SMSL PL100 PRO: Successor to the Brand’s Budget CD Player

The SMSL PL100 PRO was announced today (27) by its manufacturer on social media. The new PL100 Pro CD player is the successor to the PL100 and is positioned to deliver greater refinement without commanding a high price. Below, you can find all the details about SMSL’s latest release.

What has changed in the “PRO” version of the SMSL PL100?

The “Pro” version of SMSL’s PL100 CD player now features a 4.4 mm balanced headphone output, enabling users to drive, for example, high-impedance and/or low-sensitivity over-ear headphones. Due to this modification, it became necessary to employ a dual-DAC configuration using two Cirrus Logic CS43131 chips, rather than a single DAC.

Another change introduced by SMSL in the PL100 Pro is the addition of an XLR output, allowing balanced connections to an amplifier or to active loudspeakers.

SMSL PL100 Pro CD Player: Specifications

• Input: CD
• Outputs: XLR, RCA, optical, coaxial, 3.5 mm headphone output, and 4.4 mm headphone output
• Line output level: 2 Vrms via RCA and 4 Vrms via XLR

Single-ended (SE) 3.5 mm headphone output power:

• 58 mW at 16 ohms
• 58 mW at 32 ohms
• 45 mW at 64 ohms
• 23 mW at 150 ohms
• 12 mW at 300 ohms
• 6 mW at 600 ohms

Balanced 4.4 mm headphone output power:

• 100 mW at 16 ohms
• 200 mW at 32 ohms
• 85 mW at 150 ohms
• 53 mW at 300 ohms
• 25 mW at 600 ohms

• THD+N: 0.001%
• SNR: 110 dB
• Power consumption: 4 W
• Standby power consumption: less than 0.1 W
• Dimensions: 16 cm × 4.4 cm × 16 cm
• Weight: 953.5 g

Release, price, and availability

The SMSL PL200 PRO CD player is scheduled for release in March 2026 and will be priced at USD 159.