SMSL DO100 and SMSL HO100 DAC/Headphone Amp Review – Dynamic Duo
INTRO
Welcome the SMSL DO100 and SMSL HO100 as a contender into the more advanced budget stack. We previously reviewed the SMSL SU-6 / SMSL SH-6 combo as the entry level, and this is similar but with one addition – Balanced ins and outs. Built off the scaled down ESS9038 flagship DAC chip, this DAC uses two ESS3098Q2M chips coupled with OPA1612 opamps delivering a wonderfully clean signal to the headphone amp to deliver a respectable budget plus combo priced at $239 for the DAC and $149 for the headphone amp.
| DISCLAIMER: Same as everybody else it seems, Aoshida-Audio sent this to Audioreviews.org for a closer look. Thanks for sending this AMP/DAC for what I consider an unbiased review from a lopsided human chunk of meat. |
GOOD TRAITS
- Great desktop size and heft stays in place when making adjustments
- Clean transparent output
- Filter adjustments
- Solid Bluetooth connection supports LDAC, aptxHD, aptx, aac, sbc codecs
- IEC power plug wide voltage support, no power brick
WHATS MISSING
- Balanced Output is not true balanced out on the HO100 amp which leaves out XLR, both of these features are available on the HO200 instead.
- Pet peeve-max output on the SMSL DO100 displays 99 and not 100. Design choice between 01=off and max=100, or 00=off and max=99. Weirdly it displays 100 when first turned on, probably a homage to the model number.
- Volume knob on SMSL HO100 is smooth and given the friction of turning I would prefer some grip.
- No Preamp output on the headphone amp, again available on the HO200 instead.
NOTES
There are two features the SMSL H0100 offers over the SH6, balanced in and out and a 3 way gain switch as opposed to two gains. Besides the size, balanced features, and 3 way gain, there should not be much difference between the SU-6 and the SH-6 in terms of sound however the SMSL HO100 has a slight increase in power of 1.5W @32 ohms vs 1.3W @32 ohms. Measurements seem to indicate the DO100 and HO100 are a better setup numbers wise, and I prefer the size of the DO100/HO100 anyways.
The HO100 doesn’t appear to be true balanced output even though is has a 4.4mm connection. The specifications do not list balanced output power and there does not appear to be any volume increase using the 4.4mm connection. If this is a required feature, instead look at the SMSL HO200.
PACKAGE / CONTROLS
The SMSL DO100 HO100 combo comes in essentially a 6×5″ footprint excluding cables sticking out the back, housed in a solid hefty aluminum case to prevent it from sliding around (making frowny faces at my JDS Labs Atom right now). The front panel is supposed to be glass, very Apple of you SMSL.
The controls of the DO100 are a rotary encoder with push button to select menus for adjusting, display brightness, USB1.1 (no driver required) or USB2.0 (driver required and used MQA decoding/bandwidth) 7 high frequency low pass filters, and the digital phase lock-loop of optical and COAX inputs for adjusting jitter (lower is better, higher used for clocking issues between source and DAC).
The remote works better than the SMSL SU-9 which required an odd first button push “C” to allow it control the SU-9, this remote is ready to go all the time. There are two functions you can only do with the remote and that is to 1) have the display turn off after making any adjustments, and 2) mute the output. If you opt to leave the display on, it will show the input selected until it starts receiving music at which point it displays the sample rate or codec protocol being used in the case of Bluetooth.
There is MQA DoP256 and native DSD512 support if using the driver and switching the USB mode to 2.0. Optical and coaxial support DoP64.
The SMSL H0100 switches are solid, the back connectors are high quality, and the volume knob is smooth, and noise free. There are relays that turn on/off the outputs to avoid any turn on/off pops that could be damaging to headphones.
SOUND
The SMSL DO100 SMSL HO100 sounds a notch above my current Spark DAC JDS Labs Atom combo. Slightly more transparency in the DAC, I feel the headphone amp is comparable to my JDS Labs Atom. Bass is tighter and powerful sounding than with no headphone amp, treble is clean and without coloration. It seemed the combo presents a brighter presentation than my Liquid Spark DAC and Atom combo which feels a little warmer and more less three dimensional.
It will drive my 300ohm Drop Sennheiser HD6XX with ease on high gain to deafening levels. My Oppo PM3 planars worked with the mid gain setting, but perhaps others might not need that fine control and find the high gain setting more to their liking. The low gain setting may not even be needed in my experience unless that fine low volume precision is desired for even the most sensitive IEMs. It doesn’t appear the balanced out gives headphones any more juice, so the 4.4mm balanced out is more of a convenience feature.
The SMSL DO100 HO100 combo sounds more transparent, with improved depth and clarity over the Liquid Spark DAC and ATOM amp, this gives the impression of accentuated upper midrange to my ears. The combo has great dynamic capability, detail retrieval is well above average and class leading for this price point, however not matching top shelf equipment. It’s hard to really find any faults with this setup.
The bluetooth capability on the SMSL DO100 is solid and support all the way to LDAC, UAT however is not supported. The compression is audible using headphones, but if using it connected to amplified speakers in a room this is a negligible concern in my eyes considering the focus is on mobility control. The addition of bluetooth to what is essentially an enhanced feature budget DAC pushes the cost out of “budget” territory.
SPECIFICATIONS
FINISH
I personally think the SMSL DO100 HO100 combo is a great clean simple look form factor with retro toggle switches. It has just enough features to keep you from feeling there is anything missing, and yet more advanced than a budget setup. Personally the size feels perfect- big enough to allow for easy control, while still keeping the footprint compact.
With the clean, transparent yet accentuated midrange/treble presence and phenomenal measurements, SMSL continues with excellent value and spectacular options in the DAC amp realm. There are enough different models to suit those looking for specific features and not wanting to pay for other connections, so there should be something for everyone if the DO100 and H0100 don’t satisfy.
Get them from Aoshida-Audio Store. SMSL HO100 headphone Amp and SMSL DO100 DAC.
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