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SOtM smS-200 unveiled at Munich Hi-End


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According to the SOtM website the new sMS-200 will be unveiled in May at the Munich High End.

 

Hardware and software specification published on the website are as follows:

"sMS-200 is a new generation of mini network player with built in ‘Media Player Board’ developed by our own technology.

The significance of sMS-200 comes from the dedicated ARM processor board developed for only audio purpose, it is definitely not the similar kind of those ready-made processor boards in the market offered with dazzling low price but not that much of high sound quality, of which the most of audio product manufacturers experience deterioration of sound and are forced to use unnecessary features from the ready-made boards, but now it’s gone with the sMS-200.

SOtM developed the product just for audio sound performance, getting rid of all unnecessary features concentrating on the high quality sound tone at a reasonable price.

sMS-200 is particularly designed to provide the best sound quality based on our own unique technologies accumulated to date since those days of media players, and it is probably be the only one capable product exceeding the current network players on the market in terms of functionalities.

As to the player software, ROON, MPD, DLNA, SqueezeLite and others are available. And the music files from an external USB storage device, network shared folders and streaming services are also available. As well, the more functions can be easily added via software upgrade.

Plus, the simple and nice looking Web GUI allows users to choose the desired audio function, setup and control playing music file through Apps on users’ smart devices."

 

Hardware Specification

Dual core ARM processor

2G DDR3 RAM

microSD slot for OS

Audio grade USB port x 1

USB port x 2 for standard USB device

GigaBit Ethernet port x 1

Optional WiFi module

Power input : 9V/2A max

Software Specification

RoonReady

Logitech Media Server

Squeezelite

MPD & DLNA audio Renderer

Shairport

HQplayer NAA

and others

Dimension : 105 x 53 x 150(mm)

Weight : 1kg >

 

Looks like a competitor for the new Sonore MicroRendu! They should have the same software, same functionalities, similar dedicated board, similar audio grade USB port.

 

sMS-200 is certainly bigger, has 2 more USB ports for attaching external hard-drives and don't know about the Ethernet port.

 

Price is not announced yet, but I expect it to be in the 600-800 $ range.

 

Anyone with more skills than me would like to comment on this?

 

Simone

 

 

« Information is not knowledge / Knowledge is not wisdom / Wisdom is not truth / Truth is not beauty / Beauty is not love / Love is not music / MUSIC IS THE BEST. » FZ

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Simone, can you please provide a link? I looked at the SOtM website and couldn't find this information.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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Sounds virtually identical to the Sonore microRendu, other than the extra USB ports. Don't know if the OS is the same, or just a different one with similar functionality.

 

Other than price (SOtM should have the buying power to produce something for less than Sonore), I'd guess it comes down to who'd you'd rather have to deal with for support, and whose USB out you think is better.

 

I don't know about the USB out - they are probably both very good. But as far as support I'd much rather work with Sonore. You can't beat them.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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I find interesting your perspective about price to be more competitive than Sonore MicroRendu. The sMS-200 is going to have the same form factor as the sMS-100, which I own. And as we know very well such a nicer case will cost more than the light and simple enclosure of the MicroRendu. We'll see.

 

I also have the Regen and I am attracted by its small dimension and the possibility to use the USB adapter getting rid of the USB cable. Probably this is the bigger difference between the two and what people will consider when they will decide which one to buy.

 

I love this type of device, I am glad alternatives are starting to come available. The moment I got the sMS-100 I completely abandoned the idea of having another traditional computer as renderer.

 

 

 

Sounds virtually identical to the Sonore microRendu, other than the extra USB ports. Don't know if the OS is the same, or just a different one with similar functionality.

 

Other than price (SOtM should have the buying power to produce something for less than Sonore), I'd guess it comes down to who'd you'd rather have to deal with for support, and whose USB out you think is better.

 

I don't know about the USB out - they are probably both very good. But as far as support I'd much rather work with Sonore. You can't beat them.

« Information is not knowledge / Knowledge is not wisdom / Wisdom is not truth / Truth is not beauty / Beauty is not love / Love is not music / MUSIC IS THE BEST. » FZ

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I find interesting your perspective about price to be more competitive than Sonore MicroRendu. The sMS-200 is going to have the same form factor as the sMS-100, which I own. And as we know very well such a nicer case will cost more than the light and simple enclosure of the MicroRendu. We'll see.

 

I also have the Regen and I am attracted by its small dimension and the possibility to use the USB adapter getting rid of the USB cable. Probably this is the bigger difference between the two and what people will consider when they will decide which one to buy.

 

I love this type of device, I am glad alternatives are starting to come available. The moment I got the sMS-100 I completely abandoned the idea of having another traditional computer as renderer.

 

Look, I have no idea about what the price will actually be. But if you read John and Jesus' posts about the micro, they note that they pay much more for parts than the big producers. Ordering in lots of hundreds doesn't get big discounts, if any. Lots of 50,000 result in prices a small fraction of what small builders pay for the same part. Guessing SOtM is getting at least some parts for less than Sonore.

 

I'd bet SOtM is also paying much less per hour for assembly than a company like Sonore (where they basically build it themselves and have to live off the profits). I don't know the financials of Sonore, but generally those types of businesses have higher costs and have to price the small number of items they sell higher in order to make a living.

 

We actually don't know that the SMS-100 case is costing more. It's possible that the numbers that SOtM orders makes it a similar price to a seemingly cheaper case ordered in small numbers by a company like Sonore. I'm not saying that's literally true, but that the price difference may not be nearly what it appears it should be, as I think SOtM uses the same case for several items. That adds up to a lot of units.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Simone, thanks for the link. Google search doesn't find the SOtM website unless you search for sotm-audio and even then it's way down the hit list. The company could use some search engine optimization.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

Link to comment
Sounds virtually identical to the Sonore microRendu, other than the extra USB ports. Don't know if the OS is the same, or just a different one with similar functionality.

 

Other than price (SOtM should have the buying power to produce something for less than Sonore), I'd guess it comes down to who'd you'd rather have to deal with for support, and whose USB out you think is better.

 

I don't know about the USB out - they are probably both very good. But as far as support I'd much rather work with Sonore. You can't beat them.

I'm going with SoTM sMS-200 myself.

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It should be interesting to see how this all unravels since Sonore has been a dealer for SOtM for quite some time. You can bet that there are a few unhappy campers. Think about all the time that Sonore has spent hyping the product here, piquing the interest and answering the many questions asked. Maybe they have been working together in some capacity?

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It should be interesting to see how this all unravels since Sonore has been a dealer for SOtM for quite some time. You can bet that there are a few unhappy campers. Think about all the time that Sonore has spent hyping the product here, piquing the interest and answering the many questions asked. Maybe they have been working together in some capacity?

 

Sonore already specifically said on the mRendu page that they haven't worked together.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
Sounds virtually identical to the Sonore microRendu, other than the extra USB ports. Don't know if the OS is the same, or just a different one with similar functionality.

 

Other than price (SOtM should have the buying power to produce something for less than Sonore), I'd guess it comes down to who'd you'd rather have to deal with for support, and whose USB out you think is better.

 

I don't know about the USB out - they are probably both very good. But as far as support I'd much rather work with Sonore. You can't beat them.

 

Looks like a nice piece of equipment, but product support is important, as well as if warranty repairs need to be made. Who handles repairs for SOtM in the US? Only thing that concerns me with the microRendu are the heat comments. Heat is bad.

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Looks like a nice piece of equipment, but product support is important, as well as if warranty repairs need to be made. Who handles repairs for SOtM in the US? Only thing that concerns me with the microRendu are the heat comments. Heat is bad.

 

Read the heat comments again. It's a 6-9v unit. John said the heat is a concern towards the upper part of that range, esp if your DAC is also drawing power over USB. I understood that to mean it's not a real issue when running in the lower half of that range.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
Read the heat comments again. It's a 6-9v unit. John said the heat is a concern towards the upper part of that range, esp if your DAC is also drawing power over USB. I understood that to mean it's not a real issue when running in the lower half of that range.

 

Thanks firedog. I would be running it into a self powered W4S DAC-2. Is there a reason to run it at the higher voltage, or is it something the microRendu self regulates, or specific to what power supply is attached. Curious if I would still want to have my Regen hooked up with the microRendu or not. I saw that you have both the Wyrd and Regen in your setup. I have a Wyrd connected between my desktop iMac and USB DAC.

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I remember John Swenson wrote that the uRendu has essentially an improved Regen built in, so no need for the Regen anymore.

 

Correct.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment

This is for the record:

 

sMS-100 - Sonore/Vortexbox licensed the Sonicorbiter operating system and provided inventory of the Pogo-Plug arm based processors. SOtM provided their case and power input module.

 

sMS-200 - Sonore/Vortexbox is not currently licensing the Sonicorbiter operating system and is not providing any hardware to SOtM. SOtM is claiming that this is their own software and hardware design. The microRendu team has not shared any hardware technology with SOtM for this product.

 

Assuming everything is as claimed we would sell the unit and offer limited support and service. The bulk of the support and service will have to come from SOtM.

 

Jesus R

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That is really a surprise since I assumed that Sonicorbiter would have been sms-200 OS.

 

So now I am even more curious to know how it will work.

 

Hope to find out at the Munich High End.

 

 

 

 

This is for the record:

 

sMS-100 - Sonore/Vortexbox licensed the Sonicorbiter operating system and provided inventory of the Pogo-Plug arm based processors. SOtM provided their case and power input module.

 

sMS-200 - Sonore/Vortexbox is not currently licensing the Sonicorbiter operating system and is not providing any hardware to SOtM. SOtM is claiming that this is their own software and hardware design. The microRendu team has not shared any hardware technology with SOtM for this product.

 

Assuming everything is as claimed we would sell the unit and offer limited support and service. The bulk of the support and service will have to come from SOtM.

 

Jesus R

« Information is not knowledge / Knowledge is not wisdom / Wisdom is not truth / Truth is not beauty / Beauty is not love / Love is not music / MUSIC IS THE BEST. » FZ

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May the best integrated MOBO win.

 

Educated guess: SMS-200 will have an off the shelf board, much like the SMS-100;

microRendu: known to have bespoke board designed just for this unit and for audio.

 

Not the mobo, but we know the software/OS for the microRendu "just works"; we don't yet know that about the mystery software that will run the SMS-200. It might be great, it might not.

 

My take (FWIW): the microRendu will be a better unit.

 

I'm not relating to price. If the SMS-200 is a lot cheaper than the microRendu, for some people that will be the deciding factor.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
Educated guess: SMS-200 will have an off the shelf board, much like the SMS-100;

microRendu: known to have bespoke board designed just for this unit and for audio.

 

The blurb at the beginning of this thread says the following:

 

""sMS-200 is a new generation of mini network player with built in ‘Media Player Board’ developed by our own technology.

The significance of sMS-200 comes from the dedicated ARM processor board developed for only audio purpose, it is definitely not the similar kind of those ready-made processor boards in the market offered with dazzling low price but not that much of high sound quality, of which the most of audio product manufacturers experience deterioration of sound and are forced to use unnecessary features from the ready-made boards, but now it’s gone with the sMS-200.

SOtM developed the product just for audio sound performance, getting rid of all unnecessary features concentrating on the high quality sound tone at a reasonable price."

System (i): Stack Audio Link > 2Qute+MCRU psu; Gyrodec/SME V/Hana SL/EAT E-Glo Petit/Magnum Dynalab FT101A) > PrimaLuna Evo 100 amp > Klipsch RP-600M/REL T5x subs

System (ii): Allo USB Signature > Bel Canto uLink+AQVOX psu > Chord Hugo > APPJ EL34 > Tandy LX5/REL Tzero v3 subs

System (iii) KEF LS50W/KEF R400b subs

 

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The blurb at the beginning of this thread says the following:

 

""sMS-200 is a new generation of mini network player with built in ‘Media Player Board’ developed by our own technology.

The significance of sMS-200 comes from the dedicated ARM processor board developed for only audio purpose, it is definitely not the similar kind of those ready-made processor boards in the market offered with dazzling low price but not that much of high sound quality, of which the most of audio product manufacturers experience deterioration of sound and are forced to use unnecessary features from the ready-made boards, but now it’s gone with the sMS-200.

SOtM developed the product just for audio sound performance, getting rid of all unnecessary features concentrating on the high quality sound tone at a reasonable price."

 

That may be true. Let's see what the board really is when in comes out. Actually bespoke, or some kind of adaptation of an existing board? Note that the blurb also says

"it is probably be the only one capable product exceeding the current network players on the market in terms of functionalities."

 

which is marketing speak that SOtM knows at this point isn't really true. One could also argue that since they allow for an optional wifi module and for USB drives to connect and be used for playback, that they haven't really gotten rid of "all unnecessary features ....". This is something Sonore purposely didn't do with the mR, to make sure there actually weren't any "unnecessary features".

 

And I'm not trying to denigrate the SMS-200. It might be superior to and cheaper than the mRendu. Only time will tell if either of those is true.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
This is for the record:

 

sMS-100 - Sonore/Vortexbox licensed the Sonicorbiter operating system and provided inventory of the Pogo-Plug arm based processors. SOtM provided their case and power input module.

 

sMS-200 - Sonore/Vortexbox is not currently licensing the Sonicorbiter operating system and is not providing any hardware to SOtM. SOtM is claiming that this is their own software and hardware design. The microRendu team has not shared any hardware technology with SOtM for this product.

 

Assuming everything is as claimed we would sell the unit and offer limited support and service. The bulk of the support and service will have to come from SOtM.

 

Jesus R

 

is the specifics of your SOtM support on your website? Personally, I wouldn't want to have ship an item out of country for repairs under (or out of) warranty. That in and of itself, all things being equal, makes me lean toward Sonore, a domestic solution over SOtM. Wish the warranty were more than a year though. Two or three years would make the Sonore product far more competitive especially since it's a "from the ground up-solution."

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