SMSL DL400 Balanced DAC & Headphone Amp – ES9039MSPRO, up to 6W×2, 4.4mm+6.35mm Headphone output, Remote Control

Features

• ESS ES9039MSPRO DAC Chip – new generation flagship DAC, built-in MQA hard decoding
• OPA1612A Operational Amplifiers
• 3rd Generation XMOS XU-316 – PCM up to 32bit/768kHz, DSD up to DSD512
• MQA & MQA-CD Decoding – MQA: USB/Optical/Coaxial/AES/EBU; MQA-CD: Optical/Coaxial/AES/EBU
• Ultra-Low Phase Noise Clock – optimized clock processing circuitry for ultra-low clock jitter
• Fully Balanced Headphone Amplifier – 4× PLFC, up to 6W×2(16Ω) / 3W×2(32Ω) / 700mW×2(300Ω)
• Dual Headphone Outputs – 4.4mm Balanced + 6.35mm
• True Balanced Line Output – XLR 5.2Vrms / RCA 2.5Vrms
• Multi-Input Connectivity – USB / Optical / Coaxial / I²S / AES/EBU / Bluetooth 5.1
• DSD & DoP Support – DSD on all inputs except Bluetooth; DoP256(USB) / DoP64(Optical/Coaxial/AES/EBU)
• Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.1 – LDAC 24bit/96kHz, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, SBC; lyrics display function
• User Self-Service Firmware Upgrade – system & USB firmware
• High-Quality Gold-Plated Input & Output Terminals
• Full-Function Remote Control Included
• JAS (Japan Audio Society) Hi-Res Certified

Overview

The S.M.S.L DL400 is a desktop DAC and headphone amplifier built around ESS's new generation flagship ES9039MSPRO DAC chip with built-in MQA hard decoding, paired with the new 3rd generation XMOS XU-316 USB processor. It supports PCM up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD512, with MQA decoding and MQA-CD playback, and uses ultra-low phase noise and optimized clock processing circuitry for ultra-low clock jitter.

The DL400 uses a fully balanced headphone amplifier circuit with 4 ultra-low distortion Precision Linear Feedback Circuits (PLFC), delivering up to 6W×2 at 16Ω and 3W×2 at 32Ω through two headphone output jacks (4.4mm and 6.35mm). A specially designed power supply system with multiple low-noise regulated power supplies provides clean power to the analog circuits, while built-in low-noise power supply processing improves power efficiency and lowers consumption.

With USB, Optical, Coaxial, I²S, AES/EBU, and Bluetooth 5.1 inputs, the DL400 supports DSD transmission on all inputs except Bluetooth, with DoP64 on coaxial, optical, and AES/EBU. The Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.1 chip supports LDAC 24bit/96kHz, aptX/HD, SBC, and AAC, with a lyrics display function. It also features high-quality gold-plated input and output terminals, true balanced XLR and RCA line outputs, user self-service firmware upgrade, and a full-function remote control. The DL400 is certified by the Japan Audio Society (JAS) for Hi-Res audio.