S.M.S.L SU-1 MQA MQA-CD Audio Decoder AK4493S XU316 768kHz/32Bit DSD512 Hi-Res DAC

Bought this is on review recommendations. Just had an 1990s DAT player refurbished, brought back from the dead after it had spent thirty years in the garage, now it plays perfectly but it had a somewhat compressed sound. This DAC has one of the very latest/best chip sets usually found in units at ten times the price, the DAC in the DAT is thirty years old so could benefit from the latest tech to give it a boost. Some people think all DACs are the same but they are clearly not, a listening test shows this very clearly, just as all headphones don’t sound alike. I have six DACs, some are good, some are not so good and it does not always relate to cost. A have a Fosi which is ok as a headphone DAC and pre amp which is ok, warm sounding but lacking clarity, a Beyerdynamic slightly better but not enough for the additional cost, a Chord Mojo which is very good used between an ipad and twin rca cables to an amp, a Prozor for 5.1 sound from a modern tv to ancient analogue cinema amp which was very cheap but sounds great and now this which sounds brilliant, better than the Chord but at about a fifth of the price. A good DAC puts air and soundstage into the music, separates the instruments and gives clarity to bass and treble. This one has opened up the sound of this DAT player, giving a clearer sound, very pleased with the result for such a low cost item. Also as the DAT is optical cable and the CD player, also from the 90s, is coaxial digital, this unit can take both items and you can switch between them using the button on the front.

Like most people, my interest in sound devices and recordings is simply about getting as close as possible to the sound of a great performance of the music to which I listen. Bach, Bacharach, Basie, whatever. And this super little sound device constitutes very siginificant progress in that quest. Connected by USB to my PC it takes PCM and DSD files, converts them and sends an analogue signal to my desktop amp (Douk Audio T6). I listen to the output on Sony MDR 1 headphones. Like everyone with good new equipment I hear things differently and more clearly on recordings I have loved for years. Dynamics, attack and decay of notes, balance within ensembles, tonal nuance and so on. The S.M.S.L. SU-1 makes it all possible. Set up and operation are simplicity itself and the Roon music library/player connected immediately. (The only advisory I offer is to ensure you download and install the relevant driver to facilitate ASIO again easily done from the SMSL website) All this for a derisory price compared to regular hifi equipment. The only regret I have is that I now won't be trying out anything else for some time to come.

This is a decoder (DAC) and pre-amp, of the best audio quality. Actually, it's astonishing. Technically there are better DACs, but you can probably only measure the difference with professional equipment. Audio Science Review concludes "SMSL cuts the functionality to the minimum many need, to have high quality conversion of digital to analog for multiple inputs. Performance is superb for the cost, as it provides full transparency to the source. It proves that performance requires great engineering skill, and not a ton of money. A lesson that I hope one day high-end audio companies and their customers appreciate." I have it linked to a Pi2Aes (re-clocker linked to a Pi NAS music server) for my digital music catalogue and Web Radio, including MQA tracks. There's no volume control, which I rather miss, but that is available from the next stage (amp), so it outputs a good 2v. I'd prefer balanced inputs/outputs, but with this performance, who cares? This replaced a much larger DAC with multiple inputs, with greater functionality and lower cost. Did I mention how small it was? Astonishing.

Generally flawless DAC although I find I need some bass EQ compared to other converters. So silent and with such high resolution that digital volume control can be used with absolutely zero subjective loss in quality. The issue with the XMOS USB controller is that it goes into a standby mode after 5 seconds of no signal, apparently a default intended for when the chip is used in dongles for mobile devices (i.e. phones) to save a watt or so of power draw (silly for desktop and general hifi applications), and when it 'wakes up' it misses the first half second or so of playback which can get REALLY annoying if you're browsing files. It can be fixed in Windows by installing an XMOS USB driver from the SMSL website (the DAC is otherwise plug-and-play with the default, fairly recent Windows driver), but you then have to edit an XML configuration file to enable "Always On" as an option in its control panel (it's fixed to "On When Needed" otherwise). Search for "XMOS driver settings for no cutoff/delay" on the Audio Science Review forum. *** Edit Dec. 2024 *** the latest XMOS driver from SMSL's site (released in the last month or two) now allows 'Always On' available in the control panel (it might even be the default, I can't remember if I had to change it ), so my criticism above no longer applies. ETA 2 - A general tip - this little box draws practically no power, maybe a watt or two - leave it powered on 24/7 and it will last. If you keep switching it on and off (power cycling it) there's a much higher chance it will fail.

The SMSL SU 1 is a well made and featured DAC. However, if you have a detailed system already this DAC can prove a bit too forward in the mid and upper frequencies. The bass is there but a bit on the lean side. So much so I have reverted back to my Khdas tone board that gives a lovely level presentation, detail, image and bass. I use my DAC via coax to spdif of my CD player.

Le stelle sono 5 ma potrebbero essere 6😉 Il DAC è molto ben costruito, piccolo ma "pesante" , tutto in metallo di buona qualità. Riguardo il suono: suona molto bene, per il prezzo poi suona in modo eccellente. Io utilizzo dac di vario tipo, anche apparecchi pro usati solo come convertitori, e questo piccoletto non sfigura affatto. Confrontato con il mio dac" di riferimento " ( uno che avevo assemblato anni fa, con alimentazione separata ,op- amp sostituibili, e, guarda caso con un vecchio chip AKM, perde solamente qualcosa nella gamma bassa, che è meno estesa e presente. Quindi in sintesi: se non volete spendere centinaia di euro ( parecchie) questo è sicuramente la scelta giusta. Sono rimasto abbastanza sorpreso, perché non credevo suonasse così bene

Ok

Performance is TOP quality both in USB and Optical I have not tried the coaxial output... I bought this for home use to my Harmon Kardon amp it is amazing quality don`t buy the over priced DAC`s this will make the difference you are looking for. This is pure and simple less chance of noise from LCD screens and other knobs or buttons. When using optical you need to power the DAC from the USB C port. Not sure about Coaxial port. USB C port works in Windows 11 just plug into your computer and it gets power and plays your audio all from that port. The web site stating it works with android, they should state Tablets only as it will not work with cellphones unless you have external power supply using USB C Splitter, Dual USB C Headphone and Charger Adapter,2-in-1 The single end to the dac, Then you will need the Fosi Audio DS1 supplied USB C cable to connect the splitter to your cell I've tried other quality 6inch usbc cable but it will not connect to cellphone only works with shorter cable that came with fosi ds1 dac. I even tried a smaller adapter with no cable just USB C males ends and still it will not work only the Fosi Audio DS1 cable will work... Another warning is you have no volume control when using your cellphone so you need to have it playing through something with volume control.... I know this as I used a RCA to AUX cable to use it with headphones so only full volume that way !!! I contacted SMSL customer support on Facebook requesting firmware to be updated but they are not helpful at all very ignorant. I just found the actual link for customer service on there web site and requested a firmware update.. Without the splitter and external power supply your cell will state what is below. The SMSL web site states it works with android but when I plug the USB C from my Galaxy A52 without external power supply the screen states very clearly quote : Android system High Power USB device connected Cannot access to this device. Connected device needs external power supply. I also bought the Fosi Audio DS1 USB-C DAC for my cellphone it is also very high quality don`t waste your money on more expensive portable DAC`s both DAC`s will impress.

Très bon. Bons timbres, très dynamique et clair. Bonne profondeur de scène sonore. Il a remplacé un Topping E30 et est nettement meilleur. L'avantage est qu'il n'y a pas de filtres, ni de suréchantillonnage avec une lecture CD. Comme on dit en anglais, "Less is More". Il a de bonnes basses, bien tenues, mais pas extra profondes. Il manque un peu de medium. J'ai essayé ensuite le D6s qui avait un son dur dans les aigues et artificiel sur mon installation. Donc, je garde le SU-1, qui est imbattable en rapport qualité prix. Il faut lui associer une bonne alimentation linéaire et de bons câbles pour en tirer le maximum. La puce AK produit des sons très naturels. Je n'ai pas du tout aimé le son de la puce ESS sur le D6s.

For the price this DAC delivers good sound and value.