Next best exponential DAC quality level?

Addressing the OP. I doubt you would find anything "better" than the SMSL  if it has the features you want and you're looking for a DAC that's not going to add coloration. If you're thinking warranty purposes and the hassle of shipping overseas there are US companies like Benchmark,  Bel Canto, Schiit etc. Don't get sucked into the rabbit hole of more expensive = better in DACs no matter what anyone tells you, even me. Find out for yourself, while not perfect try to compare them blind and level matched if possible or at least level matched. 

@cindyment  Yes you must be right because the Aries Cerat Kassandra II DAC weighs 120kgs and Lamm hasn't changed the design of their solid state 1.2 class A monoblocks for around 20 years.

These guys must be total clowns to build such garbage : )

Except there's plenty of people parting with $40k USD to buy each one.

 

@lordmelton , that was quite a feat to include so much "wrong" in a single post.

Here we go: A $99.00 DAC is a turd and you can’t put lipstick on it you probably have a better DAC in your laptop or car.

The $99 DAC has one of the best DAC chips made, the ESS9038, and yes that matters, because the chip does almost all the heavy lifting. My computer and my car most definitely do not have one of the same quality.

What makes a good DAC? Firstly it needs as good a signal as possible, so just sticking a computer USB into it isn’t going to cut the mustard.

Define a "good signal"? It is USB, and it really is "bits". The transfer is virtually every new DAC is async, i.e. the data transfer is completely independent from the audio output. That would be wrong #2.

If you’re using a computer you need JPLAY or similar to reduce computer jitter and provide drivers for the DAC.

Async transfer. "Jitter"on USB is meaningless and I don’t need JPLAY, I just need to ensure I have my setting correct. There are many good guides on the web for doing this. Wrong #3.

A big clean linear power supply is more important than what OP amps you use.

Perhaps you have not noticed the most recent Class-D amps, and linear amps using switch mode supplies and having performance better than just about anything with a linear supply? You don’t need a linear supply for good performance, you just need to know what you are doing. "BIG"? It is a DAC. They have fairly small power requirements. More important is ground loops and in most cases not relying on computer power, but not always either. A USB isolator is far more important than a linear supply. That would be wrong #4 and wrong #5.

The icing on the cake is a Word or Master clock so you can either slave your system to the Master or output separate Word signals.

Async USB, again. There is no "slaving" of anything. Except for the most cheap DAC implementations in your phone / laptop, external DACs will run a separate oscillator for the DAC, even that $99 one. Wrong #6.

Some good cables both digital and analogue will help enormously.

How will they help? Not hand waving. Very specific, how will they help. How will spending big sums of money, as opposed to say $10 or $20 for shielded cables make any difference? Again, not hand waving. That would be wrong #7

 

I do find irony in your accusing me of reading of Wikipedia but you don’t seem to have much understanding of how a DAC works.

I’m not liking the new poster and their forum flooding...their inability to show their name and face, and how they operate under false name after false name, etc.......but I do tend to agree with most of this.

At least as far as the surface ’take’ on it might be. But not with the superiority complex that comes down on from high, in a ’kindly dismissing of a child’ kinda way. A psychological victim of their own shooting from the bushes constantly, where they have lost their moral and ethical compass when it comes to relating with others on forums. The true self has been exposed, kinda thing.

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Then we get down into the nuts and bolts of how to implement the chip and methodologies, etc -that are in question. And that is the part that separates the knowledgeable/lore from the book learned.

Which is the part that is not shared on forums, generally, as that is the money maker part for the given audio electronics production and sales enterprise.

When those aspects are well known and copied by everyone. This, if they understand it or not - monkey see, monkey do, china builds come to mind--but certainly not exclusive to china. When it is popularized in the DIY to professional world (best practices in dealing with audio electronics implementation for audiophile concerns) ---then it can be discussed more openly on forums.

The fundamental disagreements and arguments will always exist, though. As long as people are individuals and have different minds and physiological aspects from one another, this 'argument'  and all of it's giant sweeping tail of complexities in life ---will remain.

@teo_audio ,

I will just point out again, that your ongoing attempts at attempting to discredit me personally do nothing to validate the relevance or accuracy of what you have posted. I would encourage you to stick to the topic and address what I have wrote. If you feel the need to discredit me to advance your posts, that does not indicate to me that you can support what you posted with arguments. I could be wrong, but so far, you are proving me correct.

Then we get down into the nuts and bolts of how to implement the chip and methodologies, etc -that are in question. And that is the part that separates the knowledgeable/lore from the book learned.

Other than responding to your posts which are of a personal nature and not related to the topic, my posts have been on the nuts and bolts of chips, and DACs. Not hand waving and marketing speak but addressing real technical realities. If you would like to try to poke holes in my knowledge on DACs, feel free. If your attempts are flawed, I will point them out. I would love a discussion about the nuts and bolts of chips and DACs. Have at it. I thought that was what this thread was about? I have clearly, and concisely addressed exactly what the OPs post was about, and presented counter arguments based on real knowledge and experience, not "lore", in the hopes the OP will not be mislead. That is my goal. Can you please communicate to me what your goal is so that I can better respond?

I expect your response will illustrate my post. You could prove me wrong though.