RangerAudio
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From SMSL's twitter. Looks like their competition to the D70/a70 pro stack from topping. Kind of retro look to it.
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VMV D2R and VMV P2
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From SMSL's twitter. Looks like their competition to the D70/a70 pro stack from topping. Kind of retro look to it.
JSmith
Master Contributor
Gawd... still using the same screen I see with the "I don't know what font I'm using" look. 
MQA CD player... mkay.
Still... I generally prefer SMSL/VMV to Topping.
JSmith
MQA CD player... mkay.
Still... I generally prefer SMSL/VMV to Topping.
JSmith
LearningToSmile
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Wonder what the pricing on the CD player is going to be. Are MQA CDs even a thing? I had no idea.
Also, love the design of the DAC/AMP combo.
Also, love the design of the DAC/AMP combo.
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JSmith
Master Contributor
They are a "thing", since around 2017... but mostly in Japan and China I think.
JSmith
in Japan.. usually limited runs of older stuff that gets rereleased occasionally and usually sells out in a short time.
But MQA CDs are only 16 bit...so minus the bits used for MQA you are actually getting something that's worse than tidals 24bit MQA files.
But there are releases like - Yamamoto tsuyoshi misty for direct cutting.
recorded in DSD and released on CD, MQA CD, vinyl and as DSD download.
And lots of classical music gets MQA CD releases and at the same time Blu-ray audio releases.
And there are versions with green coating.. similar to the platinum SMH-CDs and SACDs that are still released.
And let's not forget Sonys blu-spec 1 CDs that they release to other labels and blu-spec 2 CDs.
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Kinda like the design of those new SMSL device's. But they should have done more to the whole case to make it look more retro and " valuable "
I'm still waiting for a Chinese made DAC/headphone amp that looks like something made by luxman, McIntosh or Yamaha.
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SMSL's first MQA CD player, "PL200", uses the AK4499EX chip and features 2 clock sources with low phase noise and high accuracy. It is a new Hi-End CD solution.
And the SMSL D300 gets a matching headphone amp. The H300
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Here are 2 photos taken from a paper catalogue (hence the average quality).
JSmith
Master Contributor
Nope;
SMSL VMV D3 Review (R2R DAC)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL VMV D3 R2R DAC. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $3,499. Being part of the "high-end" VMV division, it comes in the milled enclosure and separate power supply section of that design path. As such, it is quite heavy and...
www.audiosciencereview.com
JSmith
It seems to be a DAC with a ROHM BD34301EKV chip.
Single or dual? Single would be boring. Got already the SMSL D300.
The noratel should be the same toroidal transformer used in the D1SE2.
I'm curious.
I hope it was a R2R since it's called D2R ^^Nope;
SMSL VMV D3 Review (R2R DAC)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL VMV D3 R2R DAC. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $3,499. Being part of the "high-end" VMV division, it comes in the milled enclosure and separate power supply section of that design path. As such, it is quite heavy and...
JSmith
NINETY-NINE opamps in parallel?!?
notsodeadlizard
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It's a well-known very old design thanks to Douglas Self, https://www.elektormagazine.com/magazine/elektor-201010/19460
Yeah I know but it is still crazy.
notsodeadlizard
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Not so crazy as it seems.
I designed and implemented 2 sets of these composite-parallel buffers (those 98+1...128+1...256+1 op amps are about power buffer only), SMD of course (it's really crazy to assembly such a device by a hand soldering), and here is what I think about: it's really a very good (or even true) way for a mass production.
Because you'll have very stable and repeatable parameters in results and nearly 0% of expensive hand assembly.
This is almost ideal for power buffers with a relatively small output voltage range (or power).
I'm sure that the Chinese have their very cheap copies of pretty good (but far from the best) op amps, and that's more than enough.
Only one additional really very good op amp is enough to make it "sing".
Another thing is that there is one trick here.
In a good way, this amplifier should be two-blocks, the output buffer and the input voltage amplifier can and should be separated according to any logic so that the consumer can choose a voltage amplifier (what if someone wants a tube one, why not?).
That's how it looks very nice, yes.
But it is better to do this for yourself by yourself.
It's a delta sigma chip. ROHM is the manufacturer (Japanese chip) that was already used in the SMSL D300.
More info here:
hifi-express.com
ps. I like the look of VMV D2R and VMV P2. But it seems like amplifier has just a pot volume control... so no remote... pity
Introduction of new products not yet available Of SMSL
The first one is the PL200 MQA CD player. Hi-End CD solution, support MQA-CD; Flagship DAC chip AK4499EX, measured distortion as low as 0.00006% (-123dB); Support USB input, support 32bit/768kHz, DSD512, support MQA full decoding; Use 2 clock sources with low phase noise and high accuracy
hifi-express.com
ps. I like the look of VMV D2R and VMV P2. But it seems like amplifier has just a pot volume control... so no remote... pity
More info here:
Introduction of new products not yet available Of SMSL
The first one is the PL200 MQA CD player. Hi-End CD solution, support MQA-CD; Flagship DAC chip AK4499EX, measured distortion as low as 0.00006% (-123dB); Support USB input, support 32bit/768kHz, DSD512, support MQA full decoding; Use 2 clock sources with low phase noise and high accuracy
ps. I like the look of VMV D2R and VMV P2. But it seems like amplifier has just a pot volume control... so no remote... pity
The D2R seems to be just a fancy version of the D300 with a couple of audiophile parts in there and a newer xmos chip.
All to archive the same Sinad?
...sometimes you buy stuff because it's nice/cool, not because of sinad.
What's wrong with paying more for fancier unit?
Sometimes I really don't get people here.
I'm fine with that if someone wants it for that reason, but they could at least have done a dual Rohm DAC.
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