Engineering and science are key to good audio and the measurements derived from quality work, no question about it. It’s also fair to say that Asian audio manufacturing with very few exceptions, leans more heavily into these two elements. One look at Audio Science Review’s (ASR) website, which is dedicated to equipment measurements, confirms this observation.
SMSL has numerous pieces of gear that have been reviewed by ASR, including the SMSL RAWPro-DAC 1, which based on Amirs testing, received an excellent final score. I have no reason to question any of the measurements, based on my 39 hours of listening. But, when all his said and done, I’m about three factors, build quality, functionality, and most importantly, musicality. So after you take a few months to look at the specifications first I'll give you a few seconds to look at the specifications and then we'll dive in to the exterior interior and finally how it sounds So let’s dive in.
Exterior
The long, rectangular display’s larger fonts and numerals are easy to see from my seated position some 8ft from the DAC. The volume/selector knob has an extra quarter inch of depth compared to the DO400, this is much appreciated for those of us with thicker fingers. Secondly, the step attenuator is definitely welcome, though the touch is a bit light for my taste. But still, far more welcome than a free rotation.
The back panel from left to right begins with the right XLR output followed by a vertical left and right RCA outputs then the left XLR the AESEBU input, followed by a Bluetooth antenna on top with an I2 squared input below next the coax input, then optical input above a USB-C input and then finally for all of that a USBB input and finally, you have your AC three-way cord socket, and the vertical rocker switch.
The remote works nicely and is functional without being distractive. Bluetooth, under a quick check operated without dropouts.
Menu Operation
The RAWPro-DAC 1 has the simplist, most intuitive menu operation of any ChiFi DAC. A single press of the control knob pulls up the menu. Rotating the knob highlights each of the options. When the desired item is highlighted, the knob is pressed again. Rinse and repeat until the specific option is selected. No working both the remote and knob. On top of that, the screen is easy to read, even for those with older eyes.
Real World Performance
To listen to the SMSL raw, I use quite a variety of gear, but beginning with streaming from both Roon and my Qobuz account using a variety of review tracks first followed by many evenings and weekends with several albums from different genres, stream through both my WiiM Ultra and the Eversolo pPay. Amplifiers included my reference Galion TSA 75, Peachtree GaN 400, Emerald Physics 600.2 SE and the Vista Audio I 34 integrated tube amplifier. I did use the RAWPro-DAC 1 in each case, both strictly as a DAC or with its preamplifier capability. Finally, speakers are my reference Buchardt S400 MK twos, Magnapan .7, Vera-Fi Audio Scouts, and the ELAC Debut 3 DB63 that are in for review.
Under the “Standard” sound color setting, the RAWPro-DAC 1 definitely has the typical ESS DAC chip sound. But a little bit more detail than the DO 400. The synthesizer in “Bali Run” by Foreplay was detailed yet cool-sounding when the synthesizer hits the very upper keys at the end of this song. It's almost a shouting effect. While the bass in Joe Jackson’s “Cha-Cha Loco” digs nicely. The bongos in the Shat soundtrack “Walk from Reggio’s” are quite sharp, as are the horn artifacts.
The xylophone in Aja was nicely rendered while those few simple guitar notes just before the start of the second stanza pushed right up against the edge of sharpness. Donald Fagan's vocals do have a hint of dryness to them. Various bass note punches are nicely defined as once again there is also a really good dig deep down into the bass drum. The rolling hits on the drum Tom's move nicely from one channel to the other.
The Milk Carton Kids “I Only See The Moon”. The lead male vocal just comes off a bit flat with the RAWPro-DAC 1. It's missing something, it's just it's just a bit dry for lack of a better term. It needs some humidity in the voice to be more pleasant. Throughout the entire album the male vocals just miss out on being natural sounding. Even with the four tubes in the Galleon TSP 75 preamplifier, it is a bit puzzling since the guitars don't exhibit any of this weakness, the acoustical strings are nicely resolved.
Their song “One true love”, the top notes of the male vocals hit the edge. This album does not exhibit these qualities on either the Denafrips Aries II or the Topping Centaurus. Matter of fact, even the AKM chip in the Eversolo Play doesn't struggle in this regard.
John Barry's masterpiece soundtrack to “Dances With Wolves” is a mixed bag, the cello and bass render beautifully. However, the French horns come off shrill and edgy. In the main title song you hear both the French and other horns as well. There's a sense of roughness instead of smooth, almost gritty sounding from those instruments.
In “Ride to Fort Hayes”, the recording engineer created a vast soundscape, the strings do very nicely in this regard, but other instruments can't seem to create the depth of the immense of the space. If you recall the movie, this is the open plains of what is now South Dakota and the views go on endlessly, so while there is tremendous clarity in the instruments, it lacks the true front to back depth that the Ares II or the Centaurus DAC’s presents in comparison.
“The Death of Timmins” the bass drum hits are very nicely, resolved, as is the almost haunting string instruments. While the horn instruments make a pronounced announcement midway through the song, you can hear at the very edges just that edge roughness.
The RAWPro-DAC 1 sometimes is a puzzle. The beauty of the reed instruments and it blends well with the tight percussion hits on the various drums. It's almost like shots across the bow in some regards, but the lack of depth just limits this deck from creating the immense experience in “Pawnee Attack”, as it's one of the most powerful songs in the entire score.
In the Tube 2 or Tube 3 sound color mode, each of my comments above regarding edginess/sharpness/etc. was lessened slightly, but enough to be noticed. For some, this may be just what you desire. That is a personal call.
Final Thoughts
The RAWPro-DAC 1 is an interesting unit. The published and independently measured specs are outstanding. The menu system both the DAC and preamplifier section is among the very best I have encountered. If one craves intense detail/resolution, especially in the upper frequencies, RAWPro-DAC 1 lives up to its name. For this reviewer, the missing depth and soul-touching that comes from the AKM chipset, or R2R designs is a checklist item for me. But the ultimate decision is up to each individual buyer. For $699, with its preamplifier capabilities and the ability to choose the sound coloration mode, one may just find happiness. Consider the SMSL RAWPro-DAC 1 a definite checkout.
Thanks to Rosemary at Apos Audio for the review sample.
Specifications:
https://apos.audio/products/smsl-rawpro-dac-1
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