SMSL DP5 Music Streamer and DAC Review

[amirm]

So you gave up on DLNA, too. Sorry, Amir, failing to test a device's main functionality and then giving it a headless panther on that basis doesn't speak well for your critical integrity.

It gets a headless panther because you can't select an input. Nor does airplay work in it at all. I would instantly return the product for these failures. That you would turn a blind eye to these if you were in my shoes, would show compromise in your integrity. Not mine. I am a staunch advocate of consumers and this device is not ready for sale for its intended purpose.

That you would settle for just DLNA in a $600 box is a compromise in your standards. I am not going to follow you there.

You also act like I didn't do a bunch of work characterizing its output capability (DAC). You think that was free, throwaway work?

 

[pavuol]

Quite good format support and measurements, space for UI and SW improvements... Missing AptX HD and LDAC (e.g for streaming Spotify from a phone in higher quality). Also, MQA support was not mentioned I suppose.

Thumbs up for shenzhenaudio for providing it! How about sending Soundaware A1 for comparison?

 

[sweetchaos]

How did this product made it through Q/C?
This would be an instant return and negative feedback written.
I agree with headless panther.

Seems like these issues can be fixed via firmware (assuming it works, of course!).
Also, I don't see the firmware on SMSL website, so I'm assuming it's only upgradable through the unit? Hmm...

 

[amirm]

I stream over DLNA from my NAS (Synology, running a customized linux) I am very happy with that. I am against closed systems and protocols like airplay. DLNA is a standard (then well documented and open), also ubiquitous ( smartTVs, AVRs...). For me DLNA should be the protocol to be used for testing streaming, not a particular proprietary one.

I don't follow any such religion. I was a founding member of DLNA representing Microsoft. This was a broken effort from day one, meant to advance Sony's IP interest, not that of the consumer. I hate the unreliability and poor implementations of it as well.

As far as I am concerned, a $600 device needs to support Roon endpoint and Airplay. They advertise the latter but I could not get it to work. And the former is not there. So that is that. You are welcome to setup your own shop and test DLNA.

 

[pavuol]

Check out this perfect specimen of a Bosc Pear, peeled and ready to be sliced and dunked in chocolate fondue:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Aren't you more of a gourmet than an "audiophile"?

 

[renaudrenaud]

A Raspberry with the official touch screen or an atomic pi with a touch screen, and you build a dap with the ability to update the software.

Some brands have understood all you need is a Raspberry inside the box.

For this product, it is a pure real SMSL product. Like the SU8 or the M500, you just have to wait the MkII version. Come on Mandy.

 

[bluefuzz]

As far as I am concerned, a $600 device needs to support Roon endpoint and Airplay. They advertise the latter but I could not get it to work. And the former is not there. So that is that. You are welcome to setup your own shop and test DLNA.

Whether you like DLNA or not (I'm not a huge fan either) there are probably several orders of magnitude more people who use DLNA/UPNP to stream their music than use Roon (of which I am even less a fan). And did you test the Airplay functionality with something else other than Roon? Streaming from an iPhone for example? Airplay is an Apple technology that is only really fair to test from an Apple device.

 

[milosz]

Is that a touchscreen or just a display? <= IRONY, in case you don't recognize it

 

[staticV3]

Is that a touchscreen or just a display?

Please read the review before asking questions.

 

[Sancus]

I stream over DLNA from my NAS (Synology, running a customized linux) I am very happy with that. I am against closed systems and protocols like airplay. DLNA is a standard (then well documented and open), also ubiquitous ( smartTVs, AVRs...). For me DLNA should be the protocol to be used for testing streaming, not a particular proprietary one.

I've tried DLNA 3 or 4 times over the years. It's never actually worked properly over the myriad hardware and software I've tried that allegedly support it. Even when it does work, the amount of technical fiddling you need to do is absurd. Standards are worthless if they're not easy and reliable in actual use.

 

[martin900]

First SMSL with a headless panther?

 

[Berwhale]

There's a video showing usage and control of the DP5 with HibyLink app here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=994707204289915

 

[pavuol]

Interestingly, I found a customer review on the Amazon listing for "lower" model SMSL DP3 also complaining about Input switchinch and SW in general:

Looks like the HW / SW department of SMSL lacks "balance"..

 

[milosz]

I've had some limited success with DLNA. It kinda works. Seems to work considerably better for video playback on a TV from stored files or servers than it does for audio playback from a stream player appliance. I have an NAD D7050 and it's DLNA playback doesn't really work, so I use it to play music from a computer or Squeezebox's SPDIF output. I bought the D7050 real cheap and it's an OK amp for the money I paid; I use it in my office.

 

[digicidal]

Whew... dodged a bullet. Not really since I only needed a DAC for office use, and wanted something with a nice display since it will be on a shelf across the room from my desk. Seriously considered this just for the extras, but went with the SU-9 instead.

Any display which requires shoving your face up against it to determine the current level of gain is broken from an interface standpoint IMO. Also on the streaming front... I don't have a "dog in the fight" in particular - I've got Roon, I've got Airplay, and I use DLNA from time to time as well. None are perfect (but Roon is close for extensibility and metadata depth IMO).

However, no matter what your current preferred streaming method is... something that requires changing it is already broken - period. It's exactly the same with file formats... I know that there isn't a difference between lossless formats - but I've ripped everything into FLAC... and I would refuse to keep any device which didn't support it (even if it did support ALAC, WMA Lossless, MQA etc). On that note, I didn't want MQA either - but SMSL provided it for what I consider "free" so I'll take it and never use it. Since the performance is nearly identical to my DX7 Pro, but with an easier to read display and for ~$150 less... I count that as the savings for the HP amp I wouldn't be using in this application.

Looks like software/firmware deficiencies are virtually industry wide... and definitely not restricted to just AVP/AVR products.

 

[SMSL-Mandy]

 

[muslhead]

So, it seems that DACs are sorted, and streamers are sorted, but putting them both in the same box to a high level of performance is somehow a skill that only Matrix has managed to sort?

As of right now, i think you are right. Although, zidoo has video streamers that also have the ability to stream audio. It would be great to see one of them tested

 

[Archsam]

I was seriously looking at this unit for my bedroom, thanks to this review I will look elsewhere.

My main system is comprised of the Matrix Audio Element X. I will say its software is 90-95% there. It has a few minor niggles that I can live with (example: scrolling through folders in the player, if I enter a folder and then return, it jumps back to the top of the list and I'll have to scroll back down to where I was browsing).

The only other affordable alternative I can find is the Yamaha WXA-50, and that's about it. A lot of members here suggest building Raspberry Pi units but many of us are looking for a wifi based simple all-in-one-box solution. with good UI. The cheaper Matrix Audio units are around $1000 and is too much for a second system. This is a gap in the market that I hope it will be filled soon.

 

[pozz]

I was a founding member of DLNA representing Microsoft. This was a broken effort from day one, meant to advance Sony's IP interest, not that of the consumer.

Do you mind outlining the history at some point? At least as far as you participated in it.

 

[doug2761]

So, it seems that DACs are sorted, and streamers are sorted, but putting them both in the same box to a high level of performance is somehow a skill that only Matrix has managed to sort?

The Matrix and the HAT on Pi cabal.