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For those just discovering this review, I have a tip. I think this may have already been covered. The power you send this DAC is very important to the sound. I stupidly had it plugged into a cheap home automated multi plug. I didn't notice any problem until today. I thought the cord might be the problem, but the power source was giving me a faint Morse code-like noise. Tried several devices until I found that my receiver USB was absolutely dead quiet. Back to 70's funk! Hope this helps at least one person.
I have an onkyo tx-nr6050 with a wiim pro plus, would it make sense to pair with this dac? Would it sound better? Or should I only stick with the wiim pro plus dac? Also, would it improve the sound if i pair klipsch's The fives + wiim pro plus + this Dac?
i've had both...the schiit modi USB port stopped working after two years...$55.00 to fix.....I prefer the sound of the SMSL...the coaxial port sound is phenomenal for the price
Ok, Randy, lol. Bought the SMSL and Wiim Pro after your reviews. I plan on pairing them with my Grace Digital powered speakers. I'll let you know. Thanks! Go Navy
3 yrs ago, you reviewed a cheap $15 dac sold at Amazon and you said it was good enough for most folks, I purchased it, do you still feel the same? Or does this $80 one sound that much better?
I hear great things about Topping. I was told I HAD to buy Topping instead of Schiit. ASR is a Topping fan page. Problem is, unlike Schiit, they have horrible customer service, a high fail and arrive DOA rate. "Well, it sounded good for 15 minutes until it failed and I had to send it back..." Then, I got the Modius maximus and it's been working great since It was new on the market.
I also bought a Topping E30 because of ASR. They judge gear based on measurement and believe all dacs sound the same. Thanks to Randy, I bit the bullet and got a Denafrips Ares. Now I have a Gustard R26 and it sounds way better than E30.
@@onionknight9431 Channels like Randy's help dispel the Topping myth (halo effect) and I hope it helps end the topping cult. I swear ASR is the fox news of audio. Lies and cults. Topping products have the highest fail rate of any DAC. They are mass produced like garbage with little quality control. Ever try to return a topping product? It took me MONTHS and multiple e-mails to get them to admit is was defective and nothing *I* did to damage the DAC. Even when I had it the sound was "meh". There are lower cost DACs that measure and sound better than Topping, and all of the name DACS are built better.
I loved the Skee-lo song reference. SMSL has put out some great products recently, at all price brackets. SU-8s, SH-8s, DA-9, SH-9 and similar from those series, with some patience can be found under $200. These are all incredible values, have built in power supplies, offer balanced connections, and great performance. Similarly this SMSL SU1 at $79 is an incredible value. I dont think anyone would find complaint with its performance. The primary reason to step up to the next price tier is not performance gains but convenience. The extra money gets you additional features such as more connecting options on back, volume control, display screen, which for many are unnecessary add-ons. If someone just wants performance at low cost this might be unbeatable at $79, as long as it has the connections you need.
Damn straight...!!! Hifiman 400SE planar magnetic headphones knock it out of the park when it comes to "price to performance ratio"...!!! I initially bought a pair for myself and was so impressed, I bought another pair for my son... who was also very impressed...!!! These days, the art form of assembling an 'audiophile-quality' system for around $1000 dollars is very accessible, constantly evolving, and getting more enjoyable/affordable by the month/year...!!! The young people of today are blessed - as far as music goes...!!!
I have the WIIM pro running right into a carver analog preamp and a Chromecast audio on another system running right into a integrated analog amp not using any DAC and love them. Would I really benefit by plugging in these streamers int this DAC? Keto up the great work.
I was in the same position when I bought the Wiim Pro. Do I? Don't I. I decided to buy the latest version of the Schiit Modi + due to Randy's and other like minded reviews. I paid over the odds as I'm in the UK but what a difference it made. It now brings a smile to my face each time I listen to it. In my mind, the Wiim Pro DAC is sort of okay but very harsh on the higher frequencies, and to be honest it grated on me after a while.
Would I hear a big sound difference if I add this to my desktop setup? Right now my audio is just directly coming from my PC which has built in dac supremefx s1220a and its shielded....I don't hear any noise out of it. Will this SMSL SU1 dac provide an even better experience especially using the optical out? Just trying to decide if it's worth spending the $67 for it right now.
I bought the Aiyima T8 based on Randys videos and was underwhelmed. I figured i was expecting too much from a multi function unit. This SMSL DAC is worse and imo cannot be classed as hifi. I compared it to my £69 cyrus DAC (3.5 to rca) and its nowhere near; thin, shrill and harsh on top, midrange is lost and the bass is whooly. There is no sense of scale and the dynamics that get me tapping along to the cyrus are lost. I guess ill have to keep trailing a cable in the garage...i tried it with 2 amps and 3 speaker sets and it didnt bed in anywhere.
I got the SMSL SU-1 mostly for the purpose of paying some MQA-CDs that I had laying around, and does the job. (I know the MQA topic is sensitive, lol) but for the functionality it does work pretty good, I'm not so sure about the sound, still need to give it more listening time. However, compared to the Topping E30 II and (an unfair comparison) to the RME ADI-2 DAC FS it lacks a little in power and clarity. But hey for $80 can't really complain.
In Europe, the Schiit Modi is super expensive 220$. Is the Modi twice as good? And will the SU1 improve on the integrated DAC inside the WIIM Mini and Pro?
Thankyou for the review. It sent me on an exploration of trial and error between a few DACs. After pushing music through the dac via optical to my active eris 5 (cheap monitors) I could hear a crystal clean sound from the su-1 but it sounded too digital and failed on various frequencies with typical dance music and was harsh and week or too edgy and not worth it even for £60. Though it was better than a non branded dac of £30 I've now settled with a modi 3. The modi 3 I think is the base level and is warmer sounding. It sounds great with accoustic guitar and vocals but even that might be too detailed and fatiguing if listening to dance music for hours, but it gets away with it. The modi 3 is palatable for dance music and a joy with live music. Better than the su-1. So my advice - don't waste your money on this su-1. Get a modi 3 or better. Anything less than £100 I think is wasted money. You maybe ok just listening on headphones, but why not spend an extra £40.
Got this on this latest Prime Day event, and even after reviews I am pleasantly surprised and impressed. For a secondary system using a thrift store bought bluray player as a transport , an Ayima A07, some old precision acoustic bookshelf speakers, I can't tell much a difference from my main system using a Yamaha Home theater receiver. Keep up these kind of product reviews. When you have a budget , the "cheap" works very well for me.
Yes you can I just recently got one and have it hooked up to my dvd player as a cd transport as long as your dvd player has digital coaxial on the back your good to go
I have been wondering for quite some time how all the DACs that you have reviewed stack up to the Emotiva ones. Months ago, I bought a PT1 on sale to get FM tuning, preamp, DAC, headphone amp and phonoamp all at once. (still in the box as I save up for T3 speakers and proper amp/monoblocks) Friends, Romans, Randy, keep lending us your ears!
I bought the PT1 and plugged it into my existing system, and my advice is DON'T WAIT! I noticed a big difference right away, my system has never sounded better.
Ive ordered a SU 1. Want to use the optical input on my s301 Yam, but already have the optical input being used w optical from TV. Does the usb input sound as good as the optical? Or should I get a Y to run 2 sources into the amp? Confused in NC! Thanks! Really enjoy your informative videos, but haven't seen any on this subject matter ...
Dumb question? I'm new to all this. This would be my first DAC. Power adapters. I have a variety of phone chargers all around the house. They probably have different wattages. Newer ones a bigger, say for my Pixel phone. Anyway, does the choice matter much? Besides impact on sound quality, it can handle any adapter to USB-C without burning or dying? There's another adapter on the inside?
Thanks very much for the review. I saw this on Ali a few weeks back and was hoping you were going to review it. I couldn't find a DAC at that price point that could input USB,OPT and Coax. I had a feeling it was going to sound OK and I'm glad you confirmed it. It looks like it is what I am looking for as I am on a very strict budget and conversion rates + postage or local retailer markups make US produced gear too expensive for me in Australia.
Hi! I am very new to audio world and would like to get some advice. Would it really improve and give noticeable improvement for music and movies? I am planning to use Smart TV - DAC - Powered Speaker(Klipsch the Fives) My TV would feed PS4 and ATV 4k via HDMI.
Is it worth while buying for this a separate power supply? If so how does one connect a separate power supply as the USB is used for both data and power. Are there any good budget power supplies you can recommend?
Thanks Randy. I'm sure this DAC is a great choice, but for the little extra cost I'd rather buy from our friends and neighbors at Schiit. I hope you and your family are happy and well, Kevin
Well this is something, just ordered this DAC to replace my SMSL M100. The micro USB connection on the back is going out (surprise, surprise). Using it with my laptop set up because the main computer I have has a Geschelli stack with the better headphones. Needed this for when I'm downstairs watching your reviews and some music listening. Looks like I made a solid choice.
7:18 It's not just about affordability. I'm in the process of returning a MOJO 2 because I don't like the "house" sound; I also sold a MOJO 1 for similar reasons, back in the day. A few years ago I got a Benchmark DAC3L and feeding a Rupert Neve RNHP (via balanced) got pretty much the "plugged into the mastering desk" audio I was after; the MOJO 1 was unmasked, much like the emperor, by the truth. If the SU1 has a decent implementation of the DAC chip with a well designed analogue interface, then price is irrelevant, much to the chagrin of the likes of Chord, et al.
Time to do a new Dac tier? All batteries bank are not the same inside, the best uses 18650 battery which are built rolled like capacitors, other power bank that uses sandwich battery are bad sounding
Just ordered a S.M.S.L SU-1, should be here in 2-3 weeks. Going to see if it ups the game on my Pioneer Elite PD-59. Great transport that could use a little sprucing up. ;)
@@ErbsengeneralIt really cleaned things up. Opened up the sound, improved accuracy in the highs tightened up the control and range of the low end output. Cleaned up cymbals, all subtle but in my system, noticeable. I have an Oppo 95 that I usually use for listening. But I have an PD-59 and Elite PDR-19RW. The PD-59 feeds the recorder and is a great transport. Hooked this up for fun, m ay buy another for the other room too! Is it as good as my Oppo, no, but it is a heck a lot better than the 20year old Pioneer DAC hands down
Perfect execution, like the other guy said..."Randy's back"...love the whole vibe and layout of this review...Thank You for all your hard work bringing us information and entertainment...😊
Hey randy was thinking on upgrading my listening experience & first time purchasing my dac/amp combo stack, but i was wondering is purchasing the Smsl c200 dac/amp combo a better alternative to actually doing a stack combo like you did with the Smsl SH-6 & Su-1 ? Really trying to get a better understanding of this whole hobby. (Mainly going to be using this for desktop purposes only). Love the videos btw !
the nuforce icon hd from 15 years ago is built and designed much better, probably sounds much better and has a great headphone amp for around the same price used if you can find one.
I couldn't find the remote. as it was, it was fixed output for this one. maybe the remote is sold separately but I didn't see a ir receiver anywhere on it
Has anyone used this successfully with iPad/iPhone? However could not get working with a direct USB connection. Do I need a powered USB Hub to give enough power here? The manual is not helpful. The SMSL website does not have any information even the scant user manual on it's webpage. I did get it working with optical from WiiM Pro and with Coax from CD transport. Thanks.
I was hoping someone could confirm that my setup will work: PC > SMSL SU-1 > headphone amp for when I want to use headphones > aiyima a07 max > speakers
Hi, I got the Fosi Audio Q4, with headphones amp (similar price) Is this a better Dac to consider chance mine for this one?, is there a several diference?
I'm currently testing the SMSL SU-1 DAC. Sounds wonderful, but... When I switch songs from Tidal, it always cuts off the first second. Very frustrating. This happens on coaxial. On USB it is less noticeable. My streamer is ifi zen stream. Can something be done about it, any ideas? It ruins whole experience
Windows Updates: Known audio killers. I have experienced a Win 10 update that clobbered a Creative Labs X-Fi card that had worked all through Win 7 into the first half dozen Win 10 updates. With my current convoluted audio setup I view the constant stream of Windows updates with a clenched sphincter and dread.
I bought this DAC because of this video. However, there is a half second of silence before this DAC starts to output sound when I start to play, so I miss the start of the music. I wonder if this is the problem with this DAC or a common problem with external DACs. I am simply playing RU-vid videos on my PC, and I see the video start to play before the sound comes out.
It doesn't have a hand controller, but they did give you a too short cable for a power wall wart. I have my own high quality cable (6 feet) to find the power strip.
Just bought one to connect my iPhone 11 to my hifi. I know I would use the RCA out to my amp but how do I connect my phone to the DAC. I am completely useless with technology so any advice is appreciated.
Q: is there a way to control my smsl d-6 volume via IR or toslink through a Chromecast remote? I really don't wanna have multiple remotes. Just ordered smsl d-6 as I have some weird buzzing from my gpu, like coil whine, but it goes not via air, but through hdmi cables to the tv and then through tv to the kali active speakers. No ground loop since its all on one socket and one extension cord. So I've just decided to go balanced. I did try everything to remove isolate the issue, unless it's toslink it keeps going through hdmi and rca cables from gpu to speaker ground pins. I'm afraid to use hum destroyers as some people said it can degrade audio quality. Lifting kali ground pins work, but i read you can get electrocuted this way so a nogo. Also don't wanna buy some fancy 100$+ ifi gnd stuff, that's just too much money.
Thank you for the review. I’m going to connect this DAC to active studio monitors. Could you please recommend a volume controller with a remote control
Hey I also have a Metallica guitar pick that I caught in the croud, it was in little Rock Arkansas. Very useful info here, thank you I'm learning about dac's 😊
I bought this DAC with hopes of enjoyment. Do not buy this cheap piece of crap. The optical cables, supplied by the manufacturer with the Wiim mini do not fit. The box does not work. I only bought a headache. Somehow a complete lack of quality control makes this cheap box worthy of endorsement. Will not take advice from this channel or bother watching his videos
Love your plain spoken audio intelligence. This S.M.S.L. SU-1 makes my 2yr old, broken in Koss Pro 4AA cans sound amazing. Two other budget dacs couldn't do it. Falling in love again!!! Thanks for helping to convince me to buy this dac.
Based on your recommendation, I went ahead and purchased the SMSL SU-1 to use with my iPhone 12 or my iPad. Now the interesting part begins. Nobody has a video or article showing what parts you need. Based on what I read, it is better to use the Coaxial DAC input to connect the iPhone, that way I can use the USB DAC port can be used for supplying the DAC with power. What cables do I need? Edit on 3/13/24: Thanks, but I got somebody else to help me. Carlos in Texas
