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Deleted member 93733
Guest
Did the guy in that video really refer to the D200 as an amp? At 02:39 minutes in he definitely says it’s an amp! I switched off after that, I’m sorry.
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SMSL D200 DAC Review
- Thread starter NTTY
- Start date
OP
- Thread Starter
- #202
Funny thing you consider testing the one I recommend to stay away.
VientoB
Major Contributor
I'll take it.
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Deleted member 93733
Guest
How are you defining “sound better”? I couldn’t be arsed setting my D1 up to test because i already know what the outcome will be.
it sounded cleaner without losing micro nuances of the song. bass is MUCH tighter. i have a/b'd close to 1hour trying to convince myself that d200 is better until i gave up haha. my set up is genelec 8030c with 7050c sub playing through a desktop with foobar. i matched the volume with an app from android phone ( decible X ). one thing to note is that i got an adaptor converting rca to xlr to my sub for the audioengine D1 while d200 is using fully balanced wiring. I am also someone who believes in IEM wires and can hear the differences easily so my ears are working properly.
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Deleted member 93733
Guest
It’s stuff like this that makes me appreciate the test data. Thanks for your thoughts though.
oleg87
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Welcome to ASR, you may trust your ears, we do not.
Svend P
Addicted to Fun and Learning
You should read this thread to get a better understanding of where we are coming from:
How can DAC's have a SOUND SIGNATURE if they measure as transparent?
I know there are people out there that think cables affect sound, which is much worse, but there really is no response to something like that, but just to smile and nod. But what about people who talk about DACS as if they were headphone drivers or speakers, and talk about the SOUNDSTAGE...
www.audiosciencereview.com
OP
- Thread Starter
- #211
And you registered only to say that?
Into the ignored list.
I guess the free d200 u got from Aoshidaudio.com won't allow opinions. Still got to thank you for the effort on data, can't take that away. After briefly browsing through the entire forum I guess it is indeed a data forum, and I'm in the wrong place posting about subjectivity-related opinions. For that, I will apologise to everyone, but I'll still leave my comments in this thread to warn others about purchasing this unit for powered monitors. I'm here seeking answers but got semi-hostile and sarcastic responses which are quite amusing to me haha.
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Deleted member 93733
Guest
Nobody is meaning to be hostile towards you, but you have literally just joined ASR and immediately began posting your SUBJECTIVE opinion on products. Worse than that you are attempting to dissuade others from buying a product based on your subjective impressions and a Youtube video you have sought out to validate your opinion. It is a shame it hasn’t worked out for you here. There is a lot to learn in the world of audio (40 years and still learning for me) but trust me, learning is cheaper (and fun) in the long run than blindly pursuing that golden sound. All the best and good luck!
Roland68
Master Contributor
Something doesn't quite add up there, though.
For one thing, we’ve conducted several properly level-matched blind tests with the D200, comparing it against other DACs across various price ranges. The D200 consistently ranked among the best units.
I know over 20 people who use this DAC in their high-quality, rather expensive systems—partly because of the volume control.
They all made their decision only after several listening sessions and were initially very skeptical due to the price. In some cases, the D200 replaced DACs costing several thousand euros.
That’s why I find your statement a bit odd—especially since I once compared the older 2012 Audioengine D1 with the LH Labs Geek Pulse, and the Audioengine D1 didn't make a good impression back then.
You should rule out the possibility of a defect in the D200.
Theamoebason
Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2020
- Messages
- 17
- Likes
- 15
Its a shame this hardware volume cant be controlled from the volume control in moode audio, where it seems limited to software volume.
Theamoebason
Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2020
- Messages
- 17
- Likes
- 15
Forgive me if I dont understand properly but when testing the hardware/software volume differences what bit rates were being used?
My perhaps incomplete understanding is that if using software volume for a 16bit file that has been converted to 24 or higher then the quality loss should be negligible?
I was hoping to bypass any potential issue here by using the hardware volume. I thought i would able to control this from Moode audio via USB. Unfortunately it seems this functionality isn't available in moode as I can only select software volume of fixed...the hardware option isn't available.
My perhaps incomplete understanding is that if using software volume for a 16bit file that has been converted to 24 or higher then the quality loss should be negligible?
I was hoping to bypass any potential issue here by using the hardware volume. I thought i would able to control this from Moode audio via USB. Unfortunately it seems this functionality isn't available in moode as I can only select software volume of fixed...the hardware option isn't available.
Thanks for the review! Quick question @NTTY mentioned in the earlier page that it is recommended to adjust the volume using the knob rather than digital. But I'm not sure I understand how to adjust the volume digitally using the D200. Do you mean like before the DAC, like from the source? And the knob (and remote) will use the NJU72315 IC, which is the recommended way, right?
Roland68
Master Contributor
Digital volume control is not possible on the D200 itself.
That would have to be done externally, before the DAC.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #219
I indeed wrote that because the volume control is very precise at the analog output, happening after the conversion, and guarantees higher resolution than digitally reducing the input. And that requires to reduce the digital input, before it goes to the DAC, exact.
Got it, thanks!
Interesting, I saw something similar with the Fiio's K lineup, using an IC after the DAC for the volume control. Makes me wonder what other DACs uses as volume control when they don't specify it. Probably in the DAC chip itself maybe (?).
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