[RodolfoAmaral]

Hello guys
 
I bought a SMSL S2 on aliexpress. In the first day of use, the sound sometimes disappears and I had to reconnect the usb cable (some people say that it is due tu Windows 8 power management problems). After 3 days of using it, the unit died. Windows 8 says that it has a USB composite driver problem. I reinstalled the driver and nothing happend. I also tested with 3 other computers, other usb ports, and other usb cables, and the problem is the same. I tried to write a new firmware following the instrucciones given by SMSL and the software could not connect due to the usb problem. I contacted the oficial seller and he said that I have to pay the shipping to China (I live in Spain) and also pay the shipping from China to Spain to see the problem and eventually sustitute it. The total costs ascend up to 30 euros, and the unit costed 55 euros. I think it is not right that after only 3 days I have to pay for the shipping. I will never buy anything from this company. I also heard that other people are having similar problems too. I recorded a video explaining my problem.
 
 

 

[billybob_jcv]

Unfortunately, when you buy cheap electronics from AliExpress, this is the risk you take. It's not right, but it is the downside of buying from the cheapest place you can find in the world. Sometimes is works out and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[RedJohn456]

Well first of all, I am sorry to hear about your issues. I know how frustrating it can be to receive and having to deal with defective units.
 
With that said, I don't think its fair to malign the product in this manner. This is my only reservation about dealing with aliexpress. I bought mine from an authorized dealer and its working wonderfully with my macbook pro without any issues. I understand that you are flustered but its a tad unfair to malign the whole company don't you think? They actually have some decent amps on amazon and stuff, but I digress.
 
FWIW, I purchased mine from Penon Audio. They are a fine bunch of folks, Why don't you email them and explain your situation, I think they might be able to help you out and they have tremendous customer service. Just give it a shot and let us know how it goes
 
I hope you are able to resolve it, as the M2 is a nice little capable dac. However if you are looking for more alternatives, I might be able to suggest a few in the <$100 Category
 
Here is a site to look through some nice options. If you're in the states you can use amazon to get them quick. These two models stuck out the most for me
http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/decoder.html?dir=asc&order=price

1.  Fiio E10k - $75 (http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/)
2. XDUOO XD-03 - $96 (http://www.amazon.com/xDuoo-XD-03-Portable-Headphone-amplifier/dp/B00KT5TAOS/)

 
Also here is another site: http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs
They have some KILLER dacs and amps with top shelf parts with good prices imo. Their portable dacs start at something like 29 bucks!

1. HIFIMEDIY SABRE TINY USB DAC - $29 (http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs/tiny-dac)
2. HIFIMEDIY SABRE U2 ASYNCHRONOUS USB DAC - $57 (http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs/U2-DAC)
3. HIFIMEDIY SABRE USB DAC 2 - $69 (http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs/usb-dac2)
4. HIFIMEDIY SABRE USB DAC ES9023 96KHZ/24BIT - $42 (http://hifimediy.com/DACs/ready-made-dacs/sabre-dac-uae23)

 
 
Anyway I digress lol. So a you can see, there are a myriad of options that you can consider. I think this is an issue with the seller not being consumer friendly and it shouldn't deter you away from future products imo. If you have any questions or anything please don't hesitate to shoot me a pm. My advice to you is email penonaudio@hotmail.com 

and nicely explain your situation. they love helping out head fi members and see if you guys can work something out. they have gone out of their way to help me many a times, often out of their own pocket. I am not saying they will give you a free one, but see if you can work something out  Let us know what happens. Might as well try everything at this point. ​

 

[kramer5150]

Conditions of the sale are CLEARLY LISTED ON THE PRODUCT WWW SITE, where it states the customer is responsible for paying return shipping.  If you chose not to read, thats your fault.  I don't think its right for you to come onto a www forum just to slam a seller for their return policy when you are clearly the one at fault for not understanding the terms of the sale.
 
"If the product you receive is not as described or low quality, the seller promises that you may return it before order completion (when you click ‘Confirm Order Received’ or exceed confirmation timeframe) and receive a full refund. The return shipping fee will be paid by you. Or, you can choose to keep the product and agree the refund amount directly with the seller."
 
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/SMSL-M2-USB-Decoder-DAC-External-Sound-card-Built-in-Amp-Fiber-Analog-Output/1140113_1874057216.html

 

[billybob_jcv]

I look at these products, and I am absolutely amazed that they can be manufactured, sold and shipped from China to anywhere in the world for $65. As was pointed out, shipping alone is $20-30, so that means manufacturing, selling and profit must all be covered for $35-$45. It just baffles me how that business model works - the SMSL are by no means the cheapest products in the segment.

 

[kramer5150]

I look at these products, and I am absolutely amazed that they can be manufactured, sold and shipped from China to anywhere in the world for $65. As was pointed out, shipping alone is $20-30, so that means manufacturing, selling and profit must all be covered for $35-$45. It just baffles me how that business model works - the SMSL are by no means the cheapest products in the segment.

The reality is cost of goods+foreign labor in consumer electronics is pennies on the dollar... pennies to make, dollars to buy (IE huge mark-up).  You can see it on the customs declaration documents (at least for US Customs) where there is a field to enter the cost of goods.

 

[cel4145]

SMSL has long had a history of reliability issues. Unfortunately, their products tend to get hyped by newbies who don't know this.

 

[julian67]

Coincidentally I purchased an SMSL sAp II desktop amp which arrived this week. I had previously read positive comments about the item but also negative comments about SMSL build quality and design. Obviously I can't comment on my new amp's longevity but it does work as described. I bought mine via amazon.co.uk market place from SHENZHENAUDIOUK (shenzhen longruixiang trade co.ltd). They were easy to deal with, emailing me promptly and offering a choice of gold or black units, and despatching my choice very shortly after I replied. It arrived on the earliest estimated date. There are several SMSL vendors on amazon.co.uk. To select one I read my tea leaves, consulted an astrologer, gutted a pigeon and interpreted its entrails, and finally decided on the vendor who was much cheaper than all the others and offering free shipping too. It's a foolproof method. Being something of a fool I favour foolproof methods and they work well for me.

I think one crappy experience from ali baba, the world's most fabulous and notorious escrow scam and counterfeit goods site, is hardly the basis for taking against a particular brand or manufacturer. Nor do I think my, so far, satisfactory experience of SMSL and SHENZHENAUDIOUK makes for a cast iron recommendation. But anyway I would not discourage anyone from trying an SMSL product.

 

[cel4145]

I think one crappy experience from ali baba, the world's most fabulous and notorious escrow scam and counterfeit goods site, is hardly the basis for taking against a particular brand or manufacturer.

There is plenty of evidence of build quality issues with SMSL products. Enough to suspect that if SMSL is selling a particular device cheaper than other manufacturers, good bet that's because it's more cheaply made. My guess has been that they use electronics that don't quite meet specs. So many may do well, while some fail. But that's purely a guess.

 

[julian67]

There is plenty of evidence of build quality issues with SMSL products.

I haven't and don't dispute that SMSL may have QA or build issues, but to support your assertion you need to at least supply some verifiable evidence or some credible statistics. Exhortations to search google do not qualify. You make the claim so the onus is on you to support it. Otherwise it is only assertion or unfounded opinion or anecdote.

 

[Bytor123]

My SMSL portable amp is still going strong since 2013...no complaints from me!

 

[RedJohn456]

SMSL has long had a history of reliability issues. Unfortunately, their products tend to get hyped by newbies who don't know this.

I don't think thats a fair assertion to make considering the blanket nature of your statement. The m2 is a very transparent dac that is said to out-perform many in its price class.

 

[cel4145]

I haven't and don't dispute that SMSL may have QA or build issues, but to support your assertion you need to at least supply some verifiable evidence or some credible statistics. Exhortations to search google do not qualify. You make the claim so the onus is on you to support it. Otherwise it is only assertion or unfounded opinion or anecdote.

Let's be honest. 99% of the recommendations and opinions offered on Head-Fi are purely subjective.

That being said, it was the t-amp mod community that first turned me on to the problems with SMSL when I was looking at them several years ago. And many of those people have a lot of engineering knowledge and tend to draw on that, rather than on subjective impressions. And it does explain why SMSL products tend to be a good bit cheaper than comparably priced Topping products. If someone wants to go research it further or not, don't care. But I would point out that a lot of the recommendations for SMSL products tend to come from people who just got them or are new to them, which does not speak to long term reliability.

 

[julian67]

I agree wholeheartedly about the subjective nature of most recommendations here. However that does not invalidate them automatically or entirely. And of course negative recommendations are equally subjective when not supported by data. Again, this in no way entirely invalidates those negative opinions or the cautions against purchase. It merely leaves the reader lost. For what it's worth I don't think very highly of the SMSL amp I just received in terms of how it sounds with my DACs, but I really can't complain about presentation, build quality etc ......yet.

Some links to credible reviews, posts, or data would be welcome.

 

[RodolfoAmaral]

In this topic there is a guy who is having the same problem
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/725575/s-m-s-l-m2-dac-first-impressions/75