Dang it.

The SMSL DA-8s has reached its end of life. Fortunately, we have an excellent alternative in the SMSL A300 Power Amplifier, which is similarly priced yet a definite upgrade over the DA-8s.

The SMSL DA-8S is a Bluetooth 5.0 power amplifier that uses Infineon's new Class D chip from Germany for higher quality and increases efficiency up to 92% to reduce power consumption. It has a fully balanced design from inputs to outputs that reduces distortion from signal transmission.

The DA-8S comes with the SMSL SDB patented sound and bass/treble adjustment, while using the the Japanese electronic volume control chip NJW1194 from NJRC for precise volume control and low distortion. It comes with high quality gold-plated input and output terminals with protection circuit to prevent overheating or overcurrent. Finally, Apos Audio found the DA-8S to have a beautiful OLED display, a user-friendly operating system, and a handy remote control for ease of use.

Review:

"If I never knew the price of this unit, I would bet I am listening to an integrated amplifier in the $400 to $600 price range and that says a lot about its performance. At just a fraction of the price, SMSL DA-8S offered a balanced sound across the board." Sandu Vitalie from Soundnews. Read the full review here.

Specs:

• Inputs: Bluetooth 5.0, XLR, RCA
• THD + N: 0.008%
• SNR: 90 dB
• Channel Separation: 88 dB
• Output Power: 80 W x 2 (4 ohms) / 40 W x 2 (8 ohms)
• Power Consumption: 35 W (normal volume)
• Standby Power: < 0.5 W
• Size: 185 x 125 x 40 mm (l x w x h)