SMSL DL200 the best ever value DAC/AMP?

[FreakyKiwi]

Bluetooth use for headphone use

The DL200 only supports Bluetooth input, not output. Only wired headphones can be connected directly using the front 1/4" or 4.4mm sockets.

 

[Meta]

The DL200 only supports Bluetooth input, not output. Only wired headphones can be connected directly using the front 1/4" or 4.4mm sockets.

oh okay thank you for your answer , and for the any problem ?

 

[FreakyKiwi]

No problems, other than the clicks and pops on start/stop and changing bitrate discussed earlier in the thread which seems to be common with many DACs.

 

[wkpf]

I have the K7, and just ordered the DL200. I have several other pieces, and can advise once I receive the DL200. I have some of the popular dac/amp combos at this price point (K7, DX3pro+, Zen Dac V2). At first, I liked the K7, but I prefer the sound of the DX3 pro+ & Zen Dac. The K7 sound is solid, balanced, & focused, but maybe too 'polite' and narrow. I Like the DAC section better than the amp. The sound opens up when connected to my L30II amp. DX3 pro+ is wider and more detailed, but is 'thin' sounding. Zen Dac is colored with crossfeed, giving a more fleshed out, but more distant soundstage. It can be very pleasant with certain genre's like EDM/Rap/R&B, but subpar on others like Rock/Metal. The E50/L50 or L30II combo is better than the K7 in every way. More dynamic, detailed, wider, and spacious. I havent heard the audient id4, but I have audio interfaces (RME FF800, Motu M4, Focusrite Clarett+, Scarlett 2i2 gen4, Presonus Quantum), and the E50 is the best DAC out of everything I have. I can't comment regarding synergy with your Denon ahd5200, but I have around 15-20 headphones, and it's all relative. - I will advise when I recieve the DL200.

Appreciate it and can't wait for final advise

 

[audioje]

My DL200 has been delivered a week ago from China. The problem is... I am traveling abroad Wiim PP and PA5ii are also delivered. Can't wait to try my new toys soon!
DL200 will replace my cheap cheap FX X6 for my desktop headphone setting. Wiim and PA5ii will replace chromecast audio, FX X6 again, and micca origain amp. Still looking for a pair of speakers to replace my polk!

Let's see I can actually hear something different between x6 and dl200!

 

[Lambo1985]

Appreciate it and can't wait for final advise

Got the DL200. Compared it with DX3 pro+ & K7 (default filters) using just the integrated HP out. They each have a different sound. I'll work down from favorite to least. If you want detail, seperation and fast transients, DX3 pro+. Sincerely, with a bit of EQ, this will sound the best. Especially on a technical level. It's just razor sharp with precision. Next, the DL200. It has a 'sweet' sound. Very musical, natural, and forgiving, but still clean and hifi. Last, is the K7. It is focused on rich mids through bass. If that is your thing, this will be best. It's just too safe sounding to me. It's clean and has punch, but almost too controlled. Almost boring. - From a usability standpoint, the DL200 wins.

It's a tough call, but if I had choose one, it would be the DL200. The features and balanced musical sound, make it a winner. I do hear alot of clicking going on, though (like it's switching inputs, sample rates, or menu settings). It happens every other second when I play with my connected phone/player. Weird. Maybe needs a firmware update/fix? - Given the weird clicking quirk, the safe choice for now would be DX3 pro+. But if it has to be between K7 & DL200, I'd go DL200, unless you absolutely need a RCA line-in. It's just a better value for what you get.

 

[Lambo1985]

@FreakyKiwi - Is there any way to keep streaming "always on" on Android devices?

I set up the driver in windows, but it doesn't carry over to my phone. These pops/clicks are killing me, even in low gain. So annoying

 

[FreakyKiwi]

Not that I'm aware of at the OS level.
Maybe some player apps handle this better than others?
USB Audio Player Pro is the go-to app for playing with a USB DAC and has tons of options.

I'm only streaming through a Wiim Pro now and putting up with the clicks which are infrequent when using LMS and my mostly 44.1kHz library.

 

[Lambo1985]

Not that I'm aware of at the OS level.
Maybe some player apps handle this better than others?
USB Audio Player Pro is the go-to app for playing with a USB DAC and has tons of options.

I'm only streaming through a Wiim Pro now and putting up with the clicks.

I use "Poweramp" on Android. This muting click seems to only be an issue through the internal headphone amp. I'm not hearing it through RCA out (checked with an L30II). Need to spend more time with the unit, and test the other features, but it seems finicky. I was getting drop outs this morning (unstable connection?), and the sample rate displayed is inconsistent with the connection/audio file.

 

[JIW]

I use "Poweramp" on Android. This muting click seems to only be an issue through the internal headphone amp. I'm not hearing it through RCA out (checked with an L30II). Need to spend more time with the unit, and test the other features, but it seems finicky. I was getting drop outs this morning (unstable connection?), and the sample rate displayed is inconsistent with the connection/audio file.

Do you use USB?

The cable supplied with mine had seemed to have some loose contacts. Moving it around interrupted transmission and made the DL200 disconnect and reconnect. I replaced it with another cable I had used for my phone and have had no issues since. I replaced that cable with another, new and prettier one today which also does not cause this issue.

For the price, I don't care.

 

[Lambo1985]

Do you use USB?

The cable supplied with mine had seemed to have some loose contacts. Moving it around interrupted transmission and made the DL200 disconnect and reconnect. I replaced it with another cable I had used for my phone and have had no issues since. I replaced that cable with another, new and prettier one today which also does not cause this issue.

For the price, I don't care.

Yeah. Also maybe glitching in and out from swapping Dacs back and forth. I take back the sample rate display issue. I accidentally engaged HQ upscaling on android, and it was showing 192 no matter what. The DL200 is cool and a great value, and the only issue, really, is the audible muting/starting clicks on the HP out.

 

[wkpf]

Yeah. Also maybe glitching in and out from swapping Dacs back and forth. I take back the sample rate display issue. I accidentally engaged HQ upscaling on android, and it was showing 192 no matter what. The DL200 is cool and a great value, and the only issue, really, is the audible muting/starting clicks on the HP out.

seems like risky buy right now, some people on reddit says that dl200 have qc issues

 

[Lambo1985]

seems like risky buy right now, some people on reddit says that dl200 have qc issues

Yeah, I've only tested HP and line outs, and those parts work, but I have to test the rest out. For the price, it's most feature packed, and best bang for the buck. However, sound wise, you can do better. I'm not sure if the sound will be an upgrade from the Audient id4. I like the HP out from most of my interfaces, more than the DL200. While the DL200 is neutral, it lacks sharpness and resolution. It almost has a "cloudy" color, like the sound is in a fog (an extreme description, to give an idea of the sound characteristic). Its winning appeal is in its feature set. I do like the digital control/display of the volume, and the menu being more accessible than the dx3 pro+. One thing I would have liked, is for the line out and HP out to be selectable to either and both. Right now, it's either just HP or just line out.

 

[Qu@rk]

Try filter FL1, it ads a bit of brithness and attack.

With identical filter settings and performing a simple blind test (friend switches devices, identical level) I am not able to hear any differences between the DL200 (ESS DAC) and the RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE (AKM DAC). Components: Headphones Sennheiser HD 800S or loudspeakers Neumann KH 420.

Some ESS filters sound very different from the AKM filters. However, a few filters are identical.

Although the differences between filters can also be very subtle for some listeners and depend in particular on the resolution capability of the components (e.g. headphones, loudspeakers), but also on listening experience, music style and recording quality.

The most important thing is a perfect level match (difference of at least or less than 0.1 dB) between two compared devices. This is often not easy to achieve. The device that is even slightly louder always sounds more dynamic and as if it has a higher resolution.

 

[Lambo1985]

Try filter FL1, it ads a bit of brithness and attack.

With identical filter settings and performing a simple blind test (friend switches devices, identical level) I am not able to hear any differences between the DL200 (ESS DAC) and the RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE (AKM DAC). Components: Headphones Sennheiser HD 800S or loudspeakers Neumann KH 420.

Some ESS filters sound very different from the AKM filters. However, a few filters are identical.

Although the differences between filters can also be very subtle for some listeners and depend in particular on the resolution capability of the components (e.g. headphones, loudspeakers), but also on listening experience, music style and recording quality.

The most important thing is a perfect level match (difference of at least or less than 0.1 dB) between two compared devices. This is often not easy to achieve. The device that is even slightly louder always sounds more dynamic and as if it has a higher resolution.

I liked filter 4 & 5 the best. 5 seems to tighten the sound, and sharpen the attack of treble the most (to my ear). Sometimes, sound difference between units is obvious (example: Zen Dac vs Topping anything). All of the AIO's and set ups I mentioned sound different from one another (zen dac, K7, DL200, and DX3 pro+ or E50/L50). Different tonality/presentation, and sometimes perceived resolution. I have one go to headphone that I know very well, that allows me to hear/ recognize small differences. With speakers, I'd imagine it would be very hard to pick out tiny details due to room acoustics and cross bleed. Like what may sound blurry on cans may sound full on speakers, etc. So I just stick to cans when evaluating.

 

[Pablos]

Hi,
First post so hello everyone!!

I've just bought the DL200 and experiencing a problem with the optical input.
Volume with bluetooth input and usb input are fine but with optical, the volume is incredibly low, even with high gain and I've no idea why.
Any ideas what i may be doing wrong or if it's a fault with the unit?
Thanks

 

[renaudrenaud]

I've been enjoying my DL200 a lot. I am set up using a PC running Window 11. I have it set up with two different modes, the default USB 1.1 mode which works up to 24/96 PCM files, and I can also toggle it to the USB 2.0 mode which supports up 32/768 PCM.

One thing I noticed is that the DAC-USB 2.0 driver combination reports the playback resolution wrong on lower resolution files. Lower resolution tracks play fine with it, but the display appears to stay locked on the previous track's resolution. In checking the Windows sound panel, the lowest resolution it lists to support with this mode of the DAC is 24/44.1.

If I switch back to USB 1.1, the track resolution displays correctly for any tracks 16/44.1 up to 24/96. Right now, I'm using Amazon Music Unlimited as my primary source, and it can tell you the resolution of the track it's playing. Files range from 16/44.1 to 24/192 in that catalog.

I don't really have a proper way to do ABX testing between the two DAC settings, as it takes a few seconds to switch over the DAC, and the volume isn't the same. They both sound very good. It seems that there is a subtle difference between the two DAC settings, using the same track. I can also say that with extended listening for a while now, it seems there is a subtle but noticeable difference between 167/44.1 and 24/96 files, particularly with softer sounds.
I guess it's an intellectual curiosity. I prefer to leave the DAC at the USB 2.0 setting, but I would like it to properly display the known resolution.

Sorry for my late post.

I don't know anything about W11 but is sounds a bit strange in your configuration.

USB format is designed to handle in V1.1 audio signal at max resolution and frequency up to 24/96.

USB v2 is ok for more bits and higher frequencies.

The XMOS XU316 in charge of USB data in the DL200 is able to manage up to 32/768.

Doc is here : https://www.xmos.com/file/xu316-1024-tq128-xcore_ai-datasheet?version=latest

The DL200 shows in the screen the USB frequency received by the XU316.

Then the XU316 send data to the ESS9039Q2M via i2S or spdif in case of pcm or MQA(snake oil bullshit warning).

The DAC internally works on 32 bits / x8 frequency interpolation. Doc here : https://www.esstech.com/products-overview/digital-to-analog-converters/sabre-audiophile-dacs/

 

[renaudrenaud]

Hi,
First post so hello everyone!!

I've just bought the DL200 and experiencing a problem with the optical input.
Volume with bluetooth input and usb input are fine but with optical, the volume is incredibly low, even with high gain and I've no idea why.
Any ideas what i may be doing wrong or if it's a fault with the unit?
Thanks

Hello, happy new year.

Did you define a low volume on your source equipment?

 

[Pablos]

Hello, happy new year.

Did you define a low volume on your source equipment?

Thanks for the reply!
I have an Nvidia shield connected to my sony tv via hdmi and I'm using the optical out from the tv.
I did have a look through the Shield and TV settings. I'm not 100% sure what you mean by defining low volume but I didn't come across anything that made a difference. Unfortunately I have no other device with optical out to compare with too.
(Up to now I've been using the tv's 3.5mm line out to connect to my minirig speakers without issue).

 

[renaudrenaud]

Thanks for the reply!
I have an Nvidia shield connected to my sony tv via hdmi and I'm using the optical out from the tv.
I did have a look through the Shield and TV settings. I'm not 100% sure what you mean by defining low volume but I didn't come across anything that made a difference. Unfortunately I have no other device with optical out to compare with too.
(Up to now I've been using the tv's 3.5mm line out to connect to my minirig speakers without issue).

I mean if the volume is at 10% on the TV and the optical output take it in account, you got a weak volume signal entering the DAC.