SMSL D1 - ROHM DAC for everyone

[Panelhead]

The plastic core are fine. I had not used Toslink for 20 years until getting a WiiM Mini. The gimme WiiM cable was fine. Found some glass cables in cable room. Checked visually to see all the strands. Worked the same at one or two meters.
Used a cheap microscope to check cables. The glass has 100’s of fibers. Plastic has one. Read where cable sellers say the ends are polished to reduce bounce back and jitter.
Looked at five plastic Toslink cables to see if any are polished. None were perfect. But one looked like I had chewed it in two. The really bad looking cable works fine.

 

[Grovkalle]

i recently got a couple of very short toslink cables from AE, for connecting WiiM Ultra to Vibelink , both work perfectly fine
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32375632470.html (D4, 18cm)

What was wrong with the toslink cable supplied in the box, with the Wiim Ultra? I use this between my Ultra and my Vibelink and have so far not detected any issues

 

[Roland68]

What was wrong with the toslink cable supplied in the box, with the Wiim Ultra? I use this between my Ultra and my Vibelink and have so far not detected any issues

He didn't say anything about that.
He simply ordered shorter cables, probably significantly shorter than the one included, and shared his experience and where to get them.

 

[anonyless]

What was wrong with the toslink cable supplied in the box, with the Wiim Ultra? I use this between my Ultra and my Vibelink and have so far not detected any issues

nothing, i don't have where to hide the standard 1.5m toslink cable in my Vibelink/Ultra/PL150 setup. Also using short stereo 3.5mm cable that came with Chromecast Audio, as remote trigger between them..fits perfectly

 

[Grovkalle]

He didn't say anything about that.
He simply ordered shorter cables, probably significantly shorter than the one included, and shared his experience and where to get them.

Aaah, he just wanted some shorter ones. I was a bit confused because when I just took a quick look at the picture it looked just like the one supplied.
Now you made me want a shorter one as well... still talking about optical cables

 

[threej]

Well, having had the D1 for a few days now and comparing it to Topping E50 I can't say I notice any difference on the desktop system
It might reveal something if I try it out on the main system (and louder volume) but for now I think the purchase was unnecessary, but at least not expensive

Switched a new D1 in and out with an SU-1 repeatedly and came to a similar conclusion -- keeping the SU-1 and sending the D1 back. Not a blind test, but as good as I could manage -- same volume (assuming correctness of their identical output ratings) and same music selections -- and I found it very hard to define any difference. I do prefer the aluminum face and physical button of the SU-1.

 

[amanieux]

Switched a new D1 in and out with an SU-1 repeatedly and came to a similar conclusion -- keeping the SU-1 and sending the D1 back. Not a blind test, but as good as I could manage -- same volume (assuming correctness of their identical output ratings) and same music selections -- and I found it very hard to define any difference. I do prefer the aluminum face and physical button of the SU-1.

welcome to the club of the "dacs don't matter that much" for us, the 99% that do not have a golden ear, they all sound slightly different but it is just "different" and not "better"

 

[Bleib]

Switched a new D1 in and out with an SU-1 repeatedly and came to a similar conclusion -- keeping the SU-1 and sending the D1 back. Not a blind test, but as good as I could manage -- same volume (assuming correctness of their identical output ratings) and same music selections -- and I found it very hard to define any difference. I do prefer the aluminum face and physical button of the SU-1.

As it's now I'd recommend PS200 for two reasons: The led lights are less bright than on SU1 plus added BT support.

 

[sabih]

can anyone confirm which opamps are used in D1?

 

[GiuPT]

Adding my data point to the thread. I received my D1 last week and have been running it in my desktop system (PC USB -> D1 -> Fosi ZP3 -> KEF LS50 + Sub).

I can't comment on the loose Toslink issue as I'm using USB exclusively, which was the main draw for me. The ability to get this level of measured performance from a single USB-C cable for both power and data is a huge functional win for keeping my desk setup clean. The D1's internal power filtering seems very effective; the noise floor is subjectively inaudible with zero hiss from the PC's 5V rail.

If I had to point out a compromise for the minimalist design and price point, it would be the front panel. The touch-sensitive buttons for power and input selection aren't my favorite; they lack tactile feedback and I occasionally brush them by accident. A simple physical button would have been preferable, even if it broke the completely flat aesthetic.

That minor usability gripe aside, the audio output is impeccably clean. While I wouldn't claim to hear the difference between a SINAD of 115 vs 120, what I can say is the D1 is completely transparent and free of any audible glare on revealing speakers. For me, the value proposition is the combination of state-of-the-art performance in a compact, practical, and bus-powered form factor. It's a very compelling device, despite the finicky touch controls.

 

[JanL]

Here is my 5 cents about this device.
I have been using two different CS41131 based dongles (Moondrop Dawn Pro and the TRN Black Pearl ) to drive my desktop analog Class A headphone amplifier into Audio Technica ATH-R70Xa. I used 3.5mm TRS to RCA cables.
Both dongles had a digital hash/ground loop issues in this setup. The TRN was better than the Moondrop by a few dB. It was not a very prominent noise, but it was audible with higher volumes. So I decided to get a DAC with a separate power supply and hopefully get rid of the ground loop and digital switching noise.
This little DAC came up in the search and I found it for $71.00 on Amazon so I grabbed it.
Today I tied into my system using a dedicated USB power supply (not using the computer for power) and optical SPDIF signal from an RME audio interface.

First of all it's dead quiet. I can turn the volume on the headphone amp to the max and I can't hear any hiss. So that's a win right there.
Second, the first impression is that the sound has a different character than the dongles. Whereas the CS41131 DAC has this top end detail and clarity to it, the Rohm DAC seems to be a touch softer in the treble and the low mids and bass are more distinct. Not louder, but different. Overall a very pleasant sound.
It's just the first listening impression, but in this short experience I definitely like what I hear. This little DAC is a keeper.

 

[JSmith]

Second, the first impression is that the sound has a different character than the dongles. Whereas the CS41131 DAC has this top end detail and clarity to it, the Rohm DAC seems to be a touch softer in the treble and the low mids and bass are more distinct. Not louder, but different. Overall a very pleasant sound.

... and how did you arrive at this conclusion?


JSmith

 

[amanieux]

Here is my 5 cents about this device.
I have been using two different CS41131 based dongles (Moondrop Dawn Pro and the TRN Black Pearl ) to drive my desktop analog Class A headphone amplifier into Audio Technica ATH-R70Xa. I used 3.5mm TRS to RCA cables.
Both dongles had a digital hash/ground loop issues in this setup. The TRN was better than the Moondrop by a few dB. It was not a very prominent noise, but it was audible with higher volumes. So I decided to get a DAC with a separate power supply and hopefully get rid of the ground loop and digital switching noise.
This little DAC came up in the search and I found it for $71.00 on Amazon so I grabbed it.
Today I tied into my system using a dedicated USB power supply (not using the computer for power) and optical SPDIF signal from an RME audio interface.

First of all it's dead quiet. I can turn the volume on the headphone amp to the max and I can't hear any hiss. So that's a win right there.
Second, the first impression is that the sound has a different character than the dongles. Whereas the CS41131 DAC has this top end detail and clarity to it, the Rohm DAC seems to be a touch softer in the treble and the low mids and bass are more distinct. Not louder, but different. Overall a very pleasant sound.
It's just the first listening impression, but in this short experience I definitely like what I hear. This little DAC is a keeper.

have you tried stopping a 90% volume on your dongle dacs to lower the noise floor from the dongle dac itself ? thd+n goes up between 90% and 100% volume as you can see below

 

[amanieux]

Here is my 5 cents about this device.
I have been using two different CS41131 based dongles (Moondrop Dawn Pro and the TRN Black Pearl ) to drive my desktop analog Class A headphone amplifier into Audio Technica ATH-R70Xa. I used 3.5mm TRS to RCA cables.
Both dongles had a digital hash/ground loop issues in this setup. The TRN was better than the Moondrop by a few dB. It was not a very prominent noise, but it was audible with higher volumes. So I decided to get a DAC with a separate power supply and hopefully get rid of the ground loop and digital switching noise.
This little DAC came up in the search and I found it for $71.00 on Amazon so I grabbed it.
Today I tied into my system using a dedicated USB power supply (not using the computer for power) and optical SPDIF signal from an RME audio interface.

First of all it's dead quiet. I can turn the volume on the headphone amp to the max and I can't hear any hiss. So that's a win right there.
Second, the first impression is that the sound has a different character than the dongles. Whereas the CS41131 DAC has this top end detail and clarity to it, the Rohm DAC seems to be a touch softer in the treble and the low mids and bass are more distinct. Not louder, but different. Overall a very pleasant sound.
It's just the first listening impression, but in this short experience I definitely like what I hear. This little DAC is a keeper.

to separate ground loop from digital harshness, have tried unplugging your music source from the ac plug ( laptop or phone running from it's battery while doing the test)

 

[JanL]

have you tried stopping a 90% volume on your dongle dacs to lower the noise floor from the dongle dac itself ? thd+n goes up between 90% and 100% volume as you can see below

It's not distortion that was the problem. They would make audible hash/switching noise when no music was playing. Typical dirty ground loop problem. And I didn't want to lift the electrical ground on the amplifier because it's a safety issue. It would most likely reduce the hash dramatically, but not kill it totally.

 

[JanL]

to separate ground loop from digital harshness, have tried unplugging your music source from the ac plug ( laptop or phone running from it's battery while doing the test)

No, but what's the point? I can't have the system operate on battery for more than a few hours at a time, so it would not be a good solution other than confirmation of the existence of ground loops. I could have lifted the electrical ground on the amplifier side and it would have helped, but that's not a safe long term solution either.

 

[JanL]

... and how did you arrive at this conclusion?


JSmith

The clue is in the word "impression". It's an important part of what makes us what we are. One could argue that we are listening to music mainly for that one reason.

 

[JSmith]

One could argue that we are listening to music

Exactly... listen to the music, instead of trying to find differences between DAC's without any fast switching or level matching. We don't listen to DAC's and only potentially hear differences when very poor or fundamentally broken... they don't have a "sound", it's just a DAC.


JSmith

 

[anonyless]

Exactly... listen to the music, instead of trying to find differences between DAC's without any fast switching or level matching. We don't listen to DAC's and only potentially hear differences when very poor or fundamentally broken... they don't have a "sound", it's just a DAC.


JSmith

he bought an (not very expensive) audio equipment that solved a problem for him, and on the way , finds it to sound better according to his ears/brain. why are you having hard time with it? call it listening bias or whatever, sometimes new hardware makes us happy
oh and spare me the upcoming AudioFeelingsrReview.com joke

 

[JSmith]

why are you having hard time with it?

Those types of comments just perpetuate myths about audio, nothing personal.


JSmith