Comparison FiiO A1 vs S.M.S.L M2

— Portable. Amplifiers designed to be carried all the time. They are small enough to fit in a bag or pocket and are powered by either a built-in battery or a USB port (see "Power Type"). Such devices can also be used as stationary ones, but constant use in this format is hardly justified: the functionality and power of portable amplifiers are generally quite modest, and with similar characteristics, they are noticeably more expensive than stationary counterparts.

— Stationary. Amplifiers designed to permanently stay in one place. They use power from outlets and do not have such size restrictions as portable models, which makes such devices more advanced. So, they can provide higher power than portable ones, the ability to work with professional high-impedance headphones, numerous different adjustments, high-quality signal processing circuits, multi-channel layout, etc. Of course, the specific functionality of such an amplifier may be different; however, if the headphones are not planned to be used “on the go”, and the sound quality is crucial for you, you should pay attention to this particular variety.

The sampling rate of the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) installed in the amplifier. Recall that such a converter is responsible for converting digital audio into an analogue audio signal, which is then processed by the main amplifier and fed to the headphones (or other analogue audio device).

The sound in digital form is most often recorded as follows: the original sinusoid of the analogue audio signal is divided into separate sections (samples) — “steps” of a certain length and height, and each of these steps is encoded with its own set of numbers. The sampling rate determines how many such steps there are in a certain section of the original audio signal. Accordingly, the higher this frequency, the more accurately the digital record corresponds to the original signal; on the other hand, an increase in the number of samples per unit of time increases the volume of files and increases the requirements for the hardware power of digital circuits.

Specifically, for a DAC, the native sampling rate of such a module is, in fact, the maximum sampling rate of the incoming digital signal that the converter can effectively handle. With higher input values, the sound quality will at best be limited by the capabilities of the DAC, at worst, the amplifier will not be able to work correctly at all. Anyway, higher numbers in this paragraph (ceteris paribus) mean a more advanced and high-quality converter; on the other hand, this moment significantly affects the...cost, and you can evaluate all the capabilities of a high-end DAC only on audio materials of the appropriate quality.

As for specific numbers, the lowest value that can be found in headphone amplifiers is 44 kHz. According to the laws of physics, it is this sampling frequency that is the minimum necessary for the full transmission of all human-audible sound frequencies (16 — 22,000 Hz), and it is this frequency that is used in the Audio CD format. Many models provide values in 96 kHz and 192 kHz (this is already enough to work with different types of DVD-Audio), and in the most advanced devices this figure can reach 384 kHz and even 768 kHz.

The capacity of the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) installed in the amplifier. Recall that such a converter is responsible for converting digital audio into an analogue audio signal, which is then processed by the main amplifier and fed to the headphones (or other analogue audio device).

The sound in digital form is most often recorded as follows: the original sinusoid of the analogue audio signal is divided into separate sections (samples) — “steps” of a certain length and height, and each of these steps is encoded with its own set of numbers. In this case, the "height" (level) of each step cannot be an arbitrary value — a specific value is selected from a specific list. The bit depth determines how many options this list contains: for example, an indicator of 16 bits means a list of 2 to the power of 16, that is, 2 ^ 16 \u003d 65536 level options. Accordingly, the higher the bit depth — the closer the level of each sample will be to the level of the corresponding section of the sinusoid, the smaller the deviation from the original signal in cases where the original level falls between fixed values. Thus, a high bit depth has a positive effect on the quality and reliability of the sound; on the other hand, it significantly affects the volume of audio materials and the requirements for processing power of the equipment for their processing.

Specifically, for a DAC, the native bit depth of such a module is, in fact, the maximum bit width of the inc...oming digital signal that the converter is able to effectively handle. With higher input values, the sound quality will at best be limited by the capabilities of the DAC, at worst, the device will not be able to work correctly at all. Anyway, higher numbers in this paragraph (ceteris paribus) mean a more advanced and high-quality converter; on the other hand, this moment significantly affects the cost, and you can evaluate all the capabilities of a high-end DAC only on audio materials of the appropriate quality.

As for specific values, the standard options in modern headphone amplifiers are 16 bits, 24 bits and 32 bits. The first value is used, in particular, for the Audio CD format, the second is found in the lossless APE and ALAC formats, and 32 bits may be required to work with FLAC and certain high-end standards.

The nominal impedance (impedance) of the headphones for which the amplifier was originally designed.

Modern headphones can have different impedance. In particular, among the most popular options are 16 ohms and 32 ohms, and advanced models have values from 300 ohms and even from 600 ohms. High-resistance is considered to be "ears" with a resistance of 100 ohms. These characteristics improve the purity of the sound, but require increased signal strength — and built-in amplifiers in handheld devices, computer audio cards, etc. usually have difficulty with this. Therefore, external amplifiers are often used for this very purpose — to effectively "shake" high-end headphones with high impedance. For the same reason, some of these amplifiers are not compatible with low-impedance “ears”: there are many devices that require headphones with an impedance of at least 32 ohms, or even higher, and in some models the lower limit of the operating range can reach 100 ohms. As for the maximum resistance, the range of its values is very impressive — from 32 ohms in relatively simple portable "amps" to thousands and even tens of thousands of ohms in high-end stationary models.

Anyway, you should not violate the manufacturer's recommendations for headphone impedance. If the resistance of the “ears” is too low, at best, the sound will be s...ubject to noticeable distortion, at worst, equipment failure and even fire may occur. Too high resistance, in turn, not only reduces the volume, but also worsens the frequency response.

Rated headphone output(s) provided by the amplifier.

Rated is the highest average power that the device is capable of delivering for a long time without overloads; individual “jumps” of the signal may have a higher level, but this indicator is the main one. The sound volume of the headphones connected to the device directly depends on it: with the same characteristics of the “ears” (primarily sensitivity), the high output power of the amplifier allows for a higher sound pressure level.

There are special formulas and tables that allow you to calculate the minimum power level required to achieve a particular volume. For example, to achieve 95 dB (the minimum required level for listening to music in silence at a satisfactory volume), headphones with a sensitivity of 100 dB will need 0.32 mW, for 105 dB (recommended level for powerful sound like rock concerts) — 3, 16 mW, and for 120 dB (the recommended level for watching movies with special effects like thunder, explosions, etc.) — already 100 mW.

At the same time, when choosing by this parameter, note that the actual power of the amplifier at the output will depend on the impedance of the headphones. This paragraph usually indicates the highest power value — with the minimum allowable resistance; for "ears" with numerous ohms, the power will be less, sometimes quite significantly. Therefore, when choosing, it is more convenient to use not a total number, but a specific power value for a parti...cular resistance (see below). The second nuance is that for multichannel amplifiers (see "Number of channels") this parameter can be indicated in different ways: in some models, the power is given for the full channel load mode (that is, we are talking about a guaranteed maximum per channel), in others — for half load or generally for working with one channel; such details should be clarified separately.

Rated power delivered by the amplifier when connected to headphones (or other load) with an impedance of 32 ohms.

By itself, the rated power is the highest average power that the device is capable of delivering for a long time without overloading; individual "jumps" of the signal may have a higher level, but in general, the capabilities of the amplifier are determined primarily by this indicator. At the same time, the physical features of the audio equipment are such that the actual power delivered to the load will depend on the resistance of this load. Therefore, in the characteristics of headphone amplifiers, data is often given for different impedance values. A resistance of 32 ohms allows you to achieve quite good sound quality by the standards of low-impedance headphones, while it is not so high as to create problems for the built-in amplifiers of smartphones and other compact equipment. Therefore, most wired general-purpose (non-professional) headphones are made precisely in this resistance, and if the amplifier characteristics generally indicate power for a certain impedance, then most often it is for 32 ohms.

In the most modest modern amplifiers, the output power at this impedance is between 10 and 250 mW ; values of 250 – 500 mW can be called average, 500 – 100 mW are above average, and the most powerful models are capable of delivering ...f="/list/788/pr-19429 /">more than 1000 watts. The choice for specific power indicators depends on the sensitivity of the headphones used, as well as on the sound pressure level (in other words, loudness), which is planned to be achieved by the amplifier. There are special formulas and tables that allow you to calculate the minimum required power for a certain volume at a given sensitivity of the "ears". However, in the case of 32-ohm headphones, it does not always make sense to "get into the calculations." For example, the mentioned 10 mW is more than enough to drive headphones with a modest sensitivity of 96 dB to a volume of more than 105 dB — this is already enough to listen to music at quite a decent volume. And in order to achieve the same "ears" level of 120 dB, which provides a full perception of the loudest sounds (like explosions, thunder, etc.), you need to give out a power slightly higher than 251 mW. So in fact, you have to pay attention to this characteristic and resort to calculations / tables mainly in those cases when you have to use 32 Ohm headphones with a relatively low sensitivity — 95 dB or less.

Rated power delivered by the amplifier when connected to headphones (or other load) with an impedance of 16 ohms.

By itself, the rated power is the highest average power that the device is capable of delivering for a long time without overloading; individual "jumps" of the signal may have a higher level, but in general, the capabilities of the amplifier are determined primarily by this indicator. At the same time, the physical features of the audio equipment are such that the actual power delivered to the load will depend on the resistance of this load. Therefore, in the characteristics of headphone amplifiers, data is often given for different impedance values. And 16 ohms is a rather low resistance indicator even for low-resistance "ears"; such characteristics are provided mainly in general-purpose headphones designed for pocket gadgets with low-power amplifiers.

As for the choice for specific power values, it depends on the sensitivity of the headphones used, as well as on the sound pressure level (in other words, loudness) that is planned to be achieved by the amplifier. There are special formulas and tables that allow you to calculate the minimum required power for a certain volume at a given sensitivity of the "ears". At the same time, it is worth noting that at 16 ohms, even the most low-power modern “amps” are capable of delivering about 20 mW — this is enough to drive headphones with a sensitivity of 88 dB (far from the highest figure) to a vo...lume of 105 dB (the minimum value recommended for a complete listening experience). And in most amplifiers, when operated with a given impedance, they provide much more power. So paying attention to this point and going into the calculations makes sense mainly either with low sensitivity of the "ears" (less than the mentioned 88 dB), or if you want to end up with a level above 105 dB.

Frequency range supported by the output amplifier; in other words, the range that this model is capable of delivering to headphones or another analogue audio device.

Theoretically, the wider the frequency range — the richer the sound of the amplifier, the lower the likelihood that the lower or upper edge of audible frequencies will be “cut off”. However, when evaluating this parameter, several nuances should be taken into account. Firstly, the average person is able to hear frequencies from 16 to 22,000 Hz, and with age, these boundaries gradually narrow. However, headphone amplifiers often have wider operating ranges, and they are very impressive — for example, for some models, a set of frequencies from 1 Hz to 60,000 Hz, or even up to 100,000 Hz, is claimed. Such characteristics are a kind of "side effect" from the use of high-end sound processing circuits; from a practical point of view, these numbers do not make much sense, but they are an indicator of the high class of the amplifier and are often used for advertising purposes.

The second nuance is that any headphones also inevitably have their own frequency limitations — and these limitations can be more significant than in an amplifier. Therefore, when choosing, it's ok to take into account the characteristics of the headphones: for example, you should not specifically look for an amplifier with an upper frequency limit of the full 22 kHz, if in the headphones that you plan to use with it, th...is limit is only 20 kHz.

In conclusion, also note that an extensive frequency range in itself does not guarantee high sound quality — it largely depends on other factors (frequency response, distortion level, etc.).

The dynamic range provided by the amplifier.

The most simplified dynamic range can be described as follows: this is the range between the highest and lowest signal level at the output, within which normal audibility and the signal-to-noise ratio claimed in the characteristics (see above) are maintained. This parameter is calculated from the logarithmic ratio between the maximum and minimum signal level and is indicated in decibels; the larger the number, the wider the dynamic range.

Note that the overall range of any amplifier is wider than the dynamic range; however, if the output level is too low, the audible sound will be "clogged" by the device's own noise, and if the output level is too high, the level of distortion will increase markedly. Thus, the overall sound quality is usually determined precisely by the dynamic range; in particular, this indicator determines how effectively the amplifier is able to cope with sound that has significant differences in volume (for example, orchestral parts). As for specific numbers, the most modest values in modern headphone amplifiers are about 90 dB, in the most advanced models this figure can reach 130 dB or more.