New S.M.S.L. M300 SE 120$

[bogi]

can someone explain how it sounds like ?

Switch to other browser tab and ask on some other forum ... here very initiative individuals will teach you what you cannot hear.

 

[Leonm771]

Switch to other browser tab and ask on some other forum ... here very initiative individuals will teach you what you cannot hear.

at least the microclick is correct.

 

[hoverdonkey]

Hi


Is there any reason(s) to get the SMSL D-6 over this?


Thanks

Oli

 

[frabor]

Seems like a solid device that does almost all and well enough. Is probably the best value in the market.

 

[TonyJZX]

i prefer the sound of the M300 over the C100 but obviously this is not blind and i dont know if my amp just likes XLR over rca

i havent bothered to upgrade the bios

the D6 has a strong rep.

SMSL D-6 DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL D-6 balanced stereo DAC with Bluetooth. It was sent to be by Shenzhenaudio and costs US $169.99. I like the compact enclosure even though there is a built-in power supply and balanced outputs. Included volume control lets you bypass a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

and really SMSL just got this down to a fine art

i'd probably own a D6 if it had XLR!

i just dont want TRS

the D6 also uses dual 4493s and more up to date BT chip but it loses headphone

and so make your choice on what you cant live without... or desperately NEED

i sort of feel like if you can do it with type-c then... why do you need iec?

 

[hoverdonkey]

i prefer the sound of the M300 over the C100 but obviously this is not blind and i dont know if my amp just likes XLR over rca

i havent bothered to upgrade the bios

the D6 has a strong rep.

SMSL D-6 DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL D-6 balanced stereo DAC with Bluetooth. It was sent to be by Shenzhenaudio and costs US $169.99. I like the compact enclosure even though there is a built-in power supply and balanced outputs. Included volume control lets you bypass a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

and really SMSL just got this down to a fine art

i'd probably own a D6 if it had XLR!

i just dont want TRS

the D6 also uses dual 4493s and more up to date BT chip but it loses headphone

and so make your choice on what you cant live without... or desperately NEED

i sort of feel like if you can do it with type-c then... why do you need iec?

So... I had the M300 SE saved in my cart on hifiexpress (where it was on sale $114)... thought I'd sleep on it... woke up and decided to go for it... but they were sold out!

So I ordered the SMSL DL200 instead. It has a nice big display - that and its flat form should work better in my setup. It has TRS, but that is fine for me as I need to buy cables anyway. I agree with the IEC comment, which the DL200 has.

Discussion on the DL200 here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...smsl-dl200-the-best-ever-value-dac-amp.46694/


Thanks for your advice.

 

[Smislov]

Can Smsl 300se drive Senn. HD800!? Tnx

 

[AnalogSteph]

Can Smsl 300se drive Senn. HD800!?

Decently. 15 mW into 300 ohms translates to about 2.2 Vrms (should just about get it to 110 dB SPL peak, which was NwAvGuy's recommendation back in the day), output impedance appears to be low. It's nothing special in this day and age of more or less overkill headphone amps, but it'll get the job done. It's basically a great DAC with a serviceable headphone output thrown in.

 

[GGroch]

I'm surprised no one has measured the M300SE yet. Since the CS43131 is uncommon in desktop DACs, I would think SMSL would be anxious to get it measured. Since it appears to have the most features per $, I would have thought reviewers would want to measure it too.

Of course, if it measures great perhaps it will cannibalize the sales of higher priced SMSL DACS, but I would think much of the sales would come from other brands or those who were not considering a DAC/Bluetooth/Headphone amp at all because of cost.

I will be happy to send mine to Amir or VintageFlanker for measurement if they want it.

 

[mrmeng430]

Sent my m300se back today to Hifi Express in China today. The reason is I still cannot get it to decode DoP64 even after the firmware upgrade. Mandy at HiFI Express said they will upgrade it for free if I paid to send it back and I did. Before today, I recently also upgraded to a linear 5V PSU from Aliexpress, which makes this unit sound even better, the mid range and overall sound stage opened up. Can't wait to get it back in a few weeks.

 

[Zek]

I recently also upgraded to a linear 5V PSU from Aliexpress

Link, please.

 

[mrmeng430]

Link, please.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802770751836.html?spm=a2g0o.order_detail.order_detail_item.4.58a1f19cvq3AZV&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

I selected the talema version.

 

[junomat]

I am really digging the sound and space of the m300. A totally underrated gem.

That said, is it possible to have the xlr outputs fixed while the headphones are variable? I can’t seem to be able to figure out how to do this.

 

[Ssor]

*newbie alert*

Recently picked this up as part of a modest desktop build for work — casual listening, I’m a Graphic Designer — and there’s 2 things that are bugging me, so I’m here asking for advice before I return the unit.

1. Before the audio source starts playing and when it stops I get a ‘pop/pff/static’ kinda sound. This happens before/after tracks on Apple Music (not so bad here as it’s before/after an album or playlist) and on YouTube (all the time, and when nothing is playing).

2. Audio often cuts out for a split second. It’s still streaming so it’s not a connection issue (cable or internet). This happens maybe 5-8 times a day, I listen for about 8 hours straight.

Issue 1. I could live with but not 2.

I’ve tried different ports and cables, directly into my laptop and laptop via a usb hub. I’ve also raised the DAC up to help airflow as I wondered if it could be getting too hot. The issues are still there.

Setup is as follows:

16” MacBook Pro > USB C to USB C > M300SE > XLR > Kali Audio LP6 V2

Is the first issue expected behaviour? Any ideas what might be causing a the second? Indecently neither of these issues are present when connecting via Bluetooth.

Short term lurker on these forums but I’ll be sticking around — such a valuable resource.

 

[Leonm771]

*newbie alert*

Recently picked this up as part of a modest desktop build for work — casual listening, I’m a Graphic Designer — and there’s 2 things that are bugging me, so I’m here asking for advice before I return the unit.

1. Before the audio source starts playing and when it stops I get a ‘pop/pff/static’ kinda sound. This happens before/after tracks on Apple Music (not so bad here as it’s before/after an album or playlist) and on YouTube (all the time, and when nothing is playing).

2. Audio often cuts out for a split second. It’s still streaming so it’s not a connection issue (cable or internet). This happens maybe 5-8 times a day, I listen for about 8 hours straight.

Issue 1. I could live with but not 2.

I’ve tried different ports and cables, directly into my laptop and laptop via a usb hub. I’ve also raised the DAC up to help airflow as I wondered if it could be getting too hot. The issues are still there.

Setup is as follows:

16” MacBook Pro > USB C to USB C > M300SE > XLR > Kali Audio LP6 V2

Is the first issue expected behaviour? Any ideas what might be causing a the second? Indecently neither of these issues are present when connecting via Bluetooth.

Short term lurker on these forums but I’ll be sticking around — such a valuable resource.

No solution , I have same issue too , just restart the m300se and it will be fixed , idk why .

 

[fuzzy_logic]

I am really digging the sound and space of the m300. A totally underrated gem.

That said, is it possible to have the xlr outputs fixed while the headphones are variable? I can’t seem to be able to figure out how to do this.

I can only get it to retain the output as fixed if you select the output as line only ( headphone output disabled).

 

[TonyJZX]

I can only get it to retain the output as fixed if you select the output as line only ( headphone output disabled).

this sounds like a sensible safety feature for obvious reasons

 

[fuzzy_logic]

this sounds like a sensible safety feature for obvious reasons

Why? Other DAC's have this feature - e.g IFI Zen Dac

 

[Ssor]

No solution , I have same issue too , just restart the m300se and it will be fixed , idk why .

Restart doesn’t solve anything for me, happening every few minutes now — either a short pause or a static sound —which is really annoying. Might return for the DL200 and see if that has the same issues.

 

[bilifen]

Long time lurker, finally decided to create an account.
Thought about buying this DAC to complete my setup with the A20h and the HD800 that I have. Having some problems with my Xonar U7 (Audio popping at boot for the first audio "event") and some other weird issues (HD800 are picking up interference from my phone).
Wrote with the support of a seller on amazon, looks like there will be a sale sometime next month and also there will be a sale in the black friday week.
I will wait with my purchase till then, would be cool if measurements would be made by that point, but time will tell.