An finally I wrapped up the night's listening session by comparing SP 200 to my own Project Ember II, mine has all bypasses active with a Psvane CV181-TII [6SN7] and the aforementioned
@atomicbob noise nuke
This comparison was closer than I thought, in the end for my LCD 2 I still felt my Ember was the better amp but here's how the two units differed
SMSL SP 200
- Drier yet Smoother Tonality
- Better Defined Macro-dynamics
- Even Envelope
- Slightly diffuse Micro-Dynamics
Mshenay's Project Ember II
- Slight Upper Mid & Top End Emphasis
- Richer Tonality
- Proportionate sense of heft and weight
- Better Defined Micro Dynamics
- Sharper Envelope
- Slight emphasis on the attack
- Slight emphasis on the release or reverb trails
- More precise cohesive imaging
- Reserved Macro-dynamics
Despite Ember II's slight emphasis creating the perception of more detail I did feel the two units had the same level of total resolve and detail retrieval.
What was lacking with SMSL SP200 and my LCD 2 was a lack of weight and presence, things were often too quick and lacked heft with SMSL SP200. Ember II had a more grounded presentation which not only sounded more natural to my ears but also allowed for a greater perception of detail. Tonally drums often sounded a little thin and one dimensional and Cello's had too much emphasis on the rasp of the body & bow vs the weight and reverb of the instrument. Lifeless is sadly the best way to describe the synergy between Prefazor LCD 2 and SMSL SP200, my LCD 2 sounded much more ALIVE with Ember II.
But overall though what I appreciate about SMSL SP200 is it's consistency. While subjectively didn't enjoy it with my Prefazor LCD 2 I also understand part of that subjective experience has to do with the unique presentation of the headphone it self. Part of why I enjoy Ember II so much is it's kinda odd presentation and ultimate synergy with my DAC an preferred headphones in MY system. Ember II is a tool I've learned how best to use and I don't always like recommending it as not every one will appreciate nor experiment with it sufficiently to get it to perform at it's best within their system. Granted there are no massive LIFE changing tweaks that make Ember II something it isn't in terms of resolve and presentation but the devil is in the details and the small details are what you can fine tune with Ember II. Heck I also have a second tube for my Ember II is quite dry and has a slightly different presentation.
Ultimately SMSL SP 200's more even envelope, linear frequency response, high power output and transparent presentation will prove more useful/reliable to those without the time or desire to embrace the Project of tuning Ember II.