SMSL SU-9n box and all

Introducing the SMSL SU-9n

Today I’m reviewing the SMSL SU-9n DAC. I purchased this beauty directly from SMSL after watching and reading a mixed bag of reviews. So what’s really going on?

There are many factors that go into what affects the sound of components and more often than not a topic that’s rarely touched on is ‘dirty power’. The SU-9n has a high quality liner power supply which will in fact reduce the noise floor to deliver what I’ve heard referred to as a “darker background”. Let’s keep the mumbo jumbo to a minimum and call it clean instead 😉

SMSL SU-9n – About The DAC.

I’ve just listed the core items I believe are most important, for a full list of specifications see the link at the bottom of the page to the official SMSL website and product page.

SMSL SU-9n rear panel

The Goods.

– ESS ES9038PRO DAC chip
– Internal liner PS
– DSD – 32bit/768kHz and DSD512
– PCM – 32bit/768kHz
– Outputs – XLR + RCA can be used at the same time
– Inputs – Coax, Fibre, USB Type B, LDAC BT
– Remote control

The Test Setup

It’s always best to have a baseline for comparison so there’s some sort of yard stick. For this one I’ve chosen the Geshelli J2 socketed + Sparkos SS2390 Op-Amps retail price $1,200 AUD ($700 USD) landed vs the SMSL SU-9n $600 AUD ($370 USD). Prices may vary slightly but you get the gist.

– Using our audiophile reference system setup I had both DACs connected at the same time to the Topping Pre90 pre-amplifier.
– J2 connected over fiber Tos-link
– SU-9n connected over coax (with a nice new custom-made Belden silver plated coax cable with Rean connectors purchased from our friends over NB Speaker Cables. We’ll dive into the cable in another post and just to cut those of you off at the pass that may think I’m going to dribble on about how cables sound different, well I’m not as I’m opposed to dribble but I do like quality and that’s a different conversation to be had later).
– WiiM Pro as the streamer
– NO DSP turned on to tame the room. The reason I’ve chosen to have it turned off is to minimize any potential anomalies DSP may introduce. It may not be an issue and it’s something I’ll play with over time to evolve the testing methodology, but just to be safe in this instance we’ll keep it off 🙂

For my/ your listening pleasure.

Selecting a bevy of well recorded classics to hear any differentials in the sound signature between the 2 DACs, feast your ears on the songs of choice!

Songs played

– ‘I feel it coming’ the weekend
– ‘Hurricanes’ Dido
– ‘Havana’ Camila Cabello
– ‘Careless whisper’ George Michael
– ‘Faith’ George Michael
– ‘La Isla Bonita’ Madonna
– ‘It’s Probably Me’ Sting & Eric Clapton
– ‘Un-Break My Heart’ Toni Braxton
– ‘Love is a stranger’ Eurythmics
– ‘House On A Rock’ Ngaiire
– ‘Jungle’ Tash Sultana

Full playlist on Quobuz in HiRes & Spotify (max 320 kbps)

I honestly couldn’t stop listening to the music but had to put the brakes on at some stage as every song was played twice, one time for each DAC to compare.

Picking the differences was a lot harder than I had initially anticipated but had a great time trying my best to pick the clear distinctions between the 2 DACs.

Musings and Observations.

– The SMSL SU-9n delivers amazing dynamics with a stronger bass presentation than the J2 4499 with ss2390 Sparkos
– J2 projects a slightly wider sound stage which I love
– Detail retrieval is on par between the two even though we have 2 different DAC chips from different manufacturers
– There’s a slightly thicker full bodied sound from the SMSL SU-9n. (The J2 is not thin sounding it’s just that the SU-9n is thicker)
– Delightful to listen to, very enjoyable.
– High performance internal linear power supply keeps the noise floor super low and makes the setup a little cleaner than having an external PS.
— The J2 uses a small external switching PS
– Accessing functions on the SU-9n is a cinch via the supplied remote control (no need to send the kids or dog to try and press a button, I’ve also retired the broom stick)
– The SU-9n will work as a pre-amp to a larger component system and is also right at home on a desktop setup.
– It’s a sleek compact box that shouldn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities, well I’m sure someone will complain about it’s visual appeal haha, that’s cool there are lots of other toys out there to choose from but how many of them are at this price point and can deliver a super clean dynamic sound? Well that’s a discussion for another time.
– I like that you can set the display to turn off after a set amount of time allowing the SU-9n to disappear when watching movies.

The Summary – Here We Go!

It’s a challenge to tell the two DACs apart; the primary differentiator would be the wider sound stage of the j2 and the slight difference in bass authority/ richness of the su-9n. Both are excellent DACs and would fit nicely in many systems enhancing your listening pleasure.

Personally I love a wide sound stage so would choose the j2 if I could only have 1 DAC, but if I was on a budget and could only spend $600 AUD ($370 USD approx ) then the SMSL SU-9n would be my choice every day of the week.

If we look at the previous review of the Eversolo z8 at $1,200 AUD we have the same ESS sabre pro DAC chip in the su-9n packed into a smaller box and delivers just as much performance. Actually being straight up the SU-9n sounds better to me at 1/2 the price. Sure we don’t get VU meters and an iPhone/ Android app but we are paying almost 1/2 the price for incredible sound quality, similar levels of connectivity and clarity due to super low noise and low jitter.

Want to dive into the weeds – Read the technical testing results over at ASR.

SMSL-SU9n – Great review from ASR showing low noise level testing and clarity.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/smsl-su-9n-review-balanced-stereo-dac.27300

Eversolo Z8 – Technical comparison.

Looking at the SINAD score comparison of the SU9n 121.4 vs the Eversolo z8 122.9 basically telling us that the SU9n has a super low noise floor meaning you’ll never hear any interference from the DAC when enjoying your favorite music.

Read my review of the Eversolo Z8.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/eversolo-z8-dac-amp-review.41512/

SMSL website for detailed specifications.
https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/768.html

Outro

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Happy sound hunting!

Gerardo