Small DACs with an integrated headphone amplifier are now almost the norm: the days when you needed a separate, large headphone amplifier to obtain high power output are now well into the past. The SMSL C200 was the proof of this, and the all-new SMSL C200 Pro, which is still made in collaboration with Aoshida Audio, further cements this advance by providing even more power in the exact same chassis. Which means that, together with other small changes, an already excellent product has improved even further and has become a reference device in this space.
Disclaimer: I received a free unit from Aoshida Audio. They sell it for $199.
TL;DR: recap
| Pros |
Cons |
| + Compact
+ Elegant, minimalist design + Lots of input and output options + Neutral sound + 3 W output! |
– Not “true” balanced output |
Rating: 9.2/10
Packaging & Accessories
The SMSL C200 Pro comes with a remote, a manual, a warranty card, a USB to USB-C cable and a power cable (of the kettle/desktop PC kind).
Design & Build
At just 139 x 147.5 x 32 mm, the SMSL C200 Pro can be described as “diminutive”. It is very small not just for being a DAC, but especially for being a DAC that also offers headphone output. This means you can easily fit it on any desk, or in a hi-fi rack in your living room. In terms of design, it is identical to its predecessor and sports a classic hi-fi look, with an all-black metal chassis that has visible screws on the front used as a design element. The C200 Pro looks very polished and streamlined, which – again – make it fit easily anywhere.
The front hosts 6.3 mm and 4.4 mm headphone outputs, a volume wheel and a screen; a new addition is a small status LED above the MQA logo, to the left of the screen. Compared to the C200, the jacks are a bit more distant, so it is easier to plug and unplug the cables as you have more free space on the front to lever against. The back has all the connectors: here we find the power connector (as the PSU is internal to the unit, which saves space), an antenna for Bluetooth connectivity, the input ports (optical, USB and coaxial), as well as the outputs in the form of stereo RCA and TRS 6.3 mm jacks (balanced).
The choice of 6.3 mm jacks as balanced output is interesting as it reduces the overall footprint compared to the classic XLR without compromising on signal quality. Furthermore, cables with 6.3 mm jacks on one side and XLR on the other (which is a lot more used in e.g. amplifiers or active speakers) are commonly found and are quite cheap.
The volume wheel is a digital clickwheel, which doubles as the power button and as the button to interact with the menus through short and long clicks. The wheel is very precise and even fast adjustments are done correctly and without skipping a beat. It has a nice weight to it, so it requires a bit of force to turn.
Features & Specs
The SMSL C200 Pro is as versatile as its predecessor, thanks to its diversity of inputs and outputs. USB, coaxial and optical inputs are standard when it comes to wired connections, but there is also Bluetooth 5.1 with SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC codec compatibility. Input and output are selectable through either the remote or the volume wheel, though when it comes to the output you can only choose between headphone and line out.
The device works out of the box with all operating systems, including Linux (which is officially mentioned by the company; this means it is compatible with the Steam Deck and other SteamOS devices); you can select between USB Audio Class 2.0 and USB Audio Class 1.1, the latter of which enables compatibility with consoles like the PlayStation 4/5. I found that the firmware the unit came with had a weird issue with UAC 2.0, where sound would play an octave lower, but this has already been fixed through a firmware update that SMSL made available on their website.
SMSL C200 Pro |
| Input | USB (up to 32 bit / 768 kHz, up to DSD512) Optical/coaxial (up to 32 bit / 192 kHz, up to DSD64 as DoP64) Bluetooth (up to 24 bit / 96 kHz; SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC codecs) |
| Suitable headphones impedance | N/A |
| Output impedance | “Near 0 Ω” (headphones out) 100 Ω (line out) |
| Maximum output power | 3 W (16 Ω) 1.5 W (32 Ω) 350 mW (150 Ω) 170 mW (300 Ω) 85 mW (600 Ω) |
| Frequency response | N/A |
| THD+N (@1 kHz) | < 0.00009% (headphones out) < 0.00006% (line out) |
| SNR | 125 dB (headphones out) 126 dB (RCA) 129 dB (6.3 mm) |
| Crosstalk | N/A |
One element that has seen an upgrade over the previous generation is the DAC chip. The SMSL C200 Pro uses the ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M, which is the successor to the ES9038Q2M used on the original C200. The improvements are found in the THD and SNR, although they are far below the threshold of audibility (unless you are a Ferengi, probably). As only one DAC chip is used, and as it only manages two channels, this means that the “balanced” signal is not truly balanced. Despite using the same four OPA1612A opamps, the C200 Pro also brings to the table higher power output, which reaches 3 W at 16 Ω – way more than enough to drive anything under the Sun.
The C200 Pro also comes with a remote control, which makes it quite convenient to use. It is the usual SMSL remote which features the following buttons: power, up, down, left, right, enter, input, FN (used to switch outputs and, when long pressed, to set the screen to automatically switch off), mute, raise and reduce volume. There is everything you need!
Sound
I tested the C200 Pro with a variety of headphones (Moondrop Kadenz, IO Audio SOGNO, Sennheiser HD 6XX) as well as connecting it to an SMSL AO200 MKII which was, in turn, driving a pair of ELAC DBR62.
The SMSL C200 Pro is, just like its predecessor, a dead neutral DAC and headphone amplifier: you won’t hear its influence on sound at all, which is a very positive fact as it means you’ll be able to hear music without alterations. There is a set of filters available, however I haven’t been able to hear any difference between them. There is no hiss, no hum and no buzz even when using low-impedance earphones; in other words, the unit’s background is completely silent. Curiously enough, it does emit a slight hiss when it is turned off.
Thanks to the high available power, the C200 Pro is able to drive basically anything you throw at it; in fact, the issue I ran into was that it was too powerful for low-impedance, high-sensitivity earphones, so I had to reduce the volume via software.
Final Thoughts
We’re drawing the review to a close, so let’s start with the most important factor: price. Aoshida sells the SMSL C200 Pro for $199, with frequent offers that bring the price down to about $180. Considering what is on offer, this is phenomenal value, especially when you think that the previous C200 was retailing for $20 more. Not only does the C200 Pro offer more, but it also costs less!
I am aware of Betteridge’s law, and it works in this case as well: no, the C200 Pro couldn’t be better. Considering the power output, the balanced input (both headphones and line out!), the very little footprint, and the flexibility afforded by the various inputs, I heartily recommend the C200 Pro to anyone who wants a small DAC with a competent headphone amplifier in tow. It doesn’t really matter whether you are a seasoned audiophile or a novice; the SMSL C200 Pro has something for everyone.
