SMSL DO100 PRO HiFi Balanced DAC with 2X ES9039Q2M & XMOS XU316, 768kHz/DSD512 USB Audio MQA Decoder Preamp, Bluetooth 5.1/Opt/Coax/HDMI ARC Input, RCA/XLR Digital-Analog Converter for PS5/Amp

3 reviews for SMSL DO100 PRO HiFi Balanced DAC with 2X ES9039Q2M & XMOS XU316, 768kHz/DSD512 USB Audio MQA Decoder Preamp, Bluetooth 5.1/Opt/Coax/HDMI ARC Input, RCA/XLR Digital-Analog Converter for PS5/Amp

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – June 23, 2024 Nat Champlin

   Sounds good, good specs, remote is useless unless you’re less than 6 feet from it.Edit: remote works fine unless you are at a significant angle from the front panel. Straight on it works. My rack is off to the side. Most people will have no problem. Added a star.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – July 20, 2024 Velva Grimes

   The media could not be loaded.Recently I’ve gotten into resurrecting some vintage HiFi systems (starting with my dad’s Revox). The issue is that they obviously don’t have an internal Digital to Analog Converter to run streaming services.I’ve been using S.M.S.L. AO300 by Aoshida for the last few weeks as a general compact HiFi for streaming and to power some external speakers for the TV. I was so impressed by this little powerhouse that I wanted to try one of their DAC units. As it happened, Aoshida just released the DO100Pro, an upgrade from their previous high resolution DAC. I was lucky enough to buy one of the first units, so figured I’d give a quick rundown.As with the previous S.M.S.L. AO300, it comes very well packaged with a manual, computer style power cord, USB A to C adapter cable, Bluetooth antenna and a nice little compact remote (you do need to add batteries).The case is all metal, with a CNC front fascia and formed metal main section. It has the updated fascia style with the wave design over a plain box design of the previous DO100. There is a good sized display screen with large font and next to it a concave selector knob/dial for volume and menu selection.On the I/O back panel there is a pair of balanced XLR and a set of single ended RCA outputs. As far as inputs, there is a wide array: Optical, Coaxial, USB-C 2.0 and 1.1(for game consoles), Bluetooth 5.1, and HDMI ARC, which is new on the Pro.Internally there are upgraded components over the previous model. The new dual ESS DAC chips have better dynamic range and ultra-low distortion, and there is a new 3rd generation controller chip with two additional Op-Amp chips, for a total of 6. There is also decoding for MQA in the Pro model. I don’t dabble in that, so can’t say too much about it.This is a DAC only, so it does need an external power amp. I used it directly on powered desktop speakers, and a few different passive speakers via vintage and semi-vintage amplifiers. I do not have any XLR gear, so I did not have a chance to test that.Sound wise this DAC is exactly what I’d hoped for. Just as with the AO300, there is an extremely low noise floor (non-existent basically). The tiniest of details can be clearly heard on decent speakers. Obviously speakers make a big difference in how good things sound, so the better the speaker, the better the sound quality. That is probably my only gripe with this and the newer high resolution audio equipment – you really notice the difference between good and bad recordings.No matter which input I used, all worked flawlessly. The Bluetooth 5.1 connected with my phones immediately, and stayed connected throughout my listening area, which is pretty much the whole house. I use an older phone as my streaming device hooked up via USB-C. This allows me to bypass the phone’s internal DAC and lets the DO100Pro do its thing. Usually I use this while sitting in the listening sweet spot running a playlist and use the remote for volume. My current phone is connected via Bluetooth, so I can change music if I’m walking around.The interface is streamlined and simple to use. Pressing the dial center enters the program menu, starting with input. It cycles through USB, Bluetooth, Coax, and HDMI ARC. Another press puts it into the PCM filter selection, of with there are 7 levels. Next are the 9 DPLL settings, which is for clock jitter. The default of 1 for both of these worked just fine for me. Lastly is the brightness control of the screen.For me, the DO100Pro is a homerun for Aoshida. Though it’s an entry level model, it doesn’t compromise on sound quality, and that is the most important part of course. The higher models have more features such as sound modes, more complex screens, and internal headphone out amps, but those all come with a price increase. If you’re looking for a quality high resolution DAC that doesn’t require a crash course on settings or break the bank, the DO100Pro should be on the short list.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   – September 8, 2024 Saige Towne

   Update (6/13/2024): I reached out to SMSL about the volume level which is not specified in the user manual. The customer rep answered my question clearly. I am happy with fast response. For everyone’s benefit, each step in volume is 0.5dB attenuation. For example, level 90 is -5dB and 80 is -10dB. I wish future firmware update includes an option to toggle between 4V and 5V mode. But for now, I can control without loosing resolution for any 24bit input – volume processing is done in 32bit so it is unlikely to loose a bit for output.Update (6/6/2024): XLR output level (5.2Vrms) is too hot for any amps or powered speakers. I have to lower the input gain of the powered speaker in order to output at full volume with DO100Pro. 5.2Vrms is excessively high. I have to reduce dynamic range on either DAC or amp.Here is how I set up the system in my living room. SMSL DO100 Pro is driven by Wiim Pro Plus via optical cable. The DO100 Pro’s XLR outputs feed Kali WS6.2 subwoofer. The subwoofer has built-in crossover at 80Hz and stereo XLR outputs. The high pass signals are sent to a pair of Kali IN-8 V2 (3-way coaxial powered studio monitors). The subwoofer and the speakers are mounted on ISO-200 Sub and a pair of ISO-200’s. I use 28” high Rockville wooden speaker stands. To avoid potential ground loop, everything is connected to a Furman power strip with EMI filter so that everything shares a same ground.Overall the sound is clean enough to enjoy streaming musics.I choose DO100 Pro because it has two separate high-end DAC processors for channel separation at reasonable price. Since the subwoofer and the speakers have built-in DSP with ADC and DAC, I don’t really need more than this class of DAC.FYI. As an experiment, I directly plugged Chromecast with Google TV 4K to ARC input in order to use as headless configuration (I.e. no TV). It does not work.If possible, I’d like to review a recently announced SMSL DO200 Pro. Since my set up is pro audio, 4v rms is the reference but DO100 Pro outputs at 5v rms. It may be too hot for Kali speakers. DO200 Pro has a physical toggle switch at the bottom to choose between 4v and 5v. That may be a better configuration. The latest Topping D50 has the same type of switch at the bottom.