I have the M8. Good DAC! Love the ESS, super smooth and great for recordings that sound harsh on other sources.
What I don't like about SMSL is how the amps are over-marketed.
Take the SA-98SE, for instance. A lot of online literature rates it at 98W, sometimes even 120W or 160W, but it's actual wattage is more in the 30-35W range if you want to stay within acceptable limits (1% THD).
From their
spec page:
Output power: ( DC=32V )
80W/ 6 ΩTHD = 10%;
65W/ 8 ΩTHD = 10%;
65W into 8 Ω @ 10%! I can't see anyone in their right mind who will listen at 10% THD. The clipping would destroy your tweeters! And yet SMSL recommends pushing it as far as 160W. IMO that's just marketing being retarded. Just be honest and say it's a 30-35W amp:
Use the power adapter for DC32V SA-98E. Pick6Ω80W power ( THD = 10% ), then 4Ω100W power ( THD = 12% ), power amplifier distortion is with the power increase and increase. So we mark ideal listening to 120W/ power per channel.
This over-rating of the power output seems to apply across the board to all Chinese-made T-amps. The Lepai "20W" is also at 10% THD, in actual use it's good for 10W at most.