Name: SMSL VMV D2
Rating: 3.5 (22 reviews)

graphic_eqNatural, non-fatiguing soundNotable

4 mentions

Strongly positive

Owners repeatedly describe the D2 as smooth, organic and free of the digital harshness they encountered in other delta-sigma DACs. This natural character was a major reason multiple buyers upgraded to it.

@jrodude

Hi, I just found your channel and greatly enjoyed your very detailed and informative review of the VMV d2 dac. I live in USA so appreciate the extra work you put into the English subtitles. I ended up buying the D2 dac and really enjoy it. Like you, I thought it was a chance to get an AKM chip dac. Thanks and we'll done! Regards, James

smart_display

January 12, 2023

@heinzbecker691

i also got a vmv d2 in my system. \nmy first dac was an oppo sonica dac. it was as musicplayer for my accuphase E350 integrated amp. later on i dicovered that the E350 sounded much much better used as an power amp. i used the oppo as a pre amp. \nlater on on switched my E350 to a real power amp, the accuphase P4200 and i could use xlr finally. the sound was awesome.\nafter a few years i tried a gustard x26pro. dude this war very hard for my ears...not realy natural, to much harshness way to digital.\nI had to try it with a streamer so i bought the ifi zen streamer but the x26pro was not changing its sound character, but i also hooked it up to my oppo sonica dac and it benefit feom the usb streaming quality of the ifi. after i send the gustard back to my dealer, i ordered this vmv d2...daaaaamn this was a new world.\nthis was so smooth sounding, but with all the tiny details in it. organic, three dimensional. real sound colors, a real natural sounding dac.\nbest sounding quality is at the moment usb. i tried optical, coaxial spdif and usb. usb ist the best.\ncables are norfost heimdall 2 usb. befor i got the heimdall 2 usb cable i used a blue heaven usb cable and a blue heaven spdif. i tried also bluetooth 5.0 streaming but the quality is...naah.\n\nfor me this is a realy realy natural sounding dac.\n\nroom treatment and setup is very good. no echos or roar.\npower comes from a ps audio p5 power plant. this unit is getting its power from a nordost tyr 2 power cord.\nthe vmv d2 gets power through a frey 2 power cord. \nthe p4200 is using also a tyr 2 power cord.\nspeakers are b&w 804D2 which are hooked up with frey 2 speaker cables and the nordost reference jumpers.\ndac to amp is xlr nordost tyr 1 at the moment. i bought a tyr 2 xlr and a valhalla 1 xlr and will test them in the next week...so there is alsready an upgrade on the way.\n\np.s. whats realy awesome on this dac is the fact that you almost can tell blind if its a mqa file. mqa sound even more lifelike. but real good recordings, even if its just mp3 quality, will blow you away.\nthe filters of this dac doesnt change anything for my ears....sorry, but at this part i cant confirm.

smart_display

August 20, 2022

@krishori

I've been waiting for this test video because I recently bought a VMV D2 myself. A lot of information crystallized in my mind about the DAC and I would list almost exactly the same things as were mentioned in the video. I characterized the D2's sound properties to my hi-fi friends in exactly this way a few days ago. Except for its internal structure and technical details, because I haven't taken it apart, and I don't understand the technical details that well either. I could only rely on the sound, which is extraordinarily natural but also reveals the tiniest details. The soundstage is listenable to the ends of the earth and pleasant to the ears. So far, my general opinion on delta-sigma DACs was that they don't sound \"fine\", the detail is there in many other DACs too but in the high range it sounds very synthetic and annoying. I also have an SMSL SU-9 DAC in the \"B\" system, but this is completely different league here. The SU-9 is a good DAC in its own right, but if someone listens to the SU-9's sound after experiencing the fine sound the D2 offers, not everything immediately becomes disturbing! I also swapped the transport devices connected in front of the D2 and it really rewards the knowledge of a quality streamer. The appearance of the case, yes, a bit SMSL design, but I really like it, but quality is noticeable here too. The case is super massive, but yes, for me here's the only negative, the wobbling of the rotary switch. But why, something so small like this \"bug\", how couldn't they have put it together better?! Though you only turn it very rarely, because there's the massive aluminum housing remote control, now that's really quality. Back to the sound, even I haven't heard a D/S converter sound \"nicer\" before. I think anyone who thinks in terms of fine and soft sound can't go wrong with it. And one more thing, I really haven't heard any soundstage change before in any DAC when adjusting the PCM filters, but in the D2's case the sound changes markedly every time you switch to a different setting, with this you can \"fine-tune\" the system's sound. Another red point among the many plusses. To answer the previous commenter's question about the price. This is no longer the budget price category, currently not even available in the domestic distributor's range, obtainable from the EU for 1600€, but they ship for free :)

smart_displayTranslated from Hungarian

August 5, 2022

@frizzarazz

I upgraded my dx7 pro with this dac which came in today. Totally agree with this review, it made a world of difference in my chain. It sounds much more natural and smooth than de dx7 pro with more control over the low end, while maintaining detail, speed and slam. My chain has the Arya SE which, imo, really needs a good low/mid drive to flesh things out a bit. This dac together with the Burson Soloist 3x have that in spades. I am totally loving this setup now. Looking into a getting a decent DDC next.\n\nIt's a lot more expensive than the dx7 pro of course, but for me: totally worth it.

smart_display

December 30, 2021

memoryMQA and AK4499 chip appeal

3 mentions

Widely praised

Buyers were drawn specifically to the AK4499 chip and MQA support, with one noting MQA files sound even more lifelike through the D2.

@jrodude

Hi, I just found your channel and greatly enjoyed your very detailed and informative review of the VMV d2 dac. I live in USA so appreciate the extra work you put into the English subtitles. I ended up buying the D2 dac and really enjoy it. Like you, I thought it was a chance to get an AKM chip dac. Thanks and we'll done! Regards, James

smart_display

January 12, 2023

@heinzbecker691

i also got a vmv d2 in my system. \nmy first dac was an oppo sonica dac. it was as musicplayer for my accuphase E350 integrated amp. later on i dicovered that the E350 sounded much much better used as an power amp. i used the oppo as a pre amp. \nlater on on switched my E350 to a real power amp, the accuphase P4200 and i could use xlr finally. the sound was awesome.\nafter a few years i tried a gustard x26pro. dude this war very hard for my ears...not realy natural, to much harshness way to digital.\nI had to try it with a streamer so i bought the ifi zen streamer but the x26pro was not changing its sound character, but i also hooked it up to my oppo sonica dac and it benefit feom the usb streaming quality of the ifi. after i send the gustard back to my dealer, i ordered this vmv d2...daaaaamn this was a new world.\nthis was so smooth sounding, but with all the tiny details in it. organic, three dimensional. real sound colors, a real natural sounding dac.\nbest sounding quality is at the moment usb. i tried optical, coaxial spdif and usb. usb ist the best.\ncables are norfost heimdall 2 usb. befor i got the heimdall 2 usb cable i used a blue heaven usb cable and a blue heaven spdif. i tried also bluetooth 5.0 streaming but the quality is...naah.\n\nfor me this is a realy realy natural sounding dac.\n\nroom treatment and setup is very good. no echos or roar.\npower comes from a ps audio p5 power plant. this unit is getting its power from a nordost tyr 2 power cord.\nthe vmv d2 gets power through a frey 2 power cord. \nthe p4200 is using also a tyr 2 power cord.\nspeakers are b&w 804D2 which are hooked up with frey 2 speaker cables and the nordost reference jumpers.\ndac to amp is xlr nordost tyr 1 at the moment. i bought a tyr 2 xlr and a valhalla 1 xlr and will test them in the next week...so there is alsready an upgrade on the way.\n\np.s. whats realy awesome on this dac is the fact that you almost can tell blind if its a mqa file. mqa sound even more lifelike. but real good recordings, even if its just mp3 quality, will blow you away.\nthe filters of this dac doesnt change anything for my ears....sorry, but at this part i cant confirm.

smart_display

August 20, 2022

@erobin7482

Recently purchased Loxjie D50 and enjoyed that one so much, I just pulled the trigger on the D2 (The AK4499 chip is amazing). I hope I don't have buyers remorse, but fortunately Apos understands us audiophiles and offers 45 day returns. You are one if not the only reason I pulled the trigger, no other reviews out and I don't want to be late to the game once word gets out. Thank you sir and wish me luck.

smart_display

January 14, 2022

zoom_inHigh detail retrieval

2 mentions

Strongly positive

Despite its smoothness, users say the D2 reveals tiny details and maintains speed and control, avoiding the trade-off of detail for warmth. This combination is called rare among detailed-sounding DACs.

@krishori

I've been waiting for this test video because I recently bought a VMV D2 myself. A lot of information crystallized in my mind about the DAC and I would list almost exactly the same things as were mentioned in the video. I characterized the D2's sound properties to my hi-fi friends in exactly this way a few days ago. Except for its internal structure and technical details, because I haven't taken it apart, and I don't understand the technical details that well either. I could only rely on the sound, which is extraordinarily natural but also reveals the tiniest details. The soundstage is listenable to the ends of the earth and pleasant to the ears. So far, my general opinion on delta-sigma DACs was that they don't sound \"fine\", the detail is there in many other DACs too but in the high range it sounds very synthetic and annoying. I also have an SMSL SU-9 DAC in the \"B\" system, but this is completely different league here. The SU-9 is a good DAC in its own right, but if someone listens to the SU-9's sound after experiencing the fine sound the D2 offers, not everything immediately becomes disturbing! I also swapped the transport devices connected in front of the D2 and it really rewards the knowledge of a quality streamer. The appearance of the case, yes, a bit SMSL design, but I really like it, but quality is noticeable here too. The case is super massive, but yes, for me here's the only negative, the wobbling of the rotary switch. But why, something so small like this \"bug\", how couldn't they have put it together better?! Though you only turn it very rarely, because there's the massive aluminum housing remote control, now that's really quality. Back to the sound, even I haven't heard a D/S converter sound \"nicer\" before. I think anyone who thinks in terms of fine and soft sound can't go wrong with it. And one more thing, I really haven't heard any soundstage change before in any DAC when adjusting the PCM filters, but in the D2's case the sound changes markedly every time you switch to a different setting, with this you can \"fine-tune\" the system's sound. Another red point among the many plusses. To answer the previous commenter's question about the price. This is no longer the budget price category, currently not even available in the domestic distributor's range, obtainable from the EU for 1600€, but they ship for free :)

smart_displayTranslated from Hungarian

August 5, 2022

@frizzarazz

I upgraded my dx7 pro with this dac which came in today. Totally agree with this review, it made a world of difference in my chain. It sounds much more natural and smooth than de dx7 pro with more control over the low end, while maintaining detail, speed and slam. My chain has the Arya SE which, imo, really needs a good low/mid drive to flesh things out a bit. This dac together with the Burson Soloist 3x have that in spades. I am totally loving this setup now. Looking into a getting a decent DDC next.\n\nIt's a lot more expensive than the dx7 pro of course, but for me: totally worth it.

smart_display

December 30, 2021

panorama_horizontalWide, three-dimensional soundstage

2 mentions

Strongly positive

Multiple listeners praise a spacious, holographic soundstage with convincing depth and layering, calling it listenable to the ends of the earth.

@heinzbecker691

i also got a vmv d2 in my system. \nmy first dac was an oppo sonica dac. it was as musicplayer for my accuphase E350 integrated amp. later on i dicovered that the E350 sounded much much better used as an power amp. i used the oppo as a pre amp. \nlater on on switched my E350 to a real power amp, the accuphase P4200 and i could use xlr finally. the sound was awesome.\nafter a few years i tried a gustard x26pro. dude this war very hard for my ears...not realy natural, to much harshness way to digital.\nI had to try it with a streamer so i bought the ifi zen streamer but the x26pro was not changing its sound character, but i also hooked it up to my oppo sonica dac and it benefit feom the usb streaming quality of the ifi. after i send the gustard back to my dealer, i ordered this vmv d2...daaaaamn this was a new world.\nthis was so smooth sounding, but with all the tiny details in it. organic, three dimensional. real sound colors, a real natural sounding dac.\nbest sounding quality is at the moment usb. i tried optical, coaxial spdif and usb. usb ist the best.\ncables are norfost heimdall 2 usb. befor i got the heimdall 2 usb cable i used a blue heaven usb cable and a blue heaven spdif. i tried also bluetooth 5.0 streaming but the quality is...naah.\n\nfor me this is a realy realy natural sounding dac.\n\nroom treatment and setup is very good. no echos or roar.\npower comes from a ps audio p5 power plant. this unit is getting its power from a nordost tyr 2 power cord.\nthe vmv d2 gets power through a frey 2 power cord. \nthe p4200 is using also a tyr 2 power cord.\nspeakers are b&w 804D2 which are hooked up with frey 2 speaker cables and the nordost reference jumpers.\ndac to amp is xlr nordost tyr 1 at the moment. i bought a tyr 2 xlr and a valhalla 1 xlr and will test them in the next week...so there is alsready an upgrade on the way.\n\np.s. whats realy awesome on this dac is the fact that you almost can tell blind if its a mqa file. mqa sound even more lifelike. but real good recordings, even if its just mp3 quality, will blow you away.\nthe filters of this dac doesnt change anything for my ears....sorry, but at this part i cant confirm.

smart_display

August 20, 2022

@krishori

I've been waiting for this test video because I recently bought a VMV D2 myself. A lot of information crystallized in my mind about the DAC and I would list almost exactly the same things as were mentioned in the video. I characterized the D2's sound properties to my hi-fi friends in exactly this way a few days ago. Except for its internal structure and technical details, because I haven't taken it apart, and I don't understand the technical details that well either. I could only rely on the sound, which is extraordinarily natural but also reveals the tiniest details. The soundstage is listenable to the ends of the earth and pleasant to the ears. So far, my general opinion on delta-sigma DACs was that they don't sound \"fine\", the detail is there in many other DACs too but in the high range it sounds very synthetic and annoying. I also have an SMSL SU-9 DAC in the \"B\" system, but this is completely different league here. The SU-9 is a good DAC in its own right, but if someone listens to the SU-9's sound after experiencing the fine sound the D2 offers, not everything immediately becomes disturbing! I also swapped the transport devices connected in front of the D2 and it really rewards the knowledge of a quality streamer. The appearance of the case, yes, a bit SMSL design, but I really like it, but quality is noticeable here too. The case is super massive, but yes, for me here's the only negative, the wobbling of the rotary switch. But why, something so small like this \"bug\", how couldn't they have put it together better?! Though you only turn it very rarely, because there's the massive aluminum housing remote control, now that's really quality. Back to the sound, even I haven't heard a D/S converter sound \"nicer\" before. I think anyone who thinks in terms of fine and soft sound can't go wrong with it. And one more thing, I really haven't heard any soundstage change before in any DAC when adjusting the PCM filters, but in the D2's case the sound changes markedly every time you switch to a different setting, with this you can \"fine-tune\" the system's sound. Another red point among the many plusses. To answer the previous commenter's question about the price. This is no longer the budget price category, currently not even available in the domestic distributor's range, obtainable from the EU for 1600€, but they ship for free :)

smart_displayTranslated from Hungarian

August 5, 2022

compare_arrowsClear upgrade over harsher rivals

2 mentions

Strongly positive

Users directly comparing the D2 to the Gustard X26 Pro or their previous DAC found the X26 Pro harsh and overly digital by comparison, while the D2 sounded like a new world of smoothness and realism.

@heinzbecker691

i also got a vmv d2 in my system. \nmy first dac was an oppo sonica dac. it was as musicplayer for my accuphase E350 integrated amp. later on i dicovered that the E350 sounded much much better used as an power amp. i used the oppo as a pre amp. \nlater on on switched my E350 to a real power amp, the accuphase P4200 and i could use xlr finally. the sound was awesome.\nafter a few years i tried a gustard x26pro. dude this war very hard for my ears...not realy natural, to much harshness way to digital.\nI had to try it with a streamer so i bought the ifi zen streamer but the x26pro was not changing its sound character, but i also hooked it up to my oppo sonica dac and it benefit feom the usb streaming quality of the ifi. after i send the gustard back to my dealer, i ordered this vmv d2...daaaaamn this was a new world.\nthis was so smooth sounding, but with all the tiny details in it. organic, three dimensional. real sound colors, a real natural sounding dac.\nbest sounding quality is at the moment usb. i tried optical, coaxial spdif and usb. usb ist the best.\ncables are norfost heimdall 2 usb. befor i got the heimdall 2 usb cable i used a blue heaven usb cable and a blue heaven spdif. i tried also bluetooth 5.0 streaming but the quality is...naah.\n\nfor me this is a realy realy natural sounding dac.\n\nroom treatment and setup is very good. no echos or roar.\npower comes from a ps audio p5 power plant. this unit is getting its power from a nordost tyr 2 power cord.\nthe vmv d2 gets power through a frey 2 power cord. \nthe p4200 is using also a tyr 2 power cord.\nspeakers are b&w 804D2 which are hooked up with frey 2 speaker cables and the nordost reference jumpers.\ndac to amp is xlr nordost tyr 1 at the moment. i bought a tyr 2 xlr and a valhalla 1 xlr and will test them in the next week...so there is alsready an upgrade on the way.\n\np.s. whats realy awesome on this dac is the fact that you almost can tell blind if its a mqa file. mqa sound even more lifelike. but real good recordings, even if its just mp3 quality, will blow you away.\nthe filters of this dac doesnt change anything for my ears....sorry, but at this part i cant confirm.

smart_display

August 20, 2022

@vagomaniac

Well I got it connected via usb regenerator reclocker from a pro ject streamer. Everything described is true. But I didnt expect it to be so smooth. The extra detail it provides very often is lost in complex parts of say piano concerto. I cannot understand why an expensive dac like this doesnt even give you the choice to choose a sharper setting like D1SE. \nI am thinking of returning it what a waste

smart_display

June 21, 2022

build_circleStrong build and remote quality

1 mentions

Widely praised

Owners note the massive aluminum housing and solid, quality remote control, giving a premium feel befitting a flagship product.

@krishori

I've been waiting for this test video because I recently bought a VMV D2 myself. A lot of information crystallized in my mind about the DAC and I would list almost exactly the same things as were mentioned in the video. I characterized the D2's sound properties to my hi-fi friends in exactly this way a few days ago. Except for its internal structure and technical details, because I haven't taken it apart, and I don't understand the technical details that well either. I could only rely on the sound, which is extraordinarily natural but also reveals the tiniest details. The soundstage is listenable to the ends of the earth and pleasant to the ears. So far, my general opinion on delta-sigma DACs was that they don't sound \"fine\", the detail is there in many other DACs too but in the high range it sounds very synthetic and annoying. I also have an SMSL SU-9 DAC in the \"B\" system, but this is completely different league here. The SU-9 is a good DAC in its own right, but if someone listens to the SU-9's sound after experiencing the fine sound the D2 offers, not everything immediately becomes disturbing! I also swapped the transport devices connected in front of the D2 and it really rewards the knowledge of a quality streamer. The appearance of the case, yes, a bit SMSL design, but I really like it, but quality is noticeable here too. The case is super massive, but yes, for me here's the only negative, the wobbling of the rotary switch. But why, something so small like this \"bug\", how couldn't they have put it together better?! Though you only turn it very rarely, because there's the massive aluminum housing remote control, now that's really quality. Back to the sound, even I haven't heard a D/S converter sound \"nicer\" before. I think anyone who thinks in terms of fine and soft sound can't go wrong with it. And one more thing, I really haven't heard any soundstage change before in any DAC when adjusting the PCM filters, but in the D2's case the sound changes markedly every time you switch to a different setting, with this you can \"fine-tune\" the system's sound. Another red point among the many plusses. To answer the previous commenter's question about the price. This is no longer the budget price category, currently not even available in the domestic distributor's range, obtainable from the EU for 1600€, but they ship for free :)

smart_displayTranslated from Hungarian

August 5, 2022

usbExcellent USB input performance

1 mentions

Widely praised

One detailed comparison across inputs found USB clearly superior to optical, coaxial and Bluetooth, and premium USB cabling further improved sound quality.

@heinzbecker691

i also got a vmv d2 in my system. \nmy first dac was an oppo sonica dac. it was as musicplayer for my accuphase E350 integrated amp. later on i dicovered that the E350 sounded much much better used as an power amp. i used the oppo as a pre amp. \nlater on on switched my E350 to a real power amp, the accuphase P4200 and i could use xlr finally. the sound was awesome.\nafter a few years i tried a gustard x26pro. dude this war very hard for my ears...not realy natural, to much harshness way to digital.\nI had to try it with a streamer so i bought the ifi zen streamer but the x26pro was not changing its sound character, but i also hooked it up to my oppo sonica dac and it benefit feom the usb streaming quality of the ifi. after i send the gustard back to my dealer, i ordered this vmv d2...daaaaamn this was a new world.\nthis was so smooth sounding, but with all the tiny details in it. organic, three dimensional. real sound colors, a real natural sounding dac.\nbest sounding quality is at the moment usb. i tried optical, coaxial spdif and usb. usb ist the best.\ncables are norfost heimdall 2 usb. befor i got the heimdall 2 usb cable i used a blue heaven usb cable and a blue heaven spdif. i tried also bluetooth 5.0 streaming but the quality is...naah.\n\nfor me this is a realy realy natural sounding dac.\n\nroom treatment and setup is very good. no echos or roar.\npower comes from a ps audio p5 power plant. this unit is getting its power from a nordost tyr 2 power cord.\nthe vmv d2 gets power through a frey 2 power cord. \nthe p4200 is using also a tyr 2 power cord.\nspeakers are b&w 804D2 which are hooked up with frey 2 speaker cables and the nordost reference jumpers.\ndac to amp is xlr nordost tyr 1 at the moment. i bought a tyr 2 xlr and a valhalla 1 xlr and will test them in the next week...so there is alsready an upgrade on the way.\n\np.s. whats realy awesome on this dac is the fact that you almost can tell blind if its a mqa file. mqa sound even more lifelike. but real good recordings, even if its just mp3 quality, will blow you away.\nthe filters of this dac doesnt change anything for my ears....sorry, but at this part i cant confirm.

smart_display

August 20, 2022

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