SMSL M500 DAC and HP Amp Review

[raif71]

Yes, mine too.

The display turns in a white blinking square a month ago.
I try to reload firmware, several hard reset.
So now it's a blind unit: impossible to select with the remote, inputs and others options ...

When i do a hard reset, display is first ok, the blue one, then becomes white after ten seconds.
I send an email to SMSL, and the reply was: open the box and check the connection between screen and PCB...

It's the same as this

I consider to buy another dac, but not SMSL brand, problems of reliability

If anyone have a solution for fixing this issue

Paul from France

I have the same model too (bought it used) but so far it is ok. Hopefully the 10 seconds you got there is enough for you change whatever settings you need...in my case, I often change between headphone or line out. Others I don't really change and the settings are pretty much the same

 

[whereisbrian]

That's right but i've a white lamp in my Hifi setup

 

[Toku]

Based on the symptoms, the most likely cause is poor contact in the flat cable (ribbon cable) connecting the display board and the main board.

 

[whereisbrian]

Thanks, i'm going to open the box.

 

[forart.it]

Hi everyone, in this discussion a Github user claims that this (and others ?) DAC performs an internal conversion from DSD to PCM: can someone explain why - I guess it depends on the converters chips models - and where to find these information?

 

[DrCWO]

Hi everyone, in this discussion a Github user claims that this (and others ?) DAC performs an internal conversion from DSD to PCM: can someone explain why - I guess it depends on the converters chips models - and where to find these information?

You can take a look at the block schematic of the ESS Hyperstream DACs here.

it is clearly visible that all incoming data (PCM, DSD, DoP) passes an oversampling filter first and next an async. sample rate converter with a digital PLL for jitter reduction before conversion. This means all input is converted to PCM in the oversampling filter. Caused by oversampling I think there is no quality loss compared to native DSD. The advantage of this is that the PCM signal at the output of the oversampling filter can be cleaned from jitter by the ASRC.

All measurements I saw from ESS DACs proof, that all this is perfectly implemented an my guess is that an external DSD to PCM converter will degrade the signal. I will only believe in positive effects if they can be proofed by measurements. You should ask for them

Best DrCWO

 

[bobby1945]

I am proposing to replace the existing op amps in my M500.
Removing the existing should not be too difficult and the install and soldering of 3 op amp sockets again should be trouble free.
The only issue I may have is the headroom clearance.
If anybody has done this already , could you please comment.
Thank You

 

[Killingbeans]

I am proposing to replace the existing op amps in my M500.

...Why? You give us nothing to make it worth considering.

 

[bobby1945]

...Why? You give us nothing to make it worth considering.

I don't understand your comment?

 

[MediumRare]

I am proposing to replace the existing op amps in my M500.
Removing the existing should not be too difficult and the install and soldering of 3 op amp sockets again should be trouble free.
The only issue I may have is the headroom clearance.
If anybody has done this already , could you please comment.
Thank You

Why change a white wire to a black one? Do you expect it to sound better? Different? It could only make it worse.

 

[Killingbeans]

I don't understand your comment?

A proposition usually takes the form of a suggested plan working towards a specific goal.

What plagues the M500 in such a way that a change of op-ams would seem like an effective remedy?

Or are we talking about changing things just for the heck of it? The kind of audiophile "circuit bending" that just won't quit.

 

[bobby1945]

A proposition is an overview - level 1
A level 3 detail plan defines the events necessary . in chronological order and with respect to dependency . to achieve completion.

Would the M500 benefit from an up grade to the op-amps? Almost certainly- Not dissimilar to tube rolling

I would like to replace the M500 for a better performing DAC and will do so eventually . However ,meanwhile I will continue to tinker

 

[Jimbob54]

A proposition is an overview - level 1
A level 3 detail plan defines the events necessary . in chronological order and with respect to dependency . to achieve completion.

Would the M500 benefit from an up grade to the op-amps? Almost certainly- Not dissimilar to tube rolling

I would like to replace the M500 for a better performing DAC and will do so eventually . However ,meanwhile I will continue to tinker

If its a V1 I wouldnt invest any time or expense on it regardless as it wont fix this https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/strange-smsl-m500-high-3rd-harmonic.22710/

 

[Killingbeans]

A proposition is an overview - level 1
A level 3 detail plan defines the events necessary . in chronological order and with respect to dependency . to achieve completion.

First we still need to at least loosely describe what it is we hope to achieve. A proposition without that won't get much of a reaction, for good reason.

Would the M500 benefit from an up grade to the op-amps? Almost certainly- Not dissimilar to tube rolling

What specific benefits? What in the performance of the M500 points to a dire need of an op-amp upgrade?

I would like to replace the M500 for a better performing DAC and will do so eventually . However ,meanwhile I will continue to tinker

What specifically does the M500 do that makes you unhappy with its performance? Do you simply want something that looks better on paper, or do you experience actual audible issues that are clearly being show as a risk in the measurements?

Anywho, tinker away. I honestly don't mind when people tinker just for the tinkering itself, as long as they are being honest about it.

 

[scherbakov_al]

My m500 worked great for about 5 years. But now it started making noise. The noise stops when switching the input source for a second and then continues. A couple of times the noise disappeared when turning it off and on, but now it doesn't help. I wonder what happened to this DAC? What could be the problem? Are the capacitors dead?

 

[+DS_DV+]

if you are "lucky" its a ground loop or that it became more sensetive towards the groundloop.
you can use a galvanic usb groundloop portector like that: https://hifinesse.com/ifi-idefender
or yous spdif optical connection.

for noise protection on the power side of things you need a filter plug but i never had problems there so i cant recommend anything

 

[Toku]

My m500 worked great for about 5 years. But now it started making noise. The noise stops when switching the input source for a second and then continues. A couple of times the noise disappeared when turning it off and on, but now it doesn't help. I wonder what happened to this DAC? What could be the problem? Are the capacitors dead?

We need to know a bit more about the symptoms to find the cause.
Does the symptom occur with both the RCA/XLR output and the headphone output?
What kind of music file are you playing when the symptom occurs? Are the symptoms the same regardless of whether you play PCM44.1~PCM768kHZ, DSD64~DSD512?

 

[scherbakov_al]

I only have access to a USB connection. The noise is present regardless of whether the USB cable is connected or disconnected. It is present at any frequency. The noise stops for a short period of time when I connect the USB or switch the input source. It is present even without any music playing. When switching to headphones, the noise is heard in the headphones. I recorded this noise from the headphones to my phone. During the recording, I switched the input source.

25 окт., 16.25.wav

Вам открыли доступ к файлу. Отправлено с помощью Облако Mail

cloud.mail.ru

 

[Toku]

I only have access to a USB connection. The noise is present regardless of whether the USB cable is connected or disconnected. It is present at any frequency. The noise stops for a short period of time when I connect the USB or switch the input source. It is present even without any music playing. When switching to headphones, the noise is heard in the headphones. I recorded this noise from the headphones to my phone. During the recording, I switched the input source.

25 окт., 16.25.wav

Вам открыли доступ к файлу. Отправлено с помощью Облако Mail

cloud.mail.ru

I listened to the recording. Based on the symptoms, the noise seems to be coming from the analog circuit of the DAC chip output. From my experience, the cause is likely a faulty op-amp or power supply unit. The reason the noise disappears for a short time when you switch inputs is because the mute function is activated to avoid pop noise when switching.