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SMSL SU-8 Version 2 DAC & SH-8

SMSL SU-8 Version 2 DAC & SH-8

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Product Description
Ideal for placing at the center of your hi-fi system, the SMSL SU-8 boasts high-end DAC features at a surprisingly low price. It’s built with many of the current specs you might expect to see in a more expensive model, including dual ES9038Q2M DAC chips, an xCORE-200 XMOS USB audio solution, and dual XLR outs for a fully balanced output Read More

Customer Reviews

4.4
(155 reviews)
5star
(97)
4star
(43)
3star
(3)
2star
(3)
1star
(9)
93% would recommend to a friend
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mikeonline
108
Feb 5, 2019
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Review is for the SU-8 dac only: First of all, I really like the amount of product I got for the price (massdrop price). I think that alone makes this dac a major "win" in this price range.
  • The remote and all the settings it allowed me to access are something I haven't experienced in a dac before, no matter the price.
  • Volume control is very handy when switching between different amps.
  • Sound settings/filters are neat (though my preferred setting is still the default "standard").
  • The product itself is very well built.
  • Input and outputs are also plentiful, which I also really like, makes me feel comfortable being a bit future proof.
Unlike some others members, the drivers have given me absolutely no issues from day one, nor has the product itself. Using the default settings the sound is very crisp; kind of your typical sabre signature. Of all the dac chipsets I have heard, there's something special about the imaging and sound stage of sabres. They have this unrivaled sense of space and do a good job at portraying a very spherical image - as long as your headphones are able to portray this. The dual sabre chips in the SU-8 don't disappoint in this regard. The detail retrieval is also top notch (again, from my experience). The AK dac chip in my questyle cma600i sounds "fuzzy" in comparison, with a serious lack of sound sage width that was noticeable on first listen. Yeah yeah, I know there are people who don't believe in balanced, but there was an even more noticeable improvement when listening via balanced cables. I don't have another dac on my hands atm, but the sabre chips in this dac check all the boxes in what I look for in good sabre chipsets. This is the first time I've heard the newer 9038 chip, but I don't hear much of a difference, tonality-wise, from a properly implemented older 9018 chip. The sound signature might be fatiguing at first if your not used to the crisp tonality, but I've heard bad sabre implementations before with exaggerated treble and this is definitely not one of them. At worst, I would call this dac very revealing. Also depends on your amp. One major con though that I can't wrap my head around is that, my version at least, came with a very short power cable. Didn't measure it, but it can't be much more than three feet. LIke... I don't know how they expect people to be able to connect the dac to an outlet properly in most desktop setups. I'm lucky that I have my surge protector actually clamped to my desk, otherwise it would have been a major inconvenience. If I didn't think the price of this dac was so good, I would have taken off a star for this. Review is for the "10th Anniversary Edition". Have owned the product for about three weeks. For reference, it's feeding a questyle cma600i and burson conductor virtuoso (v1). Headphones are the hd600 (balanced and unbalanced), nightowl carbon (balanced), Edition X (V2) (balanced and unbalanced). Hope this helps. Update: Don't have this dac anymore but reading my review again, I just want to add that I never actually heard it to the best of it's capabilities (i.e. fully balanced). Oddly enough, the cma600i doesn't have xlr inputs so had to use xlr to rca cables to feed it, and fed my Burson amp using the dac's rca outputs. Didn't have another balanced amp when I had it.
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(Edited)
mikeonline
108
May 21, 2019
Have not heard it sorry
mikeonline
108
May 21, 2019
Have not heard it fully balanced, but I know there are a lot of people who buy the su-8 and thx combo due to their price range. I would ask around in the discussions threads on both products to get impressions.
EcchiWhale
110
Nov 29, 2018
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For the DAC only I think this DAC is the best thing to have in your room. One of each input, XLR and RCA outs, discrete and clean body, runs cold even despite having no power brick, works seamlessly (USB is another story) and to top it off it has a remote. With 3 signal patterns built in. Want to control your HTPC with this thing? Buy a FLIRC and you're done. You could use this thing in bed and set up command chains to have your pc shut down when you're done - with the press of a button. And you wouldn't even have to get out of bed, and I know for a fact that there are some seriously lazy people that can appreciate the versatility of something like this. The remote practically sells this DAC, because this thing is ok on its own and it has a nice array of features but you do not know how much you want this until it becomes a part of your bedroom/living room. Having XLR outs at this pricepoint also presents many options to you. You can build a setup around this DAC if you wanted to; XLR to monitors, RCA split to headphone amplifier and subwoofer and you have a 2.1 setup with the option of balanced. Or a balanced headphone amplifier with RCA to a preamp. What a buy. If the SH-8 was not getting such mediocre reviews I'd plonk it right on top of the DAC and call it a day. I tinkered with the drivers for a total of about 10 minutes and gave up. It doesn't want to recognise my DAC and honestly I couldn't care less. PC's have optical outs and USB isn't worth the headache when optical is literally plug and play. But yeah, beware that Windows updates kill it frequently and make it require a power cycle to work again with USB as others have said. (Edit: USB drivers have been updated and seem to be stable for the most part. I use both outputs for different devices.) If you don't care for remotes or XLR, don't spend your money on features that you're not going to use, there are many other DACs out there that can do what you want them to do for less. But if you're interested in buying something that appeals to the tweaker in you or you don't already have a good setup this is practically a must-buy.
(Edited)
shoaibexpert
85
May 17, 2019
Thanks mate. I'm curious, does the DAC do Bit Perfect streaming from popular streaming apps via PC (via USB) like say Tidal? And if you want to use it in both Rca and balanced mode outs alternatively...is there a way to do that? Also, are u saying that the Gashelli Labs and the Topping DACs are better sounding than the SU-8? Would love to hear any work arounda for MQA as well for this DAC....I know a lot of questions... But appreciate your help!
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EcchiWhale
110
May 17, 2019
shoaibexpertYup. Up to 32 bit - 384khz or something from memory. It outputs simultaneously, I don't believe there is a way to alternate or turn off one output I think, I tried at least. I haven't heard them but you can look at the review and quantitative performance comparison here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-su-8-version-2-balanced-dac.5433/
CaseyOD
191
Nov 26, 2019
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I was running a Topping D30 and upgraded to the SU-8 because I wanted to A/B balanced/unbalanced. I'm running Roon on an iMac streaming Qobuz and Tidal into a Little Bear MC3 source selector (very good little unit, highly recommend) so that I can A/B sources. I have the D30 running to the single ended input and SU-8 into one of the balanced inputs and have a THX AAA 789 and Loxjie P20 running balanced, with the single ended daisy chained from a Schiit Loki, Topping A30, to a Topping PA3 powering a pair of Micca RB42's. I guess my review speaks to the quality of the Topping D30 because switching back and forth between the D30 and the SU-8 I can hardly tell a difference. What's nice about the SU-8 is that you can volume match the output so you're really comparing apples to apples. I ran this set up into my HD58x's, HD6xx's, HE400i's, Tin P1's, and Tin T2's, all balanced through the THX and Loxjie and I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between the D30 and the SU-8 on the SU-8's default settings. However, what is nice and noticeable is using the sound presets on the SU-8. I was particularly a fan of the tube settings running into the Loxjie. It really gives a nice warm sound signature but it doesn't feel like it's at the expense of detail. So, I guess, if you just have to have balanced, this is a great deal and it sounds good. If you want the sound presets the SU-8's sound and filter presets give it a lot of versatility and a way to slightly color the sound but it's not super dramatic. It's not like an EQ setting that can be overwhelming but it just slightly changes the character of the sound. But if all you want is a very good, neutral sounding DAC with great detail, at a bargain price, you really can't go wrong with the Topping D30. The only thing I hate about the SU-8 is that if your source switches bitrates it will noticeably pop when it does so. I will only listen to the SU-8 when I'm listening to an entire album because it's so annoying. I've read others who have experienced this. Not sure if there's a fix for it. It's very noticeable through the RB42's. Not sure if this is because of how Roon talks to the DAC or what, but the D30 does not do this at all. Eventually I may try and spring for a Chord or some other FPGA based balanced DAC but I think my little experiment into balanced vs. unbalanced leads me to believe that a good quality single ended DAC can sound just fine, particularly with the entry level cans I own. My conclusion is that it's a perfectly acceptable DAC with some nice features, if you don't mind the popping. I may get rid of mine just because the popping really is annoying between tracks. If all your source material is the same bitrate it's fine, but if you have a playlist that goes from 44.1/16 to 24/96 to xx/xx it will annoy you. Update 12/3/19 I played around with Roon and tried the DSD upsampling available in the device setup. I have the horsepower in my iMac so I opted to upsample everything to DSD256 to the SU8. I can't say that I notice a huge sonic difference BUT this does effectively stop the popping when changing bitrates between songs and albums, which makes sense because I'm feeding the SU8 a constant diet of upsampled DSD 256 tracks. I volume matched with the D30 again, out of curiosity. I was running straight PCM Qobuz tracks at 24/192 and some at 16/44.1, 24/96, and 24/192. The SU8 was getting upsampled to DSD256, the D30 was getting straight PCM. I can't hear a huge difference A/Bing between the two perhaps a very slight increase in soundstage from the SU8, and a slightly more noticeable increase in detail through my HE400i's running balanced from the THX. Perhaps the SU-8 is sending a lot more info and it's just that the HE400i's aren't putting that detail out, or (perhaps more probably) my 47 year old ears just can't pick up those details. I guess more importantly, DSD upsampling doesn't in any way seem to negatively affect the quality of the sound coming out of the SU8, and it's no longer popping when the source material switches bitrates. So, for the time being, I guess it gets to stay in my system. Update 1/7/20 I bought a pair of Focal Elex and compared again. Again, comparing the SU8 to the D30 I can't hear a super appreciable difference. On paper the SU8 is great but I'm guessing I'll have to bump up quite a bit in DAC to get a noticeable improvement to the sound quality from the rig I have now. Maybe I'll spring for a Chord Mojo or Qutest and see what all the fuss is about.
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(Edited)
pumpkin
12
Jan 28, 2020
CaseyODPlease don't take this the wrong way, but you need to get the Khadas Tone Board and see for yourself.
CaseyOD
191
Jan 30, 2020
pumpkinThat good huh?
kbarstad
8
Feb 21, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Review for SU-8 V2 only: Joined a drop late December and received it before Feb.! Here's the gist: Balanced dac, with a remote. Sounds amazing! Oh, and it was only $200.00! Current use and set up: Optical from tv and usb from phone or laptop. Feeding xlr's into a Crown xli1500 (Audioquest King Cobra's)
  • Driving SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers
Feeding RCA's to two SVS PB12 - NSD's (stereo L & R subs) WOW! Clarity and imagining are perfect. Can easily pick out poor recordings now. I by no means have a 'trained ear' but I get wow'ed every time I listen. If you haven't every used a proper dac you should experience it. Any one that could use a dac with a remote and could benefit from balanced outputs should get one. Try to be sure to get the V2, they decreased certain distortion issues from the V1. Easy to recommend.
erkt
16
Mar 19, 2020
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No warranty
My SMSL SU-8 was busted after 6 or so months. Contacted drop and they said there was no warranty on this product. No warranty in 2020... left to eat dust.
dpump
38
Apr 2, 2020
erktPM me on Head-Fi at dpump and I can try to repair your DAC.
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This is one of the best price-performance balanced XLR-out DACs you can find. The sound isn't as cold as other SMSL DACs and amps I've tried, which is nice since it sounds similar enough to my other favorite DAC, the Topping D30. The real big factor here is ~$200 gets you balanced XLR outs along with a remote and optical-in connection as well.
Now, I'm not one to get into the super detailed sound since I don't have the money to have 20 units on hand to compare, but the D30 and the SU-8 have similar enough sound signatures through my Jotunheim to end up with a sound I enjoy. I haven't tried the SU-8 with my Magni 3 or A30 amps, but the Jotunheim gives a similar enough sound that it isn't too far off from the D30 that I believe it would work well with them as well.
One small issue I have had is with DX11 games, sometimes the drivers glitch on Win10, but either a source switch or an off-on cycle solves it. Haven't had issues with non-DX11 games, and sometimes I can go days without the issue, but it happens just randomly enough to notice it. If you're just listening to music, you won't have any issues AFAIK.
So far, for the price, this is the best price-performance XLR out DAC available, and with the greater diminishing returns on DACs than amps, this makes a great entry into balanced territory. Do I believe in the whole Sonic benefit of balanced? Eh, not really. But with XLR the overall volume becomes stronger, meaning the amp won't have to work as hard for volume with XLR-in connections. Try this out, and then see if you like it or can even tell the difference between the XLR and RCA connections sonically, and go from there to see if higher end XLR balanced DACs will be worth it, if you don't really care for the difference between the XLR and RCA connections, or if RCA gets it done for you. You'll save a little if you don't need the XLR on the higher end units until you get into the 4 figure units, which then you'll have more money to directly compare units than I will.
TL;DR - good entry unit for XLR, not cold like other SMSL units I've tried, best price-performance-feature unit available, IMO.
Kad998
27
Mar 1, 2019
Brosefstalin42I’m glad to have found somebody with the SU8 and the Jot. The SU8 is on the way and I will pair this as you did. I just had a quick question for running them both. This is my first time having a stand-alone Dac. Did you just connect them both through XLRs and the Dac through your computer via USB?
kimdeug
430
Jan 22, 2019
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Has been running 1 month via USB and was very happy. After 1 month decided to connect via Toslink and have got Buzzing noise. It was exactly on 30 days since purchase. Have found that USB connection is OK, No buzzing, but Via Toslink and Via Optical Coax very loud buzz. Have used different Toslink and Coax sources (Three computers, Topping7 , Cambridge Audio 851D) to SMSL SU8, and after from SMSL SU8 balanced output to my 8 headphone amplifiers, All of them got the Buzz from SMSL SU 8. Massdrop refused for RMA as was more than 30 days since purchase (2 weeks only for delivery to New Zealand)
kimdeug
430
Feb 24, 2019
Agree. I have listed a big comment on SMSL SU8 dicussion
MrBrownOKC
4
May 20, 2019
As the saying goes: "You get what you pay for." or "Garbage in, garbage out.".
Andrew.damato
47
May 25, 2020
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Amazing Dac but please but it from somewhere else
The dac is amazing. it complements the 789 perfectly. However, it took almost 2.5 months to arrive. By that time I had gotten it priced matched by APOS and had it shipped to me in 5 days. Don't quite understand what took DROP so long since APOS was able to get it in my hand in 5 days from order (they are located in china)
Andrew.damato
47
Jan 27, 2021
I think drop price at the time was 185 plus shipping. apos gave it to me for 185 with free shipping
MastroiTek
29
Jan 28, 2021
Andrew.damatoThat is awesome, too bad that I live in europe.....
StarTrekLover
12
Dec 14, 2019
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The sharp clarity is amazing
Had a couple people discourage me from going for a DAC since buying the THX AAA 789 amp and sennheiser HD 6xx, saying it wouldn’t be a large sound difference. Well they’re wrong. Maybe my PC’s built in stuff is garbage, but this is a very noticeable bump in clarity and sharpness. Especially so with balanced cables and headphones.
Recommends this product? Yes
tdolynny
5
Dec 9, 2019
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Sounds and looks great
The DAC is easy to connect to with USB and sounds really good. I like the different sound options available. The headphone amp has loads of power using HE-4XX and K712 headphones. Waiting on balanced headphone cables to get the full experience!
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Recommends this product? Yes
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