Interesting, I haven’t seen this yet, seems like it would stack with the d1 (perhaps why it’s called the p1, I’m just dumb)
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you’re just dumb?
well, you do know everything…so I won’t argue. 
I wouldn’t say so… SMSL is just wacky with their naming… There is a P1 power supply too…
I know enough to know I’m stupid lol
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If you’re “Stupid” then the rest of us might as well be brain dead… 
… maybe we are…
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I’m guessing the big blocks on the D1 and P1 are the power supply?
how good is the D1?
Yes, they have a separated power supply. The D1 is very good and I would say is reasonably as much as anyone would want for a pure regular dac (not multibit, r2r, fpga, etc).
SMSL SU-8 is only $194 now on hifigo wtith HIFIGO5 coupon code
cheaper on drop for 170$
Kinda funny that their updating SU-8 which is already fine. What they need to do is update the SH-8, which i heard is kinda shitty. Wouldnt it be great if like cars we could lease this stuff and get the newer versions when they come out?
The SH8 and the DA8 aren’t up to snuff imo which is disappointing because that could have been a crazy good looking stack
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M0n, can you elaborate on that:
I was contemplating the SMSL SH8 and SU8 and is that also a bad combo?
So the su8v2 is pretty dang good imo, it’s a very solid dac for sure. The SH8 is decent but personally I think you would be better off with like the new schiit heresy or 3+, atom, liquid spark. I just think the headphone amp could be better for the price
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Hmm, I liked the idea of having both the Dac and the AMP from SMSL, they look good, Z also liked the DAC and the price is rather ok here in Europe.
And having a THX Dac/Amp already, this could be a fine suppliment.
Yeah it’s decent and there’s nothing wrong with them, it’s just not my favorite value wise
The price is just so low, so I think about getting them both after Christmas (the wife is serious about getting presents for both her and the kids… 
) and then I can get another amp later on, if it´s not at par with the Dac.
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So I only just noticed the $170 price on drop, and I am tempted to upgrade from a Modi 3 (which I gather is not highly lauded here).
However, after a few intense months of this hobby, I am also doubting my ability to be able to detect an audible difference. I definitely cannot identify whether there is a peak at X frequency, I don’t think I really know what sibilance sounds like, I am not particularly comfortable using all those audiophile terms, etc.
All I know is that I can notice the differences between various headphones without being able to clearly say what they are, apart from one is warm & bassy, another having sharper treble, or another having more recessed vocals…so, generalizations.
For background, I have Modi 3 + JDS Atom (THX 789 incoming). Durdling around in mid-fi cans including Argon Mk3, HD600, K712 Pro, DT770 80 Ohm, NightHawk Carbon, T50RP Mk3 w/ pad swap, CAL!, M40X, and some others.
Hoping to get some advice as to whether this is a worthwhile upgrade. This kinda ties in to my down the line dilemma of whether I’d be able to appreciate a big headphone upgrade haha.
Thanks in advance!
I upgraded from the modi to the SU8 and i heard a big difference. Its much better and a more transparent DAC than the treble laden Modi
You’ll hear the difference, but it’s fairly subtle.
The extra features in the SU8 are nice to haves, I find the volume control to be a win especially if you have a more powerful amp.
I fiddled with the extra filters for about 30 minutes, and haven’t touched them since.
Got it, thanks for the replies! Does the volume control control the volume in Windows? That does seem useful. Which filter did you settle with btw?
I had purchased the Modi 3 based on the positive ASR review. I’ve read that Schiit house sound leans warm (?). Also, I’ve read here that it has some dynamic compression issue, but I don’t know what that sounds like.
It’s a volume control for the output of the DAC, if you have a powerful amp, you can turn it down slightly, and turn the amp up a bit, or run it on a higher gain which on some amps will improve the sound marginally. It also has a remote, which depending on your setup can be nice.
If anything the Schiit house sound on the lower priced stuff is somewhat in your face detail in the higher frequencies, I think this is what some reviewers refer to as compression. That’s not how I’d describe it, it is how @Mon describes It though.
I have a Jotunheim with the 4490 DAC card and I don’t really find it very compressed. I’d take it over the THX stuff, but it’s just a personal preference.
I also have a Gungnir Multibit DAC, and that is absolutely not compressed, and has a somewhat different sound signature.