• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

S.M.S.L DP5 HiFi Network Music Player

SMSL-Mandy

Senior Member
Audio Company
Joined
Aug 31, 2018
Messages
304
Likes
688
S.M.S.L DP5 HiFi Network Music Player
Click for more: https://hifi-express.com/products/smsl-dp5-mqa-full-decoding-hifi-network-music-player
U2d5410b2c6134ca49a54069703202cf9T.jpg
U5adfc4ee4fee4c02becb42c0c62fc9b4r.jpg
U0856df3a472f4a25947a607f3a020408g.jpg
Uaa7796715d5c41e882f2f163d3dde619Z.jpg
U0a054b079a5e4e7b91cca421d5aa3c186.jpg
U591b44112b0543b8bb0cdf4a48458b24n.jpg
U6b9fced3e2ba49d59647c9a6fa139568n.jpg
Udc45f94c854f425d9746ac7645c62943y.jpg
U9a1f780d64be4660b8f8e0439dddf2dcG.jpg
U6419c79e500442899ed2db067a86beefO.jpg
Uc4cd3d24b2214363bd312e4eb127cf50Q.jpg
Ucf92004c0d95430b9592161504aaf4514.jpg
Uca07ba5230734717995a45308da0405c4.jpg
 

MediumRare

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 17, 2019
Messages
1,949
Likes
2,275
Location
Chicago
Mandy, looks like a nice unit but $160 more than SU-9 is too much, especially with unusable headphone amplifier. So many other elements of it are very nice.
 

Dodo974

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2018
Messages
17
Likes
13
Location
Reunion Island
Mandy, looks like a nice unit but $160 more than SU-9 is too much, especially with unusable headphone amplifier. So many other elements of it are very nice.

Perhaps, it's time for "Amir" to present his measeruments for this smsl dp5. Because i have a doubt, SMSL compagny have only send him the SU-dac9 in premium date !?

This is not a negative "personal" opinion from me, any people can choice freely to purchase what it's suits him best. With the same chip ES3038pro, assembly by the same compagny and with more additionnal's options (like streamer, hdmi, ....).
 

Tatteredmidnight

Active Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2018
Messages
275
Likes
506
Location
New Jersey
Full size USB B for usb output? This seems very strange and very inconvenient. It not only goes against convention, it almost guarantees the need to buy dedicated cables for almost any use case. Why not swap the type A input and type B output to be more in line with conventional implementations?
 

Tks

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Messages
3,221
Likes
5,494
Full size USB B for usb output? This seems very strange and very inconvenient. It not only goes against convention, it almost guarantees the need to buy dedicated cables for almost any use case. Why not swap the type A input and type B output to be more in line with conventional implementations?

Possibly a typo, those should all be inputs.

Otherwise the unit looks pretty feature rich. Nice big screen etc...

Only puzzling parts is perhaps DSD128 (could have sworn this chip supports DSD512, but I guess they want everything to work with streaming and perhaps there is a bandwidth issue of some sort concerning wireless or something, also who cares, DSD is stupid, and I say it as someone with 10-15 or so SACD's). The headphone output (I personally don't care because I use my HD58X with the IEM port on my RME that supposedly doesn't have much power as to keep noise low, and it does perfectly fine) most people that get this I would assume are sporting amps if they're that serious about headphones seeing as how this is a balanced device.

Aside from that, as long as weird input impedance issues with the M400 and such have been fixed, and no oddities like thermal variance creeps up, this thing is great.

Keep in mind folks, the reason you're not seeing many DAC/AMP's let alone DAC/AMP/Streamer combo's is due to severe profit loss by selling everything in one box. And is why you're not seeing Topping interested much at all putting any out anymore (you see a ton of separates, so much so that I can't recall what some of the upcoming ones are).

This thing is coming in less than a D90 DAC for example, that's simply a DAC, yet it comes with all this + MQA (for whatever that's worth, but it's still a cost they eat). They also have to make the software function and all that. I doubt they're making too much money on this thing if it ends up functioning without bugs and all that proper software vetting.

Really surprised to see one or two folks not content with this thing. Does anyone have any valid comparison to this thing to demonstrate as to why they're not satisfied?
 

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,370
Likes
234,414
Location
Seattle Area
Perhaps, it's time for "Amir" to present his measeruments for this smsl dp5. Because i have a doubt, SMSL compagny have only send him the SU-dac9 in premium date !?
I do indeed have the DP5 to test as well. :)
 

Dodo974

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2018
Messages
17
Likes
13
Location
Reunion Island
I hope to get it out very soon.
Personnaly, i'm think, Amir, have done and will do is best to satisfy your "resquest's ou whise's". He is an human not a machine ! Good's "objective" review's take time and courage because Amir do that for "audio passion" or hobbie's, not for marketing publicity or a payement. So patience is more important think in the world, don't rush too fast !
 

MarnixM

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2020
Messages
92
Likes
98
Location
Netherlands
Very interested too in a review of this streamer. Because the number of inputs are limited (f.i. no optical/toslink input), no internal Chromecast option and no build-in streaming services i'm as Qobuz subscriber very intested if the BubbleUpNP app over DNLA works. Think so, but until now nobody confirmed this.
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
95
Likes
40
Amir, when you test - test in all possible scenarios of use. And as a processor for a computer, and as a standalone player from USB / HDD media. At least. The previous DP3 player had disastrously low quality code. The guys from HI-BY make a crude product and do not support the devices after six months, a year, two years after release, despite the bugs discovered by users.
 

arcamfan1989

Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
15
Likes
8
 
Top Bottom