When Hifi Measurements Don’t Add Up! Review of the SMSL DO100, HO100, and SU-9n.

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[darthbubba]

Measurements are VERY important in audio: The physical dimensions of a piece of equipment will tell you if it will fit on your shelf, and the equipment's weight will tell you how much it will cost to ship it back for repairs!

[WeeWeeJumbo]

i do appreciate measurements for the way they've forced manufacturers to be more honest about the limits of their hardware. measurements have induced a miracle in subwoofer design, for example

[StringPassion.]

I used to spec surf when I was a kid working in a hi-fi store. Once I realized that the weakest link in the chain is in fact our own ears, and that everyone hears things differently, I started using my ears and stopped reading over-hyped articles by self-appointed "experts". And I've never looked back. Very happy.

[sassafras]

Entertaining way to point out that measurements need to be relevant to what you are aiming to evaluate. Here’s the thing though, information gathering is never perfect. I’d be lucky to hear even two DACs in my price range where I live. Retailing has moved online and consumers crave credible information in a sea of paid promotion. Emerging brands have done a brilliant job of upending buyer expectations and diminishing the influence of prestige brands and journalist gatekeepers. I love that consumers themselves, through participating in forums, have shifted the goalposts to where they want them to be.

[llucrescu]

I really liked the parallel. And I really like the humour. Nice video!

[pkats]

Nice job. I agree about the honey crisp. My favorite also. Jazz apples second favorite right now. If you haven’t tried them you are missing out!

[cobrabucket]

Great review. I am still loving the Parks Audio Puffin. I was running it into a Topping D70S or Schiit Gungnir MultiBit, but recently "upgraded" to an SMSL VMV D1SE. I do like it a bit more than the D70S and [very surprisingly] prefer it in most instances over the Gungnir. I would say that it's probably my favorite overall DAC I've heard [w/ the Gungnir being a close 2nd]. If you get a chance to listen to a D1SE, I highly recommend it!

[JeffB]

"wow and flutter" you must be almost as old as me ! . hahahaha
decades ago a audio dealer` told me "figures don't lie .... but liars can figure .
life has taught me that applies to much more than audio .
take care sir, jeff

There's a difference between Hi-Fi and 'My-Fi'. A good measuring dac, amp or speaker can 'measure' very close to the source (and what IS that source btw), however, you may not like it. Measurements are not a bible, but *may* assist in pointing out the type of sound you prefer. Measurements may also show and disarm wild manufacturers claims. How well can a speaker play loud, before noticable distortion, components used, performance vs price, etc.
Tell any studio engineer measurements don't really matter and odds are great he may smile at you. We tend to adjust sound to our preferences, add coloration in a some form (or not), etc. Laidback, forward, V-shaped, all fine, but mostly My-Fi and above all, subjective.

[jawkdna]

Love the review(s)! Can I ask about the artwork behind you, the person on the bike? Who's the artist? I love it.

[jonsays]

New apple breed from a few years ago: Cosmic. Truly the shiniest, sharpest, crispiest, best balanced between sweet and sassy. And it has an extended natural shelf life.

You’re welcome.

[edverbeek]

Measurements are important for designers, not for listeners. You are right.

[liulaolao]

I can see that you have a 'conventional' integrated amplifier like the one I have.
May I ask which input (CD, DVD audio or ...) of the amplifier should the SMSL DO100 be connected to ? Thanks.

[labalo]

If you’re not running a sine wave at 1K through those apples, I don’t want to talk to you.

[kevindeem]

My choice too ! Yes I eat one 5 day a week 👍

[rfplip]

Why are you worried about ASR, move on and buy what you want. Next time you need medication, just take as much as you want. Next time you go to see the doctor, don't let him check your blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. Trust him to guess !

[osliverpool]

Ha, that's uncanny! Granny Smith genuinely is the best apple, and Golden Delicious really is the worst! You've just proved we need to measure our food 😁

[shining]

My two cents... (it' internet, I need to :) :) )

You start by some apples measurements, which is really a good & funny idea, but you let the viewer think that ranking with simple summation is also applied in audio, without mentioning Toole & Olive & Geddes & etc etc... papers on * listeners preferences rating * which are really really well described today.

Then, you speak about the olds measurements done by companies of the past, without explaining the elephant in the room at that time, * the absence of standardization of measurements * and scales applied to it. (_ Unlike in video processing where the standardization allow a full mastery of the chain from capture to reproduction. _) Basically, by the past, in audio you wasn't able to compare apples to apples...

Finally, after a relevant analysis of the functionalities and usability of theses dacs, you speak about your own preferences, without mentioning or precising two important points:
- * you ability to ear as a reviewer * (_ ear loss, listener experience like Kardon trained listeners etc _) : how to trust your experience ? and not Amirs one at the end of the review ;)
- what is really a AxB testing of speakers, the difficulty to analysis etc ... : how to compare well ? how easy or difficult it is ?

At the end(_ wrap up _) I can't get your point:( you've found that the worst ranked dac or amplifier is the one you are listening and have a preference on.
But you don't really recommend it over the others.

Anyway, I think that telling people that measurements are not that relevant and de-correlated from users preference is the way that companies are doing advertisement, from cables sellers to dac ones and is probably a bad idea.

This is why we need measurements & trained listeners reviews to find out which apple is probably the best :)
(_ And not only a day to day opinion, which is probably a bad advice to follow when it comes to buy something that can easily cost more than 200$ _)

[joekelly]

We used to just bite them, it was faster

[markfischer]

I see you are comparing apples with apples. Very clever. I'm wondering if Jupiter has the same magnetic field as earth. I can look at it through a telescope, figure out its size and its mass. Will that help me get the right answer? No. I have to measure the right thing and know how to measure it. But before I can even try I need to learn as much about magnetism as I can. That is the same problem the high end audio industry has. It doesn't know enough about sound, the role acoustics play, the capabilities and limitations of human perception of sound, or how to measure any of it. So it has as much chance of duplicating sound as someone has of duplicating the taste of an apple has by carving its shape out of a rock and painting it.