SMSL D1SE Balanced ES9038PRO

[astrolug]

The D1se has configurable settings for I2S, i.e. Normal/Inverted, PCM Data/LRCK, Pin 15/Pin 14. The range of available settings looks pretty comprehensive. So it is really disappointing that whatever combination you set, the display reads "No signal".

 

[Volikovvv]

Yes i tried all combinations, different cables - with no luck. According to manual they should work, but they don't. Looks like hardware issue

 

[kiyu]

Yes i tried all combinations, different cables - with no luck. According to manual they should work, but they don't. Looks like hardware issue

have you tried to contact SMSL?
any answer from them?

 

[Volikovvv]

have you tried to contact SMSL?
any answer from them?

Yes, they asked me: i am sure that pins are correct, and then after my response - just silence, no response
Smsl where is the your support?

 

[Volikovvv]

a little update: Communication continued, let's see how it ends. The dac itself is superb, the only issue is with i2s input, and stands, i will change them soon. For other things like usb in and sound to xlr output - sound is stunningly good for me.

 

[alpha_logic]

I just got this DAC, hooked it up through a DDC to I2S - worked without a problem. Maybe there's some compatibility issues with other devices, not sure - my Holo Audio SU-2 KTE, and my ultra-cheap ChiFi $60.00 DDC both work without having to adjust anything on the D1SE, or the DDCs. Great DAC by the way, really impressed with it - the 'Hype' such as it is, is definitively real. Out of the many SMSL DACs I've tried - this is the *first* SMSL DAC I really like, with the exception of the SMSL D300, another great DAC from SMSL.

 

[kiyu]

I just got this DAC, hooked it up through a DDC to I2S - worked without a problem. Maybe there's some compatibility issues with other devices, not sure - my Holo Audio SU-2 KTE, and my ultra-cheap ChiFi $60.00 DDC both work without having to adjust anything on the D1SE, or the DDCs. Great DAC by the way, really impressed with it - the 'Hype' such as it is, is definitively real. Out of the many SMSL DACs I've tried - this is the *first* SMSL DAC I really like, with the exception of the SMSL D300, another great DAC from SMSL.

Just curious which other DAC have you tried?
I am between this one d1se and gustard x18 but not many reviews yet, gustard x18 looks more analytical than d1se, but so far not much info about the gustard,, SINAD is definitely better on the gustard.

 

[alpha_logic]

Just curious which other DAC have you tried?
I am between this one d1se and gustard x18 but not many reviews yet, gustard x18 looks more analytical than d1se, but so far not much info about the gustard,, SINAD is definitely better on the gustard.

Other DACs I currently own: Audio GD R1, Audio GD S17, Denafrips Ares II, SMSL D300, Topping D70s, Topping D50s, Topping E30, Schiit Modius, Gustard X26 Pro, and numerous no-name ChiFi DACs. I've sold a lot more DACs than I currently own, nowadays I only keep what I really like : )
From what I'm hearing so far though, the D1SE is a 'voiced' DAC, and deliberately so. Some may like it, some may not - I happen to like it, very much actually. The D1SE, and also recently the D300 are somewhat of a departure from the 'old' way SMSL developed DACs, where now some effort seems to have been made to actually consider not only how the DAC measures, but also how it sounds. I couldn't tell you how it compares to the Gustard X18, all I know in terms of comparison is that they both measure about the same. A lot has been written about the D1SE in terms of subjective impressions, and I think the soundnews review of this DAC is pretty much spot-on.

 

[Volikovvv]

Other DACs I currently own: Audio GD R1, Audio GD S17, Denafrips Ares II, SMSL D300, Topping D70s, Topping D50s, Topping E30, Schiit Modius, Gustard X26 Pro, and numerous no-name ChiFi DACs

Last year i tested topping e30, E50, d30 pro. Smsl su-8 v2, m8a, su-9, m400(almost all product range lol), denafrips ares 2, topping d90 non mqa, and now d1se, i think d1se beat them all in terms of sound quality. How do you like it in comparison to pricier dacs like Audio-gd r1 or gustard x26 pro?

Looks like my unit is defective, or some range of serial numbers is defective, i tried gustard u16 at my friend house and douk u2 pro at my home and just nothing Smsl still did not offered any solution, sad to say it

 

[kiyu]

Other DACs I currently own: Audio GD R1, Audio GD S17, Denafrips Ares II, SMSL D300, Topping D70s, Topping D50s, Topping E30, Schiit Modius, Gustard X26 Pro, and numerous no-name ChiFi DACs. I've sold a lot more DACs than I currently own, nowadays I only keep what I really like : )
From what I'm hearing so far though, the D1SE is a 'voiced' DAC, and deliberately so. Some may like it, some may not - I happen to like it, very much actually. The D1SE, and also recently the D300 are somewhat of a departure from the 'old' way SMSL developed DACs, where now some effort seems to have been made to actually consider not only how the DAC measures, but also how it sounds. I couldn't tell you how it compares to the Gustard X18, all I know in terms of comparison is that they both measure about the same. A lot has been written about the D1SE in terms of subjective impressions, and I think the soundnews review of this DAC is pretty much spot-on.

Gustard X26 pro most be an excellent dac, unfortunately too much for me, also Denafrip Ares 2, there is a lot of hype over that one, but most be good I guess.
So far I only got the topping Dx7 pro, and my unit got some problems, but apart from that it's a nice dac

 

[alpha_logic]

Last year i tested topping e30, E50, d30 pro. Smsl su-8 v2, m8a, su-9, m400(almost all product range lol), denafrips ares 2, topping d90 non mqa, and now d1se, i think d1se beat them all in terms of sound quality. How do you like it in comparison to pricier dacs like Audio-gd r1 or gustard x26 pro?

Looks like my unit is defective, or some range of serial numbers is defective, i tried gustard u16 at my friend house and douk u2 pro at my home and just nothing Smsl still did not offered any solution, sad to say it

Audio GD DACs are somewhat excentric in terms of design, they're not built to measure well, but almost exclusively to what the proprietor of Audio GD thinks is 'good sound': ) For the most part, I agree with his approach. The R1 is capable of huge dynamic swings coupled with what I would subjectively call a very 'natural' sound, and is the DAC I own that's least dependent on system matching; it just kinda works really well in any system/setup. The D1SE has I think about 80% of what the Gustard X26 Pro offers, in fact I like the 'voicing' better on the D1SE. The Gustard does much better in other areas, but I think where it matters the D1SE and the Gustard are very similar in terms of their approach: SMSL and Gustard both went to apparently great length to avoid 'digital glare', and I think they succeeded.
I agree with you btw - out of the DACs you mentioned, I think the D1SE beats them all in terms of voicing.

 

[alpha_logic]

Gustard X26 pro most be an excellent dac, unfortunately too much for me, also Denafrip Ares 2, there is a lot of hype over that one, but most be good I guess.
So far I only got the topping Dx7 pro, and my unit got some problems, but apart from that it's a nice dac

The ARES II is really good, it's also been measured by Amir, and performs well - so it's a bona-fide well measuring R2R DAC, that also sounds good. It's very different from the D1SE, some people will prefer one or the other depending on listening preferences. I had the DX7 Pro last year, and in case you're wondering I'm not so sure the D1SE would be a viable 'upgrade'

 

[kiyu]

The ARES II is really good, it's also been measured by Amir, and performs well - so it's a bona-fide well measuring R2R DAC, that also sounds good. It's very different from the D1SE, some people will prefer one or the other depending on listening preferences. I had the DX7 Pro last year, and in case you're wondering I'm not so sure the D1SE would be a viable 'upgrade'

objectively they measure quite similar, and they both exceed 115 db, so not possible to hear a difference there.
subjectively, looks like I haven't try the d1se but for all the commends is not as analytical as topping, not super warm, but warmer than d7 pro, wha are you opinions?
should I save money and wait for x26 pro? I will wait for a couple of weeks for the gustard x18, not many reviews or comments only that measure perfectly 2nd on the sinad chart.

 

[astrolug]

Last year i tested topping e30, E50, d30 pro. Smsl su-8 v2, m8a, su-9, m400(almost all product range lol), denafrips ares 2, topping d90 non mqa, and now d1se, i think d1se beat them all in terms of sound quality. How do you like it in comparison to pricier dacs like Audio-gd r1 or gustard x26 pro?

Looks like my unit is defective, or some range of serial numbers is defective, i tried gustard u16 at my friend house and douk u2 pro at my home and just nothing Smsl still did not offered any solution, sad to say it

Disappointing to hear that SMSL has not addressed your enquiry re the I2S problem. You might be right that some units are defective. Since I'm having the same issue, I don't know what to do. Maybe this is covered under warranty?

 

[alpha_logic]

objectively they measure quite similar, and they both exceed 115 db, so not possible to hear a difference there.
subjectively, looks like I haven't try the d1se but for all the commends is not as analytical as topping, not super warm, but warmer than d7 pro, wha are you opinions?
should I save money and wait for x26 pro? I will wait for a couple of weeks for the gustard x18, not many reviews or comments only that measure perfectly 2nd on the sinad chart.

Right - now we get into subjective territory - and I'll try to keep that somewhat terse, because it's just really swampy territory : ) For starters - how can DACs that measure within specs that should make it impossible to hear a difference between them, actually sound different? Can they actually sound different if they measure (almost) the same? If SINAD/SNR are the only metrics that matter, why don't we all just get a Topping D10s or an SMSL SU-6 and be done with it? Obviously, most people even on this forum wouldn't do that, even though from a dollar-per-performance metric, that would be the only logical thing to do. IMO the answer is that a DAC is not only a DAC, but also an amplifier, and that amplifier has an analog output stage, and that analog output stage will respond differently to a 'real' load vs. a 'synthetic' load, and therefore sound different from one DAC to another.
Nobody 'listens' to a DAC, they listen to an entire signal path, within the DAC, and the rest of the downstream signal chain.

So a 'warm' DAC - what does that mean? To most people, a 'warm' DAC will resolve treble information without being harsh or excessive. Strictly speaking though, that's not the job of a DAC; the DAC is supposed to render everything in a recording, without adding or subtracting anything. Subjective terms like 'warm' mean different things to different people - some people will run a system that doesn't resolve much treble, their speakers might roll of above 10khz, or they have other components which will attenuate treble resolution. Then there's the human factor - some people are more tolerant of treble, others have hearing loss - actually prefer more treble etc. etc. In the end, 'warm' means different things to different people, and is therefore purely subjective. In the end, I think rather than talking about 'warm' DACs I think it makes more sense to talk about recordings with high levels of treble; be it either that they're bad recordings, or just feature lots of treble.

Some DAC manufacturers have long caught on to this 'treble problem' - hence the market for R2R DACs etc.
SMSL and Topping only recently started to engineer their products not only according to measurements but also subjective sound signatures; for example custom sound profiles on some recent SMSL DACs, where the sound profiles inject either even, odd or both order harmonics into the signal, like on the D1SE. And of course, the 'tuning' of recent DACs by SMSL or Topping goes further than that - a lot of attention goes into the 'tuning' of the analog output stage, at least compared to just a few years ago. I've seen posts on this forum by John Yang, where he describes in detail the different sound characteristics of different opamps in the output stage, now some would call that heresy - however, since he's an audio engineer who does this sort of thing for a living, I'd be careful to dismiss his findings on the topic.

Coming back to the Topping DX7 Pro - I had it, and I couldn't make it work in my target system. Not the fault of the DX7 though - that DAC is just outright fantastic, and only resolves what is in the recording. Problem is, all my other gear in the target system downstream is also highly resolving, and crappy recordings will sound - well, crappy.
In essence then, I really never have a problem with most DACs I buy, but rather the eclectic mix of recordings I Iisten to - most of which are recorded without special attention to 'mastering', in terms of sound quality, or 'excessive treble'. As a result, some DACs work better for me, not because they're 'warm' or 'bright', but because they have an analog output stage which - on my mostly crappy source material - will attenuate treble ... somewhat.

I think the Gustard X26 Pro is the kind of TOTL DAC that does everything well, and nothing wrong. Yes, just like any other DAC some things could be better - like the timbre, I think the D1SE for example does that slightly better. I wouldn't call it warm or bright though - again, that's subjective - but what I can tell you is that I can listen to it without getting tired of it - for hours at a time, and the rest of my system 'scales up' when I attach it; i.e. bass impact hits harder, transients are sharper, and the treble is somewhat rolled off compared to other DACs. And again, that's a very subjective impression specific to my reference system - pop the X26 into your average near-field/desktop system, and I very much doubt it would sound much different from say a Topping D10s in the same near-field setup : )

If you want to upgrade, and not spend the money on the X26 Pro, I think you can not go wrong with the Gustard X18 - not only does it measure well, but looking at the internals, specifically the I/V conversion stage, I think that's a really well engineered product. Just like Topping and SMSL, Gustard is another manufacturer that pays attention to the 'sound signature' of their DACs. Would I recommend the X26 Pro over the X18, and D1SE? I can't speak in detail to the X18, since I don't own it - but - finally when it comes to the D1SE - what you get is so damn well balanced and performant, I honestly don't see the need to spend more. So no - unless you have a really TOTL system which will literally resolve pins dropping, and is capable of huge dynamic swings - don't bother with the X26 Pro, it's not worth it. Unless you have the system to match it, you won't get the very marginal benefits the X26 Pro *might* have over say the D1SE, and - maybe - the X18.

Hopefully you'll find this useful - to sum it up - no, unless you have or want to build the system to go with it - don't get the X26 Pro. If excessive treble resolution is a problem, chances are you would like the D1SE, and maybe - the X18. Caveat emptor: I think both of these DACs are probably more of a 'sidegrade' compared to the DX7, but in case of the X18 I might be wrong.

 

[kiyu]

Right - now we get into subjective territory - and I'll try to keep that somewhat terse, because it's just really swampy territory : ) For starters - how can DACs that measure within specs that should make it impossible to hear a difference between them, actually sound different? Can they actually sound different if they measure (almost) the same? If SINAD/SNR are the only metrics that matter, why don't we all just get a Topping D10s or an SMSL SU-6 and be done with it? Obviously, most people even on this forum wouldn't do that, even though from a dollar-per-performance metric, that would be the only logical thing to do. IMO the answer is that a DAC is not only a DAC, but also an amplifier, and that amplifier has an analog output stage, and that analog output stage will respond differently to a 'real' load vs. a 'synthetic' load, and therefore sound different from one DAC to another.
Nobody 'listens' to a DAC, they listen to an entire signal path, within the DAC, and the rest of the downstream signal chain.

So a 'warm' DAC - what does that mean? To most people, a 'warm' DAC will resolve treble information without being harsh or excessive. Strictly speaking though, that's not the job of a DAC; the DAC is supposed to render everything in a recording, without adding or subtracting anything. Subjective terms like 'warm' mean different things to different people - some people will run a system that doesn't resolve much treble, their speakers might roll of above 10khz, or they have other components which will attenuate treble resolution. Then there's the human factor - some people are more tolerant of treble, others have hearing loss - actually prefer more treble etc. etc. In the end, 'warm' means different things to different people, and is therefore purely subjective. In the end, I think rather than talking about 'warm' DACs I think it makes more sense to talk about recordings with high levels of treble; be it either that they're bad recordings, or just feature lots of treble.

Some DAC manufacturers have long caught on to this 'treble problem' - hence the market for R2R DACs etc.
SMSL and Topping only recently started to engineer their products not only according to measurements but also subjective sound signatures; for example custom sound profiles on some recent SMSL DACs, where the sound profiles inject either even, odd or both order harmonics into the signal, like on the D1SE. And of course, the 'tuning' of recent DACs by SMSL or Topping goes further than that - a lot of attention goes into the 'tuning' of the analog output stage, at least compared to just a few years ago. I've seen posts on this forum by John Yang, where he describes in detail the different sound characteristics of different opamps in the output stage, now some would call that heresy - however, since he's an audio engineer who does this sort of thing for a living, I'd be careful to dismiss his findings on the topic.

Coming back to the Topping DX7 Pro - I had it, and I couldn't make it work in my target system. Not the fault of the DX7 though - that DAC is just outright fantastic, and only resolves what is in the recording. Problem is, all my other gear in the target system downstream is also highly resolving, and crappy recordings will sound - well, crappy.
In essence then, I really never have a problem with most DACs I buy, but rather the eclectic mix of recordings I Iisten to - most of which are recorded without special attention to 'mastering', in terms of sound quality, or 'excessive treble'. As a result, some DACs work better for me, not because they're 'warm' or 'bright', but because they have an analog output stage which - on my mostly crappy source material - will attenuate treble ... somewhat.

I think the Gustard X26 Pro is the kind of TOTL DAC that does everything well, and nothing wrong. Yes, just like any other DAC some things could be better - like the timbre, I think the D1SE for example does that slightly better. I wouldn't call it warm or bright though - again, that's subjective - but what I can tell you is that I can listen to it without getting tired of it - for hours at a time, and the rest of my system 'scales up' when I attach it; i.e. bass impact hits harder, transients are sharper, and the treble is somewhat rolled off compared to other DACs. And again, that's a very subjective impression specific to my reference system - pop the X26 into your average near-field/desktop system, and I very much doubt it would sound much different from say a Topping D10s in the same near-field setup : )

If you want to upgrade, and not spend the money on the X26 Pro, I think you can not go wrong with the Gustard X18 - not only does it measure well, but looking at the internals, specifically the I/V conversion stage, I think that's a really well engineered product. Just like Topping and SMSL, Gustard is another manufacturer that pays attention to the 'sound signature' of their DACs. Would I recommend the X26 Pro over the X18, and D1SE? I can't speak in detail to the X18, since I don't own it - but - finally when it comes to the D1SE - what you get is so damn well balanced and performant, I honestly don't see the need to spend more. So no - unless you have a really TOTL system which will literally resolve pins dropping, and is capable of huge dynamic swings - don't bother with the X26 Pro, it's not worth it. Unless you have the system to match it, you won't get the very marginal benefits the X26 Pro *might* have over say the D1SE, and - maybe - the X18.

Hopefully you'll find this useful - to sum it up - no, unless you have or want to build the system to go with it - don't get the X26 Pro. If excessive treble resolution is a problem, chances are you would like the D1SE, and maybe - the X18. Caveat emptor: I think both of these DACs are probably more of a 'sidegrade' compared to the DX7, but in case of the X18 I might be wrong.

wooahhh, THank you so much!!
your description was incredible, goldensound also mentioned some similar stuff, x26 does almost everything amazing except for the timber, d1se really good all-rounder, especially for less than 1000$,
I will still wait a couple of weeks until some new owners appear on the Gustard x18 and share their opinion, the design looks really good, well is still not a full picture of the board, but in general, looks great.

I guess is also important as we are comparing different products to compare also the bad stuff..
SMSL support is not always the best or responding really fast, remember the problem with m500 vk1 3rd harmonic issue or s9 same problem, here volikovvv with i2s issues and no response.

Gustard x18 is still not on their website (really?)and the only review so far on youtube, there is an incompatibility issue using i2s, , not even SSL(certificate) on the website.. also, they are 1 or 2 firmware updates for gustard x26, where can you find those, on their website support, nope, here in ASR forum.. again not great..
Topping I got too many problems with them, they replied really fast and John was a lifesaver but still, I got issues with dsd/dsf fails also with files 96k PCM (flac) with D7 pro, I also bought the topping L30 in October 2021, the problem with L30 was long gone by that time or I least that was I thought, I mean, the problem with l30 was discovered 1 or 2 years ago, guess what? they sent me a unit with the problem, not the updated version.. ( and the first answer for hifigo was, "Red unit don't have that problem, you are good" .... thanks to John I found out that that was not true(or a big lie), and after several emails coming and going they sent me a new unit which I replaced for L50 and pay the difference),

 

[alpha_logic]

wooahhh, THank you so much!!
your description was incredible, goldensound also mentioned some similar stuff, x26 does almost everything amazing except for the timber, d1se really good all-rounder, especially for less than 1000$,
I will still wait a couple of weeks until some new owners appear on the Gustard x18 and share their opinion, the design looks really good, well is still not a full picture of the board, but in general, looks great.

I guess is also important as we are comparing different products to compare also the bad stuff..
SMSL support is not always the best or responding really fast, remember the problem with m500 vk1 3rd harmonic issue or s9 same problem, here volikovvv with i2s issues and no response.

Gustard x18 is still not on their website (really?)and the only review so far on youtube, there is an incompatibility issue using i2s, , not even SSL(certificate) on the website.. also, they are 1 or 2 firmware updates for gustard x26, where can you find those, on their website support, nope, here in ASR forum.. again not great..
Topping I got too many problems with them, they replied really fast and John was a lifesaver but still, I got issues with dsd/dsf fails also with files 96k PCM (flac) with D7 pro, I also bought the topping L30 in October 2021, the problem with L30 was long gone by that time or I least that was I thought, I mean, the problem with l30 was discovered 1 or 2 years ago, guess what? they sent me a unit with the problem, not the updated version.. ( and the first answer for hifigo was, "Red unit don't have that problem, you are good" .... thanks to John I found out that that was not true(or a big lie), and after several emails coming and going they sent me a new unit which I replaced for L50 and pay the difference),

Yes, that's the problem with the rapid release cycle that Topping and SMSL follow: 'Old' products - and that can mean products that have been released as recently as six months ago - don't get the support they need, since the engineering and product teams are constantly being re-assigned to the next, hot new product : ) I can't say I like that, and eventually that will come back to bite them in the rear-end - in the case of product sold though Amazon it probably already does, due to Amazon's easy return policy. It's a bit outrageous that volikovvv and other users are pretty much left hanging here, hopefully they'll get some support. Best protection against lack of support - buy only from retailers that have a fast and easy return policy.

 

[Volikovvv]

Amazon it probably already does, due to Amazon's

I don't have possibility to purchase from Amazon. I purchased from schenzhenaudio.com

 

[alpha_logic]

I don't have possibility to purchase from Amazon. I purchased from schenzhenaudio.com

Yeah, I understand - I try to avoid buying from them, or Aoshida, HiFigo etc. - for that very reason. I don't particularly like Amazon either, but for this type of scenario they work well.

 

[Volikovvv]

a little update: Communication continued, let's see how it ends

This situation ended with - silence, no answer or any solution. The second time I encounter the smsl service and, unfortunately, the conclusion is: there is no smsl guarantee. Thank you Smsl ans Shenzhenaudio