a challenge to review slightly more affordable gear.. Benefit is, these reviews have a much larger appeal... Nice work, Keep it up.

So I bought 2 SMSl VMV a2 and both failed after 5 months, 1st with optical input the 2nd as a dead unit. SMSL have poor support which are like robots not human with really bad English... Zero responsibilities from support with zero advice… RMA process took 2.5 months ... This AMP on paper looks pretty amazing but once I compared it with the Marantz 30 is way behind with the audio quality and dynamic clarity of audio with Revel and Focal speakers…

Wow I can't wait to buy one. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!

Do you prefer if I make more comparison videos? Guys, go check out Pearl Acoustics video on the VMV A1, he did a much better job than I did in conveying the excitement of the A1. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a86Cm9uB1tmtYqs.html&lc=Ugx3cG4mFfVMqfIGT7J4AaABAg.9UEsdGROhcQ9UEyZhqBEK9 Non-affiliated link: hifi-express.com/products/smsl-vmv-a2-digital-pffb-power-amplifier Coupon code: smsl20

Another underappreciated class d option in this pricerange ($899.00) is the NAD C 268. It has a nominal 80 watts into 8 ohms, even though it can deliver much greater power for dynamic swings, a Hypex UCD output stage, and a customized input stage by NAD. It sounds powerful, dynamic, detailed and yet doesn't have any of the 'leanness' in the midrange that one finds on most class d amps; in fact the NAD C268 actually manages to sound slightly warm. The amp is bridgeable, and has single-ended and balanced inputs.

I followed your golden rule, driving a Class D amp with a tube preamp. The sound is fantastic! 😘

Thanks for the video as usual, and the perspective of others\stories are invaluable to navigate trough the audio world :) Hope for a review of SMSL D2 and D3 sometime in the future :) Enjoying my nearfield setup from Smls M400(great dac - thanks) and DA9 :)

🤗 THANKS THOMAS…WE APPRECIATE YOUR HONESTY AND THOROUGHNESS AND WE HOPE OTHERS WILL SUPPORT YOUR SOURCES FOR THE BENEFIT TO ALL 🤗🤗🤗 ALSO JUST WANT TO SAY YOUR SKILLS ARE NOTICEABLY IMPROVED 👍 and THE CAMERA QUALITY IS ALSO 👀 WE OLDER ONES LOVE ❤️ THE SLOW PANNING AND CLOSE UP SHOTS …KEEP UP ⬆️ THE GREAT WORK 😍😍😍

So excited thinking this is the VTV Purifi review, Thomas. Lo and behold, it's the VMV 😅😁

If it is a good quality piece they can all sound good. I have pure class A Sugden amps, and the sound is amazing. I was at a friends house the other day, both systems are in the $80K range. His Belcanto Class D amp was superb. Although his system sounded "manufactured, almost too perfect if you will.

So I got the VMV A1 last weekend and I did some testing vs a class A/B amp with 89 DB sensitivity speakers. Whitout a Dac the A1 sound OK compared to the Class A/B. I would say the clarity of the mid range was better, but the soundstage was much better with the class A/B. Then based on Thomas recommadation I used a DAC and put the volume at 68, then the A1 really started to shine, better soundstage, super crisp vocals, the bass was suprinsgly good. I asked a few people which are not audiophile to give their opinions, most of them preferred the Class A/B, because it was less analytical so easier to listen. But all of them were unanimous that the clarity and quality of the mid range were much better with the A1. We even tried some podcast on youtube (Thomas & Stereo and Andrew Robinson), and we were amazed of the clarity of the dialogs with the A1, way better than the class A/B.

If you really want to run a sub woofer for all this money you will buy a separate woofer amp with a adjustable crossover set point and gain then you can really tune your sound. Once you listen to a classic music concert on a Class D amp and on pure Class A amp at the same power level you will fill the difference. But again not every person is a musician and not every one will buy a class A or Class AB amp . Price to power ratio in Class D is unbeatable .

The SMSL SA400 has the same module as the VMW A2 for power and the surprising part is how it manages to drive my NS1000M speakers to all their glory. The amazing part is that here its competing with Yamaha amps like P2200, PC2002M as well as MX-1, all of them outputting 200W+ into 8ohm at less than quarter the size and weight.

Great comparison Thomas. For me saving space on a desktop and heat were big reasons why I went for the VMV A2 rather than 2 separates (dac + A1). Have to say that I at my listening volumes the fan doesn’t spin!

I have had the A2 for a couple of weeks now and was waiting for your next video on it to vindicate my purchase decision and you have! Other than an initial issue with difficulty switching to usb I am loving it so far. It is connected via USB to my PC and occasionally a Raspberry Pi 4 and driving the original B&W 805 Nautilus beautifully. If you have not done so, try the SDB EQ setting and see what you think, it's SMSL's patented EQ. BTW you can reset the unit by holding in the front on/off button on the dial while physically inserting the power cord into the back. That fixed my usb issue. That may also work on other SMSL/VMV devices.

Saying class A vs class D might be more accurately stated as class A vs class D at this price point given strides in class D amps relatively recently (higher price points best I know)

A2 packs plenty of features/power into a small chasis. Impressive BUT that small fan noise might throw me off.

Really interesting video Thomas.

Hi excellent review For ls50 meta A2 class d, will be good?

VMV A1 = perfect transient response, like Nelson Pass XA25 or Soulnote A1/A2 = lifelike reproduction VMV A2 = audible feedback, like every other global feedback amplifier = being bored

On ZF's last stream he mentioned that many of the amplifiers being advertised as pure class A are false and that many are class A biased but in reality switch to B at a certain point. He included Accuphase in this group all the way up to the E650. He did make a caveat that hp amps can still be class A but almost all speaker amps are in reality AB. Something along the lines of this being a marketing strategy to check hifiers boxes. anway just found that interesting .

great video as always! i love the design of that smsl line. very sexy and modern.

Awesome show Thomas l love it and Thomas I scored s pair of Magnapan 1.6 qr they sound amazing you should try and listen to a pair cheers and take care

thank you Thomas, I will be using parts express for my smsl purchase.

A reviewer (in amazon ) said that the A2 needs a sub for freqs under 70hz since its speaker outs dont give freqs under 70hz. 70 is the lower the spkrs outs offer. he was using his old well known tower speakers and not getting any bass under 70hz. . no setting in the menu to fix this. he couldnt get the spkr outs to give freq under 70hz ( the lower setting). thanks

Oh … this is a nice review. Love the comparison!

Fun fact. When powering LRS from Dena Pontus, Parasound A23+ sounded really better than Ayima A07. When I assembled high quality blind AB chain and volume match verified with voltmeter, they sound identical to me, my wife, friends and family.

Sorry Thomas I’ve used a photo of you as my Facebook profile pic,yea it’s weird I know , but shit , you rock Humans wonder why did you change it , Because he’s my favourite KZfaqr You rock

Pearl acoustic channel just did a review on the A1 and it was a 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

For it's an easy choice 86 dB sensitivity is like pushing a stone wall. I have a pair of infinity SM 150 with 102 dB or something crazy. I think I could power them with the headphone jack.

Thomas... you really have to give the Geshelli j2 ($300) a try. I will ship mine to you to review and cover the shipping if need be. Its unbelievable at its price even when I compared it to $1200 dacs. Its magic is when used with an amp like Crown xls or smsl 0200 What speakers do you have thats a step up from your polk 707s? Enjoyed this video!!! You are a fantastic at telling a stories 👏 😀

Hi Thomas, I was looking for a small footprint desktop amplifier and one of these should fit the bill. Thanks for another great review!

You've gotten more fit, I think. Good job.

Thomas, Well done review. Mr. Pete---------> aging hippie

Slightly laid back but more upper mids energy? Confusing. But if it plays well with the Focals without sounding too bright or forward gives me an idea. I've heard from another this amp has somewhat subdued dynamics that it is expected to have, so maybe that's why it may work with the Focals which are very dynamic?

Just in case anyone thinks of combining these 2, remote controllers signals for the VMV A1 and the RME ADI-2 DAC mix-up and mess their settings (for example, raising volume on the A1 puts the ADI-2 in mono...) I haven't found a way to solve this...

Hey Thomas, thanks for the entertaining (and informative) content on your channel. In an earlier video you mentioned receiving three Chinese-manufacturer DACs. Two of these have been reviewed by yourself since then. Is the fact that the third one won't be getting reviewed meaningful? Very curious.

So apparently the VMV A2 is a "fully digital" amp and doesn't technically have a dac from what I gather? I honestly don't really understand what this means or how it works but from the Apos product description page it appears that anything plugged into it's analog input would be run through an analog to digital converter. So it seems redundant to pair this amp with an external dac bc you'd be going from digital to analog back to digital again... but i wonder what it sounds like alone vs connected to other dacs? Were you running it straight into it's digital inputs or with a separate dac?

Just ordered one to pair with LS50 Meta's, I think it will be a perfect pairing for my nearfield listening. I'll be comparing them to my first gen LS50 Wireless.

Did you compare A2 to Sabaj a30a ?

Hi Thomas, I have the Focal 1028 in a room of 16m2. Is the A2 a better match?

Thank you for doing the review. How does the A1 sound on higher efficiency speakers vs the A2?

Maybe one day a true stereo or mono block power amp will make it to their drawing board for us who own a/v receivers or processors. Just a thought... 👍🏽 On the review Thomas

Hi Thomas, I have a pair of Q Acoustics Concept 500. Which integrated that you have tried with them do you think matches them best?

Forward upper mids and a small fan.. 😬 On a positive note, the fan will convert anyone that does not believe in “break in”, given enough time.. 😜

A2 sounds less rounded at the top than the A1, which I prefer and without sounding sibilant. Can't tell regarding overall refinement.

That’s a great comparison, especially with 89 dB sensitivity speakers.

Just pulled the trigger for A1. My speakers are easy to drive so they should be a good match for this amplifier.

Thanks for your review. Can you hear the saliva of the singer on the A1?.....I've been meaning to ask you who makes your av rack and what model is it? Tx

for desk friendly amps, it's for study table use, and I'll have a budget of USD$300. Wouldn't want to spend too much on a study table use speaker system, mainly for background music and youtube videos. For more serious listening, then the hall system comes in and the budget goes up. The use case of desktop amp is to pair with desktop speakers. Problem with desktop speakers: 1. they are very small 2. they placed on desktop , which means that sound will bounced off the desktop, distorting the sound the bottleneck in desktop systems are the speakers, not the amps. So there's no point in having a higher budget for desktop amps. These smsl speakers are neither here nor there. Too expensive for desktop use, and too small for hall use.

i'm doomed. I'm in the market for a new sound system BUT, ever since i moved out of the USA and gave my original Polk SDAs and my carver magnetic field amp to my son it's been one disappointment after another for six years . unfortunately i'm still comparing my old system to the new ones and every time i hear new speakers and amps i drift off into a semi coma in the shops. i even listened to some fifty thousand € speakers and was semi rude to the salesman with my "pfft" . Help, what to do !

where is the FIRST video on the A2 ?? thanks

A great review. I’m using SU9+DA9. Should I upgrade to VMV class A or class D? Thanks.

Hey Thomas, would you choose the a2 over the iotavx stack for the KLH model 5?

Spotted a Fluxion product in your video. I would like to know how it compares. Seems to be an old school type build.

Buuuuu Claas D 😬😁 What about the Bada review Thomas?

From the sound demo, the a1 plus x8 sounds much better to me. But at $1000, ill save a little more and just get cxa81 then after some time a decent dac.

A1 is only 10w per channel.. mmm should have been at least a 45w per ch and included a SUB OUTPUT. ill go with the A2.

Maybe class D for bass and class A for mid and treble.

Nice review Thomas, It would be wonderful if you could do a review on the SMSL DP5 HiFi Network Music Player. I purchased one a few months ago to just play FLAC files from a USB SSD. Would be interested in your findings compared to mine.

I have treble issues that mess with my head nerves. Would you say this is less harsh or warmer? sound. I think I would like a warmer sound. I’m looking at this DAC the SMSL SU-9 and the SMSL SU-8S, SMSL DO200, LOXJIE D50, LOXJIE D40, SMSL M500 MK2, and the SMSL VMV D1SE or the SMSL SU-9N. I stream music with Tidal and never heard MQA but would like to have. I have an SMSL SP200 Amp with Hifiman Ananda and soon will get Focal Clear or Elex.

I'm noticing reviewers conveniently rank product exactly at the price points. Where is the "why is this $1000?????"

Here it is, the final point of the audiophile )))

Hey Thomas, SMSL VMV A1 vs SMSL AO200 vs Yamaha WXA-50 In regard to your own personal taste, does the Yamaha crush the other 2? Thanks.

Hello, Could you please write what size your room is? I have seen really big speakers in your films. Thank you

Hi Thomas, which one would you pair with Klipsch 600s?

Hi Thomas. I'm from Toronto. Is the A1 orderable in Canada without duties?

Whoowh, $500 for those little desktop. $720 for that DAC. Oh my 😳

How would the A2 compare with the PS Audio sprout 100? I mean, beyond nominal wattage, considering overall performance.

Wouldn't the VTV purifi amp a better buy at this price? (if you don't need the extra features)

''Ive tried, and i have tried more speakers on my desk then most people take showers in a week'' lol👍👍👍

Hi Thomas, good comparison and explanation of speaker sensitivity can affect amplifier performance. In an earlier vid you showed a Peachtree Gan400. Will you be reviewing it, or maybe you found it pretty average? I have a Crown XLS-2002,. Prefer the sound over my Parasound Halo, except the Bass on the Crown is a bit lean. Fine if I supplement with Sub!

Any thoughts on the upcoming NAD c399?

Little unrelated... smsl now has a $3000+ R2R DAC.

can the A2 be used without a SUB ? i read a review saying its mains speaker outs cut at 70hz needing a sub for lower frequencies. does not have a high pass mode like other smsl amps. is that so? thanks

Thomas here is something funny for you.i got a new dac today rme adi2 dac fs.went to swap out the old one,and broke a cable.here comes the funny part.until the new cable arrrives.i got a 1200$ DAC connected to a 1600$ amplifier.with a 2$ dollar store cable lmao.

SMSL VMV A2- tested and not rec.

2:55 same here mate 🙄

Thomas have you tried bi-amps these two brothers?

ohhh...Do i see a douk preamp in the background on the coffee table?

where is the 1st video about the A2 ? cant find it. thanks

Digitalized amplifier ?

Has anyone had direct experience with HiFi Express refund and shipping policies? According to their site, if the shipper looses the item, there is only a 50% refund. If I return the item due to it not meeting my expecations, 20% is deducted and then 65% of the remainder is refunded (E.g. $260 refund for a $500 item). Not clear if this is indeed the case or if there's issue with 'wording' on the site? I requested clarification via the site messaging, but no one responded. HiFi Express does not seem to be a very consumer oriented vendor?

Wonder why Schitt Aegir is not marketed as "Class A" when they use Class A standing bias.Seems like a lot of quality amps above 30 watts go AB a higher power levels.I wonder what the amounts needed in every day use are (I know a 120 Luxman is 6 watts in pure A for instance)

hi thomas, u lose a lot of weight...have u been working out a lot carrying speaker up and down the staircase?

your discount code is invalid.

I got burnt by smsl 500 DAC. Sorry won't do it again. I couldn't resell for 100$ and it's brand new

Not for me .

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