SMSL SP200 THX 888 Review

SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888 headphone amplifier

Packaging and presentation 

 

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The SP200 ships in a nice, simple small-ish box proudly wearing the ‘THX’ and ‘Hi-res Audio’ badges, a theme repeated when you open the box to find the same trademarked symbols stamped on the top of the SMSL’s case. By way of accessories, the SP200 is accompanied by an IEC power cord and a brief instruction manual. That’s it.

SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888 headphone amplifier

Build and design

The SP200 is a headphone amplifier, pure and simple. No DAC, no remote, no eq, its job is to make headphones go loud. There’s no bling, no fanfare, and most interestingly, there’s actually not much of it – it’s small. By way of reference, it’s not much bigger than Schiit Audio’s Magni/Modi, and it’s considerably smaller than Drop’s THX 789 AAA. 

However, the SP200 does feel fairly hefty and substantial for its size, giving the impression of a well-built and solid device. Desktop users with minimal table-top real estate will be thankful for its diminutive footprint, but I found a couple of instances where thick XLR cables would cause it to rock off all four feet, or drag around on top of other equipment. 

The SP200’s chassis is all-aluminium, the main body of the amplifier consists of a single ‘tube’ with no joints, with face/rear plates held on with screws. A universal AC power supply is in-built, meaning that no chunky wall-warts are required, which is another tick in the box of benefits over Drop’s THX amp. Nice. 

SMSL SP200 THX 888 headphone amplifier

XLR and single-ended RCA line-level inputs are provided on the rear of the unit, but there are no output or preamp facilities – the SP200 is a headphone-only affair. 

The front of the unit features both four-pin balanced XLR and 6.3mm single-ended headphone outputs, a volume knob, and three ‘clicky’ toggle-switches: power, XLR/RCA input selection, and low/high gain. The power indicator light on the front is a fairly bright, lurid blue that’s slightly offensive, but not a deal-breaker.

And there you have it, we’re done the entire tour of the SP200. But there’s one thing we haven’t discussed yet: its shape. Yes, it’s not your eyes, the SP200 isn’t rectangular – it ‘tilts’ slightly to the right, and from front-on, the SP200 is shaped like a parallelogram (yes, I paid attention in primary school geometry). It’s an unusual choice from SMSL, but it does tend to give the SP200 a somewhat quirky and distinctive appearance. However, I could see this offending the design sensibilities of those who’d prefer a more symmetrical layout. I can confirm that it’s possible to stack the SP200 upright, but I wouldn’t recommend it (if you do, pop it on its left with the volume pot at the top – the weight of the power supply makes it more stable that way).

Head over to page 3 to read about the SP200’s performance and sound quality. 

4.2/5 - (73 votes)
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Hailing from Sydney's eastern beaches, Matty runs his own beer business, 'Bowlo Draught', as well as working in creative advertising. When he's not enjoying his hifi and vinyl collection at home, he can probably be found rolling-up on the green at his beloved Bondi Bowling Club.

25 Comments

  • Reply January 13, 2020

    Shane D

    Nice write-up! I bought this unit on Black Friday. It took a while to get used to the sound. I have several amps and was slow to warm up to this one. However, I just got a pair of Fostex TH-610’s and plugged them into this amp. It has been audio bliss for ten straight days.

    Love the small size, the small price and now the sound.

    • Reply January 14, 2020

      Matty Graham

      That’s really interesting, what was unusual about the sound at first? Too ‘lean’ or neutral-sounding? Great to hear it’s working out for you, the 610’s are on my list to try.

      • Reply January 26, 2021

        Alexandru Popescu

        Hello,
        because I am new in this field, but a fan of quality music but also of the quality of an audiophile sound, for me Your recommend , please
        … for a combo, with this SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888-
        JThe right DAC and a compact power supply for stacking on a rack.

        Thank you! With sincere friendship
        Alexandru Popescu

  • Reply January 13, 2020

    Timothy

    The volume knob can easily be replaced by a 20mm one from AliExpress, giving it more heft. On the plus side, the knob can be whatever colour you want

    • Reply January 14, 2020

      Matty Graham

      I’ve bought a few knobs in the past from AliExpress for my Crack – that’s definitely worth noting. This gets me wondering – an aftermarket stepped attenuator plus a filter on the blue LED light could be very nice mods on the SP200…

      • Reply January 14, 2020

        Shane D

        Yes on the lean/neutral sound. I am running SMSL SU-8 into my SP200.

  • Reply January 13, 2020

    Mike

    Great breakdown!! I bought the The amp and abesolutely love it! I paired a smsl su-8 dac (250$) and really enjoy the stack I’m looking for an eQ next and incorporate tubes at some point.. my cans are sennheiser 6xx and the Argon MK3s

    • Reply January 19, 2020

      Matty Graham

      Thanks for reading Mike! That sounds like a great set-up for your cans – if you’re looking for something ‘different’ to complement your SP200 try an OTL-variety tube amp to pair with your Senns.

  • Reply January 17, 2020

    James Longman

    Hi Matty,

    If you are using power hungry and high impedance headphones ( high ohms ) this amp is great. 🙂

    Regards
    James

    • Reply January 18, 2020

      Matty Graham

      I used to strap my old Hifiman HE-5’s into the back of a speaker amp, I reckon would sound great on this.

  • Reply January 24, 2020

    Bertrand

    Hello, thanks for this review.
    I’m looking for an amp or combo amp / dac to drive my HD800s, received a few days ago for an attractive price, but my MOJO seems to lack power.
    I’m eyeing the SP200 but would the JDS ATOM be a little warmer?
    The balanced headphone output is not balanced at all?
    For the DAC I don’t really know yet do I keep the MOJO or connect it to SP200).
    Sorry to be long …
    Thank you in advance for your opinion.
    Best regards.

    • Reply January 27, 2020

      Matty Graham

      Hi Bertrand, your Mojo will make for a perfect DAC – definitely hang onto it and use it in line-out mode if you’re looking to add another amp. I haven’t heard the Atom side-by-side with the SP200, but they ought to sound just about identical. Either should be a good pairing with your HD800, it just comes down to whether you need some extra juice + XLR connectivity options down the track.

  • Reply February 12, 2020

    Gerry

    Matty, I totally agree with your suggestion, I paired my Mojo with the SP200 using a SKW 3.5mm to RCA cable ($25.00 on Amazon). The result was superb on my HD6XX headphones. I highly recommend this combination. The warmth, clarity dynamics and impact are all greatly enhanced. I was surprised at the huge improvement.

    • Reply February 12, 2020

      Matty Graham

      Hey Gerry, that’s awesome to hear! Glad that’s working for you, enjoy the music mate. I might give this exact same combo a go myself : )

  • Reply February 23, 2020

    Gerry

    There is almost nothing on the internet about amplfying the Chord Mojo. I very much anticipate your reaction and review to the Mojo>Sp200 combo. Best regards.

    • Reply March 10, 2020

      Matty Graham

      Hey Gerry, there’s not much to it – simply put the Mojo in ‘line-out’ mode (depress both volume buttons when switching-on for a 2V signal) and plug into the SP200. It sounds expectedly transparent + excellent.

  • Reply March 9, 2020

    H

    Bought one recentl, pairing with Dx220 & Chord Mojo.
    Headphones: Sennheiser HD700
    IEM: Campfire andromeda + EA Thor Silver ii+/Ibasso IT04 + EA Thor Silver

    Compared to directly driven by Dx220/Mojo, the HD700 simply flies when driven by SP200. There is actually tangible bass slam and sub=bass rumble. Bass slam in comparison was a pop, and sub-bass has a “droning” sound. Sound-stage expanded for all devices. Pitch-black background (even with CA Andro), tiny bit of channel imbalance with CA Andro. Seems to pair with Mojo just as well as Dx220 (truly a transparent amp!), not warm or cold.

    Cons: The sides are not straight, OCD triggered.

  • Reply March 15, 2020

    Gerry

    H
    Thanks for your input. I love the Mojo/DP200 combination.
    Matty,
    I can’t wait for your hands-on review as well.

  • Reply June 6, 2020

    Venkat

    Hey, i am on the verge of pulling trigger on this setup: Topping D90+SP200+6XX and later LCD2C/X. Have you tried this setup? If so how did you find it?

  • Reply June 8, 2020

    JP

    Hi, how would you compare this to the THX 789?

    • Reply June 9, 2020

      Matty Graham

      Sonically indistinguishable, it depends on whether you appreciate a smaller footprint and price-tag (SP200), or would prefer three gain settings (789).

  • Reply September 17, 2020

    Steve Rios

    Hi Matty! Could you tell me if this amp and the THX 789, in your opinion and experience, are the best performers in bass and sub bass? I love hearing the heavy bass from movies and games. And I also have a taste for great symphony orchestras and great organ music. Thank you! (Headphones: HD600, ATH-M50x).

  • Reply September 17, 2020

    Matty Graham

    Hi Steve, ‘amp-rolling’ to find your preferred sound signature will never be as effective as using EQ or finding an actually bass-heavy pair of headphones. Having said that, both the SP200 and THX 789 (along with pretty much any competent solid state amp) will give you an accurate presentation of bass in any given mix without distortion or colour.

  • Reply May 5, 2022

    Pushplay

    I freaking love this one with my Etymotics EVO. The transperent sound go perfect with these super accurate BA IEM. Especially if you are into EQing/tuning to your individual ear curve you can afford that little bit of more gain boost nullifying the imbalance. Pure neutrality bliss.

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