Review on 🎧 S.M.S.L M300 MKII HiFi Audio DAC: AKM4497EQ Apt-X USB DAC Decoder with Hi-Res Bluetooth 5.0 and Full Balanced Output - New Edition (Black) by Jared Tovar

First I had a Monolith THX AAA DAC/amplifier which has 2 ak4493 mobile DAC chips. I really liked it. Very rich and clear sound. But it seemed to me that something was simply missing. I decided to just try the M300 with a working ak4497 balanced with SMSL sp200 and didn't expect much of a difference. But there was one big difference. The m300 has a much wider soundstage and a much better picture. I immediately found what I was missing in the monolith. It's just a great combination and the price can't be beat. There are many concerns on some audiophile forums about sharing the USB output with a single port power supply. Initially, SMSL advised plugging it into a self-powered USB docking station to get enough power. But it seems they care about the consumer, as mine comes with a micro USB to dual USB-A cable and a 5V power adapter. I didn't hear any noise or hiss at all. Simply beautiful, pure music with lots of air and beats. I enjoy all my headphones with this setup and what I add to them. For me, this could very well be the last game. The Monolith has some great features like Dirac Sensaround, Peq and Shelf Eq and easily outperforms the m300 in this area, but when it comes to pure tone and musicality, SMSL wins my ears, unconditionally. To me it's such a perfect sound signature that I didn't feel the need to EQ anything at all. As such, I would choose the charming simplicity of this setup over the quirky features anytime. The build quality of the M300 also feels solid and looks good next to the sp200 (I have a black m300) on my desk. SMSL also has really good customer service. I have dealt with both them and this order in the past and they have been extremely helpful. The fact that they are paying attention to the forums and being proactive about what the consumer wants bodes well for a company that wants to deliver. And in this case they really are. I understand that the sound of music is subjective and individual to everyone, but if you're looking for a neutral yet fun sounding combo amp, you should at least try this setup. The reason I mentioned the sp200 in this review is because I got both at the same time and haven't heard the m300 with any other amp so can't comment on the DAC just because I'm pretty sure, thanks 888 Amp has something to do with how amazing it sounds. I will try this out with my monolithic Liquid Spark and another SMSL amp I have and may update this review in the future. At this point the sp200 and m300 seem like the perfect marriage and I'm glad I stumbled across this 3 days before the monolith's return deadline. I haven't heard of the SMSL su-8 (oddly SMSL is a competitor to the m300) but I've always been more into the akm dac than the saber dac so I went with the m300 and I'm glad that I did it. However, it's nice to have 2 different balanced DAC chips to choose from in roughly the same price range. I would highly recommend this DAC and SMSL as a company. They change the perception of chifi in a very positive way.