SMSL RAW-MHA1 Review: The Newest Infineon Chip, or the Same Old Numbers?
Updated: 7 hours ago
Same Sentence, Different Box
Every few months, an SMSL box lands on my desk with the same line printed somewhere on it. New high-power amplifier chip from Infineon, Germany.
I've read it so often I could recite it in my sleep. Which, to be fair, is where I do most of my spec-sheet reading.
But I'll admit something. For a long time, my favorite value DAC on the market was SMSL's own RAW DAC 1. So when the RAW name showed up on a power amp, I didn't open this box as a cynic. I opened it excited. My RAW DAC 1 Review:
This is the RAW-MHA1. A $199.99 power amp, €239.90 here in Europe, and SMSL is selling it as the latest generation of Infineon amplification.
So is it?
This review runs a little backwards. Numbers first: SMSL's own charts, its older spec sheets, and what Infineon says about its chips. Then my ears, to see whether they agree.
What It Is, and What It Isn't
The MHA1 is a power amp in the purest budget sense. A volume knob, two inputs, and a lot of watts.
You get RCA and XLR inputs, a subwoofer output with a built-in low-pass filter, and a switch on the back that bridges it into one big mono amp. The power supply is built in, so no external brick. The aluminum chassis is compact at 182 x 46 x 187mm and weighs 1.32kg.
No DAC. No Bluetooth. No HDMI. If you want any of that, SMSL will happily sell it to you in another box.
Spec | RAW-MHA1 (SMSL figures) |
Stereo power | 2 x 160W into 4Ω, 2 x 85W into 8Ω |
Bridged mono | 345W into 8Ω, 200W into 4Ω |
THD+N | 0.004% |
SNR / dynamic range | 104dB / up to 105dB |
Channel separation | 89dB |
Input sensitivity | 700mV |
Inputs | RCA, XLR |
Power draw | 40W |
Price | $199.99 / €239.90 |
Then there's that screen. I get it. The RAW series has a look, and the MHA1 has to sit next to the RAW DAC 1 and match.
But a display this big, on a power amp, to show... RCA. Or XLR.
Three letters. On a screen that size.
And I really wish it had a remote. That volume knob is the MHA1's best trick, because you can plug a DAC straight in and skip the preamp. But it also means getting off the couch every time one track is mastered louder than the last.
The RAW-HA1 and the AO300 both come with remotes. And honestly? A remote would have finally given that big screen something to do. Like showing the volume.
"The Newest Chip": Let's Check the Family Tree
SMSL never says which chip is inside the MHA1. So I went digging through its last few amps.
Model | Chip (as SMSL states it) | Power, 4Ω | Power, 8Ω | THD+N | SNR | Power draw |
RAW-MHA1 (2026) | "Latest-gen Infineon" | 2 x 160W | 2 x 85W | 0.004% | 104dB | 40W |
RAW-HA1 | "Infineon" | 2 x 165W | 2 x 85W | 0.003% | 108dB | 40W |
AO300 (2023) | Infineon MA5332MS | 2 x 165W | 2 x 85W | 0.003% | 107dB | 40W |
AO200 MKII (2023) | Infineon MA5332MS | 2 x 160W | 2 x 85W | 0.004% | 106dB | 40W |
Read that table twice.
The MHA1 matches the 2023 AO200 MKII exactly, on power and on distortion. The 85 watts into 8 ohms hasn't moved across four products and three years. Even the rated power draw is the same 40 watts on every single one. And the MA5332MS chip SMSL named on those older amps? Infineon released it in early 2022.
The bridged numbers fit too. Infineon rates that chip at 400 watts in mono into 8 ohms, measured at 10% distortion, which is a very generous way to measure. The MHA1's 345 watts sits just under that, exactly where you'd expect if SMSL measures more strictly. The drop to 200 watts into 4 ohms in bridged mode is classic bridging behavior too: bridged mode is really meant for 8 ohm speakers.
And so does the marketing. Back in 2023, SMSL described the AO300 with almost the exact same sentence: a new high-power chip from Infineon, Germany.
Same sentence. Different box.
But let's be fair. I can't read a chip marking through an aluminum lid, and Infineon does make sibling chips in this family. Maybe the MHA1 uses one of them. But if it's new, it's not showing up anywhere in the numbers.
What SMSL's Own Charts Say
Quick disclaimer: I don't have a measurement rig on my bench yet. These are SMSL's charts, from their own Audio Precision APx555B analyzer. We're reading their homework, not grading it. The numbers below are read off their graphs, so treat them as close, not exact.
The short version? It's clean where you actually listen.
Stereo into 8 ohms: clean in the middle, a wall at 85 watts. Distortion is lowest between a couple of watts and about ten, sitting around 0.004%. That's exactly where most of us live at home. It starts creeping up past 20 watts and hits a hard wall just under 90 watts, right where the rating says it should.
Into 4 ohms: the power supply holds up. Same shape, same low point. But now the wall arrives around 150 to 160 watts, so power nearly doubles when the load halves. That tells you the built-in supply isn't sagging when you ask more of it.
Bridged: the 345 watt claim is real. Distortion stays very low through the middle, is still only around 0.01% at 100 watts, and the wall arrives somewhere around 330 to 350 watts.
The template giveaway. Every one of these charts is labeled "MDA1." That's a leftover file from SMSL's RAW-MDA1, which is a DAC and can't make 160 watts. So the data isn't borrowed. Their test engineer just reuses old files, exactly like I reuse old video project folders.
The Specialist vs the All-in-One
Here's the number that surprised me most.
Next to its sibling, the RAW-HA1, the MHA1 has more background hiss on SMSL's own charts. Roughly double. The all-in-one that does six jobs measures quieter than the box that does one.
SMSL's own figures | RAW-HA1 | RAW-MHA1 |
Distortion around 5W | ~0.0026% | ~0.004% |
Signal to noise, measured | ~110 to 111dB | ~105dB |
Dynamic range | ~111dB | ~105dB |
Channel separation | 87dB | 89dB |
Gain (how hard it amplifies) | Higher | About 9dB lower |
And that last row makes it stranger. The MHA1 actually amplifies the incoming signal less than the HA1, and less gain usually means less hiss, not more. So the extra noise is probably coming from somewhere else in the chain, like the volume knob's circuit or the XLR input stage.
But I wouldn't call it a scandal. SMSL never says how either amp was measured, and its own HA1 sheet doesn't even agree with itself: the chart says 110dB, the spec table says 108dB.
Will you hear it? On normal speakers, no. On very sensitive speakers with your ear right next to the tweeter, maybe a faint whisper. And on distortion the two are effectively tied. Nobody hears 0.003% versus 0.004%.
So why would you pay about the same money for the box that does less and measures slightly worse? Hold that thought for the verdict.
The Chart SMSL Didn't Show You
For the HA1, SMSL published a frequency response chart. For the MHA1? Nothing.
And for an amp like this, that's the one chart I wanted most.
Here's why, in plain terms. Class D amps switch on and off hundreds of thousands of times a second, and they need a little filter at the output to clean that up before it reaches your speakers. That filter reacts to whatever speaker you plug in. So the same amp can sound a touch brighter on one speaker and a touch softer on another, mostly in the top octave.
A proper sheet shows this with three lines: the response into 8 ohms, into 4 ohms, and with nothing connected. If those lines sit on top of each other, great. If they spread apart at the top, you know the amp will change character depending on your speakers.
SMSL showed zero lines.
Same story with the subwoofer output. There's a built-in filter, but no word on where it kicks in or how steeply. If you're building a 2.1 desk setup, that's the number you need, and you'll have to find it by ear.
When I finally get a measurement rig on my bench, this is the first chart I'll run. Until then, the next best test is two speakers with different personalities, and a Class AB reference amp to compare against.
Which, conveniently, brings us to my ears.
How It Sounds
I ran it from the Eversolo DMP-A8 Gen 2 into the DALI Rubikore 2 and the Wharfedale Super Linton, with my Rotel separates as the reference.
And the first thing I noticed? I've heard this amp before.
Not this box. This sound. Clean, crisp, a little on the bright side of neutral, with tight bass and a wide, tidy stage. If you've heard an AO200 MKII, an AO300 or a RAW-HA1, you already know what the MHA1 sounds like.
That's not a bad thing. It's just not a new thing.
Radiohead, In Rainbows. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is a pile of interlocking guitar lines, and this is where the MHA1 shows off. Every part gets its own lane, nothing smears together, and the stage stretches nicely past the speakers. Where it comes up a little short is the drums. They're quick and precise, but they stop dead, missing some of the ring and room around each hit.
Joni Mitchell, Blue. "A Case of You" is all voice and dulcimer, and it's the MHA1's weakest moment. Joni is clear and well placed, but thinner than she should be. Switch to the Rotel and she suddenly has a chest. On the MHA1, she has a microphone.
Moderat, II. "Bad Kingdom" lives on sub-bass, and this is where you remember there's real power behind that tiny chassis. The low end goes deep, stays tight and never turns to mud. For $200, the bass control is genuinely impressive.
Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf. "No One Knows" is loud, dense and compressed, and Dave Grohl's drumming is a stress test all on its own. The MHA1 stays composed when you crank it. No strain, no clipping. But on brighter speakers, the guitars and cymbals push forward a bit too eagerly. Not harsh. Just eager.
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar. "No Time for Caution" builds from a whisper into a wall of pipe organ. Nothing about it made the MHA1 flinch. The swells come in big and clean, and there's always headroom left.
So where does it sit? It's not as transparent and clean as a Topping. And it's a bit more forward and detailed than a Fosi.
What it is, is an excellent all-rounder. Clarity up top, control and composure in the bass, and great exposition of treble and fine detail. It doesn't chase any one extreme. It just does everything well.
And in this price range, that's about as good as it gets. Yes, you can find other amps for a little less. But if you want to stay in the SMSL ecosystem and you want that SMSL house sound, the MHA1 is the best you can get at this price right now.
One pairing tip. The MHA1 only takes analog inputs, so it lives or dies by your DAC. Feed it something warm or neutral and it's a clean, muscular little amp. Feed it something already bright and detailed and things can get a bit too crisp. As much as I love the RAW DAC 1, I'd think twice before pairing those two on bright speakers.
Verdict: New Box, Familiar Engine
So, is this the newest Infineon chip?
The numbers say no. And my ears agree. This is SMSL's proven amp platform from the last three years, in a stripped-down box with a big screen and no remote.
And honestly? This is bigger than SMSL. Personally, I feel Class D is stagnating.
Over the last five years, it was one of the most important things to happen to hi-fi. Real power, tiny boxes, low prices. It changed what a couple of hundred euros could buy, and it reshaped the whole budget landscape.
But lately, in this price range, it's struggling to bring anything new to the table. Every new iteration is the same amp, or the same amp with a very small push forward. A new chassis. A new name. A new screen.
The revolution already happened. Now we're mostly getting reruns.
But here's the thing. That platform is good. Clean, powerful, controlled, and still a great deal at $199.
Buy it if you already own a DAC or streamer with volume control and just want clean watts for cheap. The XLR input, the volume knob for running a DAC straight in, and the bridged mono mode are things SMSL's all-in-ones don't give you.
Skip it if this is your first system. The RAW-HA1 and AO300 give you a DAC, more inputs and a remote for a bit more money, and they sound basically the same.
I came in expecting the next RAW DAC 1.
I got an AO200 MKII in a nicer suit.
Buy and Learn more here:
https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/smsl-raw-mha1-power-amplifier?srsltid=AU7gw4WYPZnMQxePGbR6KavgOe5-MtbXOjaPFH9d_hDC5XvxIyimWzOV
Pros
Excellent all-rounder: clarity up top, controlled and composed bass, great treble and detail
The best SMSL house sound you can get at this price right now
Real power: 85W per channel into 8 ohms, nearly doubling to 160W into 4 ohms
Bridged mono mode at 345W, a ready-made path to monoblocks later
Very low distortion at the levels you actually listen at
RCA and XLR inputs, plus a subwoofer output for 2.1 setups
Front volume knob lets you run a DAC straight in, no preamp needed
Compact, solid aluminum chassis with a built-in power supply
Cons
Not the new chip it's marketed as: same numbers as the AO200 MKII from 2023
No remote, despite the volume knob being its best trick
A big screen that only ever shows "RCA" or "XLR"
More background hiss than the RAW-HA1 on SMSL's own charts
No published frequency response chart, and no stated subwoofer crossover point
Voices sound a little lean next to a good Class AB amp
Can push a bit forward with bright speakers or a bright DAC
The RAW-HA1 and AO300 add a DAC, more inputs and a remote for a bit more money
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