SMSL DO100 Review (Stereo DAC)

[Pulkass]

STOP PRESS-es wait a minute !!! It s all working now!!! 192 khz ---amazing clear ! Blasting every Picture tells a story, a gem that came out of Morgan studio--Willesden- my London of yore 1971- Maggie bell duetin with Rod, amazing.I guess BTW the char lady pulled the cable or somethin, happy happy happy!!! , 600 + 600 +400 sub woofer watts, tri amped behemoths electr x overed--- can t be wrong- treated huge room no neighbours, rock on 2023 !!!!!!!

 

[Pulkass]

better would be to use a short USB cable and a long XLR-cable using the symmetrical output

Indeed, but if you see the f**** riggin - miles of cables in this humble salon.

 

[Ahklut]

I just joined ASR after reading some reviews over the past months and trying to learn as much as possible. I may have a silly question. I was interested in connecting the DO100 to a HO100 for my headphones and the DO100 to a AO100 for my near field passive monitors. Can I use the XLR output to connect to the HO100 and the RCA to the AO100 at the same time? Thanks everyone for all the knowledge!

 

[Pulkass]

Yes

 

[aleonids]

Hello everyone
I would like to listen to music from a PC via a usb.
I'm thinking of such a set:
PC Win 10 > SMSL DO100 > amplifier > elac reference dbr62
Please tell me which inexpensive amplifier can I buy for my kit?

 

[Graham849]

Hello everyone
I would like to listen to music from a PC via a usb.
I'm thinking of such a set:
PC Win 10 > SMSL DO100 > amplifier > elac reference dbr62
Please tell me which inexpensive amplifier can I buy for my kit?

Hi, suggest AO200 or A300, if too expensive Fosi. Enjoy your music via DO100, excellent DAC!

 

[ishmeister]

I purchased this DAC recently and it arrived with a 13 amp fuse in the power lead (UK). Isn't this a bit risky? Should I replace it with a 3 amp or 5?

 

[ishmeister]

I purchased this DAC recently and it arrived with a 13 amp fuse in the power lead (UK). Isn't this a bit risky? Should I replace it with a 3 amp or 5?

About 30 seconds of googling answers my question - 3 amps. Luckily I had one spare.

 

[Bleib]

The hatch on the optical out has broken on my DAC and now the cable won't sit in place so well.
Any ideas how to have it fixed?

 

[PyramidElectric]

The hatch on the optical out has broken on my DAC and now the cable won't sit in place so well.
Any ideas how to have it fixed?

Just put a tiny bit of superglue on the hatch and sit it in 'open' position. There should be a little notch on the hatch that helps hold the cable in, make sure you don't glue that side.

 

[AnalogSteph]

I purchased this DAC recently and it arrived with a 13 amp fuse in the power lead (UK). Isn't this a bit risky? Should I replace it with a 3 amp or 5?

I don't think fused leads are much of a thing outside the UK, so you can pretty much expect that a fuse sized for the equipment will be inside. The fuse in the power lead basically only has to protect the lead itself, and its sizing will be a matter of conductor size. 13 amps seems about right for 0.75 to 1 mm².

 

[AkodoGilador]

Because all of them should! Seriously, most people these days have one source of audio: digital. It makes no sense to have to buy a pre-amp just to change volumes. This is especially so since you get a digital volume control in the DAC chip itself which assures accurate channel balance. Combined with a remote control, this is a must have feature in my book for any DAC.

This is a great idea, but do you have any measurements to back this up?

As in, you only measure the SINAD, etc, at full volume: does the SINAD differ as the volume is changed?

Cheers,
Alex Jones

 

[staticV3]

does the SINAD differ as the volume is changed?

Yes. For each dB you reduce the volume by, you lose approximately 1dB SINAD. That's because the signal strength goes down, but the noise does not.

 

[AkodoGilador]

Yes. For each dB you reduce the volume by, you lose approximately 1dB SINAD. That's because the signal strength goes down, but the noise does not.

If the SINAD is dominated by distortion - and the distortion is relative to the signal - then the SINAD will stay the same as the volume is decreased, until you reach a point where the noise starts to take over.

However, I'm more interested in the other case, where the volume control is poorly implemented, and the SINAD decreases by more than 1dB when the volume is decreased by 1dB.

Cheers,
Alex Jones

 

[staticV3]

If the SINAD is dominated by distortion - and the distortion is relative to the signal - then the SINAD will stay the same as the volume is decreased, until you reach a point where the noise starts to take over.

It almost never is on modern DACs. Certainly not on the DO100.

However, I'm more interested in the other case, where the volume control is poorly implemented, and the SINAD decreases by more than 1dB when the volume is decreased by 1dB.

Do you have an example of such a poorly implemented volume control?

 

[AkodoGilador]

It almost never is on modern DACs. Certainly not on the DO100.


Do you have an example of such a poorly implemented volume control?

But this is my point: without such measurements, we have no idea whether a volume control is implemented well or poorly.

 

[Repdetect]

I was showing this review to a friend and he wanted to order it but I don't see this on Apos web site? Are they the best seller to purchase from? Maybe they don't have stock yet?

FWIW-I am in US.I ordered an SMSL A300 from APOS, got a defective unit, took a month to get a replacement. I'll pay the extra $ to get one from amazon next time. original and replacement unit was shipped from China, no US stock.

 

[Repdetect]

Who in hell are Aoshida and how are they $200 cheaper than any other seller

From Toku-The AO100 is a group of products that share the same amplifier section as SMSL's SA300, C200, A12, DA-6, and Sabaj A1.
Some product variations are created by differences in input circuits, electronic volume, BT, USB input, display, etc.
AO100 and C200 are SMSL products planned and sold by Aoshida HiFi, and I feel that they are positioned a little higher.
It is an amplifier that uses the well-received MA12070 chip, and I think it is most suitable for desktop use for TVs and PCs due to the size and price of the housing rather than the sound quality.
I used to have three SA300s at one point. These small amplifiers are stable in operation and useful in various applications.

 

[dumpingg]

I have a question about how the pre-amp volume control function on the DO100 works during power up and power down. Does the volume control remember the last setting and power up to that setting? Can you set a max volume or power up volume in the settings menu? Does the DO100 power on when power is applied to the power cord? Or do you have to hit a power on button?

I am thinking of using this DAC in an active cross over setup and once I level calibarate my tweeter and woofer path I don't want the volume to change on a power cycle.

volumio raspberry PI streamer (volume control) -> USB SPDIF Converter -> nanodigi DSP -> DO100 DAC -> Power Amplifier -> Speaker tweeters (left and right)
(the woofers have a similar audio path separately)

 

[Pouyoux]

When you power up the do100 it goes back to the state it was when you powered down it (on or off)
You can't set a maximum volume.