SMSL DO200 Pro arrived today: initial impressions review.

[vuittion]

It's almost like people will hear in a DAC whatever they expect to hear

Not at all,

In clinical terms, this is called a "cognitive bias"

Isn't it wonderful that we have many great mentors on this forum.

 

[rcstevensonaz]

Isn't it wonderful that we have many great mentors on this forum.

Indeed. I've learned a tremendous amount from the people on this forum!

 

[burkm]

Is this a "joke" (?), because some commentaries seem to me quite "awfull"...

 

[PlasticDoc]

Not at all,
Isn't it wonderful that we have many great mentors on this forum.

The distinction between unconscious bias and cognitive bias is not always clear-cut. There is a helpful review on this topic: Da Silva S, Gupta R and Monzani D (2023), Editorial: Highlights in psychology: cognitive bias. Front. Psychol. 14:1242809. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1242809

 

[A Surfer]

This is pretty much like a head-fi thread. We should let it die.

 

[burkm]

The problem seems to be, that no one (neither SMSL nor Aoshida nor any real users or buyers) have sent this "new" DAC unit for measurements to ASR, thus no review (and measurments) has/have happened (yet), only opinions and subjectivism dominate this thread.

 

[A Surfer]

We know with almost absolute certainty that in every possible way, this DAC will be audibly transparent. It is okay, to an extent that this community is starting to get populated by head-fi like new members.

This does give the community a chance to expose them to the actual science behind audio reproduction and maybe some of them will come towards the light. But it is challenging to now have to wade through head-fi like subjectivism here.

 

[burkm]

It is always "challenging" to wade through opinions and subjectivism of either side as long as no measurements supporting one side are available

 

[A Surfer]

I get it, but as a grizzled veteran of Head-fi, almost 13 000 posts there, I actually found this community an oasis where I didn't have to apologize for seeing the value in evidence to support claims.

I understand the love and joy that this hobby can provide, but at the end of the day, physics constrains all, and I can accept that. It isn't that I don't enjoy some unbridled enthusiasm; however, I'm starting to notice quite an increase in the comfort level of members posting purely subjective, audio myth content.

 

[burkm]

The situation is somewhat different, that - for me - good measurements are always needed, no matter if it's influencing (or not) my judgement about the item.
Opinion and subjective "taste" is just one additional element to consider in this "equation"

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Does it have automatic signal sensing on/off -feature like the most basic 100€ Topping dacs?

 

[burkm]

To my knowledge: No.

 

[antcollinet]

There is some nonsense being stated in this thread. Just a reminder for everyone:

A DAC has one, and only one job, and that is to accurately convert the digital representation of music from the source into an analog representation of that music. Well measuring DACS (the vast majority of DACS on the market) do that with inaudible levels of noise and distortion, and with flat frequency response in the audible band. In other words the analogue output is (audibly) a perfect representation of the digitally encoded music. It is audibly transparent.

If two DACS both achieve this (and well measuring DACS do) then the analog signal from both must be identical within audible limits. By definition, they must sound the same.

Or at least, assuming the amp and speakers are the same, will result in identical sound waves reaching the ear of the listener. What the listeners brain does with that sound information, and how it mixes in the environment, expectations of the listener, mood of the listener etc etc to "colour" the perception of that sound has nothing to do with the performance of the DAC.

So even if this DAC has - with its array of 12 DAC chips measurably changed the sound, assuming it still measures as described above (audibly transparent) there will be nothing in the sound-waves reaching your ears to distinguish it from any other transparent measuring DAC - no matter the number of chips.

This service has been brought to you by the wise old owl.

 

[burkm]

The still open question is, if those ominous claims found on the internet about this DAC are - at least partially - validated by its measurements here

 

[Scrivs]

All my (component) DACs, when level matched, sound identical to me (ADI2-FS, SU-9, E30, Modi 3, Motu M4, D10B, DEQ2496, etc, etc)

 

[burkm]

It's not the "sound" per se, which is nowadays rather seldom questioned, but the other factors as well...

 

[A Surfer]

It's not the "sound" per se, which is nowadays rather seldom questioned, but the other factors as well...

I'm sorry, but what does this mean? What other factors?

 

[burkm]

THD+N, IM, SINAD at 50mV input etc.

 

[antcollinet]

THD+N, IM, SINAD at 50mV input etc.

They are all measuring distortion/noise/frequency response etc.

We only care about those if they are impacting the sound. In nearly all modern DACs, they are not.

Put it another way - those are not "other factors" than sound, they are measurements of stuff that can impact the sound.