S.M.S.L DL100 Audio DAC Amplifier 4xCS43131 Chips Hi-Res Headphone Amplifier PCM32bit/768kHz Hi-Fi Audio Stereo Receiver Bluetooth5.1/USB/Optical/Coaxial/HDMI Input THD+N 0.00009%, with Remote Control

This is your standard SMSL build. Namely, good and solid for the most part. Very "conservative" look and not flashy at all. This was clearly meant for a TV/living room system since it takes HDMI and can be set to turn the display off after a few seconds. Really great for a living room system. The remote is a bit generic, but it works well and they DAC is easy to use and adjust.Most modern DACs will not sound too different from each other. Many of the differences can be attributed to slight volume differences. That said, I had my friend who is musically trained listen to this and the DAC built into my Yamaha A-S801 (an older ESS model DAC chip) and he liked the SMSL better. He described it as more "balanced" while listening to the Last Samurai soundtrack.At this point, unless you are using a very old and very cheap DAC, getting a new one will not transform your system. What you need to look for are features. Will this do what you need? Does it have the inputs you need? Can it convert the right formats? Do you need balanced outputs? Do you want or need a headphone jack? What I will say is that this one unit has a ton of features, inputs, etc. If you want one DAC that does most anything you might want, this is it.Why 4 stars? I also had a problem with the optical input like a more negative review that came before me. It isn't broken, but it seems to be a touch recessed. As a result, my long, flexible, and nicest optical cable could not quite lock in place. I have never had this issue before! A more basic cable went right in. If you have issues with the optical input, try another cable and see what happens. Just a heads up!

This DAC amplifier has taken my audio experience to the next level. The sound quality is pristine, with deep bass and clear highs. It’s easy to set up, and the multiple input options make it versatile for different devices. The build is solid, and the remote control is a nice addition. A fantastic piece of equipment for anyone serious about high-quality sound!

I’m new to the audio hobby world. Got myself some spectacular headphones, then had to learn what dacs and amps were and what they do.I then decided to get really great speakers and got the Kali Audio IN-8 v2. They sound spectacular, but there was one massive hiccup. I also enjoy playing computer games, and I have a power PC. But whenever my computer was placed under load to run graphic-intense games, a very audible and horribly annoying hiss/buzz got introduced no matter how I adjusted the volume.Came to learn that my monster PC was throwing up so much electromagnetic interference that it was introducing noise into the audio.After some research, I landed on the DL100 from SMSL. It seemed perfect for my needs - optical input to reduce signal noise coming from the PC, and also balanced XLR outputs for some SOLID noise reduction.Placed the order and the necessary cables. Everything arrived today and I’m getting everything set up and plugged in. I get the new optical cables, and remove the obvious looking safety caps. Insert into the computer all okay, and then the DL100…There was an immediate resistance when trying to connect. I took another look at the alignment for the connection and verified I had it right. Tried again . . . no joy. Wouldn’t budge.Not wanting to exacerbate the situation, I stopped and did an online search. Seems like a few people had similar problems with other systems. The typical responses to their inquiries was that the optical cable is supposed to snap into place, and to just push in hard.O-Kay, I tried just that, and still nothing. No matter how hard I pushed. So, at this point I’m getting concerned at the amount of force I had just placed upon it. Used my phone as a flashlight to take a better look… and just great. I could see a bent and breaking apart piece inside that looked like a plastic tab that was blocking the entrance to the port.I come to later learn that this is a “trap door” that is spring loaded and supposed to stay shut when not in use to prevent dust buildup. And when inserting an optical cable, it’s supposed to swing up and lay on top of the optical connector.Using tweezers, I managed to extricate the damaged flap and the spring connections. I then tried to insert the optical cable, but it was completely loose inside and would not stay solidly connected at all.Now I’m feeling completely dejected at having unintentionally broken the very connection point I needed to make this whole thing to work for me. I connected to the computer just fine. So why did the DL100 give me an issue?I haven’t the foggiest idea what happened. But, I researched further to see what other folks had done in a similar situation such as mine. And I was glad to see that I wasn’t alone. The prevailing recommendation was to place the optical cable in the port, and use tape to secure it in place.Ugh… I wasn’t liking that I was going to have to do something so… crude on my brand new DL100. However, luckily I came across the recommendation that a thin wallet card would be roughly the same thickness as the little plastic flap that was supposed to open and lay on top of the connector. The recommendation was to cut a tiny pice of that card, lay it on top of the optical connector (as if it would be the plastic flap that would open up when inserting the connector), and with the pressure of being there on the connector, it would allow it to click into place.Seeing this as being the better option than taping it in place, I proceeded to do just that. And I’ll be damned… it worked! Clicked into place, fired up the computer, the audio connection was rock solid and the interference noise was gone!!! I was so happy and relieved.I originally was going to give this a one star review as that problematic little cover for the optical connection port created such a massive issue and nearly rendered the entire product useless for my needs.However, with the innovative fix that I found, and after all said and done… the machine is doing exactly what I needed it to. I am completely uncertain if it was just bad luck to receiving one of these that happened to have a stubborn port flap that wouldn’t budge when it was supposed to, or if this is a bigger issue affecting the others.Just FYI that this happened at least once, and be careful if you’re thinking of using this product for a similar situation. I’m glad that I didn’t give up and spent quite some time trying to figure out what happened, and found solutions. I simply wish I could’ve avoided all that and the optical cable would’ve just connected like normal. If it had done that, I’d probably be giving this review 5 stars instead.Pictures included. On second picture you can see the broken protective flap and the spring that I removed. You can also see the optical cable inserted with a little piece of that card on top providing it the stability required to stay connected in place.

Amazon hat mir diesen hochwertigen DAC kostenfrei zum Test überlassen.Die Installation geht leicht und selbsterklärend von statten.Bei mir wird der DAC über einen Streamer angesprochen, der per optischer Verbindung mit dem SMSL DAC verbunden ist.Bisher hatte ich nur DACs der 100€ Klasse, die ich aber mit anderen OpAmps aufgerüstet habe.Im Vergleich zu diesen Geräten fällt der DL100 leider nicht gut aus dem Rahmen. Sicherlich klingt das Ding gut, ich kann nur den Preis in der Soundqualität nicht vollständig wiederfinden.

Il punto di forza è che si tratta di un DAC bilanciato, il che è ottimo per un device di questa fascia di prezzo - quindi ha la massa separata dal segnale positivo e negativo e i segnali viaggiano su fasi opposte che consente di azzerare il rumore raccolto dai cavi.Le uscite non sono quindi le piu comuni, ma jack 6.3 o 4.4 bilanciato per le cuffie sul frontale, oppure doppia uscita XLR bilanciata o coassiale RCA per compatibilita.Gli ingressi invece sono le cinque tipologie digitali: USB, ARC, ottica, coassiale o Bluetooth.L'alimentatore da 220V è integrato il che consente di progettarlo con appositi filtri per le componenti nelle frequenze audio per un maggiore isolamento.Chiaramente per apprezzarlo occorrono cuffie bilanciate o uno stereo bilanciato, e cavi adeguati che purtroppo non vengono forniti, per la classe del dispositivo almeno una tipologia di cavo bilanciato sarebbe stato apprezzato.L'uscita bilanciata offre la miglior dinamica, il miglior rapporto segnale rumore di 132db anche grazie ad una tensione di uscita leggermente superiore a 5vCollegato via USB (modalita 1.1 e 2.0) necessita di apposito driver facilmente reperibile per riconoscerlo come device DACConfrontato con altre soluzioni HD Audio, sia DAC esterno che integrate, la qualita del suono è molto buona e non si avverte rumososita di fondo bianca/marrone, la dinamica è molto buona.Punta molto su una THD bassissima di 0.00009%Supporta nativamente DSD256 e PCM 32bit/768kHz senza downsampling.Utilizza 3 OPA1612a come amplificatori dedicati per le uscite jack consentendo di raddoppiare rispetto a soluzioni precedenti la potenza disponibile per cuffie da 300ohm, che sono sempre piu impegnative da pilotare - la potenza è comunque 3W su 16ohm o 1.5W su 32ohm.La resa è abbastanza neutra o flat, non c'è esaltazione dei bassi.In definitiva interessante DAC entry level, punto di forza le uscite bilanciate

Listening to any audio through here is fantastic. Music is just on another level and it’s crisp and clear. What an experience.The device itself is fairly easy to use with the help of the guide. Once you’re setup it’s mostly just the volume you’d need to adjust, depending on what you’re doing with it.There lots of different connections and devices you can use with it. I focused on playing music through headphones. I haven’t used another DAC like this to compare it to but it’s hard to imagine how it can get much better.The quality is okay. It’s surprisingly light weight. I expected it to be heavier. It doesn’t have a premium feel, yet also does not feel at all cheap. The price might be a tad high but at least i can say it works well. It’s easy to pay more for something worse if you don’t know better.Overall I’d say it’s a solid choice for the cost and it works well. I’m happy with it.

Arriva in una scatola di cartone massiccia che comprende però soltanto il cavo di alimentazione USB ad USB C (molto comodo) l'antenna per il Bluetooth, ed il telecomando ad infrarossi per gestire tutto comodamente a distanza. E' piccolo e abbastanza pesante, ottimamente costruito, tra le caratteristiche tecniche poco sottolineate è che ha la massa separata dal segnale positivo e negativo e i segnali viaggiano su fasi opposte che consente di azzerare il rumore raccolto dai cavi, che nell'elaborazione è fondamentale.Sul frontale dispone di jack 6.3" o 4.4" bilanciato per le cuffie sul frontale, oppure doppia uscita XLR bilanciata o coassiale RCA per compatibilita, mentre un piccolo display a segmenti indica la sorgente selezionata e le modalità in uso, una manpola consente le regolazioni audio e tecniche.Sul retro abbiamo 5 ingressi: USB, ARC, ottica, coassiale o Bluetooth.L'alimentatore da 220V è integrato il che consente di progettarlo con appositi filtri per le componenti nelle frequenze audio per un maggiore isolamento.L'uscita bilanciata offre la miglior dinamica, il miglior rapporto segnale rumore di 132db anche grazie ad una tensione di uscita leggermente superiore a 5V.Collegato via USB dispone di due modalità, USB 1.1 compatibile con qualsiasi sistema, USB 2.0 necessita di apposito driver scaricabile dal sito del produttore, disponibile persino per sistema Windows 7, per riconoscerlo come device DAC e sfruttarne le capacità di elaborazione a 24bit.Supporta nativamente DSD256 mentre con PCM 32bit/768kHz senza downsampling.Utilizza 3 OPA1612a come amplificatori dedicati per le uscite jack consentendo di raddoppiare rispetto a soluzioni precedenti la potenza disponibile per cuffie da 300ohm, che sono sempre piu impegnative da pilotare - la potenza è comunque 3W su 16ohm o 1.5W su 32ohm.Nel concreto, dati e qualità a parte, è strabiliante la resa sonora, dona corposità e spazialità al suo da qualsiasi sorgente, persino quelle "meno qualitative" elevando l'ascolto sonoro persino con già disponibile (nel mio caso) un'ottimo home theater Yamaha con DSP dedicato, che si tratti di una canzone o di un film, riesce a portarli ad un livello superiore.Peccato che per il prezzo di 199,99€ non vengano forniti cavi in dotazione, ma l'audiofilo vorrà e saprà sceglierli per conto proprio, semplicemente costa meno di altre soluzioni, ma rende tantissimo.

Der Soundverstärker kam ordentlich verpackt in einem kleinen Karton an. Er ist relativ leicht, was ihn einfach zu handhaben macht, und die Verarbeitungsqualität ist wirklich sehr gut. Im Lieferumfang waren eine Fernbedienung, ein USB-Kabel und eine Bluetooth-Antenne enthalten, was das Setup flexibel und einfach macht. Die Leistung des Verstärkers ist insgesamt ausgezeichnet, besonders wenn man ihn über Kabelverbindungen betreibt. Die Bluetooth-Verbindung könnte etwas besser sein, daher bevorzuge ich den kabelgebundenen Betrieb. Der einzige Kritikpunkt ist der Preis, der im Vergleich zur Leistung meiner Meinung nach etwas hoch ist.Ich gebe diesem Produkt aus meiner Sicht 4 Sterne.Vielen Dank für das Lesen meiner Rezension, ich hoffe, sie war hilfreich für Sie.