Has SMSL CREATED the DAC for EVERYONE? Under $300 RAW MDA1 DAC - Headphone Amp Has ARRIVED!

[@FunFiEmpire]

I have been drooling over the SMSL RAW-MDA1 for about a month now. So glad you reviewed it - you are the first to my knowledge. FunFi is in my name after all (Thanks Bob - you thought of it first!). I put the money towards the Wiim Ultra instead. I really like that this DAC has the dual Coax/Opt inputs, and the graphic display. Glad you like it and I have started putting pennies in the piggy on the shelf already...

[@Brian_Romska]

I think I’ll really like the WiiM ultra and an emotiva amp but I’m holding off for now (“now” could be a few days, who knows) until I decide if I want to upgrade the stereo setup or the headphone setup, hopefully the svs sub will arrive soon and that’ll hold me over for a bit 😂

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

I, too, have been eying this DAC with longing. This review may just tip the scales.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Thanks! Good luck with your empire!!!

[@FunFiEmpire]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Conquering with kindness and respect (hopefully).

[@WireHedd]

SMSL has some amazing fun-fi gear. SU-1 is a massive outlier in it's value. Great video Bob, thanks man.

[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ☕️ I halted my DAC chase (for now 😆) Currently loving the Denafrips Ares 12-1 DAC …and it’s freak’n nice! Have a great weekend 🍻

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Sounds like you are sitting pretty! I envy you!

[@randharma]

Have a Panasonic 5 disc CD player from thrift store, 14 bucks. Got a deal on this DAC, received and put in my system today. Great DAC, good review.

[@Mehdi.Ouassou]

You can connect the sub via RCA and the speakers via XLR (if they are active speakers like mine). These lines out can output sound together.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Great tip!!!

[@Brian_Romska]

Keep em coming bob, story time would be cool too, whatever you’re able to tell us about your experiences in the industry without getting in too much trouble!

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

I'll tell all!

[@WireHedd]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I'd get sued if I ever did that. LOL

[@mattmiller4978]

Good review. I got the SU1 (basic 5v single ended) and the 100 pro (balanced, dual chip, clock). They sound the same in ABX testing. This hobby sucks sometimes. I got a A90D on order. If I can't hear the difference on nice planar headphones I'm done chasing rainbows. DAC so hard! 😂

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

You said a mouthful!

[@AG-bp3ll]

DACs are basically a solved problem. It becomes about features and value. I have never heard a difference between DACs unless they are broken like a PS Audio one with lots of harmonic distortion and noise. No reason to chase high dollar DACs when the high value ones are this good.

[@DavidMander-rs4uk]

I use a high end DVD player via coax to my old Pioneer amp and i'm just fine with it! Never used a DAC and still enjoy the sound it's outputting.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

You're set then. Enjoy the music! Thanks for watching!

[@Sergio83Hi-resAudio]

If you connect your DVD player via coaxial cable to your old Pioneer amplifier, then you are using the Pioneer amplifier's DAC. So you are disingenuous when you say I never use a DAC!)

[@sopasadena1499]

One of your best reviews Bob. Keep them coming

[@OldGuyHifi]

Great review my friend. I like the new style.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

The only thing that's changed is my hair! Thanks, Ed!

[@OldGuyHifi]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog You seem more at ease.

[@PhillioDoede]

The UI is a nice improvement for sure. SMSL needs a power amp to stack under this and they'd have the entire package.

[@mtnr11]

your example using six blade knife reminded me of just how much I've enjoyed that album. thanks for all your reviews and insight, very enjoyable to watch

[@stepbackjack4194]

I got this unit from amazon about a week ago, worked fine till it started making noises like buzzes, popping, and a pulsating ground loop. I'm glad I saved the boxes because it's going back.

[@eddiebaby22]

It's doing my DAC'ing head in. I've got DAC mania.

[@Feliciano12v]

SMSL the baskin Robins for DACs.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

I know! Who doesn't like Baskin Robbins?!

[@jaredpmoser]

Bob is also on amazing morning show in Austin as well. A bit of a local celeb

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Jared... stop it! You're only making it worse!😅

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Not so local ... I'm in Canada and I knew about his on-air shows.

[@roa5359]

Refreshingly different. Good job thanks

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Appreciate that!!!

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

Thank you so much for this just-in-time review, and this may just be my next DAC if I dont get the R2R FiiO K2, which is quite a bit cheaper. I have to try and separate the hype from the fact about this and the FiiO products. At the moment, I'm still on the fence. It will take an outstanding product to replace my Loxjie D40 Pro. Thank you as always for your perspectives, time, and efforts to share this with us all.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Thanks! I do the best I can! Happy hunting... that's where the fun is!

[@KajottR]

Fiio R2R DAC outstanding! Endgame for Most!

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

@KajottR : Thank you for your time and helpful reply.

[@AG-bp3ll]

Moved my SU-1 to another room and made this my main DAC for music listening. Only flaw I have found is a half second of crackle when starting a song after turning it on. Easy to work around that. It sounds just as transparent as the SU-1 but having extra inputs, LDAC Bluetooth and a headphone amp was a killer deal for the $250 I paid.

[@terryhk99leung36]

Do u mean the DAC section of SU-1 sounds as good as RAW ? Based on your comment, can I interprete that the extra cost of RAW over SU-1 is the headphones amp section only

[@AG-bp3ll]

@terryhk99leung36 Yes. The value of the Raw is the extra inputs, LDAC bluetooth, and the really clean headphone amp. Both Dacs are transparent so I cannot hear a difference between them. The Raw MDA has filter options so you can add harmonic distortion to get a slightly different sound. I personally leave it on the defaults because I don't like noise added to my music.

[@mansolomd]

Bob is back!

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

I did 2 reviews last week!

[@mansolomd]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog oh yeah 👍🏻

[@RosemarySoriano-n6v]

Nice, thank you so much for the great review.♥

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Appreciate your time!!!

[@arrya5372]

Love this guy!

[@mikecampbell5856]

I love your videos Bob. and I love the United States Of Awesome! I posted on the Old Guy Hi Fi channel that I have 30 DACs in my house if you count computers, cell phones, CD players, Blu Ray players etc.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Thanks! I should count mine!!!

[@thomasalexand]

Which dac is your favourite?

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

@@thomasalexand I now have a Dayzee... fav!

[@vinyljoe1940]

Steely Dan kicks ass!

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Yeah they DO!

[@r2d3vadar92]

"As long as dacs are tuned to be linear and free of distortion - SINAD is > 90 dB, there is no audible difference between AKM/ESS/Cirrus/TI chips at identical single levels." - Electrical Engineer.

[@Carl-yx1ww]

Nice review

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Thanks, Carl!

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Good review 👍 thx for sharing 👍

[@yttean98]

If you meet a typical(not diehard) audiophile, most of them will agree most DACs sound similar with marginal differences for say DACs that cost between $250-500, the $1000+ you can straight away tell the differences to those that cost much less. Furthermore, Modern DACs do not exhibit intrusive high freq. anymore. They have been tamed.

[@fredjoel8113]

Thanks for the review! I like that we're seeing more units with a display and more attention to user interfaces. Speaking of which, is the display dimmable? Some newer equipment has LEDs and displays that are just too bright. I may give the SMSL RAW MDA 1 a try.

[@Feliciano12v]

I was just thinking where you been.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Like wise!

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

"Dackage" ... ROFL!! A minor correction ... USB 1 and USB 2 are not the same as USB Audio1 and USB Audio2. The first pair are connection speeds on the cable, basically slow and fast. The AUDIO pair are sound formats. USB AUDIO1 is for basic PCM, 16 or 24 bits, max speed 96ksps. USB AUDIO2 is wildly improved with 1 to 32 bit PCM at speed up to 384kSPS. The AUDIO2 is probably of more interest for recording and editing, but it also facilitates playback of high resolution audio. Also note that: On some DACs and older versions of Windows (Prior to Win10 1703) the Audio2 functions will require a separately installed driver.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Thanks for the notes. Much appreciated!!!

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog No worries ... most people don't even realize this is going on since Windows will auto-select the right drivers. But when it pops up on a menu it's suddenly a problem.... since selecting USB Audio1 will not let them play any high sample rate files.

[@Hirnlego999]

Another transparent dac but this time with a nicer display and more inputs They still name the filters wrong and do not provide a 2v/4v output mode. So could improve things still..

[@donaldcadoret4653]

I bought my first and pnly DAC in early 2020 just before Covid. It's a Pro-ject S2 Pre Box Digital. I'm using it in a desktop setting and absolutely love it. It cost me $399.00 at the time, a lot of money for me on a fixed income. Now it's $499.00. I have nothing to compare it with and can't afford to buy a collection of DAC's. Is it even worth it to go all out?

[@DavidMander-rs4uk]

A DAC for you Bob 😆👍

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Don't forget the wood case!

[@andrewbrazier9664]

Can't think why I would need a separate DAC tbh

[@Markus1925]

How quick can you switch between headphones amp and DAC? Is there a shortcut for that?

[@emiliodiezjunior]

Does this dac have auto on off feature whem they receive signal in the sound input?

[@FredWalker-k9f]

Okuneva Valleys

[@dennishickey7194]

Country of manufacturing?

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Chin-nah! Like everything else

[@dennishickey7194]

@UnitedStatesofAnalog 1 million imprisoned in mega "reeducation" facilities ( prisons) for the crime of being Ethnic Uighar Muslims. Xi has been expanding oppression to U.S. corporations who knuckle- under for the almighty buck. Artificial islands and his large navy are securing the Eastern Seas as the land ward Silk Road gives access to the Middle East and Europe. Help him achieve his goals with my discretionary funds is no bargain. I pass,you?

[@dennishickey7194]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog That makes this a hard no.

[@tessie4204]

Can i use this to make my SMSL AO300 sound better or is it a waste of money?

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

@@tessie4204 I think improvement would be marginal if you already like the sound of your AO300. Why not save up save up and create another small system based around the RAW. Or get better headphones or speakers. I think two recent SMSL products might be too similar.

[@tessie4204]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Thanks for your answer. I am thinking about upgrading to the "Marantz Model M1" or the "Denon Home Amp", maybe thats better to spend my money.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

@@tessie4204 nothing against the MDA... but you deserve a quantum leap!

[@vinyljoe1940]

Eddie did what?

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Tried to extinguish his cigarette on my noggin!

[@JohanDee]

Only $280? That's not a dac for everyone!

[@wrestleshute]

is that a volume control knob? if it has a volume control can that remote be used for volume control when paired with the Fosi Za3?

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

@@wrestleshute yes... I would've called it a pre-amp, but it doesn't have any analog inputs. It's a digital preamp of sorts. Set the Za3 at 90% or so and control volume with the SMSL knob or remote. Easy!

[@wrestleshute]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog thank you for your reply! I would be adding to a desktop set up, connecting from my laptop. I think this would be a decent addition to the Fosi Za3

[@667hodge]

No one needs a dac

[@byromtaylor6482]

wtf is a dac

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

That is the ultimate existential question! Yes, what is a DAC indeed!

[@daleboylen6427]

Your last suggestion of an SMSL dac to make my DVD player sound as good as "The best CD players" flopped big time. I'm now out $80.00 I didn't even compare it to MY best CD player, let alone THE best CD player. My 15-20 year old Shanling S100 cdp DESTROYED the Yamaha SACD/DVD player with your beloved SMSL Dac Bob. Didn't even need to be in the same ROOM to hear it. Stop shilling for this company. SMSL will not get another penny of my cash.

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Missed you too, Dale! Thanks for being here! I'm NOT on the take and I never intent to mislead. You KNOW that! Did you see Randy hit a QUARTER MILLION SUBS??? Wow!

[@daleboylen6427]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Honestly,, it's really hard to wrap my head around 250,000 people, I assume with at least a single working brain cell, taking Randy's advice on audio. Randy is, by a wide margin, the singles DUMBEST person on this platform regarding audio. I feel for all 250,000 of them, but they get what they deserve I guess.

[@daleboylen6427]

@@UnitedStatesofAnalog As far as misleading me goes, I don't think you did it with forethought or malice. I just think you and I are light years apart in experience, expectations. I cannot single handedly police the KZbin audio "Expert" channels. One is now saying "room correction fixes time coherence in loudspeakers". That's literally as close to impossible as Randy being right about anything.

[@wayneg1197]

I like this guy

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

Hello back, Wayne! Thanks for joining us!

[@burton7023]

How does it compare to your j2

[@UnitedStatesofAnalog]

That's for another video. I will side by side them. But I think my J2 akm 4499 is twice the price. Might be close!

[@davewhomri]

Look forward to that comparison!