SOtM smS-200 unveiled at Munich Hi-End

[Always.Learning]

i have finally managed to collect the SotM sMS-200 and a working sample of sonore microRendu to start my comparos.

 

I also have the SOtM battery PSU, UpTone Audio JS-2 and LPS-1 PSUs and iFi Power PSU on hand.

 

Looking forward to your comparisons, Elberoth. I will be particularly interested in your impressions of the SMS-200 vs. microRendu when using the same power supplies.

[Always.Learning]

Hi everyone--

 

I have also encountered problems although I now have a working version of 4.5.1.

 

First I tried updating to 4.5 from the Eunhasu website and got stuck at 3% on multiple computers. Then I downloaded 4.5.1 and dd utility per SOtM's instructions. The download seemed to work fine and generated a .gz file. When I used dd utility to restore this file to a new 32GB SD card, dd Utility showed progress through 217, but then flashed the message:  "32 GB Volume Restore Failed." I also got a message that said "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer." This despite the fact that I had erased and reformatted the new SD Card (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)). I tried multiple times on several computers to get dd Utility to restore 4.5.1 onto a new SD card, with no luck. 

 

Finally, I tried updating from 4.4 to 4.5 on a different computer (a Mac Mini that I use as a Roon Core server) using the update feature on the Euhasu website and, seemingly randomly, I was able to successfully update to 4.5 in less than 15 minutes. I was then able to update to 4.5.1 through the website, but it took several tries. 

 

I then did some listening to 4.5.1 using Roon and encountered the dreaded stutters. I reset the buffer in Eunhasu Roon settings to 0.2 and re-sync to 0.05, as someone else suggested on here, and that seems to have solved the problem, although I need to do some more listening. I will report back with sonic impressions next week after some extended listening. 

 

I have one more question, however. The only SD card that I have with a working version of 4.5.1 is the original 8GB card from SOtM. I know this card isn't going to last forever and I'd like to make a backup copy of 4.5.1 on my new Samsung 32GB card. I used Disk Utility on my Mac to create a disk image of the original SOtM SD card, and it created a .dmg file. When I tried to use Disk Utility to restore this .dmg file onto the new SD card, I got an error message. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make a backup copy of the Eunhasu OS from the original SD card and get that on to a new SD card?

[Always.Learning]

I should point out that when I use Disk Utility to restore the 4.5.1 file, I get the following message:  "Could not get the list of volumes from the disk image. An unexpected error occurred. (OSStatus error 45)"

[Always.Learning]

These instructions in the link two posts above appear to assume one is using Windows OS. I wonder if there are any comparable instructions that would work with Mac OS?

[Always.Learning]

I have to say I am quite pleased with what I consider to be a very substantial sonic upgrade with the latest Eunhasu OS (now using 4.54). There are a few other possible reasons I am hearing this improvement -- I recently had a PCB replaced in my Chord DAVE due to a broken USB port, and I have elevated my speaker cables and taken some measures to isolate them from vibrations -- but I don't think these explain the full extent of the improvements I'm hearing with digital music. 

 

Specifically, I am hearing improvements in the following areas:

 

- music feels unconstricted and "raw" in the best sense -- closer to what I imagine a live mic feed to sound like

 

- dynamics also feel less constrained

 

- I can play music at louder levels without strain

 

- colors are more saturated

 

- bass is harder hitting

 

If there is any downside, it might be that less well-recorded music is sometimes a little harsh. But I'm not hearing "metallic" or otherwise problematic highs as reported by some in this thread. 

 

My system is revealing:

 

Uptone-modified Mac Mini running Roon 1.6 (as of today) (powered by JS-2)

 

SOtM Ultra trifecta (but not the Neo version of the sMS-200) plus ISO Regen, all powered by LPS 1s

 

SOtM dBL-Cat 7 ethernet

 

Chord DAVE

 

Crayon CFA 1.2 integrated amp

 

ICs and speaker cables by High Fidelity Cables and Wywires

 

Power and conditioning by Audience and Shunyata

 

Stillpoints for vibration on most components/speakers and room treatments including Stillpoints Apertures

 

Devore Gibbon X speakers

 

FWIW, I did have problems upgrading to the latest Eunhasu OS and feel that SOtM kind of bungled this. It probably helps that I'm using Roon, as folks seem to have had fewer problems with this app (note that I changed the buffer to .20 and the resync to .05 and this helped with some early stuttering). It also helped that I used balenaEtcher to make a copy of Eunhasu on to a new micro SD card. 

 

All is not perfect -- I still occasionally suffer from playback issues such as a quick one-time stutter or a particular track just stopping. These are annoying but tend to happen only a few times during a two-hour listening session, so tolerable for now. 

 

The question in my mind -- and I'm sure that of others -- is whether an SOtM trifecta approach is now sonically competitive with the latest and greatest NUC/Audio Linux-based approach. In my system, at least, there is still substantial room for improvement within the SOtM universe by upgrading the 200 to Neo status with available mods and upgrading the switch to sNH-10G (and upgrading power supplies). Not sure if it's worth continued investment in this approach or whether the NUC/AL approach is the better long-term investment. Thoughts anyone?

 

 

 

 

[Always.Learning]

I'll weigh in with a few short comments. The last few updates (4.54 through 4.56) have proceeded smoothly. Sonic quality, as far as I have noticed, has remained constant since the upgrade to 4.51. I posted earlier that I thought there were significant and very worthwhile improvements in 4.51 as compared to earlier versions. 

 

Finally, with respect to the blinking lights, I guess I can understand why some people might be concerned if this is a new phenomenon. For me, I have had rapidly blinking lights on my sMS-200 since first installing it in September 2017. I don't think this blinking has made any difference at all in sonic quality. I just assumed that was how the unit operated. If you think the blinking lights are a mechanical or software problem, I seriously doubt that is the case. If they bother you visually, just put some black tape over the light. 

[Always.Learning]

Has anyone else been unable to access Eunhasu? For three days now, when I type http://eunhasu into my browser, I get the message that the browser cannot open the webpage because the server where the page is located is not responding. 

[Always.Learning]

Thank you all for your suggestions on how I might access the Eunhasu OS website. I finally was able to do so, but probably not how you might have guessed.

 

First, I tried the suggestion made by @tedwoods:

 

"If you're accessing it via DHCP and not via a bridged  or static IP configuration, it could mean it has been assigned a new IP address, so your link to Eunhasu does not work anymore.

Google ""sotm my" and it'll direct you to "my eunhasu" page (http://sotm-audio.com/my/), where you can find the new IP address and connect to Eunhasu again."

 

When I did this, an IP address appeared and I clicked on the link that said “Connect to Eunhasu.” That link inserted the IP address into the browser. This, however, resulted in a message that the server where this page is located is not responding. 

 

Next I clicked on System Preferences > Network on my audio server. This showed that the ethernet bridge I had created for my sMS-200 Ultra 200 was functioning. It also showed a different local IP address than the "my Eunhasu" page described above. So I inserted that address in my browser. The result, however, was the same:  the server at that IP address did not respond.

 

This was becoming frustrating because I had been unable to play digital music using Roon. Roon could not "see" my sMS-200 on the network. I had thought a reboot of the Eunhasu OS might solve the problem (it seems to have done that in the past). It turned out, however, that the problem was apparently related to the cabling of my SOtM-modified D-Link switch (the first leg of my SOtM Ultra trifecta). When I removed the switch from my system, Roon immediately saw the sMS-200 and I could play music. 

 

Roon also gave me a different IP address for the sMS-200 in the Device Setup window. I tried this one and, voila, I was finally able to access Eunhasu. 

 

A long and winding road for sure. Not sure why the first two methods described above didn't work.

[Always.Learning]

4 hours ago, Solstice380 said:

 

So, you have a bad switch?

Too early to say. I haven't really attempted to get at the root of the problem yet. It may be fine and the problem may simply have been a loose connection that could be easily dealt with.

 

This is a switch that was clocked (from my sMS-200 Ultra) by a short, 12 inch cable from DigiKey that cost $20. I never really liked the connectors on these cables and it always felt a bit precarious. Also, the fact that I was running two stiff, unwieldy SOtM dBL-Cat7 ethernet cables in and out of the lightweight switch made for a more precarious situation. I'm curious if anyone else has had problems with their SOtM-modified switch?