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    The Computer Audiophile

    SOtM Launches sMB-Q370 Motherboard

     

     

    Wow, what a week for product announcements. First HQPlayer integrates Qobuz, then VOX integrates Qobuz, then AURALiC integrates Amazon Music Unlimited. Now, SOtM launches its own motherboard named sMB-Q370. For many audiophiles this will be beyond geeky, but for many others this is really a neat product. Building a motherboard is a huge undertaking to say the least. 

     

    I can't wait to see this one in the wild and to start getting feedback from the Audiophile Style community as more people integrate this motherboard into their systems. Very cool indeed. 

     

    sMB-Q370 Product Page

     

    sMB-Q370 User Manual

     

    MSRP $500

     

    From SOtM:

     

     

    The sMB-Q370 is a high-performance computer motherboard specially designed for audio. Since this product is equipped with an Intel series CPU, it can replace all commonly used computer motherboards.

     

      There is a variety of motherboards and network audio players on the market that meet the high-performance specification and certainly there are a variety of choices too, but the products using these general motherboards are designed simply for fast operation to accomplish processing of large-capacity music files or converting music files to high sampling rates such as DSD. You won’t be able to avoid the limitations of the sound quality, which will be revealed clearly if you use such products as audio players.

     

    Even if the sCLK-EX, tX-USBexp, sNI-1G and others are installed and used on these general motherboards to improve sound quality, the source itself cannot be compared with that of a system using the audio grade motherboard, sMB-Q370.

     

    So, using the sMB-Q370 means starting a new beginning to your listening experience.

     

    You would simply get clear improvements in every aspect of the music including the background, texture, tension, resolution, and location in space of the music with the sMB-Q370 designed exclusively for audio. If you close your eyes and listen to the music, you will feel as if it is the beginning of a new world with the subtle reverberation of instruments resonating in the dark.

     

    In order to implement audio performance that exceeds the limitations of general motherboards in the existing market, the sMB-Q370 has applied a large number of audio parts that have been verified by being used in SOtM products for a long time and is designed to minimize the impact on each element inside the board to reduce noise as much as possible. Although this explanation may seem very simple, it can be said that it is the culmination of the many technologies that SOtM has implemented so far. The very deep and in-depth accumulation of technologies has made this possible.

     

    In addition, the sMB-Q370 has all the features of an existing PC, so everything that was possible with a regular PC can be replaced to the sMB-Q370. A high-performance graphics card, various types of PCI express add-on cards, M.2 NVMe SSD, M.2 Wifi module, M.2 Ethernet port, SATA storage device, etc. can be installed to expand the performance and use of the PC. With this combination of scalability and low noise performance, the sMB-Q370 has no limits in the fields where it is difficult to use general boards, such as mixing and mastering computers for studios and medical devices that require 3D functions.

     

    If you’ve been looking for a high-performance motherboard that has the features you need and meets the best sound quality and performance ever, we can assure you that there’s no need to worry anymore. The best performance, sound quality and expandability, all of these can be realized with the motherboard designed exclusively for audio, sMB-Q370.

     

    Now, it is the time to make the choice that will bring your system to its peak with the sMB-Q370.

     

     

     

    SOtM Motherboard sMB-Q370 01 .jpgSOtM Motherboard sMB-Q370 03.jpg 

    SOtM Motherboard sMB-Q370 05.jpg SOtM Motherboard sMB-Q370 06.jpg




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    The idea of external clock has been discussed before. 
     

     

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    2 hours ago, Patatorz said:

     

    I assume it is something possible with a FW upgrade like with Supermicro : the LG 1151v2 are compatible with Xeon 2100 and 2200 series. For OS support should not be a big issue to use also some Windows server versions…i doubt that SOtM created specific components with specific drivers

    😗 I'll wait to see support for the xeon then 

     

    Just gone through nightmare of blue screens saga on two computers about 3 years old, server boards, xeon, Windows 10 page faults. Tried win11 worse, crashed half way into install 

     

     ZorinOs installed ok, but too hard to learn new tricks and setups.

     

    Finally tried again with win10  LTSC and no faults, sailed through and still running for 3 weeks now.

     

    Over the last few days, the daily driver PC is reporting pointer blue screens every few hours on Win 11. This machine has win10 when shipped, worked ok, Win11 not ready and is only cosmetic changes, fairly useless ones at that. Am considering to use Win 10 LTSC on this one or roll back to plain Win10 21H2 something. 

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    Interesting comments!   My background is not in I.T. so I won't go there.

     

    Not too many companies are making their own PC-like motherboard with audio prioritized.    Is this direction driven by creating something proprietary or are there real benefits to designing the entire audio chain?    For example Bryston uses modified PIs for their streaming.   What are they missing out on by going to third party processors?   Like I said software/hardware is not my forte.

     

    Cheers!

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    Yep. just got an email from may ..

    In us dollars I guess?

     

     

     

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    17 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

    It's gotta be a "miracle of the century" if anyone were able to design a superior Q370-based motherboard that won't cost (much?) more than that Asus WS C621E SAGE mentioned above


    Those that like to try, can contact this company. Maybe it’s same as SOtM use. 
    https://www.bcmcom.com/custom_motherboard_design.html#designtype
    https://www.bcmcom.com/bcm_product_RX370Q.html

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    32 minutes ago, tedwoods said:

    The price seems very good.

    That's what I thought as well. I'm surprised it isn't much more. 

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    Well, i think If we could specify a audiophile motherboard ourselves would be better. 
     

    A lot of separate inputs for external power supply. No graphics. KVM controlled. And of cause a nice FPGA for clocks with a nice clock, and optional external clock input. Audiophile USB. Possible USB by fiber. Dual SFP interface. No RJ45, except for KVM interface that you could totally switch off. 
     

    I assume someone has much better ideas than me how to specify an audiophile motherboard. 
     

    Of cause we would need a clear understanding of where to use the MB. (No HQplayer). 

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    Just now, R1200CL said:

    Well, it it happens to be a condensed version of this $335 board, I think it’s rather expensive. 
    From pictures both MB’s has some similarities. 
     

    I hope SOtM can come up with more information about what the audiophile parts actually is, and expected effect.

    And we need to understand how this external clock input is implemented and price, and expected effect compared to an of the shelf MB.

     

     

    You're really talking outside your area of expertise now. Building a motherboard with some similarities is actually building a different motherboard. 

     

    Do you know what's involved with changing even the smallest of details on a motherboard and what's involved with making tiny bios adjustments?

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    designing MB's is not my expertise either, yet I too fail to see the argument(s) for buying this MB as much as I applaud the effort to produce an audio oriented MB. Other than the designation 'for audio' there is not much to hold on to, yet.

     

    Having heard the major differences between MB's and CPU;s ( I went through 5 MB and 5 CPUs on my quest) I tend to lean towards the conclusion that a.o. power to the CPU is king for Audio (as well as the nr of physical cores) so you'd expect special attention (and information) on that aspect in due time 

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    1 hour ago, MarcelNL said:

    designing MB's is not my expertise either, yet I too fail to see the argument(s) for buying this MB as much as I applaud the effort to produce an audio oriented MB. Other than the designation 'for audio' there is not much to hold on to, yet.

     

    Having heard the major differences between MB's and CPU;s ( I went through 5 MB and 5 CPUs on my quest) I tend to lean towards the conclusion that a.o. power to the CPU is king for Audio (as well as the nr of physical cores) so you'd expect special attention (and information) on that aspect in due time 

     

    I hear you. I'm not arguing for or against buying this motherboard, I'm just trying to keep speculation from people who may not have any ideas, to a reasonable level. People (not you) saying that this motherboard should go to 11, just because 11 is higher than 10, are kind of missing the point. 

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    This is an excellent card for 8th gen cpus (like my excellent i5-8400). 
    It's not bad because it doesn't go up to an i9-10900. The purpose is just different (and softwares used too).
    If I want an i9-10900, no problem, I'll take this one (for example) which will do the essential job with all the guarantees of electrical control.


    And for Win10 LTSC, reduced to the essential (less than 20 windows processes) will work very well.

    The most important thing is to have optimized drivers... and the ability to implement them.

     

     

     

     

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    3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

     

    You're really talking outside your area of expertise now. Building a motherboard with some similarities is actually building a different motherboard. 

     

    Do you know what's involved with changing even the smallest of details on a motherboard and what's involved with making tiny bios adjustments?

     

    Are we entering yours?  Expertise or knowledge?

     

    Where is the exposition of developed thought you imply will show his entry to be inferior?  

     

    2 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

    Other than the designation 'for audio' there is not much to hold on to, yet.

     

    There is very little that is of use to anticipate performance or sound characteristics, i.e. not world class.   So far we have a few photos and expected MSRP (laughable designation in the PC world currently).  Thanks for contributing real world experience leading to comprehension what off the shelf parts can reasonably attain.  We are not IT managed or uninformed do-it-all customers.  Certainly not identical to gamers.    

     

    What stands out to me is they actually had years to develop and manufacture.  Consumer training to expect the next level arrives every few months is largely BS falling apart at the seams in the prevailing climate.  This could be fantastic!  Nobody here has attacked SOtM for announcing an oddball right before Holiday sales are tallied.  A few :| but no >:(.  

     

     

     

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    17 minutes ago, rando said:

     

    Are we entering yours?  Expertise or knowledge?

     

    Where is the exposition of developed thought you imply will show his entry to be inferior?  

     

     

    There is very little that is of use to anticipate performance or sound characteristics, i.e. not world class.   So far we have a few photos and expected MSRP (laughable designation in the PC world currently).  Thanks for contributing real world experience leading to comprehension what off the shelf parts can reasonably attain.  We are not IT managed or uninformed do-it-all customers.  Certainly not identical to gamers.    

     

    What stands out to me is they actually had years to develop and manufacture.  Consumer training to expect the next level arrives every few months is largely BS falling apart at the seams in the prevailing climate.  This could be fantastic!  Nobody here has attacked SOtM for announcing an oddball right before Holiday sales are tallied.  A few :| but no >:(.  

     

     

     

    I wish I got the gist of what you say, but I don’t. 

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    If I need to choose between this motherboard and a nice linear power supply to upgrade the pc, which one would you recommend to upgrade first? 

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    I am sorry but for a generation or two behind, that is Apple pricing.

     

    Intel has already pulled the plug on making the 8th and 9th gen CPU's and this was from last year. That also means the chip sets will not be made any more either.

     

    9th Gen Intel CPU's discontinued

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