SMSL D300 Review (Balanced DAC)

[garyV]

Thank you, Gary.

Ok

 

[Leva]

My D300 start crackling after three weeks of barely usage. Coax input. USB still works normal but I need coax. If I use another DAC sound is good in the same setup. Very disappointed. Ordered from Shenzhen audio.

 

[koiman]

My D300 start crackling after three weeks of barely usage. Coax input. USB still works normal but I need coax. If I use another DAC sound is good in the same setup. Very disappointed. Ordered from Shenzhen audio.

Mine is different but has a clicking sound using Audiolab streamer as a transport when playing HD 48khz + from AMHD but works fine with other sources. I now use WiiM as a transport without issues. Likely different issues but wanted to share. cheers

 

[Leva]

Mine D300 was crackling only once on loud bass sound, at the same time switching to topping E50 or using Bluesound node internal DAC removed these crackling sound, but can't reproduce this today.

Example

and normal

Any ideas what happened? In any case I send it back to Shenzhen Audio.

 

[Snoopy]

Just found this review that was linked on head-fi

ROhM comes to town...

What's next for the test bench?? A slight deviation from plan, and I will tell you why. I happened to be perusing Amazon looking at various source components that I find interesting, and I came...

www.euphonicreview.com

What does the part with "DSD via native analog FIR". And the other part about "true pcm conversation" mean?

Looking at the diagram it looks like DSD and pcm get processed on separate circuits?
What's a thermometer code DAC ?

 

[Sheriff1972]

Are these units bug free with the latest FW now?

 

[Snoopy]

Are these units bug free with the latest FW now?

It probably all depends how you are going to use it.

If you are using it with a Mac it would probably be better to use a DAC with a Xmos316 chip.

I have no issues with mine but I use it with a MacBook, roon and a raspberry pi.

Ways around the DSD clicks and pops are easy done with using Crossfade and playing around with the buffer settings.

I avoid switching sample rates all together and just upsample everything to DSD.

And I use mine in DAC-mode with fixed volume.

Never used the optical input or RCA out.
Only usb and XLR.

 

[Sheriff1972]

It probably all depends how you are going to use it.

If you are using it with a Mac it would probably be better to use a DAC with a Xmos316 chip.

I have no issues with mine but I use it with a MacBook, roon and a raspberry pi.

Ways around the DSD clicks and pops are easy done with using Crossfade and playing around with the buffer settings.

I avoid switching sample rates all together and just upsample everything to DSD.

And I use mine in DAC-mode with fixed volume.

Never used the optical input or RCA out.
Only usb and XLR.

Thanks for the input. I would be using it with a wiim pro front end primarily into one of our integrated. Have a Topping 90 SE right now but prefer the old Marantz converter but keen to try a unit with this DAC chip

 

[Snoopy]

Thanks for the input. I would be using it with a wiim pro front end primarily into one of our integrated. Have a Topping 90 SE right now but prefer the old Marantz converter but keen to try a unit with this DAC chip

I think it would be just a waste of money. Both are transparent DACs. The D300 doesn't have filters like ESS DACs.

So if you want to change the sound, I would use DSP.

I prefer the D300 a bit over my cxn V2 (dual Wolfson DAC) but that's only because the D300 does DSD native.

But I have 2 setups. I wouldn't bother with multiple well measuring DACs for one setup

 

[Sheriff1972]

I think it would be just a waste of money. Both are transparent DACs. The D300 doesn't have filters like ESS DACs.

So if you want to change the sound, I would use DSP.

I prefer the D300 a bit over my cxn V2 (dual Wolfson DAC) but that's only because the D300 does DSD native.

But I have 2 setups. I wouldn't bother with multiple well measuring DACs for one setup

Thanks. I will move the 90se on I think and give this a try

 

[Snoopy]

The DSD clicks and pops that get often mentioned could be from some other problem that is not even related to the DAC.

If SACD Isos get extracted to DSF files with SACD_Extract (iso2dsd for example) the gap/and pause timestamps get messed up at the end of the tracks. That is related to the extraction process.

Could be why some people report clicks and pops with DSD files. Using a few milliseconds of Crossfade fixes that issue.

Or if someone extracts the DSD files with Jriver media center they get converted to pcm first.

 

[Snoopy]

Thanks. I will move the 90se on I think and give this a try

Using the D300 here with SP400 and Roon (running on M1 MacBook Air) , Remote (M2 iPad).

There is Raspberry pi4 that is running roopiee.

So with the smallest buffer and Crossfade filter available in Roon I have been listening to SACD rips the last 3 hours all upsampled to DSD128 & 256 and I have had zero clicks , pops, audio didn't stop even when I paused the playback.

 

[Sheriff1972]

View attachment 269730

Using the D300 here with SP400 and Roon (running on M1 MacBook Air) , Remote (M2 iPad).

There is Raspberry pi4 that is running roopiee.

So with the smallest buffer and Crossfade filter available in Roon I have been listening to SACD rips the last 3 hours all upsampled to DSD128 & 256 and I have had zero clicks , pops, audio didn't stop even when I paused the playback.

Thanks. I use a pi4 too. Been using the system to evaluate the new Heco In Vita speakers we have just launched

 

[Leva]

Thanks, but I did exatly as Toku described, but do not filmed all steps in video. Video is just to demonstrate how i am holding buttons. Because only holding these buttons on start looks tricky for me. Opening software and loading firmware and connecting with usb cable going exatly as described. The only problem that it still starting normally. I tried with usb and without and on different laptops. Maybe they just switch off ability to update software in latest D300.

Also here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...l-d300-review-balanced-dac.28919/post-1390549 @Happyhammer wrote that he attached USB cable after D300 start. So I tried this way too but the same result it always start in normal mode as on my video

@SMSL-Mandy could you please advise? ShnezenAdio wrote me to hold Menu button instead of FN but it is also not helped.

Thanks

Today I successfully updated Sabaj A30A from the FIRST attempt. It is almost the same procedure and the same software used for update as for D300. The only difference that you need to hold knob pressed instead of menu button as on D300. And This means that my D300 was defective and can't be updated by instruction steps. Buggy product, sent it back to Shenzhen audio.

 

[consocmap]

I prefer the D300 a bit over my cxn V2 (dual Wolfson DAC) but that's only because the D300 does DSD native.

Hi, are you able to play DSD native on Mac? Can you please show me how?
I'm currently using Audirvana on Mac Mini M1 to play DSD but it must be converted to PCM to have sound, if I set it to DSD over PCM, all I have is just noise.
Thanks

 

[Snoopy]

Hi, are you able to play DSD native on Mac? Can you please show me how?
I'm currently using Audirvana on Mac Mini M1 to play DSD but it must be converted to PCM to have sound, if I set it to DSD over PCM, all I have is just noise.
Thanks

Is the DAC in fixed volume mode? (100% output) ? And you can't do native DSD on Mac.
I use a raspberry pi 4 as roon endpoint.

 

[Happyhammer]

I originally had trouble getting into upgrade mode with button sequence. I was given other instructions to open up box and short a couple of pins on chip but I didn't get that to work. I then found I could get into upgrade mode , attaching cable after button sequence. I can dig out instructions for shorting pins if this helps anyone

 

[Happyhammer]

Regarding pops/clicks. There are so many variables that are also in play in addition to the products software bugs. I wanted remote volume control but that didn't work with dsd. As I wanted headphone amp anyways, I got an sp400 with balanced preamp . Then I found my stack audio link 1 streamer in volumio native dsd mode did not work, had to have DoP mode in volumio. But all good now, can play a flac or dsd file I. Play queue with no issues.

 

[consocmap]

Is the DAC in fixed volume mode? (100% output) ? And you can't do native DSD on Mac.
I use a raspberry pi 4 as roon endpoint.

Yes it's in fixed volume mode
So there's no way to do native DSD on Mac even with other DACs or it's just the problem of this D300 DAC?

 

[Toku]

Yes it's in fixed volume mode
So there's no way to do native DSD on Mac even with other DACs or it's just the problem of this D300 DAC?

The DSD problem is due to MAC system limitations.