[povidlo]

Liquid spark is fire. Sounds like a mini liquid platinum, very similar tonality. Warm, rich, sweet, but not muddy. Liquid platinum is a tier above on technicalities but, unlike spark, it's basically only usable with hard to drive headphones. With tube pre-amp, spark sounds even more like platinum. At the sale price spark is going right now I couldn't think of a better value hp amp.

 

[Flak]

Is anyone able to successfully do the MCU firmware update? I can't get mine into the MCU update "mode" (unit on and connected via USB but screen off). USB firmware update went fine.

 

[povidlo]

Is anyone able to successfully do the MCU firmware update? I can't get mine into the MCU update "mode" (unit on and connected via USB but screen off). USB firmware update went fine.

For what purpose are you doing MCU firmware update?

 

[Flak]

For what purpose are you doing MCU firmware update?

Bug fixes and performance update

 

[povidlo]

Bug fixes and performance update

Wasn't it reported on ASR that mcu update bricked a bunch of units? Can you share the link to usb and mcu update files/instructions you're trying?

 

[boodi]

I have d/s sources with flaship chips from AKM, CS, and ESE. In terms of r2r and multibit, I have Hifiman Hymalaya, Cayin ru6, as well as old school multi-bit dac with Phillips and BurrBrown chips. Really wanted to get this to try the Rohm chip which I haven't heard.

Got D300 for work office set up as alternative to neutral-cold E50. Very busy there, so got a chance to listen to it briefly for just about an hour through LDAC. Very first impressions are positive. Tonality is neutral-warm, out of traditional d/s chips it's generally closer to AKM's velvet sound. Specifically though, I found D300 to sound somewhat similar to RCA output of TA-ZH1ES and its proprietary Sony s-master dac based on my recollection. Smooth treble, great sense of ambience in the low end, and enough color in the mids to keep them musical but clean. In terms of r2r similarity, I heard greater emphasis on micro-dynamics than macro-dynamics. D/s chips typically have opposite focus from my experience.

Not sure if it makes a difference yet, but HCP Mode was set to OFF. Based on manual OFF gives better low and mids performance, while ON gives cleaner treble.

did you have a chance to compare this unit to the su-9 or to any ak4499 dac? Any opinion ?

 

[povidlo]

did you have a chance to compare this unit to the su-9 or to any ak4499 dac? Any opinion ?

i have d90se with 9038pro for desktop dac, too. have paired it and d300 with my drop thx aaa 789.

the two dacs have contrasting signatures. d90se has a modern, somewhat digital but very well implemented presentation, unforgiving to bad recording. it's forward, agile, sharp and very detailed.

on the other hand, d300 has a very different presentation that somewhat gives me 90s nostalgia and reminds of current sony and ifi's bb chips. mellow, chill, laid-back, ambient, excellent micro-dynamics and transition timing.

i'd say d300 is not as dark and mids-focused as r2r and multibit i'm used to. it could be said it sounds somewhat like a ds and r2r hybrid.

objectively d90se is the better dac but subjectively i like the signature on d300 more. it's cool to be able to fall back and listen to the rohm chip. plenty of akm and ess lying around already.

i only have ak4499 in a dap, rohm in d300 sounds closer to akm than to ess if that helps. though out of big 3 ds producers, i'd say it sounds closest to cirrus and its cs43198 flagchip. with better technicalities though.

 

[imsjry]

Curious how this DAC sounds in comparison to an R2R DAC like the Ares II? It’s clearly an upgrade from my Topping E-30 but with this price point, I wonder if it will give me upgraditis to hear what’s better up the ladder. If people feel it’s an endgame when compared to pricier units, that might seal the deal because I do think it sounds marvelous!

 

[inscythe]

Just "downgraded" my stack from Topping A90D-D90SE to SMSL H300-D300 stack and was surprised at how little of a downgrade it felt. The D300 definitely is not as resolving as the D90SE, but it is more enjoyable. A friend of mine described D90SE pretty well: it's like a lab equipment. D300 is trading off some of that neutrality and details for more of long-lasting euphony. It does make D300 trickier to pair to different amps due to its slight colouration, but since I probably won't be pairing different amps with it anyway, I don't think it's a problem. I think a relatively neutral amp would be a good pairing, which H300 happens to be one.

 

[povidlo]

Found a parallel thread for D300 with good review.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/s-m-s-l-d300-with-rohm-mu-sic-dac-review-and-measurements.967760/

 

[povidlo]

Stumbled upon a listing from Aoshida of a unit called 'SMSL D-300 2023 Version Pro Plus'. It's a new Amazon page created on July 5, 2023. Just one used unit in stock, while description/pictures look like original D300. Might be an unintentional leak from Aoshida of upcoming unit. I bet the used unit itself is the original D300.

https://a.co/d/aUwJdYl

 

[XERO1]

Stumbled upon a listing from Aoshida of a unit called 'SMSL D-300 2023 Version Pro Plus'. It's a new Amazon page created on July 5, 2023. Just one used unit in stock, while description/pictures look like original D300. Might be an unintentional leak from Aoshida of upcoming unit. I bet the used unit itself is the original D300.

https://a.co/d/aUwJdYl

Perhaps this could be a placeholder for an upcoming "D300 MkII". This would make sense since the current D300 uses the old display graphics that SMSL has stopped using for quite a while now.

And the link you posted opens up a generic SuperOffers page, not an Amazon page.

 

[povidlo]

Perhaps this could be a placeholder for an upcoming "D300 MkII". This would make sense since the current D300 uses the old display graphics that SMSL has stopped using for quite a while now.

And the link you posted opens up a generic SuperOffers page, not an Amazon page.

Link still works for me, here's non-shortened version https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CB6GH7JT

If there's a new version, hope it's still using rohm chip otherwise it would loose its exotic appeal. More than enough akm and ess dacs around.

 

[XERO1]

Link still works for me, here's non-shortened version https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CB6GH7JT

If there's a new version, hope it's still using rohm chip otherwise it would loose its exotic appeal. More than enough akm and ess dacs around.

I'm sure it will, but it will have a few updates like using the latest XMOS chip, using SMSL's current GUI, etc.

 

[drspeter]

Long been interested in this product as it seems provide a bit analogue like sound which is not easily found if not R2R. Has anyone experience d300 and r2r product like gustard r26 or denafrips one? Can someone tell me if d300 can be a cheap alternative for someome who seeks r2r taste?