Mark Manner Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Hi, just got the SOtM Mini Server from Jesus and Simple Designs. As everyone says, Jesus is great to work with, super responsive and helpful. I also have on order a Rendu, but it may be a couple of weeks or so before I get it due to the holidays. The Mini Server as advertised is really plug and play if you already use LMS (and have an async USB input). I am using the USB input on both my Oppo 105 and (primarily) a McIntosh C50 preamp. It immediately upon plugging in was recognized by LMS under the "Squeezelite" player choice. So far sounds great, will do some non-rigorous AB testing of it compared to a Squeezebox Touch with EDO, and when it arrives, the SPDIF output from the Rendu. Best regards and happy holidays, Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 How about the results? I have been switching among the MiniServer USB input, USB input from a PC, and input from a SBT with EDO over spdif and toslink. Inputs going into an Oppo 105 sometimes and a McIntosh C50 other times. I have a reasonably nice system (see my profile), and all three input methods appear to be equivalent. I hear some differences that I attribute to lack of careful volume matching/time delay memory issues, but nothing that pushes me towards one or the other. I am getting a Rendu soon, and will plug that in and test some more. As a general note on async USB, powering down the DACs can cause restart issues, but this isn't limited to the MiniServer. Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thx Mark, why didn't you try SBT+EDO over USB, IMO the best you can get from Touch. Hi ktm777, I will for sure try the touch/edo with the usb. Just too many things to do! Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 thx Markbut strange that you found no difference between the sotm vs a pc or a SBtouch... your dac input might be not as good as other inputs of your dac, toslink or coax ?... This is not what people say on other forums. I'll receive my sotm this week. I'll do some testing and let you know. I'm waiting for my new dac too. So i expect my source quality to surge ;-) if not, grrrrr ! Hi tgb, my swapping inputs was fairly hurried and not very careful, so I wouldn't draw any significant conclusions from it. I will do more testing later, and look forward to hearing your results. I hope there is a 'surge' (or at least some uptick!). Best Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 HelloDoes anybody the reason of three USB Port ? I think that the explanation means that the circuit board/connector panel that is used by SOtM just happens to have 3 USB outputs. They are using that standard board in the MiniServer, so it has 3 outputs. I presume it is easier for them to use a premade output board rather than sourcing one with only one output. SOtM intends that you use only one of them at a time. The one you use doesn't matter (I have used all three, just not at the same time). Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 tgb, when I have a problem connecting to the SOtM Miniserver, it usually is because I turned my DAC on/off while the MiniServer was connected and powered up. Why don't you try unplugging the power from the Miniserver and the DAC, and then reapply power first to the DAC and then to the Miniserver. It should show up again and operate ok (at least it does for me). I hope this helps, Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 That is too bad, I hope you can get it going. If you go it from Sonore, Jesus is really helpful. Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 I have the same problem with one DAC internal to my preamp, but not with another DAC that happens to be external. A bit of a pain to have to restart the DAC, but I don't think it is caused by the Miniserver. I noticed this same behavior when I was running usb from a pc straight into the preamp/dac. Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I wanted to comment about the post-sale support given by Jesus. I had an odd issue with LMS unrelated to the SOtM Miniserver, but nontheless Jesus spent a good bit of time helping me figure it out. Sonore makes and sells great devices (I have a Sonore Rendu and a SOtM Miniserver), but Jesus' support is really extraordinary. Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Can any owner give some impression of the unit in terms of sound quality? I'm interested in one. I am not very good at describing the way components sound using the terms many here use, but I think that I can tell when they sound good (to me anyway). I have found the SOtM miniserver to sound excellent in my system. I have used it with LMS and Squeezelite into the dac in my McIntosh C50 preamp, and also into a Vega DAC. Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I should know more after I get a good wired router with several GigE ports. Best, Sam Sam, if you are distributing connections around the house, using a network switch rather than the router's ports seems to be faster for me. Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 .. I'll have one line from the router to it, then everything to the switch; correct plan, yes?... Yes, that is the way I do it on my network Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Thanks Mike! Oh, David Wilson stole the design for his first speaker, what became the WATT, from a very early Essence design. He literally ripped it apart and copied it! I saw the agreement he made with Essence to avoid any claim of original design. The insides used shaped concrete with lots of quartz mixed in to make an utterly stiff, nonresonant, uniquely-shaped ported trapezoidal design with negligible port noise. It had clever handling of turbulence with a very nonlinear internal shape and internal wool. Since then Wilson made solid speakers and a honest business (same pattern as Vandersteen, but that's another story) but he charged a lot for the bling and finish without breaking sonic ground. I've been to more lousy Wilson demos than good ones. But he learned over time. I think a lot of builders have far more talent and make better designs at lower cost like von Schweikert. The Wilson comment does seem gratuitous for this thread. [i have several of their speakers as fair disclosure]. Using the word stole, even if you believe it to be true, seems unwise. There are laws about this, and also, as I said, it seems a bit OT. Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 The intent is that you use the APP Switcher built right into the unit's web GUI page and accessible from any browser on the network. Jesus R I have an icon on my iPad bookmarked to the gui page and it works great this way, equivalent to an app Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi everybody, New here, this is my first post. Please first excuse my english, I'm french and it's difficult for me to write. I would like to buy one sms-100 and use it in DLNA mode with Foobar. I'm controling the player with FoobarCon android application; it's a great application. Is it a good solution to use foo_out_upnp plugin ( foobar2000: Components Repository - UPnP MediaRenderer Output ) to send my music to the sms 100? Is it a better solution to use foo_upnp plugin ( foobar2000: Components Repository - UPnP/DLNA Renderer, Server, Control Point )? I hope NO because with this plugin I can't use FoobarCon? With the first plugin (foo_out_upnp), where my FLACs will be decoded? In Foobar or in the sms-100? What the differences between these two plugin? Thanks, regards. Your English is fine! Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to your questions, but I am sure someone will. Best regards, Mark Link to comment
Mark Manner Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I thought Jesus just finished recommending you not install yet? Did you get further advice from him? Link to comment
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