New SMSL M300

[Julf]

Julf. Did you think August translated your post to Japanese?

My apologies - it was late on Friday night, and I didn't look close enough, so I assumed it was kanji. I edited the posting to remove references to Japan.

 

[Naxos41]

My apologies - it was late on Friday night, and I didn't look close enough, so I assumed it was kanji. I edited the posting to remove references to Japan.

No need for your apologies. I am glad to know that you and your wife are very familiar with Japanese cultures.

 

[Kane1972]

M500 and hopefully M300 should be on their way to Amir soon.

 

[Oukkidoukki]

I have been watching this site a year....which dac is good one...waited and waited for best option....finally ordered smsl su 8......then 2 weeks later there is sabaj d5 and m500......god damn

 

[heic1502a]

I have been watching this site a year....which dac is good one...waited and waited for best option....finally ordered smsl su 8......then 2 weeks later there is sabaj d5 and m500......god damn

Sabaj D5 and m500 are both DAC/amp. If you dont need the amp functionality then su-8 is still the best choice IMO, it's a lot cheaper and the spec differences between them shouldn't even be audible.
I'm looking to upgrade to the su-8 too, since I have an ATOM as amplifier, and feel like the massdrop SDAC I currently use is lacking in functionality.

 

[Oukkidoukki]

Yeah....I have o2 amp so headamp is not neccesary.........let’s see

 

[w1000i]

I certainly don't have a problem with them making a product that sounds the same as their flagship at a third of the price, but I just wonder where the price difference comes from? Must be build quality then, thicker and stronger boards, casing etc? Tougher connections? It must cost more to build the D1 than the M500, but if that extra cash doesn't result in better sound, then what's the point as the M500 still seems well built enough.

The promising thing about M500 the new usb chip 216 which do full MQA unfolding and the lower THD as per their claim.

 

[boXem]

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

 

[mkawa]

i doubt it. none of the smsl dacs i've used have auto source detection. the button on the front probably changes source. the standard smsl remote is probably compatible as well.

 

[Kane1972]

Anyone sent an M300 to Amir yet? Wish I had the funds to do so. As I don't need a built in head amp/amp, this could be perfect for me if it measures/sounds good. The power thing worries me a little though. This is £150 cheaper than the M500 in the UK.

 

[Kane1972]

Best place to buy M300 from in UK please? I assume there are no UK retailers so it will be an import. Anyone retailers at all in EU?

 

[Anechoic Reflections]

Best place to buy M300 from in UK please? I assume there are no UK retailers so it will be an import. Anyone retailers at all in EU?

Try: https://hifi-express.com/products/smsl-m300-audio-dac-ak4497?variant=25150063083620
It says "Ships from" and then the UK is an option.

Or try https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...-clock-32bit-768khz-dsd512-black-p-13719.html

 

[flowjm]

Why not Amazon?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flagship-D...ts=p_76:419159031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sr=8-6

 

[Kane1972]

Yep. Amazon does appear to be the cheapest. I'll see if it goes down in Black Friday sale. Obviously I'd be buying blind with no measurements to go by, but the price seems right to me.

 

[Kane1972]

The user reviews are quite entertaining on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flagship-D...ts=p_76:419159031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sr=8-6

They do raise a reservation I do have though. Notably the power handling. USB power only does scare me a little. Hopefully Amir will make sure that is all gravy when he does eventually measure an M300.

The first review mentions going into the Midi settings on a Mac to set the output to the highest. I assume they mean the Audio output word length and sample rate settings, but is this actually necessary, surely the USB input to the DAC is ignoring any of that?

 

[Raimei Templar]

FOr anyone living in Japan it seems this is going to be a part of the Prime Day deals coming on November 22nd. It will sell for 22,900 yen which is a quite nice price. Roughly the $199 it went for on ebay which is the cheapest I have seen. Very tempted to get one to match to my SP200 I got coming in. Shame Amir never got one but it looks like its a fairly good performer based on Judes measurements. Not top of the line but good enough. Looks nice physically, like the tempered glass and IPS display.

Think Jude was measuring the XLR out, I wonder how the RCA one did?

 

[mks]

The user reviews are quite entertaining on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flagship-Decoding-Ultra-high-Ultra-low-Distortion-blue/dp/B07PJQJ2G4/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=smsl+m300&qid=1574097558&refinements=p_76:419159031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sr=8-6

They do raise a reservation I do have though. Notably the power handling. USB power only does scare me a little. Hopefully Amir will make sure that is all gravy when he does eventually measure an M300.

The first review mentions going into the Midi settings on a Mac to set the output to the highest. I assume they mean the Audio output word length and sample rate settings, but is this actually necessary, surely the USB input to the DAC is ignoring any of that?

I just received mine from SMSL Factory Store via Amazon (US) today. SMSL even priced matched it from their eBay store which had 1 left for $199. It came with a micro USB to USB A split cable and a 5v power adapter so I think they've been paying attention to the forums. That's always a good sign. I've only been listening to it for a few hours now and I must say, this thing sounds sweet! I have it running balanced out to an SMSL sp200. I can say for sure there is no audible noise or any hissing to my ears at all. I really like the sound of the ak4497. It's exactly the signature I was looking for. I'm now returning my monolith thx AAA dac/amp for this setup. I thought that thing will be hard to beat but this setup is magnificent. The monolith uses 2 mobile ak4493 dac chips. I didn't think it would make a whole lot of difference but it certainly did, particularly in the soundstage and imaging. I was also a little iffy buying it without seeing proper measurements yet. But now I can say I hardly care even if they come out bad. It just sounds that good to me.

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

M300 will have a discount on Black Friday.
https://hifi-express.com/blogs/news/how-to-buy-on-black-friday

 

[Raimei Templar]

I just received mine from SMSL Factory Store via Amazon (US) today. SMSL even priced matched it from their eBay store which had 1 left for $199. It came with a micro USB to USB A split cable and a 5v power adapter so I think they've been paying attention to the forums. That's always a good sign. I've only been listening to it for a few hours now and I must say, this thing sounds sweet! I have it running balanced out to an SMSL sp200. I can say for sure there is no audible noise or any hissing to my ears at all. I really like the sound of the ak4497. It's exactly the signature I was looking for. I'm now returning my monolith thx AAA dac/amp for this setup. I thought that thing will be hard to beat but this setup is magnificent. The monolith uses 2 mobile ak4493 dac chips. I didn't think it would make a whole lot of difference but it certainly did, particularly in the soundstage and imaging. I was also a little iffy buying it without seeing proper measurements yet. But now I can say I hardly care even if they come out bad. It just sounds that good to me.

That is great to hear! I hope Amazon Japan includes the split cable and power adapter as that would solve any concern about USB issues. Really seems to be a great deal for a AKM 4497 dac by a reliable company.

 

[igorpadrao]

Any news on the measurements of this DAC? I am really interested in the objective performance of this one.