Let's talk about SOTM SMS-200 ULTRA

[Tommd64]

along with the tx usb ultra and later on the sms200 ultra with the tx usb. Believe me no mods a necessary to have a great improvement in sound.

its just simple put the usb cable from the sms 200 to the usb txultra and put again a usb cable from the tx usb to your dac. The internal clock works even if you have a standard version without an extra clock input. Exept other clocks cannot easily fitted.

[austinpop]

1 hour ago, Jmzeitouni said:

Thanks 

 

just to clarify : I initially was looking at the sms-200 ultra Because I wanted a “portable” streamer with ssd attached (that could be also a in house solution) because I spend a lot of time in rental apartments and houses. After understanding that it would have been a lot of gear to carry around with the power supply etc, I’ve looked at my setup and since my DAC-amp has a Ethernet bridge that does a lot of cleaning and that my computer is a sonic transporter i7 with all ssd, it would be better to get the tx-usb ultra for when streaming to a usb DAC (Hugo 2) and Ethernet directly from the SonicTransporter to the bridge of my home system. 

 

Understanding that would “force” me to use the usb out of the SonicTransporter to the tx-usb ultra, I thought this morning that if I got a regular sms-200, that could give me the option steam via Ethernet & I could take the sms-200 on the road without the external power supply. 

 

Understandind that hat the SQ would be less while on the road, I could benefit from the clock of the tax-usb ultra while at home. 

 

The advantage of the regular sms-200 (to me) is that it’s smaller and also about 1/3 the price of the ultra. 

 

Downside, if I understand correctly, is that it doesn’t have the clock of the tax-usb ultra when used separately. 

 

I understand there might be a lower SQ improvement  using the sms-200 with tx-usb ultra as opposed to using two ultra devices, but will it at least be better that using the sms-200 ultra alone ? (With PS)

 

Keep in mind that the regular sMS-200 or sMS-200 Neo does not have an internal sCLK-EX board, so there is no concept of a reference clock input on a regular sMS-200.

 

Also keep in mind that if you modify the sMS-200 to accept its clocks (24MHz for USB and 25MHz for Ethernet and system) from the tX-USBultra's sCLK-EX board, then that sMS-200 is incapable of operating independently, because it needs those clocks to operate, and they are now coming from the tX-USBultra. 

 

So if you have a use case where you want to carry just the sMS with an SSD with you, you may be better served with the sMS-200 Neo and an LPS-1.2 as a nice "portable" combo.

[Jmzeitouni]

Thanks to all of you for your replies and detailed instructions. 

 

I think I’m going to avoid a delays and I’m just going to put the money into a sms-200 ultra neo (I’m getting the psp-500 power supply with a silver stranded Y cable anyway, so that is supposed to be good to power both tx- usb ultra and sms-200 ultra together) so long for portable....

 

if of any of you are aware of a device (dap) on which one could attach a Samsung t5 ssd or a usb sata drive, I’d love to know. I have a couple of high end daps but they can only take 400Gb micro sd cards, so that’s not enough for me. But anyway I’m going away from the topic of this thread. 

 

Well... I’m going to dare and if this is too much off topic, please let me know. 

 

i understand  this is a computer forum but I was wondering if anybody here had tested any of the usb treatment devices (iso regen, tx-usb ultra, ifi, sonore etc...) on portable gear (Sony WM1Z, Ak players and the like). I’d be curious to know if dedicated music player benefits from all the treatments, or maybe they don’t need it in the first place??

[Confused]

I have spent a happy morning listening to the new Neo version of the sMS-200Ultra. First to be clear on exactly how I have everything set up at the moment. Two things have changed since the SOtM kit was sent back to Koreo, the sMS-200Ultra has had the Neo upgrade and both the sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBultra have had the original "overlength" internal clock cables replaced with 20cm items. One thing I do not like doing is changing two things at the same time, if you then notice anything positive or negative it is not possible to be sure what to attribute it to. So for the purpose of this moring's listening, I have left the REF10 feed to the sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBultra turned off. The logic here is that previously I could not really detect much difference if I used the REF10 clock feed to the sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBultra or not. To the Mutec MC3+USB it made a difference, to the SOtM kit, I was never sure. To be honest, whenever I listened to the sMS-200Ultra I did tend to be overly preoccupied with the reproduction of treble and presence range, so this may have masked my ability to discern any subtle benefits of invoking the REF10, but anyway, by leaving the SOtM kit running from it's own internal clock this means that for sure anything that sounds different today is due to the Neo upgrade, not any benefit from the shorter clock cables, they are quite simply not being used. In addition, I had the SOtM re-installed in the system last weekend, I just did not have any time for a proper listen. So everything has had a week to settle down, fully powered up.

One point to make clear here is that I never really got on with the old sMS-200Ultra.  I could see (hear) it was good, but there was something that irritated me enormously about the treble and presence range, which seemed too prominent and hence made things sound a little harsh to me.  This is obviously system dependent, and to a degree, my ears dependent, but this is the starting point in my case.

 

So to the listening.  It was immediately apparent that whatever it was that was annoying me with the treble and presence range with the old sMS-200Ultra was now gone. I have posted before about how much happier I was listening when back with the microRendu, the system was just so more coherent and tonally balanced. Maybe not as good as the sMS-200Ultra in many areas, but the microRendu I could sit and listen to for hours, the sMS-200Ultra quickly became irritating, so it didn't really matter if it was good in other areas. So after months of fretting over the HF, today with the Neo I can simply sit and listen to everything. With the old sMS-200Ultra I could mitigate things a little by running the treble at -3dB, I tried this today with the Neo and it sounded great, but sometimes I felt I was maybe missing a touch of clarity and sparkle, so I was happy to stick to good old 0dB. I know aural memory is notoriously unreliable, but to go from months of being slightly irritatating to being happy with the sound has to mean something.

So this almost feels like a full reset to me now. Today I was listening and able to enjoy everything, the Neo seems far more coherent to me. As an example, you might have a track with a snare drum, with the old sMS-200Ultra I might start to get preoccupied with the sound of the snare itself, sounding too prominent and hence harsh and somehow disconnected to the rest of the music, with the Neo the sound of the drum, snare and the rhythm of the music come together, but the snare can still be heard clearly, it sounds like a snare, not like something irritating. The Neo does sound a little more full-bodied, but in a good way, it still has the details and dynamics, it is just the way they are delivered sounds more natural and real.

It is early days with the Neo. Very often it takes a few weeks to fully appreciate new kit, or to discover subtle reasons it may be better or worse than you first thought. First impressions though, it sounds like a more dynamic higher resolution version of the microRendu. I really like that old microRendu, so that is very good first impressions.

Some other thoughts that I have. When I tried the sPS-500 to power the microRendu I found that this was a step backward from the Uptone LPS-1. Today, I was quite happy listening to the SOtM kit with the sPS-500, but it does make me wonder if something like the Paul Hynes SR4 would be a better option, I am as sure as I can be that it would. The other thought that I have is regarding the Neo update itself. Apparently, the change is to the power board only, and here just a change in the capacitor. How is it possible that this takes the sMS-200Ultra from something that I personally found irritating to something great. Utterly baffling, but yet more evidence as to just how subtle audio reproduction can be.

I have had the offer to borrow a dCS Network Bridge. Back when the sMS-200 was annoying me, this seemed like a good plan, but now I am not sure if I can be bothered, I reckon I should get a pair of SR4's and be done. But maybe trying the Network Bridge would be prudent before spending more cash on PSU's? I don't know. The short-term plan is to do nothing, play lots of music and see how I feel in a few weeks. Oh, and I might try invoking the REF10 on the SOtM kit again, when I am in the mood.

[octaviars]

1 hour ago, Confused said:

I have left the REF10 feed to the sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBultra turned off. The logic here is that previously I could not really detect much difference if I used the REF10 clock feed to the sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBultra or not.

 

This is something that I tend to think about will it make such a difference that geting a REF10 and upgrading both my SOtM units to have a clock input worth the money? The up coming Uptone switch will have a 10MHz input so the possibility to use the REF10 there is also something that is a possibility.

 

1 hour ago, Confused said:

The other thought that I have is regarding the Neo update itself. Apparently, the change is to the power board only, and here just a change in the capacitor. How is it possible that this takes the sMS-200Ultra from something that I personally found irritating to something great. Utterly baffling, but yet more evidence as to just how subtle audio reproduction can be.

 

I will get the capacitor on monday so then my ultra will get the NEO treatment

[HeeBroG]

18 hours ago, octaviars said:

I will get the capacitor on monday so then my ultra will get the NEO treatment

 

Did you get instructions from SOtM on how to perform the mod?

If so, I guess it would also be reversible if the sound didn't suit one's system.

That would save a lot of "to and froing" to South Korea!

Care to share??

[octaviars]

1 hour ago, HeeBroG said:

 

Did you get instructions from SOtM on how to perform the mod?

If so, I guess it would also be reversible if the sound didn't suit one's system.

That would save a lot of "to and froing" to South Korea!

Care to share??

 

I dont know what will come with the capacitor as I dont buy it directly from SOtM they only do the full mod. If you want to do it you have to go to the local SOtM agent. 

It is one capacitor on the PSU board so it is reversable. 

[zegel]

19 hours ago, octaviars said:

 

It is one capacitor on the PSU board so it is reversable. 

Do you mean by soldering? Or is it a "click" system.  And, do you care to share where the capacitor can be obtained? 

[octaviars]

1 minute ago, zegel said:

Do you mean by soldering? Or is it a "click" system.  And, do you care to share where the capacitor can be obtained? 

 

Yes by soldering.

 

You contact the local agent for SOtM in your country that was the answer I got from May at SOtM.

[acaro]

I did an A/B comparison of the neo versus the original ultra at my dealer.  Believe me when I tell you the neo is a vast improvement that will make you not look back. The original sounds very good but the neo improves on the few deficiencies of the original in a big way.  I found the high end dynamics to be much more realistic and natural.  This was my biggest beef with the original.

[octaviars]

I upgraded my Ultra to NEO today. If you are not experienced with taking apart electronics and de-soldering and soldering back a new capacitor I strongly suggest that shipping it to SOtM being the best option.

 

Sound wise I will get back to that later ☺️

[ronfint]

4 hours ago, octaviars said:

I upgraded my Ultra to NEO today. If you are not experienced with taking apart electronics and de-soldering and soldering back a new capacitor I strongly suggest that shipping it to SOtM being the best option.

 

 This is interesting information. Did you find opening the case and removing the boards to be complicated?

[octaviars]

6 hours ago, ronfint said:

Did you find opening the case and removing the boards to be complicated?

 

No it is not complicated if you know what you are doing and have the tools to do it ?

[ronfint]

7 hours ago, octaviars said:

No it is not complicated if you know what you are doing and have the tools to do it 

 

Thanks. It seems that inscrutability has become the hallmark of this discussion.

[octaviars]

15 minutes ago, ronfint said:

 

Thanks. It seems that inscrutability has become the hallmark of this discussion.

 

I really dont what to say to you. To me it was not that difficult but then again I am used to do this kind of work.

 

You have to loosen the front and backside. Disconnect the cable to the button on the front and then pull out the circuitboards. 

Disconnect the PSU board and loosen it from the backside. Desolder the capacitor and replace it with the new one. Be careful so the negative side of the capacitor comes in the right position. 

Then put it togheter again.

[ronfint]

Thanks very much. That is helpful.

[d_elm]

I changed the capacitor in my sMS-200ultra and conclude one must be perfectly comfortable with doing such work or get someone who is to do the job.

[Confused]

2 hours ago, d_elm said:

I changed the capacitor in my sMS-200ultra and conclude one must be perfectly comfortable with doing such work or get someone who is to do the job.

Can I ask if you have noticed any difference in the sound since making the change?

[d_elm]

26 minutes ago, Confused said:

Can I ask if you have noticed any difference in the sound since making the change?

Nothing jumped out, perhaps settling is required, so I will just leave it to the experts at SOtM to make decisions.  I am also making changes to a Lush cable with how shields are connected so my system is not stable, but progressing.

[stinart]

I found that switching between  boot sd cards significantly alters the sound of the streamer. For example samsung pro 32gb sdhc has faster/ better transients/ dynamics but adds a glaze to the timbre which i dislike. Samung evo 64 sdxc has a more soft character like adding a tube buffer  .. Overall i think  the default  8gb sandisk is well balanced , but keep wondering if adding a slc micro sd would upgrade  the sound of the streamer. I know that slc has positive effect as music storage but how about  boot os ? Any experiences?   

[Blade1001]

I'm sorry, I know us audiophiles can find lot of weird and wonderful ways of thinking we are changing the sound of our system, but how on earth can a read-only SD card, that is presumably only used when the device boots, and is in no way a part of the signal path, have any influence on the sound?

 

[LTG2010]

29 minutes ago, Blade1001 said:

I'm sorry, I know us audiophiles can find lot of weird and wonderful ways of thinking we are changing the sound of our system, but how on earth can a read-only SD card, that is presumably only used when the device boots, and is in no way a part of the signal path, have any influence on the sound?

As a bootable disk I'm assuming it will also hold the operating system however small that may be, Kernel, etc.(unless there is another internal disc) If so it would influence the 'sound'

[stinart]

 

 Keep in mind i am talking about alteration , not upgraded  or better sound . I am sure i can hear the first , the last is 100% subjective. 

 

[auricgoldfinger]

I have a question for SOtM DIY experts:  Can anyone tell me the brand/model of the DC connectors shown in the photos?  I am looking for 2- and 4-pin versions. @elan120 @octaviars

 

[89reksal]

Is anyone using Replay gain with their sms-200 or ultra? I've had an sms-200 Neo for a couple days now and have found the replay gain settings in the Eunhasu user interface don't seem to be working. It doesn't seem to matter whether I select "Track" or "Album" setting, I have to manually adjust the volume for most tracks when playing a random song playlist.

I've come from using JRiver for years and had no issues with replay gain functionality. All my files are .wav with both replay gain and R128 tags.

I'm using DLNA in Eunhasu, with my CAPS server running JRiver as DLNA server and sms-200 as renderer. JRemote on iPod Touch is the control point. Files are on a Synology NAS. Eunhasu was just updated to latest version.

Hopefully someone is able to point me to a fix or setting to resolve this.

 

Thanks.