New SMSL C-100 DAC

[seamon]

Of course it does.

I will review this one, BTW...
View attachment 307639

THD+N 1dB worse than SU-1?

 

[ahlin941]

Just got my C100. It sounds identical to the SU-1.

Hi, I am new to here.

I am struggling to choose between the su-1 and c100. Which one do you prefer?

 

[seamon]

Hi, I am new to here.

I am struggling to choose between the su-1 and c100. Which one do you prefer?

Sonically, both are identical.

C100 has more features:

• Remote Control.
• More Filters to choose from.
• Bluetooth Input.

Nichicon Caps on C100 vs Generic Z Caps on SU-1 but I doubt this matters much if at all.
SMSL SU-1 does not advertise CK03 clock but inspecting the PCBs on both, I think it is included.
SU-1 has a physical button vs Touch button on C100. I hate touch buttons.

Edit: Turns out SMSL SU-1 caps can be a lottery. I got lucky and got Chemi-con but you can get lower tier Lelon caps as well.

 

[seamon]

if you're particularly bored here's a board inspection

vocals are hungarian but there's close caption subtitles

what i found a bit different is that the SU1 apparently has some caps in it that are Z grade

in this C100 they're using Nichicon caps so there's where your extra money is going to

on that part alone may as well upgrade given these are under $100 now

Alright turns out the caps inside SU-1 can be a lottery. My unit came with Chemi-con KMQ Series caps. But this youtuber got lower tier Lelon caps.

 

[ahlin941]

Sonically, both are identical.

C100 has more features:

• Remote Control.
• More Filters to choose from.
• Bluetooth Input.

Nichicon Caps on C100 vs Generic Z Caps on SU-1 but I doubt this matters much if at all.
SMSL SU-1 does not advertise CK03 clock but inspecting the PCBs on both, I think it is included.
SU-1 has a physical button vs Touch button on C100. I hate touch buttons.

Edit: Turns out SMSL SU-1 caps can be a lottery. I got lucky and got Chemi-con but you can get lower tier Lelon caps as well.

Thank you for your reply!

If both sound the same, I think I'll take the C-100 then.
I don't use Bluetooth to play music too often. As I know the C-100 Bluetooth only supports SBC.
But if I want to use Bluetooth to play some music, at least the C-100 has Bluetooth input.

I hate touch buttons also But it comes with the remote, I think it's not a big problem for me.

 

[TonyJZX]

the touch button is irrelevant on the c100 and the m300

they both turn on as soon as you plug it in

you never need to turn them off (why bother - they run off phone chargers)

i'm not sure if they even have standby?

 

[seamon]

the touch button is irrelevant on the c100 and the m300

they both turn on as soon as you plug it in

you never need to turn them off (why bother - they run off phone chargers)

i'm not sure if they even have standby?

It has standby and can be turned off using a tweaked driver app.

 

[Zek]

If both sound the same, I think I'll take the C-100 then.

You can also look at the Topping E30 II Lite. A little bit cheaper.

 

[Juampa1989]

Hello, I take this opportunity to inform you that the c100 is discounted in case anyone is interested. I just found this incredible item on AliExpress. Check it out! CLP55,710 50% DISCOUNT | SMSL C100 USB MQA DAC AK4493S XMOS https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrefqXC

 

[Zek]

50% DISCOUNT

It doesn't work for me, what is the promo code?

 

[Juampa1989]

Maybe it depends on the country or area

 

[burkm]

Hello, I take this opportunity to inform you that the c100 is discounted in case anyone is interested. I just found this incredible item on AliExpress. Check it out! CLP55,710 50% DISCOUNT | SMSL C100 USB MQA DAC AK4493S XMOS https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrefqXC

This dosen't work for Germany at least. because the seller in this case (Aoshida Audio) does not deliver to Germany. I checked not only with AliExpress but with Amazon.? too and is the same. I don't know about other countries, but pricing seems to be country specific and the address of the possible recipient.

 

[Deleted member 65547]

I have a Sanskrit MK3 that uses the same AKAK4493SEQ and I'm really happy with it (filter #6, dispersion) and volume constantly at 100%.
The connection is via coaxial to WiiM Pro.
As a listening impression I think I can say that it shows a strong preference for 24 bit streams.
Since the thread talks about the Topping E30 II, I seem to remember that Amir's test reported jitter problems with this type of connection.

 

[Juampa1989]

This dosen't work for Germany at least. because the seller in this case (Aoshida Audio) does not deliver to Germany. I checked not only with AliExpress but with Amazon.? too and is the same. I don't know about other countries, but pricing seems to be country specific and the address of the possible recipient.

It must be due to the free trade agreement agreement that Chile has with China and other countries, Germany must be more closed in these areas. Chile is one of the most neoliberal countries in the world.

 

[burkm]

This dosen't work for Germany at least because the seller in this case (Aoshida Audio) does not deliver to Germany. I checked not only with AliExpress but with Amazon (?) too and it is the same. I don't know about other countries, but pricing seems to be country specific and the address of the possible recipient. The URL, which had been posted with the lowest price seen, ended in "Nirvana"...

Corrected some typing errors...

 

[alexanderino]

I will review this one, BTW...

Looking forward to it

 

[alexanderino]

In the process of preparing a bug report, I've created this video to show my C100's USB popping issue (also found in other models such as the SMSL SU-1). Note that it is not trimmed, so feel free to skip ahead as desired. Some points:

• Only affects USB input (on Windows, Linux, Mac)
• After powering on, two pops are heard. Starting playback results in two more pops and a loss of the start of that track. Stopping and waiting a few seconds results in two pops, after which there will be two more pops upon playback
• The 'fix' exists for Windows only, by installing the XMOS driver, editing the XML config file to expose more Control Panel tabs, then changing the Streaming option from 'On when Needed' to 'Always On'
• No Mac or Linux XMOS driver & Control Panel, hence no such fix for those OSes
• This setting is not stored inside the C100, so the popping returns on other machines
• The SMSL SU-1 (similar internals) has the same problem
• Audio captured with a MOTU UltraLite mk5. The only processing performed is normalisation.

 

[TonyJZX]

i'm using the v5,58 driver for both the m300 and the c100

havent had an issue but i'm only on win10

i think we are seeing prices back up to $120?

again maybe wait until 11/11 when it assuredly drops back to under $100?

to me this is just an SU-1 so it performs the same and I would not pay too much as you could probbaly go to an m300 or even a dl200 is you truly need all that functionality

to me $120 isnt far away from the current price of a dl200 (ie. $167)... i'd just spend the extra

 

[DarrylG]

i'm using the v5,58 driver for both the m300 and the c100

havent had an issue but i'm only on win10

i think we are seeing prices back up to $120?

again maybe wait until 11/11 when it assuredly drops back to under $100?

to me this is just an SU-1 so it performs the same and I would not pay too much as you could probbaly go to an m300 or even a dl200 is you truly need all that functionality

to me $120 isnt far away from the current price of a dl200 (ie. $167)... i'd just spend the extra

There's a 20% off coupon at Amazon right now.

 

[Jazz]

In the process of preparing a bug report, I've created this video to show my C100's USB popping issue (also found in other models such as the SMSL SU-1). Note that it is not trimmed, so feel free to skip ahead as desired. Some points:

• Only affects USB input (on Windows, Linux, Mac)
• After powering on, two pops are heard. Starting playback results in two more pops and a loss of the start of that track. Stopping and waiting a few seconds results in two pops, after which there will be two more pops upon playback
• The 'fix' exists for Windows only, by installing the XMOS driver, editing the XML config file to expose more Control Panel tabs, then changing the Streaming option from 'On when Needed' to 'Always On'
• No Mac or Linux XMOS driver & Control Panel, hence no such fix for those OSes
• This setting is not stored inside the C100, so the popping returns on other machines
• The SMSL SU-1 (similar internals) has the same problem
• Audio captured with a MOTU UltraLite mk5. The only processing performed is normalisation.

Did you send a bug report to Apple? They read and fix things like this. https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html