Shenzhenaudio Product

The SU-9 is the standout for me: a $440 ESS ES9038-based DAC that avoids the typical “Sabre glare” I usually complain about. It’s very detailed with surprisingly good staging/imaging, plus you get balanced outs, loads of inputs, Bluetooth codecs, filters, and full MQA decoding—easily a top contender under $500.

Pros

+Very detailed with strong micro detail retrieval
+Surprisingly good staging and imaging for the price
+Balanced XLR and RCA outputs; USB/optical/coax/Bluetooth inputs
+Remote control, Bluetooth codec support, and full MQA decoding

Cons

-Sound color modes add distortion effects that I don’t personally use much
-No AES or I2S inputs (if you’re one of the few who need those)

Featured in this video

S.M.S.L SH-9 and SU-9 Reviews | The Mid-Tier Go To Stack?

15K views · 2020-11-30 02:49:05

Shenzhenaudio Product

Available on Shenzhenaudio

Buy on Shenzhenaudio

External purchase

Highlights

+Very detailed with strong micro detail retrieval
+Surprisingly good staging and imaging for the price
+Balanced XLR and RCA outputs; USB/optical/coax/Bluetooth inputs

Recommended by

Max Settings