SMSL RAW Pro-DAC1 Balanced DAC Review

[Yachats]

I bought this SMSL Raw Pro-DAC1 and absolutely love it. However, I have a question about USB cables from my laptop to the DAC. The DAC has two inputs - USB-B and USB-C. My laptop has the following ports:

• 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Power Delivery 140W ad DisplayPort 1.4)
• 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort 1.4) 10Gbps
• 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (always on)
• 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1

Presently, I'm using the cable supplied by SMSL which runs from one of the USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports to the DAC USB-B input. I've been reading that USB-C to USB-C is the way to go for higher speeds but I've also been reading that USB-B is good enough for audio files. It's all very confusing for a newbie like me and I'd love to have some good recommendations regarding which type of connection I should use for hi-fi and if someone wanted to throw in cables I should consider (by brand and model), that would be wonderful. Thanks!

 

[staticV3]

I bought this SMSL Raw Pro-DAC1 and absolutely love it. However, I have a question about USB cables from my laptop to the DAC. The DAC has two inputs - USB-B and USB-C. My laptop has the following ports:

• 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (Power Delivery 140W ad DisplayPort 1.4)
• 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort 1.4) 10Gbps
• 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (always on)
• 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1

Presently, I'm using the cable supplied by SMSL which runs from one of the USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports to the DAC USB-B input. I've been reading that USB-C to USB-C is the way to go for higher speeds but I've also been reading that USB-B is good enough for audio files. It's all very confusing for a newbie like me and I'd love to have some good recommendations regarding which type of connection I should use for hi-fi and if someone wanted to throw in cables I should consider (by brand and model), that would be wonderful. Thanks!

The SMSL is a pure USB 2.0 device, so a regular Printer cable like the one that came in the box can fully saturate the DAC's USB chipset.

For a point of reference, uncompressed lossless CD audio requires 0.3% of USB 2.0 bandwidth.

Bandwidths above USB 2.0 only serve a purpose in recording studios, where one may require upwards of 16 simultaneous audio channels at high sample rates and bit depths.

 

[Yachats]

This DAC has several settings that I'm unfamiliar with. I'm using the following settings:

Output: Unbalanced
PCM: Linear Fast
Soundcolor: Tube 1
DPLL: 2

Not sure how to experiment with over-sampling, which I believe this unit can do. Any help or direction toward a guide would be appreciated!

So far, my experience has been great!

 

[staticV3]

Not sure how to experiment with over-sampling, which I believe this unit can do.

On the Pro-DAC1, Oversampling cannot be disabled and is not user configurable.

It's a vital part of the ESS converter's operation.