SMSL DO100 Review

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Design and Build Quality

Casing

I won’t lie to you, I’m a big fan of SMSL creation. If approximately 40% lighter and smaller than the DO200, the SMSL DO100 doesn’t feel cheaper. Sure, you don’t get the superb potentiometers with chamfered edges seen on its bigger sibling, but apart from that, the tiny DAC was given the same level of dedication in terms of construction.

Out of the iconic paper-white retail box, you get a black box, measuring 150 mm x 128 mm x 39mm and weighing 560g only. A small DAC indeed, that should easily fit every desktop with its conservative footprint, three times less than my HiFiman EF400, even if you pile up the HO100.

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Once again, build quality is flawless, and everywhere you touch, the DO100 gives that confident feeling of sturdiness. Even the control potentiometer, which I expected to be one of those flimsy buttons, surprised me with its behavior. Apart from that, everything – from the layout to the digital screen – was perfect.

Layout

For a sub-$300, the SMSL DO100 gets a very comprehensive I/O, with numerous digital, allowing you to connect all of your usual sources. There is a nice LCD screen too, with black and white digits – that gives you some feedback regarding the input, filters or even the type of USB transmission protocol you want to use – 1.1 legacy or 2.0 asynchronous.

The back panel comes with two outputs ports:

  • 1x XLR to connect a balanced amplifier
  • 1x RCA to connect an unbalanced amplifier

And no less than four input ports, to cover every type of digital source:

  • 1x USB-C port, to connect your computer or a DAP 
  • 1x Coaxial port, a classic found on a large selection of sources 
  • 1x SPDIF port, same as above, you can find it on CD-Players or even your game console
  • 1x Bluetooth antenna, thanks to its new BT chipset, the DAC supports Hi-Res Bluetooth decoding (LDAC, aptXHD, SBC, AAC)

Compared to the DO200, the DO100 loses the HDMI and XLR AES/EBU ports, but when you consider the customer target, this won’t be an issue, at all.

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Then, upfront, you’ll find:

  • a clickable control wheel, that allows you to set the volume in pre-amp mode, and access the menu…
  • … available through the LCD screen, located on the right side of the front panel

Finally, I was, once again, surprised to see that the SMSL DO100 also integrates the power supply, whereas old devices like my AD18 relied on a separate one. If a bit heavier, this also means that you can use a classic plug.

I’m still curious about why most modern DAC don’t come with a USB-C PD-compliant port, to completely ditch the AC power input. I’m sure there is a reason, but I don’t know why yet!

Bundle

The SMSL DO100 bundle only sports the mandatory accessories:

Inside the box you have :

  • 1x SMSL DO100
  • 1x power plug
  • 1x Bluetooth antenna
  • 1x USB-C cable
  • 1x remote (but no batteries)

If the brand packed an RCA or XLR cable with the DAC, I’d have given a full mark here. 

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So, let’s set up the DO100 and see how it goes.

The review continues on Page Three, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.

4.2/5 - (136 votes)
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A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

3 Comments

  • Reply August 17, 2022

    Victor

    Hi! Thanks for review, how you level matched volume between SMSL and Cayin? From specs it looks than Cayin has at least 1.5x more power at XLR output

  • Reply August 19, 2022

    JimM

    32bits/768 hmm… Where does one find music recorded at such lofty specifications?

  • Reply August 23, 2022

    MhtLion

    Nice comprehensive review! I was looking for a USB-C dac, and I ordered one based on your review.

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