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steve-z
23-08-2018, 13:38
It’s my intention to cut down the box and cable count on my second tier system by moving from a separate DAC and amp to a combo unit with more facilities and a remote control.
I have earmarked a couple of units, the Tangent Ampster BT recommended by Hifi Choice which has had a recent price cut to £119 in Richer Sounds. The other is the SMSL AD18 v3.
I would be interested to hear from any forum users who own either of these units who can comment on how they perform.
I’m erring towards the SMSL having had a DAC/Headphone Amp and the Q5 Pro DAC/Amp previously from the brand with very good results.
Any other alternative suggestions would be appreciated with a price ceiling of about £150.
Cheers
Steve



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SantanaCorreia
23-08-2018, 22:21
SMSL have great reviews, are cheap and I would go for that.

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Sherwood
24-08-2018, 01:39
Steve,

I realise that this is above your budget, but it is in a different league to the products you mention. Think of it as an amplified DAC.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?59028-FS-Nuforce-DDA-100-Digital-Integrated-Amplifier&highlight=nuforce

Geoff
steve-z
24-08-2018, 08:30
Steve,

I realise that this is above your budget, but it is in a different league to the products you mention. Think of it as an amplified DAC.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?59028-FS-Nuforce-DDA-100-Digital-Integrated-Amplifier&highlight=nuforce

Geoff

Thanks for the offer Geoff but it is a bit out of my league and it lacks a headphone output, bet it sounds great though.


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DGP
24-08-2018, 11:53
If you could find a s/h TEAC AI-301DA you'd have bluetooth streaming DSD and headphones with coax/optical and two-line inputs. Use one in my office.
DGP
steve-z
24-08-2018, 23:12
Decided on the SMSL AD18 v3 having had 2 previous bits of SMSL gear both of which were very good, it is also currently on offer in the Amazon Bank Holiday Sale for just £99.99, quite a bargain I think, should be with me next Wednesday.
Edit: Just got an email from Amazon, it’s arriving today (Sunday) [emoji846]

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steve-z
29-08-2018, 13:43
Have had the SMSL AD18 now for a few days and have been giving it plenty of auditioning time (as you do). For something so inexpensive I have to say it’s a little gem, for something so small to pack in 65wpc I find pretty amazing, The volume scale goes from zero to 60, I’m finding 15-20 gives a good volume level with my QA3050s.
The stand out features of the amp is the bass grip and transient speed, in fact the bass is so well controlled I’ve been able to remove the port bungs from the 3050 which I had to use with the Amptastic Mini 1. The midband and treble quality is very similar to the AM1 so I’m very happy with that.
It’s nice that it comes with a decent size remote rather than the flimsy little ones you sometimes get that are about the size of a credit card, so nothing like as easy to misplace.
I’m feeding it with optical from my iMac but I also tried the Bluetooth connection which gives pretty decent sound quality if slightly bandwidth limited at the frequency extremes, good range too.
If it remains reliable over an extended time period then I will be totally satisfied with it, for the money I think it’s a bargain.


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