Playing Hi-Res Files with SOtM SMS-200 Ultra Neo SE

[PLGA]

Hi guys

I have a pretty nice digital rig (besides the SMS-200, I have three Lan filters, Fiber converters, Uptone ER, silver cables, master clock, Audio GD DI-20 DDC, Audio GD HE7 DAC, Audioquest Jitterbug, etc etc).

I use it for streaming Tidal with Audinirvana and Windows 10 on the computer used as a Core and I really love the way it sounds.

Nevertheless, as an audiophile, I’m always looking for better SQ and now I want to try to play Hi-Res files and I have some technical questions that maybe you can help me (I’m not an expert on digital networks).

As I understand, there are three ways of playing those files and I would love to hear another fellows experiences:

 

1-      Storing the files on the internal hard drive of the computer used as a Core to command the SMS-200 as End Point.

This is a fast test to make and easy to compare with Tidal, at least with Audinirvana.

The caveat is that the files have to go through the home network to the SMS-200 and I think some data must be lost.

I compared this option with Tidal, with the only Hi Res album I have now (Flac 96/24) and to be honest I haven’t found noticeably differences in SQ.

I will compare another Hi-Res formats (WAV and DSD) vs Tidal next week to see if my appreciations are correct.

 

2-      Storing the files on a NAS.

This is not my idea by the moment as I believe it’s somehow technically complicated and the most expensive option.

Nevertheless, I’m open to hear new ideas about it.

 

3-      Storing the files on a SSD external hard drive connected directly to the USB inputs at the back of the SMS-200.

This options needs some configuration, wich I will try next weeks, but I believe some users had trouble making it work properly and SQ was not optimal when the hard drive uses the power from SMS-200 USB input.

Has anyone succeded with this alternative and had a better SQ than streaming? How? Any suggestion on configuration, hard drive specs, etc?

 

Please I would appreciate posts from people with actual experience with the SMS-200.

 

Finally, a side question. Does the specs/quality of the Core computer affect the SQ on the SMS-200? Why? Any suggestion on configuration, specs, etc?

 

Thank you!!

 

 

[stefano_mbp]

@PLGA I can share my experience as I have a SOtM sms200 too.

I started using Audirvana on Mac with dac directly usb connected to it, and I was not very satisfied. Then I added the sms200 using it as a UPNP endpoint and the sound was really better … but I wasn’t still satisfied.

I then got a Intel Nuc8i3/16GB ram and installed Minimserver and Bubbleupnpserver , the SOtM was still used as a UPNP endpoint and I used Lumïn app as a control point … really good sound, better to my ears than Audirvana/SOtM.

I decided anyway to try other solutions and landed on Daphile (on another Intel Nuc10i3/16GB ram) using SOtM sms200 as Squeezelite client (I disabled LMS on SOtM as with it enabled the sound wasn’t so fine) and the result was fine, very similar to UPNP/Minimserver.

But I was missing (with Daphile) the ability to browse my library (more or less 11k albums/8TB where classical music is around 70%) by metadata as I was able using Minimserver.

At the end (for now) of the journey I decided to try HQPlayer Embedded and I set it up in a UPNP environment (HQPe as the UPNP renderer, Minimserver as library manager, Lumïn app as control point, HQP NAA as endpoint connected to the dac) … the best sound I ever heard.

Aside I tried MPD and LMS/Squeezelite on the SOtM but MPD is a pain from the library management point of view and LMS/Squeezelite on the SOtM is to “heavy” for the tiny cpu of the sms200 (the sound was the worst of all).

SOtM sms200 is a great endpoint (UPNP, Squeezelite, NAA) and sounds very well but don’t use it as a server/player, the cpu is too weak.
… I don’t use any streaming service (Qobuz/Tidal) then I can’t say anything about them