Sabaj D5 vs. SMSL M500 vs. Topping DX7 Pro: measurement comparison

[RickSanchez]

Bi-amping was my original intention. But for the life of me I couldn't get any sound out of it. Wrong wiring? Wrong channel? or faulty pre-amp? I will try bi-amping again. If nothing else, I can always separate into 2 systems again.
So is it confirmed Sabaj D5 should not be used as a pre-amp?
I am in western canada. your price x 1.3
Thanx again.

I'm not aware of issues using the Sabaj D5 as a pre-amp. That said, I don't own one. You may have better luck (on ASR) asking your questions on these threads where there are likely more owners of the D5; this thread probably has more people who are looking to compare/buy.

• Measurements: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ew-and-measurements-of-sabaj-d5-dac-amp.8337/
• Owner's thread: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sabaj-d5-owners-thread.9561/

Looking at your Sherbourn PT-7030, it appears it has:

1. XLR inputs
2. Unbalanced RCA inputs

So it seems like it would work fine if you were feeding both of your sources -- stereo music via Tidal (via USB) + movie audio via Blu-ray ( via coax/optical) into the Sabaj D5, then passing that on to the PT-7030. You could then route from there as needed.

Please don't take my suggestion as definitive, I don't have a setup like this so I'm only basing this on inputs and outputs. I'm just not aware of anything that disqualifies the D5 as a pre-amp.

 

[MediumRare]

So is it confirmed Sabaj D5 should not be used as a pre-amp?

I thought the Sherbourne is your preamp? (i.e. accepting multiple inputs and selecting which source is routed to your amps.)

 

[Shoaibexpert]

Sorry for asking again, but has anyone listened to these DACs and can share their absolutely subjective thoughts on the way each one sounds...I'm sure many people are interested...even if no one is asking anything beyond the measurements...I have the M500 and it's a clear upgrade to my older SU 8!

 

[arn]

i am thinking about a little music system with the:

nvidia shield
usb dac + xlr + remote (harmony compatible)
active studio speakers

my first two choices were the adi2 dac and the smsl s8 as a budget solution. then i found this topic

which would be the best as dac + xlr preamp?
is the rme adi2 dac worth the higher price (i dont want to spent more money)?

thx.

 

[RickSanchez]

i am thinking about a little music system with the:

nvidia shield
usb dac + xlr + remote (harmony compatible)
active studio speakers

my first two choices were the adi2 dac and the smsl s8 as a budget solution. then i found this topic

which would be the best as dac + xlr preamp?
is the rme adi2 dac worth the higher price (i dont want to spent more money)?

thx.

Welcome to ASR.

If by "best" you're asking about sound quality / transparency, the 2 DACs you mention and the 3 in this thread all measure extremely well and it would be difficult if not impossible to tell them apart in a blind, level-matched listening test. The SMSL SU-8 has the ES9038Q2M chip (not the ES9038PRO), so you can see from the measurements (here) that is has a more pronounced "ESS IMD hump"; I'm not sure that's audible however.

So if trying to compare purely on sound quality / transparency then I don't think the RME ADI-2 is going to be worth the extra money. With that in mind you then have to look at the other factors:

• Features. For example, do you want to pay extra for a DAC/headphone amp combo? The SU-8 is just a DAC; the three DACs in this thread are DAC/amp combos and are therefore more expensive. You may not want that extra functionality.
• Build quality / warranty. I don't own one but from what I've read the build quality on the ADI-2 is superb.
• Aesthetics.

If you're really focused on price -- and just need "dac + xlr" -- the SU-8 (v2) is a great choice, or you could wait until the Topping D90 comes out to see how that measures.

If you're really focused on price -- and want a "dac + xlr" + a headphone amp -- then any of the three in this thread would be great choices.

 

[Veri]

Welcome to ASR.

If by "best" you're asking about sound quality / transparency, the 2 DACs you mention and the 3 in this thread all measure extremely well and it would be difficult if not impossible to tell them apart in a blind, level-matched listening test. The SMSL SU-8 has the ES9038Q2M chip (not the ES9038PRO), so you can see from the measurements (here) that is has a more pronounced "ESS IMD hump"; I'm not sure that's audible however.

So I if trying to compare purely on sound quality / transparency then I don't think the RME ADI-2 is going to be worth the extra money. With that in mind you then have to look at the other factors:

• Features. For example, do you want to pay extra for a DAC/headphone amp combo? The SU-8 is just a DAC; the three DACs in this thread are DAC/amp combos and are therefore more expensive. You may not want that extra functionality.
• Build quality / warranty. I don't own one but from what I've read the build quality on the ADI-2 is superb.
• Aesthetics.

If you're really focused on price -- and just need "dac + xlr" -- the SU-8 (v2) is a great choice, or you could wait until the Topping D90 comes out to see how that measures.

If you're really focused on price -- and want a "dac + xlr" + a headphone amp -- then any of the three in this thread would be great choices.

Just a minor correction, both Q2M and pro chips can suffer from the IMD issue, it depends on the implementation (there's an entire thread about the issue where @IVX dropped some hints on how he fixed it in the E1DA).

Topping D50s for example uses the mobile chip but fixed the IMD 'hump'. The SU-8 does suffer from it, let's see if they fixed it in SU-8s

 

[Kane1972]

I don’t need an amp, just DAC, so hoping the SU-8s or M300 measure great

 

[arn]

Welcome to ASR.

If by "best" you're asking about sound quality / transparency, the 2 DACs you mention and the 3 in this thread all measure extremely well and it would be difficult if not impossible to tell them apart in a blind, level-matched listening test. The SMSL SU-8 has the ES9038Q2M chip (not the ES9038PRO), so you can see from the measurements (here) that is has a more pronounced "ESS IMD hump"; I'm not sure that's audible however.

So if trying to compare purely on sound quality / transparency then I don't think the RME ADI-2 is going to be worth the extra money. With that in mind you then have to look at the other factors:

• Features. For example, do you want to pay extra for a DAC/headphone amp combo? The SU-8 is just a DAC; the three DACs in this thread are DAC/amp combos and are therefore more expensive. You may not want that extra functionality.
• Build quality / warranty. I don't own one but from what I've read the build quality on the ADI-2 is superb.
• Aesthetics.

If you're really focused on price -- and just need "dac + xlr" -- the SU-8 (v2) is a great choice, or you could wait until the Topping D90 comes out to see how that measures.

If you're really focused on price -- and want a "dac + xlr" + a headphone amp -- then any of the three in this thread would be great choices.

thank you for the detailed answer. it does not matter, if it has more features, what i don't use it, if the used features (the da+xlr+remote) is better on the more expensive device.

eg in the m500 topic, they write the m500 or the adi2 xlr output is very good, it could easily drive the active boxes.
so as a preamp/dac, is there any significant differences?

or the remote is compatible with the logitech harmony?

 

[RickSanchez]

or the remote is compatible with the logitech harmony?

I would suggest posting your question about the Logitech Harmony compatibility on these threads:

• RME ADI-2: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-rme-adi-2-dac-and-headphone-amp.7546/
• SMSL M500: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-m500-dac-and-hp-amp-review.9606/

Or better yet, contact Customer Support for RME and SMSL to ask them directly.

 

[paddycrow]

You can search for supported devices on Harmony's website. The RME ADI-2 is listed as being supported, the SMSL M500 is not.

Unsupported devices can be "taught." I have no experience with how that works.

 

[Shoaibexpert]

So any sonic differences between the 3 DACs people care to share...apart from the usual similarities in the measurements...?

 

[TC!!]

So any sonic differences between the 3 DACs people care to share...apart from the usual similarities in the measurements...?

Hi @Shoaibexpert, I know you're an owner of an M500 and see you ask this question many times. I also know the post that got you concerned where someone sent back their M500 and said the Topfield sounded better.

I honestly don't think you will hear any audible differences between these 3 DACs. They all use basically the same chipset. I know Amir's tests aren't designed to show subtle audible differences, but they do show that in all 3 of these devices the manufactures have been able to use the chipset without any major issues that can be picked up by his measurements.

I saw your initial post of how happy you were when you got the DAC, please just keep enjoying it ;-)

p.s. I bought mine almost 2 weeks ago and still waiting for delivery, I can't wait to try it out.

 

[RickSanchez]

The SMSL M500 is up on Drop for USD $350 (a $50 discount):
https://drop.com/buy/smsl-m500-dac-amp

 

[TC!!]

The SMSL M500 is up on Drop for USD $350 (a $50 discount):
https://drop.com/buy/smsl-m500-dac-amp

After 15 days I'm now asking the seller for a refund as all I have to show for my money is a tracking number saying "Parcel collected by 3rd Party and in transit to Yodel".

If I get the refund I might give Drop a go but I'm going to try to buy direct from @SMSL-Mandy 1st. Someone else in Europe was able to get the DAC delivered in 3 days after buying from SMSL's own shop on AliExpress.

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

After 15 days I'm now asking the seller for a refund as all I have to show for my money is a tracking number saying "Parcel collected by 3rd Party and in transit to Yodel".

If I get the refund I might give Drop a go but I'm going to try to buy direct from @SMSL-Mandy 1st. Someone else in Europe was able to get the DAC delivered in 3 days after buying from SMSL's own shop on AliExpress.

That is the post error, contact with the post office. Each customer's receiving location is different, and the time is different, which is related to the courier company service.

 

[TC!!]

That is the post error, contact with the post office. Each customer's receiving location is different, and the time is different, which is related to the courier company service.

Thanks for the reply Mandy. I've been in contact with the seller many times and the only thing they tell me is that everything is normal:

Have confirmed with shipping agent. This item is on the way to the destination, it is normal, please don't worry.

Which post office do you think I can contact? All I have is a tracking number which Yodel has shown as "collected by a 3rd party" since 13th November with no update since then.

I have no problem waiting for the DAC to arrive but it's now 16 days since I paid and 9 days since I've seen any update on where my parcel is. I see other people in Europe were able to buy from you direct and receive the DAC in just 3 days.

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

https://hifi-express.com/blogs/news/how-to-buy-on-black-friday
Black Friday is coming, some recommend to you.

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

Thanks for the reply Mandy. I've been in contact with the seller many times and the only thing they tell me is that everything is normal:


Which post office do you think I can contact? All I have is a tracking number which Yodel has shown as "collected by a 3rd party" since 13th November with no update since then.

I have no problem waiting for the DAC to arrive but it's now 16 days since I paid and 9 days since I've seen any update on where my parcel is. I see other people in Europe were able to buy from you direct and receive the DAC in just 3 days.

There are a lot of products on the promotional time, which will cause some express delays. Hope to understand. Thank you

 

[TC!!]

There are a lot of products on the promotional time, which will cause some express delays. Hope to understand. Thank you

I understand that 11/11 is a very busy time, which is why I bought on 6/11 trying to avoid the busiest time

That's a nice list of discounts for black friday, Sabaj D5 for $399! What price will the M500 be on Black Friday?

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

I understand that 11/11 is a very busy time, which is why I bought on 6/11 trying to avoid the busiest time

That's a nice list of discounts for black friday, Sabaj D5 for $399! What price will the M500 be on Black Friday?

It will have a 10% off discount. M500