SMSL SU-9 mqa DAC review - Perfect? Why get anything else? 🤔 

SMSL M400 review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6A33XvSX8rI.html Disclaimer: This SU-9 DAC was given away on our patreon page as part of our patreon giveaway program. For more info please visit nbtsmedia.com/about-us/ Consumer report (scroll down if you do not see it, it's there): ru-vid.comcommunity for more info on our Reviewer info, patreon, and personal interest in our reviews: nbtsmedia.com/about-us/

Just got this DAC today . It sounds fantastic. I actually noticed a boost in bass from my Topping D50 and my Sanskrit 10th . Soundstage is great in my room . I Don’t care if it sounds better than a 2000 dollar DAC or how it measured. It’s a great MQA DAC for any setup .

I LOVE my SU-9. My primary system is simple, all things considered and post-downsizing. Mac Mini M1 (media center PC) running USB out to the SU-9, SU-9 running to an Anthem MCA225, MCA225 to a pair of Polk L800's and a REL S/5 (through REL's cable set). After trying several DAC's, including a Chord Qutest and Ares II, I'm done looking. BIG fan of the volume control since I'm not running a dedicated preamp and the display is exceptionally easy to read and pleasing to the eye.

Nice review Jay. I like to read audio science reviews, but measurement do not describe all of what we hear. If the audio science guys, they are happy to hear a good system because it measures well. Which is fine, I have no problem with this. I do not listen to measurements. I listen to music. If a system makes me happy, but measures badly. I am still happy. For sure measures equipment. But listen with your ears. Enjoy the hobby and be kind to others. Keep giving us your opinion Jay.

bro, why tf is no one willing to blind test DACs? I get one is likely very privileged to own or have access to more than a couple, but even in this case you could've easily just listened to both and then shared what you recall hearing and which you preferred. Its literally all it would take to settle things and yet none of you are willing to do it, it's truly surreal.

I have been using last few weeks my SMSL SU-9 pair with SMSL DA-9 powering a pair of ELAC BS142 (no more in production) and Dali Fazon Sub (no more in production). This is my desktop setup which I am using a MacMini 2018 (fully upgraded specs except for RAM). Before this I was using a NAD D7050 Network Digital DAC Amp which died after using it for more than 4 years. The D7050 was an exceptional machine which NAD service centre says they were not able to revive my machine. I was looking at NAD D3045 but I wasn't looking to get the same brand and decided to audition SMSL as they have a showroom in Singapore. After listening to a few different genre of songs, I did not hesitate and bought together with the amp as they were on special sale. Both amp and DAC cost me USD$573 and they threw a pair of 20cm Fanmusic C006 XLR Cable for free (cost price was USD$50)! As I work from home, I turn on the amp and DAC almost the entire day and let the music run by itself from my super long playlist of songs. My ears doesn't get tired at all even after listening it the whole entire day. Oh, both rig is so small which free up more desktop space! The amp doesn't run too hot either. Highly recommend for those who are on a tight budget but still wish to enhance their audio experience.

So when it's measured it's close to perfect, all I needed to know. Measurements don't have an agenda. My ears have 54 years of experience. 😂🤦‍♂️

Another great vid. SMSL seems to have knocked it out of the park with this one. Well done guys. This channel's poppin!

Welp, just put my order in for this. I was torn between this and the M400, but the su-9 won me over. Set up will be; THX 789, Su-9, and Arya's (all balanced). So excited! :D

Great review. In my opinion RU-vid audio reviews have gotten way too long. Thanks for keeping this one at around 10 minutes. Perfect for me.

What is wrong with neutral sounding equipment.Why would you want a equipment that colours your source ?.Piece matching is way more important than throwing lots of $$$ into one piece and expect to tranform a average system into a killer system.Its does not happen in audio.Last few years China audio manufacturers been making some amazing DAC's that I personally think its superior to some mainstream companies without the hype at 1/4 of the price.Yes it doesnt have the "bling" factor as some establish US,British or European products but the heart of any DAC is its processor and how the engineer design it.Sometimes high end audio takes itself too seriously and thinks consumers are willing to pay $5000 for a DAC because its big,heavy and pretty .Whats wrong with relying on specs,designer has to see what is happening when he tweaks something and it gives them a indicator what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.I never experience a terrible measuring equipment that sound good on the other hand a very good measuring equipment usually sounds good. By the way Im using this on my second system with class D amps and its stunningly good for the price

Why testing so many dacs when there is no relevant audible difference? Speaker position and room acoustics are way more important and those topics would make a difference. Any plans to talk about positioning, room acoustics etc.? That would be great and there's a lot to talk about. Greetings from Germany 🍻

Sorry Jay, The SU-9 was released before the fire in Mayazski Prefecture. That’s where the factory is located. It didn’t burn down. There WAS a fire. Wouldn’t this unit have been designed way before the fire ever happened? Think about it

I love the SU-9, it's warm and sweet, I don't detect any edginess, I think it paired very well with my Krell amp and the B&W's.

Regarding ASR, they are useful to weed out bad/mediocre DACs and bugs/implementation issues (they did catch quite a few of these). That's about it. Don't go there for sound opinions.

I agree this dac sounds edgy and mechanical which are exactly why i bought it for, for my too smooth chain. I really love it!.

Hello, Jay! Could you give a brief comparison between SMSL SU-9 and Topping D90? I'm considering these two but not sure whether the D90 worth the extra money :)

Hey, Jay. I've been watching a bunch of your videos lately. You do a great job! Regarding the topic at hand, measurements can certainly be useful, as I'm sure you'll agree, but there's more to sound than can be captured by scientific instruments, as sound does not exist in the world independently of a perceiver. The best explanation of this that I know of is by Dr. David Eagleman in his series, The Brain, and in particular the episode called "What Is Reality?" Sound pressure waves exist out in the world, but sounds are the creations of our brains. What we get through our senses is really an experience of what Dr. Eagleman calls "The Internal Model." This sounds all philosophical, but it's very well established science. Our internal models are generalizations about the world,. Generally, we sense what we expect to sense, unless we get too much conflicting data. What this means is that our subjective experience varies with our expectations. If someone expects two amps to sound the same, they likely will do so to that person, but if a person expects differences, then they're more likely to hear them. Which is more legitimate? They both are! A pro "good measuring stuff all sounds the same" person will say" If you can't distinguish differences in double blind tests, then they don't exist!" That's simply false, as we don't live in the conditions of a double blind test. What we care about is how our system will sound in our listening environment, and that's far removed from a double blind test. If you hear a difference than that has just as much "reality" as the experience of someone who doesn't here it. Both are right, but only for themselves.

The SMSL AD18 has bad measurements in reviews. But anyone can not deny that many owners love how it sounds. Ive got a SMSL DA9. The M400 may sounds better with this but the SU9 may looks physically better with it. And the sounds difference may not be very too wide ...Thanks for the detailed review.

Got the same issue with ASR. They‘re great to check whether your specific unit or the whole batch is technically imperfect. For example imbalance or sth. But they should NOT give DAC advice based on technical measures, since measurements - as you pointed out pretty well - just aren‘t the same as sound characteristics.

I have the SMSL SU-9 Dac and you're absolutely right, its nutriul and doesn't color the sound, this is my second dac and i realy like it! Any tip on which dac/streamer to get in the 1000-2000 dollar region?

Nice to see someone else finally calling ASR on to the table. Measurements don't matter, only the sound matters. ASR doesn't care how something sounds, only how it measures. Numbers and statistics are irrelevant without context. Here, SOUND is the context.

Best review yet. Appreciate the saltiness 👍

Audio Science Review is a goddamn cult.

Hello gentlemen. I would like to mention the Jeclub Bob entry !!! I wanted to buy Smsl su-9 very much, but after the entry I doubted it. Maybe someone will say?

Yes, very good review. You had clear most of our questions... 1) How about the SMSL D1? 2) Instead of alone, will it be much better if match with their SP-400 preamp?

Tks for the great review Jay! I seen in your video you have a PecanPi dac, will you be doing a review on it? I will be curious to see how it compares to the SMSL M400 or even the SU-9. I have had the chance to demo the PecanPi and found it sounded very good for the price! Thanks and keep up the great work!

The SonCoz SGD1, Topping D70 and new Gustard X16 all compete with the SU9. In fact all these 3 have an i2S input as well.

Because of confirmation bias, opinions of those who’ve actually purchased a product are typically more favourable. Marketers know this, which is why they encourage new owners to post comments online. If you have a friend who hears a difference then why not run a blind test to check? The better the test, the more useful the result.

Great detailed review. Buying this one rather the M400. Thanks again for this review. Hang-on, is that a Denon PMA 2500NE at your back? Will you do a review?

I have many 70’s LPs which were digitized at 16/48 with a Sony PCM-7010F and then placed into iTunes for playback using an OPPO-205 DAC at 24/192. The bottom line is I cannot distinguish the LP sound from the OPPO’s delivery of it, in any manner that distinguish could be discerned, like tone, detail, stereo separation, bass, or sound stage. This leads to one conclusion, I need not chase anymore DACs coming to market, since the pair of 8 channel Saber DACs in the OPPO are getting the job done, a sound on par to LP pickup from a Shure V15V-MR. Also, I get a rival performance from Airport Express delivering iTunes Library to a 20 year old Sony TA-E9000ES Pre-Pro via optical S/PDIF at 16/44.1. In other words, I’m soooo over any concern for DACs these days. Instead, now money and attention is directed to speakers, speaker placement, and room acoustics.

I tried it as a preamplifier into my audiolab mono blocks and the sound is good, must give a second listen to make sure my ears were not fooling me.

We listen to music not test tones. I will trust my ears.

I have 3 Dac I can choose from the SU-9N for $340 and the SU-9 for $460 and the D1SE for $152 more then the SU-9

DACS are selling like crazy since streaming become popular. Many manufacturers launching new dacs every few months. Good for consumers because prices are coming down. Too many to choose is another problem.

Dacs do sound different to me. They shouldn't but they do. The HugoTT and Mscaler combo that I auditioned made me dislike my own equipment. It was hard going back to my modest Modi Multibit. After hearing the difference I upped my Dac game to a Yggdrasil for my nearfield setup and a Hugo2 for my living room. A word of advise do NOT listen to better DACs unless you are ok with throwing money at an expensive hobby. I did not know it was possible to hear all the way to edges of the room and that instruments could be clearly defined and placed in the soundstage around the vocals not just behind them.

Seems like Denon Int. Amp review is coming, looks very interesting. Wonder how it compare to others like Chinese tube amp and European solid state.

Love the detailed review, thank you.

Now that you've reviewed the SMSL VMV D1se, would you recommend it over this as a standalone DAC?

You need to review their class D amp, the SA300. Serious performance for very little money

Hope a review is in the future for those Tekton 2-10 Perfect Set speakers??? + a comparison with the beloved Double Impacts...

Loving your content spot on .

Audio Science Reviews is a cult website of people that base there entire purchase on measurments. I used to go there, not anymore, its so so crazy that those people follow Amir and his measurements and make purchases based off just measurments. The human ear is the final say not some test machine in my book. Then you get statements about hearing needs to be checked and how to do a real test, ohhhhhhhhhhhh boy.

this is very nice. i think SMSL outdid themselves this time

Why get anything else? Because smsl product isn't available in my country!

I replaced RME ADI2 DAC for Schiit Yggdrasil, both tested on ASR: Me: I found Yggi sounds better, especially in microdetails, sound stage, depth ASR: can't be because RME measures much better, did you do blind test Me: I didn't blind test, it was evident and obvious after 2 mins of listening. ASR: we know RME is better because of some graph, so we're banning you from our forums ME: sight ... If ASR would just say "it measures like this" and not "its better sounding because it measures like this", i would take their opinion.

Thanks Jay, I've been wondering about low priced good measuring dacs.

Difficult isn't it. Because you have actual scientific measurements showing that it matches DaCs costing so much more, verses, somebodies opinion.

Nice review Jay , I got a couple budget dac in and after hearing the non budget Burson i am ruined ! I dont have a want for better And far as Audio science once they come out with a smart ear to my taste and a room as dead as mine then i will consider their measurments lol

Did I see a Holo Audio DAC in the rack? Would love to see a comparison between R2R DACs.

Will it improve the sound of my bluesound Node? What would you recommend for under 1k to combine with my node

Enjoy your video reviews! Have you reviewed and or listened to the Bluesound Nodi2 Bluetooth Dac? Im looking for a dac that will keep good timing with my Naim Nait 5si? My speakers are Elac and KEF, I was using an Arcam Ir Dac, but getting bored with the sound!

I noticed one more thing watching the video, you use the term "for the price" is that a good measure of audio sound quality.

Could you make a video doing double blind tests involving various DACs

Hi j just to ask? what is the music playing at the start of the video please, I really love it

Finally a comparison between those two - thank You :) so I actually care :)

I'm rather excited. It's coming overseas right now.

Jay Hi, can you talk more about the applications on using this product?

Hi. How do you connect the headphones with a 3.5 mm jack? I'm honestly clueless how would I be able to use its function (other than bluetooth, xlr, coaxial) with my headphones connected on this DAC which is connected on my laptop using USB input. Can you make a tutorial video connecting xlr coaxial wires?

AudioScienceReview does not exist because AudioScienceReview can not be measured

Good morning from Singapore Jay 👍👍👍

How does the su-8s or even the Su-9n and EX5 as a dac compare to the D30Pro. I have a Sp200 with Ananda and going to pick up Focal clear headphone

Hi so what will You use for streaming Spotify or Tidal? iPhone via airplay would be good? What do you think?

excellent review!

Hi! How do you think, is that good for pair Tannoy Gold 8 throw XLR output? And 1 more q. Is it fully playing MQA throw SPDIf input ? I have android box, with spdif out and wanna use it like transport to SU9 playing tidal Or i can connect it to OTG usb port on android box and have fully MQA support ?

Hey Jay is that the Denon Pma A110 behind you? How does it sound for the price and how good is the onboard DAC?

Great video 👍

best dac i have heard so far on your channel!!!

Great video and its true, measurements don’t tell the whole story

I have Sabaj D5, It's also one of the measurebator dacs. Comparing it to Soekris 2541(R-2R dac), It doesn't even deliver 60% of the detail what Soekris can put out. There are a lot of information missing with D5 and that is a DAC with 119 SINAD Points. Layering isn't really exceptional, soundstage is only 2D with only a little bit of depth. With D5, treble gets easily sibilant even though the music isn't asking for it and both mids and treble are full of glare. Let's me add this quote here: "A Delta Sigma DAC take the 16-24 bit samples and convert them to 1 bit samples, later on to 2-5 bit samples, at much higher speed. That creates high levels of noise, but by increasing the number of Delta-Sigma modulators after each other, typical up to five, that noise is moved up in frequency to above what you can hear. Unfortunately those higher order Delta Sigma DACs are in principle unstable and have a number of side effects which the Delta Sigma chip manufactures all try to reduce.... So Delta Sigma DACs all work just fine when feed simple signals, like sinus tones, but run into problems when feed comples signals, like music...." Some people think having a test equipment aka overpriced sound card entitle them to know everything about DACs.

Great review. I am in the market and was thinking of this one. Would you either link to it or have a video on the future of Dacs. Is I2s or AES the sign wave of the future and provide much better performance than usb or fiber optic? Thanks!

Complements for the review, in your opinion which of the two (smsl su-9 mqa and topping d90) connected to the stereo via rca and with the music sent via bluetooth (from my ipad with spotify) you liked the most (or better performing the bluetooth). Thank you

Stupid question - if this SMSL dac is 1:1 to the music source and has perfect parameters / linearity beyond human hearing ability - why we still have "hi-end" and $$$ DACs like Chord DAVE, dCS Bartok, Levinson, etc. ?????

Ooooh, when are we going to get a doge DAC review? Can't wait

Great review

Question: does the SMSL SU-9 automaticcaly switch on when receiving a signal? Alle Topping DAC's do.

Have you heard the SMSL D300? I just replaced my Emotiva DC-1 with it and like it a lot. Different sound with the new ROHM chip.

Lol that you were proven right with the third harmonic issues from SMSL. Would be great if you did a follow up with it.

People will tell you that measurements are absolute and then go upgrading their measuring gear acknowledging their measuring is flawed.

Hi sir I want something DAC to use with my Mackie powered speakers 1500 RMS ..I never use headphones ..I like to shake my room . Do i still need an amp inside of the DAC for better sound ? What would you recommend for a good price .Love you channel tooooo.

I love it how you followed the steps from AudioScienceReview!😁 And again .... what's with the Opticon 8's on the back? And the new Denon 😱???

I spy with my little eye a pair of Tekton Perfect SET 10's!

4 feet not foot. Great review.

If I'm listening to recordings of single 2khz tunes at 130db, this DAC is the best, no distortion at all. If I listen to music I would recommend another DAC, one that sounds good. If I what to listen to complete garbage I read Audio Science Review.

Do you believe DACs need burn in time? Since I don't hear (even though I have perfect hearing) a big difference between my laptop dac (must be pretty okay) and the topping d50s which I bought yesterday..

What about the D90? I assume it sounds a lot better. From what you're describing my plain old teac UD-H01 just sounds better (which I bought for around 300 in 2014). It has a dual burr brown DAC, not very 3D also, decently neutral, quite musical and smooth, bit grainy depending on the amp you use. In terms of signature I prefer it to the much more expensive Questyle cma400i I bought but now barely use, but you can hear that one performs better in terms of detail/staging/etc.

Your too funny...You might need to get your hearing checked if this DAC is not the best!.....you did..it came out normal....hilarious! Informative review....TY!

Mqa is the biggest waste of money. Flac files are better.

Is it worth mentioning that MQA rendering only works for the USB input...? I think so!

Could you or anyone give an assessment if I should upgrade my smsl sanskrit 10th mk ii ($139) to su-9 which is more than 3 times of the price? I believe su-9 is better but how much better to warrant the upgrade? Please.

I think su9 is definitely brighter because of the sabre chip than the m400 which uses akm counterpart.

Can you bypass the amplifier in the DAC and just have DAC without any amplification on the DAC itself that is a better way of doing it Glad you mention the blue tack that is a life hack

Will the Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones and Klipsch T5 II True Wireless work from a PC?

No, you ARE saying its a bad dac.

Actually there's a healthy competition at this price point. For example Soncoz SGD1. Or Gustard A18 at slightly above it price-wise but directly competes against the M400 and D90.

How about a comparison between this and the topping d90

Great review, the sonic characteristic analysis part was spot on!

Are you hearing the preamp?

3:19 That was cool!!! :)

Ess are known for there sharpness and metalic sound. SMSL M200 $150 less and sounds just as good.