[starcraft2]

And compared to the mojo?

 

[starcraft2]

My doubts stand now between the m8a with the ess9038 or the XiangSheng dac 05.

They have the same price and do the same. The XS has a valve output.

 

[Triplefun]

My doubts stand now between the m8a with the ess9038 or the XiangSheng dac 05.

They have the same price and do the same. The XS has a valve output.

I replaced my m8 with an m8a and found the improved XMOS xu208 with dsd512 generated a slightly warmer sound with no loss of detail. I use dsd512 upsampling. The XiangSheng DAC 05b (i wouldn't bother with the dac 05a) uses two ak4995, xMOS xu208, valve output stage and balanced interface which should result in an even warmer sound ( pronounced mid range with less digital shrill). So it really comes down to your personal taste. Note the balanced interface means you can place it further from your amp.

 

[DjBobby]

And compared to the mojo?

No comparison. The Mojo leaves both M8 and M8A in the dust. Much fuller bass, more colors, better imaging. Both SMSLs sound flat and slightly 2D compared to the Mojo.

 

[Fawzay]

i have the smsl m8a es90282qm dac, so what is the difference between in SQ for the newer dac: ES90382qm and the my current M8a dac....?
i was shocked that that they changed the dac silently. Also i checked the official SMSL website saying it added 10 DSP Adjustment.... my guts telling me its a gimmick dou....

 

[Triplefun]

I have a smsl m8a and topping d50 and I find the d50 has a slight edge on the smsl probably due to the twin 9038q2m. I would say the d50 (which I notice you have) would be very close in sq to the new smsl. How do you rate your other DACs?

 

[Fawzay]

to my ears da topping d50 retrieve more detail than my m8a and d50 is a little warmer than m8a and i found the m8a treble is crisps and forward. overall they almost similar. Btw i stack the SMSL m8a with SMSL sAp-12 amp...

 

[Fawzay]

I dunno shud i get the newer version of the SMSL M8a because of the 10 dsp adjustment prolly u guys can help me clarify more on this....

 

[Th3Drizzl3]

i wouldnt get the new one only for the 10 modes. imo those are usually not great anyway. personally i like the d50 more then the m8a, but if u want smsl why not go for the su-8 to get the extra xlr's, it uses the newer dac and has the dsp options also.

 

[DjBobby]

I dunno shud i get the newer version of the SMSL M8a because of the 10 dsp adjustment prolly u guys can help me clarify more on this....

These 10 modes are probably 3 DSD filters and 7 PCM filters, as found in all new devices using ES9038. I guess they are the same one as in the Topping D50.

 

[Fawzay]

thanks guys, fortunately, i did not buy the newer ver. of the SMSL M8A instead i have oredy bought the Topping D50 at a cheaper price @ S$250 which is a good deal. My opinion, the SMSL SU-8 the deal breaker is that it doesnt have volume knob instead uses the remote control and some of ppl review it; saying he has issue with volume adjustment in windows. I still prefer the voulume knob

i got a question dou, does the topping d50 good to stack with the topping a30 headphone amp?
prolly posted this in the wrong thread but what da hey~

 

[artheo]

I have a SMSL M8a (ES9028Q2M version) and tried to power it from my Schiit Wyrd which provides linear power supply. Specifically, I used the supplied "USB to DC in" cable and connected the USB output of my Schiit Wyrd to the DC-in port of M8a. There was no USB connection from my computer to Schiit Wyrd as I wanted to use it only for power.
There was a significant change in sound compared to the original wall-wart power supply: With the Wyrd, it sounded warmer with less treble energy, extension and air. For most of the tracks and especially for classical music this was a degrade in sound quality. So after listening a couple of days, I finally decided that I prefer the original PSU and went back to it.
I am curious of what is wrong because a linear power supply which is provided by the Wyrd according to its specs, is supposed to upgrade sound quality.

What kind of experience do you have from using a linear power supply with the SMSL M8a?

 

[wwmhf]

Not all DC supplies have the same quality?
The voltage from Wyrd is marginal?
The supply from Wyrd is powerful for providing enough current?

 

[HarryglanFIRS]

I have a SMSL M8a (ES9028Q2M version) and tried to power it from my Schiit Wyrd which provides linear power supply. Specifically, I used the supplied "USB to DC in" cable and connected the USB output of my Schiit Wyrd to the DC-in port of M8a. There was no USB connection from my computer to Schiit Wyrd as I wanted to use it only for power.
There was a significant change in sound compared to the original wall-wart power supply: With the Wyrd, it sounded warmer with less treble energy, extension and air. For most of the tracks and especially for classical music this was a degrade in sound quality. So after listening a couple of days, I finally decided that I prefer the original PSU and went back to it.
I am curious of what is wrong because a linear power supply which is provided by the Wyrd according to its specs, is supposed to upgrade sound quality.

What kind of experience do you have from using a linear power supply with the SMSL M8a?

Have you tried powering your M8a from a battery power bank, the type use to recharge mobile phones and tablets? They have no reactive components and therefore provide a perfectly smooth 5v DC supply. The sound quality will then be a good as you will ever get with any type of mains power supply regardless of cost.

 

[wwmhf]

I am sorry that I have to point that almost all battery power banks in the market use active (reactive) components, some of them even use very bad ones.