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SMSL D400 Pro Balanced DAC Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
daniboun
Major Contributor
Another AKM DAC ... Based on AK4191 and AK4499EX chips.
Fair performance but unfair price.
Extra measurements here
apos.audio
Fair performance but unfair price.
Extra measurements here
SMSL D400 Pro High Resolution USB Desktop DAC
Discover the SMSL D400 Pro High Resolution USB Desktop DAC, a cornerstone for any audiophile setup. Featuring flagship AKM DAC chips, low-noise power processing, and gold-plated terminals, this DAC delivers pure, detailed sound for a captivating listening experience.
apos.audio
Thanks for the review, @amirm ! As usual, no surprise. S.M.S.L always performs according to specs.
No. It's instead time for manufacturers to focus on many, many other things once 120dB SINAD is reached.
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Mulder
Addicted to Fun and Learning
What we think about the way a device look is for sure not a topic of scientific character, but I must say that scalloped front make this DAC among the ugliest I have ever seen beside the strange devices from Chord. No design award for this one in my book. The display is nice however.
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Grotti
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A perfect fit with the scalloped front:
Jeff Rowlands neue Model-535-Endstufe - Kraft und Ästhetik
Jeff Rowland bringt mit dem Model 535 ein ästhetisch-musikalisches Kraftwerk einer Class-D-Endstufe. Gebrückt kann sie als Mono-Endstufe sogar 900 Watt liefern.
As always good DAC but needless to say I am not excited. Seems manufacturer continuously sending unit to review as a way of SEO for their products as ASR often ranked very high in Google search. Anyway it is still much better than snake oil ranking high.
A sign of the times. A Balanced Pro DAC with 122 dB SINAD @ $620 USD gets a rousing “Fine-Happy Panther” Rating! Only a year ago and this would have been SOTA bleeding edge. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a golden age of affordable State of the Art performing Audio Products. ASR and Amir should take a Bow for playing a key role in moving the needle in our favor. Thanks Amir for your continued dedication to this mission.
DSP, SMSL, focus on DSP please. 10 band PEQ to begin with.
Still no real improvements. What's the point again? My usual rant: it's the same SMSL as 2 years ago with a new case.
Also, why design such an elaborate DAC when many manufacturers still don't achieve full attenuation at 22 Khz?
Also, why design such an elaborate DAC when many manufacturers still don't achieve full attenuation at 22 Khz?
JeremyFife
Major Contributor
It's a great DAC, and I like the aesthetics. I very unfairly marked it down to 'fine' for not being perfect given the price premium.
There are lots of other great DACs though, and some also look nice and are cheaper. Give me a reason to choose!
There are lots of other great DACs though, and some also look nice and are cheaper. Give me a reason to choose!
How could it be dead when it got picked up by Lenbrook? MQA potentially has a bigger reach than it did before.
oscar_dziki
Active Member
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- Mar 31, 2021
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I followed to their site and I found they are making a cd-player. Would we like to see it measured?
PL200
Foshan ShuangMuSanLin electronics Co., LTD. founded in 2009 which located in Shenzhen, China. And our branch company VMV Technology(HK) Company Limited registered in HK in 2013. Our company is specialized in the audio DAC, stereo headphone amplifier, power amplifier, and with own R&D...
www.smsl-audio.com
respice finem
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Thanks, I didn't follow it closely since it was more or less "proclaimed dead" in the media.
CleanSound
Major Contributor
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- Apr 30, 2023
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Is it just me or are there other members who are also suffering Chinese brand DAC fatigue?
Same desktop form factor, model after model. The spiciest difference is that it is offered in silver rather than black.
A new model DAC once a month, every month that is not that much different from the one last month.
No out of the ordinary, innovative features, where the only variable is MQA or not (which pretty much no one cares), USB C or not.
No surprises with measurements, we already know how it measures before even reading Amir's review and testing and yes, we already know it would be recommended.
Same desktop form factor, model after model. The spiciest difference is that it is offered in silver rather than black.
A new model DAC once a month, every month that is not that much different from the one last month.
No out of the ordinary, innovative features, where the only variable is MQA or not (which pretty much no one cares), USB C or not.
No surprises with measurements, we already know how it measures before even reading Amir's review and testing and yes, we already know it would be recommended.
Mulder
Addicted to Fun and Learning
That CD player was cool. I still like to play CD:s and kind of collect them. Just wished it did not had that scalloped extravaganza in the front.I followed to their site and I found they are making a cd-player. Would we like to see it measured?
PL200
Foshan ShuangMuSanLin electronics Co., LTD. founded in 2009 which located in Shenzhen, China. And our branch company VMV Technology(HK) Company Limited registered in HK in 2013. Our company is specialized in the audio DAC, stereo headphone amplifier, power amplifier, and with own R&D...www.smsl-audio.com
I followed to their site and I found they are making a cd-player. Would we like to see it measured?
PL200
Foshan ShuangMuSanLin electronics Co., LTD. founded in 2009 which located in Shenzhen, China. And our branch company VMV Technology(HK) Company Limited registered in HK in 2013. Our company is specialized in the audio DAC, stereo headphone amplifier, power amplifier, and with own R&D...www.smsl-audio.com
Ooh! It comes complete with a saucepan lid!
*edit*
Also, its DAC supports DSD, but the player doesn't handle SACDs.
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Mulder
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Fatigued I would not say, but two things strikes me. The lifespan of each model seems very short. The speed of new models put out on the market for sure isn´t matched by real substantial improvements. As for firmware support it makes me a bit hesitant. The second thing that strikes me is that ASR seems to be sort of a marketing platform for Chinese HiFi brands. I don´t mention this last because I think ASR ought not to review and test them, or that I don´t think it is a good thing the Chinese manufacturers send their gear to ASR, but it is a Striking fact that most brands from Europe or USA or other places don´t turn to ASR to get their DAC:s or whatever reviewed. I don´t know if they think it is not important, since they assume the large numbers of buyers dont care about performance in terms of metrics, or if they just can´t compete on a technical level.
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