The SMSL PA400 is a fully-balanced GaN power amplifier built around Infineon gallium nitride transistors. Capable of delivering up to 600 W with a distortion figure of just 0.003 %, it combines speed, control, and tonal evenness across the full frequency range. Designed for precision listening, it pairs naturally with reference DACs and preamps, driving both nearfield monitors and large passive speakers with equal confidence.
If you’ve ever balanced a DAC on top of an amp and said “fine for now,” you’ve met the problem Sound Solver exists to fix. Born from one engineer’s frustration with stacked gear, poor airflow, and cable spaghetti, Sound Solver builds modular organizational furniture designed specifically for desktop audio systems. Founder Grant—a mechanical engineer with a background at Mercedes—brings a perfectionist's approach to vibration control, materials science, and 3D printing. In this conversation, he talks about the moment he decided to build his first rack, what he learned from the audiophile community, how his dog keeps him grounded, and where he sees Sound Solver heading next.
TOPPING has launched the DX9 Discrete, a fully-balanced DAC and headphone amplifier designed for listeners who treat precision as part of the pleasure. It’s a DAC built entirely without an integrated chip, relying instead on a discrete 1-bit converter that handles every step of digital-to-analog conversion with custom logic. Around that foundation, TOPPING has built a six-channel NFCA amplifier, ten-band parametric EQ, and hybrid relay volume control, with each circuit designed to preserve accuracy while giving users more direct control over the sound they hear.
The Singxer SA-2 is the successor to the acclaimed SA-1 headphone amplifier and preamp. While its exterior remains familiar, nearly everything inside has been re-engineered, from its power supply to its thermal design, to deliver cleaner current, higher output, and lower distortion. The result is a fully-balanced, Class-A-capable amplifier with serious drive capability, even with the most demanding headphones.
The all-new SMSL D200 ($319) is a desktop DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and preamp designed to balance audiophile-grade performance with everyday usability. At its core is the ROHM BD34352EKV DAC chip, backed by SMSL’s CK-03 clock circuit for reduced jitter and a fully-balanced preamp stage that keeps distortion down to just 0.00019%. Add Bluetooth playback with lyrics display, MQA/MQA-CD decoding, and an ultra-clear laminated glass screen, and you’ve got a low-cost hub that fits easily into a modern system. With its release, the D200 rounds out SMSL’s 200-line of gear, joining the PA200 Gallium Nitride Power Amplifier and the PL200 MQA-CD Transport. Together, the three units form a stack: the PL200 reads CDs, the D200 decodes, and the PA200 drives, each one designed to work in sync with the others.
With digital-to-analog converters (DACs), the conversation often circles around chipsets. AKM, ESS, Cirrus Logic: the usual suspects. The Gustard R30 takes a different path. It’s built around a fully-discrete R2R ladder network, a design that trades integrated circuits for carefully matched resistors. In layman's terms, that means a sound signature with a more natural tone and "analog tone" than is often found with D/A chips.
We finally did it. Our first-ever Bay Area meetup, Audio & Company, went down on a sunny day in San Francisco, and about forty people showed up to prove the impossible: hi-fi nerds do, in fact, leave the house. Tom at Apos here to give you a quick recap of this historic event.
Apos' Hep Me Name the Sale sales event will start on August 17th at 8am PT and end on August 27th at 11:59pm PT. Save up to 59% off on audio brands, mechanical keyboards, and keycaps. See more in our Deals Section.
Rock has never been about playing it safe. From the feral energy of Iggy Pop to the stage-commanding charisma of Freddie Mercury, the legends of rock embody freedom, fearlessness, and a very good time. That’s the spirit that inspired the Rock Lobster, a pan-genre, everyday-carry in-ear monitor (IEM) for people who want to take that spirit wherever they go. Plug it into your phone, your laptop, your portable digital audio player (DAP), or your studio rig, and count on it to handle whatever you throw at it, be it punk, prog, or post-rock.