SMSL RAW-MDA 1 DAC & Headphone Amp Review

[Bigron]

You have to set the dimmer in the setup to 5-60 seconds, after which the display switches off.

Thanks, sorted.

 

[pl4w]

Is there anyone who has not suffered any issues with this unit? Possibly someone who has owned and used it already for several months.

I'm considering buying it, but I'm concerned about the issues explained in this thread.
As an alternative, I could consider buying the SMSL C200 PRO LDAC instead (hopefully with fewer issues).

Mine was purchased at the end of August 2024 (so about a year ago) and has been powered on 27/7 ever since, no issues at the moment.
Updated to FW V1.01 (https://www.smsl-audio.com/upload/portal/undefined/RAWMDA1MCUV101.zip) when it came out a few months ago although I had no issues with the device but still shows V1.00 upon hitting the RESET menu. Therefore not sure what version it is running at the moment.

 

[pl4w]

It doesn't.
During the firmware update, the screen displays 2 loading bars, an orange one at the top and a blue one at the bottom.
The blue one at the bottom reaches 100% several times and on the last time it fills with orange instead of blue, like the one at the top.
After this final "orange loading", the unit automatically reboots with no indication of whether the update was successful.
As I reported before the reset menu shows version 1.00 and it's the only menu that reports the version number.

I tried to contact SMSL about it via their website and they asked me to direct the question to 2 other email addresses.
I will post again here if they respond.

Hi there, have you managed to get any answer wrt to firmware V1.00 still being reported after V1.01 update?

 

[artins90]

Hi there, have you managed to get any answer wrt to firmware V1.00 still being reported after V1.01 update?

They refuse to provide any support unless you have bought your unit directly from their store:

1
From: [email protected]

Thanks for your email.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
All Questions regarding the SMSL RAW-MDA1
Kindly contact with SHENZHEN audio support team,
[email protected]
SHENZHEN AUDIO TEAM is solely distributor for this model.
They will give reasonable suggestions or after-sale service well.
Best regards

S.M.S.L Audio/

2
From: [email protected]

Hi there,
Can you please provide your order number first? you can also directly contact the SMSL team to inquire with your question: [email protected]

Best regards

---

[email protected]

I sent them the invoice issued by the shop where I bought it

3
From: [email protected]

Hi there,

It was not purchased from our website. If you need warranty, please contact the seller directly.
If you only need to ask technical questions, you can directly contact SMSL engineers ([email protected] ) who will provide you with more detailed answers.
Thanks for your understanding.

Best regards

---

[email protected]

Since they are not hardware issues, I contacted [email protected], they never replied.

I then went back to the beginning and I sent a second email to [email protected] (contact address listed on the official SMSL website) informing them of my failed attempts to get in touch with [email protected].
I then sent a third email to [email protected] after a week but it has been radio silence from this address after my first email.
They are ignoring my emails I guess.

 

[Roland68]

They refuse to provide any support unless you have bought your unit directly from their store:




I sent them the invoice issued by the shop where I bought it



Since they are not hardware issues, I contacted [email protected], they never replied.

I then went back to the beginning and I sent a second email to [email protected] (contact address listed on the official SMSL website) informing them of my failed attempts to get in touch with [email protected].
I then sent a third email to [email protected] after a week but it has been radio silence from this address after my first email.
They are ignoring my emails I guess.

You won't receive support for this device, or for many others, because it's not an SMSL device.
This mentality is difficult to understand outside of China/Asia, but even if this device is listed on the SMSL website, it's not an SMSL device, but rather a SHENZHEN Audio device. It is developed for/by SHENZHEN Audio and produced by SMSL. However, SHENZHEN Audio is solely responsible for this device, and it is only sold through its distribution channels.
Therefore, all issues, firmware, warranties, etc., are the responsibility of SHENZHEN Audio.

You can easily identify responsibility on the SMSL website under the "Purchase Link" section. There you can see whether sales are through SHENZHEN Audio, Aoshida, etc., or general distribution channels, which then actually represent SMSL devices.
Another clue is the devices listed on HiFi-Express. There, too, you will only find SMSL's own devices or overproduction.

This is also the reason why, apart from the casing, display and design, there are so many identical devices, one for each sales channel/partner.

 

[pl4w]

They refuse to provide any support unless you have bought your unit directly from their store:




I sent them the invoice issued by the shop where I bought it



Since they are not hardware issues, I contacted [email protected], they never replied.

I then went back to the beginning and I sent a second email to [email protected] (contact address listed on the official SMSL website) informing them of my failed attempts to get in touch with [email protected].
I then sent a third email to [email protected] after a week but it has been radio silence from this address after my first email.
They are ignoring my emails I guess.

Thanks mate. Purchased mine from Shenzhen Audio store, will try my luck and keep everyone here posted.

Edit: email sent to [email protected]

 

[pl4w]

They refuse to provide any support unless you have bought your unit directly from their store:




I sent them the invoice issued by the shop where I bought it



Since they are not hardware issues, I contacted [email protected], they never replied.

I then went back to the beginning and I sent a second email to [email protected] (contact address listed on the official SMSL website) informing them of my failed attempts to get in touch with [email protected].
I then sent a third email to [email protected] after a week but it has been radio silence from this address after my first email.
They are ignoring my emails I guess.

And here is their reply:

Hi there,

The technician replied that it is normal for some firmware to still display 1.0 after the update, and if it can be powered on and used normally after the update, it is basically a successful update.

Best regards
[email protected]

Software versioning and configuration management are definitely some of the things those brands are really bad at. I see a huge room for improvement on that side.

 

[Roland68]

And here is their reply:



Software versioning and configuration management are definitely some of the things those brands are really bad at. I see a huge room for improvement on that side.

This is unfortunately nothing new.
SML/Sabaj/Loxjie and their distribution partners with their own devices (e.g., SHENZHEN Audio and Aoshida) are happy to sit out problems and limitations with their devices, whether software (firmware) or hardware, at the customer's expense.
Unfortunately, it has also happened that devices with known problems are being resold, even if the customer subsequently had to send them in for a firmware upgrade.

There expertise definitely does not lie in the area of software/firmware. Even the simplest errors, such as swapping filters in the menu, take months to fix, and even then, they are often not error-free. Assuming, of course, that a bug-fixed firmware release is even released.
The fact that they are not even able to maintain reasonable firmware version numbers is a very disappointing fact and a very poor reflection on these companies. At other companies, something like this would be grounds for dismissal for any employee, at least the second time it happens. But as we say, the fish always stinks from the head.

Most of the devices are based only on the chip manufacturers' sample designs, with significant optimization of the circuits in terms of measured values. Their own development capabilities are limited.

These are all things you have to be aware of when purchasing, in addition to the difficult warranty situation when buying directly from China.

 

[pl4w]

Nothing new as you said, but more and more frustrating.

I'm thinking of replacing my RAW-MDA1 with a Topping DX5 II and I wonder if Topping are doing better than SMSL, Moondrop and so on in this area at the moment.

Moondrop killed me a few months ago when they released 3 different apk of their Moondrop Android app, all of them claiming to be version 2.0 (no subversion or build whatsoever, juste "v2.0").

 

[pl4w]

As we know they modified the filters labels in FW V1.01 we could use that to check if V1.01 was successfully applied on a given device.

I'm supposedly running V1.01 and here's my list for comparison:

MINIMUM PHASE
LINEAR APODIZING
LINEAR FAST
LINEAR LOW RIPPLE
LINEAR SLOW
MINIMUM FAST
LOW DISPERSION

Based on this post and this post, if you are running V1.100 firmware, PCM FILTER MENU should report something like:

LOW DISPERSION
MINIMUM PHASE
LINEAR APODIZING
LINEAR FAST
LINEAR FAST LOW RIPPLE
LINEAR SLOW
MINIMUM FAST

Anybody can confirm from a V1.00 loaded RAW-MDA1?

 

[Bigron]

I’ve just got one these, how do you which firmware you have?

 

[pl4w]

I’ve just got one these, how do you which firmware you have?

Navigate all the way down and hit the RESET menu.
Hit once more to escape form it without resetting the device.

To our knowledge there is only V1.00 (former release) and V1.01 available form SMSL website.
But as discussed here, a bunch of us still have V1.00 reported by the device although we updated it.
Not even sure if someone has managed to get V1.01 reported.

 

[Bigron]

Navigate all the way down and hit the RESET menu.
Hit once more to escape form it without resetting the device.

To our knowledge there is only V1.00 (former release) and V1.01 available form SMSL website.
But as discussed here, a bunch of us still have V1.00 reported by the device although we updated it.
Not even sure if someone has managed to get V1.01 reported.

Thanks for that, it seems to be working ok so I think I'll leave it for now.
Are there any advantages from updates if there’s nothing wrong with it.?

 

[artins90]

Thanks for that, it seems to be working ok so I think I'll leave it for now.
Are there any advantages from updates if there’s nothing wrong with it.?

- Filters labelled incorrectly.
- Incorrect output voltage level when the device volume is set to -0.0 db which leads to audio clipping (this is still an issue and there is no firmware for it: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...1-dac-headphone-amp-review.56430/post-2354408)

 

[pl4w]

- Filters labelled incorrectly.
- Incorrect output voltage level when the device volume is set to -0.0 db which leads to audio clipping (this is still an issue and there is no firmware for it: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...1-dac-headphone-amp-review.56430/post-2354408)

Btw for the filters labelled incorrectly, incredible job done by @JIW to explain and show the issue on SMSL ES9039 DAC (and Loxjie D60 at least): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...smsl-filters-mislabeled-on-es9039-dacs.55378/

 

[Panelhead]

Answer to whether anyone has had trouble free use. I have been using mine as a digital preamp. Only have used the coax, optical, and Bluetooth inputs.
Works fine, no issues. I feed a sub with RCA and a pair of B100’s from balanced output. With amplifiers set to low gain (unity gain) never set attenuation higher than -8 or -9dB. Speakers make the gain staging work.
I need to check the filters, assume it has FW v100.

 

[Apesbrain]

The clipping is because of higher voltage than the normal 4v and 2v. Which is why I often repeat that any modern DAC should have a 2v/4v mode.

Does this issue affect performance of the unit when used as a DAC feeding analog to a preamp, or is it just related to USB interface to Windows? Thanks.

 

[artins90]

Does this issue affect performance of the unit when used as a DAC feeding analog to a preamp, or is it just related to USB interface to Windows? Thanks.

It affects the voltage level of the output.
I have studio monitors connected directly to the RAW-MDA via RCA, if I set the whole stack to 100% volume (RAW-MDA to -0.0db, Windows volume to100% and music player or audio editor at 100% volume as well) the audio clips and the studio monitors crackle when playing audio close to, but under -0 dBFS.

I tested only RCA but the review by amirm mentions "volume adjusted for nominal 4 volt output" which leads me to think that the XLR output voltage is non-standard as well and needs to be lowered to avoid clipping.

The audio quality of the device is very good if you lower the volume but requiring the users to use a multimeter to use the device correctly is not normal in my opinion and SMLS should fix this via firmware by lowering the device's -0.0db volume of the different outputs until they match the standard voltages for the outputs (2v for RCA, 4v for XLR).

 

[Panelhead]

I think Amirm adjusts output to 4 volts mainly to standardize. Higher output voltage will raise SINAD and dynamic range. In comparing dacs with small differences in SINAD the models with higher output have an advantage at full output.

 

[Apesbrain]

It affects the voltage level of the output.

Thanks for the reply. I had one of these units in my system for a month or so and never noticed any such issue. I suppose that was because I was using it as a traditional DAC (volume fixed) feeding an analog pre-amp. My source -- a streamer with digital volume control -- was never set to 100%. Also, using ReplayGain as I understand prevents the signal getting near digital zero.

It's disappointing that SMSL has gone "radio silent" on this issue. They make some good gear and I enjoyed my time with the RAW-MDA1.