SMSL PS200 DAC Review – And The Hits Just Keep On Coming

I still struggle to comprehend SMSL’s rational for continuing to develop and promote its torrent of barely differentiated budget DACs and amps but, after all, I’m not a Chinese marketing wizard. Their latest, the $89 PS200 is a DAC only (no headphone amp or preamp) whose key selling point seems to be its deployment of the venerated ESS ES9039Q2M chip. It also has Bluetooth functionality, which is limited to 5.0 SBC and doesn’t sound very good. Technical specs are impressive–SNR is high and THD low—and it supports MQA and DSD.

Uncharacteristically for SMSL, interface isn’t very user friendly—the tiny power/input button and indicator lights are hard to see, and there are no digital filters or other adjustments; this is strictly set-and-forget.

I tested the PS200 with my Amazon Kindle (powered through the Kindle’s USB port), a Dell PC (same) and through the optical and coax outs of an Oppo 105 and Integra DPS 8.3 universal disc players. Right off the bat, the PS200 sounded distorted and extremely bloated with the Kindle, which works fine with a dongle or through its headphone jack.

I surmise that the Kindle doesn’t have enough juice to power the SMSL, although it could be some OS limitation which I couldn’t crack. The PS200 did work correctly with the PC and (when powered through a wall wart) with the disc players—it represented a clear upgrade to the stock soundcard of the PC, though a more equivocal improvement over the internal DACs of the disc players.

In any formulation, the PS200 has neither hiss or audible background noise and presents a neutral tonality and a lean note texture. Bass is restrained in depth and impact, but very well sculpted; midrange is a bit soft and laid back, while high-end has limited extension, but is smooth and free from sharpness and digital artifacts.

Soundstage is somewhat narrow, but nicely rounded and 3-D, and the overall presentation is reserved, but natural and analog-sounding. Sans the PS200, the Oppo sounds much bigger and bassier, with thicker notes, but also a bit overbright and unnatural, while the Integra was also punchier and more dynamic, but also less controlled at the low end and not as resolving on top.

I did an A/B comparo of the PS200 to SMSL’s $150 SU-6 (review here), which uses an earlier version of the 200’s ESS chip but sounds quite a bit different—brighter, more transparent and more detailed, though somewhat sharper at the high end; the PS200 was the less fatiguing and more natural-sounding. The $450 SMSL SU-9 (review here) actually shared a lot of the tonal characteristics of the PS200—lean notes, smooth treble and commendable bass control.

However, the SU-9 had a lot more dynamic drive and energy, faster transients and noticeably higher high-end resolution and micro-detail; it is expectedly the superior DAC. The PS200 is a step-up from popular budget DACs like the FiiO D3, which I still use in a basement system; the FiiO has a pleasant, warmish tone but is noisier, has boomier bass and much less instrument separation.

The PS200 is a mixed bag for me—it is surprisingly clean, undistorted and uncolored for a cheap piece, and it has a good handle on lower frequencies. However, it lacks some storm and fury, especially through the mids, and is not an especially exciting listen. Ultimately, I can conditionally recommend it as an enhancement for consumer-grade computers and CDPs, though I’d probably look elsewhere (and pay a bit more) for louder/more critical listening.

Disclaimer: These were sent to me by Aoshida for review purposes (https://www.aoshida-audio.com).

Specifications SMSL PS200

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