SMSL DA9 - Wait and see, or solid buy?

[jokan]

This product is an SMSL product planned by Shenzhen Audio.
It is a completely upgraded version of DA-8s.
The unpopular display was changed to the same type as the SU-9, and a MEAN WELL power supply was built in.
The output circuit has been changed from the MA12070 single BTL to the MA12070 dual PBTL to increase the power that was often lacking as a desktop amplifier.
Overall, it is a product that mixes the technologies of SA300, SU-9 and DA-8s. Technically, I think SMSL is already familiar with it.
So I don't think there are any obstacles to purchasing.

Toku-san, you are correct, SMSL Audio is their own company. Shenzenaudio is their exclusive distributor. You can of course find them for sale by other vendors but they are usually connected to Shenzenaudio. Shenzenaudio is a mass retailer. They do not manufacture anything.

 

[jokan]

I am also interested in this unit so I did some digging. The amp itself was designed by Shenzhen Audio and not SMSL but SMSL makes it. The chip is indeed a MA12070 like stated (it is shown in one of the screenshots but a bit blurry) but there appears to be one bridged per channel.

I have been messaging Shenzhen about it for more info and they said they will have one of their technicians get back with me in a bit. They should be letting me know distortion at the rated power at 8 ohms, the parameters that they used to get the THD+N graph on their product page. I suspect 8 ohms based off of what I have heard. They also should be letting me know what input voltage is required to get the rated power as the SH-9 took a bit over 5v.

So far they have told me I can get full power with either input and that gain is changed based on input (but they didn't specify if either input needed a higher than nominal voltage yet). I'll update when I hear more.

You are misinformed, Shenzenaudio is a mass retailer that sells products. SMSL is their own company. https://www.smsl-audio.com/. Shenzen has a relationship with SMSL being their official retailer and they will pass information back to SMSL. Shenzenaudio has nothing that they manufacture themselves. There is no outside source as of yet that has done a full test of the DA-9. The SH-9 is a headphone amplifier. The circuit design would be completely different because of its intended use is completely different. If you think ShenzenAudio is being rude, you should know China is on a national holiday that I believe ends on the 5th. Technical questions should be asked to the manufacturer they are the ones who know designed both. Shenzen audio pre payment or order completion uses a BOT to answer questions. You rarely get an actual human. Hopefully this gives you some clarity.

 

[jokan]

A little update on my attempts at adding additional EMI shielding to the switching PSU.
There is no sonic benefit at all, it appears that the device is designed well enough that additional shielding is not strictly necessary. I will apply copper tape to the top and a layer of the 0.1mm tape over the copper tape. And I will remove the shielding material I applied to the PSU as I don't think it made any sonic difference or any additional noise protection from entering or escaping from the PSU. Which is quite remarkable considering the cost of the PSU. I will try and post pics after I down size the pictures I took of the shielding that I applied. I was expecting more, as I have used this material on my tube amplifiers with excellent results, and on and around speaker terminals on the inside of various enclosures I've built in the past. On speaker cables, and internally for passive crossovers, capacitors especially it has always made an improvement. I think that the switching frequency maybe possibly high enough that the PSU isn't a noise maker. YET another reason why it proves it's superiority over the DA-8s with the external brick power supply. I did for a brief moment use the DA8s to confirm that the sound of the DA-9 was indeed perceivably much better before I applied the tape, thereby making the comparison fair. I can't wait for someone, anyone really to do an independent, non-funded/sponsored evaluation of the DA-9 amplifier. I truly believe that bang for the buck wise, it hits well above its weight class. Add cost into that and well, the big names have some real competition that they will lose unless they update their mentality about well engineered Chinese made goods. It's very similar to watching the early days of Japanese technological advancements including in the automotive sector. They seem to be taking what works, improving it every generation and learning at an alarming rate. The future looks bright and the segment will no longer be considered "budget, or entry level". Watch out name brands. They're coming for you if they haven't already arrived!

Pictures will be posted when I get to it. I'm in no rush to re-open the amplifier for a 4th time!

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

I've got a HiBy R3 PRO music player. I am currently having this tiny-mini-moo connected to the DA-9 from the former's single-ended output to the latter's RCA jacks. The sound's quite good as the R3 gives additional color to the music thru its MSEB features. My question is, can I do the same with the balanced output of the R3 to the DA-9's XLR input using 2.5mm jack to XLR balanced connector? I don't want to buy the connector first and just try it because there may be risks and the cost is quite pricey. And its only a waste of money if the idea is not doable.

Thank you for the inputs.....

 

[PatentLawyer]

I've got a HiBy R3 PRO music player. I am currently having this tiny-mini-moo connected to the DA-9 from the former's single-ended output to the latter's RCA jacks. The sound's quite good as the R3 gives additional color to the music thru its MSEB features. My question is, can I do the same with the balanced output of the R3 to the DA-9's XLR input using 2.5mm jack to XLR balanced connector? I don't want to buy the connector first and just try it because there may be risks and the cost is quite pricey. And its only a waste of money if the idea is not doable.

Thank you for the inputs.....

My guess is you will have ground noise issues using XLRs because your portable device lacks a true ground. Better to use that 2.5mm Jack to drive headphones. Let us know what happens!

FYI, not sure where you are, but these cables are on Amazon and easily returnable.

 

[jokan]

My guess is you will have ground noise issues using XLRs because your portable device lacks a true ground. Better to use that 2.5mm Jack to drive headphones. Let us know what happens!

FYI, not sure where you are, but these cables are on Amazon and easily returnable.

mini 2.5mm xlr's are very different by design, sony uses their pentacon connection one shared ground, L+ L-, R+ R- and a shared ground. True balanced cables systems don't share a ground, they are mono blocks all the way through, which is why I don't consider the DA-9 as truly balanced unless they are doing some electronic wizardry, an op-amp can't serve as a method for balanced inputs. I still love my DA-9 though!

I agree with PatentLawyer. You will likely encounter ground induced noise. No harm in trying things out. it'll make buzzing sounds or popping sounds, just keep the volume and power switch near by just incase of noise.

 

[jokan]

FWIW, my Dayton Sub-800 arrived today, and it works wonderfully with the sub-out on the DA-9. Truly amazing what's accomplished here for the price.

good to see you kept the subwoofer size sensible! Never overload a room with too much woofer! More harm than good!

 

[jokan]

I've got a HiBy R3 PRO music player. I am currently having this tiny-mini-moo connected to the DA-9 from the former's single-ended output to the latter's RCA jacks. The sound's quite good as the R3 gives additional color to the music thru its MSEB features. My question is, can I do the same with the balanced output of the R3 to the DA-9's XLR input using 2.5mm jack to XLR balanced connector? I don't want to buy the connector first and just try it because there may be risks and the cost is quite pricey. And its only a waste of money if the idea is not doable.

Thank you for the inputs.....

https://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-Cable-Balanced-Headphone-Adapter/dp/B07WTMFQ4G

it's even silver plated which is extra cool! Just don't use silver polish because that'll take the thin layer of plating away. there are alternative ways of cleaning silver plating without damaging the silver plating! Not sure which part is silver plated though! looks like the wires themselves and probably not the plug, but it would be cool if the plug itself was too! as well as the sockets! I don't see it to be a big gamble, just be ready to shut down the amp if you hear clicks, pops, or humming/buzzing!

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

https://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-Cable-Balanced-Headphone-Adapter/dp/B07WTMFQ4G

it's even silver plated which is extra cool! Just don't use silver polish because that'll take the thin layer of plating away. there are alternative ways of cleaning silver plating without damaging the silver plating! Not sure which part is silver plated though! looks like the wires themselves and probably not the plug, but it would be cool if the plug itself was too! as well as the sockets! I don't see it to be a big gamble, just be ready to shut down the amp if you hear clicks, pops, or humming/buzzing!

Thanks, sir Jokan. I will keep that in mind....

 

[PatentLawyer]

good to see you kept the subwoofer size sensible! Never overload a room with too much woofer! More harm than good!

It is a great ”sub” for my office desktop system. And for $100? Crazy.

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

It is a great ”sub” for my office desktop system. And for $100? Crazy.

Hmmmn....with that kind of excitement, I am considering searching that brand of SW online....

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

My guess is you will have ground noise issues using XLRs because your portable device lacks a true ground. Better to use that 2.5mm Jack to drive headphones. Let us know what happens!

FYI, not sure where you are, but these cables are on Amazon and easily returnable.

Thanks for the advice....

 

[jlm70]

good to see you kept the subwoofer size sensible! Never overload a room with too much woofer! More harm than good!

I’ve very little space in my studio, to insert a sub (I cannot go over a 23x25x30cm space WHD). But I‘d like to add it, to complement my JohnBlue JB3’s.
So the real options are a Cambridge Audio Minx X201 (appx 290€ new) or little bigger Velodyne Microvee (version 1, appx 3-400€ used). Any advice?

 

[SOUNDSONIC]

mini 2.5mm xlr's are very different by design, sony uses their pentacon connection one shared ground, L+ L-, R+ R- and a shared ground. True balanced cables systems don't share a ground, they are mono blocks all the way through, which is why I don't consider the DA-9 as truly balanced unless they are doing some electronic wizardry, an op-amp can't serve as a method for balanced inputs. I still love my DA-9 though!

I agree with PatentLawyer. You will likely encounter ground induced noise. No harm in trying things out. it'll make buzzing sounds or popping sounds, just keep the volume and power switch near by just incase of noise.

Thanks for the advice, guys. This is the nice part of our hobby. We have to be risk takers. Will grab that cable and I will let you know the results.

 

[adamjohari]

I'm not trying to be rude to you at all but I think you are on the wrong page. There probably is a page already discussing the Topping D10s DAC and Drop THX 789 headphone amplifier. Drop modified or created products are pretty nice, but you would want to hear an actual set before you purchase. Hopefully you have a friend that has a pair that you can try out first. Headphones are subjective for comfort. Things like clamping force, the physical size of your head changes how effective any headphone fits and therefore sounds.

Hopefully this can direct you where to go for the answers you seek.

I have passive speakers B&W 607 S2. Probably should've mentioned that...

 

[KiyPhi]

You are misinformed, Shenzenaudio is a mass retailer that sells products. SMSL is their own company. https://www.smsl-audio.com/. Shenzen has a relationship with SMSL being their official retailer and they will pass information back to SMSL. Shenzenaudio has nothing that they manufacture themselves. There is no outside source as of yet that has done a full test of the DA-9. The SH-9 is a headphone amplifier. The circuit design would be completely different because of its intended use is completely different. If you think ShenzenAudio is being rude, you should know China is on a national holiday that I believe ends on the 5th. Technical questions should be asked to the manufacturer they are the ones who know designed both. Shenzen audio pre payment or order completion uses a BOT to answer questions. You rarely get an actual human. Hopefully this gives you some clarity.

So I'm being lied to by Apos, Shenzhen, and SMSL?

Seems like if SMSL were to be the ones to design it, it would be easier to answer then to have the technician guy from Shenzhen Audio message me later no?
Also makes sense on why it is only sold by them and Apos. They also don't (last I checked) have a product page for it. I had a conversation with Shenzhen where they said they designed it but that one was in the chat so I have no email transcript of it.

 

[Ntrax]

I got no choice but to pulled the trigger for the DA9 after reading all this good words from you guys. Gonna hook up on my humble AudioEngine A2+, Definitive Technology ProSub800 and Dayton Audio Bass Tranducers. Fingers crossed it will be good to my ears too. But I really don't know where to put it now.

 

[PatentLawyer]

I don't care a ton who designed it--I'm happy with the product and feel like I got more than my money's worth. But SMSL does have a page on it, to the extent that matters: https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/726.html

 

[PatentLawyer]

I got no choice but to pulled the trigger for the DA9 after reading all this good words from you guys. Gonna hook up on my humble AudioEngine A2+, Definitive Technology ProSub800 and Dayton Audio Bass Tranducers. Fingers crossed it will be good to my ears too.

Please report your impressions. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Edit: Holy smokes, that's a serious desktop. Maybe you are an options trader with all those screens!

 

[Ntrax]

Please report your impressions. Hope you like it as much as I do.

I surely will. Thanks man. Can't wait. Cheers y'all