CD / SACD players and transports — SMSL PL20

The SMSL PL20 is a desktop CD player and digital audio hub, introduced at $200 as an update to the brand's earlier PL100. It follows a three-in-one design that combines CD playback, one-click lossless CD ripping and a dedicated USB flash-drive audio player in a chassis about the size of a paperback book. The idea is to connect a physical CD collection with modern digital convenience without ever needing a computer.

Key specs that matter

Conversion uses two Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC chips, where the PL100 had a single CS43131. The One-Click Lossless CD Rip function copies a disc straight to an external USB drive in WAV format at the press of one button, with no computer or complicated setup. USB flash-drive playback supports DSD64 (DFF and DSF), WAV and APE, along with WMA and MP3. Two-way Bluetooth 5.3 lets the PL20 act as a transmitter for wireless headphones or speakers and as a receiver for a phone or other Bluetooth source, while the PL100 had no Bluetooth output at all. Outputs include RCA line-out, coaxial and optical digital, and 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm balanced headphone jacks, the 4.4 mm socket being another addition over the PL100.

Engineering and use context

Discs load through a silent slot mechanism that reads them quickly. The chassis is CNC-machined from solid aluminium with gold-plated connectors, weighs 1.39 kg and stands on four rubber feet, so it sits steadily on a desk or even a car dashboard. A full-function remote control is included. Power comes from an external 5V/2A USB supply that is not supplied in the box. The player does not support gapless playback between tracks. The one-year warranty covers the amplifier and DAC sections only, not the included accessories.

Pairing

The direct RCA line output and the two headphone jacks make the PL20 a self-contained desktop system with no extra equipment. The optical and coaxial outputs turn it into a pure disc transport feeding an outboard DAC, for example SMSL's own RAW-DAC1.

Alternatives

The SMSL PL150 sits above the PL20 with a higher-power CS43198 DAC chip and added HDCD and MQA-CD decoding.