S.MS.L D300 Native DSD DAC Review with Measurements

[bogi]

I used hifi-express.com offer to get D300 in price about 320 EUR incl. shipping. It arrived yesterday and I spent already about 3 hours of listening to it.

 

I found filter/modulator setting brings yet more change in sound than with ESS based E50. I found that setting the shortest 13kHz DSD filter helps with DSD512 playback. With some filters I found the sound to be lifeless and bass impact missing but with other combinations I got very nice sound and yet more effortlessly provided detail than with E50. D300 also makes not very good recordings easier listenable than with E50.

 

What positively surprised me is the ability to play 48k based DSD rates up to 24.465MHz (512x 48k). Display shows DSD512 when playing 256x 48k, but that's only a cosmetic thing.

 

After those 3 hours of listening I liked what I heard and I decided to keep D300. Of course, I need yet more time to accustom to D300 to be fully able to understand all differences against E50.

[bogi]

Reaction to @satshanti post from HQPlayer thread

 

5 hours ago, satshanti said:

I read ( I think it was Bogi?) that the D300 supports 48k DSD, so I was looking forward to using those better filters with my hi-res files.

My device MCU fw is 1.0 (the oldest one, without DoP which I don't need, but also without clicks and pops).
DAC RESET screen shows (that's for 1.0, newer ones show MCU firmware version and USB firmware version in that screen):

 

My USB driver version is the latest 5.58 form SMSL home page.

 

I'm just doing 96k to 24.576k without any trick. My unit switches seamlessly between 44.1k and 48k rate families without clicks or any other issues.

 

HQPlayer Desktop (it's http stream so no song information, but that doesn't matter):

 

And load of my notebook (approx., it cycles between more values):

[bogi]

34 minutes ago, satshanti said:

Hi Bogi, thank you so much for this. I hadn't realised I might need to update drivers. I'll look into that and will report back.

What does your reset menu show? Looks like mine or does it show firmware versions?

[bogi]

So there is a difference. I am interested to know if USB driver version 5.58 has influence on it.

[bogi]

The driver I mentioned is ASIO (Windows) only. I also don't know if Linux driver could affect that  (Miska knows for sure).

  

6 minutes ago, satshanti said:

I don't think that in this case installing 5.58 drivers on the PC will do anything, Will it?

Right, driver installed on HQPlayer PC has no influence to NAA.

[bogi]

You could test it on any Windows PC or notebook.
If that would work, NAA software is available for Windows OS too. Pi4 can run Windows.

[bogi]

@satshanti Just one question. Did you use image naa-450-raspberrypi4-holored.7z from https://www.signalyst.eu/bins/naa/images/ or did you install NAA software from https://www.signalyst.eu/bins/naa/linux/ on already running Linux system?

[bogi]

5 hours ago, satshanti said:

Oops! I had forgotten that I'm probably still running it on version 4.20, so I should have tried updating that first.

I'm not sure if that would help, but it looks like easy to try.

Maybe @Miska could chime in with his opinion, if newer NAA images contain any changes against older regarding ability of 48k DSD rates playback on XMOS chips. Since it works for me with ASIO driver. But your D300 has different device firmware 1.21 than mine 1.0 installed, so it would be helpful at first to verify, if D300 running 1.21 is able to play 48k DSD with ASIO driver on Windows.
 

5 hours ago, satshanti said:

BTW, I saw some mention of an idle time setting in the newest release, which I haven't updated to yet, that could prevent pops. Did I understand that right?

It delays stopping of HQPlayer engine after stop button (not pause) is pressed in HQPlayer by playing digital silence for a specified time. I don't know if it can improve something on your issue but it is easy to try.

I know from other forums that newer firmware versions than 1.0 (which I happen to have) cause clicks or pops on playback start, stop and sample rate changes. Do NOT attempt to downgrade firmware of your D300! The older firmware published on Shenzenaudio web is not compatible with newer units running 1.21. People who attempted to downgrade bricked their units.

On Windows one can try this suggestion regarding clicks on 1.21.

[bogi]

4 hours ago, Miska said:

And you cannot run Windows on RPi4 nor install SMSL ASIO driver there.

Pi4 can run Windows https://www.google.com/search?q=Raspberry+Pi+4++windows

[bogi]

13 minutes ago, Zauurx said:

 

Not as simple !!

 

https://www.worproject.com/faq#why-drivers-that-work-on-my-pc-dont-work-on-the-raspberry-pi:~:text=Why drivers that,prioritize the request.

I thought already about it, wondering, how it is with drivers ...

[bogi]

7 hours ago, satshanti said:

Anyway, even converted to 44.1k DSD, the music sounds pretty damned good with Sinc-Short. Those last 3 filters in the list are awesome, as are many of the new halfbands by the way. I do have some more thoughts about filters, but will write a new post in the HQP thread, when I have some time.

I changed a bit my filter preferences against Topping E50. With D300 I mostly prefer middle length filters as the best compromise for fullness of sound, instrument detail, timbre and space prersentation. I prefer now more old poly-sinc-mp, poly-sinc-short-mp, along with newer poly-sinc-hb-m, poly-sinc-hb-s, poly-sinc-gauss-halfband, poly-sinc-gauss-halfband-s, sinc-short, sometimes sinc-Lm. Now I am less using poly-sinc-gauss and poly-sinc-xtr-short-mp, since I am somehow missing more fullness in sound with them than with E50. I am using mostly EC7-super and EC5-super modulators.

[bogi]

@satshanti  @Miska  To our previous discussion about D300 and 48k based DSD

I have confirmed from @mrba that it works on MCU fw 1.21 both on Windows (direct DAC connection with ASIO driver) and GentooPlayer NAA. Pictures from his setup where it is working:


ASIO driver: XMOS_USBAudio_v5.58.0_2023-05-25_setup

Linux - GentooPlayer:
Kernel: 6.6.1-rt14-x86_64-GP-RT-MIN
GentooPlayer | 05:34 | Wed 13/12/23
v8.40-182 | Generic Device (x86_64)

 

 

 

That brings the question, why it does not work for @satshanti
The same MCU fw version. Maybe a different USB MCU fw version??
mrba told his USB MCU fw version is 1.3. I don't know where it is visible from. Maybe it is the Revision of Info tab in ASIO Control Panel, but I'm not sure.

[bogi]

I wanted to write:
Maybe a different USB DFU fw version??
his USB DFU fw version is 1.3

[bogi]

14 minutes ago, satshanti said:

With some music you barely notice, especially if you've never heard before how it should sound.

 

I understand what you mean. He is classical music lover and I don't expect him not to noticie such a thing, but to be 100% sure I will ask him to play it at 44.1k based rate and compare (yet easier than speed one can distinguish a shift of tones).

[bogi]

4 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Usually the issue is USB controller firmware. In many DACs, that same controller is also responsible for dealing with the DAC chip configuration in general.

 

 

@satshanti, if you could somehow get info about your USB DFU firmware version ...
In Windows ASIO Control Panel it seems to be displayed in Info tab under Revision.
On Linux I don't know, but maybe Miska knows.

[bogi]

I created a video playing 3 sec long 48k fs PCM 1kHz sine at different DSD rates, starting from 44.1x64 up to 48x512. It's on my D300 MCU fw 1.0. Lower your volume setting if you don't like loud sine. Recorded on my phone, D300 played through my headamp into HiFiMan HE-500.

 

I created the 1kHz test signal with command:
sox -n -r 48000 1kHz-3sec-fs48k.wav synth 3 sine 1000

[bogi]

I attach here also the test tone if somebody wants to try it ...
 

1kHz-3sec-fs48k.zip

[bogi]

@satshanti You could try to play a second of 48k content with PCM output set to let DAC to switch the clock to 48k family and then to switch output to DSD. With oldest Topping E30 that helped. I prepared a script to automate it. With D300 of @mrba that did not help. He measured 918Hz when playing 1k at 48x DSD rates.

 

Currently I have confirmed 48k DSD to work on D300 only with my oldest MCU fw version 1.0.

[bogi]

1 hour ago, satshanti said:

Why would they remove the feature when they update firmware?

Thanks, at least it is now clear. I think they are not aware of a feature, because something like 48k based DSD is not known to them. It works only by coincidence in 1.0.

 

Motivation for firmware change were complains from Mac users that 1.0 does not support DoP. Attempt to downgrade from 1.21 bricks the device, don't try it.

[bogi]

10 minutes ago, Miska said:

Be it Topping or SMSL, they don't really seem to test much else as inputs than 44.1k PCM, or maybe up to 192k PCM. Not higher PCM or DSD. Only reason I can think of why anything else seems to be completely random hit or miss when it comes to some feature actually working correctly or not. Maybe that is part of the reason for the low price as well...

It seems so. I think they have totally restricted resources for firmware development and they are rather using something ready made from a third party, than their own development. Some of their devices (for example L30 headamp) were developed by a person, who is/was not their employee. Then when it is required to change firmware from some reason, chaos begins...

An opinion from ASR:
"And here everything is simpler, nor SMSL nor Topping, nor SABAJ are engaged in software development, in fact, like many others, but take reference boards with reference software and only change the names there, that's why such a mess... The same problem, for example, in TOPPING RD3, it is made on the same board ..."

I had a fortune with 48k DSD support. But many DACs from western companies don't support it either, thus people with newer firmware may be satisfied too. Amazon reviews look so. D300 sound is very nice for the price. Already my E50 is tuned not to be bright or harsh, what's not typical for cheap ESS based DACs. But D300 sound is a bit wider, more detail is provided in more effortless manner. My opinion is that D300 clearly overperforms E50, but not so much than I perceive the difference between my very old Gustard DAC-X10 and E50. Still clearly enough for me to prefer D300.

 

D300 may still have some design flaws. Nothing is perfect, particularly in this price range <$500. I perceive some difference between DSD256 and DSD512. At DSD256, instruments may sound more expressive. Maybe lower noise floor? That can make instrument separation easier, it makes low level sounds easier audible. But on other side, I perceive sound at DSD512 to be made of a smaller grain - I hear more subtle detail in transients, their decay provides more realistic feeling. So instrument sounds are not so much expressive than at DSD256, but are provided in a finer way.

 

But that's often also a difference between lower and higher quality filters/modulators. What sounds more expressive may be of lower quality.