SMSL SH-9 Headphone Amplifier: THX AAA-888 Technology and Relay Volume Control
SMSL has announced the SH-9 headphone amplifier. The new product can be connected to headphones equipped with both a traditional 6.35-mm stereo jack and a 4-pin balanced XLR.
The SH-9’s power makes it compatible with almost all headphone models on the market. For headphones with an impedance of 600 ohms, the amplifier is capable of delivering up to 220 mW in the channel, and with an impedance of 16 ohms, this value increases to 6 W. Therefore, the amplifier is equipped with 2-position power switching.
The SH-9 uses the patented THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA) technology, which is designed to provide high quality reproduction over the entire range of output levels. The relay discrete volume control also contributed to the purity of sound. The signal-to-noise ratio reported by SMSL for the SH-9 is greater than 135 dB.
The design of the SH-9 exactly matches the SMSL SU-9 DAC, which we wrote about in October. The amplifier received the same 1.9-inch color LCD display, which displays the parameters of its operation. The brightness of the display can be adjusted. A multifunctional encoder is used for control.
The release date of the SMSL SH-9 headphone amplifier is still unknown, although the price has already been announced. In the US, the novelty will cost $289.
