SMSL PS100 *$30.00* DAC (some limitations apply)

[Yersinia Bestmate]

My PS100 arrived today, haven't had time to test hdmi arc but it works flawlessly as a usb-dac, nothing to complain about the sound, and the BT works fine aswell. It is really tiny and lightweight.

 

[Overseas]

Got mine from Audiophonics, HDMI ARC works asbut should, though the whole operation is not as convenient as I imagined, because of the TV settings.
Also tested it for USB OTG from the phone, all good.

Amazing value, as amps with HDMI ARC are quite expensive, except Wiim. But if you want to keep your current amp, this is the HDMI ARC addition.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Had finally time to test the hdmi-arc connection and it did not work the way I thought it would.

Connected my PS100 into the hdmi-arc out of a TV (a couple of years old Philips smart tv) with the included hdmi cable and connected PS100 to a Genelec G3 pair with rca cables. The result: unable to control the volume with the TV's remote..

 

[Overseas]

Make sure Philips has hdmi ARC, not just hdmi
Make sure you select the right settings on TV, like HDMI ARC output + PCM
Make sure you select HDMI on the Smsl device

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Make sure Philips has hdmi ARC, not just hdmi
Make sure you select the right settings on TV, like HDMI ARC output + PCM
Make sure you select HDMI on the Smsl device

I did write "Connected my PS100 into the hdmi-arc out of a TV"...

And of course hdmi was selected on PS100.
And of course hdmi sound output was selected on TV.

I did ask Audiophonics support if PS100 would work as hdmi-arc control device. They first told me that no because the dac-chip used doesn't support volume control, but later they told me that it in fact would work. But it did not so this is a bit confusing. Maybe it's the TV where the problem is. Nevertheless, I'm sending back the unit.

 

[Overseas]

Works for me.
Change the cable, check all TV settings, as I said, some TVs require PCM settings but try all format settings.
But again, some TV dont work.

 

[antcollinet]

I did write "Connected my PS100 into the hdmi-arc out of a TV"...

And of course hdmi was selected on PS100.
And of course hdmi sound output was selected on TV.

I did ask Audiophonics support if PS100 would work as hdmi-arc control device. They first told me that no because the dac-chip used doesn't support volume control, but later they told me that it in fact would work. But it did not so this is a bit confusing. Maybe it's the TV where the problem is. Nevertheless, I'm sending back the unit.

You might also need to enable HDMI CEC control on the TV.

 

[Overseas]

Check tv specs, what is the model?

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Thanks for the advice but it just doesn't seemr to work. Also could not find pcm setting anywhere, nor cec. TV is Philips 55POS9002 and has once been reseted back to factory settings. Maybe that's the problem..

 

[Overseas]

Seems to have CEC, try all Hdmi ports

54.6" Philips 55POS9002/12 - Specifications

Specifications of Philips 55POS9002/12. Display: 54.6 in, OLED, 3840 x 2160 pixels, Refresh rate: 100 Hz / 120 Hz, TV tuner: Analog (NTSC/PAL/SECAM), DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-C, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-T2 HD, SoC: MediaTek MT5891, CPU: ARM Cortex-A53, 1100 MHz, Cores: 4, RAM: 2 GB, Storage: 16 GB...

www.displayspecifications.com

 

[staticV3]

@Yersinia Bestmate HDMI CEC is the feature that enables volume control via HDMI.

There is usually a toggle in the TV settings where you can turn CEC on/off.

 

[Overseas]

Go to All Settings, like. Not only Sound... sometimes its tricky.

 

[antcollinet]

Also could not find pcm setting anywhere, nor cec

This is from the manual for your TV:

EasyLink - HDMI CEC
Connect HDMI CEC-compatible devices to your TV, you can operate them with the TV remote control.
EasyLink HDMI CEC must be switched on on the TV and the connected device.

Switch on EasyLink
 Settings > General
settings > EasyLink > EasyLink > On.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

This is from the manual for your TV:

Great. Thanks.

But FFS.. Why a CEC cannot be labelled as CEC in the menu. Would be too simple perhaps.

I just cannot get my head around the naming jargon these manufacturers use. HDMI could be called "Magic Portal" or something as clever.

 

[antcollinet]

Grear. Thanks.

But FFS.. Why a CEC cannot be labelled as CEC in the menu. Would be too simple perhaps.

I just cannot get my head around the naming yargon these manufacturers use. HDMI could be called "Magic Portal" or something as clever.

100% agree.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Well well well.. Checked the menu and EasyLink was in fact on when testing PS100.

To sum up: tried both HDMI-arc ports on the TV several times, EasyLink (cec) was on, HDMI sound output was selected, HDMI was selected on PS100.

Maybe this particular Philips tv model just isn't compatible with PS100.

But anyway, thanks for the good advices, everyone!

 

[ajzach]

With this DAC I thought I found a great solution to connect my TV directly to active speakers. So I bought it and connected it to a Sony Bravia X80J on one end and a pair of Kali LP-6 V2 on the other.

However, a simple flaw ruins it for my TV use. When you turn the TV off, the DAC automatically turns off as well. Ok, good to have such an option if it does work correctly. But it doesn't. The problem is that after the TV is turned on again, the DAC does not respond; it doesn't turn on automatically, and it can't be turned on manually. The only solution to make it work again is to reconnect all the cables.

But I wouldn't do that each time I turn on my TV. Now I'm back to using those HDMI extractors with (probably) poor DACs, which at least don't have an automatic turn-off system. Those extractors can just be left on so that every time I turn on the TV, I have the audio signal coming.

Some people have mentioned earlier that this may be a flaw of Sony TVs. I don't know but in my case, the DAC is unusable. I have opened the dispute on Aliexpress, but probably I've just lost 30 Euro. It's a shame that it doesn't work well because it is probably the only DAC with an HDMI under 100 USD.

 

[Overseas]

I use it on optical with USB power from TV. At thus price, I have many uses for it.

 

[El Cheapo]

With this DAC I thought I found a great solution to connect my TV directly to active speakers. So I bought it and connected it to a Sony Bravia X80J on one end and a pair of Kali LP-6 V2 on the other.

However, a simple flaw ruins it for my TV use. When you turn the TV off, the DAC automatically turns off as well. Ok, good to have such an option if it does work correctly. But it doesn't. The problem is that after the TV is turned on again, the DAC does not respond; it doesn't turn on automatically, and it can't be turned on manually. The only solution to make it work again is to reconnect all the cables.

But I wouldn't do that each time I turn on my TV. Now I'm back to using those HDMI extractors with (probably) poor DACs, which at least don't have an automatic turn-off system. Those extractors can just be left on so that every time I turn on the TV, I have the audio signal coming.

Some people have mentioned earlier that this may be a flaw of Sony TVs. I don't know but in my case, the DAC is unusable. I have opened the dispute on Aliexpress, but probably I've just lost 30 Euro. It's a shame that it doesn't work well because it is probably the only DAC with an HDMI under 100 USD.

May or may not help: On your Sony TV, check if you have an option under Settings -> Channels & Inputs -> External Inputs -> Bravia Sync Settings -> Device Auto Power off

 

[cubanmetalguy]

With this DAC I thought I found a great solution to connect my TV directly to active speakers. So I bought it and connected it to a Sony Bravia X80J on one end and a pair of Kali LP-6 V2 on the other.

However, a simple flaw ruins it for my TV use. When you turn the TV off, the DAC automatically turns off as well. Ok, good to have such an option if it does work correctly. But it doesn't. The problem is that after the TV is turned on again, the DAC does not respond; it doesn't turn on automatically, and it can't be turned on manually. The only solution to make it work again is to reconnect all the cables.

But I wouldn't do that each time I turn on my TV. Now I'm back to using those HDMI extractors with (probably) poor DACs, which at least don't have an automatic turn-off system. Those extractors can just be left on so that every time I turn on the TV, I have the audio signal coming.

Some people have mentioned earlier that this may be a flaw of Sony TVs. I don't know but in my case, the DAC is unusable. I have opened the dispute on Aliexpress, but probably I've just lost 30 Euro. It's a shame that it doesn't work well because it is probably the only DAC with an HDMI under 100 USD.

Yes, Sony Bravia Google TVs have known HDMI arc issues. Even if you select not to power off HDMI devices with the TV, connected HDMI/arc devices won't power up sometimes. I had the same issue with the PS100 and my Sony Bravia TV. Bought a pair of powered speakers with HDMI/arc input and they have the same issue when connected to that TV.