SMSL DS20 Portable DAC & HP Amp Review

[Heulpic]

A little cheaper but doesn't beat my Topping G5

 

[shuppatsu]

This thing is huge for a portable device designed to attach to a phone. But it has a 6,000 mA battery, so I imagine it will run for weeks before needing to be recharged.

I’m sure that will be valuable to someone, but not for many and not for me.

 

[AudioSceptic]

I think it is too heavy to go into any pocket. It is something you carry in a purse/bag for long commute/flight.

Is there any advantage in that, other than possibly heat dissipation, and it's that heavy, it limits its market, no?

 

[Hart]

If you added 1 TB and some controls would you have a really great stand-alone Ipod? How was the DAC on the original Apple Ipod?

 

[Vini darko]

Hi Amir thanks for the review. Did I just see you say it jumps 0.7V in one volume increment . That sounds somewhat unusable , it the same massive jumps all the way through the volume range?

 

[Robbo99999]

Like the Fosi DS2

Yeah, I agree, I don't really understand the reviewed SMSL DS20 here - it's big & heavy, measures a tad worse than Fosi DS2 apart from the SMSL having more power. But the Fosi DS2 can drive almost everything whilst being smaller & less money. I mean how many headphones actually exist that can benefit from the increased power of the SMSL vs the Fosi DS2 - there's probably one that I can think of (the HE6 is it?), and maybe there's some others, but aren't we just talking a handful of headphones that would benefit. Seems like an impractical product outside of an extremely small niche, I think I'll mark it down a fair bit for that. Lol, I'd probably vote it higher if it wasn't actually marketed as a portable product, but then it would have to come without an internal battery, in fact this product should just look like it does and be a desktop DAC/amp!

 

[gvl]

A little cheaper but doesn't beat my Topping G5

A PEQ would be an advantage but no dice.

 

[jkim]

Thanks for the review @amirm
This could be a good chance to look, in an "official review", at the potential issues with the cs43131 that @jkim and others have been studying

CS DAC chip; is there a DRE filter disable?

Based on the DR and 50mV SNR measurements:

We can conjecture either of the two possibilities:

1. DRE is disabled on this device; OR
2. Its somewhat noisy headphone amp stage is a dominant factor in these measurements.

We do not know for certain until further distortion measurements are made.

 

[Crook]

Performance is good, but I'm struggling with a use case, same as some other folks. I have a great desktop dac, I have a decent mobile dongle. I don't see where this fits in.

 

[Jimster480]

The performance looks good.... It has about double the power of the KA13 dongle in desktop mode (which drains your phone battery somewhat heavily).

 

[PristineSound]

Lots of people asking about a valid use case.

I don't think SMSL and Topping are selling based on use cases or market demand anymore, they seem to be selling based on over capacity.

Some of these Topping and SMSL DACs that used to sell for $500-$600 can now be found on Facebook marketplace place for $150 in a span of less than 3 years.

I would like to request ASR to review less SMSL and Topping DACs, perhaps put a quota on them.

 

[amirm]

Hi Amir thanks for the review. Did I just see you say it jumps 0.7V in one volume increment . That sounds somewhat unusable , it the same massive jumps all the way through the volume range?

Thanks and yes.

 

[amirm]

I would like to request ASR to review less SMSL and Topping DACs, perhaps put a quota on them.

I have been sitting on products from them for months. I don't get many these days so don't see the point of any quota.

 

[amirm]

Yeah, I agree, I don't really understand the reviewed SMSL DS20 here - it's big & heavy, measures a tad worse than Fosi DS2 apart from the SMSL having more power.

It boils down to whether you want to drain your phone battery or not. If you are on the go and don't have access to power, then products like this make sense.

Note also that they can be used as a desktop DAC that you can take with you on the road.

 

[Kuma]

Great measurements. We’re living in good times for audio.

 

[EJ3]

That's what I'm saying : Why buying a (assuming big/heavy high end) DAP when you can pair your phone to such portable DACs.

Personal use case (yours probably doesn't apply).
Why carry a phone when there is no phone signal where I am at (much of the time)?
But I do want an independent DAP.

 

[M.C. Logan]

Thanks, @amirm

The power is excellent for a portable DAC : 800mW / 32Ω & 140mW / 300Ω @<1% THD+N.

Makes me wonder why DAPs are still a thing...

Not needing to be plugged into a phone is why they are "a thing".

 

[AudioJester]

It boils down to whether you want to drain your phone battery or not. If you are on the go and don't have access to power, then products like this make sense.

Note also that they can be used as a desktop DAC that you can take with you on the road.

Is bluetooth or usb out to a dac/amp better for phone battery drain?

 

[staticV3]

Did I just see you say it jumps 0.7V in one volume increment . That sounds somewhat unusable , it the same massive jumps all the way through the volume range?

3.8->4.5 is a 1.5dB step or +10% perceived loudness.

Hardly what one would call massive.

 

[Vini darko]

3.8->4.5 is a 1.5dB step or +10% perceived loudness.

Hardly what one would call massive.

Hi static thanks for the clarification.