SMSL SU-9 Balanced DAC Review

[Veri]

And, as I state in my first post, I'm pretty happy with the sound of this DAC. SU9 sounds slightly better to my ears in direct comparison with the cheaper M200 and D50s. Sadly no more expensive DAC at hand (M400, D90, etc) to compare to. I'm wondering what benefits we can still get (dynamics, speed, sound staging...) ?

Keep in mind the diminishing returns. You are already in 'state of the art' territory. I would be amazed if you can reliably tell apart any of these

 

[xhitespirit]

Keep in mind the diminishing returns. You are already in 'state of the art' territory. I would be amazed if you can reliably tell apart any of these

Agree. That's the question !

 

[il_mago]

hi everyone, I try to find someone who has had the same experience as me.

The input was selected Bluetooth. When I paused the music to search for another song, I activated the MUTE function with the remote control. When I restarted the volume, distortion was produced so strong and screeching that I was afraid I had burned the tweeters. When connecting the SU-9 via USB, this effect no longer occurred. Thanks god. Does anyone here had this experience?

Thanks in advance for your support

 

[4udio]

hi everyone, I try to find someone who has had the same experience as me.

The input was selected Bluetooth. When I paused the music to search for another song, I activated the MUTE function with the remote control. When I restarted the volume, distortion was produced so strong and screeching that I was afraid I had burned the tweeters. When connecting the SU-9 via USB, this effect no longer occurred. Thanks god. Does anyone here had this experience?

Thanks in advance for your support

Hi,
I've just tried to reproduce problem but everything is fine on my unit.

 

[elevensheep]

has anyone used this as a preamp into a power amp for a living room system? would be very interested in learning how you finding it

 

[il_mago]

has anyone used this as a preamp into a power amp for a living room system?/QUOTE]

hi, i did, no, sorry i'm doing it. i connect it to NUPFRIME AMG STA power amp in balance mode. after a not thrilling experience via bluetooth i am testing the SU-9 connected to a dedicated PC via USB

 

[elevensheep]

how are you finding the sound quality connecting directly to the power amp? based on the reviews I have read, whilst the DAC in the SU-9 is great, not much has been written about the pre-amp

 

[il_mago]

i keep listening to it but for now I'm perplexed. I refused to listen to an HD music streaming service because there are too many variables (I heard glitches coming from both channels, the music seemed compressed, etc., the network noise most likely). so i switched to listening to FLAC files from a 32 GB SSD archive connected to a dedicated PC, whose power supply is connected to a dedicated socket. the scene immediately showed itself wider both in height and in width. with a very famous song by RATM and another song more recent by TOOL the 3d i remembered came back to me. listening to some tracks from MITCHELL's TRAVELOGUE, however, I must unfortunately point out that the reproduction is more confusing than with the TOPPING D50S I had before buying this SMSL, ... i continue with the experiments but i believe that the difference with TOPPING lies in the low frequency control, with the SMSL they are less controlled or do not fully correspond to my taste. unfortunately i no longer have a preamp so it is difficult to be able to make evaluations about it.

 

[il_mago]

sorry, i have to clarify. it is not fair to say that the SU-9 does not have low frequency under control rather the SU is more exuberant than the TOPPING.

 

[elevensheep]

thank you, this is very helpful

 

[SolidDotNet]

Hey everyone,
first time poster long time lurker..
I’ve been watch this DAC for a little bit now and I‘m really wondering if this could be an improvement over my current DAC.
So my current setup is; MacBook Pro 2019 as source playing Tidal , Modi 3+ to Drop THX 789, and I have the following headphones HD-660S, HiFiMan Sundara. I‘m wondering if moving to SMSL SU-9 from my current Modi 3+ if this would be a improvement or the Modi 3? Would the sound quality be improved over the Modi? Any feedback would be great and thanks.

 

[Dingenus]

i keep listening to it but for now I'm perplexed. I refused to listen to an HD music streaming service because there are too many variables (I heard glitches coming from both channels, the music seemed compressed, etc., the network noise most likely). so i switched to listening to FLAC files from a 32 GB SSD archive connected to a dedicated PC, whose power supply is connected to a dedicated socket. the scene immediately showed itself wider both in height and in width. with a very famous song by RATM and another song more recent by TOOL the 3d i remembered came back to me. listening to some tracks from MITCHELL's TRAVELOGUE, however, I must unfortunately point out that the reproduction is more confusing than with the TOPPING D50S I had before buying this SMSL, ... i continue with the experiments but i believe that the difference with TOPPING lies in the low frequency control, with the SMSL they are less controlled or do not fully correspond to my taste. unfortunately i no longer have a preamp so it is difficult to be able to make evaluations about it.

Hi, I use the SMSL for monitoring and mixing recordings I make. (classical music only!) I used to do that on a RME babyface pro. I go optical out on the BF to the smsl. This is followed by a Topping L30 with AKG 812 Hph. I have also tried to express the difference in sound. My conclusion is that the BF gives a larger stereo width in the lows. But you also hear that breadth in the instruments. The cello, double bass etc also sound wider, slightly less well drawn. A little bit of the 'Bose effect' from many years ago (stereo throughout your room). Via the SMSL SU9, the contours of low frequencies are much clearer or more precise. Maybe that's what you hear.

 

[brad pitt]

I am going to buy this SMSL-SU-9 to connect with DIY amp (based on TPA3255).
I am worried of the recommandation about low input impedance becuse mine is only 1Kohm.
What should be the issue ? To loose gain (370/(1000+370)=0.72 instead of 1) ?

 

[MacCali]

My question falls into the lines of the previous question. I am fairly new to headphones, just got a couple pairs. I was looking to purchase an ESS based dac, but I see you mention that it needs to be 3.7k. My amp balanced is 3.3kohms, not sure what this means in comparison and would appreciate your explanation. Thanks.

 

[VintageFlanker]

burn in process finished, a power cable dedicated to the M500 makes a considerable difference. Its performance improves a lot.

Did you ensure both are properly burned-in, the power cable and the M500?

Joke aside, I would recommend you to read this. Cheers.

 

[brad pitt]

I am going to buy this SMSL-SU-9 to connect with DIY amp (based on TPA3255).
I am worried of the recommandation about low input impedance becuse mine is only 1Kohm.
What should be the issue ? To loose gain (370/(1000+370)=0.72 instead of 1) ?

Of course it is. It acts as a voltage divisor ...

 

[brad pitt]

Hi All,

I was wondering the same as Themystical, looking for a better picture of the output stage. Almost no detailled picture of this SU9 board on the net...

Anyway, I decided to buy one of this unit. Received few days ago, burned it about 20hours, then compared it directly to SMSL M200 and Topping D50s, I can yes, it sounds a bit better, probably less neutral, but more engaging. Indeed happy with the sound.

Finally I decided to open it, to have a proper look by myself at the inside. What a surprise ! Where are the announced 3 OPA1612 ? Even no OPA at all at the output stage, only transistors (which may cause this little warmer sound). Have a look by yourself at the attached pics. Am I wrong ?

View attachment 99190View attachment 99191

In the absolute, I have no matter with that as long as it sounds well. But then, I have a problem with SMSL cheating with its specs (and corresponding price, as OPA1612 are quite 'expensive' chips) .

- have the specs changed since first release of this product ? If yes, specs and smsl website shoud have been updated !
- which product / what specs had really been tested here ?
- can I trust SMSL eyes closed anymore ?

Maybe an SMSL guy should take position on this ?

Nice day all !

Thank you for the photos.
Strange to see variable caps !
Strange also to see 1% resistor for the feedback I/V converter (brown minimelf). 0.1% should be better for CMRR.
Is it possible to catch a better photo, to see the color of the upper resistors ? It should explain the high output impedance.
Thanks.

 

[xhitespirit]

These are the best I can have, reduced because of 1MB upload file limit. PM me if you wish full size...

 

[brad pitt]

Well received, thanks xhitespirit.
Calculated by resistor, output impedance is (140+47)x2=374 ohms.

 

[lockheed]

I am quite interested in this DAC. I read the whole thread, but still have a few questions:
1. Can you disable those awful top/bottom blue bars?
2. Can you dim the screen to be un-intrusive when used in a completely dark room?
3. Would this DAC it pair well with a Hypex class-D amp? I am intending only DAC-AMP-Speaker setup, no headphones.