Review on 🔊 Compact Stereo Integrated Amplifier and DAC - Micca OriGain, 50W x 2, 96kHz/24-Bit, USB & Optical S/PDIF (Black) by Tykesha Boothe

I don't consider myself an audiophile, but I like clear and smooth sound, which wasn't the case with the desktop configuration I used to have on my desk. There really wasn't anything wrong with the product I used, but it was more for portability than sound quality. I spend a lot of time at my desk and workbench and decided it was worth upgrading the sound. tweak something, so I started exploring my options. Since this wasn't my primary system, I looked for a somewhat inexpensive setup. There are a number of compact stereo options on the market, but I was looking for a compact, integrated AMP/DAC solution that could easily sit on my desk and connect to multiple input sources, including my computer and S/PDIF from TELEVISION . I also wanted something that would allow a subwoofer to be connected. I researched several available options that would suit my needs and decided to give the Origin AD250 a try despite not being at all familiar with Micca products at the time. I confess I did a little checking on Mikka before deciding to give them a chance. I wanted to build a stack of multiple components from Schiit Audio, but the overall cost of the stack would have exceeded my budget and taken up more space than I was trying to fit. So far I'm very happy with my decision to go with the Micca Origin AD250. I really like the build quality, especially the volume control, which is stepless and very smooth. There are 2 switches on the front of the AD250. A switch lets you choose between digital or analog, and another switch lets you choose between USB or S/PDIF digital input. So you can choose 4 switch positions with 3 separate options (analog input / digital input via USB or S/PDIF). One thing I should probably mention is that the power supply is large and might be a deal breaker for some. It's a lot bigger than the AD250 itself. This wasn't a problem for me since I installed the power supply under my desk. My setup also includes a pair of Polk Audio RTI A1 bookshelf speakers and a powerful 10-inch Polk Audio PSW10 subwoofer. So far I'm happy with my setup considering my budget and usage. Key components: - Texas Instrument TPA3116D2 amplifier chip - C-MEDIA CM6510B USB interface - Wolfson WM8740 DA Inputs: - Analog Stereo (Use: connect input from PC, smartphone, tablet, CD player or MP3 player) - USB digital audio (Use: connect input from PC or player) - Optical digital audio S/PDIF (Use: connect input from TV or other audio device) Outputs: - Stereo speaker output - 5-way pin bond to support speaker cables with banana plugs, pins, spades or bare wired (plugged/wound) - 3.5mm subwoofer pre-out signal in stereo RCA - Output power 50W x 2 into 4 ohms > 0.5% THD+N - Output power 30W x 2 into 8 ohms > 0 .5% total harmonic distortion. Important Notes: [1] The Origain AD250 only supports PCM audio and not surround sound formats such as Dolby or DTS, so make sure your optical output source is set to PCM. [2] Neither Bluetooth nor WLAN are supported. [3] A bad choice if you only want to use headphones as there are many better headphone products out there including the Micca OriGen G2. Issues: Some reviewers have mentioned issues like phase mismatch, noise issues on the optical input (this happens if you don't set the optical input source to PCM), unbalanced sound, clicking/clicking when turning on/off. In most cases, I haven't encountered any of these issues. The only minor issue I've had so far is the occasional faint popping sound when switching from analog to optical at high volume.