SMSL PS200 Budget DAC Review

[NTTY]

I did it again (sampling rate = 192kHz):

I'm here by an hair (0.03dB SINAD). Good to see the same results across an ocean.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

What you mean, "cup of coffee", Amir? At $89.95, you are saving enough for a Big Mac Meal at least! When I was much younger, there was a guy named Earl Schieb, who advertised he "paint any car for $29.95!" SMSL is kind of like the Earl Schieb of Dac manufacturers these days.

As always, nice review, Amir.

 

[Berwhale]

thats amazing for $90.
I really would like to see the BT performance

It will be limited by the Bluetooth codec, and this DAC only supports SBC which isn't great. Amir measured results for various codecs when testing a Topping BC3 here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...c3-review-bluetooth-receiver-bt-codecs.23740/

 

[antcollinet]

I don’t think many people even know what MQA is.

They've been told it is "digital, but like analogue". That's all some of them need to hear it as better.

 

[Ajax]

This device reinforces the old saying "it's not what you know, but who you know". Any layperson who stumbled across this site could soon work out what to buy (using amir's technical videos and reviews) and purchase himself a very good system for under $1k.

e.g Tidal Connect account + Cromecast Audio streamer ($100) + this DAC ($100) + Adam TV5 active speakers ($400) + 2nd hand Velodyne sub ($200)

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You really don't need any technical knowledge to get great sound, you just need to know what a good golf swing looks like

 

[VientoB]

All 44.1KHz 16bit MQA are still present on Tidal, despite its 48KHz 24bit MQA replacement by hi-res flac and formal abandon of that format.
Anyway MQA is far more complex and versatile than depicted. Its different features can be mixed, from just custom antialias filter to acrobatic triple folding.
It suffered bad press, mainly due to bad presentation from creators.
Despite general beliefs, it's lossless up to 24KHz for the encoded hi-res masters and just the very rarefied ultrasonic part is lossy compressed. Also, cd quality MQA (those 44.1KHz 16bit ones), carry the same pcm content of cd master are derived from,they just activate custom filter if available.
The custom antialias filter, does very well and could be even preferred to those standard dac chips offer.

I think you're wrong:

 

[FTB]

Gosh, 118 dB SINAD and low THD for 90 bucks... Wonderful times for audio gear.

 

[DearSX]

I refuse to believe this DAC can sound as good as a $10,000+ DAC from dSC or Bricasti, to a discerning stereophile, just no way . Its simply a good DAC for $90.00, it must be.

 

[ssashton]

What about the Motu M4?

Looks like it has a nice DAC, but line input is only quoted as -106dB THD+N which is rather average and only matches what my 10yr old EMU0404 can do.

 

[staticV3]

I refuse to believe this DAC can sound as good as a $10,000+ DAC from dSC

You mean the same dCS that threaten with lawsuits whenever someone hooks an analyzer up to their products and publishes the results?

dCS is threatening me with a lawsuit over a negative review [Update Inside] - GoldenSound

dCS has threatened me with a "7-figure lawsuit" over my coverage of the dCS Bartok in 2021. This video discusses my response to their claims

goldensound.audio

Yeah, definitely seems like an earnest company with nothing to hide.

 

[welwynnick]

I refuse to believe this DAC can sound as good as a $10,000+ DAC from dSC or Bricasti, to a discerning stereophile, just no way . Its simply a good DAC for $90.00, it must be.

Good point.
I disagree.
Deserves investigation.
I think the transparency line sits at about 110dB SINAD/ 120dB SNR so this DAC is probably good enough by any standards.

 

[Zgrado1970]

What you mean, "cup of coffee", Amir? At $89.95, you are saving enough for a Big Mac Meal at least! When I was much younger, there was a guy named Earl Schieb, who advertised he "paint any car for $29.95!" SMSL is kind of like the Earl Schieb of Dac manufacturers these days.

As always, nice review, Amir.

I remember Mr. Scheib telling me he would paint any car, any color, for $39.95 (that was the early 70s). By the 80s inflation made it $99.95. But those commercials just kept running.

 

[anphex]

No meme from me this time.
SMSL made progress here -> huge price reduction!

Good work, stay on that path.

 

[masterhw]

Looks like it has a nice DAC, but line input is only quoted as -106dB THD+N which is rather average and only matches what my 10yr old EMU0404 can do.

What makes you think SMSL could do any better on an ADC?
Motu does make a 111 dB SINAD measuring ADC, its just the next step up from entry level

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[VientoB]

I have a friend who claimed "MQA is different" (in a good way). When we still have a lot of audiophools out there, there will be someone think/say MQA is better

They believed the marketing and haven't heard the more recent news about MQA.

 

[ssashton]

What makes you think SMSL could do any better on an ADC?
Motu does make a 111 dB SINAD measuring ADC, its just the next step up from entry level

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www.audiosciencereview.com

Just because they seem to be able to produce good performance for little cost. The Motu is an interesting example since they used a nice modern ESS DAC but then a mid-range ADC. I guess DAC specs are good for marketing but not ADC.

Yeah the Ultralite mk5 is everything I want.. but cost is high and I just don't need 10 outputs and 8 inputs. Give me that with 2 in 2 out and half the pice or put another way guve me the M4 with the ADC from the Ultralite mk5.

 

[JIW]

I believe the MQA is from the chip, not the implementation of it. so, it's likely they bought the chip, and it's "included", so why not advertise about it? us on ASR do not care about it but many people still think it's an improved format. in the end, they need to sell to wider market also
put this in a better case and sell it for $99 and you have an end game DAC ...

The ES9039Q2M has no MQA hardware renderer. It is mentioned only one place in the data sheet on the typical software application schematic, which is identical to that of ES9069 which has an MQA hardware renderer so may be a carry over. The MQA renderer is somewhere else.

 

[VientoB]

The ES9039Q2M has no MQA hardware renderer. It is mentioned only one place in the data sheet on the typical software application schematic, which is identical to that of ES9069 which has an MQA hardware renderer so may be a carry over. The MQA renderer is somewhere else.

No reason for the modern ESS chip to contain an MQA rendered as it's a defunct technology which damaged the signal

 

[IanRoberts]

Sure it's nice seeing DACs that's a bit more decently prices being test and performing way beyond audibility threshold, but common this is SMSL DAC number 84829, it's getting a bit boring :\

It's a DAC ‍

 

[JIW]

No reason for the modern ESS chip to contain an MQA rendered as it's a defunct technology which damaged the signal

Apart from having been developed at the time when MQA was a thing. The 9039Pro has an option for an MQA renderer denoted by an M before the Pro in the name of the chip - 9039MPRO or 9039MSPRO. The 9068AS also has an MQA renderer. All others don't. Let's see if the successor of the 9039 will include it.