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At first glance, the SMSL PS200 barely registers as a serious hi-fi component. Its extremely compact form factor and understated design suggest convenience rather than ambition. Yet once integrated into a proper system, the PS200 reveals itself as a surprisingly disciplined and capable digital-to-analog converter, one that places transparency and control above coloration and spectacle. Built around ESS Technology’s latest 9039Q2M DAC chip, the PS200 is designed to deliver ext

I have waited ever since first hearing this DAC in Shenzhen a few months ago to truly listen to it at home. It is a new age, an SMSL 2.0 for this company. And they are realizing an underdog in an industry, a Japanese technology company Rohm, to be the heart of their new generation of DACs. SMSLs Gamble and experiment For now, it is known that AKM and ESS are pretty much rulers of the DAC market, with Burr Brown following behind them. At majority of DACs that use delta-sigma D

So you read the title, and I guess at least once in your life you asked yourself that question. Why would I spend xyz money on the DAC. And I have seen on internet and among reviewers a lot of confusion around DAC features, materials, build, components etc. And I want to clarify a lot of things, with a bit of technical review of Gustard X26III. Why would I spend so much money on DAC? To start I know that in world of HIFI numbers can go to ludicrous heights. And there are peop

You know that one company does a great job, is when arriving to the scene they effortlessly set standards in HIFI space. That is what...