Sound Magic Serenade DSD/DXD USB DAC/Headphone Amp

Pros:Quality constructionDSD up to 512Wide dynamic rangeLow JitterCons:Pictured software not includedSo so headphone ampComments:Simply put, the sound quality of this DAC is shocking!I've had the Sound Magic Serenade (SMS) for just over two months now and I can say in all honesty that it is the finest digital component I have had in my system since my first (Philips) CD player back in 1986. What makes it so special in my opinion is that it doesn't sound at all like a digital component but instead mimics the sound of a mid range phono cartridge. Specifically, the sound is reminiscent of several different brands which I had in the distant past including Ortofon, Empire and ADC. The big difference is that there is no hiss, no clicks, no pops. Just music.For me, the SMS is another in a long line of DACs that I own or have owned. I currently use the Micca Origen+ (Micca) along with the SMS but before I get into a comparison of the two, I will step back in time and give you an idea how I got here.Prior to owning the Micca, I owned (in reverse order) the Emotiva XDA-2, Maverick Audio D1 Plus, Emotiva XDA-1 and Sumo Theorem. The Sumo had been my benchmark for many years but when I acquired the XDA1 with it's 96kHz/24 bit capability, the Sumo, while still capable of a better sound stage, simply could not compete in terms of overall capability. Moving forward, the Maverick Audio D1 plus in comparison to the XDA-1 was not in the same league at all so I sold it off and continued to use the XDA-1 as my reference until the XDA-2 was released. Those who have owned the XDA-2 will know what a dramatic step up in overall quality it is over the XDA-1 and part of that is due to the leap from 96/24 to 192/24. I was fortunate enough to have both units for several months so I compared them A/B with all kinds of music and in the end it was no contest. The XDA-2 is one of the finest low cost DACs every built. It remained my reference for several years.Stepping back into the present (2016), in June I purchased the  Micca OriGen+ High Resolution USB DAC and Preamplifier - 24-Bit/192kHz PCM and 64x DSD . While I am admittedly prone to buying ANY DAC which costs $100 or less, the Micca is a bit of a revolution. The first indication was that it was easily superior to the XDA-2. Having spent 2-1/2 times more for the XDA-2, I was very cautious when evaluating against the much more expensive XDA-2 but at the end, it's about the sound quality. The XDA-2's only real advantage was the remote control.Having a number of friends who are seasoned audiophiles, I was reluctant to tell them about the Micca but I eventually revealed that the XDA-2 was going into retirement and that the Micca was my new reference. While some of them were concerned about what could be severe hearing loss on my part, the limited DSD capability of the Micca gives it a huge leap in capability over most other DACS. I might add also that the DSD capability of the Micca is sketchy at best as it does not always work and frequently requires that you reset both the computer AND the DAC. It sounds so good however, that it's worth the extra hassle. Having said all that, this review is about the Sound Magic Serenade but I thought it important to give you some background as to how I think about DACs.Moving on, just four short months after making the Micca my reference DAC, I purchased the SMS. The main reason for the purchase was DSD. In the meantime I had tried several of the XMOS based DACs but they all suffered from some or other software issue (mostly drivers) making them a nightmare of an experience with more time spent trying to make them work than enjoying music. The first time I used the SMS, the supplied driver simply loaded (I'm using Windows 10 Pro 64 bit) and it simply worked. I expected some issues but there were none so I was able to get straight to the music.Since audio is my hobby, I have several playlists which I use to evaluate equipment and I was completely unprepared for what I heard on that first listen. The day I got it, I wrote to a friend: "Sound quality wise, it has a massive sound stage and were it not for the dynamic range, I could easily mistake it for vinyl. Just amazingly analog. The timbre of instruments is almost creepy in their realism. It has a headphone amp built in but for my part, they could have done without it. Nowhere close to my OTL.". My comment about dynamic range meant that analog has nowhere near the dynamic range the SMS is capable of so in that respect, it is unmistakably NOT analog yet, the sound quality is indistinguishable from analog (if that makes any sense).I might point out that that first listen was at 192/24 resolution. While the unit is capable of 384/24, that mode does not work with the normal Windows settings even though it is listed as one of the selections (I haven't contacted Sound Magic about that). Several days later, I tried out the DSD capability of the SMS and again, I was treated to a huge surprise. Not only did DSD work flawlessly (at least after I got the right settings for J River 22) but there was yet another significant step up in sound quality. I went on to write to that same friend that it was like listening to studio masters (I worked in a studio years back so I in fact am familiar with that sound).Now in all fairness, it should be expected that the SMS improve on the Micca and the XDA-2 before it as it is both more modern and the same cost that the XDA-2 was originally (three hundred) but the leaps in sound stage, dynamic range, ultra-low jitter and DSD capability up to 512 are far more than one should expect in the price range. That they threw in a headphone amp with it's own volume control is a bonus... or is it.If there is a down side to the SDS, the headphone amplifier is it. As I commented to my friend on first listen, SMS should either raise the price slightly and put in a better headphone amplifier or leave it out altogether. Comparing the SMS headphone amp to the Micca is enough to make someone put the SMS back in the box and return it as the Micca is far more powerful and more dynamic. I should add that the Micca is my headphone reference although my OTL headphone amp is better.Not all is perfect in DSD land with the SMS but not because of the SMS. In order to listen to DSD at 512, you need a very powerful computer to upsample in real time. My core i3 desktop (Acer Veriton) can upsample to DSD 256 in real time (J River 22) and it sounds fantastic but at 512, it clicks and pops badly. My core i5 laptop can do it but the fan kicks on and it's too noisy for a listening room. I suspect a core i7 PC would be too noisy for a listening room as well.The semi good news is that DSD 512 works perfectly but you need to transcode to DSD 512 before listening. It is semi good news because DSD 512 (DSD 4x) files are HUGE!!! I transcoded George Benson's wonderful "Lovin' on Borrowed Time" and the 28 megabyte FLAC file swelled to 700 megabytes (that's not a typo). Now in my opinion, it was totally worth spending the 45 minutes to wait for the transcode to complete but only if one wants to do some super critical listening (for example if you're evaluating some speakers or a new amp). DSD 4x is truly fantastic but at this point in time, completely impractical for normal listening.The last thing I want to cover is build quality. When I got the SMS, I was very surprised at how heavy it was. I expected a painted plastic case but was rewarded with it's wonderful gold (colored) metal case. This is not just some thin steel but seems to be (I have not dismantled it) cast aluminum as it does not ring if you tap on it. Once again, unfortunately, it is not supplied with any sort of rubber feet (I put mine on top of a polishing cloth) so careful that you don't scratch the finish. Place it on top of some non abrasive surface.In conclusion, I must say that this is one DAC that will be hard to beat. I expect to be my reference for some years to come and I highly recommend it to anyone with a high resolution sound system.Thanks for reading.

I should have known better, but the price proved irresistible to me for what it promised. I really wanted the DSD capabilities to be as strong described in the write-up, but even if they were in order for that to work for me the other formats had to be strong too. While DSD performance of this device really was tolerable, playthrough of typical audio formats like AIFF, FLAC, etc., was not acceptable to me.I suppose your perception will be colored by where you are coming from when you fire this thing up. Compared to typical PC soundcard output it will sound really good but compared against any reasonable standard it's not all that great sounding. Here's my "plain language" (meaning no techno jargon) description of what I heard before I returned it1. All audio frequency ranges were "weak," muffled, dull - whatever descriptor you prefer, but you get the picture I'm certain2. I was listening through decent but not the most demanding headphones possible (mine are Audeze LCD-3) rather than earbuds, so that may have influenced the performance a bit. it may not have the firepower needed to drive more demanding headphones. If that's the issue, if you have really high end headphones you probably won't like it any more than I didToo bad for me. I really wanted to believe I could get high end DSD performance from a low price device so I'm really sorry this didn't work out as I had hoped.Recommended for those wanting to migrate from PC "audio out" headphone jack music to something more pleasing. Personally, I can't recommend it to those looking for high performance audio thoughAudio being as subjective as it is, you may or may not agree (at all) with my conclusions

Mine do not work at all so I sent it back.

It works well, and sounds great out of RCA output. I have tested the sound out of front headphone jack, and it was so so. It sounded as if it had some kind of DSP on, I don't use the front headphone jack, so I did not bother to look into it. The sound out of RCA is excellent!

This is a DSD DAC with a pretty good headphone amp. I listen to all my HR collection using JRiver Media Center 21 using a pair of pretty decent headphones, status audio CB-1 and Audio Technica ATH-M40x and the music comes to life with this entire package. I can hear all the details, mids are pretty soothing and the bass is tight. Overall it's more on the warm side which I like. It's not bright at all.Hope this review helps! This is a great product. Give it a try. I have used many other DACs Teac UD-301, Peachtree DAC ITx, Schiit Modi and Magni and the uDSD from Nuprime audio folks and ordered Aune X1s today.

Perfect for iem, dark...very dark background. Detailed yet musical not sterile. My favorite, I own mojo, xduoo and ha 2se. Bright enough to be adjusted with cable. My setup: samsung s 10.1 usb otg to Amazon usb extension to Pangaea silver cable to Sereanade DSD. Output: neutrik 1/4 adapter to ofc cable(not silver) to shure se846. Cons. Only usb input. Requires usb audio player software.