SMSL DP5 Music Streamer and DAC Review

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,

This device is pretty interesting. I would like to ask some questions as those are super important to me.

1°) I would like to use it as a streamer to stream my files over the network. I am used to control my networked players with Android apps and select the device as a renderer. I use Bubble UPnP or Symfonium.
So my question : will the DP5 be detected as a DLNA Renderer out of the box ?

2°) If it can be used as a DLNA renderer, will it play songs as it should ? I have had the Shanling EA5 and it stopped playing songs randomly : sometime after 1 track; sometimes after 2 tracks... Anyone can report if it plays songs nicely for at least an entire album ?

3°) It would be used as a headphone amplifier. Is the power output enough to feed something a little power hungry or will I have anemic sound with demanding headphones ?

4°) Amir reports it is not possible to select input. Do the latest firmwares solve this "stupid" problem ?

Thanks a lot for your answers.

Regards.

EDIT : OK; looked at the specs on a specific website. Output power for headphone amplifier is... 14mW at 300Ohm. Problem solved : insufficient :-(

 

[twiningstea]

1) yes. I tested it in DNLA mode renderer with jRiver and Twonky it works well.
2) i think it works good. I have spend few horrs and and it played well. But it is non my main case of use. I mostly ude USB attechad disk as sourced be used as a headphone amplifier. Is the pow
3) It has average headphone amplifier. It will not work good wtih hard headphones. It can not drive my AKG k610 120 Ohm. Headphone amplifier is not a strong point of DP5.
4) Honestly i only noticed some inconvenience - there is no direct buttons to change inputs and i need to navigate through menu items

Here is lot of good stuff and discussion related to DP5 https://4pda-to.translate.goog/foru..._sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

[Graham849]

I was interested in this to expand my gear but the price

 

[twiningstea]

Must be around 550 USD
check Aliexpress

 

[Monkey3017]

This appears one of the few pages with information about the DP5, so, to help others here a little personal review.

I intend to use the DP5 mainly to play files from attached SSD drives. Those drives are so large and so cheap nowadays, that I do not really see the point to make the files available on the local network. Most importantly because there is no access control for media servers.

I really like the looks of the DP5 and beautiful screen which gives the cover images of the albums some justice.
The music output quality is slightly better than when using my midclass CD player, but it is really hard to hear the difference.

Browsing the files on the internal storage works very well and very fast with the HiBy APP. The bluetooth connection works very well to do so. I am using a different APP to control my Onkyo Reciever, so I can control everything from my smartphone.

This device seems to be one of the very few which have an integrated SQL database for the songs. The new Cambridge Audio CNX 100 does apparently not have this. Browsing the files on the integrated screen works somehow, but since there is no index (A,B,C...) it is quite slow. So it all depends all on the HiBy APP.

Streaming from a DNLA Server (mediamonkey) worked ok, but requires a wired connection since WiFi is slow. AirPlay also worked, but I do not really see much sense to use it.

Using the internal DAC is easy. Simply connect the laptop or a smartphone via USB and the DP5 works as DAC. (I am using a 5m USB cable and that works fine.)

I like the Linux based operating system. It boots fast and is power efficient.

So everything is fine?

-Well-
The Line Out and the Headphone share the same amplifyer. So when you switch between LO and PO in the menu, this deactivate the respective other port. The headphone port does not have an integrated switch, so I the 3.5 adapter can remain in it. The amplifyer is just sufficient to drive my 250 ohm DT880 at ok level.

Pretty ugly: When I plug in the USB cable into the computer to use the DP5 as a DAC the OTG USB drive (SSD) is unmounted. At least this is done quickly. (The automatic scan of the library should be switched off.) For some reason the SD card remains mounted.

Sad: It does not have digital input other than USB so I cannot easily connect a WiiM streamer.

The Bluetooth connection for music is just ok. (BT4 - not detected as AptX HD)

What I really miss:

The SD card has a maximum size of 256GB. Thats not enough for me. It would not be a problem if it would not unmount the USB drives at free will.

The integrated database is great, but it does not show a index "A-B-C..." for fast navigation. Thats unfortunate and could be fixed in firmware.

No TosLink Input - WHY?

Lineout / Headphone LO/PO switch? (Really?)

No controls over the DAC (EQ, roll off, cross play)


Overall I like the device and it does what it is supposed to do - for me. But I really hope that put in some love to improve the firmware.
It is listed on the SMSL main page and they seem to be proud of it. But there are some loose ends which deserve fixing.

 

[muslhead]

This appears one of the few pages with information about the DP5, so, to help others here a little personal review.

I intend to use the DP5 mainly to play files from attached SSD drives. Those drives are so large and so cheap nowadays, that I do not really see the point to make the files available on the local network. Most importantly because there is no access control for media servers.

I really like the looks of the DP5 and beautiful screen which gives the cover images of the albums some justice.
The music output quality is slightly better than when using my midclass CD player, but it is really hard to hear the difference.

Browsing the files on the internal storage works very well and very fast with the HiBy APP. The bluetooth connection works very well to do so. I am using a different APP to control my Onkyo Reciever, so I can control everything from my smartphone.

This device seems to be one of the very few which have an integrated SQL database for the songs. The new Cambridge Audio CNX 100 does apparently not have this. Browsing the files on the integrated screen works somehow, but since there is no index (A,B,C...) it is quite slow. So it all depends all on the HiBy APP.

Streaming from a DNLA Server (mediamonkey) worked ok, but requires a wired connection since WiFi is slow. AirPlay also worked, but I do not really see much sense to use it.

Using the internal DAC is easy. Simply connect the laptop or a smartphone via USB and the DP5 works as DAC. (I am using a 5m USB cable and that works fine.)

I like the Linux based operating system. It boots fast and is power efficient.

So everything is fine?

-Well-
The Line Out and the Headphone share the same amplifyer. So when you switch between LO and PO in the menu, this deactivate the respective other port. The headphone port does not have an integrated switch, so I the 3.5 adapter can remain in it. The amplifyer is just sufficient to drive my 250 ohm DT880 at ok level.

Pretty ugly: When I plug in the USB cable into the computer to use the DP5 as a DAC the OTG USB drive (SSD) is unmounted. At least this is done quickly. (The automatic scan of the library should be switched off.) For some reason the SD card remains mounted.

Sad: It does not have digital input other than USB so I cannot easily connect a WiiM streamer.

The Bluetooth connection for music is just ok. (BT4 - not detected as AptX HD)

What I really miss:

The SD card has a maximum size of 256GB. Thats not enough for me. It would not be a problem if it would not unmount the USB drives at free will.

The integrated database is great, but it does not show a index "A-B-C..." for fast navigation. Thats unfortunate and could be fixed in firmware.

No TosLink Input - WHY?

Lineout / Headphone LO/PO switch? (Really?)

No controls over the DAC (EQ, roll off, cross play)


Overall I like the device and it does what it is supposed to do - for me. But I really hope that put in some love to improve the firmware.
It is listed on the SMSL main page and they seem to be proud of it. But there are some loose ends which deserve fixing.

Sadly, the firmware has been "broken" for years. I purchased this and found the same thing. SMSL does not support this product (with continued updates) and if anyone purchases it based upon hope SMSL will eventually update it so it works in their system, they are making a huge mistake. If it works in your system, it (was) a reasonably, decent speced streamer. Since SMSL's release, there are plenty of better options from companys who are continually updating and some, with a lower price.

 

[PenguinMusic]

Sadly, the firmware has been "broken" for years. I purchased this and found the same thing. SMSL does not support this product (with continued updates) and if anyone purchases it based upon hope SMSL will eventually update it so it works in their system, they are making a huge mistake. If it works in your system, it (was) a reasonably, decent speced streamer. Since SMSL's release, there are plenty of better options from companys who are continually updating and some, with a lower price.

The Fiio R7 is a lot better alternative to this !
Or the Shanling EH-3 (but price is a little higher and software also not on top and with only sporadic updates).

 

[Monkey3017]

The Fiio R7 is a lot better alternative to this !
Or the Shanling EH-3 (but price is a little higher and software also not on top and with only sporadic updates).

Thanks, I did not know the Shangling. Looks interesting, but I am not sure if it will be serviced. The reviews say the firmware is also cumbersome.
I do not really like the looks of the FiiO - and is there an APP?
There are some Andoird based players, most noticable Eversolo.
The new cambridge CXN100 device seems very interesting to me (but it does not index the songs and misses a remote control). The coctail audio has an attactive price.
And then there are the mini Streamers from WiiM and also Teufel.

 

[Monkey3017]

According to the problem "Lineout / Headphone LO/PO switch?" - I had the idea to get around this by using the XLR output to drive the amplifier. I used my Oszilloskope to measure the output on the XML connection and - unfortunately - in "PO" mode this is also dead.

Did anybody try a 512GB card in the SD card slot. I know, the data sheet it supports 256GB only, but ... maybe it does more?

 

[Monkey3017]

What I like about this device (mainly to play flac from USB drive):
- works completely without WIFI or network. The HyBi link only requires Bluetooth.
- has an inbuilt database. So I can browse through artists and albums on the HiBy APP.
- small and useful remote control
- The screen is colorful and has a perfect size. It can switch itself off automatically.
- The device is small, but not too small.
- it has an inbuilt headphone amplyfier. (Ok, it that has to be toggled in the menu)
- very low power consumption, fast startup and shutdown time
- the DAC sounds good. It can be used from a smartphone and windows without installing a driver. (Driver required for HiRes Audio)

I have difficulties to find this qualities in other offerings, no matter the price.

 

[Monkey3017]

Yesterday I installed the (signed!) windows driver for the USB-DAC function and that increases the sound qulity dramatically.
I can select a higher sample rate in the driver settings). I am using a rather cheap but good looking 4.5 m USB cable (ROLINE GOLD) for connection - that works great.

Did anybody manage to use a SSH / SFTP / FTP connection to access the internal memory?
I tried the info from the russian forum, but did not succeed.

I bascially just want to get access to the internal SQL database for backup purposes.
The DP can be used to create playlists (press mittle button while playing a song for the sub menu) - thats very practical.
But I do not find a way to extract such play lists.

Can anybody tell me how to access the internal memory? Thanks!

 

[twiningstea]

Did anybody manage to use a SSH / SFTP / FTP connection to access the internal memory?

To make it work you have to install firmware mod. Or prepare your own custom firmware. Original SMSL firmawere has sshd daemon removed from image. Also i use ssh to copy files to connected drive.
This is latest firmware mod https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZlIGNGYE6nl7tq5wPD_QY7-JTctcDahE?usp=sharing

 

[twiningstea]

Changes

- Busybox has been updated to this one https://busybox.net/downloads/binaries/1.28.1-defcon...ch/busybox-mipsel There was no ftp service in the old one

- Added access to the terminal via SSH (user root, password 123).
Both admin and root have password 123

- FTP service starts and works
Allows you to write files to a USB drive. But the speed is moderate. Does not process files with Russian names in UTF incorrectly. I do not know why.

- Added the ability to access Windows network resources and display them in the HiByMusic application. By default, connection to shares is disabled (connection lines are commented out, connection timeout is 10 seconds). Who needs to enable it - edit the file \etc\init.d\S99__99__end, uncomment it and write down your addresses to the folder, there is a sample there. Sometimes, for stable mounting of the folder, the connection timeout has to be increased to 20 seconds.

- The problem of "Crosstalk" (large mixing of channels) has been fixed. Helped by Poogo with the ixbt forum. Test with files from the ixbt branch or https://4pda.to/forum/index.php?showtopic=1035722

- USB drives are mounted on top of the SD card in /mnt/sd_0/SD/ so hiby_player thinks that this is a folder on the SD card and after indexing it plays “through the folders”. !!! This is why everything was done!!!! But at the same time, old-mode playlists will break and will need to be recreated manually.

Some kind of SD card must be installed in the device

- NTFS USB drives moounted in read/write mode
You can write to NTFS disk via FTP remotely.

- Added commands to force password setting for 123 admin and root users in the /etc/init.d/S99__99__end file. Direct login via SSH is also allowed.
!!! Do not expose the device to an unsecured network or change password in /etc/init.d/S99__99__end !!!

 

[twiningstea]

The Fiio R7 is a lot better alternative to this !
Or the Shanling EH-3 (but price is a little higher and software also not on top and with only sporadic updates).

I don't agree that this is the better alternative

 

[twiningstea]

here is SMSL dp5 FAQ

S.M.S.L. Dp5 [Linux] - 4PDA

S.M.S.L. Dp5 [Linux], [Hi-Res Плеер][ES 9038 Pro]

4pda-to.translate.goog

 

[PenguinMusic]

I don't agree that this is the better alternative

The dp5 is better than than the R7 ?
Maybe for you
But to me there is no compartment where the dp5 is better than the R7...
But maybe I missed something ?

 

[Monkey3017]

Original SMSL firmwere has sshd daemon removed from image.

Thank You, this explains it. Many thanks for the complete description of the process.

 

[Monkey3017]

The dp5 is better than than the R7 ?
Maybe for you
But to me there is no compartment where the dp5 is better than the R7...
But maybe I missed something ?

I cannot test the R7 directly, but reading the reviews, I think you are right. It is a much more capable device.
But to me it appears to be a smartphone attached to a DAC/AMP in a box. The DP5 can also be attached to an android phone via USB while the smartphone is Qi charged.

The DP5 can be fully controlled via blutooth, no WIFI needed. The HiBy APP is really fast in showing all Artists/Albums/Folders/Tracks - without covers though (the current cover is loaded when the song is played). The little remote control works very nicely with the screen on the DP5, that is much better than using thescroll wheel. So I do not have to touch the device to control it.

I cannot say anything about the sound. The R7 is probably realy good, the DP5 also. In my case the bottleneck would not be the DAC, but the speakers.
As company I am hesitant to trust FiiO more than smsl. The produce too many products.

As network player there are the coctailaudio, eversolo, cambridge, and currently for a resonable price also Arcam. On the cheap end there is WiiM and Teufel.

Since the R7 is indeed interesting, I wanted to ask:
Are you happy with the start up time, I mean does it boot quickly?
Are you happy with the FiiO APP to scroll through the music remotely?
Does it work with WiFi switched off?

 

[twiningstea]

The dp5 is better than than the R7 ?
Maybe for you
But to me there is no compartment where the dp5 is better than the R7...
But maybe I missed something ?

Dp5 has some problems outofbox definitely. Fortunatly many can be fixed by enthusiast efforts. Theoreticaly Dp5 produce better sound because of better DAC. Although this is questinable. I dont insist on that. DP5 good suits to technical folks because of many opportunities to dig deeper into it. DP5 not suitable for fans of all ready-made products like believers of the Apple ecosystem gods.

 

[Monkey3017]

Very true

I have one tip: When using as a DAC you can select the sampling rate.
I find the best is the setting is 96000 since that produces no latency. Higher values do.
On youtube there is the channel "Audiophile NBR Music" - nice to test.