SMSL PL200T Review (CD Transport)

[Roland68]

IMHO, this should be the least you pay for. ..and it shouldnt be that hard. Technology is old and proven. Bandwith is low compared to other technologies of data transfer.
It could have other qualities though. Longevity, aestethical, brand loyalty or whatever. Thats perfectly fair I guess, but if the product work as intended one shouldnt assume any change in sound. Anything less would just be malfunction.

About the pl200t. I have read some reviews, and some ppl complain about skipping. So maybe S.M.S.L really cant be trusted with "moving parts" products. I had my finger on the buy button for a pl200t yesterday, bought a SMSL B100 BL receiver instead. Saving my money for a TEAC.

May I ask where you got the information that the drive skips for some users?

Like almost all manufacturers, SMSL buys the mechanical components, i.e., the actual CD drive, from an external supplier.

The VRDS drives from Teac are an exception; the standard ones are also sourced from another manufacturer.

 

[DonDish]

May I ask where you got the information that the drive skips for some users?

Like almost all manufacturers, SMSL buys the mechanical components, i.e., the actual CD drive, from an external supplier.

The VRDS drives from Teac are an exception; the standard ones are also sourced from another manufacturer.

Amazon. There isnt alot of reviews for this one, but enough to give me cold feet.

Teac, besides from vrds has this: CD-5020A used in Tascam players and TEAC PD-507T. A workhorse they say.

 

[DonDish]

Do you own one? Does it skip?

I own one - It doesn't skip.

Iit's perfect so far, a few hundreds CDs in, many of them very old, some of them quite scratched.

I find reporting 2nd hand information from 'somewhere' on the internet not that useful.

To me it seems luck is a factor. This is just my impression, im glad it worked out for you. I have no reason whatsoever to smear this product.

I just read up on buyers reviews. I think everyone could and should do that before buying.

 

[babadono]

I've got a Xmas itch. I have a good DAC already S.M.S.L. SU-10. Should I get this transport or the full player?

 

[antcollinet]

I've got a Xmas itch. I have a good DAC already S.M.S.L. SU-10. Should I get this transport or the full player?

The only reason I can think of for getting the full player is if you happen to have a spare analogue input and don’t have the needed digital input to your system. If you have the digital input, use it.

Either way, you won't hear the difference.

 

[amper42]

I've got a Xmas itch. I have a good DAC already S.M.S.L. SU-10. Should I get this transport or the full player?

I can't imagine wanting this CD player as I don't like the controls but if I was going to buy the design I would pay the extra for the PL200 with AK4499EX DAC and would wait for it to go on sale again for $568.65 on Amazon. The price was raised by $100 after Black Friday. It's bound to go back down if you are not in a hurry. I prefer to use my CD Players as a transport by choice and not as a requirement. Having the internal DAC adds flexibility where it can be used.

 

[Roland68]

SMSL has released a new firmware version for the PL200T. It's listed as version 1.2 on the website, but according to the description and hex file, it appears to be version 1.4.

PL200T Updates:
v1.4: 2025/12/03
Added the De-emphasis function for some older CDs.

Please do not confuse this with the firmware update for the PL200, as it could render your device unusable.

 

[Roland68]

I can't imagine wanting this CD player as I don't like the controls but if I was going to buy the design I would pay the extra for the PL200 with AK4499EX DAC and would wait for it to go on sale again for $568.65 on Amazon. The price was raised by $100 after Black Friday. It's bound to go back down if you are not in a hurry. I prefer to use my CD Players as a transport by choice and not as a requirement. Having the internal DAC adds flexibility where it can be used.

Not really. The PL200 only has USB and Bluetooth as digital inputs, and the built-in DAC cannot be connected to other digital devices/streamers via SPDIF coaxial/Toslink/AES/I2S. This could be a major limitation of the built-in DAC.

At this point, SMSL has once again missed an opportunity to make the device more attractive to a wider range of buyers by adding digital (and also analog) inputs.

For anyone with additional digital devices, the PL200T with a DAC like the D200 would therefore be significantly more practical and functional.

 

[kdipner]

SMSL has released a new firmware version for the PL200T. It's listed as version 1.2 on the website, but according to the description and hex file, it appears to be version 1.4.

PL200T Updates:
v1.4: 2025/12/03
Added the De-emphasis function for some older CDs.

Please do not confuse this with the firmware update for the PL200, as it could render your device unusable.

Thanks, @Roland68 ! Good to hear that SMSL is providing firmware updates for the PL200T as well.

I’ve tried to apply the update, but so far without success. I’m stuck at step #6 when attempting to initialize upgrade mode:

6 ) Connect the DAC service interface to the computer via USB cable. Press and hold the knob, then turn on the power, and release the key after 5 seconds. If you see the DAC starts normally, you need to repeat this operation (when entering the upgrade mode, the DAC screen will not light up).

7 ) Click the connection , Show the “Connected” and click the “Start Program”.

The issue I’m running into is that as soon as I connect the USB cable to my PC, the PL200T boots normally because it receives power over USB. If I press and hold the knob while connecting the USB cable, the display indeed stays off, but clicking the Connection button does nothing. A second click on Connection causes the entire ISP application to hang.

 

[babadono]

Sure wish they offered in black....oh well silver it is.

 

[EJasonC]

Not really. The PL200 only has USB and Bluetooth as digital inputs, and the built-in DAC cannot be connected to other digital devices/streamers via SPDIF coaxial/Toslink/AES/I2S. This could be a major limitation of the built-in DAC.

At this point, SMSL has once again missed an opportunity to make the device more attractive to a wider range of buyers by adding digital (and also analog) inputs.

For anyone with additional digital devices, the PL200T with a DAC like the D200 would therefore be significantly more practical and functional.

Agreed; see my comments here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...00-pro-balanced-dac-review.49170/post-2480962

 

[garson]

Hey @NTTY Do you know which cd mechanism is used in this transport? PL150 has CDM-M10 and some people are saying those were pulled from old cars.

 

[DavidM1]

Hey @NTTY Do you know which cd mechanism is used in this transport? PL150 has CDM-M10 and some people are saying those were pulled from old cars.

The economics of pulling parts from old cars makes this highly unlikely. Far more likely is that there is a decent supply left over from when almost every new car was equipped for CD playing.

I’ve seen a high end brand saying they seek these Philips car mechanisms for their precision and stability. Does it actually make a difference? Probably not. Do they work well? Definitely.

 

[garson]

The economics of pulling parts from old cars makes this highly unlikely.

Not in China.

 

[Mnyb]

Just bought one of these . Combined feature set makes it quite unique, and the look and feel and the size I have size restriction where it would go

 

[Mnyb]

Btw is it not a new PL20 model that also can serve as cd ripper , it has a switch on the back for the different modes .

We old guys scratch our heads insert our CD in our desktops dvd drive . Laptop did you say

 

[DavidM1]

Not in China.

No, that makes no sense. The time and trouble to source and strip cd players from cars versus accessing NOS from a warehouse. Yeah, nah.

 

[Roland68]

No, that makes no sense. The time and trouble to source and strip cd players from cars versus accessing NOS from a warehouse. Yeah, nah.

It's not that far-fetched; in China, there's a huge industry that recycles electronic and mechanical components. With incredibly low wages in rural areas, it's a lucrative business. Even old op-amps are recycled in large quantities.

You can assume that about half of the replacement lasers and drives offered on AliExpress come from this recycling.
That's also why these items can often be offered on AliExpress significantly below the industry or manufacturer's price. The Chinese sellers certainly aren't paying the difference and aren't getting any special pricing.

 

[Mart68]

No, that makes no sense. The time and trouble to source and strip cd players from cars versus accessing NOS from a warehouse. Yeah, nah.

it's really not hard to strip parts from cars in scrapyards I've done it many times. Only exception is if it is an engine part deep in the engine. Getting the CD player out is a five minute job at best. Probably 1 minute once you've done it a few dozen times.

Not saying that's where they get their mechs but they could do that and it would be economic in places like China and India.

 

[DonDish]

Car players is probably built to nice standards.
(Car)Brand reputation, higher tolerances for heat, shock and vibration. I wouldnt worry..