Please include the device name in your video titles. This will help your videos show up in search results and attract more viewers. For example, without "XYZ review" in the title, your video won't appear in relevant searches. I personally skip videos without clear titles.
Just checked - inputting 'SMSL H400 ' into YT's search brings up this review, among others - so I guess having the name in the description does the job.
@@Jamie-666 This is a new video. You sometimes find it in recent TH-cam searches because you know it’s about a specific product. However, new and unsubscribed users searching for "SMSL H400" might not click on it. The problem is that the video titles are vague and aimed at driving clicks. I watch many Hi-Fi videos daily, but there's only a 5% chance I'll click on this one. For example, I was waiting for the HiFiMAN Shangri-La Mini review. I saw the thumbnail and clicked. But generally, I skip videos from this channel because they're too vague. On the other hand, I always watch videos from Hi-Fi channels like Andrew Robinson and John Darko. This is my personal opinion, and while some might click on such titles, I won't. New viewers are also less likely to click on these videos.
I add the model names into the titles after a week or so. I've done lots of testing and adding the product name decreases the views in the first 3-4 days of the video's life.
600ohm Beyerdynamics want that much power to sound full. I just modded mine to be balanced, that made a huge difference. But out of my headphone wall, those are the only headphones that change substantially with tons of power.
I know this is going to sound like hyperbole, but my SMSL AO-300 all-in-one integrated DAC-amp is literally the single most satisfying audio purchase of my life. It powers everything I connect to it -- including some incredibly tricky loads -- sound-wise it runs RINGS around amps I've owned at 20x the price (the McCormack MAP-1 and DNA HT5 for example), and it cost $280 delivered to my door. I've owned it for several months now and I still sit here in the listening chair with my mouth open and my hand on top of my head at how good it is. Needs 2 wks to break in, and then .... holy *COW*.
@@PassionforSound It sounds like hyperbole but it's not a stretch at all to wonder if it may be the last amp I ever own. I've had it connected to a pair of PSB Alpha T20 minitowers, a pair of KEF Coda 7's, a 30-year-old pair of Onkyos, and a pair of Fyne Audio F500sp, and they all sound fantastic. And it was $280 USD.
I enjoyed the A70 Pro; but, I've found the A90 Discrete does seem to provide a better soundtage. At least in the US, the A90d is available for $400 from drop (or as I did, via price-matching, from Apos). So I wonder if that might not be a more interesting comparison than the A70 Pro.
This was enormously helpful. I’ve been in the market roughly within this price point, but would like a remote and discrete components. It really seems to boil down to this amp and the Schiit Lyr. Love the idea of a tube in the chain (Lyr), but would you say the SMSL is at least “close” tonally? Albeit the Lyr+ $100 higher. Asking since you didn’t specify which Schiit amp in comparison. Thanks so much 🙏🏼
I haven't compared the two side-by-side, but the Lyr is excellent and there's lots of room to upgrade it with a great tube if you want to. The H400 has the easier/better interface and is fully balanced though so it's a tough choice.
Thanks for the great video! I have been looking for a headphone amp but have a couple of questions was hoping you can answer. 1 option I was considering was the Chord Hugo TT2. My concern is that so many people only use it as a dac, does that mean the headphone amp is not very good? I was also looking at the new Burson Soloist GT4, any idea how that might sound to the Conductor GT4 (not a big fan of built in ESS Dacs?). Lastly was looking at the Linear Tube Audio Velo as I do like the Tubie sound. Maybe can't go wrong but just hate to have buyers remorse at these price points. I currently have the Burson Funk with V7 vivid opamp upgrades and was looking to upgrade the sound. I also have the Geshelli headphone amp but it does not put out enough power for my HD 600's
That's a tough question! Firstly, the TT2 is a brilliant headphone amp as well as DAC so you could just buy that and be done. However, some people like to use an external amp because the TT2 is very honest without any colouration and some want a smoother sound. The Soloist amp is amazing and the Conductor GT as well, but I'm with you on the ESS DAC. They've got it sounding about as good as is possible, but it's still limited by the chip. Finally, the Geshelli amps can easily drive the HD600s from a power perspective so the issue you're facing won't be the amount of power on tap. What is it you're wanting more or less of in your setup?
@@PassionforSound I might have a faulty Geshelli amp as it won't drive my HD600's. My current Dac is Denafrips Ares 12th ed. so maybe going with the upgraded TT2 Dac/Headphone Amp would be ideal. Was just worried the amp was not as good. Thanks for your feedback. I don't necessarily land in any 1 camp. There are days I love the detail and can't get enough, and days that I just want the musicality to enjoy in a mindless zen state which is why I was leaning towards the LTA Velo tube amp.
@stevemeekins1543 if you want a balance of detail and musicality, the TT2 plus a Velo could be perfect. Or, the LTA Aero and Velo with the Ray Tubes upgrades make an amazing combo too. I'm not sure if they fixed the outputs on the Ares 12th, but the issue could actually be that the Ares has very low impedance outputs and that can cause problems feeding some amps.
@@PassionforSound Thank you for the tip on the Ares 12th..I will look into that. Haha..was wondering how good the LTA Aero was. You had to throw another wrinkle in there...lol
Im in the states and am choosing between the h400, schiit Jotunheim 2, or Monolith Liquid gold x and each is around 400 USD. How would you help guide me to the right option? I have hd6xx, 99 neos, monolith m1570c, and many more headphones and iems. My prefered music is metal and classical, with some prog rock and electronic
I haven't tried the Liquid Gold, but I can tell you that the Jotunheim 2 is a rich, punchy and fun sounding amp whereas the H400 is more "neutral". I'd also suggest that the H400 will be a better choice with IEMs because the Jotunheim 2 won't give you much volume range to work with.
Yes and no. The dynamics of an amp aren't about its frequency response (because both of these amps would measure flat). I'm yet to dive deep into the technical design choices of why one amp sounds punchier than another. It would be an interesting chat to have with someone like Jason Stoddard from Schiit. The "yes" part of the question is that you can create a hint of punchyness with a little bit of a judicious mid-bass lift. It won't completely match the Jot 2, but can certainly bring some nice colouration.
Great question and I actually forgot to test thoroughly. I haven't noticed anything in casual usage, but didn't compare carefully so at best, they're identical and at worst the difference will be tiny.
The as501 does not have balanced inputs or outputs. Dedicated headphone amplifiers sound better with cans than an integrated amplifier, for an integrated amplifier the design is focussed on the sound quality for speakers first, headphones last. Also, these headphone amps are a quarter of the size of the as501, you're not going to stick an as501 on your desk.
@@skyblinked it’s hard to give you advice when we don’t know what your aim is. How many inputs do you need, if you need to power speakers too, what are they and how big is your room, are you trying to get a balance of sound quality for headphones and passive speakers or ? I was just answering why you wouldn’t get an integrated amplifier instead of a headphone amp, as you would be compromising sound quality buying a product that has to do many things. You need to consider what your needs are rather than seeing a good product reviewed then working from there. We are lucky that hifi and personal audio has seen a renaissance along with covid and vinyl, so we’re spoilt for choice at the moment.
Good question. I probably should have tried it because I do have one. That said, they're very different in features and design and the Midgard was solid, but not impressive while the H400 definitely impressed me so I suspect it's a step better than the Midgard.
I'd still take the A3 Pro if you can get it and if you don't need the features or power of the H400. Both are excellent choices though. Having not heard the Schiit stack you're talking about, I can't compare with that.
I used it briefly with the Topping B200 monoblocks and it performed the same as a preamp as it does as a headphone amp. That's generally true for any headphone amp I've tried.
@@zmmmzmmmz Basic design. No remote or display. 10 watts @ 16 ohms 5 watts @ 32 ohms per channel. Distortion as low as 0.00006%. 32 opamps per channel. Fully balanced or single ended.
It will work well with the Arya Stealth, but they'll also reward you from even higher end gear. I'd say the H400 gets you about 85-90% performance from the Aryas.
I haven't compared with the DO400, but the H400 is a discrete design and that improves its staging noticeably. I don't think the DO400 is discrete so it likely won't match the H400.
They have quite different sounds. The Singxer is a bit richer and smoother, but possibly with a little more space in the soundstage. The H400 is crisper and a little more neutral sounding.
I haven't directly compared, but this is the first SMSL amp to go with a discrete design rather than integrated op-amps and that separates its performance fairly significantly.
@@PassionforSound Hi, yes i did, i buy it from amazon spain but i have return it, for my personal taste, i didn't think that is worth the asked price. I like the sound of my iFi Zen signature stack more.
Please include the device name in your video titles. This will help your videos show up in search results and attract more viewers. For example, without "XYZ review" in the title, your video won't appear in relevant searches. I personally skip videos without clear titles.
Just checked - inputting 'SMSL H400 ' into YT's search brings up this review, among others - so I guess having the name in the description does the job.
@@Jamie-666 This is a new video. You sometimes find it in recent TH-cam searches because you know it’s about a specific product. However, new and unsubscribed users searching for "SMSL H400" might not click on it. The problem is that the video titles are vague and aimed at driving clicks.
I watch many Hi-Fi videos daily, but there's only a 5% chance I'll click on this one. For example, I was waiting for the HiFiMAN Shangri-La Mini review. I saw the thumbnail and clicked. But generally, I skip videos from this channel because they're too vague. On the other hand, I always watch videos from Hi-Fi channels like Andrew Robinson and John Darko.
This is my personal opinion, and while some might click on such titles, I won't. New viewers are also less likely to click on these videos.
@@AmbientDatabase OK, good pt there. Perhaps it is best to put the model name in the title, as you say.
This new style of thumbnail i find really annoying
I add the model names into the titles after a week or so. I've done lots of testing and adding the product name decreases the views in the first 3-4 days of the video's life.
600ohm Beyerdynamics want that much power to sound full. I just modded mine to be balanced, that made a huge difference. But out of my headphone wall, those are the only headphones that change substantially with tons of power.
Ive had the A70 for awhile now and Ive been wondering about the H400 since its release. Thanks for all the good info!
Glad I could help!
I know this is going to sound like hyperbole, but my SMSL AO-300 all-in-one integrated DAC-amp is literally the single most satisfying audio purchase of my life. It powers everything I connect to it -- including some incredibly tricky loads -- sound-wise it runs RINGS around amps I've owned at 20x the price (the McCormack MAP-1 and DNA HT5 for example), and it cost $280 delivered to my door. I've owned it for several months now and I still sit here in the listening chair with my mouth open and my hand on top of my head at how good it is. Needs 2 wks to break in, and then .... holy *COW*.
So glad you're enjoying it!
@@PassionforSound It sounds like hyperbole but it's not a stretch at all to wonder if it may be the last amp I ever own. I've had it connected to a pair of PSB Alpha T20 minitowers, a pair of KEF Coda 7's, a 30-year-old pair of Onkyos, and a pair of Fyne Audio F500sp, and they all sound fantastic. And it was $280 USD.
On the H400, my SJY Audio Horizon gold planar magnetic @ 25 ohm, really sings with this kind of power.
I enjoyed the A70 Pro; but, I've found the A90 Discrete does seem to provide a better soundtage. At least in the US, the A90d is available for $400 from drop (or as I did, via price-matching, from Apos). So I wonder if that might not be a more interesting comparison than the A70 Pro.
If the A90D is available at that sort of price, it definitely would be an interesting comparison.
Thanks, Lachlan. 😊
My pleasure!
I think I may need to try this amp on the AKG K340, considering how power hungry that headphones is, this amp may be the amp that I need to run it.
It's a great amp that should work well with most headphones.
This was enormously helpful. I’ve been in the market roughly within this price point, but would like a remote and discrete components. It really seems to boil down to this amp and the Schiit Lyr.
Love the idea of a tube in the chain (Lyr), but would you say the SMSL is at least “close” tonally? Albeit the Lyr+ $100 higher. Asking since you didn’t specify which Schiit amp in comparison. Thanks so much 🙏🏼
I haven't compared the two side-by-side, but the Lyr is excellent and there's lots of room to upgrade it with a great tube if you want to. The H400 has the easier/better interface and is fully balanced though so it's a tough choice.
Thanks for the great video! I have been looking for a headphone amp but have a couple of questions was hoping you can answer. 1 option I was considering was the Chord Hugo TT2. My concern is that so many people only use it as a dac, does that mean the headphone amp is not very good? I was also looking at the new Burson Soloist GT4, any idea how that might sound to the Conductor GT4 (not a big fan of built in ESS Dacs?). Lastly was looking at the Linear Tube Audio Velo as I do like the Tubie sound. Maybe can't go wrong but just hate to have buyers remorse at these price points. I currently have the Burson Funk with V7 vivid opamp upgrades and was looking to upgrade the sound. I also have the Geshelli headphone amp but it does not put out enough power for my HD 600's
That's a tough question! Firstly, the TT2 is a brilliant headphone amp as well as DAC so you could just buy that and be done. However, some people like to use an external amp because the TT2 is very honest without any colouration and some want a smoother sound.
The Soloist amp is amazing and the Conductor GT as well, but I'm with you on the ESS DAC. They've got it sounding about as good as is possible, but it's still limited by the chip.
Finally, the Geshelli amps can easily drive the HD600s from a power perspective so the issue you're facing won't be the amount of power on tap. What is it you're wanting more or less of in your setup?
@@PassionforSound I might have a faulty Geshelli amp as it won't drive my HD600's. My current Dac is Denafrips Ares 12th ed. so maybe going with the upgraded TT2 Dac/Headphone Amp would be ideal. Was just worried the amp was not as good. Thanks for your feedback. I don't necessarily land in any 1 camp. There are days I love the detail and can't get enough, and days that I just want the musicality to enjoy in a mindless zen state which is why I was leaning towards the LTA Velo tube amp.
@stevemeekins1543 if you want a balance of detail and musicality, the TT2 plus a Velo could be perfect. Or, the LTA Aero and Velo with the Ray Tubes upgrades make an amazing combo too.
I'm not sure if they fixed the outputs on the Ares 12th, but the issue could actually be that the Ares has very low impedance outputs and that can cause problems feeding some amps.
@@PassionforSound Thank you for the tip on the Ares 12th..I will look into that. Haha..was wondering how good the LTA Aero was. You had to throw another wrinkle in there...lol
@stevemeekins1543 Haha. Sorry about that! It's brilliant. th-cam.com/video/C2i88U6nxVg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pO13GPhCvV53grw8
Im in the states and am choosing between the h400, schiit Jotunheim 2, or Monolith Liquid gold x and each is around 400 USD. How would you help guide me to the right option? I have hd6xx, 99 neos, monolith m1570c, and many more headphones and iems. My prefered music is metal and classical, with some prog rock and electronic
I haven't tried the Liquid Gold, but I can tell you that the Jotunheim 2 is a rich, punchy and fun sounding amp whereas the H400 is more "neutral". I'd also suggest that the H400 will be a better choice with IEMs because the Jotunheim 2 won't give you much volume range to work with.
@PassionforSound If I use Lokius eq, could that bring the h400 to a similar punchyness?
Yes and no. The dynamics of an amp aren't about its frequency response (because both of these amps would measure flat). I'm yet to dive deep into the technical design choices of why one amp sounds punchier than another. It would be an interesting chat to have with someone like Jason Stoddard from Schiit.
The "yes" part of the question is that you can create a hint of punchyness with a little bit of a judicious mid-bass lift. It won't completely match the Jot 2, but can certainly bring some nice colouration.
510 us dollars is when i realized that i will have to build my own tube DAC. Prices are getting insane these days.
Any sound differences between the single ended output and balanced?
Great question and I actually forgot to test thoroughly. I haven't noticed anything in casual usage, but didn't compare carefully so at best, they're identical and at worst the difference will be tiny.
"sounds like a psychosomatic difference." I prefer discrete, just not Chinese discrete. With one exception.. the Aune products.
Foe that price, why not just get a Yamaha as501 integrated with a headphone in, and as a bonus, use it to power passive speakers ?
The as501 does not have balanced inputs or outputs. Dedicated headphone amplifiers sound better with cans than an integrated amplifier, for an integrated amplifier the design is focussed on the sound quality for speakers first, headphones last. Also, these headphone amps are a quarter of the size of the as501, you're not going to stick an as501 on your desk.
Yep, all of that. 🙂
I could always go cheap, get AS-301, and use h400 as a preamp ?
@@skyblinked it’s hard to give you advice when we don’t know what your aim is. How many inputs do you need, if you need to power speakers too, what are they and how big is your room, are you trying to get a balance of sound quality for headphones and passive speakers or ?
I was just answering why you wouldn’t get an integrated amplifier instead of a headphone amp, as you would be compromising sound quality buying a product that has to do many things. You need to consider what your needs are rather than seeing a good product reviewed then working from there. We are lucky that hifi and personal audio has seen a renaissance along with covid and vinyl, so we’re spoilt for choice at the moment.
@skyblinked that would work, but there are some excellent points in the comment above
Do we know if the H300 sounds essentially the same as the H400?
I haven't tried that one. Sorry.
Is the schiit midgard any competition for the H400?
Good question. I probably should have tried it because I do have one. That said, they're very different in features and design and the Midgard was solid, but not impressive while the H400 definitely impressed me so I suspect it's a step better than the Midgard.
This or Archel Pro 3 as a preamp and headphone amp? Was considering the Schiit Saga 2 paired with Loki+ for about the same money.
I'd still take the A3 Pro if you can get it and if you don't need the features or power of the H400. Both are excellent choices though.
Having not heard the Schiit stack you're talking about, I can't compare with that.
what about Topping A90? better then SMSL H400 with simiilar price!
I'd take the H400 over the A90 (and A90D) every time. It has a much more natural sound.
@@PassionforSound hmh, interesting, did you check preamp on analog output at H400?
I used it briefly with the Topping B200 monoblocks and it performed the same as a preamp as it does as a headphone amp. That's generally true for any headphone amp I've tried.
I use the H300. At more that $200 less, I find it to be a good deal.
I use h300 too it's a beast
What's the difference
@@zmmmzmmmz Basic design. No remote or display. 10 watts @ 16 ohms 5 watts @ 32 ohms per channel. Distortion as low as 0.00006%. 32 opamps per channel. Fully balanced or single ended.
Obvious question.
How does it sound to the Aune S17 ?
I don't have the S17 here anymore, but I suspect the S17 would be slightly better. Not by a lot though...
@PassionforSound Thank you for responding
Is this good enough for the Arya stealth
It will work well with the Arya Stealth, but they'll also reward you from even higher end gear. I'd say the H400 gets you about 85-90% performance from the Aryas.
Hi. I have the Arya stealth and I use a iFI Zen Can, and is wonderful. Really that’s all you need for power the Aryas.
Do you think it sounds better than SMSL DO400?
I haven't compared with the DO400, but the H400 is a discrete design and that improves its staging noticeably. I don't think the DO400 is discrete so it likely won't match the H400.
@@PassionforSound Thank you!
Do we need a dac in addition?
Looks like it. I thought it was a dac amp because it looks so much like the smsl d400 pro.
Yes, you need a DAC. This is a pure amp which is part of why it's so good.
@@PassionforSoundthere are quite a few good devices with a headphone out and dac includes.
how does this compare with singxer sa1 v2?
They have quite different sounds. The Singxer is a bit richer and smoother, but possibly with a little more space in the soundstage. The H400 is crisper and a little more neutral sounding.
@PassionforSound than you so much for answer! sounds like singxer is more to my preference
finally they changed the typo.
Which typo was that?
how is this one compared to the ho200?
I haven't directly compared, but this is the first SMSL amp to go with a discrete design rather than integrated op-amps and that separates its performance fairly significantly.
How its deal with HiFiman Susvara?
It'll have plenty of power for it, but I would want a higher quality amp for a flagship level headphone like the Susvara.
510 USD is a big no for me. Let’s see if the price goes down in the future. I don’t think this is a good value at this price.
Have you heard it? What have you compared it to?
@@PassionforSound Hi, yes i did, i buy it from amazon spain but i have return it, for my personal taste, i didn't think that is worth the asked price. I like the sound of my iFi Zen signature stack more.
@danilaros that's fair enough. I haven't tried the Zen stack, but audio is all about personal preferences in the end. Happy listening!
thanks to lachlan you can get SOTA performance at a reasonable price
Not in the mood.
this your big issue?
I truly understand. We’ll get through this. Just 4 more years.
I am in a great mood! Had an amazing night and morning…..
@@Themanthatisi Blessings.
Not in the mood for what?
GM ☕️🍩🦘An interesting unit 🤔
It's excellent!