5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a satisfied customer.

D. · May 15, 2025

I use this DAC to connect to an older stereo receiver that lacks Bluetooth, and also connect an older Bluray player (using a digital coax connection) that I use primarily for CDs now. There was a definite improvement in audio quality with the D-6S over the built-in DAC in the Bluray player, and a more subtle but still noticeable improvement over the Topping D50s DAC I was using previously. The remote is small but works well enough. I found the D6-S very simple to set up and it's easy to use. I thought it was a good purchase for the price. S.M.S.L. packs their equipment very well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless sound, excellent value for money with 5 volt output

D. · February 27, 2024

I have an audio equipment business, but got one of these for my own personal system and it's a keeper. 5 volts out, XLR and RCA outputs, performance is a good as the $800-$1400 DACs I've had. If your amplifier clips in high gain at 5 volts, just dial back the volume to reduce it to 4 volts. Menu is easy to navigate, default filter 2 gives the best performance, and doesn't get even warm compared to some other high end models that will keep your coffee warm.I'm using it with a Topping A30 Pro amplifier currently, and have a Topping A70 Pro coming this week from Bolo and that'll finish off my end game plans for a personal system. It's got a frosted display which looks cloudy, but it's also not distracting so it's a wash on that. It's not wide enough for a Topping A30Pro to fit on, so I'd measure what amplifier you have if planning to run a stack. I had the DL200 which will fit anything like an A90 amplifier right on it, but that made clicks when switching from songs with different bit rates (really annoying).There's just nothing wrong with this DAC to point out. For $200 you wont find a nicer one with this many features and connectivity. I like the Topping E50, but needed a DAC with a real grounded power cord and XLR instead of using those 1/4" adapters. It's a win.

5.0 out of 5 stars Compatible w. Amazon Fire TV remote control (IR). Better than built in DAC in my Klipsch "The Sixes

E.T. · June 23, 2024

I'm planning to replace my Pioneer 5.1 receiver setup with a 2.1 using a high quality 2 channel amp and this DAC. There's a very noticeable improvement in imaging, the sound from the DAC sounds more 3 dimensional; you can really get a sense of the depth of the stage when songs were recorded, and how far away the singer and instruments are in the room. It's my first time hearing a DAC, and it makes my previous 5.1 setup sound almost mono by comparison. If you close your eyes my old setup sounds like speakers in front of you, listening to the DAC sounds like you're in the room where the music is being recorded.By default, the DAC LED display shows 44.1kHz bitrate, 24 bit. I went into the MIDI configuration on my Macbook, and I was able to configure the SMSL to 768kHz 32 bit, not sure if there's any improvement in sound quality, but might as well set it to the highest quality.My Klipsch "The Sixes" powered speakers use USB for audio, and I can use the keyboard keys (F10, F11, F12) to mute, and change volume. This no longer works when using the D6S DAC. My USB volume control is also now unusable. Not sure how to know which DACs work with software volume changes? Sound going through the DAC is a noticable upgrade vs the built in DAC in my Klipsch "The Sixes"A few things I've learned getting this going. You can't just plug in a lighting - USB C cable to use your iPhone to stream music; you need a Lightning to USB A female adapter (Photo / OTG adapter), then a USB A to USB C cable. Same thing for connecting my Macbook air, you can't just use a USB C to USB C cable, I have to use my dongle / dock with a USB A port, then use a USB A to USB C cable. What also works is plugging the DAC into my monitor's USB port, the monitor connects to my Macbook using USB C.Even trying to use a USB A to USB C adapter did not work.I was able to get my Bolo fire TV remote to power the D6S DAC on, and also properly control the Volume. Many of the new DACs are using Bluetooth or RF remotes, it's nice that this D6S DAC still uses IR for backwards compatibility. SMSL is listed in the Bolo fire TV equipment setup under "Soundbars".

4.0 out of 5 stars Over all it is the convenient DAC and budget pick.

U. · June 20, 2025

Tested it with PSI 14M, not as rich as my old die Nuprime 10. Fast response, not as power as my old one. However, is budget pick and it's easy to use. Bluetooth, can directly connect to your phone. Sometimes you do not have to pay a lot attention to listen to music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Quiet with Excellent Sound Stage

t. · April 19, 2024

Still evaluating this DAC but initial impressions are that it is very neutral sounding and dead silent. It also presents a solid sound stage with excellent ambiance. It is very easy to hear the hall when the recordings support this. It is not harsh at all.This DAC is completely plug and play with Ubuntu 23.10 but the units volume controls are not available within Ubuntu. This is not an issue as the remote provides this capability. Sound quality was evaluated using 192KHz/24 bit reference files that I am thoroughly familiar with over USB 3.0. In addition the sound quality was compared to a Lynx L22 card and the initial evaluation was that this DAC presented a better sound stage.The only negative I found so far is that this DAC only provides 7 filter responses while the DAC used within has 8 that are pre-programmed so not sure what the 8th filter is not available. I am still evaluating which filter I like best.