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SMSL DO100 Review (Stereo DAC)

Rate this DAC:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 4 1.1%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 7 2.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 32 9.0%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 311 87.9%

  • Total voters
    354

manisandher

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This is what an anti-imaging filter should look like:

MOTU UltraLite - Ditigal Filter.JPG

If MOTU can do it, surely every other DAC manufacturer can?
 

Jim Shaw

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It would appear that "the nut has been cracked" for affordable DACs, especially balanced output ones. More than a few high-end manufacturers are gonna have to rethink their product lines. Of course, there's always a population who will pay $3K for something with
1. Snob appeal
2. A milled aluminum front panel
3. Large blue meters
4. LED-lit vacuum tubes.

For such folk, it's still "step up to the cash register."
Like the hood ornament on a Rolls Royce...
Further to this, I today watched a new YT video by the redoubtable Julian Krause covering inexpensive 'dongles' for phones, computers, and pads. Included were ~$10 offerings of USB-C from Apple, Google, and Samsung. All of them offered remarkable audio characteristics and adequate headphone volume.
Clearly, these might be useful in driving speaker amps for casual uses.

Just 6 months ago, I paid $40 for a Chinese DAC/HP device that really isn't very good (excessive noise, hiss). Before that, we were offered the Dragonfly devices for ~$100-400!

The needle keeps moving...
 

Jim Shaw

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Further to this, I today watched a new YT video by the redoubtable Julian Krause covering inexpensive 'dongles' for phones, computers, and pads. Included were ~$10 offerings of USB-C from Apple, Google, and Samsung. All of them offered remarkable audio characteristics and adequate headphone volume.
Clearly, these might be useful in driving speaker amps for casual uses.

Just 6 months ago, I paid $40 for a Chinese DAC/HP device that really isn't very good (excessive noise, hiss). Before that, we were offered the Dragonfly devices for ~$100-400!

The needle keeps moving...
Further yet to this, I recently watched Julian Krause's YT video measuring the internal audio DACs and analog outputs of some modern Windows computers. His measurement suite seems adequate for the chore.

Suspicions confirmed by real measurements: the PC built-in audio circuits aren't bad at all - and a lot better than Krause expected.
Audiophile quality? What is that? Good enough for many applications? Surely.

Surprise? No, astonishment!
 

Steveysteve

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does the volume control on this DAC mean that it can be used as a preamp? I have a cd player/streamer (the ND. 8006) that I use with active speakers (The ND8006 can be used as a preamp). The DAC processing has that Marantz coloration, I so I’m thinking that to get a more neutral sound I can run the D8006 digital out to the SMSL unit, then use the volume control on that unit. Would that work?
 

respice finem

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Further yet to this, I recently watched Julian Krause's YT video measuring the internal audio DACs and analog outputs of some modern Windows computers. His measurement suite seems adequate for the chore.

Suspicions confirmed by real measurements: the PC built-in audio circuits aren't bad at all - and a lot better than Krause expected.
Audiophile quality? What is that? Good enough for many applications? Surely.

Surprise? No, astonishment!
Yes, however it's kind of the wrong place to say it... The better has always been the enemy of the good, and "good enough" is "not even hi-fi" in many cases. What the "audiophile industry" is living off for decades is to convince people that they hear everything.
The level of most electronics tested here is above and beyond the "average Joe's" real needs IMHO.
That, however, doesn't question its usefulness, because a) see second sentence and b) the "sins" of any audio chain sum up, and the end result may be audible.
Last but not least, measurement-based forums can save many people from paying $$$ for piffle...
 
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Sokel

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Ummm - the basic spectrum analyser on Foobar tends to show not much is over 15khz on analogue recorded album transfers and commercial vinyl cuts would have little over 17kHz from the tape machine anyway due to wear (Decca used to wind the 15kHz test tones up on their Studers until they ran out of adjustment, only then sending the playback machines for head-lapping/replacement). Even modern squeaky-clean digital recodings only get the 20kHz strip moving a little.

As I crudely understand it, the 'beat or whatever harmonics' of very high frequency sounds (cymbals and so on) would be captured by the mic even if the recording medium didn't get the fundamentals... Mind you, Filter 3 'looks' best here for 16/44 use I think.
Mostly right about what you're saying but to take it a litlle extreme I got a snap from the torture that's called 'Virta 1' by Pan Sonic (Katodivaihe is the name of the album).The spikes you see at the upper end is perceived by me as a sharp blow (I'm 50,it's a miracle I still sense it :) ).

SpectrumPNG.PNG
 

Jim Shaw

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Yes, however it's kind of the wrong place to say it... The better has always been the enemy of the good, and "good enough" is "not even hi-fi" in many cases. What the "audiophile industry" is living off for decades is to convince people that they hear everything.
The level of most electronics tested here is above and beyond the "average Joe's" real needs IMHO.
That, however, doesn't question its usefulness, because a) see second sentence and b) the "sins" of any audio chain sum up, and the end result may be audible.
Last but not least, measurement-based forums can save many people from paying $$$ for piffle...
Agree. Kind of like "diamonds are forever." Actually, it should be "diamonds are until a bigger diamond comes along or divorce endeth ownership rights."
Personally, I don't know what the ubiquitous term HiFi means. I never have. HiFi seems to mean that "good enough will never be good enough." It depends on who you ask, eh?

To me, and about me alone, HiFi means pretty good evocation of the original sound. There are some constraints implicit:

1. You must have some memory of what you are evoking. (I don't know what a drum kit with 9 microphones, etc. sounds like.
2. The reproduction must be relatively free of distracting annoyances or reminders that your music is fake. Like aliasing and resonances.
3. Your hearing should be free of aberrations; a big issue if you are over about 55 years old. (You don't just lose the high frequencies.)

Measurements are extremely useful to judge evocation. Not because they can prejudge the way any individual can perceive, but because they are grounded in standards of accuracy and traceable to unmoving calibration. Most importantly, measurements unmask and identify aberrations and annoyances in music playback. If an acoustic scientist tried to tell me how some music 'sounds,' I would know he was not telling the truth.

But what do I know? I am presently listening to and enjoying Dvorak. What do I know of Eminem? ;)
 

respice finem

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Agree. Kind of like "diamonds are forever." Actually, it should be "diamonds are until a bigger diamond comes along or divorce endeth ownership rights."
Personally, I don't know what the ubiquitous term HiFi means. I never have. HiFi seems to mean that "good enough will never be good enough." It depends on who you ask, eh?

To me, and about me alone, HiFi means pretty good evocation of the original sound. There are some constraints implicit:

1. You must have some memory of what you are evoking. (I don't know what a drum kit with 9 microphones, etc. sounds like.
2. The reproduction must be relatively free of distracting annoyances or reminders that your music is fake. Like aliasing and resonances.
3. Your hearing should be free of aberrations; a big issue if you are over about 55 years old. (You don't just lose the high frequencies.)

Measurements are extremely useful to judge evocation. Not because they can prejudge the way any individual can perceive, but because they are grounded in standards of accuracy and traceable to unmoving calibration. Most importantly, measurements unmask and identify aberrations and annoyances in music playback. If an acoustic scientist tried to tell me how some music 'sounds,' I would know he was not telling the truth.

But what do I know? I am presently listening to and enjoying Dvorak. What do I know of Eminem? ;)
At least it's good to know that the stuff I bought is not broken, that's the element I can influence, while I must live with my hearing (which is never perfect).
In my own "peasant philosophy" :) I define it as "my fidelity" = a level above which anything better yields no progress for me, because I won't hear it. Life is easier this way.
 

DrZingo

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I've been using the equivalent of Filter 6 (Fast Linear) on my SU-9n, where it similarly cuts at 24kHz instead of 22.05kHz. At 44.1kHz sampling, like most of my music, shouldn't that dramatically worsen performance by letting a lot of out of band noise through the filter?
You are right, but the noise that is reflected down from the Nyquist frequency will still be above 20 kHz.
 

Jim Shaw

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You are right, but the noise that is reflected down from the Nyquist frequency will still be above 20 kHz.
Nyquist only said you could reproduce sine waves up to the Nyquist frequency. He never theorized that more complex waveforms would be replicated precisely. When does a bassoon sound more like an English horn? ;)
 

PeteL

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Nyquist only said you could reproduce sine waves up to the Nyquist frequency. He never theorized that more complex waveforms would be replicated precisely. When does a bassoon sound more like an English horn? ;)
No, Every complex waveform can be broken down to a sum of sines. Fourier predates Nyquist and it's the basis on which Nyquist works for a band limited signal.
 

Gio

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Why, on the earth, this pure DAC has the volume knob? Could you exclude it?
 

DrZingo

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Nyquist only said you could reproduce sine waves up to the Nyquist frequency. He never theorized that more complex waveforms would be replicated precisely. When does a bassoon sound more like an English horn? ;)
I can't tell if you're joking, but any complex waveform with a fundamental at 20 kHz will have it's first overtone way up at 40 kHz. Any tone above 10 kHz will only ever be captured as a fundamental (sine wave) with 44.1 kHz recording.
 

Jerry Sobel

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I guess to connect by USB one would have to get a USB B to C cable. Does that pose any issues?
 

PyramidElectric

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I guess to connect by USB one would have to get a USB B to C cable. Does that pose any issues?
It comes with one (I assume you actually mean USB-A to USB-C). I've not tried it (I already had a 10gbps one lying around), but I'm sure it's fine. No issues running it from a Macbook.
 
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