SOtM smS-200 unveiled at Munich Hi-End

[Lebouwsky]

Computers are build to be kept on 24/7, the Sotm is a computer too, so yes I think you can keep the unit always on. My schiit gungnir is adviced to be kept on 24/7 too to perform optimal.

 

Ofcourse the generation of heat shortens the lifespan of electronics, but I think it will survive more than ten times our upgrade nervousness.

 

Lpsu's may have a shorter lifespan, depending of the quality (that's a guess). For me and my family it's safety first. That's why I power everything off when I go to sleep.

[romaz]

Other question: Can I keep this unit always power on?

I agree with what Lebouwsky has said. While I have not read any formal statements from SOtM about this, John Swenson has indicated that the microRendu is best left on 24/7 because it does take some warm up time for it to sound its best. While all electronics have a finite lifespan, because the sMS-200 has no moving parts, runs fairly cool and barely consumes 4 watts at idle, I suspect this device will have a very long life span.

 

I have read somewhere in this forum that a superclock upgrade will be available for this unit, is that correct?

 

As for their new superclock, the sCLK-EX, SOtM has stated that incorporating this clock into the sMS-200 is planned, however, it will require a minor reworking of the sMS-200's internals as well as a larger chassis to accommodate it and so there is no timetable. This clock will be featured in their soon-to-be released tX-USBUltra (SOtM's version of a USB Regen) and paired with the sMS-200, in May Park's personal system, she has indicated that the improvement in SQ she is hearing is "huge." Of course, Uptone's upcoming "Iso Regen" will also incorporate a better clock in addition to galvanic isolation and so it would seem this area of "end points" remains a rapidly evolving field.

[CaptainMusic]

Hey Guys and Ladies, I've got a simple question from a simple mind. I just ordered the sMS200 and should have it any day now. Curious about the PS. Currently I have a microRendu whose power source is the sotm mBPS-d2s. No complaints whatsoever. I was considering getting another mRendu for another room in my home. I am running ROON on a QNAP and its great. After seeing Hans B. comments on YOUTUBE and reading the comments on this forum along with other reviews, I'm going to try the sMS200. Actually I met May at THE SHOW in Newport this past year and was told about the sMS200. Anyway I was considering getting the Sbooster 9v-10v for a PS. That is what I think Hans B used and really liked it. My question is this "those of you using or are considering using the Sbooster are using the 12v-13v Sbooster. My question is why? I was under the impression the lower voltage was better. Please help me understand. The specs on the sms200 say 6.5v-14v I believe. Thats why I selected the 9v-10v. Also I recently got the W4S PS-1 for another item in another room nonrelated to the mrendu or the sMS200. What are your thoughts concerning that? Thanks for your imput.

[romaz]

Hey Guys and Ladies, I've got a simple question from a simple mind. I just ordered the sMS200 and should have it any day now. Curious about the PS. Currently I have a microRendu whose power source is the sotm mBPS-d2s. No complaints whatsoever. I was considering getting another mRendu for another room in my home. I am running ROON on a QNAP and its great. After seeing Hans B. comments on YOUTUBE and reading the comments on this forum along with other reviews, I'm going to try the sMS200. Actually I met May at THE SHOW in Newport this past year and was told about the sMS200. Anyway I was considering getting the Sbooster 9v-10v for a PS. That is what I think Hans B used and really liked it. My question is this "those of you using or are considering using the Sbooster are using the 12v-13v Sbooster. My question is why? I was under the impression the lower voltage was better. Please help me understand. The specs on the sms200 say 6.5v-14v I believe. Thats why I selected the 9v-10v. Also I recently got the W4S PS-1 for another item in another room nonrelated to the mrendu or the sMS200. What are your thoughts concerning that? Thanks for your imput.

Here is Sbooster's response to your question:

 

The sMS-200 accepts an input voltage of 6.5V – 14V. Based on this specification you can use your 7V – 2A power supply. Please note that the 2A can be insufficient to power the two additional USB ports. This because the offical power consumption is rated at 15W max.

 

The internal power supply circuit of the sMS-200 is arranged by two or more DC/DC converters. A DC/DC converter runs on Power (Voltage x Current). This means that the DC/DC converter will pull a high current with a low power supply voltage and a low current with a high power supply voltage.

 

Further there is a relation between the output noise of a DC/DC converter circuit and the power supply voltage. When the power supply voltage goes up, the output noise of the DC/DC converter drops. So in theory when you have an audio device and two power supplies that are identical, but one PSU outputs 6.5V and the other PSU is a couple of volts higher, the later will perform better.

 

Regards,

Wiebren

 

Sbooster

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/soul-music-sms-200-unveiled-munich-hi-end-28284/index10.html#post606647

[romaz]

Here is a simple way to significantly improve SQ with your sMS-200:

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/novel-way-massively-improve-sq-sms-200-and-microrendu-31110/#post618454

[CaptainMusic]

Wiebren you said

"Based on this specification you can use your 7V – 2A power supply. Please note that the 2A can be insufficient to power the two additional USB ports. "

First thaks for the knowledgeable comments. I don't want anything that barely gets buy power wise. The Sbooster I ordered was the 9v-10V not the 7v 2a. So do you think the 9v-10v ordered will work or should i change my order to the 12v-13v. Again thanks for your answer.

 

[tedwoods]

Change your order to the 12V model. It sounds a tad better.

 

Sent from my eSTAR BEAUTY HD Quad core using Computer Audiophile mobile app

[Peter_T]

The latest SOTM200 firmware update V0.3.0 (28-dec-2016) said "- Add wifi connection feature"

 

What does this mean? Can we connect a(ny) USB-Wifi-dongle to an USB port and hope that the Linux system will recognize it? Most dongles don't work with Linux. Or do we have to wait until SOTM announces it's own special Wifi-attachment or gives us a list of SOTM-approved dongles?

 

Has anybody experimented with this?

[Cheeseburger]

Hi, I might have missed it, but have anyone here tried pairing the SMS-200 with the BMC Puredac. Am interested to get the SMS-200 to pair with my Puredac but am not sure if this combo works. Thanks!

[granosalis]

The latest SOTM200 firmware update V0.3.0 (28-dec-2016) said "- Add wifi connection feature"

 

What does this mean? Can we connect a(ny) USB-Wifi-dongle to an USB port and hope that the Linux system will recognize it? Most dongles don't work with Linux. Or do we have to wait until SOTM announces it's own special Wifi-attachment or gives us a list of SOTM-approved dongles?

 

Has anybody experimented with this?

 

You need a wifi dongle with RTL8812AU chipset. Search in Amazon you'll find some.

[Peter_T]

You need a wifi dongle with RTL8812AU chipset. Search in Amazon you'll find some.

Thank you for this info : I can find a few with this chipset like the TP-LINK Archer T4U AC1200 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter; Have you actually tried it on the SOTM200?

[granosalis]

Thank you for this info : I can find a few with this chipset like the TP-LINK Archer T4U AC1200 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter; Have you actually tried it on the SOTM200?

 

No. My SMS200 just arrived today, and I'm using wired connection.

[granosalis]

If I well understood, Tital is not supported in standard "MPD & DLNA mode" (eunhasu), correct?

 

To solve this problem I have used Bubble Server on my NAS to enable both open home (supported by eunhasu) and Tital.

Apart from Roon, which requires an additional subscription, which is the best way to access TIDAL on SMS200?

 

This other question is more from SOtM team, are you planning to support Tital in the future (out of the box) in DLNA mode?

[Fujak]

The latest SOTM200 firmware update V0.3.0 (28-dec-2016) said "- Add wifi connection feature"

 

What does this mean? Can we connect a(ny) USB-Wifi-dongle to an USB port and hope that the Linux system will recognize it? Most dongles don't work with Linux. Or do we have to wait until SOTM announces it's own special Wifi-attachment or gives us a list of SOTM-approved dongles?

 

Has anybody experimented with this?

Hi Peter,

 

I tried it with a Wifi-USB-Dongle (Gigablue Dualband with RTL8812AU chipset), I can choose the appropriate network, and the unit is detected in my WLAN, but in my controlpoint (BubbleDS) it isn't. I tried reboot and all common procedures without success. So there is no way to be able to stream.

Maybe another update will follow, when their Wifi modul is available. Another (bad) reason could be, that there is some piece of software on the little OS-chip, which doesn't allow other modules than this one from SOtM.

[Peter_T]

I tried it with a Wifi-USB-Dongle (Gigablue Dualband with RTL8812AU chipset), I can choose the appropriate network, and the unit is detected in my WLAN, but in my controlpoint (BubbleDS) it isn't. I tried reboot and all common procedures without success. So there is no way to be able to stream......

Thanks for you info. I also sent my question to May from SOTM : let's see what she has to say. My controlpoint is Jremote, using a JRiver library DLNA server on my NUC. Actual music is on my NAS. I am just curious to hear if Wifi streaming would result in better or worse SQ.

[Lebouwsky]

Thanks for you info. I also sent my question to May from SOTM : let's see what she has to say. My controlpoint is Jremote, using a JRiver library DLNA server on my NUC. Actual music is on my NAS. I am just curious to hear if Wifi streaming would result in better or worse SQ.

 

Looking forwards to your findings

[Peter_T]

The latest SOTM200 firmware update V0.3.0 (28-dec-2016) said "- Add wifi connection feature" What does this mean? Can we connect a(ny) USB-Wifi-dongle to an USB port and hope that the Linux system will recognize it? Most dongles don't work with Linux. Or do we have to wait until SOTM announces it's own special Wifi-attachment or gives us a list of SOTM-approved dongles?

 

May from SOTM sent me an email :

 

....Regarding sMS-200 USB wifi support, it has been available from the latest f/w ver.0.3.0, and the supportive USB Wifi dongle should uses RTL8812AU chipset to work with sMS-200 WiFi feature. (See webpage update)We recommend using “Edimax EW-7811UAC” and we are going to update this model on our website so that everyone can easily purchase the one. The purchase link will be there by the early next week.I like the wired one since WiFi is a bit slower than wired one and I’m using the iSO-CAT6 & dCBL-CAT7 for my Ethernet, so it seems okay for me. Best regards, MAy."

 

Seems clear to me. I will buy a Wifi dongle to try on the SOTM200. I need such a dongle anyway for other purposes. If May is right then soundwise it should not be an improvement.

[ducatirider]

May from SOTM sent me an email :

 

....Regarding sMS-200 USB wifi support, it has been available from the latest f/w ver.0.3.0, and the supportive USB Wifi dongle should uses RTL8812AU chipset to work with sMS-200 WiFi feature. (See webpage update)We recommend using “Edimax EW-7811UAC” and we are going to update this model on our website so that everyone can easily purchase the one. The purchase link will be there by the early next week.I like the wired one since WiFi is a bit slower than wired one and I’m using the iSO-CAT6 & dCBL-CAT7 for my Ethernet, so it seems okay for me. Best regards, MAy."

 

Seems clear to me. I will buy a Wifi dongle to try on the SOTM200. I need such a dongle anyway for other purposes. If May is right then soundwise it should not be an improvement.

 

There's an idea. I will use SOtM cable with the bridged ethernet solution. Might be worth a shot.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[Fujak]

Hi all,

 

after some trial and error I finally succeeded in activating Wifi functionality with my Gigablue Wifi-USB-Dongle (of course with RTL8812AU chipset).

 

Procedure:

- LAN connectivity must be active

- plug in your Wifi-USB-Dongle in one of the paired USB-jacks

- after configuration the WLAN in system configuration of the web userinterface (eunhasu), there will be shown the new IP address of your Wifi-Dongle

- with this IP you have to call the web userinterface of your streamer.

- If it works, you can disconnect from LAN and reboot the streamer.

- Then your controlpoint (in my case an android tablet with BubbleDS) will detect the SOtM sMS-200 and is ready to stream.

 

Good luck.

 

Now I will try to find out, which connectivity (LAN vs. WLAN) sounds better.

[Lebouwsky]

For a couple of days I've bin listening music with a new Supra USB cable between the sms 200 and the regen. It's quite a remarkable upgrade from a cheap USB cable; not just a touch better, but a real step up. It costed me about 40 euro's (45 dollar).

 

Exciting times! I'm really enjoying this hobby?*♂️

[Fujak]

Back again after testing I can tell you, it's really an audible difference between LAN and WLAN - in favour of WLAN. It sounds cleaner, more black background, bass is more defined, more space around instruments/voices - in sum all the (at least for me) familiar parameters in case of cleaner digital signal transmission.

 

However one little issue remains: In case of suboptimal WLAN connectivity stuttering may temporarily occur when you play 24/192, since buffer isn't filled fast enough. All other samplerates were played flawlessly. As May from SOtM is cited some posts above, it depends on lower transmisson rates by Wifi. If you have connectivity in line of sight to your WLAN router, it may work without any problems.

 

Anyway I strongly recommend this little and cheap sonic upgrade.

[Peter_T]

..... Anyway I strongly recommend this little and cheap sonic upgrade.

 

I got my USB-Wifi dongle today : TPlink Archer T4U with RTL8812AU chipset. It is dual band and states 150 Mbps (2.4G) and 433 Mbps (5G) both with USB2. With USB3 it can go up to double these speeds. The SOTM200 has no USB3 but can use the 5G band. Not that I noted any difference in using either band. So I set my router to 2.4G (the only band my smartphone can use).

 

Installation was easy as described by Fujak above. I did not see a Wifi IP-address at first try, but after shutdown, removing the LAN-plug and restart with the Wifi-dongle, the SOTM200 got an IP-address.I use Jremote on my Ipad as controlpoint with a JRMC20 DLNA library server on my NUC (LAN connected) or on my Notebook (for these test purposes also LAN connected directly to my router). The SOTM200 (with Sbooster PSU) and the NUC are LAN connected via a cheap TPlink switch. The actual music albums are on my NAS (directly connected to my router).

 

My first question was : is the 2.4G band speed of 150 Mbps OK for my hires files? 24bit-384kHz flac is no problem as is DSD64. Problems do arise with DSD128: here there are dropouts (ca. 3-4 per 5 min.). But this is more a feature of the JRMC DLNA server than of Wifi-speed (same dropouts at band 5G). I haven't noticed any other dropouts. My SOTM200 is close to my Wifi-router (ca. 8 m) so my signal is quite strong.When switching between LAN and Wifi I noted that Jremote shows two SOTM "rooms" with the same name. The one selected by Jremote is the one before the change, so you have to select the other one. This is confusing and I think that SOTM should include in their new update a possibility to give 2 different names to the SOTM200 : e.g. SOTM200-LAN and SOTM200-Wifi

 

First impressions regarding SQ : I think I hear that the Wifi connection has a better SQ than the LAN-Switch-Router connection. I can hear similar differences as Fujak desrcribed above. But when I compare the Wifi SQ to the SQ obtained by connecting the SOTM200 directly to my Router (removing the LAN-switch) I am not so sure which has the better SQ : the LAN-SOTM200 sounds also much better without a switch (as noted on the forum here in the topic "A novel way to massively improve the SQ...etc.). Very clean and transparant, maybe with somewhat less bass than the Wifi-SQ. On the other hand : the Wifi SQ might have a slight warm glare to it, compared to the direct-LAN SQ. I have not yet made my decision. I will also try coming weekend the trick with bridging 2 LAN-ports on my NUC and connect one of them directly to the SOTM200 in order to eliminate the bad effects of a LAN-switch

[MPWRZME]

Hi All,

 

Does anyone know if it will do DSD256 over wifi?

[austinpop]

Question for SotM, in light of the MQA Tidal release.

 

Do you plan to offer MQA SW decoding on SMS-200?

 

Thank you.

 

 

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[guerph]

SMS-200 won't get MQA decoding. Look for Roon to integrate software decoding.

 

 

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