New SMSL D10 dongle.

[Joffy1780]

Not particularly exciting, features-wise, looks very cool imho, I like the recent trend of visible chips.

https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/884.html

 

[Roland68]

Not particularly exciting, features-wise, looks very cool imho, I like the recent trend of visible chips.

https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/884.html

No battery and no DSP, there are already a few of them, including with windows.

 

[TonyJZX]

No battery and no DSP, there are already a few of them, including with windows.

probbably not $69 either

but it is a dual dac design so bom cost is up there and of course, the Topping name is the gold standard for build quality, post sales service and device longevity

everyone knows that

 

[Roland68]

probbably not $69 either

but it is a dual dac design so bom cost is up there and of course, the Topping name is the gold standard for build quality, post sales service and device longevity

everyone knows that

Sure

So you mean that Topping makes it for SMSL?

 

[Roland68]

probbably not $69 either

but it is a dual dac design so bom cost is up there and of course, the Topping name is the gold standard for build quality, post sales service and device longevity

everyone knows that

The cost pressure from the Dual CS43131 does not seem to be that high.
Blon V1 Pre-Order with DUAL CS43131 DAC CHIPS € 37.77

 

[sofastreamer]

i got the d10 and would suggest to get the slightly larger shanling up4 2022 for the same price instead. the shanling sounds warm, while the d10 sounds piercing in the treble. overall the shanling is much more refind sounding with much better soundstage (specially layering) and you also get the whole bt functionality on top. ok, you dont get 500mw @32ohm but i still drive my hard to drive full size planars with it without a problem. finally the d10 isnt bad for the price, but it isnt special by any means.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

I ordered one on impulse.
After 15 minutes, I repackaged it to send it back.
Probably it was defective.
Sounded bright and harsh. Would clip and compress if pushed.
100% it does not produce 500mW per channel, though I did not measure it.
I wanted to do a full test, but wasn't worth my time.

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

I am surprised by the negative experiences. Up until now, SMSL has shone with clean devices. I'm also surprised by the output power specs.

 

[unpluggged]

SMSL has shone with clean devices

You are surely joking.

Review and Measurements of SMSL Sanskrit 10th DAC

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL Sanskrit 10th budget DAC. It retails for USD $100 on Amazon including shipping. I purchased mine (I think) from Massdrop at discount. From pictures posted by SMSL, the unit looks like large plastic Lego pieces. Fortunately in person it...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of SMSL M10 DAC & Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of SMSL M10 desktop DAC and headphone amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member. This is a "high-end" unit from SMSL and retails for USD $545 from Amazon including free Prime shipping. As soon as you take out the M10 out of the box, you definitely...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Review and Measurements of SMSL AD18 DAC & Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements and comparison of SMSL AD18 DAC, Headphone Amplifier, Power amplifier and Bluetooth Receiver. I will be contrasting its performance against the Topping MX3. I purchased the AD18 in February of last year through Amazon. Seems like the price has gone...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SMSL SA100 Audio Amplifier Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL SA100 Stereo Audio Amplifier with analog and Bluetooth inputs. It was kindly sent to me by the member @lunagreenjp who is a distributor for SMSL. The SA100 costs just US $73.99 on Amazon including shipping. Form the outside the SA100...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SMSL VMV D3 Review (R2R DAC)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL VMV D3 R2R DAC. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $3,499. Being part of the "high-end" VMV division, it comes in the milled enclosure and separate power supply section of that design path. As such, it is quite heavy and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Not to mention this (the same issue was with the SU-9):

strange SMSL M500 high 3rd harmonic

I just got a brand new SMSL M500. it's the latest 1.7 firmware and 1.3 hardware version. (windows shows 2.06 in xmos utility). The following measurements are done with computer -> USB-> M500 XLR output-> ADI-2 Pro input -> computer. I use REW to generate the sine wave and plot the fft. If I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

You dig up ancient reviews, and ask me if I'm joking?!

SMSL D400ES DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL D400ES Balanced Stereo DAC with Bluetooth support. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $800. The D400ES is quite stylish especially if you look at it an angle where it exposes the black heatsinks. Alas, the rotary control is not...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SMSL SU-1 Stereo DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL SU-1 stereo USB DAC. It was arranged to be sent to me by shenzhenaudio from the company and costs US $79.99. Despite its simplicity, the SU-1 manages to look elegant with nice fonts and LED indicators for different inputs. Back panel has...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SMSL DO100 Review (Stereo DAC)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL DO100 stereo balanced DAC with Bluetooth. It was sent to me by Aoshida Audio and costs US 239. Sorry about the fuzzy front panel picture. It looks better in person. The rotary control makes it nice to adjust volume. Back panel is the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SMSL DO300 DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL DO300 balanced stereo USB DAC with Bluetooth. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $549 although I see it on sale for $490. The DO300 naturally follows the design language of other recent SMSL products. I like the colorful display...

www.audiosciencereview.com

SMSL RAW-MDA 1 DAC & Headphone Amp Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL RAW-MDA 1 stereo DAC and headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by SMSL and it is a collaboration with Shenzehenaudio (available elsewhere as well) and is on sale for $246. The first thing I noticed was the much more polished display. It is...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[unpluggged]

and ask me if I'm joking?!

I didn't ask.

dig up

I'm not a dog nor a pig, so please refrain from insults.

ancient reviews

Well, it's you who said

Up until now

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

My D10 has arrived.

While I was unable to achieve the desired volume with the Space on the Sundara (+EQ), this is no longer a problem with the D10.
The D10 therefore can deliver much more power. In addition, with the SMSL, in 4G, Idon't have any noises, like I had with the Space.
The sound is very dynamic and clean.
I'm very satisfied.

 

[mc.god]

While I was unable to achieve the desired volume with the Space on the Sundara (+EQ), this is no longer a problem with the D10.
The D10 therefore can deliver much more power. In addition, with the SMSL, in 4G, Idon't have any noises, like I had with the Space.

This kinda surprise me since SMSL doesn't specify any additional opamp used in the amp section and relying only on the integrated hp amp of the CS43131 the output power should be on par with what you get from Space, Sonata BHD Pro or Fosi DS2. At the same time SMSL doesn't clearly specify 500 mW PER CHANNEL so i was almost sure they were "cheating" referring to combined power (2x250 mW).
If you notice a tangible difference with Space then there should be some undisclosed additional opamp in the D10 (maybe you can try to check the board through the big window), unless you were using the Space in low gain without noticing it.

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

Thanks for the tip. I actually had the Space set to low gain. But even if I set it to high, the D10 is louder. But it certainly won't be 500mW per channel.

 

[SlowLife]

SMSL D10
DAC Chip: Dual CS43131
Op-amp: Dual SGM8262-2

      ========================== Summary =========================
Vendor ID                : 0x152A (Thesycon Systemsoftware & Consulting GmbH)
Product ID               : 0x85DD
Manufacturer String      : "Speed Dragon"
Product String           : "SMSL D10"
Serial                   : "5000000001"
USB Version              : 2.0 (480 Mbit/s)
Port maximum Speed       : High-Speed
Device maximum Speed     : High-Speed
Device Connection Speed  : High-Speed
Self powered             : no
Demanded Current         : 100 mA
Used Endpoints           : 4

C Major test
- Set Foobar2000 volume to around -17 to -16 dB.
- Set Foobar2000 output = Default : "DAC" [exclusive].
- Set Win10 volume to max.
- Set DAC's hardware volume to ~max.
- Use Superlux HD572A (24Ω 102dB/mW => 118.2dB/Vrms) most sensitive Headphone that I have.
SMSL D10 = NO clicking noise

 

[mc.god]

SMSL D10
DAC Chip: Dual CS43131
Op-amp: Dual SGM8262-2

      ========================== Summary =========================
Vendor ID                : 0x152A (Thesycon Systemsoftware & Consulting GmbH)
Product ID               : 0x85DD
Manufacturer String      : "Speed Dragon"
Product String           : "SMSL D10"
Serial                   : "5000000001"
USB Version              : 2.0 (480 Mbit/s)
Port maximum Speed       : High-Speed
Device maximum Speed     : High-Speed
Device Connection Speed  : High-Speed
Self powered             : no
Demanded Current         : 100 mA
Used Endpoints           : 4

C Major test
- Set Foobar2000 volume to around -17 to -16 dB.
- Set Foobar2000 output = Default : "DAC" [exclusive].
- Set Win10 volume to max.
- Set DAC's hardware volume to ~max.
- Use Superlux HD572A (24Ω 102dB/mW => 118.2dB/Vrms) most sensitive Headphone that I have.
SMSL D10 = NO clicking noise

View attachment 476477

So it implements sgm8262-2 opamps, this kinda explains the volume achievemnts disclosed in previous posts, nice!
A bit surprising it doesn't show DRE artifacts, would be nice to se it measured.

 

[SlowLife]

I don't have the measurement tools, but I found some measurement results at https://www.ixbt.com/live/digs/obzor-smsl-d10-etalonnogo-kachestva-cap.html

 

[mc.god]

I don't have the measurement tools, but I found some measurement results at https://www.ixbt.com/live/digs/obzor-smsl-d10-etalonnogo-kachestva-cap.html

View attachment 476493View attachment 476494

Unfortunately for Cirrus DRE hump some specific measurements are needed beside the standard ones taken on the site.