Jon S
Super Member
I just picked up a SoundArtist SA-200IA integrated amplifier which sells for $400 on Amazon. The amplifier originally sold for only $270 on various Chinese audio sites but shipping costs made it just as expensive as Amazon.
Description
The amplifier was designed in the UK and is made in China. It is a very basic amplifier with minimal features and comes in black or silver. After buying the black version, I recommend you buy the silver model as the gold lettering on the black model is extremely faint and is virtually invisible unless it is in a well lit environment.
The amp comes double-boxed. Opening the outer box shows the internal box is upside-down. Opening the internal box has the amp itself upside down as well. The only items included is the flimsy Xeroxed instruction manual, the cheesy remote and a power cord.
Features
The back has inputs for DVD/CD/Line as well as a COAX/Optical input. The amp also supplies a pair or line outputs so you can attach a subwoofer or an external amplifier. There is a single set of banana connectors for a single pair of speakers.
The front of the amp has a LED array to indicate what input is being used. It has a push switch to power on/off the amp. There is also a tone control defeat button as well as a bass and treble control as well as a volume control in the middle of the amp.
The remote posed a bit of a problem. SoundArtist does not supply a battery for the remote and there is no indication of what type of battery is required (the manual states a button battery is included but others have noticed that none was supplied). Some users have reported the remote can either use a CR2016 or a CR2032 (a CR2016 worked for me) but SoundArtist has not responded to my request for info.
Specs
The power rating of the amp is vague. The manual states that the amp is rated at 200 watts per channel, both channels driven at 8-ohms at 1kHz at 0.05% distortion. But Amazon's listing shows 150 watts into 8 ohms and 200 watts into 4 ohms. The amplifier weighs a tad over 25 lbs and is about 17W x 14D x 4.5H inches in size.
Use
I am using the amp to power a pair of Magnepan 1.6QR planar speakers which are known to require a high current amplifier. Previously, I used a Parasound HC750A (75 wpc 8ohms/125 wpc 4 ohms) and an Acurus DIA100 amp (100 wpc 8 ohms, 150 wpcs 4 ohms). TBH, the Acurus and the Parasound sounded a tad better, the Maggies sounded like it had a bit more oomph than with the SA200IA.. Mind you, the SoundArtist itself was no slouch, it could get just as loud but something was missing. I have no way of testing the power output but it feels like a 120 watt amp.
Swapping out the Maggies for a pair of Polk LSi15 towers also showed some of the better features of the SA. The SA was very clean with no audible distortion, sounding sterile. The soundstage on the SA was more focused than the other two amps with slightly better depth. I also used a 140 wpc Pioneer Elite SC-97 AVR before with the Maggies and the SA was better hands down, with a flat soundstage on the Pioneer.
The digital input of the SA is nothing to brag about, it is a very basic DAC. Any decent player should have a better performing DAC.
The remote's operation is also a bit wonky. Note that if you have an Apple TV device, the remote will affect the Apple TV functions as well. The LED input array is the only indication if the amp is on, there is no power LED. If you press the MUTE button of the remote, the input LED array will turn off and it appears that the amp is powered off. Pressing MUTE again will not unmute the audio. You have to press the input button that you are using to restore the audio. I tried programming my Logitech Harmony to control the SA. No matter what I did, the Harmony could not control the volume of the amplifier. Pressing the volume control will keep changing the volume after releasing the control. Changing the delay and reprogramming the remote did not work. Note that the Harmony database does not include the SoundArtist and you must program the remote manually.
Conclusion
TBH, at $400 this amp is a steal. It has clean sound and powerful output. The execution leaves a bit to be desired. If you stick with the supplied remote you won't have any issues, it's just that the remote does not feel that it will last too long.
Description
The amplifier was designed in the UK and is made in China. It is a very basic amplifier with minimal features and comes in black or silver. After buying the black version, I recommend you buy the silver model as the gold lettering on the black model is extremely faint and is virtually invisible unless it is in a well lit environment.
The amp comes double-boxed. Opening the outer box shows the internal box is upside-down. Opening the internal box has the amp itself upside down as well. The only items included is the flimsy Xeroxed instruction manual, the cheesy remote and a power cord.
Features
The back has inputs for DVD/CD/Line as well as a COAX/Optical input. The amp also supplies a pair or line outputs so you can attach a subwoofer or an external amplifier. There is a single set of banana connectors for a single pair of speakers.
The front of the amp has a LED array to indicate what input is being used. It has a push switch to power on/off the amp. There is also a tone control defeat button as well as a bass and treble control as well as a volume control in the middle of the amp.
The remote posed a bit of a problem. SoundArtist does not supply a battery for the remote and there is no indication of what type of battery is required (the manual states a button battery is included but others have noticed that none was supplied). Some users have reported the remote can either use a CR2016 or a CR2032 (a CR2016 worked for me) but SoundArtist has not responded to my request for info.
Specs
The power rating of the amp is vague. The manual states that the amp is rated at 200 watts per channel, both channels driven at 8-ohms at 1kHz at 0.05% distortion. But Amazon's listing shows 150 watts into 8 ohms and 200 watts into 4 ohms. The amplifier weighs a tad over 25 lbs and is about 17W x 14D x 4.5H inches in size.
Use
I am using the amp to power a pair of Magnepan 1.6QR planar speakers which are known to require a high current amplifier. Previously, I used a Parasound HC750A (75 wpc 8ohms/125 wpc 4 ohms) and an Acurus DIA100 amp (100 wpc 8 ohms, 150 wpcs 4 ohms). TBH, the Acurus and the Parasound sounded a tad better, the Maggies sounded like it had a bit more oomph than with the SA200IA.. Mind you, the SoundArtist itself was no slouch, it could get just as loud but something was missing. I have no way of testing the power output but it feels like a 120 watt amp.
Swapping out the Maggies for a pair of Polk LSi15 towers also showed some of the better features of the SA. The SA was very clean with no audible distortion, sounding sterile. The soundstage on the SA was more focused than the other two amps with slightly better depth. I also used a 140 wpc Pioneer Elite SC-97 AVR before with the Maggies and the SA was better hands down, with a flat soundstage on the Pioneer.
The digital input of the SA is nothing to brag about, it is a very basic DAC. Any decent player should have a better performing DAC.
The remote's operation is also a bit wonky. Note that if you have an Apple TV device, the remote will affect the Apple TV functions as well. The LED input array is the only indication if the amp is on, there is no power LED. If you press the MUTE button of the remote, the input LED array will turn off and it appears that the amp is powered off. Pressing MUTE again will not unmute the audio. You have to press the input button that you are using to restore the audio. I tried programming my Logitech Harmony to control the SA. No matter what I did, the Harmony could not control the volume of the amplifier. Pressing the volume control will keep changing the volume after releasing the control. Changing the delay and reprogramming the remote did not work. Note that the Harmony database does not include the SoundArtist and you must program the remote manually.
Conclusion
TBH, at $400 this amp is a steal. It has clean sound and powerful output. The execution leaves a bit to be desired. If you stick with the supplied remote you won't have any issues, it's just that the remote does not feel that it will last too long.
