S.M.S.L SU-6 DAC ES9038Q2M XMOS DSD PCM768kHz/32Bit Bluetooth 5.0 LDAC USB Decoder (Black)

Im using this as a preamp for my home stereo for 50/50 movies/music. The DAC powers on and resumes function with AC power on/off if you would like to put it on a smart plug. The audio quality is excellent not just by my ear but also when measured by audiophile reviewers. LDAC bluetooth works great with my galaxy s10 and quality sounds good. AAC bluetooth from iphones also works well and sounds good. I do have the bluetooth antenna behind the TV and reception is poor when compared to other setups I have run, but it is sufficient. One thing to note when connected to bluetooth and starting the first song or hitting play after a long pause the audio will skip and stutter for the first second. Skipping songs works fine. It does appear as if the firmware can be updated, Im hopeful that SMSL will provide a fix for this in the future. Im running optical in from my TV and RCA out to a pair of Crown XLS amps. A 1502 drives a pair of bookshelf speakers and a MiniDSP 2x4 controls a 2502 that is driving a single 18" stereo integrity HTv.3 subwoofer. The remote feels nice and works well. The IR group changed from other SMSL models and the amazon firestick does not have an IR group that will control power and volume of this DAC yet.

I have bought this unit multiple times. It works great for me as a pre-amp and DAC playing music via Bluetooth. My 1st unit lasted about a year before it started crackling. The second unit did the same thing after 6 months or so. I am unable to get support or to get this resolved with SMSL. The DAC will work fine and out of the blue will start breaking up, playing crackle noises and popping. The volume will stop working despite the numbers changing on the unit's display. There is obviously some kind of design or component flaw here, and it seems to happen once the unit plays for a few hours, maybe related to temperature. Anyway, I just purchased my 3rd unit in hopes that it will work longer than a few months, but that's doubtful at best especially based on what others have said in their reviews.

I'm using this product to get digital audio from my computer via USB, or from my tv using optical toslink, and both work great. I was a little surprised that Apple TV didn't support USB output, but has to go to the tv by HTML then to the dac via toslink. the unit was a little smaller than I pictured, and I like that it has an internal power supply and everything is controllable via the remote. I had to back off the phase lock loop from best (1) to (3) to maintain glitchless audio on toslink. I like the choice of various phase lock look and filter settings. 5 for the quality, especially given the price.

This model has known issues of failing pretty quickly. It lasted just over a year for me and then started making loud static noise and was dead after that. There are better models that this. I have 2 Topping dacs that have lasted me years. This was my first SMSL dac and it did not go well. Sound is great while it lasted, though. I'm planning to buy the SU-9 Pro so I'll give them another shot, but I would say stay away from this one. Others have reported the same problem.

Nobody should buy these. They fail after a few months. They begin making a loud crackling/popping sound (even with no inputs attached), which begins intermittently, but then increases, leading to a complete failure. I spent a fair amount of time and money returning the first one that failed, to get a replacement, but then that replacement only lasted about a year before failing the same way. Clearly there's something wrong with the design, or the parts they used.

I use this as part of a soundbar killer system: I hook it up directly to my JBL 306p mkii powered studio monitors, park it under the tv, works perfect, sounds real good. Considering the exhaustive tests done by Audio Science Review on this unit, I suspect the reviewer complaining about the sound with headphones needs to consider that maybe the actual problem is with his ears, headphones and/or headphone amp. Also, headphones are not the ideal/intended use case for something with a remote and lots of inputs (including bluetooth).

Sound, performance and build quality greatly exceeded my expectations for this price point. I have the SU-6 feeding Klipsch Promedia 2.1 THX speakers. I am very pleased with the results.

Hello all... Prior to ordering this SU-6, I read a few reviews and saw a few YouTube reviews on this newly released DAC. And since I had a few SMSL DAC's in the past, I pulled the trigger on this one. It literally arrived the next day, and I was excited to say the least. The moment you pick it up, you are assuming that due to its superb build quality and weight (it feels like a small desktop weight - it's that tight feeling), it will sound fantastic. But then, "fantastic" can be a very subjective term, can't it? The positive things that I discovered about this SU-6 all centered around its build quality and options: 1. Build quality: Comparable to units that cost up to a $1000 and more. Solid metal construction. 2. Weight: Reasonable, but not light like most DAC's tend to be. 3. Power Supply: Has an internal power supply (thus contributing to the weight), thus using only a standard figure 8 cord. 4. Size: Perfect - nothing overly large. Will fit in most spaces easily. 5. Remote: A nice addition (uses 2 triple AAA) batteries and controls things like inputs, volume, etc. But once you connect it to a headamp/preamp, the volume automatically turns to maximum and your volume is then controlled via the headamp/preamp. The remote's volume control is only good - at that point - to turn the volume output down. 6. USB cable: The SU-6 uses a USB C cable, which is more up-to-date and convenient to attach (no having to rotate the plug up or down to get it to fit in darker scenarios). As I always do, I always allow any audio gear I have to warm up and break in for at least 48 hours, which I did here. And just to be sure that I was getting the personality of the SU-6 right, I used it with 4 other budget to mid-priced tube based headamps/preamps - those being the Schiit Vali 2+, the xDuoo MT-602, the FX-Audio Tube-02 Pro, and the Douk Audio P1. All of those preamps - again, tube based - were warmed up and broken in. RCA cables used were from World's Best Cables and/or Blue Jeans cables. The USB C cable used was an upgraded model. All listening and evaluation was done on a desktop, near-field setting, with a Mackie 8" self-powered subwoofer under the desk Alright - now to the sound: 1. When I first turned the unit on, the first thing that caught my attention was its very cold sound, with the upper mids and treble regions being very dry and quite uncomfortable to listen to at higher volumes. Lower mids and the bass regions were nicely defined, and the coldness wasn't too evident in those regions. But as I alluded to above, typically, after you warm things up/break-them in, after a period of time "most" audio items begin to sound a bit different (notice I said "most"). 2. After 2 days, I began my listening sessions, and I was taken aback because nothing had changed. Regardless of what headamp/preamp I used (those listed above), the sound had a cold, very dry quality to it. With other DAC's that I own, such as the Schiit Modi 3+, Schiit Multibit, JDS Labs DAC+. Topping D10S, connecting all of these preamps mentioned resulted in a richer, warmer (yet still very dynamic) sound. I was perplexed to say the least. With the SU-6, the upper mids and treble regions were still as cold and dry as before, still preventing any efforts from me to turn up the volume. 3. The sound staging was excellent with ample left to right imaging, however, the depth factor (front to rear) sounded compressed. In addition, I felt that when orchestral crescendo's occurred, the sound was a bit muddy - whereas with other DAC's the clarity held in place. In my case, this was one of the driest sounding units I had experienced 4. Bass and lower mids as mentioned initially, were very good - but the cold upper mids and highs prevented me from having an enjoyable experience. Sound coming through the SU-6 did not have the musical qualities I was expecting for this price. Yes, everything sounded dynamic, but the musical qualities, I felt, were missing, thus robbing me of that "you are there" experience. Now mind you, all reviews are subjective in nature and your mileage may vary. In addition, I am an audiophile (have been for 55 years), so I may be viewed as being a bit too picky - but it is what it is. I reviewed the SU-6 using the following equipment: 1. Speakers - both the Warfedale D320 bookshelf models and the KEF Q150 bookshelf speakers. 2. Amplifiers - The Cambridge Audio AXA-25 integrated amp, the Emotiva BasX A2m integrated amp, and the hard-to-find FOSI Audio HD-A1 Class AB amplifier (special order only from Hong Kong). Cables and headamps/preamps were already mentioned above. Based on my experiences with this SMSL SU-6, I felt I had no other option but to return it for a refund, which I'm in the process of doing. Again, some of you who own this unit may disagree, after all, we all hear differently and our standards are different. I just could not fathom the sound of this unit. Before I wrote this review, I again carefully sat down and listened, and based on what I experienced, I could not give this SU-6 higher than a 3-star rating. Sorry folks, it is what it is (for me, that is) - because in the end, it's about the musical qualities of a particular component. YMMV... Thanks for reading... Ben North Carolina

Good product.

ammirevole il rapporto prezzo qualità il suono è nitido e gradevole tanto da poterlo definire realmente HI FI. a i tratti i toni bassi sono un pò leggeri come è ovvio con uno stadio di alimentazione non esuberante visto il prezzo e le dimensioni. Anche il piccolo telecomando svolge bene il suo lavoro(il telecomando è importante in caso di uso in camera da letto.IN definitiva acquisto senz'altro consigliabile.

Firstly, I want to say what a great service from ShenzhenAudio in China. The SU-6 unit arrived well packaged at my UK address 9 days after I placed my order - several days earlier than I was expecting it! As for the DAC I am seriously impressed at the sound quality, build quality and features for the price. All in a nicely finished compact box that sits perfectly on the shelf next to my CD transport. Compared with my previous DAC, which I bought several years ago for a similar price, I immediately heard a lot more detail in the music, with better timing and separation of instruments and smoother treble with improved transients and complete removal of sibilance from vocals (an issue that I was having with the previous DAC). Most of my initial listening has been from my CD transport via coaxial but I also listened to some music played via Bluetooth which sounded surprisingly good. I think this is a very well specified DAC for the price and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Well done S.M.S.L.

We use S.M.S.L SU-6 DAC in our living room with a 20 year old Technics stereo to allow play back via Bluetooth from phone/tablet, optical from the TV and USB from a laptop. The stereo is paired with a set of Kef floorstanding speakers of a similar age. Very pleased with the sound which to my ears is similar to CD quality.

It's overall awesome dac for this price, connected (rca) with a SMSL DA-9 amplifier in a desktop pc via optical and drives 2 Klipsch R51M the result is an extraordinary clear, loud and analytical sound for any kind of music! Also SMSL looks very high quality build (always for this money worth), so go on, nothing to afraid, plays such a dac of many euros more...