SMSL DL200 the best ever value DAC/AMP?

[Shayzer]

Hey My Friend,
cheapaudioman did a YouTube review of the AL200, and he really liked it. He found the headphone amp struggled with Dan Clark Aeon's, but those are 13 Ohm headphones. It drove the Hifiman XS with no problem. He really praised the amp section, and liked most of the eq settings. Check it out, I think he did a good job on the review.

Like the others above said, it comes down to your use. If your primary use is to drive speakers, than its a no brainer for the AL200. If your wanting a headphone amp or DAC than the other two are your better options.

I have the DL200 and really enjoy it. I bought it because of reading this thread. The new ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M sealed the deal. I was really excited after reading up on it through the link in this thread. My purpose was for a quality DAC and headphone amp, and later on add an amp to drive speakers when I upgrade. I love that I no longer have to unplug my computer speakers to plug in my headphones. The extra power in the headphone amp is icing on the cake.

Good luck and let us know which one you choose, and your thoughts.

Hi, thanks for the help too!

Basically it would be only for my headphones right now. Later I might buy speakers but it will not be soon.

I might go with the DL200 then, just a bit sad that it does not have EQ profile (for example to tame the treble on the Mezz 109 Pro)

 

[nerdemoji]

Hi, thanks for the help too!

Basically it would be only for my headphones right now. Later I might buy speakers but it will not be soon.

I might go with the DL200 then, just a bit sad that it does not have EQ profile (for example to tame the treble on the Mezz 109 Pro)

just do this at your source with equalizer apo.

 

[frabor]

The UMC given what i read will be worst IMHO.

The al200 is a very nice overall unit.ot if was less than 200 USD I will get it myself. For 300, I rather get something else. If you like the concept of the DSP and the convenience, it will be ok.

Smsl only list the overall sinad of the amp, and given the proficiency of them,you can assume thst you are getting 96 dB or higher, enough for WAV Redbook.

If the functionality is what you need, get it. You can always get a dac in the future. There is a bunch of 100 USD/ euro devices with about 105-110 sinad. Since you already will have a remote and bt, you can make a very nice sistem with an upgrade path in the future.

I am looking at some of those low cost /high performance dac to build an streamer with plexamp Chromecast 4k, and a HDMI to optical. I think that some of those low cost units are perfect big you don't need bt, remote or balanced among others.

 

[frabor]

I use eapo and pace and it can be a pain with PC problems and not being able to use non PC music sources ( Bluetooth, streamers, vinyl). It is so disappointing to loose the eq/ house curve the second you get out of the PC. I have music in plexamp and I have not found a way my music in a Synology plexmap and I have not found a way stream itto eapo ( unless I get a very nice adc)

 

[Philou]

I use eapo and pace and it can be a pain with PC problems and not being able to use non PC music sources ( Bluetooth, streamers, vinyl). It is so disappointing to loose the eq/ house curve the second you get out of the PC. I have music in plexamp and I have not found a way my music in a Synology plexmap and I have not found a way stream itto eapo ( unless I get a very nice adc)

I offer you a solution that should cover your needs and delight you with the One Bit quality of the music obtained.Its base is the Daphile software which allows you to take the exclusive hand on a PC (and eliminate any activity of the PRO outside of Daphile without any inconvenience as to the OS already installed, because after having installed it on a USB 3 key (Preferably) just boot on this key and store albums and you can use Daphile as you wish. Of course the ideal is to install Daphile on an SSD.

For my part after several PC solutions I opted for a Chinese PC with an Acemagician JK06 Mini PC without fan, Intel Celeron N5100 16GB RAM 512GB SSD at Amazon which has the particularity of being a fanless, to have an SSD M2 and inPlus a accommodation to install a 2.5 inch 2TO SSD.Daphile also makes a musical server for your tablets etc and replaces your more daphile synology can be used by several people (as much as DAC connected in USB on the PC) you will find information on the software easily including on the audiosciencereview.com forum.

 

[lightern]

Does someone know how the volume control for headphone playback works if one would feed DL200 with DSD content? Does it convert DSD to PCM when using with headphones? The manual is just talking about "Native DSD playback up to DSD512 without conversion" and to me that doesn't compatible with digital volume control. Not sure if I would ever feed it with DSD, but just curious.

 

[JeffB1961]

my 20+ year old pioneer 5.1 HT receiver has a dead right speaker amp channel . i was considering a new denon or onkyo HT receiver but we use this in our bedroom with the computer and 65 inch tv and we aren't interested in a 5.1 setup in there . but i do have a powered velodyne sub in there with 2 JBL tower speakers for the TV and also 2 small JBLs on the computer desk . so we're really only interested in 2.1 in there for either use but sub/satellite management is a must and satellite power .

anyhow i'm thinking this DL200 with a RSL iA255.1 should do very nicely and be way cleaner that our 60 plus year old ears can detect and they seem to be respected companies with decent life spans . i'll do usb-c for the computer and optical from the TV and i'll use a speaker switcher to go between the big and little JBLs with the RSL . what are y'alls thoughts ?

 

[Shawners]

my 20+ year old pioneer 5.1 HT receiver has a dead right speaker amp channel . i was considering a new denon or onkyo HT receiver but we use this in our bedroom with the computer and 65 inch tv and we aren't interested in a 5.1 setup in there . but i do have a powered velodyne sub in there with 2 JBL tower speakers for the TV and also 2 small JBLs on the computer desk . so we're really only interested in 2.1 in there for either use but sub/satellite management is a must and satellite power .

anyhow i'm thinking this DL200 with a RSL iA255.1 should do very nicely and be way cleaner that our 60 plus year old ears can detect and they seem to be respected companies with decent life spans . i'll do usb-c for the computer and optical from the TV and i'll use a speaker switcher to go between the big and little JBLs with the RSL . what are y'alls thoughts ?

The DL200 is a DAC/headphone amp. I don't think it would drive your speakers unless they are active speakers. You may want to look into the AL200 instead. Its an audio amp with a decent Cirrus CS43131 DAC chip. I never heard it, but it has good reviews on YouTube. Cheapaudioman did one and the same guy who did the DL200 review in this thread also did one. I have the DL200 and really enjoy it.

 

[JeffB1961]

thanks Shawners . the plan is on the DL200 to connect my computer to the usb-c and connect the tv to it's optical . and then connects the DL200 RCA out to the RLS to drive the speakers and supply the powered velodyne sub with a line signal in using the RLSs 90hz x-over . the velodyne has a variable x-over so i can tune it to the fixed 90hz on the RSL . i ran them on the pioneer with a 100hz x-over . the sub is a velodyne CT-120 .

i was going back and forth between the atom+ stack or the schiit modi+/magni+ stack and then i saw this thread here about the DL200 and seems to be at least as good as them plus it has bluetooth ..... and SMSL seems to have a good reputation for reliability . and i'll probally add the $29 3 year assurion warranty to it .

i was gonna get the dayton audio DTA-100ST but then i saw the RLS with support here in the USA and it's 2 year warranty . it's designed here and built in china .... it is what it is .

i know i'm no golden eared audiophile and probaly not even a mid fier , but i want the best quality and build i can get for the $300ish these will go for . i haven't seen any bad comments about the DL200 you and others here have but it is new on the market . i had ordered a fiio K7 but before it arrived i found some comments about it and fiio CS that i wasn't comfortable with so i sent it back for a refund .... which should be posted back to my account in a few days and then the plan is to order the DL200 this week and get the RSL next month .
thanks again .

 

[Shawners]

Sounds like you have a well thought out plan. The Fiio K7 was on my short list also, but I really wanted a DAC/Amp with an led display. What really sold me on the DL200 was the linked thread that discusses the new ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M chip. I won't bore you with a repeat of my thoughts on the DL200, I already posted them in this thread. I've been obsessing with Tidal Max and Audirvana ever since. My music has never sounded better. Good luck my friend, and let us know what you end up doing and your thoughts.

 

[JeffB1961]

I didn't know the DL200 existed until I saw this thread and the title really caught my interest . Eight pages of complimentary to glowing comments also caught my interest . I'm not going to pretend to understand all about the chips and stuff but I certainly do appreciate the comments of you and others in this thread . Thanks to you all .

 

[JeffB1961]

how long is the manufacturers warranty on SMSL DL200 ?

i was looking at the amazon asurion warranty and it says " COVERAGE: Plan starts on the date of purchase. Malfunctions covered after the manufacturer's warranty. Power surges covered from day one. "

"Malfunctions covered after the manufacturer's warranty." concerns be because i don't want to have to deal with a company on the other side of the planet if a problem arises sooner rather than later . but on the other hand if the warranty is short that will make me feel like they don't have a lot of faith in their product . damned if i do and damned if i don't .............

what are you folks experience concerning the durability of SMSL and their customer service ?
SHIIT has a 2 year warranty and made in Texas/California .

i apologize if i'm being a PITA .

 

[Shawners]

That's a great question. I sent a message to the seller on Amazon, I also asked if warranty claims are done here in the USA or if you have to send it to China. Ill let you know their reply. Here's what the owners manual says:

 

[JeffB1961]

dude you're awesome ! thanks

 

[Shawners]

No problem my friend, its something I should of verified before I pulled the trigger...lolbs

Here's the sellers response, I had to ask twice, but I feel good about the answers. I'm excited for you to receive yours and hear your thoughts, especially about the RLS amp with the DL200. I never heard about that amp before, but you've put it on my radar for when I upgrade my speakers.

 

[Dunring]

The specs show it outputs 2v RCA or 5V XLR which is crazy compared to other DACs that can output 5 volts for under 200 beans. Pretty futureproof if you need more power down the road and add an amplifier that can benefit from the extra voltage. Even the $80 Sabaj A20H I have does best with it's matching 5 volt DAC (like many SMSL or Sabaj amplifiers do). Hoping for a review to verify the claims/specs.

 

[Lupin]

yep I think everyone is wrong because the objectivist subjectivist debate has very little to do with the original topic lol.

You literally stated "newer chip" as USP in your opening post.

 

[frabor]

It looks like SMSL uses MELF type resistors in the analog output path, the same type used on the Cosmos ADC and APU. MELF are SMD resistors and are the best for high precision and audio work vs typical thin or thick film resistors (cheaper, used more frequently). They are the blue things all around the board.

from viking.com

The MELF is cylindrical in shape and with metal electrode Leadless face resistor. Land pattern sizes are the same as SMD chip resistors.
It is manufactured by depositing a homogeneous film of NiCr onto a high-grade ceramic body. High quality of MELF resistors offer excellent electrical and Environmental Stability, exceptional stability demonstrated over life, biased humidity, and short time overload testing.

 

[Jota_L]

It's my first post here, so I hope I'm doing everything right. But I have a question that I think is simple, I would like to know if the DL200 is a good DAC/AMP to use with a Hifiman HE400SE V1? I intend to use the setup on the desktop, and in addition to the HE400SE, also with a Philips SPH9500 and a pair of Microlabs B77 active speakers. Is there any type of incompatibility in this configuration that I want to set up?

 

[nerdemoji]

It's my first post here, so I hope I'm doing everything right. But I have a question that I think is simple, I would like to know if the DL200 is a good DAC/AMP to use with a Hifiman HE400SE V1? I intend to use the setup on the desktop, and in addition to the HE400SE, also with a Philips SPH9500 and a pair of Microlabs B77 active speakers. Is there any type of incompatibility in this configuration that I want to set up?

Not that I know of.