SMSL SU-1 - THE Affordable DAC

TIME STAMPS:

Features & Build - 1:05
Testing Parameters - 2:34
Test Results - 4:39
Value & Conclusion - 9:32

MUSIC USED:

Losing My Mind - NEFFEX
No Turning Back - NEFFEX
All My Thanks - Read Mathis
Sunshine - The Mini Vandals
Stacy and George - The Mini Vandals
Bright Eyed Blues - Unicorn Heads
This Is Not A Christmas Song - NEFFEX
Wrong - VYEN
Scanline - Mike Relm
We March Together - Patrick Patrikios
Good Times - Patrick Patrikios
Running Out - Patrick Patrikios
Chilltronic - RKVC
Dove Love - Quincy’s Moreira
Auld Lang Syne - DJ Williams
Ince & Fire - King Canyon

******

Twitter: @NoThemeReviews

When You Walk Into The Room: NA
The Only Thing That Matters: NA
Drum Solo: NA

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#dragonfly
#oriolus
#amplifier
#microphone

[corumuk]

A nice down to earth assessment. I've been tempted to buy a newer DAC with a Sabre or AKM chip but the more I look, the more I think my 14 year old DAC Magic Azur with its outdated Wolfson chips are probably still just fine.

[chuckblank]

My S.M.S.L. SU-1 has given beautiful life to my two year old Koss Pro AA. They have full frequency response and a wider soundstage. Clear, full sound!

[kenl]

Awesome, no nonsense review. Perfect!

[carminedesanto]

Good morning from Toronto ☕️
Just picked up the Topping E 50 …and it’s pretty good 👍
Great video.

[Emmanuele_Valente]

Ho acquistato questa meraviglia qualche mese fa e mi trovo benissimo! È davvero sorprendente per qualità, costo e semplicità di utilizzo! 🎉

[stephengriffin]

Very well made, articulate and informative video. I have been a confused “audiophile” for many years and it’s nice to hear a grounded opinion every now and then to help me avoid an unnecessary purchase. 👍🤔🎼

[dbnpoldermans]

Does the SU-1 turn on when a powered usb cable is inserted?
Or does it need to turn on with a button press?
Does it remeber the last used input the next time a power is fed to it?
I really do not want to turn on one million devices in the studio every time the power is turned on in the studio

[adamant]

I picked up a SU-1 recently and you are right about external DAC's in general. I'm not a believer in external DAC's to begin with but I figured for $80 it was worth a try based on mostly positive reviews. I tested the SU-1 on a cheap Sony DVP3962 dvd player and found that the sound of the SU-1 was on par with internal DAC in my Sony. I switched the back and forth several times and the differences were so subtle that it's not worth noting. I disconnected the SU-1 and put it back in it's box. I had planned on doing back and forth testing with audiophile quality players from Rotel and Oppo in my other systems but felt that the SU-1 would not improve on the already superb sound coming from these systems.

[bentobox]

Do you test for hiss through USB connection?

For example my ifi Zen Dac is ok through usb. No hiss or noise floor. But adding 5V DC power into the Zen Dac introduces noise floor.

Same with zen can air. If you add power from mains outlet you get noise. With some dacs and amps I found them to have no noise floor. With others, the moment you add USB in power or DC power you get noise

[steadisteve]

would you buy a dac like this when using a WIIM pro streamer? would you hear any diff going out the RCA's on the WIIM vs going out the optical to a dac and then to an amp or receiver?

[gprider]

I picked up one of these a couple weeks ago to be used in a mancave set up as i'll be swapping out various amps & cd player etc. from time to time, works a treat. Compared it briefly to my mojo, no noticeable difference.

[glennclark]

I cant get my su 1 to connect at all to my small tube b.t module...either im dumb or got a bad unit

[monterok]

Can i use this with iphone via usb c to lightning cable?

[RWmHII]

Thanks. I wish I hadn't purchased the PO100 for around the same price a few months ago. SMSL is constantly cranking out variations.

[SmileyD]

I think you'll be quite interested in the Tempotec Serenade X. It works as a dac, dac/amp, streamer, bluetooth receiver AND a bluetooth transmitter. It truly is an all in one box. It is also on the affordable side of things considering its many features.

[JM-ibkb]

Looks like a nice design, but the Lelon caps in the build kill it for me. I just replaced bloated Lelon PS caps in my sub!

[MeloSuares]

Hi nice review ! what RCA cables do you recommend, J&D ?

[gino]

Hi thank you for the very valuable review
I wonder how the different digital inputs perform
Is one better than the others?

[Rodnickeyyy]

Hi!
Will it work with Active speakers? E.g. Klipsch the Fives?
Would there be a noticeable improvement?
My current setup is AppleTV4k->TV>[possible DAC]>Klipsch The fives.

[rajmangalpandey]

Should i get su 1 or soundblaster z se?