SMSL M500 DAC and HP Amp Review

[SMSL-Mandy]

You guys nailed it this year with these two great offerings. Very very nice work guys.

I was just wondering, is there any news on what's been going on with the SMSL D2 DAC by any chance?

The SMSL VMV D2 may can't be released this year. That using R2R technology with 4*PCM 1704 chip.

https://hifi-express.com/blogs/news/more-info-about-the-new-items-smsl-will-be-released-2019

More info can be checked here.

 

[tktran303]

By chance, I found some test tones in Tidal that are MQA encoded! They use a frequency of 375 Hz for some reason. I performed a quick comparison, streaming the Tidal MQA versus straight PCM from my analyzer to M500. Here is the comparison (at 44.1 kHz):
View attachment 37229

Everything is identical until we get near end of this spectrum (90 kHz) with a rather strong spike to -60 dB. My guess is that the gentle MQA filter is allowing an aliasing component to show up there. Not an audible thing but information nevertheless.

Let me see if I understood this correctly.

You compared a pure 375Hz sine tone encoded in 16bit/44.1Khz PCM
And the 375Hz sine tone encoded in 16/44.1Khz MQA.

And the MQA one had MORE distortion (evident by the huge spike at -60dB)
You make apologies for it theorising that won't be audible,

If you analysed a pure sine tone @375Hz in 16bit/8K PCM, it would sound and measure identically to the 16/44 PCM, and the MQA would still have the most distortion.

I think I see the MQA fun and games now...

 

[w1000i]

Can M500 output XLR & RCA the same time to connect Subwoofer and amplifier ?

 

[Kane1972]

Also useful in studio when one wants to switch between monitors and headphones.

 

[Fluffy]

And the MQA one had MORE distortion (evident by the huge spike at -60dB)
You make apologies for it theorising that won't be audible,

It's at 87khz, so it's definitely not audible.

 

[TC!!]

Can M500 output XLR & RCA the same time to connect Subwoofer and amplifier ?

I was going to check their manual but the link from their product page is now broken, you get a 404.

 

[TC!!]

@amirm Thanks for the review, I'd been weighing up the 3 ES9038PRO devices, Sabaj D5, Topping DX7 Pro and the M500.
My main use is XLR output to a set of Elac NAVIS ARF-51and sometimes a set of Shure SE425 IEMs, I have no use for AES or I2S inputs but the extra optical on the M500 is very useful so it looks like we have a winner and the cheapest of the 3!

Could I just ask 1 thing. There was some speculation due to the reduced number of components on the M500 XLR output that it wasn't a true balanced output. Do your test results confirm the M500 has a great XLR output stage?

 

[Toku]

Can M500 output XLR & RCA the same time to connect Subwoofer and amplifier ?

RCA and XLR are output simultaneously.
There is no switch to either one.

 

[daftcombo]

Hi,

Does the volume knob control line & headphones out, or only headphones?

 

[Toku]

Hi,

Does the volume knob control line & headphones out, or only headphones?

Headphone and line output can be volume controlled separately.
However, headphone and line cannot be output simultaneously.

 

[TC!!]

Hi,

Does the volume knob control line & headphones out, or only headphones?

It does both and in their literature they mention the volume controls are independent, which sounds great if you're switching between headphones and line out.

 

[maty]

Preamp. How many dB and/or steps?

Sabaj D5 only 40 dB, very few if the amp has more watts. My old modded AVR Marantz SR4500 (about 100 watts at 8 Ohms) 70 db with steps of 0.5 dB -> 140 steps.

 

[mkawa]

Can M500 output XLR & RCA the same time to connect Subwoofer and amplifier ?

yep

 

[bidn]

It's at 87khz, so it's definitely not audible.

Indeed, you are quite right .

I appreciate very much that Amir made this measurement and found out about that huge spike artifact caused by MQA!

If people could enlighten me, there one 2 things I don't quite understand as they don't seem to be really consistent to me .

First, re. such huge ultrasonic artifacts:
- On one hand, during the fantastic TotalDAC discussion on ASR this summer ( the whole thing was so incredible that I read the 100 pages twice!, and that really motivated me to join ASR ), such ultrasonic components were found out, a few subjectivists said that it didn't matter as they cannot be heard, yet what I perceived as the "dominant", "enlightened" view an ASR was that it was really bad because it could quite negatively affect the electronics of further devices (e.g. an amp for speakers) downstream or the behavior of transducers ( tweeter, headphones).
- On the other hand, when it is created by MQA it is OK because it cannot be heard .

Second, re. apparently fraudulent marketing claims:
- When this is the case with a device such as Schiit, TotalDAC, PS Audio, it is really bad (and OK to speak of " scam ").
- With MQA it would be OK because part of the necessary marketing discourse for establishing a new standard .

All the best,
and thank you so much for keeping up the excellent work with the measurements of more and more devices and dispelling numerous anti-HiFi audiophiles myths and attitudes,
bidn

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

MQA it's a gimmick that nobody needs in current world, when we have such fast internet and massive storage devices.
It solves the problem that doesn't exist anymore. And at the beginning it was false advertised as lossless format... they just want our money.

 

[renaudrenaud]

Amen.

 

[Veri]

Indeed, you are quite right .

I appreciate very much that Amir made this measurement and found out about that huge spike artifact caused by MQA!

If people could enlighten me, there one 2 things I don't quite understand as they don't seem to be really consistent to me .

First, re. such huge ultrasonic artifacts:
- On one hand, during the fantastic TotalDAC discussion on ASR this summer ( the whole thing was so incredible that I read the 100 pages twice!, and that really motivated me to join ASR ), such ultrasonic components were found out, a few subjectivists said that it didn't matter as they cannot be heard, yet what I perceived as the "dominant", "enlightened" view an ASR was that it was really bad because it could quite negatively affect the electronics of further devices (e.g. an amp for speakers) downstream or the behavior of transducers ( tweeter, headphones).
- On the other hand, when it is created by MQA it is OK because it cannot be heard .

Second, re. apparently fraudulent marketing claims:
- When this is the case with a device such as Schiit, TotalDAC, PS Audio, it is really bad (and OK to speak of " scam ").
- With MQA it would be OK because part of the necessary marketing discourse for establishing a new standard .

All the best,
and thank you so much for keeping up the excellent work with the measurements of more and more devices and dispelling numerous anti-HiFi audiophiles myths and attitudes,
bidn

Hey mate the color is quite illegible for me, not sure that is on purpose?

 

[daftcombo]

Hey mate the color is quite illegible for me, not sure that is on purpose?

I thought it was a post of smileys only! :-D

 

[Toku]

Many of you have expressed your opinion on MQA, but I am very excited about this new technology.
There is no perfect technology from the beginning. So I think it's very good to discuss this.
There were various discussions when the CD was released. Later, performance was recognized and established in society.
MQA, like CD, will judge whether the future market is good or bad.
And thanks to SMSL for providing an inexpensive MQA machine and @amirm for disclosing detailed measurement data.

There are already many MQA music sources sold in Japan, and I also enjoy buying them. It sounds good despite the small file size.

 

[Fluffy]

- On one hand, during the fantastic TotalDAC discussion on ASR this summer ( the whole thing was so incredible that I read the 100 pages twice!, and that really motivated me to join ASR ), such ultrasonic components were found out, a few subjectivists said that it didn't matter as they cannot be heard, yet what I perceived as the "dominant", "enlightened" view an ASR was that it was really bad because it could quite negatively affect the electronics of further devices (e.g. an amp for speakers) downstream or the behavior of transducers ( tweeter, headphones).

Who said that? Do you have the exact quote?

Second, re. apparently fraudulent marketing claims:
- When this is the case with a device such as Schiit, TotalDAC, PS Audio, it is really bad (and OK to speak of " scam ").
- With MQA it would be OK because part of the necessary marketing discourse for establishing a new standard .

Again, where is the quote of someone saying that?

Many of you have expressed your opinion on MQA, but I am very excited about this new technology.
There is no perfect technology from the beginning. So I think it's very good to discuss this.
There were various discussions when the CD was released. Later, performance was recognized and established in society.
MQA, like CD, will judge whether the future market is good or bad.
And thanks to SMSL for providing an inexpensive MQA machine and @amirm for disclosing detailed measurement data.

There are already many MQA music sources sold in Japan, and I also enjoy buying them. It sounds good despite the small file size.

This sounds like a marketing bot.

Why am I getting the feeling that the MQA topic draws in all kinds of trolls with questionable motives?