After 2 months of problems, frustration and troubleshooting with my Pontus 2, I was offered and accepted a refund and returned it. I bought an SU-1 two days ago as I wanted something cheap to keep me listening while I researched and bought a suitable replacement DAC. As I took it out of the box, my girlfriend laughed and said it looked like a toy. I had to agree but I hooked it up and played a song we are both very familiar with. After the track finished she turned and again laughed saying she could not hear a difference between it and the Pontus. We listened to more familiar songs over the next hour and I had to agree it sounds impossibly close. There is slightly less bass on the SU-1 but the balance across the frequencies is better and a touch clearer. There is not much in it though and in a blind A/B test I doubt I could tell them apart. We keep looking at this tiny little box, powered by a spare phone charger I had and am amazed how it can sound so good. It has made me question everything I thought I knew about hifi. The SU-1 has to be the biggest hifi bargain I have ever bought.
What ? you always paid what you will listen more expensive = better sound its a law in audio , su-1 can be good but close to mojo 2 or d90 is almost tough to believe.. for years people said the same.. , what will be the business of smsl to do that little box amazing ? What will happend with the most expensive top line of smsl ? I dont belive in miracles lol...
@@clabbem74 "ou always paid what you will listen more expensive = better sound" not true, the quality you get per-dollar quickly diminishes as you go up price tiers. DACs especially have hilariously diminishing returns, SU-1 just has usually good implementation for the price.
@@G4RYWithaFour hi, yes i have tested some dacs, gustard r26, e50, su9, su9pro, mojo 2, and i can not tell you what dacs im listening .. all sound very similar with the same headphone (arya / hd600)
I immediately purchased SU-1 and tested it myself. As you explained, it is incredibly dynamic and delicate from this small body, and the grain of the sound and the spread of the sound are truly wonderful. I don't need an expensive DAC anymore. It's been a long time since I've been this excited. I'm really glad I purchased it.
I put most of my resources towards vinyl listening but have many CD. I also haven't updated my DAC in a while. I decided to try the SU 1 on your recommendation and the price is so low. I have to say you nailed it! It might be a little light on the bottom end but hey, it was 80 bucks and it sounds great! I'm listening to CDs again. Thank you so much for this review!
Thanks, Tharbamar. Your comments on the coax performance got me to look at this DAC. Bought one, hooked it up to the coax out on my CD player. Sounds great.
Come to today, the Topping E30ii price has lowered down to only a shy higher to SMSL SU1. They run on the same chip, but E30ii has dual. What is your take on this if compared, especially on the sound impression? Or even, now they have the E30ii Lite. Any chance you already had it? Quite curious how are those compared, Thanks.
I just got the D12 which is essentially the same as the SU-1 plus screen minus digital inputs and it does all I need for everything audio. Amazing implementation.
I must say that you really give very intelligent break down of product. Although i have viewed other reviews of this DAC i wanted to hear your thoughts before making a decision. I already have the Pontus 2, but i wanted something small that would not take up to much space and render better sound at for a laptop or smaller devices. Thanks for being there as someone who gives straight and honest opinions.
LOL to be honest I only bought it because it's small and cute looking. I was bored waiting for the Geshelli J2 so I bought it for fun in the mean time, then I had a bit of buyer's remorse thinking maybe I shouldn't waste money on random purchases. But now I'm glad to hear that it won't end up being any "random purchases". It's on its way to me so I'll look forward to its arrival.
@@JonMoralesLA Ops I didn't realize I haven't replied to this yet. So I end up getting impatient and canceled the order on J2. I waited 1 month then I needed the money for other purposes so I just cancelled the order. But comparing SDAC to SU-1, SU-1 is brighter and thinner sounding but slightly better imaging and soundtage. But in the end I like SDAC's more full bodied presentation more so I went back to SDAC. Will give J2 another go in the future.
I bought this Dac and put it in the garage paired with the SMSL A0100 amplifier connected to some Polk T15s. Love the inputs for the tv and cd player. It sounds great.
This DAC beats all the expectations and this one surpasses my Sanskrit Mk-II over HS7 and NS1000 speakers played back on Yamaha PC2002m and MX-1 amp, truly the best value surprise around.
My cds have been given a new life with this dac paired with my universal sony transport via the coaxial output into the dac...an absolute steal...my schiit modi is retired
Hello...thanks for recommending this affordable gem SU-1...for $80, it is totally a breakthrough of how it performs and slaps you left and right with musical blows...in some recordings, there is a hint of sibilance in the upper registers but it makes my BW speakers grunt when playing acoustic bass recordings...for what this $80 magical DAC is doing now, a purchase of the bigger brothers SU-10 or D400EX can wait a little longer....
I intend to pick up a new mini PC in the new year and decided to order this DAC to compliment. Already have Kanto YU6 powered speakers for my desktop, which are perfectly fine for my purposes, so I'm anxious to hear the synergy between these components. For a desktop environment, I don't think anyone can go wrong with the SU-1.
Hi i bought the c100 connected to cd player via coax. Psu used make differences and i get better sound through zte phone charger than using cd player usb power. Will try later with linear psu. Also Strangely i found it sounds better when lowering the sound a little with the remote. Maybe it avoids intersample distorsion. it seems that volume control is before the oversampling filter in the akm dac. I think that matters a lot to avoid intersample distorsion. Unfortunately rewiews never talks about the ability of dacs to avoid intersample distorsion. It's the most important feature considered the number of cd that are too high mastered. Also strangely for now i like filter 1 sharp linear the best. Overall the sound is very good musical and not harsh at all. Also in guitar strings i prefer smooth brass strings. Regards and enjoy.
I stream Tidal via my desktop PC. I don't hear any digital noise at all between tracks. And I really tried to hear it. For me there is no need for me to keep looking the perfect DAC. Hands down, this DAC does it for me.
I got 2 SU-1s and an aune X8 with Sparkos ss3602. For me, definitely X8 with Sparkos has more weight, much wider sound stage and much greater dynamic than SU-1 alone. So my SU-1s are used for my desktop and TV, not for my main listening system.
So I did order the DAC and it finally arrived. I'm very pleasantly surprised at the imrovement !! I wasn't sure I'd be able to hear a significant difference with my old ears, but it's definitely audible to me. Thanks again -
Really nice review. I love that you lijed it that much that you encouraged us to go out andxgrab one. Im streaming music from my bluesound node and this dac might be an interesting tweak to try. Would this dac be good to tame some excessive brightness on my speakers high end?
To control the brightness smoother sounding DAC can help a little but also have to look into cables and connectors if you love the speaker, also less toe-in can help and maybe put a felt ring around the tweeters would do the trick too. Thanks
@Tharbamar thanks for the reply. I was thinking about upgrading the connects on the binding post. Replacecthd cheaper metal ones with good jumpers, I've read that can help with smoothing highs. Also will look into the other things you suggested.
Really appreciate your comments and views. So interested in this DAC, but how does it compared to E30ii just only for the sound wise? Both have same small foot print and same chip, though the E30ii has dual. Since the E30ii price has came down to almost the same as the SU1, choosing either one has becoming dilemmatic. Will appreciate your views on this. Thanks.
Thanks for the video, i got the dac from shenzenaudio and it's really good. Could you tell me where you bought the small metal supports? And also the brand, thanks.
Thank you! I just added the SU 1 to my system. Node Gen3, Yamaha CA 2010 and Acoustic Energy AE 2's. Completely transformed my listening experience. Deeper sound stage, tighter bass, explosive and focused mid-range and a treble with more clarity without excessive brightness. I thought about adding it to my Yamaha CD player and the inability to play SACD's without having to change inputs stopped me. Thank you again for a terrific review. I've ordered my 2nd one!
Amazing DAC Bro! On the Amazon page they say it DOES play DSD 768, which is well beyond SACD's. Why did you say it does not play SACD's? I play ripped SACD ISO's on my computer losslessly through my SMSL DO200 through USB, although I think it is a different type of USB. I don't see why I would not also be able to play the ISO's through this. For playing general FLAC files and Hi Res albums through my computer, and I DO have a fairly high resolution stereo setup, how would you say this unit would compare soundwise to the SMSL DO200? I'm thinking that if you feel it has at least the same sound refinement and quality, I could get this one and sell my DO200 😊Thank you!
DSD is 512, SU-1 can handle DSD files through USB but playing file and disc is different, also Coaxial and Optical cables are not compatible with native DSD, only DoP. DO200 have ESS sound and SU-1 is AKM based design, DO200 was a little more brighter sounding for me compared to SU-1. You’ll have to try it in your system to see which suits you better, thanks
Благодаря Вам стал счастливым обладателем denon pma sx 11 и smsl su-1, Спасибо!! Слушаю файлы с компьютера, использую акустику Yamaha NS 1000x, скажите пожалуйста, из обозреваемых Вами DAC, что может ещё лучше подойти под этот сетап? Колонки достаточно нейтральные, звонкие и ясные. Считаю smsl su-1 не достаточно раскрывает потенциал всей системы. Хотелось бы добавить помимо улучшения общей картины звучания добавить глубины и выраженности нижнего регистра (низких частот в целом) как считаете к приобретению какого ЦАП стоит стремиться?) Больше слушаю , на небольшой громкости,инструментальную музыку, джаз, вокал,классику, люблю французский шансон и музыку 70-х,80 и 90-х!!)) Есть большая коллекция рока и прочего!!)) Спасибо, надеюсь на Вашу помощь :)
@@Tharbamar Спасибо за ответ. А если сравнивать smsl d400ex с моделями gustard, например, а26, что будет предпочтительнее в моём случае? Gustard, наверное, всё же выше уровнем? Или у них просто разное звучание?
У меня есть ещё желание убрать ноутбук из цепи звукового тракта, возможно ли это сделать используя только ЦАП у меня музыка хранится на переносном жёстком диске который подсоединяется к ноутбуку.
Why does the review state a different and improved sound using the coaxial input? Is the input on the DAC causing the difference, or the output on the CD player?
Hi EVERYONE ! Sorry for a simple question from a newbie......... please teach me on how to connect SMSL SU-1 DAC. Is this correct: from my Macbook pro thunrderbolt port to USB-C of the SU-1 (to power the DAC) then using an RCA cable..... connecting the SU-1 RCA "Singe ended line-out" to RCA-INPUT of my amplifer. Your inputs will be humbly appreciated. Thanks to ALL !
i bought it 1 week ago, and i love it!!! I bought it for 65 euro on black friday sale. Very incredible thing for this price. How did you got this foot on the dac? I have a very different smaller black silicone legs..
Always, even a few weeks ago. I started building my own cables many moons ago because it sounds better than after spending $2k on pair of AudioQuest cables. How to DIY Best Sounding Speaker Cable in 2023 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dnKfyuiW9O4.html
Great review, Tharbamar. I have a Denon pma 600ne amp with one coaxial input and two optical inputs. I use the coaxial input for my cd player, one optical input for my tv and one for my WiiM mini streamer. Since the SU1 has only one optical input, is there anyway to get around this? The only way I can think of would be to sacrifice the optical input for the WiiM and use the 3.5 to RCA instead. Is my thinking correct? Thanks.
Are there of other ways to power the unit besides usb c to computer or a Music server? How to power the unit is my biggest source of confusion, but I’m ready to buy.
I don't often run into a real " giant killer"...but you are on the money. What kinda irritates me is the much more expensive dac I own....my ears and my wallet are going through changes....
Pls subtract taxes, logistic, profit, other interests, a price of a DAC IC (which is fortunately cannot be faked yet), and you will realize that you’ve gave 5* to $5 hardware. As an option you could put sound samples from AUX, not from your loudspeakers. A good DAC, and a competitor. I know, the difference will be huge.
Putting out sound from AUX is copying the music without permission so can’t do, point is all about price and performance. “As I clearly stated my rating is based on price to performance.” Real question is can we build one with $5 hardware as you’re saying? because I know I can’t, saying is very easy but please don’t forget to give credit to developing the product that exceeds price and sound quality. In the future most audio products are going to be from SMSL or similar brands because that’s what most people can afford and good thing that companies like SMSL is thriving, best regards!
Hi I have question that you can answer easily as i am confused I am getting preowned Denafrips Aries 2 and the price for Topping E70 velvet from which two i should go for Regards Guru From India❤
Hi, That’s depends on paring components and your preference, sound wise it’s comparable but E70 Velvet offers better bass quality and noise control, Ares 2 will sound a bit brighter highs and great midrange. thanks
@@Tharbamar thank you very much I have been looking for information for almost a month every day. Will order until some items at a special price are out of stock in time Listen to the clip of each model for 10 rounds. I will order within a few days. Likes to listen to jazz and audiophile music. For songs that are rarely sung sometimes deciding d300.do200mk
How is the instrument seperation on this DAC. I had the Schiit Modi 3+ AKM version and the instrument seperation was terrible. The sound would smear really bad on busy tracks and it was especially noticeable when gaming.
Hi. Where is your coax cable connected? I am wondering how I can connect this using the coax (I am using my PC as my music source) I bought SMSL SU-1 and it arrived just now
Hola, nuevo subscriptor, gracias por la Review me queda solo una duda, podría usarlo desde mi celular como fuente de música y como salida unos monitores de audio presonus eris e5?
And no one make a graphic for the frequency response at high sample rates. Make frequency response at 384 Khz sample rate , what is at the output.If it`s flat to 150khz lets say, or not.
You cannot connect to DAC and Laptop via analog cable, it’s totally defeats the purpose of DAC. Sole purpose of DAC is Digital to Analog conversion, if you want to use inferior 3.5mm audio out from your laptop you’re going to need ADC or connect it directly to with 3.5mm to RCA conversion cable.
I would like to know how these two compare. I have the Modi 3E (last year's model, which is on clearance for $109) and I noticed a difference in the sound as my system sounds more detailed with better instrument separation/imaging.
@Stan Mah, what about the word "Dragonfly’s have no contest in noise performance and resolution" LOL I have most honest reviews in audio industry i.e Burchardt S300 Speaker Review, you talk and judge someone that you don't even know about.
Yes, absolutely. See my review here, WiiM Pro Music Streamer Could Be "The Product Of The Year" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UxKkOWiy1NY.html
