SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK II DAC Review

[estuardo4]

For myself. I knew the name of the Panther, I don't know why I confused them. Sorry. And sorry to the Panthers. The "I like it" Panther must be thrilled to be out of hiatus with so many speakers reviews and the headless panther taking over.

 

[amirm]

And sorry to the Panthers.

His feelings were really hurt. I gave him some chocolate cake and he is now happy.

 

[BenF]

Jitter floor for coax reminds me of those spike pits in prince of persia
View attachment 55226

That brings back memories! I died a lot in these spikes!

 

[peanuts]

why does it say this on the product page? no mention of volume control here.

 

[kouki_monster]

It has volume control.

I think amir is just more interested in reviewing the technical aspects of the device instead of the features list.. which can be easily accessed via the manufacturers website, etc.

 

[rupert3k]

Bangood has a promotion on them till the 8th:
https://www.banggood.com/SMSL-Sansk....html?rmmds=search&ID=513252&cur_warehouse=CN couldn't resist, down the dac rabbit hole we go
Edit: no stock till the 4th

 

[wiz2596]

It looks like there are 3 very good budget options at the moment: Topping D10, SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK II and Topping E30. Did I miss anything? I myself got a used D10 with shipping for $60 what is a total steal in Europe. With how much I can spend on the speakers, there is really no point going for the other 2 better-performing options. Hopefully, Amir finds something similar to JBL 305P MkII, it can be even more pricy, but without the infamous hiss.

Khadas Tone Board

 

[oldsysop]

@Amir : SNR ?

 

[thefsb]

I am happy to put SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK II DAC on my recommended list.

Where do I find the recommended list?

 

[flipflop]

Where do I find the recommended list?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/Audio_Equipment_Reviews
Sort by 'Recommendation'.

 

[thefsb]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/Audio_Equipment_Reviews
Sort by 'Recommendation'.

Thanks.

Unfortunately that's a blank page for me owing to the security measures here.

 

[ichonderoga]

Hey everyone. Just got my Sanskrit 10th MK II/V2 delivered and it sounds wonderful. Very clear. Remember to use good thick AWG USB cables. Mine were initially inadequate and created trouble when powering it via laptop USB. After changing to thicker wire (better AWG) + downloading the latest (2018?!) XMOS drivers from SMSL it all came together.

Only thing setting this package apart from the original seems to be the V2-sticker (yes it's a sticker).

 

[Veri]

downloading the latest (2018?!) XMOS drivers from SMSL it all came together.

Doubt these software updates are really minor fixes.

 

[ichonderoga]

Doubt these software updates are really minor fixes.

Yeah you might be right. I know power issues can manifest itself in various ways but the behavior still seemed a bit strange. So I changed to High Power USB cables (OFC and 24 AWG on power and 28 AWG on data leads), restarted and installed the XMOS drivers.

 

[wiz2596]

View attachment 56520[/QUOTE]
enjoy it!!! Can you take pictures of the dac itself to see how big it is if compared with other things on your desk?

 

[Zek]

@ichonderoga Does V2 have problems with pop sound between PCM files?

 

[ichonderoga]

@ichonderoga Does V2 have problems with pop sound between PCM files?

Running Foobar v1.5.2 with SACD (DSD output) + output ASIO (DSD: ASIO: USB DAC ASIO): I've now tried forcefully switching between DSD64 (d-1) and PCM 44.1, 96 and 192. Checking that the codec + samplerate changed accordingly on the Sanskrit display. Amplifier set to -10db and I'm happy to report that there is no pop sounds. Although switching from the previously mentioned samplerates to/from DSD256 (d-4) does make a pop sound but only under those circumstances. I have no DSD128 (d-2) so can't check that samplerate.

Sidenote: it's important to turn Windows volume to a 100% when listening to DSD otherwise no sound + the Sanskrit display shows 176 (samplerate). When turning volume to a 100% the display changes to d-1 (for DSD64) and d-4 (DSD256) and sound output works.

@wiz2596 will do as soon as it's daylight again

 

[Zek]

it's important to turn Windows volume to a 100% when listening to DSD

Is Windows volume active when the Foobar player is running?

 

[ichonderoga]

Is Windows volume active when the Foobar player is running?

Yes. In all sound modes incl. WASAPI and ASIO. Exclusive Mode enabled and no other sound sources besides Foobar can output music while it's playing. Correct samplerates are also being displayed on the Sanskrit. Pretty sure this is happening without sound degradation.

 

[ichonderoga]

There's some "mis-information" about this device floating around. Some sites write it has a AK4497 chip, others that the XMOS is capable of 32/768 (this is also what SMSL writes) and some 24/384 output. With SMSL drivers mine shows up as 32/384. Sadly I have no way of knowing what chips it's running since I striped a screw while trying to disassemble it - The screws are made of very soft aluminium. And I'm not taking my Dremel to it quite yet eventhough it's for science ;-)