Unpacking:
The equipment of high quality and well protected in a smart box into the house. Even though I had informed me extensively was my first thought when lifting the amplifier out of the package "man is tiny!".
The processing can be described for this price range as outstanding. If you want to complain, the On / Off switch is somewhat inappropriate. It must be widely and firmly pressed into to take the unit into operation. For this purpose, the housing must be held firmly otherwise you push the thing inevitably backward. But otherwise really very finely processed. I've done my banana plugs for connecting the speakers. Without which there could be fast fiddly at decent cable diameters.
Test setup:
Source: Ipad, PC via Airplay or Denon DCD-735 CD player via optical out
Transmission: Airport express optical out
DAC: Musical Fidelity V-DAC (with a thick power supply)
Speakers: Monitor Audio BX2
Hörraumgröße: 18m²
For sound:
When you turn there is a very dull Plobb, then - almost silent. A very slight noise is heard. To have to listen to that one but very close to serve up some boxes (
So go ahead, put volume control to about 1/3, on the couch with the iPad and - wow, that's loud! With so much power I had not expected, since it comes from the same right.
The performance is as impressive as the sound quality. Clean, fine resolution and punchy playing on the small SA-50. The highs sound natural and soft, the middle resolved precisely and finely. The bass crisp. The sound always looks natural and not "digital".
Test and listen for a couple of hours I have to say that I am the small device has convinced. My thick Denon amplifier was reduced to the delight of my wife only once.
Fine Tuning:
If you look, in the network do something clever about digital amplifier, such as the SA-50 is one, a theme is always present, the power supply. As a Class-D amplifier high power only required by the power supply when an appropriately challenging signal (such as kicking bass) should be strengthened, the power supply must this impulse withstand loads and can keep the voltage stable.
This creates the relative quality enclosed switching power supply does not seem so bad, but is a better power supply was a significant increase in audio quality possible.
To increase the pulse load capacity I connected between power supply and amplifier, a capacitor array of 10 capacitors with a total capacity of 13400μF it.
The result at the hearing test, even in blind comparison, although less clearly than expected but audible. Especially when the small bass amplifier sets significantly. This is not supposed to strength but is agliler and plays a little deeper. In various forums speak of better spatial representation and softer heights. In these areas, we did not notice any change. But perhaps enough the quality of my equipment or the fineness of my hearing this, simply is not enough.
To put it in a nutshell:
That part sounds, especially for the low price, absolutely sensational. Who gets aufmotzt small amplifier with an additional voltage smoothing or even a new power supply with toroidal transformer and smoothing a decent sound quality given the very much higher than the what you get otherwise for so little money. But even without tuning makes the SA-50 is fun!
