SMSL SD-9 Player Review

[Doodski]

Windows11Pro puked big time with a BSOD stating "Critical Process Died" in capital letters,

Mine now has some sort of script error. I never did anything to it. I don't change the settings, services or such and it just appeared one day... It's full time now and I have all my new games loaded and ready to go... No small feat considering the security hoops I had to jump through to get the stuff networked with the game servers. Usually I can go years++ without a issue and this is highly suspect.

 

[raif71]

I just bought this used around 200. My usecases are sdcard and otg with thumbdrive. The otg usb connection to thumbdrive is not that good. Kept getting "OTG_2 removed" from the display. Will try a powered usb hub next. The sd-9 is connected to Gustard X16 via IIS and to Bifrost 2 via usb. So far I only power the DAC that I'm using. Not sure if I power both, which output will sound.

 

[Jimster480]

I just bought this used around 200. My usecases are sdcard and otg with thumbdrive. The otg usb connection to thumbdrive is not that good. Kept getting "OTG_2 removed" from the display. Will try a powered usb hub next. The sd-9 is connected to Gustard X16 via IIS and to Bifrost 2 via usb. So far I only power the DAC that I'm using. Not sure if I power both, which output will sound.

Sometimes Thumbdrives cannot handle being plugged in for long periods of time while being constantly accessed. That might be the issue especially if your music is high res (large file sizes).

 

[raif71]

Sometimes Thumbdrives cannot handle being plugged in for long periods of time while being constantly accessed. That might be the issue especially if your music is high res (large file sizes).

Hopefully with a powered usb hub, it'll work.

Edit:

I had success with this Y-cable. The connections are labeled respectively. Now the thumbdrive is working fine with this cable. I believe that just connecting thumbdrive directly, consume too much power or current. With this cable and one of the connection is to usb power, gives enough juice to power the thumbdrive and let sd-9 otg to read its contents and play the files.

The adapter to connect thumbdrive and to the y-cable micro-usb male jack.

 

[raif71]

One quirkiness I notice that whenever I use the otg for example otg_2 usb port, the display will show that I'm using the port but after I switched off the unit and switched it back on, the display would show that it's on SD but playing files are ok and it is playing from the otg_2 connected usb thumbdrive.

 

[twiningstea]

Sd9 has same as dp5 depth of field plugin enabled. It makes sound looks nice but in tests looks like crosstalk.

 

[nUUK25]

Hello everybody,

Currently i'm looking for an Audio streamer (no DAC, and less than 1000 us.) which can playback an ISO DSD file directly and continuously track by track for the whole music album. Like Foobar2000 can do as software on a PC. I have looked at: SMSL SD-9, but have no knowledge from users who has first hand experience with it and ISO DSD playback !
I took an ISO DSD file generated from a Super Audio CD, (one music album) and converted the tracks into DSF files (with Sonore; ISO2DSD v.7 software) and placed them all in a file folder on a HDD. To my horror i discovered that Foobar2000 software only plays one track and stops ! And likewise the streamer I have borrowed now: Matrix Audio Element S, does exactly the same ! I have to manually start each track which is crap user friendliness ! Element S can't 'see' ISO DSD - hence I converted to DSF.

Can something go wrong in the conversion from ISO DSD to DSF which cause the playback problem ? (In ISO2DSD I chose: Channel mode: Dual, Output mode: Sony DSF, ok Cue sheet, ok Convert DST to DSD, ok Print.)
Is the 'continuous playback' problem with DSF files a general problem which can not be changed ?
Has any uses here any experience with ISO DSD playback from any model of Audio Streamer - Especially with continuous playback, track by track - I like to hear from you ?