Listening
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The SP200’s best attribute is its ability to bring out the individual characteristics and traits of any given set of headphones, as well as your source gear. I found from the many pairing combinations that I tested it with that it helped me re-discover some interesting quirks, as well as reveal some flaws of many headphones. The SP200 should be viewed as an absolutely transparent window into your transducers and your source material, and a brutal one at times.
The Sennheiser HD600 is often unfairly labelled as ‘boring’ and neutral – either by people with bad taste (sorry), or who haven’t driven them properly. While their bass extension isn’t the greatest, I find they’re capable of producing hugely enjoyable low-end with the right pairing. The Jesus Lizard’s ‘Then Comes Dudley’ is an absolute riot on the HD600/SP200 pairing, with simply awesome bass texture and impact on the kick drum and bass guitar.
‘Let me Ride’, from the excellently produced Dr Dre record “The Chronic” (no streaming link, sorry but please do try and get a hold of a copy!) is a great test for bass-slam and speed. The SP200 wakes-up the bass abilities of slightly warmer Sennheiser HD650 and also shows-off some great imaging and separation among the individual back-up vocal tracks.
Radiohead’s ‘Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box’ is an extremely fast, complex and congested track. Listening to it on SP200 with the Beyerdynamic T1 is an absolute feast of micro-detail, speed, and bass texture.
Nirvana’s live performance of ‘Oh Me’ sounds stellar on the Grado GH1 with the SP200, revealing their ability to deliver attack, decay, and dispatch transients with lightning-quick pace. Some “S” sounds in Kurt Cobain’s vocals can get a little hot, and there’s no ducking them with the SP200, however.
While there was some noticeable channel imbalance with Audio Technica’s new ATH-IEX1 flagship IEM’s (review inbound!), there was zero hissing whatsoever. ‘Enrique El Cobrador’ from Oh Sees is a busy hoot of a track, and the SP200 turns up the ATH-IEX’s exciting W-shaped signature to ’11’. It’s full-on.
‘Rival’ from Pearl Jam shows-off the imaging chops of the Aeon Flow Opens, as well as their thick, full-bodied mid-range and great guitar tone (there’s a pretty freaky binaural effect at the start of that track too, by the way).
Amplifier comparisons
All well-implemented solid-state amplifiers really ought to sound audibly similar, but I did test the SP200 against a few other amps in a volume-matched set-up to get a sense of how it compares versus other amps that I’m intimately familiar with.
The Chord Mojo has a noticeably leaner body than the SP200, with less bass weight and impact. It also reveals the SP200 to have a slightly more spacious sound stage presentation.
I found the SP200 to be audibly indistinguishable to the Questyle CMA600i – in a blind test I was unable to tell them apart. This is good news for the SMSL amp, as the CMA600i is a bloody excellent amplifier and my solid-state benchmark for good reason.
Comparing the SP200 to the recently reviewed (and very impressive) Burson Conductor 3, the SP200 feels slightly more clinical in its delivery, whereas the Conductor 3 has an ever so slightly richer tonal presentation that feels a hair warmer.
SMSL SP200 THX 888 headphone amplifier
Conclusion
It’s never been a better time to be a personal audio enthusiast when THX certification and technology is available at an attainable price-point like the $289.99 S200. While ‘SMSL SP200 THX 888 headphone amplifier’ might not be the easiest name to roll off your tongue, it’s a name you ought to remember it because arguably it has become THE new benchmark in terms of value and performance for desktop headphone amplifiers, and you’ll no doubt be hearing much more about it.
At $289.99 it’s an absolute no-brainer recommendation for anyone looking for a high-performance, versatile amp to throw at any set of headphones and extract maximum performance from them. Sure, it’s not fancy in its appearance or feature set, and it does forgo a few luxuries. This is a stripped-back, dynamite little amplifier that is focused on performance, and perform it does.
It goes without saying that you can now find the SMSL SP200 THX 888 on our best Amplifier / Recommended buy list!
Shane D
Nice write-up! I bought this unit on Black Friday. It took a while to get used to the sound. I have several amps and was slow to warm up to this one. However, I just got a pair of Fostex TH-610’s and plugged them into this amp. It has been audio bliss for ten straight days.
Love the small size, the small price and now the sound.
Matty Graham
That’s really interesting, what was unusual about the sound at first? Too ‘lean’ or neutral-sounding? Great to hear it’s working out for you, the 610’s are on my list to try.
Alexandru Popescu
Hello,
because I am new in this field, but a fan of quality music but also of the quality of an audiophile sound, for me Your recommend , please
… for a combo, with this SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888-
JThe right DAC and a compact power supply for stacking on a rack.
Thank you! With sincere friendship
Alexandru Popescu
Timothy
The volume knob can easily be replaced by a 20mm one from AliExpress, giving it more heft. On the plus side, the knob can be whatever colour you want
Matty Graham
I’ve bought a few knobs in the past from AliExpress for my Crack – that’s definitely worth noting. This gets me wondering – an aftermarket stepped attenuator plus a filter on the blue LED light could be very nice mods on the SP200…
Shane D
Yes on the lean/neutral sound. I am running SMSL SU-8 into my SP200.
Mike
Great breakdown!! I bought the The amp and abesolutely love it! I paired a smsl su-8 dac (250$) 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
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.
James Longman
Hi Matty,
If you are using power hungry and high impedance headphones ( high ohms ) this amp is great. 🙂
Regards
James
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 : )
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.
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.
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.
Gerry
H
Thanks for your input. I love the Mojo/DP200 combination.
Matty,
I can’t wait for your hands-on review as well.
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?
JP
Hi, how would you compare this to the THX 789?
Matty Graham
Sonically indistinguishable, it depends on whether you appreciate a smaller footprint and price-tag (SP200), or would prefer three gain settings (789).
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).
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.
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.