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    The Computer Audiophile

    SOtM sMS-200 Review

    The SOtM sMS-200 is one of the more popular products on the market in the Ethernet to USB category. A category that was pretty much created by the team at Sonore with its early products and the release of the microRendu. Ethernet to USB devices are now the 'it" products. More manufacturers are copying these idea and features, to implement them in products at all price levels.

     

    At its most basic level, the sMS-200 is a digital to digital converter. Ethernet packets in and USB packets out. I guess it's even possible to consider the device a protocol adapter, from TCP data packets to USB data packets. The sMS-200 is great for people with USB DACs or even more traditional DACs without USB or Ethernet inputs. In the case of a USB DAC, a direct connection between the sMS-200 and the DAC is made by a single cable. Other DACs will require a USB to S/PDIF converter to sit between the sMS-200 and digital to analog converter.

     

    If all this sounds like a lot of converters and boxes and potential problems, it really isn't an issue for the most part. A larger problem is replacing a DAC that one paid thousands of dollars for, just because it isn't RoonReady or doesn't support Ethernet input. Devices like the sMS-200 open a whole world of possibilities for any USB DAC, and save one's investment in whatever DAC he or she already owns.

     

    With respect to hardware, the sMS-200 appears to be a ground-up SOtM design. It features an ARM processor on a custom motherboard that's typical SOtM white in color. On the inside, the device looks very similar to one of the popular SOtM USB cards that many in the Computer Audiophile community have used for years.

     

    Digging deeper into the software running on the sMS-200, reveals a Linux operating system and support for Roon, as a RoonReady endpoint, Squeezelite, MPD / DLNA, AirPlay, and HQPlayer as a Network Audio Adapter (NAA). I know many readers will want to understand differences between the sMS-200 and the Sonore microRendu, and the software is where a major difference lies.

     

    The software running on the sMS-200 is less stable and far less advanced than that of the Sonicorbiter OS running on the microRendu and Sonore's Sonicorbiter SE hardware. For example, I frequently switch USB DACs and input applications on these devices. When doing so, the sMS-200 didn't always work. I tried to restart the application such as RoonReady or HQPlayer NAA, but sometimes these apps would just spin in circles, as if stuck in a loop trying to restart. To resolve the issue I restarted the whole sMS-200. Once rebooted, everything worked great.

     

    Another less than advanced "feature" of the sMS-200 is the requirement that each update to the system software be done serially in order. When updating my review unit, I clicked the update button, waited for the update to download and install, then restarted the unit. Upon reconnecting to the web interface, I had to update to the next version and go through the same procedure. Unfortunately I was about five versions behind the current release, so I had to manually update the unit five times. It would be nice to just click update and have the sMS-200 update to the current version of the software (from version 1 to version 3 in a single update rather than from version 1 to version 2 to version 3).

     

    One other piece of the sMS-200 software that could use an improvement to get closer to the level of the microRendu is the informational screens, or lack thereof. The mR offers several places to get information about the connected USB DAC. This would have been nice on the sMS-200 when I had issues connecting to the McIntosh D1100 DAC. It turned out to be an issue with the DAC, but I was unsure because I didn't have any information about the connection from the DAC to the sMS-200, like I did when connecting the same DAC to the microRendu. There are little things that the Sonicorbiter operating system, used by Sonore products, does much better than the sMS-200 OS. Some users will never notice these things and never care about the differences. Others will find that these are deal breakers. I'm just presenting the information so each reader can decide for his or herself.

     

    One area where the sMS-200 has a leg up on the microRendu is when playing high resolution content under a very specific set of conditions. I'm not talking about sound quality here, I'm talking about playback without dropouts. On the rare occasion that someone has an enterprise class network (think Cisco switches and the like), and plays 24/192 content or DSD128 or upsampled HQPlayer material, the microRendu can drop tons of packets. This leads to dropouts because the mR's 1 Gbps Ethernet interface can't keep up with the incoming data. The sMS-200 only has a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interface and this somehow makes the sending servers slow the data down. Even setting a switch or the microRendu manually to 10/100 doesn't fix the issue for the mR. The mR's gigabit interface is an achilles heel in these very rare circumstances. No, extremely rare circumstances, that I've only experienced in my home. The problem doesn't happen when using Roon because Roon Labs implemented a fix for the issue last year. In addition, I can slow down the data just enough if I stick an Ethernet isolator from Baaske inline with the mR. This resolves the issue 100%.  

     

    Note: I mistakenly thought the sMS-200 had a 10/100 Ethernet interface and that was the reason it worked when the microRendu didn't, but I've been corrected by SOtM. The sMS-200 has a gigabit interface. 

     

    Overall, I think the sMS-200 is a really good product that needs some tweaking on the software side. The hardware is pretty fast and accepts either the SOtM power supplies or any of the aftermarket supplies that the CA community is so fond of using (myself included). By explaining a few of the shortcomings of the sMS-200, I hope to make decisions easier for people considering a product in this category. If these shortcomings don't bother people, they may just save some money by selecting the sMS-200 over a more expensive product.

     

     

     

     

    SOtM sMS-200

     

     

     

     

     

    Listening

     

    I've had the SOtM sMS-200 in my system for a pretty long time. During this time, I've connected the unit to many DACs. Based on my tests, the sMS-200 had no trouble playing PCM or DSD (via DoP) to any of them. Playback of Native DSD may be a different story, but I was unable to test native DSD for this review.

     

    The system I used for much of my listening consisted of a RoonServer outputting to the SOtM sMS-200 to either a Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB / Alpha Reference DAC Series 2, EMM Labs DA2, dCS Rossini, McIntosh D1100, or Schiit Yggdrasil DAC. The analog side of the system was a Constellation Audio Inspiration PreAmp and monoblocks, with Wire World cabling. Powering the sMS-200, I used the SOtM mBPS-d2s "intelligent battery power supply."

     

    Earlier this week, the McIntosh Group hosted John Mellencamp at its townhouse on Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan. I watched the interview and was inspired to listen to John's new album and his older stuff that got him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I stumbled upon an acoustic version of Pink Houses (DR11) via Tidal. After listening to the track a few times I created an acoustic playlist and added both the acoustic versions of the Stone Temple Pilots' Plush (DR12) and Pearl Jam's Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town (DR11) to the playlist.

     

    One thing was constantly on my mind as I played these three acoustic tracks. The sound is so clean. It's hard to explain more about this sense of cleanliness that I heard. In a way, this is like proving a negative. How do I write about something that isn't present? As I switched from the dCS Rossini to the EMM Labs DA2 to the McIntosh D1100, I could hear clear sonic differences when playing the same acoustic tracks. This is exactly what a source component should enable. I should be enable one to hear the differences between components further downstream, as well as components upstream and most important of all, the recording.

     

    On Pink Houses, I heard nothing but John Mellencamp's voice and his guitar. Ah, that sounds rather stupid, as this is an acoustic recording. But, this was something different. The sound provided a view back into 1983. Perhaps the fact that John's voice sounded 500,000 cigarettes cleaner, contributed to the lack of grunge, noise, or anything I would consider dirty. Note: John estimates that by 2010 he had smoked 650,000 cigarettes in his life. Later in 2014 he told the Associated Press, “Two million cigarettes later and I finally sound like a black guy. Thank God. The cigarettes finally paid off. They’re going to give me cancer and they’re going to kill me, but for a short amount of time, they’re going to make my voice sound like it should.” Given that the acoustic version of Pink Houses was recorded in 1983, John's much-less smoke-affected voice contributed to this very clean sound I heard. I also can't discount the fact that the SOtM sMS-200 doesn't seem to be adding any noise to the recording.

     

    This raises some serious questions, 1) Is the SOtM sMS-200 doing anything to the signal to make the music sound clean? 2) Is this clean sound similar to edge enhancement in video, that soon becomes unnatural and annoying? Without a deeper scientific analysis of the sMS-200, I can say that all the music is bit perfect. The sMS-200 isn't changing anything that would cause my bit perfect indicator lights to go dark on a couple DACs. Also, I haven't experienced any fatigue or unnatural sound when using the sMS-200. This leads me to believe the music signal isn't changing and if something else is at play, it isn't a negative to my ears in my system.

     

    Sonically, this clean sound is very different from the sound I hear through the microRendu. That statement shouldn't be taken to mean the microRendu is the opposite and dirty sounding. Rather, the mR sounds more organic and analog-like than the sMS-200. From a technical point of view I can't explain the sonic differences, but I suspect some of this may be related to the different power supplies and technologies, or there's always the placebo effect. I'm disinclined to believe it's a placebo, based on the amount of sonic difference I heard between the units.

     

    Comparing the sound of the sMS-200 to the microRendu further, I listened to some 1970s rock and roll. I've been on a real 70s kick lately. Playing it for my five year old daughter in the car on the way to school in the morning as well. Not sanctioned by the hoity-toity audiophile society, but damn good music made to sound as good as it can through a real HiFi system.

     

    I put on Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Women in 24/96, first through the microRendu. Once I had that sound committed to memory as much as possible, I switched to the sMS-200. I immediately thought the sMS-200 was louder. I don't know what contributed to my perception, but I know it wasn't a change in the audio signal. I was so concerned that I immediately checked the sMS-200 and the microRendu for bit perfect audio (again). Both were sending unaltered audio to the dCS Rossini.

     

    Despite the (mis)perceived difference in volume, I heard the same types of differences with Fleetwood Mac that I heard with the acoustic tracks, but a bit less audible and with a slight twist. The sMS-200 was very clean, just as it was previously. The sonic cleanliness was nice, but it perhaps gave the sound an ever-so-small amount of sterility. By contrast, the microRendu sounded a little lower in level and, as it did before, sounded more organic and closer to an analog sound. Neither device is perfect nor 100% better than the other, for all people in all systems.

     

    I'm unsure if the sonic differences I heard would be present in another system, connected to different equipment. Or, if they'd be present with someone else's ears and brain. When considering a device such as the sMS-200, one should consider the whole, rather than a single piece. Consider the software, support, upgradability, sound quality, and anything else that's important to the individual.



     

    Conclusion

     

    The SOtM sMS-200 is a reasonably priced Ethernet to USB converter that adds Roon, DLNA, AirPlay, Squeezelite, and HQPlayer NAA to almost any system. If the sMS-200 hardware is the system's heart, the operating system is its head. Based on my tests, the sMS-200's heart is in the right place, but its head is a few steps behind the curve. Also note, this may not mean anything to those who want to set it and forget it. The SotM sMS-200 will likely work very well if connected to a USB DAC, set to one of the output modes such as Roon or DLNA, and left alone. In fact, this is what I imagine most users will probably do with the unit.

     

    When it comes to sonic quality and the sMS-200's ability to reproduce music, it's a wonderful piece of equipment. The sound I heard through my system, with the sMS-200 in the mix, was incredibly clean. In a way, it was like a pristine Steely Dan or Donald Fagen recording. Everything was tight, with no loose ends or extraneous frequency bumps. Compared to the microRendu, I'll say the sMS-200 is like a clean crisp compact disc whereas the mR is more like a 180 gram vinyl record. Both can deliver the goods sonically, but one may be better suited to a user's specific taste or requirements.

     

    I'm certainly sold on the concept of the SOtM sMS-200 and all its input application options. I used this device, and its competitors, seven days a week here at CA HQ. The product is very capable of delivering what most HiFi aficionados want, and that's great sound quality first and foremost. I recommend everyone in the market for such a versatile device consider the SOtM sMS-200 and its matching mBPS-d2s power supply. Many people will find they can simply add this SOtM combination to any existing USB DAC and call it a day.

     

     

    Product Information:

     

     

     

     

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    8 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

    Are you reviewing the Mcintosh D1100?  I will be very interested in reading your review of that if you are.

     

    Yes. Great product so far. 

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    3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

     

    Yes. Great product so far. 

     

    I haven't heard one yet, but that's what I hear from others who have.  It will take a pretty great component to unseat the Luxman.

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    19 hours ago, ClothEars said:

    Nice review but I think you may have missed some functionality in the Eunhasu software available since version 3.6.  "The mR offers several places to get information about the connected USB DAC."

     

    If you go to the System Config page in Eunhasu, there are two useful links provided at the bottom left of the page. One is "Detailed system information" and the other is "DAC information".  They only appear as small text but they are actually links to reports.  Have a look and you may find what you are looking for. :)

     

     

    Thanks for the comments. Yes, I missed the DAC Information page in the V0.3.5 update. I've attached a screenshot for interested in seeing what it looks like. 

     

     

    Version : V0.3.5 - Date : 13-03-2017

    - Update Shairport-sync to 3.0

    - Add Squeezelite audio options

    - Add DAC information page

    - Modify update check routine

    - Fix empty DAC name

    - Fix MPD streaming issue

     

     

    Thanks again. This is a great example of the incredible value of the CA Community.

    Screen Shot 2017-05-08 at 1.01.50 PM.png

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    I have my sMS-200 paired with the W4S PS-1 and could not be happier. To all who read this review, I have to disagree strongly with assessment that the sMS-200 is more CD than 180 gram vinyl when compared to the microRendu. With a decent power supply, the sMS-200 has brought me closer to an analogue sound than any other upgrade in my system.

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    1 hour ago, guerph said:

    I have my sMS-200 paired with the W4S PS-1 and could not be happier. To all who read this review, I have to disagree strongly with assessment that the sMS-200 is more CD than 180 gram vinyl when compared to the microRendu. With a decent power supply, the sMS-200 has brought me closer to an analogue sound than any other upgrade in my system.

     

    That is probably 'cos Chris had used his microRendu with the excellent, but very pricey @ $1400 Sonore Signature Series linear power supply.

     

    If he had used the same expensive PSU with the SOtM sMS-200, his conclusions might have been different. Mine certainly are.

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    5 minutes ago, Elberoth said:

     

    That is probably 'cos Chris had used his microRendu with the excellent, but very pricey @ $1400 Sonore Signature Series linear power supply.

     

    If he had used the same expensive PSU with the SOtM sMS-200, his conclusions might have been different. Mine certainly are.

     

    I don't doubt your conclusions. However, if my aunt was a man he would be my uncle. If, if, if :~)

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    4 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

     

    I don't doubt your conclusions. However, if my aunt was a man he would be my uncle. If, if, if :~)

     

    The review in and of itself would have been just fine regardless of PSU used.  Where it became open to contention was when the two devices were compared.  This should have been, and still should be in a separate review.  Comparing apples with oranges regardless of the number of possible types of apples and oranges out there, are still apples and oranges.  Bob's your uncle.  I understand the mfg wanted you to use a specific PSU, and by all means that request should be honored, but if the mfg's wanted their products to be compared with each other's, I'm guessing they'd want the PSU playing field level and at least one would have chosen a different option.  A fair comparison would have either included the  iFi or LPS-1 for both devices.  The mR is even offered with the iFi, but the LPS-1 is the most common PSU being used to power these devices based on these forums.

     

    If you haven't updated your references to the lack of DAC info in the review, that probably should be corrected before even more people read it.  It was a pretty big miss.  No one's perfect and the review is good overall.  These are just suggestions from your community. FWIW.

     

    By the way, I really liked your honesty in critiquing both devices.  Because of your credibility people listen.  When people critique these devices in the forum, they tend to get flamed.

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    Has anyone else found they preferred the micro rendu to the SMS-200?  I think all the CA user feedback I've seen expressed a preference for the SMS-200.  

     

     

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    Quote

    If you want to maximise the performance and can stomach $445 - get the UpTone Audio LPS-1 supercapacitor PSU with the $49 iFi iPower SMPS. 

    Not doubting what you hear in your system, but Uptone says the PS feeding the LPS-1 should make no difference to the LPS-1. 

    The only possible difference is the amount of noise the feeder supply puts back towards the wall, and not to the LPS-1.

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    4 hours ago, Johnseye said:

    But I like the sound from the mR.  It suits a purpose in my chain to slightly mellow the sound.  For that reason I've kept it, and have preferred it.

    Thanks for your balanced assessment, @Johnseye.   

     

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    4 hours ago, firedog said:

    Not doubting what you hear in your system, but Uptone says the PS feeding the LPS-1 should make no difference to the LPS-1. 

    The only possible difference is the amount of noise the feeder supply puts back towards the wall, and not to the LPS-1.

     

    I have measured both and found out, that the Meanwell kicks back up to 5x more noise into the AC line than the iFi iPower:

     

    kRWbeb.gif

     

    Full details of this test in THIS thread

     

    Since the Meanwell is not free, but costs $15, I consider $34 more for the iFi money well spent.

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    2 minutes ago, Elberoth said:

     

    I have measured both and found out, that the Meanwell kicks back up to 5x more noise into the AC line than the iFi iPower:

     

    kRWbeb.gif

     

    Full details of this test in THIS thread

     

    Since the Meanwell is not free, but costs $15, I consider $34 more for the iFi money well spent.

    Or one could just plug into a separate circuit those meanwells or any other switching power supplies.  A better option is to get an isolation transformer and again plug in those noise switching supplies outside the isolation transformer.  An isolation transformer is a very good investment for it's return.  Less than $200, sometimes under $100

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    20 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

    Thanks for the detailed analysis Adam. 

     

     

    IMO it wouldn't be a bad idea to update both mR and sMS-200 reviews with stuff you did not know exist / was not available at the time of writing. 

     

    (mR: Spotify Connect; SOtM: WiFi, built-in media server, added DAC info page)

     

    Both tests are will be read for months to come and are one of the most popular CA buys. 

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    1 minute ago, ElviaCaprice said:

    Or one could just plug into a separate circuit those meanwells or any other switching power supplies.  A better option is to get an isolation transformer and again plug in those noise switching supplies outside the isolation transformer.  An isolation transformer is a very good investment for it's return.  Less than $200, sometimes under $100

     

    In my measurements, a simple 1:1 isolation transformer was only able to reduce the AC noise by 40%. You would sill be getting less noise with iFi iPower, with less cost and less system complexity. 

     

    In a perfect world and unlimited budget, it would be best to use both (which is what I'm doing: I have all my SMPS sinked in a power conditioner with multiple EMI filters and isolation transformers). 

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    10 hours ago, rickca said:

    Has anyone else found they preferred the micro rendu to the SMS-200?  I think all the CA user feedback I've seen expressed a preference for the SMS-200.  

     

     

     

    A friend of mine, to whom I sold my second microRendu, did. He tried both with his UpTone Audio JS-2 PSU and dCS DAC and prefered the mR. 

     

    It seems that those devices are very system dependent. 

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    7 minutes ago, Elberoth said:

    A friend of mine, to whom I sold my second microRendu, did. He tried both with his UpTone Audio JS-2 PSU and dCS DAC and prefered the mR. 

    Thanks for your input, @Elberoth.  I'm not cheering for either side. I just want a balanced perspective.

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    7 hours ago, rickca said:

    Thanks for your balanced assessment, @Johnseye.   

     

     

    I have done everything within my budget to provide the lowest noise and distortion levels possible.  I have tuned my system to be very detail oriented and neutral.  The amp and speakers with silver cables between them make the sound very revealing.  I've essentially worked my way backwards from the speakers with this specific signature.  The downside of doing this is there is a potential for brightness or crispness that can have a hard edge, especially at loud levels.  The mR softens it very slightly.  Much more slightly than if I had chosen a different pair of speakers, or a tube amp.  This is why these devices can be so subjective to your other equipment.  If I wasn't using the AHB-2 with its low noise and distortion levels, I may have a different opinion all together.

     

    I'm very tempted to give the new Benchmark DAC3 an audition.  The AHB-2 is so clean and neutral that if the DAC3 follows the same engineering there could be some magic going on there.  A little more research to do first.

     

    Based on some of the experiments @romaz and @austinpop are doing, a switch and my sms-200 will be going to SOtM shortly for an upgrade.  This is all cutting edge, home audio, digital music reproduction, and some great community involvement here to help it along.

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    I thought this was a review about the device, it's functions, and does it work as stated by the manufacture, not the power supply.   Power supplies for some are very important, I get that, but the this review like the rendu review, was/is about the product first and foremost. You could start arguing that he should change his interconnects, or use a variety of different speakers and amps, then when would you stop questioning everything about his review.  For those of us who've read all his reviews, this is Chris's style, not to everyone's liking of course but it's his.  You also won't find many comparisons within the review, again it's about the product being reviewed first.

     

    I don't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers here, just my 2 cents.

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    11 hours ago, ShawnC said:

    I thought this was a review about the device, it's functions, and does it work as stated by the manufacture, not the power supply.   Power supplies for some are very important, I get that, but the this review like the rendu review, was/is about the product first and foremost. You could start arguing that he should change his interconnects, or use a variety of different speakers and amps, then when would you stop questioning everything about his review.  For those of us who've read all his reviews, this is Chris's style, not to everyone's liking of course but it's his.  You also won't find many comparisons within the review, again it's about the product being reviewed first.

     

    I don't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers here, just my 2 cents.

     

    You are right. Chris could have chosen not to discuss the sound quality, instead - focus on features and build quality only. But he hasn't. That was his choice. So your point is moot.

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    1 hour ago, Elberoth said:

     

    You are right. Chris could have chosen not to discuss the sound quality, instead - focus on features and build quality only. But he hasn't. That was his choice. So your point is moot.

    So, do you not understand how the product works? That's the review.  Sound quality is up for you to decide.  like it or not, the power supply is not the review. 

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