I recently got myself an SMSL DA8S for my bedroom setup. The primary criterion being WAF, I needed a device which would be small and thus unassuming in order to not draw attention to itself when placed on top of a perfume drawer. The fact that it has Bluetooth inbuilt meant i could avoid cable clutter altogether instead of having an optical wire run from the TV. The device looks smart, is very well built and wouldn't look out of place in an apple showroom. High WAF factor then and in fact, went unnoticed entirely for the first couple of days. And all this for a price of 12,999!
Perfect then?
Well, not entirely. The amp is is rated at 80wx4ohm and 40wx8ohm with a respectable THD of 0.008%, at least on paper. I also happen to have a Marantz PM6006 which is rated at 60wx4ohm and 45wx8ohm and happened to do a back to back comparo against it. While the performance of the DA8s was very respectable for the price, it could in no way, shape or form match up to the sheer grunt and muscle of the PM6006 which, at least on paper, had only a 5w advantage @8ohm while at a 20W disadvantage @4ohm compared to the SMSL. The Marantz went much louder without breaking a sweat and without the slightest hint of stress whereas the SMSL started getting shrill/distorting just about when the volume was nearing party levels. Not a necessity for bedroom duty but a point of note nevertheless if somebody thinks of implementing it in their primary setup.
But sheer loudness was not the only aspect in which the SMSL was beat to my ears. The Marantz simply sounded more musical. Maybe it was that the Marantz simply had more body in the mid range and mid bass which made the SMSL seem lean in direct comparison. While detail retrieval is good on the SMSL which was aided by the slightly lean character of the midrange, the Marantz was up there but had a much more rounded sound plus a larger and wider soundstage.
So are entry level Class D amps at the same level of performance as entry level class A/B amps? More appropriately, are these giant killers? I think not, not yet at least in my experience. And their power ratings do seems to be a bit exaggerated as well.
To justify the added cost, the Marantz does have a whole host of inputs and outputs with digital optical and coaxial and a slew of analog RCA inputs alongwith a built-in phonostage and a 6.5mm headphone out and the ability to connect upto 4 speakers or bi-wiring. And even with 4 speakers connected, the Marantz manages to reach party volumes. The SMSL does fight back with XLR input and inbuilt bluetooth coupled with a much much smaller form factor but the Marantz is the more rounded integrated amp.
And to my mind, class A/B integrateds are still a better bet for a bit extra and for many, the last amp you'd need unless your use case scenario, as in mine, requires otherwise.
P.S.:- I also have a higher powered Class D amp in the Crown XLS1502 and while it has infinite power, the Marantz still comes out top trumps on the SQ aspect subjectively. And the Crown costs almost as much as the Marantz while being entirely barebones on the features front when compared to it.
Speakers used for the comparo were the KEF Q350, Boston Acoustics A26, Klipsch RP600M and PSB Alpha P5.
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) of said architecture at said price point. I have heard a NAD C388 which is Class D and none of the abovementioned attributes for cheap Class D amps apply. Considering the fact that the OP was looking for VFM amps cuz his existing one couldn't drive the Q300s properly, to my mind, it would be beneficial to check out a few A/B amps around the same price range based on the common thread that seems to run amongst the products of this price category. And while we may be jaded with our experience in the forum or otherwise, for many others, it is entirely new and to those uninitiated, more watts sounds like more music but may not necessarily be the case.
