SMSL RAW-MDA 1 DAC & Headphone Amp Review

[RHO]

Anyone can shed some light on this if they have the same issue?

I have this issue with my Denon AVR, but not with my RAW-MDA1.
Could be the device is sensitive to some specific EMI pulses. I don't think this type of consumer electronics is tested for that very rigorously. (compared to medical, automotive, military,... electronics)

 

[seevip]

Hi, I got the RAW MD1 to replace a Fosi ZD3 that was getting USB port noise. That's mostly gone however now I am getting noise/static going into my Woo Audio Wa6-SE. It doesn't matter whether I have the volume dialed all the way down or not. Static/noise appears starts at 11oclock and gets louder to the top. Is this because of the pre-amp/opamps?

Whereas it was completely dark with the Fosi ZD3.

2. What PCM filter is everyone using?

 

[Panelhead]

The MDA-1 came early yesterday. After reading all thirty pages of this thread I set filter to 3, color to standard, and volume to adjustable.
I let it run for 30 hours fed a steady diet of symphony music via coax. Would listen from time to time. Then listen to the same via the Sanskrit 10th, analog output from source, internal dac in integrated, and Light Harmonic Pulse X.
The first hour the bottom end seemed light. Bass was rolled off. Fleshed out and is now ample. Matches the others.
Level matching has been tough. Been moving the coax around, hard to get close to right unless switching inputs on integrated.
Think I have my hands on the “sound” of the MDA-1. Very high quality. What it seems to excel at is portraying the individual instruments in a track with separation. Whether strings, woodwinds, percussion, or vocal the sound portrays individual instruments playing. The other playback devices blurred this. Worst was S10. Best was Pulse dac. The Pulse X is an audiophile product.
The Pulse X is warmer sounding. May have more low order distortion. Analog sound was a design goal.
The SMSL RAW MDA-1 is not warm sounding. It is neutral,
Definitely more enjoyable to listen to than my other options. Listened to a Suite for Harp this afternoon. The clarity and resolution were top notch.
Do not know if the new high end dac chips are responsible. Maybe just properly designed unit. The SMSL RAW MDA-1 is best dac I have heard at separating the individual instruments in an orchestra. Delineates the multi mic recording. More silence around the notes.
Rock solid so far. Not a single pop, click, or other artifact.
At least to my ears there are advantages to playing 44.1/16 files through a dac with 21 bit resolution.

 

[ArthurStein13]

Le HD660S2 offre une sensibilité d'environ 105 dB à 1 V RMS, soit 0 dBV. Le RAW-MDA1, en faible gain, offre une sortie maximale de 2,5 V RMS, soit 8 dBV. Ainsi, le niveau de pression acoustique maximal en crête est d'environ 105 + 8 + 3 = 116 dB SPL. C'est largement suffisant pour la plupart des enregistrements, mais peut laisser à désirer pour les enregistrements les plus dynamiques ou les plus silencieux. L'utilisation d'un gain élevé permet d'atténuer ce problème, avec une sortie maximale de 10*log10(167*300/1000) = 17 dBV pour un niveau de pression acoustique maximal en crête de 125 dB SPL.

J'utilise un DL200 qui a les mêmes niveaux de sortie que les HD600 et j'utilise presque exclusivement du faible gain.

Merci infiniment d’avoir pris le temps de me répondre. Je vais alors me tourner vers le K9 pro ESS…

 

[robsonj]

Connecting to a Apple Mac (via the Apple Studio Display built in Hub), do you find you have to select USB mode... UAC-1 ?

 

[JIW]

Connecting to a Apple Mac (via the Apple Studio Display built in Hub), do you find you have to select USB mode... UAC-1 ?

My DL200 using the same USB receiver chip works fine on USB 2.0.

 

[robsonj]

My DL200 using the same USB receiver chip works fine on USB 2.0.

Via a Studio Display?

 

[Panelhead]

Love having all the connections. That is why I picked the RAW MDA1 over the other dacs with similar measured performance.
Volunteered my Blue Sky Mid Blue monitor system to replace a friends PA system. Pulled out after it had sat in attic for 10 years. Used today at an Easter picnic.
Used the RAW MDA1 as a Bluetooth receiver from an iPad. Worked flawlessly. The DJ liked using the volume knob, better than a slider for fast volume swings.
First time I have used a dac outside of in my listening room. Or Bluetooth for extended music playback. I have tried the Bluetooth built in my integrated amp. It is a much earlier Bluetooth version, has a few glitches.

 

[JIW]

Via a Studio Display?

Completely missed that. I use another hub not made by Apple.

 

[James-F]

Got my RAW MDA 1 today, it's very nice for a first DAC+Headphones Amp.
Currently I have plenty of volume with the HP Gain so to Low and about -20dB for volume with the HD6xx.
I don't hear any significant difference in frequency response from my Focusrite 3rd Gen 18i8 albeit I have to crank to max the headphone volume on the Focusrite to have equivalent volume.

 

[Nezil]

@robsonj / @JIW, I'm having the same USB issues with the DL200 and C200 Pro... I jumped over here to see if the RAW MDA 1 is the same, and it seems it is.

I'm not actually using an Apple Studio Display, rather I'm using an LG 32" desktop monitor but it too is a single cable connection with Thunderbolt and includes a USB Hub. I can get a connection through this hub if I set USB to 1.1, but not if I set to 2.0. I actually thought the unit was broken initially because of this, but found that it worked fine when connected directly to my MacBook Pro (M3 Max 14"), or through a Belkin USB-C hub, but not through the display.

I do a lot of work with displays, and will be testing with a few other monitor USB hubs today to see if this is consistent or if there is any pattern... A usb hub is a usb hub is a usb hub isn't it?

 

[Von Nassau]

Love having all the connections. That is why I picked the RAW MDA1 over the other dacs with similar measured performance.
Volunteered my Blue Sky Mid Blue monitor system to replace a friends PA system. Pulled out after it had sat in attic for 10 years. Used today at an Easter picnic.
Used the RAW MDA1 as a Bluetooth receiver from an iPad. Worked flawlessly. The DJ liked using the volume knob, better than a slider for fast volume swings.
First time I have used a dac outside of in my listening room. Or Bluetooth for extended music playback. I have tried the Bluetooth built in my integrated amp. It is a much earlier Bluetooth version, has a few glitches.

I just received mine today. Just like you I choose the RAW-MDA1 because of all the inputs.

I tested it today against my 30 year old SONY CDP-X505ES CD-player with RCA out to my integrated SONY TA-F707ES amplifier (It unfortunately don't have balanced in). And two 30 year old (underrated) ENERGY Connoisseur C6 speakers I use.

CD player connected via RCA to the amplifier just like the output of the RAW-MDA1 and optical out from the CD player to RAW-MDA1.

Also tested the headphone out on the CD-player against the RAW-MDA1 headphone out , both 6,3 mm.

Bear in mind the price difference here. I paid 1350$ for the CD player and 1200$ for the amplifier, both bought after long time of saving in 1994 when I was an apprentice.

What did I find out? I really can't hear a meaningful difference with my 50 year old ears (My hearing is btw quite good for my age, tested every year)

Maybe the treble have a bit more body on the old SONY CD player but the details is the same and I also based on my brief test today find the stereo perspective and depth of the sound stage equal.

CDP-X505ES spec on Radiomuseum.org

With headphones I also can't hear a meaningful difference at least not in my quick test. My headphones is a pair of SONY MDR-Z7 which btw. have an awesome soundstage and deep powerfull bass. I maybe notice a bit more detail from the SONY CD HP out when compared to high gain on the RAW-MDA1, but with low gain I felt they sounded the same. Soundstage quite equal too. Maybe a bit more detailed soundstage from the RAW-MDA1 than from the headphone out on the SONY 505ES CD-player.

BTW tested both optical inputs, and usb in on the RAW-MDA1 using my good old Samsung s22 ultra smartphone and no issues with anything I.e. popping sounds neither when using RCA out or headphones out neither from skipping tracks or changing inputs and outputs.

BTW. I used fixed out on the RAW-MDA1.


I also own a Fiio BT-7 (Awesome HP DAC btw) and will compare to that also using balanced out.

I plan to run a homebuilt windows media server that feed the smsl with optical out, or maybe usb.

I will keep you all updated about what I find, or feel free to ask any questions.


Have a great day/evening /night all.

 

[ArthurStein13]

Le SMSL RAW MDA1 peut-il alimenter pleinement des HD660s2 ?

 

[Nezil]

@robsonj / @JIW, a quick update on the USB through monitor hub issue...

I discovered the issue with connecting through my desktop monitor hub. It seems that the issue is if the Desktop Monitor is connected via Thunderbolt. In theory this should be no problem at all, and is no problem with other USB devices including the Focusrite 2i2 which is a lower quality DAC, but still supports up to 24b 192kHz. I've seen others have issues with Apple branded displays that also connect with Thunderbolt.

I have access to an almost identical LG 32" monitor that uses USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode rather than Thunderbolt, and connecting through monitor is no issue for the SMSL C200 Pro or DL200, and I assume for the RAW MDA1.

 

[Von Nassau]

Le SMSL RAW MDA1 peut-il alimenter pleinement des HD660s2 ?

MY SONY MDR-Z7 has 113db/1vrms sensitivity and 70 ohm resistance. The Sennheiser HD660S2 104db/1vrms and 300 Ohm resistance. In high gain on the headphone ampnifier on the RAW-MDA1 i am on -35 dB on the volume -99db lowest and 0 is highest. in low gain i am on -25 dB. The mentioned db values are also quite loud.

This review say it drives his HD650 with ease so it should drive yours HD660S2 also with ease.

SMSL RAW-MDA1 Review - Prime Audio Reviews

In this article, I’m checking out the SMSL RAW-MDA1 DAC/Headphone amplifier. The RAW-MDA1 features dual ES9039Q2M DAC chips, Hi-Res Bluetooth connectivity and fully balanced outputs. It’s priced at $246. Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Shenzhen Audio for an honest review. All...

primeaudio.org

French machine translated.

MY SONY MDR-Z7 a une sensibilité de 113 db/1vrms et une résistance de 70 ohms. Le Sennheiser HD660S2 104db/1vrms et résistance 300 Ohm. En gain élevé sur l'amnifiant de casque sur le RAW-MDA1 je suis sur -35 dB sur le volume -99db le plus bas et 0 est le plus élevé. en faible gain je suis sur -25 dB. Les valeurs db mentionnées sont également assez fortes.



Cette revue dit qu'il conduit son HD650 avec facilité, il devrait donc conduire votre HD660S2 aussi avec facilité.

 

[RickS]

MY SONY MDR-Z7 has 113db/1vrms sensitivity and 70 ohm resistance. The Sennheiser HD660S2 104db/1vrms and 300 Ohm resistance. In high gain on the headphone ampnifier on the RAW-MDA1 i am on -35 dB on the volume -99db lowest and 0 is highest. in low gain i am on -25 dB. The mentioned db values are also quite loud.

This review say it drives his HD650 with ease so it should drive yours HD660S2 also with ease.

View attachment 446378

SMSL RAW-MDA1 Review - Prime Audio Reviews

In this article, I’m checking out the SMSL RAW-MDA1 DAC/Headphone amplifier. The RAW-MDA1 features dual ES9039Q2M DAC chips, Hi-Res Bluetooth connectivity and fully balanced outputs. It’s priced at $246. Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Shenzhen Audio for an honest review. All...

primeaudio.org

French machine translated.

MY SONY MDR-Z7 a une sensibilité de 113 db/1vrms et une résistance de 70 ohms. Le Sennheiser HD660S2 104db/1vrms et résistance 300 Ohm. En gain élevé sur l'amnifiant de casque sur le RAW-MDA1 je suis sur -35 dB sur le volume -99db le plus bas et 0 est le plus élevé. en faible gain je suis sur -25 dB. Les valeurs db mentionnées sont également assez fortes.



Cette revue dit qu'il conduit son HD650 avec facilité, il devrait donc conduire votre HD660S2 aussi avec facilité.

Merci pour votre réponse.

Je m'intéresse en effet principalement à une utilisation en sortie symétrique, et en gain bas, dans une quête de précision maximale. Écoute exclusivement musique classique oblige, je privilégie une restitution analytique, la plus fidèle et la plus nuancée possible.

Si le SMSL RAW-MDA1 est réellement capable de contenir les HD 660S2 dans ces conditions, alors cela me permet d'éviter de me tourner vers le FiiO K9 Pro ESS, dont le tarif — mais surtout l'ancienneté (près de quatre ans maintenant !) — me laissait quelque peu douteux, malgré la présence d'une très belle puce ESS, que je cherchais avant tout pour sa neutralité et son approche chirurgicale du signal.

Si quelqu’un a essayé ces deux produits ensemble, je serais très intéressé de ces impressions…

Welcome to ASR!

Please repost in English and will delete these posts. The forum software does not deal with other languages and this ends up causing your posts to be flagged.

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

[ArthurStein13]

MY SONY MDR-Z7 has 113db/1vrms sensitivity and 70 ohm resistance. The Sennheiser HD660S2 104db/1vrms and 300 Ohm resistance. In high gain on the headphone ampnifier on the RAW-MDA1 i am on -35 dB on the volume -99db lowest and 0 is highest. in low gain i am on -25 dB. The mentioned db values are also quite loud.

This review say it drives his HD650 with ease so it should drive yours HD660S2 also with ease.

View attachment 446378

SMSL RAW-MDA1 Review - Prime Audio Reviews

In this article, I’m checking out the SMSL RAW-MDA1 DAC/Headphone amplifier. The RAW-MDA1 features dual ES9039Q2M DAC chips, Hi-Res Bluetooth connectivity and fully balanced outputs. It’s priced at $246. Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Shenzhen Audio for an honest review. All...

primeaudio.org

French machine translated.

MY SONY MDR-Z7 a une sensibilité de 113 db/1vrms et une résistance de 70 ohms. Le Sennheiser HD660S2 104db/1vrms et résistance 300 Ohm. En gain élevé sur l'amnifiant de casque sur le RAW-MDA1 je suis sur -35 dB sur le volume -99db le plus bas et 0 est le plus élevé. en faible gain je suis sur -25 dB. Les valeurs db mentionnées sont également assez fortes.



Cette revue dit qu'il conduit son HD650 avec facilité, il devrait donc conduire votre HD660S2 aussi avec facilité.

Thank you for your response.

I’m primarily interested in using it with a balanced output and at low gain, in pursuit of maximum precision. As I listen exclusively to classical music, I favor an analytical reproduction—one that is as faithful and nuanced as possible.

If the SMSL RAW-MDA1 is truly capable of driving the HD 660S2 under these conditions, it would allow me to avoid turning to the FiiO K9 Pro ESS. While it features an excellent ESS chip—which I was initially drawn to for its neutrality and surgical approach to signal processing—its price, and more importantly, its age (nearly four years now!), have given me some pause.

If anyone has tried the SMSL with the HD 660S2, I’d be very interested to hear their impressions.

 

[JIW]

Thank you for your response.

I’m primarily interested in using it with a balanced output and at low gain, in pursuit of maximum precision. As I listen exclusively to classical music, I favor an analytical reproduction—one that is as faithful and nuanced as possible.

If the SMSL RAW-MDA1 is truly capable of driving the HD 660S2 under these conditions, it would allow me to avoid turning to the FiiO K9 Pro ESS. While it features an excellent ESS chip—which I was initially drawn to for its neutrality and surgical approach to signal processing—its price, and more importantly, its age (nearly four years now!), have given me some pause.

If anyone has tried the SMSL with the HD 660S2, I’d be very interested to hear their impressions.

The amplifier is only single ended regardless of connection and the only apparent difference between gains is the noise level.

 

[Von Nassau]

The amplifier is only single ended regardless of connection and the only apparent difference between gains is the noise level.

Are you sure the 4,4mm is single ended and not balanced? Some say it's balanced and claim they can hear a difference? I haven't tried it yet

 

[JIW]

Are you sure the 4,4mm is single ended and not balanced? Some say it's balanced and claim they can hear a difference? I haven't tried it yet

It is certainly single ended. Here is the board.