Review on 🔊 80W2 Bluetooth 4.2 HiFi USB DSP Digital Decoding Power Amplifier - SMSL AD18 by Nick Mcvey

Received this little amp today and am very impressed. I've searched a bit for similar amps but there are very few of them for this particular unit. I really liked the look and compact size so I decided to take a chance. I'm glad I did! I'm pretty old fashioned when it comes to amps and have always viewed the typically large, heavy construction of the AB class as the only way to get quality sound. I never expected the tiny chip to at least be able to reproduce good sound at any real volume. Boy was I wrong. I currently have this unit connected to a pair of Polk Monitor 50 monitors that have a sensitivity of 89dB. This little amp turns them on like yelling the cops loud but at the same time the sound is amazing, great bass and nice warm quality. The 80W x 2 power rating might be a bit optimistic, but it seems to be able to handle a 60W Yamaha A-S301, which I also own ($350-$400 amps!). I've only tested the Bluetooth connection (works great) and the USB connection for now the DAC (also worked straight away on my Win10 PC with no drivers) The DAC has a maximum sample rate of 24-bit 96k. The streaming sources sounded great but the FLAC files really made this unit shine, amazing quality! The unit itself is well built, all metal, and has a (very) bright LCD that displays source, volume, EQ settings, sample rate, and audio format. The volume control is the only physical control on the device that is pressed and turned at the same time. A long press turns on the device, a short press allows you to switch between different settings, a short press again allows you to adjust the selected parameter. Upon completion, control reverts to the normal volume slider, which you adjust as expected. If there's one thing that could be improved, it's the controls, but more on that later. There's also a standard 3.5mm mini headphone jack on the front and an IR sensor for the included (also metal) remote control. Plug or Bare Wire The rear panel also includes multiple inputs, analog audio via 3.5mm jack, optical Toslink, coaxial digital via 3.5mm jack, micro USB, Bluetooth antenna connector and finally 24V DC . The included power supply is huge, larger than the amp itself. The unit's output is rated for 24V at 6.67A, but it feels cold and drives the amp at deafening levels. When nothing is playing the amp is absolutely silent, I couldn't hear any hissing in my ear all the way to the tweeter! The fit and finish is very good overall, the notable exception being the volume control itself which I don't like First of all the volume control doesn't work. Not great, it's machined aluminum and a nice finish, but it's got that jittery feel. Twisting and pushing doesn't feel as solid as I'd like. Given that there are no other physical controls and everything is configured with a combination of pressing and turning a knob, I wish it was a little more robust. It seems reliable enough, but only time will tell. The second problem concerns the LCD display. It's nice and clear, informative, and you can even adjust the color to a few presets, but it's VERY bright, adjusting the brightness would be nice. The background is gray rather than black due to the backlight being too bright. Keep this in mind if something bothers you. The control scheme is simple enough, but a little boring due to all the twists and turns of the volume knob. Adding dedicated power and select buttons wouldn't kill them. Finally the remote control. The remote looks good but has 2 pretty serious problems. First, the battery is dead when you turn it on. No big deal, just a standard CR2032 button cell. More importantly, there are keys with the three letters A, B, and C. Pressing A doesn't do anything, but pressing B or C makes the remote stop working. It turns out that if you press "A" again, it works. Thanks to SMSL, the most-read manual lists the B and C keys as "invalid". My only thought here is that this remote might be generic to their other products and these letters are for selecting the unused mode. Leave those buttons alone and you'll be fine, but if the remote ever stops working, just press "A" first, it'll surely save you the hassle. All other buttons work properly and as they should. It's all over now. This amp is compact, looks very nice and not only has amazing sound quality but also enough power to support it. Apart from the rather small quirks and as long as it lasts I am a very satisfied buyer and would very much like to buy it again.