SMSL SU-9n Review (Balanced Stereo DAC)

[RandomEar]

? Highly recommended to learn soldering. I'm a ChemE grad and have been soldering since 1998. I've upgraded numerous power amps and DACs. You can modify the sound character of most any DAC just by changing out the op amps that are in the output stage from warm and lush to cold and clinical. You can do this with little risk and at a low cost. Recommend you try this at least once in something you've bought used: put in an 8 pin socket and start rolling your own. Have a bag full of op amps from 2013 still and most of them hadn't cost me more than $5. You will also be able to replace leaky electrolytic caps in old amps, and improve sketchy power supply circuits.

While I support the "learn soldering" message, rolling op amps is almost always a bad idea. At best, it will change nothing audible in the devices performance. At worst, you will increase distortion or noise by selecting op amps which are not suited for the circuit at hand. The original circuit designer usually had good reasons for choosing a specific IC and unless you reverse engineer the whole PCB, you are very very unlikely to improve upon the design. In most cases, you will actually make it worse.

Some threads to read on op amps rolling:

Rolling (replacing) Op-amps in Topping D10 DAC

This is a study of whether changing op-amps in a DAC makes a measurable difference. Taking a lead form "rolling" tubes in tube products, a trend has started in replacing op-amps -- sometimes with much difficulty -- to improve performance of solid state products like DACs. A few months ago I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Rolling Op-amps in Gustard H20 Headphone Amplifier

I reviewed the Gustard H20 which is a high-end headphone amplifier yesterday. Its owner kindly sent me some high-end op-amps to "roll" in there to see what difference it makes. The task was pretty easy. The top screws come out of the H20 and if you tilt the unit, the lid falls out exposing...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Objective Guide to Op-Amp Rolling - Part 1

As per moderator, here is full article from the site: Objective Guide to Op-Amp Rolling - Part 1 July 30, 2021 Op-Amp Test Board This blog article/post is a deep dive into currently available 8-pin DIP dual op-amps, for those that like to swap op-amps in their designs and/or DIY projects. The...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Opamp Rolling, Does It Work?

Many hobbyists like to do "Opamp Rolling", by changing the different opamps in audio gear. There's much discussion on the internet audio forums about the best opamp to use. However, many just read about a specific opamp that is the current flavour of the month and change it willy nilly. When an...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Selarom]

Hello All,

Question... do you think the new SDAA UI of the SU-9 Pro can be implemented into the SU-9/SU-9n ??

Having the Fixed Pre-Mode in "99" was never appealing to look at. And the new UI is also more pleasing to look at.