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New SMSL M300

MarcoB66

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I am interested too.
I've just ordered one from Amazon, the hardest choice was which color "sound" better :p

Has anyone can appreciate Blue gears delivers a cool, refreshing and silky sound while Red ones give a way more warm, velvet-like music !
After years of Black, neutral and "straight from source" boxes, I will finally experience audiophile grade expensive sounds for a budget price o_O
 
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mks

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Since the M300 has no remote, anybody knows if it has automatic source selection and/or auto on/off?

Unfortunately, it does not have auto switching. I ended up using the little bear m3 switch and converter with it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07D7P7366?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

It does 3 in( 2 xlr and 1 rca) and 3 out(same as above). It's kind of an eye sore but very versatile. It allows me to run everything off it. M300 xlr and Sennheiser gsx1000 rca to m3 connected to loxjie p20 xlr and sp200 xlr. Then i use the rca out of the m3 to a minidsp hd which is connected to a 2 channel micca amp and a subwoor by rca. Surprisingly, I don't have any audible noise with most of it. Maybe a slight hiss when cranking up the loxjie using the gsx1000(rca)output. But the gsx1000 had given me noise issues from the start no matter what I do with it. Not a big deal though because it's a gaming dac and I never have to turn it up more than 40% or 60% depending on which headphones I use. I didn't get to test this setting out for more than a couple hours because I had to send the sp200 in for a replacement but I was pretty impressed by it all when I had it going. Still using it minus the sp200 right now and everything sounds great still. Also, I don't believe the m300 has an ir receiver in it so I'm not sure if any remote would work with it at all. I could be wrong but it doesn't look like it.
 

GoanSausage

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My first post on here so please go easy on me. I just got delivery of an M300 I bought from AliExpress for about 200 USD on their 11.11 "Singles Day" Sale. (It's apparently a thing in China)

They invoiced it for 15 USD so even though I was expecting to pay about 100 USD as customs duty I only ended up paying less than 10 USD.

The unit was safely packaged but had a rattle so I unscrewed the back as soon as I received it and a tiny metal filing fell out of the enclosure. Not a great start then but the enclosure is very pretty and finished to near perfection in a beautiful red that was a selling point for me.

The unit came with a 1A power supply and a pretty high quality micro USB with a splitter for power and signal. I haven't used either because I have it plugged into a USB3 port on a desktop PC and I've run bus USB powered DIs for years and never had an issue.

I bought this for its combination of optical input and balanced outputs, which will let me connect it to an Airport Express Base Station via TOSlink and my Rokit 8 powered monitors via XLR cables. Didn't do a whole lot of research, this was the only unit that had that combination of inputs and outputs (that I could find) so I bought it pretty much instantly.

I haven't been able to actually plug it into my monitors yet because my existing XLR cables have the wrong connectors. I should have new cables in a few hours.

Update: I've got the cables and it sounds... fine. This is definitely an improvement over the AE's 3.5mm output though I don't know if it sounds better than the Scarlett 2i2 USB interface I was using previously.

There is however zero hiss even with the gain on my monitors turned way up. I have it plugged into a PC over USB and an Airport Express Base Station over TOSlink and the ability to switch inputs is great.

I won't be able to speak to the sound quality because I'm not an audiophile but if there's anything else anyone wants me to check, let me know.
 

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MarcoB66

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I've just received mine too, from Amazon France for 197 Euros,
A very beautiful small box !
I will post a few pics later on.
However I've got a very audible hiss when linked to my amplifier :(
I am going to do some troubleshooting...

Very upset :mad:
I'm unable to get rid from the very audible hissing and statics noise !
I didn't experienced any noise with my previous dac, a Micromega MyDAC, and I'm using strictly the same USB port and RCA to RCA cable, the only change is that I'm using the USB cable delivered with M300 instead the old one because of the micro-usb port input.

It seems other SMSL M300 like @mks have similar issue with RCA to RCA connection which solved by using RCA to XLR cabling.
 

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GoanSausage

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I think your noise source is elsewhere. I don't think this is an XLR vs RCA issue, the difference can't be so dramatic. I can't hear a hiss even when I put my ear up against a monitor. This is not a noisy DAC.

I've just received mine too, from Amazon France for 197 Euros,
A very beautiful small box !
I will post a few pics later on.
However I've got a very audible hiss when linked to my amplifier :(
I am going to do some troubleshooting...

Very upset :mad:
I'm unable to get rid from the very audible hissing and statics noise !
I didn't experienced any noise with my previous dac, a Micromega MyDAC, and I'm using strictly the same USB port and RCA to RCA cable, the only change is that I'm using the USB cable delivered with M300 instead the old one because of the micro-usb port input.

It seems other SMSL M300 like @mks have similar issue with RCA to RCA connection which solved by using RCA to XLR cabling.
 

MarcoB66

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I think your noise source is elsewhere. I don't think this is an XLR vs RCA issue, the difference can't be so dramatic. I can't hear a hiss even when I put my ear up against a monitor. This is not a noisy DAC.
Yes indeed you are right !
I've spent most of my night making test first and then looking for solutions.... and I'm quite tired now, hope to be able to express myself.

It is not at all related to the RCA -> RCA but to the link: PC USB output -> micro-USB M300 input & power port, but the sector power by itself is not in question.
It's some kind of ground noise and/or other signal interference coming from my own PC which the M300 drive too the amplifier, for instance each time I use the mouse-wheel or I make a click I got a loud noise sound this was not the case with MyDAC which was perfectly silent.
Even some software action like the AV scanning my HD partitions produce a sensible noise !

(I will come back later, too tired to type now)
 

mks

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Yes indeed you are right !
I've spent most of my night making test first and then looking for solutions.... and I'm quite tired now, hope to be able to express myself.

It is not at all related to the RCA -> RCA but to the link: PC USB output -> micro-USB M300 input & power port, but the sector power by itself is not in question.
It's some kind of ground noise and/or other signal interference coming from my own PC which the M300 drive too the amplifier, for instance each time I use the mouse-wheel or I make a click I got a loud noise sound this was not the case with MyDAC which was perfectly silent.
Even some software action like the AV scanning my HD partitions produce a sensible noise !

(I will come back later, too tired to type now)


I think you're right. I could actually hear when I turned the Lokjie p20 up all the way. I can't hear it at all with the sp200 though. I just ordered this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N3XKOLG?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

Hopefully it helps because I can't unhear now and I may have to return it. Which sucks because even with the idefender, the $250 total I'm paying for both devices is still far less expensive than any other ak4497 balanced dac that I can find out there. Plus I love the overall sound. I'll post an update when it arrives. It's supposed to be here tomorrow.
 

MarcoB66

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Hello @mks !
I've actually ordered the same yesterday ;)
We will see...

And yes it's sucks... for the reason you said, the sound is wonderful !
 
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mks

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Hello @mks !
I've actually ordered the same yesterday ;)
We will see...

And yes it's sucks... for the reason you said, the sound is wonderful !


That makes me feel better. It means I may be on the right path. Are you planning on using the idefender with the stock m300 5v DC adapter? Ifi sells an ipower low noise 5v adapter that they recommend but it's another $50. At the price point of $300, I might as well jump up a tier with another dac. I've read in other forums that even regular 5v adapters worked really well. But I think the one that came with the m300 is 1 amp where as the idefender draws 2.5 amps. Do you think that could be an issue?
 
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MarcoB66

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That makes me feel better. It means I may be on the right path. Are you planning on using the idefender with the stock m300 5v DC adapter? Ifi sells an ipower low noise 5v adapter that they recommend but it's another $50. At the price point of $300, I might as well jump up a tier with another dac. I've read in other forums that even regular 5v adapters worked really well. But I think the one that came with the m300 is 1 amp where as the idefender draws 2.5 amps. Do you think that could be an issue?
Well actually I haven't any idea about it, I wasn't even aware about this difference :oops::facepalm:

I've got not knowledge at all about electricity and yes I was thinking to use the stock adapter as I've read the same then you.:confused:
But I guess this should not make a difference as some people use it ( the iDefender) without external power i.e. just with the USB OTG and as you say to purchase the iPower is a nonsense economically !

On the other hand I'm definitively sure this is not a power related noise because I've tested with different wall-plugs and without any (USB only) and it doesn't make any difference, always the same hissing and statics, while if I unplug my PC USB I've no noise at all even with the M300 powered on and at the opposite if I switch it off and I plug the PC USB again there is noise ( with the amplifier on ofc ).

Also it seems to me there are a few here which use it with no noises at all so I wonder if they have it plugged to a laptop instead of a desktop like me or what other difference it could be.

Personally I will try hard all what I can to keep it and I'm even thinking to contact SMSL to ask them if they can mod it with a separate 5v power plug and an USB 2.0 type B input like the most of DACs have. And I'm willing to pay them if needed.

The reason being I would like to use my old USB cable by QED which has got very good shielding and build quality, as in the past before purchasing the BC-acoustique EX-202.2 I was using active monitoring (Presonus Eris e5 ) and I had experienced similar hissing and radio interference too which were strongly reduced by using it.

Unfortunately I cannot use it now because it's virtually impossible to find an "USB 2 B female -> microUSB male" adapter.

:mad: grrr stupid USB standard which use almost the same name for all of its connectors which make finding the exact type of adapter a real pain in the @$$ :mad:
I've had spent almost 3 hours Saturday night searching for it among hundreds of different answers to my query without finding any ! o_O

I would really like @amirm or @SMSL-Mandy could help us... ;)
 
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mks

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Well actually I haven't any idea about it, I wasn't even aware about this difference :oops::facepalm:

I've got not knowledge at all about electricity and yes I was thinking to use the stock adapter as I've read the same then you.:confused:
But I guess this should not make a difference as some people use it ( the iDefender) without external power i.e. just with the USB OTG and as you say to purchase the iPower is a nonsense economically !

On the other hand I'm definitively sure this is not a power related noise because I've tested with different wall-plugs and without any (USB only) and it doesn't make any difference, always the same hissing and statics, while if I unplug my PC USB I've no noise at all even with the M300 powered on and at the opposite if I switch it off and I plug the PC USB again there is noise ( with the amplifier on ofc ).

Also it seems to me there are a few here which use it with no noises at all so I wonder if they have it plugged to a laptop instead of a desktop like me or what other difference it could be.

Personally I will try hard all what I can to keep it and I'm even thinking to contact SMSL to ask them if they can mod it with a separate 5v power plug and an USB 2.0 type B input like the most of DACs have. And I'm willing to pay them if needed.

The reason being I would like to use my old USB cable by QED which has got very good shielding and build quality, as in the past before purchasing the BC-acoustique EX-202.2 I was using active monitoring (Presonus Eris e5 ) and I had experienced similar hissing and radio interference too which were strongly reduced by using it.

Unfortunately I cannot use it now because it's virtually impossible to find an "USB 2 B female -> microUSB male" adapter.

:mad: grrr stupid USB standard which use almost the same name for all of its connectors which make finding the exact type of adapter a real pain in the @$$ :mad:
I've had spent almost 3 hours Saturday night searching for it among hundreds of different answers to my query without finding any ! o_O

I would really like @amirm or @SMSL-Mandy could help us... ;)


Looks like we're in the exact same boat. You're absolutely right about the noise being Usb related. I came to the same conclusion. I have 7 devices in my chain so it took me a little time to pinpoint it. Of course, unplugging the m300 Usb from my desktop was the last thing I tried. Like you, I know very little about electrical engineering. I was a little confused about going with ifi idefender or the ipurifier 3. But the ipurifier is $130 so again, i didn't want to spend more on cables and filters than I did on the dac itself. Also, the ipurifier uses active noise cancelation to reduce noise and I didn't want to color the sound in any way because the m300's sound signature is so appealing to me. Here's to the idefender hopefully saving the day. I will post an update as soon as I get a chance to test it.
 

Kane1972

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So are you guys saying if I bought an M300 and used it with my MacBook Pro via USB, there would be hiss? Can anyone check this?
 
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mks

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So are you guys dating if I bought an M300 and used it with my MacBook Pro via USB, there would be hiss? Can anyone check this?

I wouldn't say it's a given. I'm not sure what's causing the hiss inside my system. Honestly, I haven't tried it on my laptop or any of my other desktops. Mostly because my use case for a dac is only for my primary desktop. But now you got me curious so I'll try it on my xps 15 laptop and report back.
 

MarcoB66

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I will test it tomorrow with a laptop, if I have time of course, I should have received my iDefender in a couple of days too
 
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GoanSausage

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No hiss with my 2015 13" MacBook over USB. You could also use a mini TOSlink cable to connect it with the combo headphone/optical out on your MacBook and completely isolate it electrically.

So are you guys dating ?
 

mks

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Okay. Good news for those who are getting the hissing. The ifi idefender works perfect. Completely cleaned up the noise. From what I gather, the idefender works by shutting down the 5v rail from the PC and giving it clean energy from an external 5v power supply. I used the stock m300 power adapter and everything is perfect. I don't hear anything different in sound signature than before I connected to it. Definitely more clean and pure. I thought that the hiss was only audible when my amp was at high to full volume but now that its cleaned up, I feel it was probably there at lower volumes too, just 'not in your face' type of frequency but just a subtle hint of it, enough to hinder the clarity from those who don't know any better. For good measure, I also threw some ferrites on both the usb cables. I bought the m300 for $190 and with the right amp( smsl sp200 ), it was a bargain. Now adding this little $50 god-sent device gives me the ability to use any amp and role all the tubes I want. Worth it even more. I also tried the m300 on my xps15 laptop without the idefender and I did not hear the same hissing as my desktop. So if you're looking for a semi-portable balanced dac to take with you to use on your laptop without a power adapter, the m300 would probably work just fine but ymmv depending on your laptop.
 
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MarcoB66

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Thanks @mks !

Very good news indeed :cool:
About the iDefender according to its notice it works by breaking the earth loop "... auto-detects if there is more than one earth and will ‘intelligently’ disconnect the computer earth"... whatever this does mean o_O
As explained here: iDefender3.0 by iFi audio
Thus it should work also without external power, could you test this please ?
EDIT: You are right it need an external power 'cause the M300 it is USB powered, my bad :facepalm:
 
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Green_X5

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Probably the DAC used poor power stabilizers or ground polygons. Hello to the developers! I almost bought it :facepalm:
 
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