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SMSL PL150 Review (CD Player)

Rate this CD Player

  • Terrible (*)

    Votes: 6 5.7%

  • Mediocre (**)

    Votes: 9 8.5%

  • Good (***)

    Votes: 41 38.7%

  • Excellent (****)

    Votes: 50 47.2%
  • Total voters
    106
Kitty (S.M.S.L Marketing) said:
Hi there,

Thank you for purchasing the SMSL PL150 and for sharing your feedback.

Regarding the gapless playback issue you mentioned (e.g., with The Dark Side of the Moon), we understand that a seamless transition between tracks is important for certain albums.

Could you please let us know:

  • Whether you are playing original CDs or burned discs?
  • If the issue occurs with all CDs or only specific ones?
  • Which output method you are using (e.g., optical, coaxial, analog)?
This will help us confirm if it’s a design limitation or a potential firmware-related issue. We are always looking to improve the user experience and will take your feedback seriously.

Thanks again for your support.

Best regards,
SMSL Audio
Click to expand...
Sorry, busy WE, I missed your message. Thanks for the follow up. Here you go with the answers:
  • Whether you are playing original CDs or burned discs?
  • >>Original CD.
  • If the issue occurs with all CDs or only specific ones?
  • >>All I tested but only after I used fast forward or rewind. Else it is indeed gapless.
  • Which output method you are using (e.g., optical, coaxial, analog)?
  • >>Analog outputs.
If you want me to test a prototype firmware and report, feel free to ask me.

Regards
Flo
 
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you should only trust those who have the logo
1778658823689.png
 
Daniele CL said:
you should only trust those who have the logo
View attachment 531911
Click to expand...
I can assure you that this neither helps you nor protects you in any way. And this is based on extensive experience.

The logo was originally designed by Philips, which also provided documentation regarding its use on devices and CDs.
However, it has long since ceased to be monitored, and the logo is now considered to be in the public domain.

The Shanling CR60 serves as a prime example of this: despite bearing the logo, it fails to play certain standard audio CDs—sometimes failing to recognize them altogether—lacks gapless playback capabilities, and encounters issues with the final track or with longer CDs (even those falling within the standard 74-minute limit).
 
I have a CD80II, not a CR60, but I knew the CR60 was gapless; you have to enable it in the settings. The old CD80 (not the II) didn't have the logo and wasn't gapless. My CD80II (same HD850 and Ingenic X1000 as the CR60) also doesn't track some CDs well, but I checked, some are enhanced CDs, and none are exactly Red Book.
Check online: the logo must be paid for and is strictly controlled by Philips. Many CD players (e.g., the ProJect CD box E) would be compatible with the logo but don't display it to avoid paying royalties.
 
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I bought the SMSL PL150 and could not get it to play gapless cds correctly, I have read that SMSL may have changed the mechanisms during it's manufacturing arc, even following the advice that you don't FFW or REW, skipping a track will not stop gapless playback.
So disappointed as I liked the size of the pl150, ended up buying a Tascam cd 200, looking to buy a cd player back in the the day I would never have thought to ask does the player support gapless as they just did.
 
Ordered one on Amazon yesterday, arrived at 4am this morning. Working great into the RME’s coax input, fits nicely on the RME. Unfortunately, the display is dead, only backlight works. I’ve tried different power adapters and played with the remote Disp button, nothing. Suppose I’ll have to return it for a replacement. Sigh.

EDIT: From the supplied pics near the top of this thread, I noticed that the display is attached via a ribbon cable to the main board. Thought I might open it up and reseat the cable, but the screwheads are something I don't have a tool for. So, decided to give it a couple of hard slaps with my palm. Viola! Display is working, and a very readable display it is.

IMG_6103.jpeg
 
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Hello, I purchased my own PL150 as part of the more recent pre-ordered run. I'm fairly sure that because of that, it does not have the original Phillips drive. I am also experiencing issues with the "gap-less" playback. The actual gaps between the tracks are not a serious issue for me, but my player is also cutting off the beginning and end of each song, even while playing the whole cd without skipping. I'm really hoping that SMSL puts out some form of firmware update that functions with the different drive. Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to find a different player.
 
Mr_fredman said:
Hello, I purchased my own PL150 as part of the more recent pre-ordered run. I'm fairly sure that because of that, it does not have the original Phillips drive. I am also experiencing issues with the "gap-less" playback. The actual gaps between the tracks are not a serious issue for me, but my player is also cutting off the beginning and end of each song, even while playing the whole cd without skipping. I'm really hoping that SMSL puts out some form of firmware update that functions with the different drive. Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to find a different player.
Click to expand...
That is definitely unacceptable for a CD player.
 
The little Fosi Merak player continues to impress me...I understand the allure of a slot-loader, but I think the reliability and feature set of the Merak is hard to beat in a compact-size CD player/transport...
 
Joe Smith said:
The little Fosi Merak player continues to impress me...I understand the allure of a slot-loader, but I think the reliability and feature set of the Merak is hard to beat in a compact-size CD player/transport...
Click to expand...
If only it came in black.
 
I bought a SMSL PL150 a couple of months ago. I had many of the issues reported on this forum. (No gapless playback, songs beginning and ends being cut off, eject freezing reboot needed to remove CD) I contacted SMSL tech support about these issues and asked them if they were going to release a firmware update to fix these problems. The answer was disheartening. They told me that the programmer said no firmware fix will be available due to the size of the file is too big already. So its what it is. Just wanted to let the audio community know about this. I disconnected the SMSL and went back to my vintage Denon DCD 590.
 
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I measured the power consumption of the PL150, and it typically draws between 2.4 and 2.6 amps. To power it, I’m using a relatively inexpensive genuine Raspberry Pi 4 power supply paired with a USB-C female to USB-A female adapter that includes a built-in voltage display. Under load, it consistently reads around 5.2 V.

So far, the unit has been performing well, especially compared to my previous PL100, which unfortunately arrived dead on arrival and was promptly refunded by Amazon.

One useful feature that is not always mentioned is that the unit can be powered off either via the remote control or by a long press of the pause button on the front panel. This makes day-to-day operation more convenient and eliminates the need to physically disconnect the power supply when the player is not in use.

Both the 3.5 mm single-ended output and the 4.4 mm headphone output are specified at 60 mW per channel into 32 Ω. Despite the common assumption that a 4.4 mm output is inherently more powerful or balanced, the published specifications do not indicate any difference in output power between the two. Unless someone can provide measurements or official documentation showing otherwise, the available data suggests both outputs are effectively identical in rated performance.

In practice, the headphone amplifier is surprisingly capable and provides more than enough power for most listening with easy-to-drive headphones. I have not experienced any CD scratching issues so far, which was one of my initial concerns.

Overall, first impressions are positive. The real test will be long-term reliability, but everything is working as expected at this stage.
 
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