Thanks for the review! I appreciate your honesty! I like the new chi-fi stuff. Just goes to show that the big boys need to step up their game! Future cheap chi-fi sub $500 DACs may out perform $1500 - $2500 DACs in 5 yrs.
The chi fi comment is on the verge of racist..u do realize how many components that are in ur lovely made German British or American are actually produced in Asia u might be surprised lol
Just got this off Aoshida's store on Aliexpress for $311 shipped to NJ. $40 savings from store + $50 savings from holiday + some additional coin savings here and there. Thanks again Wave Theory! I wait around and only purchase things that come once in a while that is good and this seems to be it, though I can't say for Topping following suite.
I have both the DO100pro and the D0200pro as the DO100pro is on my home system and it really improved the sound coming from my Marantz Receiver playing Apply Music from a PC and my Marantz CD player. The DO200pro is on my PC using USB output going to a set of Kanto TUK speakers using the single RCA outputs on the DO200. You mention using the balance outputs you get a slightly better sound as for me to use the XLR outputs I would need to get XLR Female to 2 RCA Male cable but I posted a question on the output power from the DAC going into RCA inputs on the speaker as there is a 1to 2volt difference as before I buy the cables as I poked the question on other reviews but no one really answer this question. Thanks for the great review your review was why I jumped for the D200pro over another DO100pro
No, I would not simply buy xlr-to-rca cables. XLR uses 3 electrical paths and RCA only uses 2. What happens to the 3rd? That's the big question, and it's potentially a more important question than just the voltage differential. There is some gear that's fine with simply dropping the ground (the 3rd electrical path), but most gear is not. This is why I harp on the need for more quality single ended DACs in the lower price ranges, or better BAL-to-SE conversion on amps in the price range. There is really no good, cheap way to convert one to the other with an outboard device that isn't already the cost of just buying an amp (or speakers) that have balanced connections already.
thanks for another epic review and the great title! I wonder how this compares to sth like a dual es9039 pro device in terms of soundstage depth and layering. Anyways, hope its nothing to worry about at your right eye, btw.
great review. I'm now curious about this one as I would like to step up from my topping d70s, which is still the most "natural" sounding dac I've heard so far. I'm mostly looking for a tad less brightness up top and better sound staging. I already ordered a holo cyan 2 but have not received it yet. If that doesn't pan out (unlikely I think - I have not heard a bad thing about it aside from the input selection "problem") I'll give the do200 a shot I have a gentle correction though: the word chassis is pronounced cha-see - the 's' at the end is silent.
I have this amp, the D70s, and the Cyan 2. Cyan 2 blows both of these out of the water. The DO200 Pro sounds a bit different from D70s, not as smooth but still great for the price. It's a bit leaner and maybe has a bit more apparent detail but I haven't done extensive side by side comparison. Just a different feel and different signature. Not an upgrade to D70s for sure and not as natural.
Of you are able to get ahold of a slightly older (2021) Topping D90 with the AKM chip set, I think you will be very happy with it. It tempers the brightness just the right amount
What do you think about this Do200 pro with G111 MKII? I was waiting for you to do that comparisons since you typically do comparisons with this amp around this price range.
I have one kislux bag I got in 2019, it's the LV white catogram speedy. It's counter quality and it has a nice honey patina now, so the leather is real. I think whatever makes you happy go for it. I've seen LV with plastic leather and blood red glaze...
@@jayem1826 He (Tharbamar) is just a docile automaton tamed by puerile consumerism. Nothing more, nothing less. And also, one fails to understand that English as a lingua franca is nothing more than a mere transitional linguistic imperialism are also nothing more than a puppet cognition-hijacked by puerile, decrepit conditioning. ”One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them... People believe in God because they have been conditioned to believe in God” Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Have you tried MQA-CD playback over coax or optical inputs. There are sound dropouts. I checked with different cables and sources. I sent the email to the service line. However, they keep silence.
Thank you for the detailed review. I had the DO300 and I agree with you that highs sounded very aggressive, which caused me fatigue after a while listening, so I returned. Anyway I have no XLR connection, only SE. Do you think DO200 Pro is still the best recommendation?
Your comparative impression and evaluation of DO200 Pro and DO100 Pro are interesting. Specwise, DO 200 Pro is slightly inferior to DO 100 Pro in terms of distortion but slightly superior to the latter in terms of DR and SNR.
i had Schiit Bifrost 2/64 and SMSL DO300 i really didn't like bifrost i dont know why everyone hold it in such high regard i could literally hear the noise floor of the dac and it had fuzzy large imaging it simply didnt sound good even in the 200 dollar dac range from topping or smsl beat it on every sonic trait to my ears apart from soundstage now i have holo audio cyan 2 miles ahead Bifrost sure it cost abit more but its just better...
Great review. Keep up the good work. I can't help but think that perhaps some of the companies are starting to pick up on the feed back and tuning more organicaly vs analytic. The SMSLs & Toppings have always been pretty good with build quality and feature sets to get a different tuning from them now is very interesting, even if it is just via some models. Vareity is good.
On my system arc sounds better but optical is more reliable. On multiple dacs the arc has had great clarity and detail but brief periodic audio dropouts. Optical is not quite as clean or clear but is stable. I think the dropouts are most likely because of my dinosaur of a plasma TV haha.
I see, thanks. Pretty cool to see a dac with arc at this price point! Arc is perhaps more a thing for surround systems making use of dolby atmos, but interesting that it also improves stereo. Want to try!
@@jensjensen1009 I think you're right. HDMI ARC was originally intended for, and probably still most at home with, smart TVs that have internal streaming apps to be connected to a surround sound system. Now only in very recent generations of DACs are some DAC makers realizing that audiophiles use their headphone/hi-fi systems for watching and gaming to a level large enough to start including ARC connections on DACs. If you saw my Fiio K19 review, the one thing that's missing is the ability to downmix a multichannel bitstream signal. There are licensing issues with that I'm sure, but to me that's the next step for even more seamless integration into the video side of things.
There shouldn't be much, or at all, difference between single ended and balanced outputs except for very long cable runs and perhaps a higher output for balanced. Which is not to say I wouldn't use balanced connections if available and I .like the fact so many Chinese amps/DACs come with them.
Great. Wonderful. It never ends. Had been wanting the jnog2 socketed with sparkos. Then changed to wanting the Aune x8 VII with Sparkos mainly because it's available in my 3rd world location and it's a little less expensive. Now this SMSL comes out and it's similar in price. (A in Japanese is ou like in ouch. Ouohshesah). Sorry. 30 yrs of living in Japan and studying the language. You want to mispronounce , French, Spanish? No problem. 😅
You said in most cases you "hate/real dislike" Chinese DACs, what a change? Chinese DAC has come a long way. Can even improve further into the future. Considering all Chinese DACs' prices, the DACs from the west should watch out.
Why can't these companies just come out with a good single-ended only option. I just feel like I'm paying more to used a gimped version of my purchase. Appreciate it's closer but it's still subpar. Someone should do a survey on what output people use in this price range.
I suppose US manufactures of overpriced Hi-Fi will celebrate the coming tariffs but not sure American consumers should. And its not just lower wages that make Chinese goods so attractive as its largely that they have much more efficient manufacturing and supply. Tariffs won't change that or bring manufacturing back.
Thanks for the review! I appreciate your honesty! I like the new chi-fi stuff. Just goes to show that the big boys need to step up their game! Future cheap chi-fi sub $500 DACs may out perform $1500 - $2500 DACs in 5 yrs.
The chi fi comment is on the verge of racist..u do realize how many components that are in ur lovely made German British or American are actually produced in Asia u might be surprised lol
Sounds like a fine product, glad to hear its a quality competitor.
Thank you for a great review. I think I have found the dac I want to upgrade to.
Just got this off Aoshida's store on Aliexpress for $311 shipped to NJ. $40 savings from store + $50 savings from holiday + some additional coin savings here and there. Thanks again Wave Theory! I wait around and only purchase things that come once in a while that is good and this seems to be it, though I can't say for Topping following suite.
As always great review Wave Theory .
I really hope they send you the do400 to see how it measures up. Great review.
Great and honest review.🎉congratulations for the brutal honesty ❤
Arghh this never stops, there’s always a new thing to pull you back in!!
Another Review That Only a Wave Theory can do, Thanks again for the hard work tou make it look easy but we know its not.
I have both the DO100pro and the D0200pro as the DO100pro is on my home system and it really improved the sound coming from my Marantz Receiver playing Apply Music from a PC and my Marantz CD player. The DO200pro is on my PC using USB output going to a set of Kanto TUK speakers using the single RCA outputs on the DO200. You mention using the balance outputs you get a slightly better sound as for me to use the XLR outputs I would need to get XLR Female to 2 RCA Male cable but I posted a question on the output power from the DAC going into RCA inputs on the speaker as there is a 1to 2volt difference as before I buy the cables as I poked the question on other reviews but no one really answer this question. Thanks for the great review your review was why I jumped for the D200pro over another DO100pro
No, I would not simply buy xlr-to-rca cables. XLR uses 3 electrical paths and RCA only uses 2. What happens to the 3rd? That's the big question, and it's potentially a more important question than just the voltage differential. There is some gear that's fine with simply dropping the ground (the 3rd electrical path), but most gear is not. This is why I harp on the need for more quality single ended DACs in the lower price ranges, or better BAL-to-SE conversion on amps in the price range. There is really no good, cheap way to convert one to the other with an outboard device that isn't already the cost of just buying an amp (or speakers) that have balanced connections already.
thanks for another epic review and the great title! I wonder how this compares to sth like a dual es9039 pro device in terms of soundstage depth and layering. Anyways, hope its nothing to worry about at your right eye, btw.
great review. I'm now curious about this one as I would like to step up from my topping d70s, which is still the most "natural" sounding dac I've heard so far. I'm mostly looking for a tad less brightness up top and better sound staging. I already ordered a holo cyan 2 but have not received it yet. If that doesn't pan out (unlikely I think - I have not heard a bad thing about it aside from the input selection "problem") I'll give the do200 a shot
I have a gentle correction though: the word chassis is pronounced cha-see - the 's' at the end is silent.
I have this amp, the D70s, and the Cyan 2. Cyan 2 blows both of these out of the water. The DO200 Pro sounds a bit different from D70s, not as smooth but still great for the price. It's a bit leaner and maybe has a bit more apparent detail but I haven't done extensive side by side comparison. Just a different feel and different signature. Not an upgrade to D70s for sure and not as natural.
Of you are able to get ahold of a slightly older (2021) Topping D90 with the AKM chip set, I think you will be very happy with it. It tempers the brightness just the right amount
What do you think about this Do200 pro with G111 MKII? I was waiting for you to do that comparisons since you typically do comparisons with this amp around this price range.
I have one kislux bag I got in 2019, it's the LV white catogram speedy. It's counter quality and it has a nice honey patina now, so the leather is real. I think whatever makes you happy go for it. I've seen LV with plastic leather and blood red glaze...
Thank you for the video.👌👍
もし同じことをTharbamarが言っても私は一切信用しないけど、WaveTheoryがここまで褒めるなら、DO200Proは「ホンモノ」なんだろうね
How can you tolerate his English (tharbamar) pronunciation? I can't stand him.
@@jayem1826
He(tharbamar) is just a docile automaton tamed by puerile consumerism
@@jayem1826
He (Tharbamar) is just a docile automaton tamed by puerile consumerism. Nothing more, nothing less. And also, one fails to understand that English as a lingua franca is nothing more than a mere transitional linguistic imperialism are also nothing more than a puppet cognition-hijacked by puerile, decrepit conditioning.
”One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them... People believe in God because they have been conditioned to believe in God”
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
If you were to choose from this or the geshelli labs dacs which would you choose?
I'm wondering the same thing
I feel like Bifrost is due for an update, when SMSL is trading blows for half the cost 😳
Do you think it's better than the SMSL vmv d1se2?
any V triggers on the back?
How is it compared to topping d70 pro octo in sound performance?
Always enjoy your resolving insight. Have you heard the Earmen Tradutto? I've had mine in my rig for about two years. It's on fire.
Earmen is a brand I haven't had the privilege of hearing yet. Hopefully someday.
@@wavetheorysound very good
If you like this im really curious your thoughts on vmv d2r. It has a ROHM chip. Its amazing to my ears
hello do you expect review of topping dx9? Thanks for answer.
Have you tried MQA-CD playback over coax or optical inputs. There are sound dropouts. I checked with different cables and sources. I sent the email to the service line. However, they keep silence.
I was contacted by seller and got the firmware update. Problem solved. Great seller great support.
Thank you for the detailed review. I had the DO300 and I agree with you that highs sounded very aggressive, which caused me fatigue after a while listening, so I returned. Anyway I have no XLR connection, only SE. Do you think DO200 Pro is still the best recommendation?
Your comparative impression and evaluation of DO200 Pro and DO100 Pro are interesting. Specwise, DO 200 Pro is slightly inferior to DO 100 Pro in terms of distortion but slightly superior to the latter in terms of DR and SNR.
Hey wave, just asking, i have the modi multibit 2, is this a consistent upgrade? thx
Another review desribed the sound as clean and precise but missing some richness in the mids..you call it natural and organic. Bit confused now 😊
Which DAC makes you feel satisfied in sound
Because it's a pre-amp/DAC are both RCA and Balanced outs variable? There's no pass through?
Thanks for answering
What about its reliability????? Whenever i read reviews about SMSL or Topping, i see one star ratings because of reliability problems!!!!!!!
I've had an smsl for over 2 years never a problem
i had Schiit Bifrost 2/64 and SMSL DO300 i really didn't like bifrost i dont know why everyone hold it in such high regard i could literally hear the noise floor of the dac and it had fuzzy large imaging it simply didnt sound good even in the 200 dollar dac range from topping or smsl beat it on every sonic trait to my ears apart from soundstage now i have holo audio cyan 2 miles ahead Bifrost sure it cost abit more but its just better...
Great review. Keep up the good work. I can't help but think that perhaps some of the companies are starting to pick up on the feed back and tuning more organicaly vs analytic. The SMSLs & Toppings have always been pretty good with build quality and feature sets to get a different tuning from them now is very interesting, even if it is just via some models. Vareity is good.
vs smsl 9 ultra which better?
Wave, do you think there is a difference in sound quality when using hdmi-arc vs optical from a tv. Have you tried to compare?
On my system arc sounds better but optical is more reliable. On multiple dacs the arc has had great clarity and detail but brief periodic audio dropouts. Optical is not quite as clean or clear but is stable. I think the dropouts are most likely because of my dinosaur of a plasma TV haha.
I see, thanks. Pretty cool to see a dac with arc at this price point! Arc is perhaps more a thing for surround systems making use of dolby atmos, but interesting that it also improves stereo. Want to try!
@@jensjensen1009 I think you're right. HDMI ARC was originally intended for, and probably still most at home with, smart TVs that have internal streaming apps to be connected to a surround sound system. Now only in very recent generations of DACs are some DAC makers realizing that audiophiles use their headphone/hi-fi systems for watching and gaming to a level large enough to start including ARC connections on DACs. If you saw my Fiio K19 review, the one thing that's missing is the ability to downmix a multichannel bitstream signal. There are licensing issues with that I'm sure, but to me that's the next step for even more seamless integration into the video side of things.
Hi Wave,
How does the bifrost 2/64 compare to the K19?
Professor, thank you for the DAC review.❤
I’m not sure if it will replace my Lynx Hilo, however. 😅
There shouldn't be much, or at all, difference between single ended and balanced outputs except for very long cable runs and perhaps a higher output for balanced. Which is not to say I wouldn't use balanced connections if available and I .like the fact so many Chinese amps/DACs come with them.
Great. Wonderful. It never ends. Had been wanting the jnog2 socketed with sparkos. Then changed to wanting the Aune x8 VII with Sparkos mainly because it's available in my 3rd world location and it's a little less expensive. Now this SMSL comes out and it's similar in price. (A in Japanese is ou like in ouch. Ouohshesah). Sorry. 30 yrs of living in Japan and studying the language. You want to mispronounce , French, Spanish? No problem. 😅
I have the 100 pro and find it a bit shouty.
You said in most cases you "hate/real dislike" Chinese DACs, what a change? Chinese DAC has come a long way. Can even improve further into the future. Considering all Chinese DACs' prices, the DACs from the west should watch out.
Rhymes with Lassie or Cassie or sassy.
Why can't these companies just come out with a good single-ended only option. I just feel like I'm paying more to used a gimped version of my purchase. Appreciate it's closer but it's still subpar. Someone should do a survey on what output people use in this price range.
I suppose US manufactures of overpriced Hi-Fi will celebrate the coming tariffs but not sure American consumers should. And its not just lower wages that make Chinese goods so attractive as its largely that they have much more efficient manufacturing and supply. Tariffs won't change that or bring manufacturing back.
👍🌟👍