Article: SOtM Launches sMB-Q370 Motherboard

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, shum3s said:

Hey Cris thanks for bringing this to our attention. I check their web site and they list no price, do you know how much the board cost? 
    Back in 2014 I built the Pipeline server from your recipe, which is still my main server to this day. Will this board be a easy replacement? Also what CPU would you recommend I get for this board, using HQP?  
   Thank You, Sam 

 

Hi Sam, no pricing yet. I will ask.

 

This is completely different from the one in Pipeline. You'd need/want new "everything." CPU depends on how you want to cool it and what you want the CPU to do (heavy DSP or no DSP, etc...).

 

Fun stuff.

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, rando said:

Chris, I would greatly enjoy hearing your own thoughts on this product.  Surely a site owner and proponent of digital audio for over a decade has gained insights and experiences of great value which might be selectively brought forwards in greater numbers.  

 

What beyond "geeky" "a neat product" and "Very cool indeed" could you in your role justify our interests with before transposing ad copy.  How might you have posited remarkable awareness inviting a sophisticated basis for discussion, examination, or relevance to personal interests?  Astute observations linking developments on this subject across your site seem oddly misplaced.  Particularly when one considers searchable content revealing a high technical level of content ably stated by contributors weighing in on the exact profession they were engaged in.   

 

 

9th and 8th gen Intel Core Processors place this board numerous years behind currently available options in the Core line.

 

Choosing Intel is notable.

 

Board layout and feature sets depicting this as a special market audiophile board is worth examination compared to what is available through mb currently on the market.  

 

mATX form factor is notable.  Atypical.

 

Directing attention towards how this board distinguishes itself as the base element of a fanless PC is a demand requiring much much more analysis.

 

 

If you had cared to address any of the above in current article. I have little doubts as as to whether they would've been appreciated across the entire breadth of Audiophile Style membership and SEO directed interests.

 

I don't like to speculate on this stuff because the board literally just came out and I don't like to intimate things like "9th and 8th gen Intel Core Processors place this board numerous years behind currently available options in the Core line" as some sort of negative. 

 

If I talk to SOtM and get more details about design decisions (and the company is willing to offer this up), I would then be in a better place to render an opinion. Until then, I'm only speculating and making statements for the sake of hearing my own voice. 

 

Choice of Intel over AMD or Arm isn't notable in the least to me. mATX isn't atypical to me either. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, rando said:

To be fair Chris I did not place words in your mouth.  I made a broadly sweeping critique in the comments section of an article.  Whether you are aware of it or not, I appreciate you taking the time to respond in terms which promote some awareness of outside views. 

 

After reading and considering what you have wrote.  I would like to point out the difference between opinion and placement of fact in a way that encourages the reader to give thought towards a single piece and the whole.  

 

Everything matters!  

My response just gave examples of why I don't really have any comments about the items you mentioned. Everyone is free to share their opinions. However, without any context, your opinions are hard to make sense of. Suggesting an Intel processor is notable, doesn't tell anyone anything. 

 

I have no reason to say, I find SOtM's use of Intel processors normal, as I do the mATX motherboard. I don't write because more words are better. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I have no idea what that means. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

25 minutes ago, rando said:

felt my responses went far enough to display consumer reaction to articles that amount to reciting marketing blather.

As you can see, many people here appreciate being notified that this product was released. 
 

To be honest, I believe the word blather describes your words very well. 
 

[The Computer Audiophile]

8 hours ago, JCB said:

I don't see clearly the difference with a regular MB, except the white color..

But it goes to eleven :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

MSRP is $500

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, Boomboy said:

Yep. just got an email from may ..

In us dollars I guess?

 

 

 

Yes

[The Computer Audiophile]

32 minutes ago, tedwoods said:

The price seems very good.

That's what I thought as well. I'm surprised it isn't much more. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

Well, i think If we could specify a audiophile motherboard ourselves would be better. 

 

Says the guy who them follows with this ...

 

3 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

I assume someone has much better ideas than me how to specify an audiophile motherboard. 

 

You crack me up :~)

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, R1200CL said:

Well, it it happens to be a condensed version of this $335 board, I think it’s rather expensive. 
From pictures both MB’s has some similarities. 
 

I hope SOtM can come up with more information about what the audiophile parts actually is, and expected effect.

And we need to understand how this external clock input is implemented and price, and expected effect compared to an of the shelf MB.

 

 

You're really talking outside your area of expertise now. Building a motherboard with some similarities is actually building a different motherboard. 

 

Do you know what's involved with changing even the smallest of details on a motherboard and what's involved with making tiny bios adjustments?

[The Computer Audiophile]

P.S. @R1200CL I enjoy your enthusiasm for all this stuff, but I just disagree with some of your comments. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, MarcelNL said:

designing MB's is not my expertise either, yet I too fail to see the argument(s) for buying this MB as much as I applaud the effort to produce an audio oriented MB. Other than the designation 'for audio' there is not much to hold on to, yet.

 

Having heard the major differences between MB's and CPU;s ( I went through 5 MB and 5 CPUs on my quest) I tend to lean towards the conclusion that a.o. power to the CPU is king for Audio (as well as the nr of physical cores) so you'd expect special attention (and information) on that aspect in due time 

 

I hear you. I'm not arguing for or against buying this motherboard, I'm just trying to keep speculation from people who may not have any ideas, to a reasonable level. People (not you) saying that this motherboard should go to 11, just because 11 is higher than 10, are kind of missing the point. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

17 minutes ago, rando said:

 

Are we entering yours?  Expertise or knowledge?

 

Where is the exposition of developed thought you imply will show his entry to be inferior?  

 

 

There is very little that is of use to anticipate performance or sound characteristics, i.e. not world class.   So far we have a few photos and expected MSRP (laughable designation in the PC world currently).  Thanks for contributing real world experience leading to comprehension what off the shelf parts can reasonably attain.  We are not IT managed or uninformed do-it-all customers.  Certainly not identical to gamers.    

 

What stands out to me is they actually had years to develop and manufacture.  Consumer training to expect the next level arrives every few months is largely BS falling apart at the seams in the prevailing climate.  This could be fantastic!  Nobody here has attacked SOtM for announcing an oddball right before Holiday sales are tallied.  A few  but no .  

 

 

 

I wish I got the gist of what you say, but I don’t. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Slight price adjustment. It’s $550. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, botrytis said:

I am sorry but for a generation or two behind, that is Apple pricing.

 

Intel has already pulled the plug on making the 8th and 9th gen CPU's and this was from last year. That also means the chip sets will not be made any more either.

 

9th Gen Intel CPU's discontinued

Newegg has plenty of CPUs, all the way back to 1st Gen Intel. Not sure what discontinuing a Gen actually means if one can still get them from 13 years ago.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

48 minutes ago, botrytis said:

Yes, but Intel doesn't support them anymore. Drivers, etc. That IS the point.

Intel drivers aren’t needed. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 hours ago, botrytis said:

I have been building my own PC's since I-486 days. Much of what is reported by audiophiles about 'noise', etc. from PC's is more urban legend than anything else. The reason being, to a PC - data is data - if noise affects digital music, it will affect other data as well. Also working with scientific analytical instruments, more data is there than any music file could possibly have. Noise would affect it all.

 

Both data and power ride along the USB connection to a DAC. The data can remain perfect while at the same time dirty power can have averse effects on the audio component. This is partially why some companies use optical isolation between the USB input and the rest of the DAC. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, botrytis said:

Which has been shown to be nonsense, sorry to say.

 

A well designed USB chip and USB input does not let noise through.

 

If you believe it, go forward and enjoy. But it makes absolutely no sense.

I’ve only seen a few select cases where folks thought they were proving to the world that none of this mattered, by using a sample size of about one computer. 
 

The old “well designed” phrase is a common one too. As if engineering isn’t about compromises and solutions to specific issues don’t cause other unintended consequences. 
 

I’m old enough to remember some internal DAC isolation causing issues not caused by the very thing it was meant to stop. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

One thing that probably makes little sense for most users, but I’d love, is an AES output on the motherboard. It would just be cool. 🙂

[The Computer Audiophile]

15 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

This is where we probably would like to use a PCI card. With optional own power supply. And clock input. 
Must exist something like this already ?

 

You may add i2s to the wish list as well 😀

Yeah, I’ve used Lynx and RME cards with external clock input and AES capability. Cool stuff for sure. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

What?

We are back to the regularly scheduled program. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

The variables are endless :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

It has arrived :~)