SMSL Q5 Pro(Silver) Q5 Pro Digital Amplifier 2-50W USB/Coaxial/Optical Remote Control – Silver

The reason for buying this amp was to build a better sound system for music to be used with my iMac computer. My older Klipsch computer speaker setup stopped working, and my goal was to step away from speakers specifically designed for the computer and create a much bigger and better sound. I ordered the SMSL Q5 Pro from Amazon and a set of factory refurbished Polk Audio TSi100 bookshelf speakers straight from Polk. I held off on ordering a sub, but chose this amp in part because of the dedicated sub out.The amp is compact and appears to be very nicely built. Sturdy aluminum case. Very easy to use and work your way through the input options. Treble and bass settings are not on separate knobs, but are easily accessed with a click in of the volume. Bass and treble then appear on the lcd screen and are adjusted by turning the volume knob.Sound reproduction is very nice. The Polk speakers I am using are 8ohm. The amp delivers 45 watts per channel when using 8ohm speakers. The end result, thus far, is very very good. Plenty of power to really push the speakers if you like to listen at higher volumes. Amp delivers a good amount of low end....even without a sub. I have both the bass and treble set at +7 (+9 is max). Music is crisp with punchy lows.I didn't find a bunch of reviews of folks using this just for computer setups....so I wanted to give my opinion on using it for this purpose only. Have only had it hooked up for a short period of time, but so far....I very much would recommend it. Of course, your choice of quality speakers make a huge difference as well.I will update when/if something changes or when I add a powered sub into the mix.UPDATE: Added a super compact powered sub into the system. Came across the 300 watt Polk Audio PSW111 8" powered sub on Craigslist locally. Couldn't pass up the price on a mint condition piece. Using the dedicated sub out on the SMSL into the LFE input on the sub, I added it into the mix. Let me just say...straight away I was pleasantly surprised with the output from the amp. I was able to dial the bass down to 2 and let the Polk TSi100 bookshelf speakers handle primarily the mids and highs while the sub handles the low end. I'm still hooked up only to the iMac using the USB connection, and the sound is now what I would consider audiophile great. Plenty of power to drive the speakers and more than enough for the sub.I ran it hard for well over an hour to test and really explore the capabilities. One thing that I read in other reviews was how warm the amp got. I must say that mine got just a little warm to the touch, but not close to what I would call hot. Much cooler than I really expected. My big Denon network receiver used for surround sound gets down right hot when pushed hard for that long.So.....in summary, using the SMSL Q5 Pro with Polk Audio TSi100 bookshelf speakers and a Polk Audio PSW111 compact powered subwoofer connected to my iMac using the USB connection....could not be happier. Crisp and punchy with power to spare. I would highly recommend.

This thing is really small. Wasnt expecting it to be so small but no complaints on that. I picked it up to power a set of Overnight Sensations I built. Wow this thing sounds great. I also have a Native instruments Audio 6 I was using as an interface for my powered monitors so it only made sense to me at first to run my 3/4 outputs of that to the SMSL. However a little later i was trying other inputs on the SMSL and the optical is odd, it doesnt always work and has a hiss to it when it does work. I also tried the digital input on it but couldnt get it to work with anything. My audio 6 has the SPDIF outputs on it and i tried hooking it to that but it has a In and an Out that need to be hooked up for clocking. The SMSL only has an input so that doesnt work. Then i plugged the USB directly into my mac and that works extremely well, no drivers needed. The only issue i have with it thats bugging me now is once the unit has been on for a while ( i have it set up on my desk where i do my homework/ ideas for projects around the house or pricing for sidework) the system starts distorting a little. Its odd though because the highs will still be crisp as can be but it makes the mids/lows sound funky. I havent played with it to switch it back to the Audio 6 once i notice it to see if its the built in DAC over heating because the unit does get quite warm. Although its a pretty good unit. Currently im pricing out a setup with an external DAC and a different amp to explore options.

This little unit works great. I was handed down some Polk R15s. I didn't know much about Watt ratings and driving speakers. I had my concerns that the 45-Watt per channel wouldn't be enough for my speakers that were listed at 20-100W per channel. I can say with certanity that it has no problems driving them what-so-ever. The optical cable from the TV just plugs in and works, same with the USB and my laptop. I didn't even need to install drivers.I do have 2 issues with this that i knew prior to purchasing, but there isn't anything else out there that fits like this.1. No headphone out. I plan on having my TV and PC plug into this, and eventually a turntable ( I amassed quite the vinyl collection borroring my roommates). Would be nice to have this option with all the inputs. Almost silly not to.2. My other issues is with the logic behind the sub out. There's no crossover control. Usually with a sub, you want it to take all the low end so the speakers only focus on the mids and highs. With this, both your speakers and sub will handle the low end, which isn't ideal. I plan on getting a sub with a crossover built in, and running the speaker wires to it, then the speakers. I will completely ignore the sub out on this device. Would have been much better to have a stereo signal out/line through than the useless mono sub signal.All in all, this thing works great and sounds great. The mono sub signal is not an issue, just something silly. The lack of a headphone out is why I docked a star from this.

This stereo amp can sit in the palm of your hand, but has some serious power - more than enough for an average size living room and for the neighbours to call the police! (I'm a retired sound engineer - TV and radio - so quite picky about sound.) The best part is having an optical input to take TV sound (lots of smart TVs no longer have analogue outputs). You'll need your own optical cable though. There's also a 3.5mm analogue input for a record deck etc. Our amp is driving some classic 1970s Wharfdale Linton 4ohm stereo speakers, and they sound great. TV sound is so much better than a soundbar - dialogue in movies is much more clear rather than being lost in the music and sound effects which tends to happen with soundbars (and of course you don't get much stereo separation from soundbars, whereas you can place your speakers far apart). There are 7 EQ presets, plus very good bass and treble controls - it really thumps warm bass into the Wharfdales. Treble is bright and crisp. This is all done from the remote, but you can select settings by pushing in the volume knob on the unit if you lose the remote. We like our rock music, with heavy bass, and now our favourite bass players really stand out as opposed to being lost in the soundbar. The only slight thing to get used to is that the TV remote cannot control the amp's volume, (optical output from the TV is at a fixed level) so you have to get used to having an extra remote on the coffee table - but a small price to pay for the quality at this price. We've only had it for a week, so can't comment on longevity, but so far, thrilled to bits.

Im very disappointed in this product. Ill keep my review breif.Using this Q5 Pro along with a pair of Q Acoustics 3010 speakers. The amp powered these speakers absolutely perfectly, too loud for my ears at any volume above 35 (1 to 60 is available on this amp). Increasing the bass eq to max (+9) made these speakers awesome, amazing how good this little amp is... when used with aux cable. This is where my trouble starts. Using the optical in from my Samsung NU8000 TV renders this amp useless, it works, occasionally. 85% of the time it was fine, 15% of the time it just stuttered and crackled. Strange for a digital connection.Tested using digital outputs on my TV, PS4, PC and Laptop. All perform the same, dire crackles. I changed sound to PCM too, incase anyone was thinking that solution. Ive used 7 different optical cables, ranging from £4 to £22 each cable, all the same.AUX connection rock solid and brilliant.Digital Optical connection rubbish. Cheap chinese @#%&.Such a shame.

This replaced a Monitor Audio Airstream A100 as my desktop amp when the A100 conked out unexpectedly. It's not quite as good, but it's much closer than you'd expect, considering its size (it's tiny) and price. The sub out is a real bonus. I am only using the analog input, so can't vouch for the onboard DAC. Playing from the analog input (3.5mm stereo jack) it's a very musical amp with a good level of detail and plenty of power to drive a pair of JBL speakers, plus powered Yamaha sub sited in a small room to extremely high volumes if required!Update 24 March 2020: The right channel has started to distort whenever music is played through it, regardless of source - Aux, USB, Optical etc. As far as I can see, there is no way to return after 30 days. So that's £118 for 4 months of use. Very disappointing!

I am running a pair of wharfedale diamond 2 bookshelf speakers and a jamo sub-woofer, and this unit has them pushing some serious air across my desk. I have given it 5 stars because it represents serious value for money in my book. if the listening you are doing is mostly passive, but you want to turn up a favourite tune then look no further. it is definitely not the most detailed amp i have ever heard, but if you are expecting that for £80 then you are being unrealistic in my book. everyone that comes into my office, hears what it can do and then hears the price is very impressed.my whole set up came in at under £250 quid with the amp being the only new component, speakers and sub 2nd hand from ebay.

Overall pleased with the purchase. Not spectacular but works well - remote is a bit ropey but reviews on youtube are accurate. Nice compact unit with decent sound. I doubt it would satisfy a purest but for those with modest tastes it is absolutely fine.