Hello Everyone,
This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL PS200, used as an external DAC with a CD Player as the source (transport).
SMSL PS200 - Presentation
The SMSL PS200 is a low cost modern DAC with USB and coax+optical inputs and RCA outputs. It features an ES9039Q2M, 3rd gen XMOS XU-316 with PCM support up to 32bit/768kHz, and DSD up to DSD512. You also get MQA support.
I know some of you will be disappointed, as I will be testing it with a CD Player as a source, that means at 16bits/44.1kHz only. Why is that? Well, I'm a lot into the good old Audio CD which I love and I've been reviewing here several CD players. I wanted to do the same type of review using an external "reference" DAC for the comparison.
Note that, if the source is a CD Player, the limitations will show only on a noise perspective. Harmonic, intermodulation and other types of distortion would be the same with higher bit depth. So the below is still relevant on a distorsion, correlated noise and other artifacts perspective.
As I understood, quite a number of you still like to spin the silver disc, and own old/new CD Players. So if you're in search of a cheap decent solution to upgrade the internal DAC of your CD player, follow me.
SMSL PS200 - Measurements (From CD Player - Optical)
For this review, I will be consistent with my measurements as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the Onkyo C-733 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed and how their internal DACs compete with this external cheap one.
I plugged the Denon DCD-900NE to the SMSL using a basic optical cable (3m long) for all the measurements below. EDIT: I checked with the Denon DCD-SA1 and Onkyo C-733, and I got the same results.
The SMSL PS200 outputs a precise 2Vrms from its RCA. The two channels match perfectly (0.00dB as I can measure, excellent!). The unbalanced outputs are noninverting.
Here you go with the standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither because that frequency has the property to “self-dither”) from the test CD:
Both channels are represented but only one gets evaluated in the dashboard. Left channel does a little better (THD improves by 3dB).
THD sits at -116dB. SINAD is at 97dB which is the limit of the Audio CD, and is the best I measured so far from a CD Player.
I add a view of a 999.91Hz @-6dBFS as I now like (without dither):
The digital level goes down and the distorsion does not increase, impressive. It bests the Denon DCD-900NE which was my reference so far.
You probably already noticed that this is a very quiet DAC, without power supply–related spuriae in its output:
Bandwidth (now measured from a long term average of periodic white noise) showed a little roll off:
The trace is not neat because it's deviated from long term averages of periodic white noise at 192kHz input.
You see -0.2dB at 20Hz and -0.3dB at 20kHz. The two channels are perfectly matched. No concern here.
Let's have a look at the oversampling filter behavior (from periodic white noise) and together with dual tones 18kHz+20kHz (AES17):
The attenuation is above 90dB which is standard and is good. The filter is relatively sharp and fully active at 24kHz (it could have been before). No high frequency noise shaping technique shows here, I'm very happy.
Multitone (1/10 decade) shows the DAC has no issue to clear 16bits of data, as expected:
It can't be better with Audio CD and that is a beautiful trace.
Onto the Jitter test:
This is an overlay of the original WAV file (red) and the SMSL (blue). There's nothing above the digital signal. Finger in the nose, I'd say, easy one for the SMSL.
On your request and support (more information here), I am adding an "intersample-overs" test. It intends to identify if the oversampling filter has sufficient headroom to process near clipping signals. Indeed, and because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS (see the values in the table) and would saturate (clip) the interpolator and therefore the output. This effect is highlighted with the measurements below, and revealed through THD+N measurements up to 96kHz:
I left several other references for you to compare with. The oversampling filter of the SMSL PS200 has a 1dB headroom to process Inter-sample overs, and it's better than so many others. The Yamaha CD-1 shines in that test because it does not use an oversampling filter.
Other measurements (not shown):
Last but not least, I like to have a look a the THD vs Frequency when using a -12dBFS signal. This has proven to me to be a key differentiator, especially when I'm reviewing an old CD Player using R2R conversion. Here are the results with the SMSL (Left and Right channels shown):
It's the best I measured (again).
Conclusions
What a little jewel!
If you have an older CD player, or even a new one, you can extract everything from any disc using this little DAC attached to it, in case you wouldn't be sure of the internal DAC. That could be an interesting comparison too.
I was not expecting this level of performance for the price, and I think it's really cool to know that you have an easy to implement solution, at a very decent price, to make sure your CD Player will make your ears very happy.
I hope you likeed this review.
Enjoy the end of the year with your family and friends!
This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL PS200, used as an external DAC with a CD Player as the source (transport).
SMSL PS200 - Presentation
The SMSL PS200 is a low cost modern DAC with USB and coax+optical inputs and RCA outputs. It features an ES9039Q2M, 3rd gen XMOS XU-316 with PCM support up to 32bit/768kHz, and DSD up to DSD512. You also get MQA support.
I know some of you will be disappointed, as I will be testing it with a CD Player as a source, that means at 16bits/44.1kHz only. Why is that? Well, I'm a lot into the good old Audio CD which I love and I've been reviewing here several CD players. I wanted to do the same type of review using an external "reference" DAC for the comparison.
Note that, if the source is a CD Player, the limitations will show only on a noise perspective. Harmonic, intermodulation and other types of distortion would be the same with higher bit depth. So the below is still relevant on a distorsion, correlated noise and other artifacts perspective.
As I understood, quite a number of you still like to spin the silver disc, and own old/new CD Players. So if you're in search of a cheap decent solution to upgrade the internal DAC of your CD player, follow me.
SMSL PS200 - Measurements (From CD Player - Optical)
For this review, I will be consistent with my measurements as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the Onkyo C-733 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed and how their internal DACs compete with this external cheap one.
I plugged the Denon DCD-900NE to the SMSL using a basic optical cable (3m long) for all the measurements below. EDIT: I checked with the Denon DCD-SA1 and Onkyo C-733, and I got the same results.
The SMSL PS200 outputs a precise 2Vrms from its RCA. The two channels match perfectly (0.00dB as I can measure, excellent!). The unbalanced outputs are noninverting.
Here you go with the standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither because that frequency has the property to “self-dither”) from the test CD:
Both channels are represented but only one gets evaluated in the dashboard. Left channel does a little better (THD improves by 3dB).
THD sits at -116dB. SINAD is at 97dB which is the limit of the Audio CD, and is the best I measured so far from a CD Player.
I add a view of a 999.91Hz @-6dBFS as I now like (without dither):
The digital level goes down and the distorsion does not increase, impressive. It bests the Denon DCD-900NE which was my reference so far.
You probably already noticed that this is a very quiet DAC, without power supply–related spuriae in its output:
Bandwidth (now measured from a long term average of periodic white noise) showed a little roll off:
The trace is not neat because it's deviated from long term averages of periodic white noise at 192kHz input.
You see -0.2dB at 20Hz and -0.3dB at 20kHz. The two channels are perfectly matched. No concern here.
Let's have a look at the oversampling filter behavior (from periodic white noise) and together with dual tones 18kHz+20kHz (AES17):
The attenuation is above 90dB which is standard and is good. The filter is relatively sharp and fully active at 24kHz (it could have been before). No high frequency noise shaping technique shows here, I'm very happy.
Multitone (1/10 decade) shows the DAC has no issue to clear 16bits of data, as expected:
It can't be better with Audio CD and that is a beautiful trace.
Onto the Jitter test:
This is an overlay of the original WAV file (red) and the SMSL (blue). There's nothing above the digital signal. Finger in the nose, I'd say, easy one for the SMSL.
On your request and support (more information here), I am adding an "intersample-overs" test. It intends to identify if the oversampling filter has sufficient headroom to process near clipping signals. Indeed, and because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS (see the values in the table) and would saturate (clip) the interpolator and therefore the output. This effect is highlighted with the measurements below, and revealed through THD+N measurements up to 96kHz:
| Intersample-overs tests Bandwidth of the THD+N measurements is 20Hz - 96kHz | 5512.5 Hz sine, Peak = +0.69dBFS | 7350 Hz sine, Peak = +1.25dBFS | 11025 Hz sine, Peak = +3.0dBFS |
| Teac VRDS-20 | -30.7dB | -26.6dB | -17.6dB |
| Yamaha CD-1 | -84.6dB | -84.9dB | -78.1dB |
| Denon DCD-900NE | -34.2dB | -27.1dB | -19.1dB |
| Denon DCD-SA1 | -33.6dB | -27.6dB | -18.3dB |
| Onkyo C-733 | -88.3dB | -40.4dB | -21.2dB |
| Denon DCD-3560 | -30.2dB | -24.7dB | -17.4dB |
| SMSL PS200 (16bits/44.1kHz) | -92.8dB | -35.5dB | -21.0dB |
I left several other references for you to compare with. The oversampling filter of the SMSL PS200 has a 1dB headroom to process Inter-sample overs, and it's better than so many others. The Yamaha CD-1 shines in that test because it does not use an oversampling filter.
Other measurements (not shown):
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Analog" (18kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -101.1dB
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Digital" (17'987Hz & 19'997Hz 1:1) : -95.2dB
- IMD AES-17 MD (41Hz & 7993Hz 4:1): -101.5dB
- IMD CCIF (19kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -94.9dB
- IMD DIN (250Hz & 8kHz 4:1) : -97.4dB
- IMD TDFD (13'58Hz & 19841Hz 1:1) : -118.8dB
- IMD TDFD Bass (41Hz & 89Hz 1:1) : -118.3dB
- IMD SMPTE (60Hz & 7kHz 1:4) : -98.5dB
- Dynamic Range : 97.6dB (1kHz @-60dBFS no dither)
- Crosstalk: not measurable (below -140dB)
- Pitch Error : 19'997.02Hz (19'997Hz requested) ie 1ppm
Last but not least, I like to have a look a the THD vs Frequency when using a -12dBFS signal. This has proven to me to be a key differentiator, especially when I'm reviewing an old CD Player using R2R conversion. Here are the results with the SMSL (Left and Right channels shown):
It's the best I measured (again).
Conclusions
What a little jewel!
If you have an older CD player, or even a new one, you can extract everything from any disc using this little DAC attached to it, in case you wouldn't be sure of the internal DAC. That could be an interesting comparison too.
I was not expecting this level of performance for the price, and I think it's really cool to know that you have an easy to implement solution, at a very decent price, to make sure your CD Player will make your ears very happy.
I hope you likeed this review.
Enjoy the end of the year with your family and friends!
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