Which CD player is better? Fiio DM13 vs SMSL PL100

Comments · 266

• FO

  @ForeverAnalog · 1 year ago · pinned

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• MI

  @mikecampbell5856 · 1 year ago

  I ordered the SMSL PL 100 on April 9 and received it on May 23. It was worth the wait. They are in huge demand so expect delays. I enjoy it very much and am using it as a transport. Great review as usual Aaron!

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• TH

  @thechineserussian · 1 year ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S63S50Pf_Y&amp;t=310">5:10</a> no, ESP stands for Electronic Shock Protection, a carry over from older, portable CD players where the next few seconds of data are buffered to prevent skipping when the player is jostled or hit. It does degrade performance so it makes sense to turn it off during desktop use.

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• BE

  @BeyondMetropolis · 1 year ago

  Your videos are always super informative, thanks!

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• JI

  @JimmShaffer-vr9wu · 1 year ago

  ESP was a popular designation back in the day. It stands for Electronic Skip Protection. If the disc skips while you&apos;re walking (or running also, I believe) the player will use a buffer memory that stores musical data. That way you wouldn&apos;t hear the skipping. They also rated them by time. So ESP 60 had 60 seconds of buffer memory.

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• AL

  @alexroot1980 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I have bought a PL100 for 93€, two months ago. I use it for simple and easy dubbing to Minidisc and for casual listening. Nothing can&apos;t beat it, quality/price wise.<br>Something like this little beast, would had cost 5 times more, 10/15 years ago!<br>In the last years Chi-Fi really rules! We must admit that.<br>It all started with Oppo in my opinion.

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• WI

  @williamferguson7212 · 1 year ago

  I own the PL-100 &nbsp;and it’s a great little unit. Wish there was a great little CD player for my vehicle that would interact with my Apple Car Play 🤔

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• QB

  @Qboro66 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I purchased the DM13 BT version from B and H on April 24th for $160 and I&apos;m rediscovering my CD collection all over again...<br>The sound is amazing.☮️

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• MI

  @misandryshih8398 · 1 year ago

  Such a nice video!! ^-^ I went with the DM13 and I have been loving it so far!!!

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• RO

  @RoomyElefant · 1 year ago

  Great video! Learned a lot 🤘

• JU

  @jukingeo · 1 year ago

  I am going to say that I am leaning towards the DM13 myself, mainly because I like the top load. &nbsp;The drawerless loading of the PL100 is a system I never cared for. &nbsp;True that I never had a disc damaged by such a mechanism, but I HAVE had a disc get stuck inside and had to open the unit to retrieve it. &nbsp;While this has happened with drawer mechanisms too, the big difference is that drawer units had a way to use an unfolded paper clip to release the drawer. &nbsp;Of course, with a top mechanism, this is not a worry, unless the latch breaks and that is something that never happened to to me. &nbsp;Now I will say that between these units and the PL200, I like the appearance / use of that one the most. &nbsp;The problem is the price. &nbsp; At $500 it is just overpriced for what it is. &nbsp;For $300, yeah, then I would jump on it. &nbsp; (Are you listening SMSL?). &nbsp; To the OP, &nbsp;Fosi is coming out with a top loading unit as well, and I hear it supposed to be coming in at a good price point. &nbsp;I just don&apos;t know the release date. &nbsp;Hopefully, you will review that one when it comes out as well! &nbsp;Keep up the great work! &nbsp; I have been growing increasingly interested in your channel and stop by more regularly. &nbsp;I like how you review more value priced units than &quot;high end&quot; pieces. &nbsp;Reviewers for those are a dime a dozen. &nbsp;We definitely need more reviewers that can find us good sounding hi-fi equipment that will not break the bank. &nbsp; Too many times I see these high end companies are creating these high priced units and due to the Law of Diminishing Returns, there really isn&apos;t much to gain from such units. &nbsp; As you see yourself, with the Schiit Urd. &nbsp;It was just way too much money for what it is. &nbsp;Schiit Audio was one of the first to start the small factor hi-fi units and many of their units could be had for a reasonable price. &nbsp;It is just lately they are starting to get too big for their britches and their expensive component lineup is starting to surpass their affordable units. &nbsp; So, of late I have been turning to the likes of Fosi and Douk audio. &nbsp; Aiyima makes nice stuff too, but (with a few exceptions) they have been falling behind the 8-ball a bit. &nbsp; Fosi has been blowing me away with what they can do. &nbsp;First was the ZA3 and I just recently bought the phono box X5, and I ended up liking that better than the IFI Zen Phono3. &nbsp;Keep up the great work!

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• TO

  @tomreidy1237 · 1 year ago

  Great comparison review ❤