Did this $90 product actually improve my music playback? (SMSL DS-100 Review)
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
- SMSL DS-100 Review
Buy the SMSL DS-100 (affiliate link): amzn.to/3UWLZ98
Buy the SMSL SU-1 (affiliate link): amzn.to/4bBsUyJ
Buy the SMSL DA-1 Amp (affiliate link): amzn.to/3wBohWy
Buy the Sennheiser HD 560S Headphones (affiliate link): amzn.to/3UVWauq
The SMSL DS-100 was sent to me for review by Auins Hifiman who did not compensate me nor review my video before posting.
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Great review.
Thank you!
For the uninitiated, volume knobs without markings or a start and stop position are digital and usually found on DACs as opposed to amps. The 'light up as your turn' method is pretty ingenious, but I have to agree, not all that useful. My Topping DAC/Amps have digital volume knobs, but they also have an LCD screen which displays volume in terms of decibels. Very handy!
I love the Topping screen interface! I'm currently working on a video for a couple of their DACs. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
Great video, and lovely home!
Thank you!
I use the SU-1/DA-1 combo to power my desktop speakers. I wish SMSL would offer a headphone amp (HA-1?) of the same form factor to use if I want to listen to headphones instead of speakers. This would make a nice desktop cube/stack.
Nice. These little unit stacks are getting more and more interesting especially for desktop use. Thanks for watching!
Another honest, trusted review. I wish I liked listening to headphones, I just can't. I have an 8 dollar pair for the once or twice a year I need one. Fun fact: Every hour you wear headphones increases the bacteria in your ears 700 times. I just saw that today. I really think that is BS though.
Great fact, lol. I know I'll definitely never borrow headphones from anyone now! Thanks again for the kind words and for watching!
Must have missed something but how did you compare the su1 and ds100? As in, were both connected to your main hifi system via RCA connection?
Geshelli dac with Sparkos opamps. What are your thoughts. Was sound too bright or forward for your Klipsch speakers?
I’ve yet to connect the Geshelli - too many products are piling up for review lol. Hope to do so soon!
Direct contender of topping DX1
A couple of questions if I may...
Do these offer Windows plug and play compatibility?
What does the extra driver download do for you?
It connected easily and operated with my Dell laptop which is owned by my employer so I don’t have access to download drivers to.
Modern Windows should recognize this and any other DAC as a sound output device without drivers. By modern I mean Win 10 or 11. I think he mentioned drivers to cover the bases. Only download if necessary.
@@mrowlbert
I asked because I've had plenty of silly problems with the add-in drivers on a couple of HTPC systems I've built. In one case I lost all volume control, in another it would reset all the settings every time I started or restarted the computer.
Standard USB Audio is limited to 24b 96ksps and works only with PCM data.
Hence my questions....
@@ForeverAnalog
Thanks ... so Windows does recognize it. I've had a couple of DACs that Windows would not even recognize.
@@Douglas_Blake_579 Interesting. My systems are purely off the shelf Mac and Apple computers so can’t say that I’ve seen the same issues you have with your HTPCs. Good luck out there!
Im not a fan of use the same indicators “lights” for different functions. Like the geshelli, uff terrible!. I worked in several manufacturing facilities and that kind of cheap implementations sometimes are staff decisions to reduce cost without not taking the custumer opinion. IMO, with that Doesn’t prove to be a good pro product . A good cheap headphone amp, p2 fosi. Im using it with 200ohms headphones, sounds powerful, and roll the tubes to voskhod.
I'll check out the P2, thank you!
Why would anyone want to use this over a dongle DAC?
That's a very fair question and one I almost tried to address here, but in the end I felt like it almost deserved it's own video comparison!
Because a lot of dongle DACs have a pronounced roll off below 100hz and they are usually limited to 24b 96ksps.
@@ForeverAnalog would love to see that - great job BTW
@@Douglas_Blake_579 not so sure which brands you're considering but technical specification-wise - even the most budget dongles in today's date have better frequency response and resolution support than you mentioned. You might be referring to dongle DACs from 2019 and before (I seem to remember few Audioquest ones which match what you mentioned) - but trust me dongle DACs have come a long way since then - there are even R2R dongle DACs now 🙂
@@dipanjanbiswas6580
Yep. If you're not throttling the comparison to similar prices, you are correct. You can spend an enormous amount of money on these things... but the improvements in sound quality will be dubious at best.
One of the limitations you will run into is not about the Dongle, but rather about how Windows handles USB Audio. On USB2 the port itself is limited to 24/96 at 6 channels. An then there is the "Exclusive" (bit perfect) mode to be considered... It requires that sample sizes and rates can be set on the fly, file by file which some dongles do not support.
Like many things, these days, we are in a world of _"almost"_ ... This almost works. That almost works... but nothing actually just works.
The smsl c200 is superior.
Awesome. I need to check it out. Thanks for the heads up!
its also 3 times the price
Better in what? Do you have both of these devices?