S.M.S.L M200 Uses AK4497EQ Chip,Support UAT/aptX-HD/AAC/SBC High-Resolution Bluetooth 5.0 Audio DAC

I bought this as an upgrade from a Modi 3. It's a huge improvement. The Modi 3 was a great performer for $100. The M200 is $279. Is it 3 times better? It's really hard to put this kind of comparison in numbers. Generally the principal of diminishing returns apply to almost everything that you strive to upgrade. So no, it is not 3x better, However, it is definitely worth the price if you want a noticeable upgrade. This unit really exceeded my expectations. I was hoping for a small improvement, but I got way more than that. It does take some break in. I think it was after 20 hours or so it was like a hidden switch turned on and everything was silky smooth, no rough edges. Could also be a factor of brand new xlr cables that I added at the same time. I did compare xlr to rca output. the xlr I used was $27 pair. The rca is an old school pure silver probably 6x the cost. The xlr sounds just marginally better, but most noticeable in the lower end. I'm going to try upgrading to some Mogami xlr. The filters are handy because you can tailor the sound to your system. Almost same way that you can tune sound with different cables or isolation. Remote is a plus. Bluetooth works well and sounds really good streaming music from my phone. I almost use my phone streaming exclusively because of convenience. My set up is Schiit Freya+, Mcintosh M2255, Aurum Cantus speakers w/sub.

I replaced my emotiva xda-2 with this little unit and my first impression was regret. It was a bit harsh and unfocused so I gave it a couple of days to break in and it became apparent that this unit was impressive. The accuracy of the tonal presentation was a significant step up from the xda-2 which was no slouch in most areas. I noticed an improvement from top to bottom frequency-wise with more low end slam. No listening fatigue issues so far. Give this unit a few days to warm up and you will be glad you did. Definitely worth the money. Emotiva and JBL pro monitors used in the evaluation.

Powerful bass, a variety of filter settings, AKM-4497 chip is one step below the AKM-4499 flagship chip. Very good DAC for the money.

I originally bought the SMSL M300 Mkii but returned it because it doesn't have APTX HD or LDAP Bluetooth. The M200 is a bit more expensive but has these Bluetooth codecs. Modern Android phones support these codecs - providing excellent sound quality without wires. Google how to turn on LDAC. Then if you have high quality source music (FLAC, etc), amps, speakers, headphones you will be pleased.The documentation is lacking. The paper copy is printed so small and poorly that I couldn't read it - even using my phone as a magnifier.But of course we buy the M200 for it's sound, not it's doc.To get the best sound over LDAC Bluetooth I use these settings:Fl3 - short delay sharp rolloff filter*DF1DP0Pr1SC1 sound color 1* bL3 sets the front led brightness upThe * above make a big difference in the sound.I use the remote control - it is cheap but works well enough. I don't use the volume control on the front panel.The M200 is quieter and has more precise imaging than the substantially less expensive Ear Studio ES100.

The S.M.S.L M200 is a wonderful little DAC for the money. Loads of features, balanced output, Bluetooth 5.0 + LDAC, AND it sounds great. Very functional. About the only thing I'd fault about it is the cheap plastic remote control. It's not very intuitive, and you MUST press the "C" button the first time you use it, or it won't talk to the DAC. Other than that, no complaints at all. I have this paired up with a Monoprice Monolith 887 balanced headphone amp and a pair of Focal Clears. It's a powerful setup with lots of punch, great bass, clarity, presence, and soundstage.

Terrific dac (under-rated IMHO) and I have a few to compare with including 2 SMSL Sanskrit - 10th & 6th w/P1, Topping D50 w/P50, Topping D10. Many amps. The SMSL M200 with the SA300 amp on my ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 is overall the best. Just sounds the most "analog" of other combos, yet with great imaging, bass, highs, micro-details etc. though others great in their own right. I gave up trying to pinpoint every difference in every scenario. I did send back a SMSL SU-9 as not worth the difference - maybe 10% better but with a annoying display and the remote was super buggy.

This is my setup: Optical TV out -> M200 Dac -> Yamaha MG10XU mixer through RCA cable -> Singtronic Karaoke Amp -> Speakers + SVS PB-2000 subwoofer.I bought this M200 DAC $300 mainly for Bluetooth function. I was thinking to replace the current DAC Soundavo $130 since it does not have Bluetooth. However, I am disappointed on M200 sound quality especially in BASS department. The cheaper Soundavo outperforms it in every categories. The Soundavo has solid and tight bass. The music sound so lively and pro in my setup. Unfortunately, the M200 did not meet my expectation and I have to return it.

There are several sound filters on this, but none of them are neutral, and you can't turn it off. This could easily be fixed with a firmware update, but SMSL has offered none.This also has a display that has powerful blue LEDs that strain your eyes to look at. It caught me off guard, I did not expect it to be that bad of a problem. Looking back, I would not buy something like this for that fact alone. The trend of the market today is color controlled lights, dark mode apps, and blue light reduction software and technology. They should have gone with a lower frequency red LED display instead, as that would be less damaging to your eyes.

W najśmielszych snach nie spodziewałem się tak słabego poziomu, obcina najniższe rejestry. Trzeba być głuchym żeby napisać coś pozytywnego o dźwięku

Iniziamo dall'aspetto negativo ovvero l'accensione da telecomando non sempre avviene al primo colpo.Di buono, anzi ottimo, il suono di questo DAC (anche comparato ad altri SABRE in mio possesso). Molto buona la versatilità in termini di ingressi e di filtri ,per quanto alla mia età, non si percepisca poi molto l'effett, e e la gestione DSD nativa.Non posso esprimere giudizi su Bluetooth in quanto da me non utilizzato.

I'd been using a cheap DAC to power my JBL LSR 308p mkii and LSR 310 sub using RCA to 1/4". Swapping over to the SMSL DAC added an extra depth and clarity that I wasn't getting before, the airiness of the sound completely transformed and gives a very detailed and pleasing sound. Whilst it gives a very level flat spectrum there is no fatigue from listening over a long day. I'd highly recommend using the XLR out's as they completely removed the noise that was being picked up from my USB ports and the difference between RCA was night and day.The connectivity on this is great, I purchased this so I can have it attached to my desktop and have my laptop plug in via USB and phone via Bluetooth without having to rearrange any cables.Looking forward to getting the paired headphone amp to use with my HD600's

My goal was to switch from using cd's to using plex library. This DAC made this possible because I could not distinguish the audio of my NAD C542 from the SMSL M200 via Bluetooth + RCA output (SC3, FL3) - both were connected to NAD C372 integrated amp + Canton GLE490 speakers(not high end setup, but good enough for casual listening). In short, a very good entry level dac. I bought this through Amazon Warehouse at 245 EUR. The only thing that was missing was the original SMSL box and the manual. No scratches, like new. Just perfect.

ottimo prodotto, mi soddisfa pienamente. Lo uso soprattutto in bluetooth con Tidal. Ha possibilità di utilizzare dei filtri, ma il risultato migliore a mio giudizio lo si ottiene bypassandoli.