SMSL D300 Review (Balanced DAC)

[Toku]

Years ago at this point, SMSL added DOP support via version 1.11. The English SMSL specs page shows DOP as being supported over OPT/COAX. Someone pointed out that the Chinese language site does not show this. I have an HDMI de-embedder and I cannot get DOP working from either optical or coax. I've tried two different DOP board de-embedder devices and neither work. If I send DSD out of my player the de-embedder output does show on the DAC as 176.4 khz PCM sample rate. This is correct for a DOP64 payload. However all I hear is very light static and intermittent beeps. Given this I believe the de-embedder to be working. I'm pretty positive the D300 supports DOP over USB only. Unless someone else has shown it to work. It's a shame SMSL abandons their product support in favor of pumping out new devices. The D300 sounds amazing, but the bugs are far too many.

The OPT/COAX input on the D300 is PCM only. It does not support DOP. The HP description is incorrect.

 

[redjr]

im not using Mine anymore. It’s collecting dust and I’m just using it as backup if ever necessary. Same like my SMSL SP400.

Definitely regret the Purchase of SMSL equipment. And happy I stayed away from Topping.

I own both brands, and IMO, SMSL makes great DACs, while Topping wins the prize for amplifiers - at least over the past few years. Both companies along with some others (Fosi, FiiO) chifi companies are producing excellent audio gear, and at a great value compared to just a few years ago. I think Amir's reviews bare this out.

 

[Snoopy]

Sure if the firmware is not a mess, all the features work, the unit doesn’t die suddenly… and if you only need some of the DAC features properly implemented.. these brands are great

Got no issue with Chinese HiFi brands (shanling , Cayin and the likes). But I’m done with landfill producer brands.

 

[Roland68]

Years ago at this point, SMSL added DOP support via version 1.11. The English SMSL specs page shows DOP as being supported over OPT/COAX. Someone pointed out that the Chinese language site does not show this. I have an HDMI de-embedder and I cannot get DOP working from either optical or coax. I've tried two different DOP board de-embedder devices and neither work. If I send DSD out of my player the de-embedder output does show on the DAC as 176.4 khz PCM sample rate. This is correct for a DOP64 payload. However all I hear is very light static and intermittent beeps. Given this I believe the de-embedder to be working. I'm pretty positive the D300 supports DOP over USB only. Unless someone else has shown it to work. It's a shame SMSL abandons their product support in favor of pumping out new devices. The D300 sounds amazing, but the bugs are far too many.

im not using Mine anymore. It’s collecting dust and I’m just using it as backup if ever necessary. Same like my SMSL SP400.

Definitely regret the Purchase of SMSL equipment. And happy I stayed away from Topping.

But most users aren't willing to pay for outstanding development, high quality, and service.

For years, manufacturers who offered excellently developed and functioning devices with good quality and service have been attacked because the devices were 3-5 times more expensive than the now common devices in the price range up to around €1,000.
Most people only pay attention to measurements and price, and if a device is expensive, then it's immediately a bad manufacturer demanding too much money from them.

But good development, beta tests, long-term tests, stress and aging tests, sustainable and, if possible, thoroughly tested programming with all functional tests and simulations, prototypes in various stages of development, listening sessions with new users, etc., cost an enormous amount of time and money, which has to come from somewhere.

Or is someone here working on their company's project for 1-3 years without pay to keep costs down and living off the bread and butter? I'll hire you immediately.

Because these are precisely the high costs that must be added to and paid for such a device. And since more expensive devices are sold in much smaller quantities, these costs must also be added to a much smaller number, which makes such devices exorbitantly expensive.
Is it surprising that such manufacturers have withdrawn from the market, or are now only building very expensive devices for a small fan base?

One of the DACs in my system is a Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC 1 developed by John Westlake, and it has been running flawlessly for over 30 years. Defective devices are an absolute exception and the device is sometimes equipped with components of such high quality that replacements of this quality are not even available today.

Have you ever noticed that new devices from most Chinese manufacturers often appear just 2-3 months after the introduction of a new DAC chip? How can the high-quality development and testing I described above take place in such a short period of time? Quite simply, it's completely omitted!
Buyers are the beta testers, and firmware updates that remain buggy are only released if too many customers return the device; otherwise, it would be unnecessary.

Just live with the world created by the majority of buyers who relied on buying the cheapest devices with excellent performance.

 

[Jimster480]

im not using Mine anymore. It’s collecting dust and I’m just using it as backup if ever necessary. Same like my SMSL SP400.

Definitely regret the Purchase of SMSL equipment. And happy I stayed away from Topping.

So what are you using now? I use both SMSL & Topping equipment basically every day now for the last 8 years and I haven't had any failures *knock on wood*

Engineering takes time and while both brands have had some unreliable products, it is definitely understandable in this market. The market today is as much of a RACE as it is anything else... Companies want to be the FIRST to put out something new because so many people are just lost in endless consumerism to purchase whatever is "new".
You can often buy great used Audio gear for a fraction of the price just because the user bought the "new" model when it came out.

 

[Snoopy]

So what are you using now? I

Cambridge CXN v2 DAC/streamer that I purchased before ASR.
Singxer SA1 that I purchased before the SMSL .

 

[bogi]

Yeah, SMSL support and firmware updates are a disaster, best shown on this model.

I am enjoying my D300 1st firmware version, never updated, without DoP support. I'm using USB interface so I don't need DoP. I'm not using Mac. It's Apple failure that they don't support native DSD...

I'm using D300 with HQPlayer upsampling to DSD256 or DSD512. The oldest (1.0) firmware version supports 48k based DSD rates. That's an advantage for HQPlayer users when playing 48k based PCM content.

I don't know a DAC with direct DSD path support which would sound better for about 340 EUR I have my D300. I used Topping E50 before and although I considered it to sound really well for the price, D300 in direct DSD mode is another level for me. Adding USB isolation helps for my ears. I'm using Topping HS02 + 2x iSilencer.

@Snoopy what firmware version is yours?

 

[Count Dacula]

Have you ever noticed that new devices from most Chinese manufacturers often appear just 2-3 months after the introduction of a new DAC chip? How can the high-quality development and testing I described above take place in such a short period of time?

Brute force, in a sense.

"Quantity has a quality all of it's own" -Joseph Stalin

 

[despoiler]

Brute force, in a sense.

"Quantity has a quality all of it's own" -Joseph Stalin

I'm honestly not convinced that SMSL has engineers on staff and that they fully design their products given how many outstanding bugs they have across multiple devices. If they did do everything in house they would have these bugs fixed relatively easily and quickly. A lot of China works off reference boards designed by independant engineering companies. Products are simply white label boards in a branded case or the boards. Companies decide price bracket, buys board, have case built, assemble, box, sell. I suspect this is SMSL because to fix bugs they need the team that designed the board and programmed the firmware. They likely only have so much support from that engineering team until they need to pay them more support money.

 

[Snoopy]

.

@Snoopy what firmware version is yours?

Version 1 I believe. I got my SMSL stuff boxed up. Trying to sell it cheap at the moment. Don’t feel like using it anymore. Will just move on.

 

[bogi]

Version 1 I believe. I got my SMSL stuff boxed up. Trying to sell it cheap at the moment.

The version 1.0 does not show firmware version in the menu, see https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...l-d300-review-balanced-dac.28919/post-1793652. This version works exceptionally with HQPlayer in direct DSD mode. Having 48k DSD support is not so usual. It's clear that it was not an intention but the chip allows it and FW 1.0 does not restrict it.

If yours is 1.0 and if you are from Europe I can ask HQPlayer community if somebody is interested in your offer.