SMSL DO100 PRO - HDMI ARC DAC

[The Me]

Wait, you have to physically turn the switch off on the back of the unit if you switch inputs from ARC just so it shows up active again?? Maybe I'll just stick to USB from my Shield then..

Yes, at least this is the case with my particular TV.

 

[khuntim]

Im skeptical that the hdmi out of a TV will have much less jitter than the optical.

For now my D-6s handles the optical of my tv flawlessly even with the most senstive PLL.

The D6S looks like same specs as DO 100 Pro without HDMI?

 

[Human Bass]

The D6S looks like same specs as DO 100 Pro without HDMI?

The 100 uses 2 dac 9039Q2. The 6 just one chip. The 6 already achieve perfect results with one chip.


Buuuut the 100 is pretty much the same price. So it is the right choice. Funny how those Chinese companies compete with themselves so hard lol

 

[Oukkidoukki]

Can someone clarify…if I put apple tv box to hdmi in on tv. And this to another hdmi in slot in tv that has arc written in it……the sound of apple tv will come out of this do100? Is it so?

 

[staticV3]

Can someone clarify…if I put apple tv box to hdmi in on tv. And this to another hdmi in slot in tv that has arc written in it……the sound of apple tv will come out of this do100? Is it so?

As long as the Apple TV, TV, and DAC are setup correctly, yes.

 

[Oukkidoukki]

Ok, cool, thank you.

 

[hello_again]

I just received my DO100 Pro today and it does not have the 4V/5V switch.

Does it send a volume controlled signal out to both the XLR and RCAs at the same time? Trying to see if the RCAs can be used as a sub out. The manual doesn't speak to this. Thx...

 

[Riceboy]

Does it send a volume controlled signal out to both the XLR and RCAs at the same time? Trying to see if the RCAs can be used as a sub out. The manual doesn't speak to this. Thx...

the DO100 non pro that i owned did output to both XLR and RCA at the same time, and i did use the RCA out as sub out to my SVS SB2000.
my guess is that the pro version will also do the same

 

[hello_again]

the DO100 non pro that i owned did output to both XLR and RCA at the same time, and i did use the RCA out as sub out to my SVS SB2000.
my guess is that the pro version will also do the same

That's a positive sign, been thinking the DO100 pro might be a good pairing for the upcoming v3 monos for a 2.1 flexible hifi movie system.

 

[staticV3]

That's a positive sign, been thinking the DO100 pro might be a good pairing for the upcoming v3 monos for a 2.1 flexible hifi movie system.

No way to High-pass your main speakers and no way to apply room correction.

A WiiM Amp or WiiM Ultra fixes both of these issues.

 

[The Me]

Does it send a volume controlled signal out to both the XLR and RCAs at the same time? Trying to see if the RCAs can be used as a sub out. The manual doesn't speak to this. Thx...

I just tested it and can confirm that it does. Just keep in mind that the XLR output signal is much stronger than the RCA at a given volume.

 

[hello_again]

I just tested it and can confirm that it does. Just keep in mind that the XLR output signal is much stronger than the RCA at a given volume.

Appreciate the verification and the word of caution regarding the level matching between the outputs...

 

[staticV3]

I plan to use the RCA outputs and the XLR outputs simultaneously, with XLR -> RCA adaptors. I assume the XLR output will not be too loud because it's being converted to single ended?

An XLR Line out cannot easily/cleanly be converted to RCA.

No matter how you do it, a performance penalty is likely:

Topping Pre90 Review (preamplifier)

It's not only correct, it is required. Sorry if I'm wrong. I'm not good at English so it's Google Translate.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Topping D10 Balanced Review (USB DAC)

It looks (in my case) ,that the onboard switching power supply + 5.65V / -5.6V, which supplies the output analog circuits (3 OA) behind the DAC, fails / does not start ..). That PSU is powered from 5V inputs. The all other onboard sources (3.3V, 1.2V, 1V) start up normally, they are linear (not...

www.audiosciencereview.com

The smarter thing to do would be to use simple RCA splitter cables to connect multiple devices to the DAC's RCA Line out:

 

[staticV3]

Hmm, I didn't know that. I'm doing it now using TRS -> RCA adaptors with my DL200, and can't hear any issue with the sound.
Maybe the Topping is different?

Very unlikely.

 

[jruser]

Does the screen go off after a while or does it stay on the entire time?

 

[Toku]

I thought balanced was just two duplicates of the signal, and converting to single-ended just meant using one of the signals instead of both. Why would there be a loss of quality?

It is possible to connect the XLR/TRS output to an unbalanced input using a conversion cable. Sound also comes out normally. However, as a result, the performance and characteristics of balanced output will be lost. In some cases, it is worse than unbalanced output. But you won't be able to tell the difference just by listening.
Just because the sound is coming out normally does not mean that the device is working properly. If there is any influence from the surroundings, the problem will be exposed. If you have an unbalanced output, it's better to just use it.
However, if you think there is no problem with the sound quality with that connection, you can continue to use it. It will not damage electronic components. That doesn't mean you should never use it.
Use the conversion cable only when the output device has only balanced outputs and the input device only has unbalanced inputs.
To fully understand this problem, we need a theory of signal transmission in electronic circuits.

 

[khuntim]

I am no longer finding the DO100 Pro sounding hallow, with a change of cables.

changed RCA cables? to?

 

[myokarditis]

Nevermind, instead of fiddling with cables to affect the sound, the biggest improvement came from ditching the preamp and EQ and using the DO100 Pro as the Pre amp. (I happen to be using silver conductor cables, because they are the right length and they sound good to me.) Before I was using the DO100 Pro as a DAC with max output into a Schiit Saga S with Loki EQ. But I went direct to the DO100 Pro and experienced a big jump in sound quality.

with your current system, how's the soundstage (width/depth) & imaging of the DO100Pro compared to the SU-1? is it better? and if it is, is it subtle? or did you only noticed it cuz you're an experienced listener? or is it in your opinion even so much better, that you noticed it right away?

 

[DZLRULZ]

I have recent direct experience with SU-1 versus D0100 Pro. I was looking to add a balanced DAC to my fleet and was also watching the D-6s for a price drop (which came after I bought the D0100 Pro of course!)

The SU-1 really does sound good with no user input. It's simple and plain, and does well. The D0100 Pro is better sounding. (I have used a SU-1, C100 and a Topping D10s in this same setup for testing purposes.) There are some nuances to ES vs. AKM that either follow the architecture of the DAC or the design philosophy of the implementations that I have experienced, and I am not an expert so I will not add to that debate. I have other experience with the Arcam ST60 (ESS9038) in my main 2.1 system with Arcam Class-G SA20 and Klipsch RP-600M II/KEF KF92 subwoofer. That sounds great. I have the SMSL C100 (same basic config as SU-1) in another 2.1 setup with Klipsch Fives/ REL HT/1003 MK2.

After setting the output level to nominal for XLR test case in my PA setup (monitoring levels at the mixer) at ~60%

Using FL2 filter with Roon source to RoPieee and DSD256 upscale / Precise, linear phase filter / 5th order CLANS I have achieved a better sound to my ears than the SU-1 or D10s in the same signal chain.

I think the default filter (FL2) is likely the best sounding and resonably matches recommendations elsewhere on filtering best practices.

This system is limited by several things, but sounds better than it ever has with the source as Roon/D0100-Pro. (Crest 1600W Class-D amplifier, MTX horn-loaded dual 15" main cabinets and Carvin (edit)*2000W* Class-D with dual 18" ported subwoofers.)

For 2.75x the price (I paid ~$80 for the SU-1 and ~$220 for the D0100 Pro) I would not say it is worth the upgrade in my PA system if only using the USB input. I do not use bluetooth at all, and unlikely to use ARC. Part of the price equation for me is due to the inclusion of XLR and relative freshness of the offering (dual ES9039 / SMSL obsolescence clock started at 2024 release.) I may also consider moving the DAC to one of my 2.1 systems eventually so the price becomes more tolerable.

Based on measurements of the D0100 (non-Pro) on ASR I would hope the D0100 Pro comes in the same or better and that helped my decision to go with it.

 

[Philou]

Toujours intéressant si le prix est bon, support HDMI eARC et USB pour les consoles de jeux.

The big added benefit of the HDMI input is that the DAC volume can be adjusted using the TV remote control.

I have recent direct experience with SU-1 versus D0100 Pro. I was looking to add a balanced DAC to my fleet and was also watching the D-6s for a price drop (which came after I bought the D0100 Pro of course!)

The SU-1 really does sound good with no user input. It's simple and plain, and does well. The D0100 Pro is better sounding. (I have used a SU-1, C100 and a Topping D10s in this same setup for testing purposes.) There are some nuances to ES vs. AKM that either follow the architecture of the DAC or the design philosophy of the implementations that I have experienced, and I am not an expert so I will not add to that debate. I have other experience with the Arcam ST60 (ESS9038) in my main 2.1 system with Arcam Class-G SA20 and Klipsch RP-600M II/KEF KF92 subwoofer. That sounds great. I have the SMSL C100 (same basic config as SU-1) in another 2.1 setup with Klipsch Fives/ REL HT/1003 MK2.

After setting the output level to nominal for XLR test case in my PA setup (monitoring levels at the mixer) at ~60% and using FL2 filter with Roon source to RoPieee and DSD256 upscale / Precise, linear phase filter / 5th order CLANS I have achieved a better sound to my ears than the SU-1 or D10s in the same signal chain.

I think the default filter (FL2) is likely the best sounding and resonably matches recommendations elsewhere on filtering best practices.

This system is limited by several things, but sounds better than it ever has with the source as Roon/D0100-Pro. (Crest 1600W Class-D amplifier, MTX horn-loaded dual 15" main cabinets and Carvin 200W Class-D with dual 18" ported subwoofers.)

For 2.75x the price (I paid ~$80 for the SU-1 and ~$220 for the D0100 Pro) I would not say it is worth the upgrade in my PA system if only using the USB input. I do not use bluetooth at all, and unlikely to use ARC. Part of the price equation for me is due to the inclusion of XLR and relative freshness of the offering (dual ES9039 / SMSL obsolescence clock started at 2024 release.) I may also consider moving the DAC to one of my 2.1 systems eventually so the price becomes more tolerable.

Based on measurements of the D0100 (non-Pro) on ASR I would hope the D0100 Pro comes in the same or better and that helped my decision to go with it.