SMSL D-6 DAC Review

[Caliban]

I vote for more use of red 8x8 LED matrix in simple applications and back to red LEDs, NO to OLED and blue/white LEDs on new gear !
Red is easier on the eyes.

 

[Spocko]

It looks like the high performance DAC is now a well understood commodity that neither requires exotic materials nor proprietary expertise! So in terms of what an "expensive" DAC device gets you, it appears to be the domain of better UI, physical controls & knobs, materials and build quality, I/O options, streaming features, DSP features, etc.

What would you expect when paying additional for a DAC costing over $600? For me it would be Dirac room correction and EQ features plus knobs, a giant robust tactile knob please.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It's really great. However, this product has a clicking issue at the beginning when playing music files on the Tidal. I don't know why, but I hope it will be updated soon.

Good job bro

Really? When did you test it?

 

[Jimster480]

I took a beating selling a TEAC UD505 because of degraded pixels. It was 100% functional but I couldn't move it at anywhere near a reasonable price.

Ouch, Yea my DX7 has degraded pixels... But I don't plan on selling it. After your comment I guess I'll keep it forever xD

I would prefer an OLED if they used a standardized and easily replaceable part. LCD's are impossible to source replacements for since they are all custom even if they have a longer life. They are also much harder to read.

True, mostly they are more difficult to read. We need standards in every market.

The OLED novelty has worn off. I think it's to the point of looking generic and disposable. I prefer LCD's because they last forever. Especially when it's only to display settings etc. It's not a high end television.

White oled is often cheaper and more available in the market.

 

[juliangst]

What a price growt! So I was lucky to get the DO100 for 185€ one month ago...

Damn that's lucky. I wanted to sell my sanskrit 10 but I decided that giving away a good functional DAC for maybe 60€ wasn't worth it.
I'll just wait until the DO100 is cheaper now or the D-6 is on amazon prime

 

[KxDx]

Ouch, Yea my DX7 has degraded pixels... But I don't plan on selling it. After your comment I guess I'll keep it forever xD

True, mostly they are more difficult to read. We need standards in every market.

White oled is often cheaper and more available in the market.

 

[Jimster480]

Smsl DO100

That is $240 which is more than the dx3.

Why did SMSL decide to use a figure-8 power cable on this model? To shave a few cents off the BOM?

Probably.

 

[Caliban]

View attachment 222372

That looks like a broken display and not just some faded pixels.

 

[Jimster480]

That looks like a broken display and not just some faded pixels.

The pixels Fade Out Over time. The ones which are on all the time Fade Out and the other ones do not.

 

[Caliban]

The pixels Fade Out Over time. The ones which are on all the time Fade Out and the other ones do not.

Ok, from what I can see it looks that these black lines are dead pixels (or a bad controller / zebra strip ? ), but that is I just what I think it looks like.
Controller or strip contact problems should show up more like horizontal or vertical straight lines, so I do not know, maybe it is spread out pixel fading.
The faded displays I have seen have faded all over or suffered from burn-in, not just by some random faded/dead lines. But of course, I have not seen them all, so ok.

 

[Zek]

The chip is the new AKM AK4493S.

There are actually two AKM AK4493S chips.

 

[martijn86]

I vote for more use of red 8x8 LED matrix in simple applications and back to red LEDs, NO to OLED and blue/white LEDs on new gear !
Red is easier on the eyes.

Windowfilm, headlight tint... Have you tried anything like it? Often stores will send you samples for free, it's fully reversible. May be a good option to alter a white display.

 

[Veri]

Really? When did you test it?

There's been discussion on this DAC since early June...

Thoughts on SMSL D-6 DAC?

So I found this DAC available on Shenzhen Audio website. But I couldn't find any comments on its performance or use: https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/smsl-d-6-dac-dual-ak4493s-bluetooth-5-1-pcm-768khz-32-bit-dsd512-decoder-with-remote-control It seem to offer an interesting mix of features...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Robbo99999]

Interesting suggestion. In such a graph, you wouldn't be able to see and identify the rest of the products. You are OK with that?

How about one that just contains more pixels so that it can be read more clearly when clicked on & zoomed in?

 

[Overseas]

Direct competitor would be the E30 ii, right?

 

[mhardy6647]

I did a mock-up some time ago:

Proposal: New SINAD Ranking Design (Histogram)

Since its conception, the SINAD Ranking has grown from this: to this: Instead of just making the graph wider and wider with each addition, why not switch to a histogram:

www.audiosciencereview.com

I like this, very much (FWIW).
Not least because it provides a little meta-analysis of the data: to wit, the distribution of quality across the population of tested devices.

Biased towards the excellent/very good, but far from normal (or even Poisson), and far from monotonic -- with a long, lingering tail of losers.

In fairness, the current graphic conveys the same information but in a less obvious way

Adding the third dimension of price to the meta-analysis would be tonnes of fun to look at!
(I guess one could calculate a SINAD per dollar ratio and just look at that)

 

[Lambda]

That’s for a Class I device. This DAC is a Class II device.

Read my post again.

The Question was WHY is it a class II and why is the D100 a Class I device.
As i said both have advantages an disadvantages for a DAC.

But even if it is a Class I device like the D100

Sure having a PE for functional grounding can be beneficial.
but in this cases there shuld be a "ground lift switch" (common on pro pa/studio gear)

Then IEC 60320 c5 makes more sense then IEC 60320 c13

There is no reason for a DAC to have a C13 plug even if it is Class I

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

Is that what these LEDs are? They look blue in the photo. I'm anti-OLED or anything that fades or has burn-in. I'm also anti-plastic TRS jack.

I’m pretty sure they are cold white. Even some of the blue LEDs can fade over time. Whether it fades or not is down to how hard they are driving them, and what the duty cycle is. Someone stated the intensity can be controlled in the menu, so that can help tend the life of the display a good bit if it’s turned down. But if they use cheap LED displays they can fade FAST. Can see this on the LED based gas gage in the car. The LEDs indicating lower fill levels are already getting dimmer after a few years of use.

 

[Labjr]

I received an email from Apos today with this hideous looking thing. Has balanced output and an ugly blue OLED display.

https://apos.audio/products/xduoo-m...VcbFGPOtEIVZ6VjrVF6yHfZALJjS8jkGbPNXQ=.Ldk8SW

 

[KxDx]

Ok, from what I can see it looks that these black lines are dead pixels (or a bad controller / zebra strip ? ), but that is I just what I think it looks like.
Controller or strip contact problems should show up more like horizontal or vertical straight lines, so I do not know, maybe it is spread out pixel fading.
The faded displays I have seen have faded all over or suffered from burn-in, not just by some random faded/dead lines. But of course, I have not seen them all, so ok.

I don't have all the pictures, but the dead pixels perfectly match "COAX 1" which was my primary input. It was only 2 years old. I'll be avoiding OLED displays from now on.