SMSL D200 DAC Review

[proud]

True. One day you'll get it.

I head you.
If I set the volume on my headphones to exactly the same level at 1 kHz, all DACs will sound exactly the same. Any differences are simply a matter of imagination, mood, and expectation bias.
Thank you.

 

[RandomEar]

The fact that the Earth is round also came as a surprise to many. Some were even burned at the stake for it..

Funny that you mention that. Those who actually measured the earth's characteristics already knew it was (roughly) a sphere

 

[Roland_606]

What exactly can be the source of error when comparing loudness levels?
Is it really that difficult to measure a 1 kHz sine wave?
What exactly in the system can lead to unacceptable errors in obtaining the correct result?

Let's say the error of the microphone + app is 10%. How will this affect a simple comparison of two levels, especially since this was confirmed by parallel measurements of the signal's electrical parameters?

If you had actually bothered to have a read of the document i had provided a link to on the thread that you linked to in your earlier post, you would at least have a deeper insight into how difficult it is to set up a reliable test. But as it stands, clearly you know better (hence the faceplant emoji?) than a qualified professional acoustic engineer who has undertaken numerous tests for research purposes. Actually I thought your initial question about equal loudness was you just trolling and that is why nobody answered you. Clearly you genuinely were that new to it all.

 

[proud]

If you had actually bothered to have a read of the document i had provided a link to on the thread that you linked to in your earlier post, you would at least have a deeper insight into how difficult it is to set up a reliable test. But as it stands, clearly you know better (hence the faceplant emoji?) than a qualified professional acoustic engineer who has undertaken numerous tests for research purposes. Actually I thought your initial question about equal loudness was you just trolling and that is why nobody answered you. Clearly you genuinely were that new to it all.

Please could you answer my questions without getting personal?.. Thanks

 

[conuss]

The fact that the Earth is round also came as a surprise to many. Some were even burned at the stake for it..

If I set the volume on my headphones to exactly the same level at 1 kHz, all DACs will sound exactly the same.

Please could you answer my questions without getting personal?.. Thanks

Stop lying. You haven't tested EVERY D-A converter in existence THAT WAY, so don't pass off your armchair theories as universal law. And regarding your avatar: what's exactly between those headphones? It looks like a globe, but if there’s enough inside your, allegedly spherical, head to help you figure this out, try to settle these two points first before lecturing others. Okay?

 

[RickS]

Let’s watch our tone and focus on objective discourse please!

 

[proud]

If I set the volume on my headphones to exactly the same level at 1 kHz, all DACs will sound exactly the same.

Stop lying. You haven't tested EVERY D-A converter in existence THAT WAY, so don't pass off your armchair theories as universal law.

Sorry, but apparently, you were the only one who took my sarcasm seriously...)

And regarding your avatar: what's exactly between those headphones? It looks like a globe, but if there’s enough inside your, allegedly spherical, head to help you figure this out, try to settle these two points first before lecturing others. Okay?

I consider your communication style unacceptable and contrary to the forum rules. If you continue to make such aggressive statements towards me, I will be forced to add you to my ignore list.

It would be great if you could tell me how the story with the humming transformer of your SMSL D200 ended? Especially since I've discovered that there's actually a problem with the power supply.

 

[drewdawg999]

Which model are you talking about, the SMSL D-6? It uses an ESS chip and doesn't have a direct DSD.

The old D-6 uses an AKM chip, the newer D-6s uses ESS. I did find a list of bit-perfect DSD DACs on audiophilestyle, and the D-6 was on there. I think I'll stick with it for now, but I do like the styling of the D200. (The above link doesn't work so well, have to scroll... But the SMSL DACs that qualify are: D-6, M400, D400 EX (AKM); D1, D200, D300, VMV D2R (Rohm))

Yes, I constantly review measurement results in this area of interest on other forums. But these measurements are done primarily to be 100% certain that direct DSD is being used, and not some kind of conversion or processing. Some manufacturers don't provide specific information about DSD.

They're sometimes hush hush, like with the D400 Pro, which has a DSD bypass mode that I found out does extra processing. That was my dream DAC but I'm crossing it off my list. Can't trust the manuals either.

I also started from the same starting point 6 years ago...
Please read the DSD discussion in more detail on other forums, and you will see that my setup tips may be useful.
Yes, it does require additional investment, but with the right approach it may not be that expensive.

I believe I'm sticking with the free solution in foobar2000, as I don't run Linux and don't think I'll have an NAA anytime soon. HQPlayer is an extra expense, along with faster hardware. Gotta land the D200 first, and I've been happy with DSD and PCM without upsampling. I did read almost the whole long thread on Roon, found it very interesting. They generally don't respect DSD on here and don't pursue its bit-perfect performance.

 

[proud]

I believe I'm sticking with the free solution in foobar2000, as I don't run Linux and don't think I'll have an NAA anytime soon. HQPlayer is an extra expense, along with faster hardware.

I've never stopped using Foobar2000. This player is indispensable for quick viewing, tag editing, dynamic range testing, clipping checks, and more...
For DSD playback and upsampling, I recommend using the plugins from this resource. This Spectrum Analyzer is also quite interesting and informative.

 

[conuss]

Sorry, but apparently, you were the only one who took my sarcasm seriously...)

It's too late to apologize, others simply ignored your "authoritative" statement ).

I consider your communication style unacceptable and contrary to the forum rules. If you continue to make such aggressive statements towards me, I will be forced to add you to my ignore list.

And you consider making such unsubstantiated statements respectful of the participants of a scientific forum, right?Why warn me? Don't hold back, just calmly do what you think is necessary, okay?

It would be great if you could tell me how the story with the humming transformer of your SMSL D200 ended? Especially since I've discovered that there's actually a problem with the power supply.

Have you shared this problem of yours? Where?! Others replied that there was no problem with the earth in the network. Now remember what my problem is and how easy it is to set up such a network. I just don't bring my ear closer to the dac in complete silence than 3 cm - and the "problem" has resolved.

 

[proud]

I just don't bring my ear closer to the dac in complete silence than 3 cm - and the "problem" has resolved.

The thing is, I once had an error in the switching circuit responsible for selecting the supply voltage. I don't know if it was a faulty power supply or something wrong with my network. Perhaps there was a short-term DC current.
How did you determine that you had this, and what DC voltage value did you get when you measured it?

 

[conuss]

The thing is, I once had an error in the switching circuit responsible for selecting the supply voltage. I don't know if it was a faulty power supply or something wrong with my network. Perhaps there was a short-term DC current.
How did you determine that you had this, and what DC voltage value did you get when you measured it?

My mains voltage is a rock-solid 220V, no issues there, and the DAC performs its duties flawlessly. I’ve even made peace with the redundant features like BT and XLR. More importantly, based on my subjective impression, the impact on the sound character has been fully justified.
As for the transformer: it’s not a 'hum' per se, but rather a barely audible trace of a hum that I only noticed due to my picky, cranky old-school audiophile nature. I like to think the unit is just 'forgiving' me for the lack of a proper ground pin in my outlet. To reiterate: I suspect some DC offset in my two-wire grid is the culprit, though I haven't officially tested for it yet. Honestly, anyone else probably wouldn't even notice this faint buzzing; it’s that insignificant

 

[aiken]

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare D200 with the older SMSL D300 model? D300 is based on the ROHM BD34301EKV chip, which is positioned as the flagship in the line. The special feature of D300 was that it reproduced sound in DSD format much more efficiently than PCM. Is there any difference in sound quality between PCM and DSD playback on the D200 model?

The problem with D300 was also that after DSD playback via usb and switching to another digital input, there was no sound, which required turning off and turning on the DAC. Does the D200 DAC have such a problem?

 

[thon]

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare D200 with the older SMSL D300 model? D300 is based on the ROHM BD34301EKV chip, which is positioned as the flagship in the line. The special feature of D300 was that it reproduced sound in DSD format much more efficiently than PCM. Is there any difference in sound quality between PCM and DSD playback on the D200 model?

The problem with D300 was also that after DSD playback via usb and switching to another digital input, there was no sound, which required turning off and turning on the DAC. Does the D200 DAC have such a problem?

ROHM DAC chips, just like some AKM and TI chips, provide a direct DSD path: with DSD input the DAC bypasses internal oversampling and SDM modulator and only a final reconstruction filter is applied right before conversion to analog (see attachment.)
So in this regard PCM input and DSD input are technically different due to the different routing through the DAC architecture.
From a standpoint of "purity" with DSD input the output of the DAC is "truer" to the source than PCM, so to say.
In how far this is audible or "preferable" is another question. I for one feed all my SDM-DACs with HiRes DSD so that the DACs internal processing is bypassed (or reduced to the max in case of ESS chips that do not provide a direct DSD path).
If you want so: I do all DSP processing on the computer (source) side and the DACs just run in idle mode for conversion to analog.
When comparing PCM vs. DSD be aware that DSD output is almost always lower in gain (didn't measure it, but I guess possibly something around -3dB on the SMSL D200).
However, all in all - don't worry about the SQ or any firmware bugs - the D200 is a great DAC (either in PCM or DSD mode).

 

[Panelhead]

The output is 4dB lower. I forget why.

 

[Progronom]

Hi!
I found a bug. The volume control is as follows (according to the display, in 0.5 increments): 0.0 ... - 59.5 ... MUTE. That is, the minimum level is 59.5, and the next step is MUTE, meaning there's no signal.However, even at 59.5 and even with MUTE(!), there is a signal, and it's loud; you can hear it even from two meters away from the speakers, even if the amplifier is turned up to full volume.This shouldn't be happening. Any other DAC I have with digital or electronic volume control produces no signal at the minimum setting.The D200 has a very serious problem with the volume control circuit.

 

[Roland68]

Hi!
I found a bug. The volume control is as follows (according to the display, in 0.5 increments): 0.0 ... - 59.5 ... MUTE. That is, the minimum level is 59.5, and the next step is MUTE, meaning there's no signal.However, even at 59.5 and even with MUTE(!), there is a signal, and it's loud; you can hear it even from two meters away from the speakers, even if the amplifier is turned up to full volume.This shouldn't be happening. Any other DAC I have with digital or electronic volume control produces no signal at the minimum setting.The D200 has a very serious problem with the volume control circuit.

Unlike typical DACs, the volume control in the D200 is not digital, but analog.
The D200 has a complete analog preamplifier stage, including two NJM72315 chips for volume control and a subsequent output buffer.
The volume control is achieved via resistors/voltage dividers, similar to conventional relay-based volume controls or potentiometers, where the signal is never completely muted; it is only attenuated. This is simply how this type of volume control works, and always has been.

Whether the residual signal when "muted" originates from the buffer or DC circuitry, or whether the corresponding register in the firmware is incorrectly set, would need to be clarified with SMSL, but this behavior can also be normal. I've observed this with various Muse 72320 volume controls.
It is certainly not the case that this is a very serious problem with the volume control circuit.

My D200, and those of my friends and acquaintances, don't output any signal or interference other than the music signal and are completely silent, even with high-efficiency speakers.
If yours is different, you probably have a grounding problem via the USB/SPDIF connection or to the amplifier.


Addendum:
I just tested it, and pressing the "Mute" button on the remote completely mutes the output, displaying "Mute" in red.
This means that SMSL isn't using the mute function of the NJM72315 chip, or, more likely, that it's not working properly in this circuit.
The remote cuts the signal directly at the output via the built-in electronic switches, which is how SMSL handles almost all of their other DACs. In that case, there's absolutely nothing to hear.

 

[Progronom]

Unlike typical DACs, the volume control in the D200 is not digital, but analog.
The D200 has a complete analog preamplifier stage, including two NJM72315 chips for volume control and a subsequent output buffer.
The volume control is achieved via resistors/voltage dividers, similar to conventional relay-based volume controls or potentiometers, where the signal is never completely muted; it is only attenuated. This is simply how this type of volume control works, and always has been.
...

I know very well how devices on chips work where "volume control is achieved via resistors/voltage dividers"
I have several such devices, in addition to the D200 - two DACs, and two pre-amplifiers. For everyone, at the minimum value there is a complete absence of signal.
Let me repeat - the D200 has a very serious schematic or software defect.

On another forum, the owner of a D200 confirmed that he had the same problem. Both RCA output and XLR output. The firmware is also the latest.

upd
I'm not interested in the Mute button. I want the D200 to work properly, and not as crookedly screwed up in SMSL.

 

[conuss]

Hi!
I found a bug. The volume control is as follows (according to the display, in 0.5 increments): 0.0 ... - 59.5 ... MUTE. That is, the minimum level is 59.5, and the next step is MUTE, meaning there's no signal.However, even at 59.5 and even with MUTE(!), there is a signal, and it's loud; you can hear it even from two meters away from the speakers, even if the amplifier is turned up to full volume.This shouldn't be happening. Any other DAC I have with digital or electronic volume control produces no signal at the minimum setting.The D200 has a very serious problem with the volume control circuit.

I know very well how devices on chips work where "volume control is achieved via resistors/voltage dividers"
I have several such devices, in addition to the D200 - two DACs, and two pre-amplifiers. For everyone, at the minimum value there is a complete absence of signal.
Let me repeat - the D200 has a very serious schematic or software defect.

On another forum, the owner of a D200 confirmed that he had the same problem. Both RCA output and XLR output. The firmware is also the latest.

upd
I'm not interested in the Mute button. I want the D200 to work properly, and not as crookedly screwed up in SMSL.

It’s fascinating to watch such a textbook display of the Dunning-Kruger effect in real-time. Your "groundbreaking discovery" of a "serious defect" in the SMSL D200 is nothing more than a loud announcement of your own technical illiteracy regarding analog attenuation.
Let’s educate you a bit: the D200 doesn't use cheap digital bit-stripping. It utilizes a high-end analog resistor ladder volume control via NJM72315 chips.
Any analog attenuator has a physical limit of isolation, usually around -115dB to -120dB. If you are "clever" enough to crank your power amplifier to 100% and stand two meters away just to catch a faint whisper from your speakers at the minimum volume setting, the problem isn't the DAC. The problem is your lack of basic understanding of Gain Staging and, frankly, too much free time.
In professional engineering, there is a difference between "Minimum Attenuation" and a "Hard Mute." The white status you describe is the chip’s floor. The red Mute activates physical relays that ground the output. Complaining that the minimum volume isn't dead silent without the relay is like complaining that a car on neutral might still roll down a hill. Use the handbrake (the Mute button) and stop whining.
If your other "analog" devices are dead silent at zero, it simply means they have an aggressive auto-relay "crutch" to hide the floor from users exactly like you. SMSL chose a transparent path without unnecessary clicking relays for every step.
Before making such a fool of yourself in public and accusing engineers of "crooked" designs, you should have contacted the manufacturer for a technical explanation. As we say in Russia: "Don't jump in front of your father into the heat" (не лезь поперек батьки в пекло). It means: don't try to outsmart those who actually know what they are doing before you’ve even mastered the basics.
Your "defect" is a high-end implementation detail. You’re welcome.

---

 

[Audicron]

Newly registered.... I have enjoyed the Audio Science Review platform and the technical insights disseminated here...
I would like to thank the OP for the review of the D200 DAC. I purchased a D200 partially due to this review. I became aware of the D200 when searching for an upgrade to replace my TEAC UD-501... DSD playback is important to me because I modulate all PCM files to DSD using r8Brain in Audirvāna Studio and listen to Binaural DSD productions. I am headphone-centric and apply HRTF processing to the PCM files (Cross-feed Virtual LR+C In Audirvāna Studio v3 Beta). I wanted to be able to play native 11.3MHz PDM (DSD256) files which the UD-501 is incapable of. I decimate native stereo DSD files to 24/352.8kHz so to be able to apply HRTF DSP before modulation to DSD256.

I would like to add some overlooked information regarding the BD34352EKV chipset attributes that are relative to the performance of the D200... This is found in the clocking information and the DSP processing of the architecture found in the data-sheet... It appears great attention to the MUS-IC chip design architecture also plays into the output quality...

https://fscdn.rohm.com/en/products/databook/datasheet/ic/audio_video/audio_processor/bd34352ekv-e.pdf

BD34352EKV - Data Sheet, Product Detail | ROHM.com

www.rohm.com

I find the performance of the D200 extremely capable in any given playback scenario. (I use it in DAC only mode).