SMSL DA9 - Wait and see, or solid buy?

[adamjohari]

Added the SMSL DA 9 into my cart. Then I removed it. Then I added it back. So forth

 

[weasels]

Added the SMSL DA 9 into my cart. Then I removed it. Then I added it back. So forth

If you generalize the DA 9 to all audio products, this describes a large part of my daily life

 

[jokan]

Hi folks.

My DA-9 continues to play without missing a beat, I've not turned it off in weeks, not encountered any errant behaviour or noise. The amplifier is as stable as I could ever dream of. Just like the DA-8s I had before it which I literally turned off a maximum of 3-4 times to change rooms to compare how it sounds with one of my tube/valve amplifiers. I'm a fan of the Infineon chips, they seem to be very reliable and stable under constant use. The DA-9 has not changed character since it's first week of use, it retains all of the sonic qualities that are leaps ahead of the outgoing DA-8s. I stand behind it as ever as a solid amplifier. The one thing about almost all budget amplifiers from asia seems to be the screws or mounting hardware. Why they would skimp on the least costliest part is something of an enigma for me.

I received my order of Japanese made Stainless Screws to replace the original SMSL supplied screws that are on the underside of the SMSL DA-9.
I had to do some filing with a power screwdriver to get the diameter to fit in the original screw holes, they aren't a standard metric size, though they are a standard M3 6mm screw. Even the low-profile screw heads are extremely low profile but the screws I ordered had more than sufficient depth to ensure an ultra snug fit.

Guess which screws are the Japanese Stainless steel screws.
There is zero improvement in anything other then the tolerance of the screws. No sonic benefits at all, but it is a simple mod that anybody can do for piece of mind. I ordered some Aluminium screws also though they are special on order as they are ultra low profile heads so I will have to wait a little while for the screws to arrive, I've also ordered some titanium screws though I worry about using titanium screws in an aluminium chassis.

Here are the pics. Which would you prefer using?

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

"Here are the pics. Which would you prefer using?".

I like the M3. Its more robust and adds more sexy looks. But the hex has "macho" looks. Just me...

 

[ShinMolina]

First post of a long time ASR forum lurker.

Is it safe to say that the THD+N vs power graph posted by SMSL for the DA-9 shows the truth after seeing that the one measured by Amirm for the SA400 matches?

If so, the DA-9 is a bargain compared with the SA400, also with newer and better amplifier chips.

I am attaching the graphs for the SA400 from Amirm and SMSL.

 

[barchetta]

Hi folks.

SNIP

I received my order of Japanese made Stainless Screws to replace the original SMSL supplied screws that are on the underside of the SMSL DA-9.
I had to do some filing with a power screwdriver to get the diameter to fit in the original screw holes, they aren't a standard metric size, though they are a standard M3 6mm screw. Even the low-profile screw heads are extremely low profile but the screws I ordered had more than sufficient depth to ensure an ultra snug fit.

Guess which screws are the Japanese Stainless steel screws.
There is zero improvement in anything other then the tolerance of the screws. No sonic benefits at all, but it is a simple mod that anybody can do for piece of mind. I ordered some Aluminium screws also though they are special on order as they are ultra low profile heads so I will have to wait a little while for the screws to arrive, I've also ordered some titanium screws though I worry about using titanium screws in an aluminium chassis.

Here are the pics. Which would you prefer using?

Are you serious? You worrying about screws? "for piece of mind"? It is actually peace by the way Im sorry, but this just seems well, silly but hey what ever floats your boat. Just my opinion which I do believe is an acceptable thing to voice before the haters come out like hungry hounds.

That being said, still waiting for my replacement DA-9. I dont miss it much, I have a pretty decent class AB amp.. But will be nice to have it back and play again with the balanced inputs.

I did however, receive my acoustic panels today which I am excited about.. I wont go into it but had to say it Want to upgrade your DA-9? Acoustic panels.

Also, like your DA-9 my SU-9 has been playing 24/7 for weeks. I just shut off the amp and music is in repeat mode. Id say it is burned in.

 

[barchetta]

Are you serious? You worrying about screws? "for piece of mind"? It is actually peace by the way Im sorry, but this just seems well, silly but hey what ever floats your boat. Just my opinion which I do believe is an acceptable thing to voice before the haters come out like hungry hounds.

That being said, still waiting for my replacement DA-9. I dont miss it much, I have a pretty decent class AB amp.. But will be nice to have it back and play again with the balanced inputs.

I did however, receive my acoustic panels today which I am excited about.. I wont go into it but had to say it Want to upgrade your DA-9? Acoustic panels.

Also, like your DA-9 my SU-9 has been playing 24/7 for weeks. I just shut off the amp and music is in repeat mode. Id say it is burned in.

EDIT: By the way, that first screw with the grooves up the threads. That screw is designed to clean threads. When you take it out, if you find metal in the grooves, you know you gots a problemo.. but at least it wont be made worse now that the access material is removed.

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

@barchetta

Im glad you reordered the DA9 and not lose confidence on the product. Looking forward to your T&E for the 2nd time around.

You mentioned in your previous post that you utilized a valve preamp between your SU9 and DA9. And you said the sound is noticeably better than the SU9 connected directly to the DA9.

If you dont mind sir telling me the details of the sound improvement. Because I might going to do the same.

Thank you and stay healthy.....

 

[Bds3151]

I wouldn't go for any SMSL product util we see how they handle the existing problems with the m500 and SU9 Dac's. So far, there has been no fix proposed for existing owners. Support for exsting products is paramount in my mind.

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

First post of a long time ASR forum lurker.

Is it safe to say that the THD+N vs power graph posted by SMSL for the DA-9 shows the truth after seeing that the one measured by Amirm for the SA400 matches?

If so, the DA-9 is a bargain compared with the SA400, also with newer and better amplifier chips.

I am attaching the graphs for the SA400 from Amirm and SMSL.

View attachment 133691

View attachment 133692

Amirm mentioned that SMSL is not clear on the chip they used in the SA400. Personally, I still bet on the Infineon chip. Proven by its performance and reliability.

And the tag price of the SA400 is way too high. And yes, the DA9 is indeed a bargain...

 

[barchetta]

@barchetta

Im glad you reordered the DA9 and not lose confidence on the product. Looking forward to your T&E for the 2nd time around.

You mentioned in your previous post that you utilized a valve preamp between your SU9 and DA9. And you said the sound is noticeably better than the SU9 connected directly to the DA9.

If you dont mind sir telling me the details of the sound improvement. Because I might going to do the same.

Thank you and stay healthy.....

It just sounds a bit smoother to me. It could be completely in my head because I want it to sound that way. I think I also enjoy the new meets old part of it. My preamp if I recall was sold in the 1960's and sounds wonderful with great tone controls. I think I like the easy to use tone controls as well. That is the best answer I can give you.

My tube pre does not have balanced inputs so cannot use it with balanced cables.. which is probably why I dont care for the sound of balanced cables connecting between the two vs RCA with my tube pre.

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

It just sounds a bit smoother to me. It could be completely in my head because I want it to sound that way. I think I also enjoy the new meets old part of it. My preamp if I recall was sold in the 1960's and sounds wonderful with great tone controls. I think I like the easy to use tone controls as well. That is the best answer I can give you.

Some have also done that. But not on the SU9 and DA9. They claim significant sonic improvement too.

Thank you and regards....

 

[Liti]

Damn im excited I just ordered my DA-9. Hopefully it will come next week and I really hope it's as good as everyone has said.
Also I haven't yet decided on a dac so if anyone has any good budget recommendations I would be happy to hear them

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

Damn im excited I just ordered my DA-9. Hopefully it will come next week and I really hope it's as good as everyone has said.
Also I haven't yet decided on a dac so if anyone has any good budget recommendations I would be happy to hear them

Im glad you have joined the group of happy DA9 owners. Please post your T&E as soon as you receive yours.

Got the SU9 DAC wired with my DA9. Im happy listening music with them. Some say there are unwanted harmonics coming out from it. But my hearing says otherwise.

There are lots of positive reviews on SMSL Sanskrit MkIi and the Topping E30. Try to google them. These are budget-friendly DACs. BUT its always your call to decide what DAC you want to couple with your DA9. At the end of the day, its you who will listens most.

Good luck!

 

[GGroch]

iiWi just posted a long positive DA-9 review on YouTube. He was blown away by the performance for the price, says the DA-9 is a "market disrupter product" close to his personal favorite Hegel H90 amp in sound. I enjoy iiWi's reviews even though I disagree with many of his subjective views on the sound qualities of cables, DACs etc.

As compared to Zeos, his statements and descriptions are well researched and you can see that thought and prep time is put into each review. He provides lots of links and even indexes topics covered. That said, when he compares the sound of different DACs or streamers I tune it out.

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

iiWi just posted a long positive DA-9 review on YouTube. He was blown away by the performance for the price, says the DA-9 is a "market disrupter product" close to his personal favorite Hegel H90 amp in sound. I enjoy iiWi's reviews even though I disagree with many of his subjective views on the sound qualities of cables, DACs etc.

As compared to Zeos, his statements and descriptions are well researched and you can see that thought and prep time is put into each review. He provides lots of links and even indexes topics covered. That said, when he compares the sound of different DACs or streamers I tune it out.

I watched the review as soon as I read your post. I cant help but to smile because his excitement on the DA9 was the same as mine when I made my test. I watched the video from start to end and I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.

PS: The SMSL VMV Class A amp brochure you provided is cool. Thanks.

 

[Premonition]

iiWi just posted a long positive DA-9 review on YouTube. He was blown away by the performance for the price, says the DA-9 is a "market disrupter product" close to his personal favorite Hegel H90 amp in sound. I enjoy iiWi's reviews even though I disagree with many of his subjective views on the sound qualities of cables, DACs etc.

As compared to Zeos, his statements and descriptions are well researched and you can see that thought and prep time is put into each review. He provides lots of links and even indexes topics covered. That said, when he compares the sound of different DACs or streamers I tune it out.

Cool review, I have the D3020 and DA-9 and agree with his comparison. The D3020 has worse instrument separation and while being a lot warmer both sonically and literally, it sounded more grainy and less detailed in general.

iiWi seems to have pretty gifted ears and I can see the effort, he focused on the product and was pretty thorough(though subjective) with his views. Earned a sub.

Zeos is really on the other side of the spectrum, any gear he reviews it's as if he only just set it up minutes before, endless verbal hemorrhage with no actual criticisms. Pretty much everything is amazing and great, and keeps going to look at other gear to praise them "I love this" "this is amazing".

I've never seen a car reviewer going around his garage and pointing at different unrelated cars and going on and on with empty words to validate their opinions(through sheer quantity of product ownership) instead of talking about the damn car they are reviewing. His videos are as if when watching a cheap Chevrolet review and the reviewer starts talking about how beautiful the damn headlights of the Lamboghini Aventador is imo

 

[cyberzigot]

Youtube reviewers are mostly just product influencers. Zeos being the ultimate one. If you notice the trend, the lastest product being reviewed is always better that the previous ones. That's how they keep you coming back cause something better is always on the way. That may be true in general but over time it gets real predictable. I like amir's style, each product on their own merit and not making apples to oranges comparison.

 

[GGroch]

...... Zeos is really on the other side of the spectrum, any gear he reviews it's as if he only just set it up minutes before, endless verbal hemorrhage with no actual criticisms....

Exactly. I found Zeos entertaining until I realized how little effort/thought/research he puts into each review. I do not mind subjective reviews much if they are honest and thoughtful. Zeos is neither.

Srboljub Stojanovic's (iiWi Reviews) posts are generally helpful to me because he explains in detail the features of each item, and often its basic technology. His reviews are an excellent addition to what Amir does because he does compare apples to apples to oranges.....or in this case a $250 SMSL with a $500 NAD and $2000 Hegel. His videos on raspberry streaming devices was very helpful to me in getting started with them.

iiWi Review videos do describe sound differences in DACs, Cables, Power Supplies and the like that I can't hear and that do not seem to be supported by measurement. But I have old ears and he has good ears and he at least seems honest about his subjective impressions. So I set some of that aside.
It's disheartening that Zeos has 237k subscribers and iiWi has 11k.

 

[milan616]

I watched the review as soon as I read your post. I cant help but to smile because his excitement on the DA9 was the same as mine when I made my test. I watched the video from start to end and I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.

PS: The SMSL VMV Class A amp brochure you provided is cool. Thanks.

Wow this video was really helpful. I had a WXA-50 for a short time before it died and it definitely felt like the sound signature was noticeably worse than my SA-300 especially in the bass. I have a Sabaj A20a on order because I like the minimalist digital display compared to the DA-9 (don't love the screen on my SA300 either, but hated the lack of volume info on the WXA-50!). Seems like I'll be pretty happy with it!