I bought my PL100 a while ago for 84€ delivered and it also does those tiny scratches on cds. My unit looked like a customer return with scratches on the front, although it should have been new. I have not inspected every single disc, but every disc I checked indeed has those marks added for every insertion of the disc. The marks are really small and they’re visible only from 2 narrow angles. They are very easy to miss. I would not expect any audible reading errors because of those marks. If I inserted the same cd a hundred times, that might be audible.
The slot-in is sealed dustproof and my assumption is someone bungled the choice of sealing material: it is way too stiff. This definitely results in increased resistance when the mechanism grabs the disc upon insert. If the more expensive PL150 does those marks as well, I would immediately return it for that price. At less than 90€ this is acceptable. If I cared I would probably open the case of my PL100 and remove the sealing for a quick fix.
I’m not sure if it has been reported elsewhere, but the gap adding feature can also cut your last track 2 seconds short. So don’t go in expecting perfect redbook playback if you skip tracks. This player has made me wonder if Smsl is able get only dacs exactly right. I wonder how (or if) they test their designs themselves.
I have not tested other power supplies, but with my first at hand cheap chinese knockoff usb charger there was a tiny bit of audible noise on my optical output. I noticed the effect as losing clarity in the lower frequencies with quieter passages of acoustic music. The listening performance remained better overall than a crappy old Sony dvd player, or the last portable walkman I owned. I doubt the effects would bother any reasonable music fan.
Using my cheap power supply the headphone output was lacking in sound quality, definitely not transparent and I’m not going to recommend anybody rely on it. I did not bother to test analog line out. Overall I can live with the shortcomings of the PL100. The main value points being I am able to enjoy my cds and my unit is satisfyingly quiet during playback.
