SMSL DL200 the best ever value DAC/AMP?

[hoverdonkey]

Yes, the issue applies to other source hardware.
My experience is the same with my Wiim pro over optical or coax as my wired ethernet Pi over USB (or my Chromecast audio, or PC, or phone), and regardless of music source (LMS/squeeelite, Chromecast, Alexa cast, DLNA, local files).

My biggest win has been using low gain only which reduces the clicks through headphones significantly.

Just to be clear, the issue to which I refer is caused by the Pi3B+. It manifests on other USB DACs, not only the DL200. I also had it on my Topping d10s, and I have read that it affects other USB DACs.

 

[FreakyKiwi]

Just to be clear, the issue to which I refer is caused by the Pi3B+. It manifests on other USB DACs, not only the DL200. I also had it on my Topping d10s, and I have read that it affects other USB DACs.

OK - I've seen too many posts assuming or claiming that this (clicking/popping/needle drop) is a Pi issue, or Linux issue, or LMS issue, or USB issue.

This is an issue with the DL200 muting circuit regardless of source, the severity will be determined by your output and individual sensitivity.

Buyer beware, otherwise it's a good DAC.

 

[th2j]

Just to add, a Pi 3B+ should not be used to drive a USB DAC when using wired ethernet. That combo always gives random pops in music. wifi + USB DAC works fine.

I wonder if this issue applies to other source hardware?

The reason is, I believe, that the USB & ethernet share the same bus. Wifi is okay... I think because it is not using the same bus (of course... it is going by air ). Pi 4B + USB DAC + wired ethernet is fine (separate buses).

i have the same pops with rpi 3B+ on wifi and on ethernet...
not many, maybe 1 per minute, so you can easily not notice them with music
i create a constant soundtrack with a sine wave to test and i can ear them clearly

if you want to try :

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

(put the volume down because the track is loud)

 

[GL00CK]

Hello, I hope you can help me.
I just bought the SMLS C200 but I'm starting to think that I need more power, for this reason I'm thinking of DL200. On the other hand I am convinced to buy the Beyerdynamic DT990 edition. What do you think is the Combo that can give me the best musical experience: the 32 Ohms, 250 or 600 Ohms? My intention is to always use the headphones with the amplifier and only to watch TV(films) and play PS5. No music. Right now there is an offer in which the 600 Ohm one is 33% cheaper. I'm tempted to buy the 600 Ohm ones but I'm afraid that I won't be able to move them easily and will demand too much from the amplifier.
32, 250 or 600 ohms?
Thank you very much for your advice.

 

[jayapple]

27 pages is enough to conclude something ;p

I saw a review and the test results were very good, although the product looks ugly, but considering the price is so low, and the ESS dry listening is optimized, it is still highly recommended.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Yes it does, but that's not the point.
If the DAC volume is low (or 0), and the amo/speaker volume is high, any noise and clicks from the DAC itself would be amplified more.

Yeah I know but I was responding to @Teryon 's post in which he/she asks if he can "set" (control?) volume frrom DL200 - or at least that's what I thought was meant.

I'm sorry to hear that your click problem still persists. I've been using my DL200 for a while now and had no issues whatsoever but then again I'm using it simply as a DAC in my preamp->power amp->passive speakers system.

 

[FreakyKiwi]

You must have the input level set quite low though? The Mackie expects +4dBU (=1.22V) at full input (U) level (wide open), the DL200 output is 5V on TRS or 2.5V on RCA.

I'll test today feeding the RCA into my Edifier active speakers and then give up on ever understanding the quirks of this DAC.

I finally got around to testing with my Edifier R1380T active speakers.

The clicks are still there but are so quiet I either wouldn't notice or care.

For the test I set the DAC to 0 volume and the speakers to max and switched between tracks of different sample rates from Amazon Music via Alexa cast to a Wiim pro connected to the DL200 over optical.
As expected, changing the gain from low to high made no difference with the RCA out, while it makes a big difference to the volume of the clicks through headphones.

 

[paulg1]

I don't need the headphone amp, but it's nice to have. The SMSL DL 200 and the SMSL D6s are priced the same on Amazon, ($200) very low cost for the performance. They both use ES9039Q2M IC, XMOS XU316 USB interface and Qualcomm Bluetooth receiver IC. There may be some other circuitry differences between the two.

There is one thing about the SMSL D6S, and that is Michael Fidler and other members review of the power supply. I'm not sure if the same issues exist in the SMSL DL200. For sure the layout is more spacious in the DL200, in particular the power supply is more physically separated on the PC board. A good thing?

I hope Amir can review the SMSL DL200 soon. His measurements, as well as the valuable inputs from other members are important to me. It's the reason why I became a member in the first place.

 

[FreakyKiwi]

I hope Amir can review the SMSL DL200 soon. His measurements, as well as the valuable inputs from other members are important to me. It's the reason why I became a member in the first place.

If I wasn't on the other side of the world, I'd send him mine.
Who's keen to provide one for Amir to review?

 

[jayapple]

I don't need the headphone amp, but it's nice to have. The SMSL DL 200 and the SMSL D6s are priced the same on Amazon, ($200) very low cost for the performance. They both use ES9039Q2M IC, XMOS XU316 USB interface and Qualcomm Bluetooth receiver IC. There may be some other circuitry differences between the two.

There is one thing about the SMSL D6S, and that is Michael Fidler and other members review of the power supply. I'm not sure if the same issues exist in the SMSL DL200. For sure the layout is more spacious in the DL200, in particular the power supply is more physically separated on the PC board. A good thing?

I hope Amir can review the SMSL DL200 soon. His measurements, as well as the valuable inputs from other members are important to me. It's the reason why I became a member in the first place.

The two are almost identical, the DL200 just has an extra headphone amplifier. And the D6S has been tested, and the results are great!

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

Same case here: clicks produced even with DAC at volume 0. Though none of my headphones are particularly hard to drive, I find that the problem is way less pronounced when I am using the balanced output. With the 6.35mm output, it is just unbearable.

Now clicks are produced across the board. There are those that people are describing here when switching tracks (and these are particularly less prominent with the balanced headphones -- in fact, they seem to be physical clicks at the unit itself), but there is generally some static noise as well -- a bit like connecting your headphones to a bad PC headphone jack, most sadly. I have already tried moving the USB connector to all possible places (Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock, Philips Monitor's USB-C Hub, and even the USB ports at my monitor stand). Nothing seems to do the trick. Static remains.

If the problem did not affect so many people, I would be considering interference by my Google Nest Wi-fi routers as a possibility. I have a set of Edifier MR4 that would hiss like crazy when the router was close to them. But now the router is farther away anyway.

This is all such a huge pity, as the DL200's sound is just fantastic. If there is no fix soon, though, I am afraid I might need to send them back to Amazon.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...os-driver-settings-for-no-cutoff-delay.25838/ Try setting it up according to this operation.

 

[Deleted member 68540]

Thanks much, Mandy. I had since found that out and it did solve the issue (now regardless of gain). There's just a faint pop when turning the unit on, but that is really like nothing, I find, at least in my desktop speakers or headphones. Congrats on a wonderful product.

 

[GL00CK]

Thanks Mandy.
As you can see, Mandy has made an appearance in this thread. I sent her an email informing her of this incident. In that email, I included the link to the thread. I believe that even though I am new to the forum, I can speak on behalf of everyone and thank Mandy/SMSL for taking the matter seriously and proposing a solution.

I hope this call to attention will serve to correct the problem. Even if my unit had that problem (it's on the way), I'll have to hire a computer technician to make the adjustments he proposes

It would also be interesting to know if the solution that Mandy suggests has corrected the problem for more people, besides mtg.

 

[FreakyKiwi]

Thanks Mandy.
As you can see, Mandy has made an appearance in this thread. I sent her an email informing her of this incident. In that email, I included the link to the thread. I believe that even though I am new to the forum, I can speak on behalf of everyone and thank Mandy/SMSL for taking the matter seriously and proposing a solution.

I hope this call to attention will serve to correct the problem. Even if my unit had that problem (it's on the way), I'll have to hire a computer technician to make the adjustments he proposes

It would also be interesting to know if the solution that Mandy suggests has corrected the problem for more people, besides mtg.

This option only reduces the frequency of the issue (and is discussed throughout this and other threads) by keeping the connection open.

The clicks are caused by the muting circuit and will still occur on connect/disconnect, albeit with the frequency of this reduced significantly with this driver option or similar where available on other platforms, and when switching sample rates.

Your specific setup of source and output is a critical factor in the usability of this DAC.

Without this option, or a platform which keeps the connection open, the clicks can be unbearably frequent, on some equipment the clicks are distractingly loud.

I have changed my source and headphones to be able to enjoy using it.

Buyer beware.

 

[Deleted member 68540]

This option only reduces the frequency of the issue (and is discussed throughout this and other threads) by keeping the connection open.

The clicks are caused by the muting circuit and will still occur on connect/disconnect, albeit with the frequency of this reduced significantly with this driver option or similar where available on other platforms, and when switching sample rates.

Your specific setup of source and output is a critical factor in the usability of this DAC.

Without this option, or a platform which keeps the connection open, the clicks can be unbearably frequent, on some equipment the clicks are distractingly loud.

I have changed my source and headphones to be able to enjoy using it.

Buyer beware.

My problem originally went beyond. I don't know what caused it but, besides the click you are describing, my old WH-1000XM2 sounded like it had statics coming straight out of the headphone jack of a cheap Acer I had in the early 2000s. Like those sounds that science websites on occasion publish of the sound that would be produced in space by some random event if it produced sound that in reality it is not supposed to produce.

The "XMOS" thing (which is really simple to do) completely did the trick in my case. Maybe I am talking too soon, but I made a playlist on Tidal with tracks of various sample / bit rates, I am listening to it in exclusive mode, passthrough MQA to the DL200, and there is no pop or click whatsoever when the list changes from one track to other. I can listen with my Sony in passive or active mode and can listen with my Fidelio X3, and from my earlier experience I am assuming that the hardest to drive the headphone is, the least likely it is to produce the clicks/pops, though I hear no clicks / pops with my active desktop speakers either.

Now FreakyKiwi is right that when you have Tidal coming from a no-sound situation to one with sound, like when you click play, there will be a faint pop, the same one as when the unit is turned on. But I checked and my HiBy FC4 produces the same pop! -- which I had never noticed until it became a "problem" with the DL200, and I am considering going back to not noticing!

It gets more interesting. The "XMOS" configuration above is in reality the configuration of the Thesycon Audio 2.0 USB Class ASIO driver, which the HiBy also uses, so it has the same XML file. I went to make the same adjustments to the file and, just as with the DL200, the original parameters were set to "On When Needed"!

 

[Shawners]

Someone posted a firmware update around two weeks ago, but it was actually for a different unit. I'm curious who told them it would also work for the DL200, and what it actually fixed or added?

I did that xmos fix @ a month ago and that took care of almost all my clicks. To be honest I never noticed them until some people brought them to my attention on this thread. I do use Audirvana and have it set to mute during rate changes at 1 second and never hear them anymore. I also leave my unit on all the time, I've never felt a heat issue doing this. I'm running via of USB from my laptop. I listen mainly with my headphones on high gain, and my active speakers. I'm glad that when I change from headphones to line out for my active speakers that there's no pop and it remembers the volume setting for each. I tested Bluetooth and it worked flawlessly and didn't brick my unit.

One more observation, it seems the ones having the most problems are the ones using a Raspberry Pi device.

Mandy if your still reading this thread, thanks. If SMSL could provide a DL200 for Amirm to test it would go along way to clear the air about these problems. You can see quite a few are hesitant about purchasing this unit because of something's being stated on this thread.

 

[Deleted member 68540]

Someone posted a firmware update around two weeks ago, but it was actually for a different unit. I'm curious who told them it would also work for the DL200, and what it actually fixed or added?

I did that xmos fix @ a month ago and that took care of almost all my clicks. To be honest I never noticed them until some people brought them to my attention on this thread. I do use Audirvana and have it set to mute during rate changes at 1 second and never hear them anymore. I also leave my unit on all the time, I've never felt a heat issue doing this. I'm running via of USB from my laptop. I listen mainly with my headphones on high gain, and my active speakers. I'm glad that when I change from headphones to line out for my active speakers that there's no pop and it remembers the volume setting for each. I tested Bluetooth and it worked flawlessly and didn't brick my unit.

One more observation, it seems the ones having the most problems are the ones using a Raspberry Pi device.

Mandy if your still reading this thread, thanks. If SMSL could provide a DL200 for Amirm to test it would go along way to clear the air about these problems. You can see quite a few are hesitant about purchasing this unit because of something's being stated on this thread.

Are you able to run Audirvana with the DL200 in ASIO mode? Considering giving it a go instead of Roon, but can't make it run in ASIO. Sounding awesome in WASAPI anyway, though.

 

[Shawners]

Are you able to run Audirvana with the DL200 in ASIO mode? Considering giving it a go instead of Roon, but can't make it run in ASIO. Sounding awesome in WASAPI anyway, though.

I have three options and all work. WASAPI, ASIO, and Kernel. I really wanted to try Roon, I missed the three months for $3 Black Friday special.

 

[Deleted member 68540]

I have three options and all work. WASAPI, ASIO, and Kernel. I really wanted to try Roon, I missed the three months for $3 Black Friday special.

Roon is wonderful when it works. More often than not, however, I would find myself with the player stuttering amid a proliferation of Roon servers in the System Tray. And my machine is not too bad. But Audirvana does not even start in ASIO mode. It just shuts, never to open again.

 

[Shawners]

Roon is wonderful when it works. More often than not, however, I would find myself with the player stuttering amid a proliferation of Roon servers in the System Tray. And my machine is not too bad. But Audirvana does not even start in ASIO mode. It just shuts, never to open again.

Wow, that's strange. I wish I could be more help. The only advice I would have is to make sure the xmos control panel is running. I know I have about 9 asio drivers since I have a DAW (Studio One) on my computer. For some reason Audirvana doesn't default to the SMSL one. It shows up as USB ASIO driver. I have to choose that one in the settings. If I don't switch to WASPI it'll stay on the chosen ASIO driver. I'm sure someone more versed on Audirvana on here will have better suggestions. Good luck my friend.