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SMSL SU-10 - the next "best" DAC coming soon!?

DonDish

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Maybe its about time manufacturers put together some products that are actually interesting. Some digital to digital PEQ/x-over/effects/candosomething boxes. A new converter is just booring and not newsworthy in any way. MiniDSP has some game. More of that please! Manufacturers are just doing more of the same now!
 

raif71

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Maybe its about time manufacturers put together some products that are actually interesting. Some digital to digital PEQ/x-over/effects/candosomething boxes. A new converter is just booring and not newsworthy in any way. MiniDSP has some game. More of that please! Manufacturers are just doing more of the same now!
1664865061888.jpeg

Everyday, it seems we're wasting away
 

vco1

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Maybe its about time manufacturers put together some products that are actually interesting. Some digital to digital PEQ/x-over/effects/candosomething boxes. A new converter is just booring and not newsworthy in any way. MiniDSP has some game. More of that please! Manufacturers are just doing more of the same now!
But those features are hard to build. At least harder than putting a new chip on a board I assume.

There is obviously still a market for this. But personally I can only say it doesn't help much to get me enthusiastic anymore. I refreshed (and simplified) almost my complete setup last year (Audiophonics amps and Topping DX7Pro with a rPi4 as source) and I'm done. Still looking at new/different headphones. But if I'm honest to myself, subjectively there's not much wrong with the current headphones I own. I rather listen to music.
 

DonDish

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But those features are hard to build. At least harder than putting a new chip on a board I assume.

There is obviously still a market for this. But personally I can only say it doesn't help much to get me enthusiastic anymore. I refreshed (and simplified) almost my complete setup last year (Audiophonics amps and Topping DX7Pro with a rPi4 as source) and I'm done. Still looking at new/different headphones. But if I'm honest to myself, subjectively there's not much wrong with the current headphones I own. I rather listen to music.
Music is the thing! <3 Im investing in some woodwork tooling and started soldering my own contacts n cables
 

kchap

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Maybe its about time manufacturers put together some products that are actually interesting. Some digital to digital PEQ/x-over/effects/candosomething boxes. A new converter is just booring and not newsworthy in any way. MiniDSP has some game. More of that please! Manufacturers are just doing more of the same now!
It's a good idea and one day it might be the norm but currently it makes more sense to do the processing in the source device: streamer, PC, MAC, RPI, AVR etc.
 

DonDish

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It's a good idea and one day it might be the norm but currently it makes more sense to do the processing in the source device: streamer, PC, MAC, RPI, AVR etc.
Thats what im talking about source products. Digital to digital
 

HappyMetalGuy

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No, it isn’t a pity. When Tidal finally dumps MQA, then it will be appropriate for manufacturers to dump the tech. I’m as resentful of MQA’s scheming as everyone else, but unfortunately Tidal has acquired a considerable number of exceptional masters in their catalogue, in quite a few instances superior to Qobuz’s. In some instances Qobuz has the superior master for some of my favorite albums. Therefore I subscribe to both services and connect to them via Roon, and add the version that sounds best to me to my library—if I can’t find any reviews comparing the two.

I know it’s fashionable to trash MQA, but I don’t blame manufacturers for including that little XMOS in their DACs and charging the extra 10 bucks. They’re making their gear capable of meeting the needs of the greatest number of users. It’s not the gear companies who are perpetuating MQA’s dominance, it’s the record labels and Tidal themselves. All I care about is getting access to the highest quality master of my music as I can.

https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...-dx7-pro-review-dac-hp-amp.36978/post-1332865

I totally agree with you, Tidal should dump MQA and give a Hi-Res Tier. I've compared 5 random song's from my favourite band's in musicscope and MQA produced more distortion than Tidal cd quality while keeping the same dynamic range. Qobuz is always less distorted. Saying that right now I have a Tidal family Hi-Fi account.
 

sloth

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+ I join this question.Be sure to post photos of your Burson Soloist 3X GT + SU 10 I'm curious how they look together!

Sure, pics below. It does come with a bluetooth antenna, USBA-C, and USBA-B cable as well as remote.

And yes, I know I still have the film on the LCD. I haven't decided if I'm keeping this yet so figured I'd keep it as "like new" as possible for value on the flip market. I was originally shopping in 5-10x the price range just for something different and figured why not, let's see if DACs are as similar as ASR says!

Overall impressions are still pleasant surprise for SQ, but I continue to be low-key appalled at the build and aesthetic quality for the price. I know it's an audio product, but we're fooling ourselves if we say we don't care about how it looks and feels past a certain price range. They advertise this as a milled, anodized, and chamfered aluminum case, but if I guessed at it I'd say it was stamped and painted. Burson is by no means an ultra high-end company and has plenty of products in the same price range, and the case there is absolutely LEAGUES better. The single-knob control is annoying (like, give me a button or two and a knob instead of having push, push twice, push and hold, and turn all do different things). The LCD is also crap. It's like they had a thousand tomagotchis left over from 2002 and decided to raid them for display parts. If you looked at this with no prior knowledge I doubt you'd peg it as anything more than a $200 accessory appliance.

Anyway... I'm happy with how it sounds. Maybe happy enough to keep it and dump the rest of my budget into a big tube power amp instead, or maybe a fifth set of TOTLs, but I'll have to hide it under the desk so I don't have to look at it. I still need to do some more critical listening to make sure my initial impressions hold but it's hard to argue that the DACs that are much more expensive are worthwhile after listening.


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Gagga

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Yeah, there's a power cable, it's plugged into the unit!

The accessories shot is just stuff I didn't use or need.
Okay, nice to hear everything is included. Looking to get this if it ever goes on sale!
 

Gradius

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Okay, nice to hear everything is included. Looking to get this if it ever goes on sale!
It has been listed long time (a month) ago:

FW corrects 12K problem:
 

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Rover

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It has been listed long time (a month) ago:

FW corrects 12K problem:
In the new firmware, a new PCM filtra mode has been added.The filter is disabled.This is apparently the so-popular NOS mode that removes the so-called ringing digit.:)
The new multi-color LCD display is chic and does not fade with time.Nicely.Unlike the display used in Topping and others,there are complaints that burn out and begin to shine weaker over time.
PS The firmware is easy to install for the user by connecting a standard USB cord.
 
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sloth

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It has been listed long time (a month) ago:

FW corrects 12K problem:

Why can't i find that firmware on the SMSL website? No offense, but I'm hesitant to attempt any firmware install that isn't sourced directly from the manufacturer.

Something else I've noticed on the SU-10 is noise as it figures out how it needs to handle whatever is incoming -- only effects the first couple of seconds of a track, but still not something I'm accustomed to. I was also able to get xlr interconnects, and it's a big improvement over the single-ended output, so I'd definitely recommend running it in XLR mode.
 

Gagga

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It has been listed long time (a month) ago:
I mean, at a discount. Hopefully some nice Black Friday deals coming up. :)
 
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