S.M.S.L - SU-1

The product setup is easy and make sound system listening great.

It’s a fantastic DAC for 7K and this can easily compete with 50 K DACs easily.
Superb presentation of highs, mids and lows. It’s like hearing in a theatre. Great find and kudos to SMSL.
Had they given one more input mode it would have been great but no complaints. The build is too good and it’s compact and cute. Go for it guys and you won’t regret.
Kudos to Headphone Zone for on time delivery.

Better sound quality and detailing

Really amazing sound quality itz working high resolution quality what a fantastic sound quality thank yo headphone zone

Alright, after spending even more time with this SMSL SU-1 DAC and after some critical listenings, I have few more points to add to my previous review.

Firstly about the Popping and clicking noise. THIS ONLY HAPPENS ON USB and ONLY WHEN NO AUDIO IS PLAYED. It is crucial to not think that this is a background noise overlaid on the audio signal. Every time you turn the DAC on, start or stop the audio, or pause any playback, after a certain seconds you will hear two sharp distinct pops or clicks. Almost like the DAC is switching to a low power mode. Upon further research, a fix is available for windows users (but only on the OS not the DAC itself), and no fix for mac or linux users ( Unsure about android or ios ).

Secondly, the DAC not having a volume control makes it a bit cumbersome. Although this can be remedied by adding a preamp in the audio chain, an internal headphone preamp could have been useful for directly driving headphones. Since the DAC can be powered by the computer itself almost lending to a portable DAC if not for the size of the DAC. You can still use the audio programs volume controls to manage the decibels but this is only possible for PCM signals, no DSD software volume control as far as i know. Which is annoying because if you are directly plugging your headphones to the DAC and try to listen to DSD, your ears be toast.

Thirdly, yes the DAD is super resolving. Bitperfect rendering of the signal track, but almost clinically sharp. What I'm trying to say is, the DAC is super exciting for the first hour of jamming to your tunes, but your ears start getting fatigued from the bright imaging of the sound. This could be just me and my ears and could be different for you. Mind you this not high treble per-say, its just the shrill sensation it leaves in your ears after a listening session. Turning down the treble wont fix this because it's the sharpness thats gives you listening fatigue. The fix as far as i know is to pair it with a preamp that has a more smooth and pleasant roll off to tame the sharpness. Keep in mind, its easy to tone the sharpness down, than to bring the sharpness up where there isn't, so this is a non issue overall.

That is why I still give this DAC a 5 star rating because almost all issues are remediable, unfortunately I'm a Mac user so i'm stuck with the popping/clicking. Otherwise I'm completely enthralled by this DAC, hats-off SMSL, you knocked it out of the park.

To keep it simple, SMSL SU1 is simply the perfect budget friendly DAC that will get you 90% closer to the Hi-Fi Gods. Sure there are better DACs, but not at this markup. A few cons about the device would be the absence of a dedicated power input, and occasional clicks when switching tracks or changing setting through USB alone. On its own the DAC is quite bright in its imaging and sound stage is detailed but a bit forward. Will be a perfect pair for a decently priced amplifier or headphones. If your system is quite sensitive and highly resolving, you might hear sibilance in the highs. Low frequency extension is nice and highs are airy. I'm surprised how flat the response is and linear throughout the spectrum for a budget DAC. Possibly the best money I’ve spend on anything in a very long time. Would love to see balanced outputs in future versions. Happy Hi-Fiying.

The SMSL SU 1 DAC delivers clear, detailed sound at an affordable price. It's versatile, working with PCs and Android phones (using a USB-C to USB OTG adapter). This portability and performance make it highly recommended for budget-conscious audiophiles.

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