VMV SMSL A2 HiFi Audio Stereo Receiver Class D Digital Amplifier with Subwoofer 40Wx2 Black

Wow this thing is really nice for the price! I was not sure i would like it at first. I mean there are a lot of amplifiers in this price range, so you have to do a little something extra to really separate yourself from the rest. And SMSL did it and then some! Let's first go over some highlights.*Nice Aluminum Case*aluminum knob feel sturdy*tone control*subwoofer output!!!!*2 inputs*minimalist design*massive power supply*No Power On Thump*fits banana plugs perfectlyCons*No BT*Does not come with Any Connection CablesI am an avid reviewer of electronics and especially these mini amps. That is due to the fact that I am a speaker builder and designer that runs a YouTube channel that often reviews speakers and mini amplifiers like this. The channel is 123Toid. Since that is the case, I am able to tell you my experience not only with this particular amplifier, but why this one separates itself from others in this price range.First amplifiers often say they will output 40w per speaker, but will not give a power supply that is anywhere near powerful enough to give that amount of power. For those of you who are unaware total watts = voltage x amperage (both are labeled on the power supply). Then you need to multiply that number by the amplifiers efficiency (typically between 80--90 percent). Most amplifiers even if they are capable of outputting the stated wattage come with a very under-powered power brick. Not this one. This one come with a 19v 6.63a which is capable of almost 126watts before efficiency! That is insane! By far the best I have ever seen from an amplifier in this price range. And that also means, you are going to get the power they state right out of the box. Which in this price range is rather uncommon.Secondly, I love the minimalist design. This amplifier actually has tone controls to control the bass and treble independently as well as the total volume. That is really nice and I love when amplifiers do that. Although, most amplifiers stick a treble and bass knob right on the front, cluttering everything. Not SMSL. They were smart enough to to make functions built into the volume knob along with LED lights to indicate what you are adjusting. A short press on the volume knob changes between bass and treble. When it is red, you are changing bass, when it is blue treble. And if you want to reset everything you just did, no problem just long press the volume knob. Presto, both your bass and treble are reset back to defaults.Third and Finally, there is a subwoofer output. This really should be on ever 2 channel amp out there. It really isn't that hard for them to implement and it makes all the difference between an alright system to an awesome system! Now it is important to note that this is just a subwoofer volume out, so you have to have a powered subwoofer for this to work. No problem, I made a custom 5.25" subwoofer and some small desktop speakers. Once hooked up, I turned up the volume and messed with the tone controls. It is really nice that when you turn the bass up and down it does control the subwoofer volume. Which is nice, especially if your subwoofer is in a place you can't easily access. Or if you have a powered subwoofer without a volume knob.Now were there things I didn't like? There really wasn't anything I could say I didn't like. I did feel the treble might have been too high, but I quickly adjusted it with the tone control and it brought it right in line. It's hard to say if that was a product of this amplifier, as these speakers are known to have a high pitch to them. The great thing, is I was able to easily change it. Also there is no bluetooth. That is not a problem for me, especially since it has a front 3.5mm jack. Plus, I feel most people will be using this in a desktop type arrangement, so BT is really not necessary.Overall I think it is a great buy at the price it is at.

If you need a small dedicated 2 channel amplifier the Dta-1 sounds better. This does have sub out and that function works well. If you need sub out.

The media could not be loaded.  I'm so impressed with the wide range and quality of SMSL audio products, that this is the 5th product I've purchased bearing the SMSL name. I also own the SA-98E amplifier, and 3 of the AD-18 DAC/Amps. The company seems to be on a mission, not only to build great sounding audio gear, but also to offer a seemingly endless selection of cleverly designed devices to fit every conceivable desktop audio need and budget. The SMSL A2 is a perfect example of this.It's pretty minimalist in design; a small black aluminum box with the main feature being the large volume/control knob on the front face plate. Also up front, there is the power button, (which serves double duty as power on/off and input selector), a 3.5 mm front input for connecting to a phone or tablet, and 3 small LED lamps for indicating power/input/tone status. Out back there is the obligatory power terminal, the left and right (+/-) speaker terminals, a dedicated subwoofer output, and a pair of L/R RCA analog audio inputs. And that's it.The simple design notwithstanding, there are hidden goodies and features within the A2 that go a long way to making a very useful and flexible little amp. For example, a press and hold of the power button will turn the unit on or off, but when a quick press is used, you change the input from rear to front. When you do this, the input LED indicator light will change from red to blue. When using the volume control, you will notice that there is no numerical value display on the A2, (and at this price point you shouldn't be surprised by that), but SMSL gives you a way to adjust the levels, and still keep track of where you are. The volume knob is an infinity control, like on many other digital amps, so you can spin it up all day, and it will only get as loud as it's going to get, but the increase or decrease in level is accompanied by a physical clicking of the control knob. I counted 58 clicks between 0 gain and the full monty level, and each click is accompanied by a blink from the input LED. When you've reached full power, or gone back down to 0 output, the LED stops blinking to let you know that you've gone as far as you can in either direction.And, just like the power button serves double duty for control over input selection, the volume knob, when pressed, activates the amp's built-in tone controls. The first press activates the bass circuit, and the "TONE" indicator LED will light up red. Another press of the volume knob will activate the treble circuit, and the TONE indicator LED will change from red to blue. You adjust each tone control by rotating the volume knob left or right (-/+), which is also accompanied by the clicking of the control knob, and the blinking from the TONE control LED. The range is 14 clicks/blinks, but it starts you out in the middle, so it's plus or minus 7. When you've finished adjusting the bass & treble, a third press of the volume knob will bring you back to the normal volume control. If you made changes to the tone, the TONE LED will stay lit. It will light red for bass changes, blue for treble changes, and purple if you made changes to both. If you want to reset to a flat EQ, just press and hold the volume knob, and the TONE circuit and LED will turn off.Not a ton of features, true, but that may be a good thing depending on your needs. Everything that is there, including the high quality 40 watt/channel digital amp, is really good. The A2 is all the amp you'll need if you choose it for the right scenario.So the real trick to determining if the SMSL A2 is right for you, is to first identify what your project needs/goals are. Since the A2 will be part of an audio system, what are the other components of that system? If you have a pair of efficient computer or small bookshelf speakers, (4 or 8 ohm) that need 40 watts or less, then the A2 will work great for you. The A2 puts out a solid 40 watts/channel to 4 ohm speakers, and 25 watts/channel to 8 ohm speakers, which is enough power to handle most desktop/bookshelf speakers, but for best results, choose the most efficient speakers you can find (sensitivity of 90 db or above is best). The A2 would be a perfect match for a pair of Klipsch R-14M's, or similar high efficiency speakers. Lower efficiency speakers will play okay, but just don't expect them to get too loud.If your speakers are on the small side and limited in low frequency output, then the good news is the A2 has a dedicated subwoofer output for connecting a powered sub! I'm using my A2 for the bathroom tunes! I've got it setup with a vintage pair of Advent Mini's and a Polk powered subwoofer (PSW10). I've got it connected to the sub via speaker level inputs instead of using the A2's sub output, which is better for me since all of the power of the A2 is now dedicated to just the frequency range above 100 Hz. It sounds fine both ways, but I definitely discern a brighter, cleaner midrange soundstage when connecting this way. You can do this connection with any amplifier, but since not all powered subs offer the speaker level input option, it's really nice that the A2 has you covered with the dedicated sub out.The A2 is also a great option if you are using it to power passive speakers on your desktop and you've already got a dedicated DAC & headphone amp. Connecting the A2 to a DAC that's also connected to a computer is really nice, because you will have total control over EQ from the computer side. However, if the DAC is connected to another device, like a CD or MP3 player without any EQ, then the A2 has you covered again because of the built-in tone control. Again, not so many features, but what's there is really useful, and helps the A2 slide into many desktop scenarios where it will serve very well and sound great while serving.

UPDATE: I ended up returning this amp to Amazon. The hiss is just too noticeable, even on different pairs of speakers.I'm using this with a pair of BIC Venturi DV62si speakers. I don't have a sub yet to test with the sub output, but I'll update my review when I do. The Venturi sound great on my desk, and even across the room. My one complaint about the digital volume knob (and no volume display) is that there's no way to tell what percentage of the amp's power you're using. But so far I've been able to turn the speakers up to a volume that's too loud at my desk and not reach the top of the amp's volume.There is a SLIGHT hiss from the speakers when the amp is on. It's not tied to volume. I'm going to try ordering a different AC adapter (power brick) to see if that eliminates it.

The power supply sparks violently when plugged in.The amp has relatively low power output, seems to be grossly over-rated. It is difficult to change sources or tone and sound quality was not very good using a number of different sources.Overall very disappointed and would have returned it had I not missed the return window.

I am using this with an FX-Audio DAC-X6 to drive my Earthquake Sound RBS-52 monitors. Sounds great and has plenty of power to drive these somewhat inefficient monitors. The controls can be a bit tricky and the built in Bass/treble control is mostly a gimmick but if you just leave the response flat it's a great amp for most monitors.

I like the compact size, nice controls and sound quality. The specs made it look like there is a headphone jack, but it’s an input jack instead which was disappointing. I probably would have bought a different model had that been clearer. I’m happy with the sound quality though.

The output from this is amazing, is 10x better then my previous amp, and the sub-out has saved me so much extra cable management

Dope.