SMSL M500 DAC Only “Thermal Issue” not “Golden Sample”

[murraycamp]

Disassembly?

Temporarily disassociative examination

 

[bequietjk]

Looking back on the Sabaj D5 performance, the benefit of warm up was incredible. 30 minutes of warm up and its performance skyrocketed.

 

[solderdude]

The Yggdrasil supposedly takes days to weeks to come 'on song'.
That's probably why it didn't test that well on ASR

 

[amirm]

Here is the Topping D50s after 1+ hour of warm up:

No change at all with temperature/time.

Here is the IMD versus level:

 

[JohnYang1997]

Here is the Topping D50s after 1+ hour of warm up:

View attachment 41705

No change at all with temperature/time.

Here is the IMD versus level:

View attachment 41706

Awesome

 

[Cahudson42]

Disassembly?

How about 'Inside views...'?

 

[restorer-john]

Here is the Topping D50s after 1+ hour of warm up:

What a fabulous instrument that APX555 is. Even those tiny fluctuations track each other perfectly over that 0.25dB at 111dB down.

 

[half_dog]

Here is the Topping D50s after 1+ hour of warm up:

View attachment 41705

No change at all with temperature/time.

Here is the IMD versus level:

View attachment 41706

Amir, could you measure its linearity?

 

[VeerK]

Hmmm, my M500 hasn’t arrived yet but this has me concerned to say the least. Was hoping to avoid any kind of temperature based fluctuations, and we can see the D50s has no such issues. Maybe I should’ve splurged for the DX7PRO or waited for the D90

 

[bequietjk]

@VeerK Thankfully, from Wolf and Amirs work we have been presented with varying results.

Be patient Your M500 will come and i guarantee you will enjoy the sound. In the event that the specs turn you off, return it or put it up for sale. Surely there are others who would like to own the M500 ^_^

 

[Xulonn]

This excellent thread, although not formally held to the rigors of actual research and QA testing, is a great example for those unfamiliar with QA methods and testing protocol development. Asking lots of questions based on experience and observations is essential. Then those involved in the actual testing can evaluate the issues and suggestions, and do the testing. Once satisfied with the results, testers can then decide which tests to use for a more efficient evaluation of such issues in the future.

I am curious about the extent and thoroughness of the QA testing by companies like SMSL and Topping, but would guess that, unlike the individually tested products (I assume) from companies like Benchmark, companies that manufacture low-cost audio components would use standard statistical QA methods to select units for random testing.

However, with $300-600 products like the M500, I expect a bit more thoroughness in QA. For the products like the SMSL M500, and my larger and heavier Topping DX7s (a DAC/HA that I purchased for $360 via [Mass]Drop), my expectations are for greater reliability and longevity - and more consistency in performance than with the $100+/-$50 components.

Actually, I consider the under $150 Chinese DAC's DAC/HA's, DAC/Amps, HA's, and Amps to be "disposable" products. One simply tosses them in the trash and replaces them when they break or die after the money-back return period or warranty expires.

 

[WolfX-700]

Okay, I'm back ~

I turned off the air conditioner in the workplace and opened the windows before going to bed, so the temperature in this room dropped sharply, and now it is only about 50 ° F. I believe it would be as low as 40 ° F earlier.

So I got an interesting long-term test result.

Shows the performance of M500 at low temperatures.

I still decided to find another unit to test again.

 

[Xulonn]

Shows the performance of M500 at low temperatures.

It's interesting to me that the two curves, although 2dB apart, appear to track each other very closely.

 

[Cahudson42]

I got an interesting long-term test result.

5 hours cooking...Reminds me of Sous Vide..

 

[Blumlein 88]

Disassembly?

Interior inspection.

 

[Matias]

Just call it open the lid and take a picture. Totally harmless. Is not like someone is desoldering the transistors or something.

 

[WolfX-700]

Just call it open the lid and take a picture. Totally harmless. Is not like someone is desoldering the transistors or something.

Anyway, I should still get permission from a friend to "open" it

 

[Matias]

Sure, absolutely. My point is that calling it a teardown is way too far from what it actually is.

 

[maxxevv]

Here is the Topping D50s after 1+ hour of warm up:

View attachment 41705

No change at all with temperature/time.

Here is the IMD versus level:

View attachment 41706

I do notice a slight hint of the "hump" on the 1 hour line though. Not as evident as the M500 but it doesn't seem to be there for the 2 green lines at all.

 

[JohnYang1997]

I do notice a slight hint of the "hump" on the 1 hour line though. Not as evident as the M500 but it doesn't seem to be there for the 2 green lines at all.

There was also a hint of hump before warming up. And warming up actually improved it a little bit.