SMSL M500 MKII Review (DAC & HP Amp)

[reddeath]

Can we get a review of how the DAC sounds - human impression of musicality? And with comparison to MK 1? I am interested in comparison of the frequency response of the headphone amps in both version.

 

[BDWoody]

I told you, on ebay, since 2018, for 30-40$. None so blind as those who will not see.

Ok, that's enough trolling another of these threads.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Can we get a review of how the DAC sounds - human impression of musicality?

I am interested in comparison of the frequency response of the headphone amps in both version.

Dead flat for both.

 

[Vict0r]

Can we get a review of how the DAC sounds - human impression of musicality? And with comparison to MK 1? I am interested in comparison of the frequency response of the headphone amps in both version.

I get where you're coming from, but this is the wrong forum for your question. You'll get nothing but memes and scorn, I'm afraid.

 

[reddeath]

Dead flat for both.

Which measurement result diagrams show the frequency response levels for the headphone amp in the M500 MK 1 and 2 reviews?

 

[doug2761]

Not enhanced or optimized . . .

Black on white:

View attachment 175611

White on black:

View attachment 175612

Yes, I'd buy one that looked like that. The screen in the review pictures does not appeal to me at all. Performance of these DACs are easily beyond audibility thresholds. It's now about design, packaging, and features.

 

[capslock]

I must not be reading the charts correctly, because I see the EX5 having "nearly 22 bits" of resolution in multitone with the MKII having "20 to 22.5" bits of resolution. This should translate into 6 or less db difference and the charts eyeball closer than that to me. What am I missing?

EDIT: Maybe it's that if you go full volume on the M500 you should get bit better performance since the chart was prepared at vol=96 on the SMSL and vol=100 on the Topping?

I was referring to the plot with the 1 kHz signal and its harmonics. That's where the EX5 is about 10 dB worse, though it is different harmonics that stick out.

 

[capslock]

MQA necessitates a special reconstruction filter. Objectively it is not a good filter. There have been DAC/Amps where that filter was the default not only for MQA content, but also for PCM.

Thanks, missed that part. Is this something that would show up in Amir's testing? I would believe so unless it is an intermittent problem, such as PCM playback after MQA playback not being detected correctly all the time.

 

[tungt88]

Was it an LG TV? Because those are known to have stuttering issues with Toslink out. In fact, my E7 stutters from time to time with the Toneboard.

My LG CX 55 OLED TV also has that "stuttering issue" w/Toslink out to my SMSL M500 (Mk1) ... it stutters once every 10-15 min or so. Not a dealbreaker, but casually annoying (like seeing that tiresome neighbor headed your way).

 

[reddeath]

Thanks, missed that part. Is this something that would show up in Amir's testing? I would believe so unless it is an intermittent problem, such as PCM playback after MQA playback not being detected correctly all the time.

I am also very interested in how MQA processing influences the resulting sound. Any measurements on that?

I have heard recently on the internet that MQA is lossy and introduces distortion in some frequencies. Not to mention that (reportedly) it is a proprietary technology aimed at producing profit, instead of lossless quality for those that want it.

 

[sq225917]

Three options:
1) it is very short and doesn't interfere with XLR plug above.
2) It's bent at 90° on one side...
3) It's upside down.

Option D, it points straight out.

 

[Gremlins]

How would I test it? Note that the 50 mv output is using the internal volume control to reduce level.

Dunno,
Perhaps some listening test?

I find my dac with volume to be less enganging than a proper preamp in front of class D amp.

I also have an integrated vintage amp that i can use onlyvthe preamp section, it's by far better than dac alone as preamp

I believe i am not the only one thinkingvthatvthese dacs with preamp are weak if used as preamp

 

[Carlo2AC]

MQA necessitates a special reconstruction filter. Objectively it is not a good filter. There have been DAC/Amps where that filter was the default not only for MQA content, but also for PCM.

Thank you for bringing that into clarity friend.

Cool they're some nice measurements. i own a su-8 v2 will there be any audible difference between it and one of these newer dacs? I think it sounds pretty good personally but I'm curious about upgrading.

No, it won't.

Sure would look cute on the table though ahahaha

 

[Gremlins]

Very nice unit, but it's going to have tough competition in the Topping EX5 which is cheaper and fits better into a shelf:

View attachment 175725

What are those tiny speakers?

 

[staticV3]

What are those tiny speakers?

iLoud MTM
Measurements are here

 

[MCH]

Hi all, I remember in the thread of the topping EX5 john yang himself explained that the EX5 was designed with the headphone out in mind and the d30pro makes a significantly better preamp (a "step up" in his words). I am not knowledgeable enough to extract this sort of conclusions looking at the measurements, but what do you guys think, is this one comparable to the d30pro as preamp or not there yet? Also are these differences significant? (use case: dac connected directly to power amp that does not have volume control)

 

[GWolfman]

Too bad the 50mV headphone output was just shy of the top contenders, otherwise it aced all the tests. Still a worthy contender nonetheless.

 

[D700]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL M500 MKII DAC and Headphone Amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $440.
View attachment 175493
I really like the look of the new SMSL UI. It is more modern and nicer to look at. I am surprised though that they still show the input data type in large letters (PCM) rather than volume level which is far more important. Most people play nothing but PCM anyway. Would be nice to also see the selected DAC filter on the home screen.

Another nit is that the 4-way arrow in the remote control does nothing unless you are in the Menu. Would have wanted a set of those to control which input is playing.

Otherwise, the unit is nice and easy to navigate and use. Here is the back panel showing the usual connections:

View attachment 175494
The unit is based on ESS ES9038Pro DAC chip.

SMSL M500 MKII Measurements
Let's adjust the output to get 4 volts nominal output and run our dashboard:
View attachment 175495

This is excellent performance and easily lands the M500 MKII in our top 20 DACs ever tested:

View attachment 175496

Output capability is higher though and with it, better SINAD can be had, matching company advertising:
View attachment 175497

RCA output as usual drops performance a bit but still superb:

View attachment 175668

Dynamic range is exceptional showing great attention to keep noise at absolute minimum:

View attachment 175499

Note again that the output is at 4 volts. It does get better if you allow full output.

Multitone test shows the exceptionally low distortion again:
View attachment 175500

Linearity is textbook perfect as one would expect in this class:
View attachment 175501

USB Jitter is as good as it gets:
View attachment 175502

And rather surprisingly, so is Coax and Toslink which tends to not be as good in other products:

View attachment 175503

IMD distortion is kept at minimum with almost no sign of classic "ESS IMD Hump:"

View attachment 175504

You have the usual choice of filters:

View attachment 175505

Fast linear is the default from factory.

Finally, here is our THD+N vs frequency with that filter:

View attachment 175506

Other filters produce different results due to different levels of attenuation as you see in the previous measurement (but still very good).

SMSL M500 MKII Headphone Output Measurements
You can select to turn headphone on and off through remote and it has its own volume control which is nice. Let's measure its power output relative to distortion and noise:

View attachment 175508

View attachment 175509

These are very respectable power levels for an included headphone amplifier with superbly low noise and distortion.

Dropping the level way down to 50 mv to see noise for very sensitive IEMs and we get very good performance but shy of state of the art:


View attachment 175510


View attachment 175511

Sorry but have not had time to listen to it. I expect it to sound superb though.

Conclusions
The tests I run probe audio devices from different vectors to attempt to find weaknesses in them. Often one or two tests show something. Not the case here. It is clear SMSL engineers have meticulously tested and optimized this design as to leave nothing for me to complain about. You have a superbly performing DAC with more than good enough headphone amplifier in one box. And price is reasonable compared to anything higher performance.

It is my pleasure to recommend SMSL M500 MKII.

P.S. I did test for one channel being active which was an issue with the original M500 and the bug is not here so all is good.

-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Nice unit and great packaging...replace that LCD screen with a couple sweet amber VU meters and a few lines of LED and I'd upgrade again.

 

[pseudoid]

Does "Chinese HiFi" include Matrix Audio?
I'm tired of your stereotypes and racism.

What should we call the PCBs coming from 'that region'? Especially when peeps from 'this region' realize that 'that region's' schematic/circuit-board nomenclatures are all in 'that regions' language.
Frankly and like you, I am already 'tired' of 'that region's" translations (...if even attempted) to 'this region's' language...

 

[amirm]

Which measurement result diagrams show the frequency response levels for the headphone amp in the M500 MK 1 and 2 reviews?

Multi tone test always shows the frequency response as does the filter test.