[prymortal]

Got mine today. Been using the Massdrop THX 789 daily for a while now. HD800 (Balanced) & HE5XX (SE). I need to adjust because the change is noticeable, so this is Just first impressions, also vs Drop THX amp.
More soundstage at least on SE (HE5XX), Balanced I just notice more air/3d space but sounds more intimate generally at times at first, I suspect this is due to good channel balance keeping its layering while the Massdrop as of late was loosing that during congested songs, It's taken quite a while now to adjust & its slowly opening up (HD800). Clarity & resolution is a noticeable step up from the Massdrop amp e.g. HD800 sounds Good actually notice the peak with this amp, the Massdrop one never bothered me In fact the Massdrop one made the HD800 & HD800s sound the same only way to tell them apart was the HD800s had more forward bass, I suspect it'll be a different story with the SP400. The HE5XX on the other hand sounded worse at first vs the MD 789 (shows the headphones lack of technically ability & the amps lack of power in sub-bass at first to much by comparison to the Massdrop where it was a perfect match riight from the start). When my balanced cable arrives i'll re-try the HE5XX in more depth, because over time this seems to be improving.
So the bass & power (with HE5XX/ananda/LCD2/Aeon 2 open) is not right At least at first!, Massdrop THX was the clear winner here SE, but the more I use the Amp the more the subbass gets its power on the SP400 over time, it really takes some time to adjust. I think the SP400 is faster with decay in general on top of all the other improvements it confuses your mind & ears.
Remember when you first got your Mass/Drop THX amp & noticed how the Highs stood out, the SP400 has that, but they sound less digital than the Massdrop THX did!?! more natural by comparison but not fully natural in general. Maybe that was just me since I was comparing it to my Class A amp.
Edit: Foobar at minus 11db because... I dunno forgot to check before testing. So the Amp is on high gain at 34-36 for the HD800, mid gain 38-40 is loud. 40 for the HE5XX, Its quite loud. This is with the Topping D90 as the Dac.
Foobar at 0DB so max on slider, HE5xx = 32 med gain is approaching loudness. 28-30 on HD800.

 

[prymortal]

Adjusting nicely to the Amp, So much speed in the sound had thrown me for a loop originally i thought it was lacking bass but its not it's all just faster than what I'm used to, Treble is the same it has some speed, it can sound natural to unnatural (overly Clean) at times due to it, Cymbals sound natural pretty much all the time. The layering, imaging & separation per channel is so noticeable all the time its pretty much the standout feature & most noticeable difference to the Massdrop THX amp even above sound differences, Its never just left/centre/right with the imaging there is height, space & other sounds doing the same in the soundstage at the same time (holographic 3d, dare i say similar to my old Stax) It does the sounds at different volumes. We all know many headphones & amps obviously can do this as well but you need to experience it for yourself to understand the difference, Frankly It reminds me of a decent 7.1 speaker set up. The last amp I heard on this level was one of the units in the Soundlabs showroom, While sound wise theres was a bit better sounding, taking into account the price difference I have zero complaints about the sound & performance. Very happy & impressed.

 

[spacelion2077]

Would happy to have someone compare to it Topping A90. It's got similar specs with A90 has a tad more power in most of the impendence

 

[corgifall]

I haven’t seen any comparisons between the two yet. Doesn’t seem like many reviewers got the sp400 which is strange. A very nice sounding amp.

 

[spacelion2077]

Initial impression of the amp. This is gonna be a comparison to A90. The sound is nutural, clinical and sharp with spacious soundstage. It doesn't do bass that well as I dont feel the impact. A90 is noticeably warmer and sound is smoother and more lifelike. Soundstage is smaller than SP400. But it's a much more enjoyable listening experience imo. They are both good amps. However giving by the price it's asking. I don't believe it's an upgrade to A90.

 

[spacelion2077]

I tested the amps on 1266 tc and final d8000 pro. Both sounded more enjoyable on A90 even though sp400 has slighly better detail retrieval, A90 is noticeably louder and powerful than SP400 in all frequencies except at 16 olm

 

[Ipek]

I tested the amps on 1266 tc and final d8000 pro. Both sounded more enjoyable on A90 even though sp400 has slighly better detail retrieval, A90 is noticeably louder and powerful than SP400 in all frequencies except at 16 olm

Thank you for the comparisons!
May I know which dac you used in the comparisons?

 

[spacelion2077]

I used Schiit Bifrost. I'm returning SP400. I'm loving its spacious soundstage presentation and sparking tremble. However the sound comes off not very dynamic and worst of all, it outputs less power than its main competitor A90 to power low impedence headphones. Ab-1266 sounds terrible on it.

 

[prymortal]

I used Schiit Bifrost. I'm returning SP400. I'm loving its spacious soundstage presentation and sparking tremble. However the sound comes off not very dynamic and worst of all, it outputs less power than its main competitor A90 to power low impedence headphones. Ab-1266 sounds terrible on it.

Yeah I had that issue to with planars (Lots of them), Takes a while to adjust to the sound change before they sound REALLY good again, but they do. As for power...Yeah nah, that does raise a question going off my experiences because 40 on high gain is deafening with most planars & I'm not just talking my main but the Dan Clarks, Audeze & Hifimans I had borrowed. It's unlikely the amp thats the achilles heel in your set up, but each to there own no point making changes if you like what you have. I'll test a Abyss when I Can but that wont be easy here.

 

[AgentXXL]

Does anyone know if the SP400 can do balanced headphone and pre-out simultaneously? I want simultaneous so I can use my headphones and also drive a haptic transducer like the Woojer vest. As well, the SP400 only has XLR out so I'd have to buy/build a converter for standard RCA line out.

 

[corgifall]

Does anyone know if the SP400 can do balanced headphone and pre-out simultaneously? I want simultaneous so I can use my headphones and also drive a haptic transducer like the Woojer vest. As well, the SP400 only has XLR out so I'd have to buy/build a converter for standard RCA line out.

I can check when I get home later tonight

 

[Ipek]

Does anyone know if the SP400 can do balanced headphone and pre-out simultaneously? I want simultaneous so I can use my headphones and also drive a haptic transducer like the Woojer vest. As well, the SP400 only has XLR out so I'd have to buy/build a converter for standard RCA line out.

Yes, in fact the pre-out cannot be turned off. It's always on along with the headphone out.

 

[AgentXXL]

Yes, in fact the pre-out cannot be turned off. It's always on along with the headphone out.

Thanks for confirming this. In the end I've decided to go another route but it's good to know that this is an option.

 

[Tex Irie]

Has anyone used the SP400 with sensitive IEMs( Andromeda, Westone W80 etc.,) or the LCD-X/XC? I'm in the market for a new solid state amp and I'm considering the SP400, SH-9, or Topping A90.

 

[]eep]

I wonder what it is that people keep comparing SMSL to Topping as if Topping is the brand to beat. Topping is cutting corners (in a deceptive way, like impedance mismatch with common standard, high output). But it's like everybody shouting 'herecy' if you you dare touch the subject of their adoration. I've had Topping amps but there wasn't anything special to them comparing to other Chinese brands other than a clean exterior that doesn't look homemade.

SMSL is not that different. They're not always perfect but I like them. They cut corners too but at least with things that I can fix. Like too cheap input caps on the DA-8S. After some mods it sounds awesome. I like the look and it just works.I can't consider the A90 (not that I would) because of the impedance mismatch with my Ares II. And the Topping preamp...What? You need an extra case for extra inputs? Who makes up this stuff? I remember the days that my Cyrus amp had 5 inputs, including phono and i used them all.

II ordered fhe SP400 (mainly) because of the pre-amp function. The relay volume with remote is really great. I can put the Ares on the XLR and the rest via passive switch on the RCA. I don't really need it as a headphone amp but it completes my setup and is more convenient and versatile than an OTL tube HP amp.

For the first time in 35 years I'll have a stack of 2 matching components again with the SP400 on top of the DP5. Now I can wait for the amp in the 400 series, (if...) wondering what they'll come up with.