SMSL PA40 Class D Power Amplifier, 165Wx2 Stereo Amplifier for Passive Speakers, with MA5332 Chip/EQ/Bass Treble Control/Built-in Power Supply

I already had the AO200 MKII and it's good, but wanted to try something to match the DO100Pro DAC. I'm an early adopter and this was a nice upgrade. It doesn't have a built in DAC, but on my headphone DACs I use balanced for that, so RCA is free for a speaker amp. With the bookshelf speakers I have the PA40 sounds great, the display is really easy to adjust and read. I think the presets will be good for 90 percent of people, depending on your speakers and room layout.For sound, it's got fast transients and dynamics like drum hits are distinctive. It doesn't get hot like some speaker amps, and makes a nice stack if you go with the DO100Pro/HO100. It's only a little smaller than the AO200 MKII but the display is larger for reading from a distance. If you have floor standing speakers or power hungry 8ohm models, I'd do the math to make sure you'll have enough power. I use headphones most times and bookshelf speakers when I'm working around the office. I have a D-6S DAC in a box and think that's the same size too, it's the medium case SMSL stuff that matches it. If you already have a DAC with RCA outs available you'll be all set. The remote control is the RC-8A, so if you have the RC-8C for a DAC it won't interfere.

Paired this with the SMSL SU-1 DAC and Polk R200 speakers using WBC 7AWG speaker cables. This amp was an absolute stunner. I've known Class D amps to be able to sound good after coming from a high end JL Audio XD setup in my car. This smol little amp delivers extremely clear audio reproduction and amazing dynamic range for a chip based amp. I would highly recommend this for anyone needing good clean power for some bookshelf speakers.

Driving my Q acoustics with no issues!!! Sound quality is great nothing harsh. The weird EQ name does make it sound dynamic. Wish more of these amps came with some type of virtual surround sound. But can’t complain.

Second day of listening I can tell you that Ive already got my $140 worth of enjoyment. I switched from higher end SE tube amps and Ive had no drop off in enjoyable listening at this point. I will give it some time before I make a safe evaluation and avoid false praise but the detail and texture of sound has me giddy. There is a bass and treble along with custom pre set eq settings that I am still exploring. Runs very cool to touch even after 6 hours of continuous play. At first it seemed extra bright but a -1 on the Treble setting cured that. I would like a second input without having to use a preamp or selector and the A300 gives you at for $60 more.