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    SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server Review

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    Have a good USB DAC? Check. Want to turn it into a networked device without changing one item on the DAC? Check.

     

    Over the last couple years I increasingly wanted a specific product that didn't exist. I wanted an ultra simple device with Ethernet input and USB audio output. This seems like such an obvious product that should have been available since the day the first USB DACs hit the market. Especially because so many of the network addressable DACs have big problems with file types, compression schemes, gapless playback, etc… Plus, if the sound of a specific USB DAC is what the listeners want, but they also want the functionality of a networked DAC, they should be able to bridge the gap. This isn't rocket science and this isn't the 1980s. Tiny ARM based Linux compatible single board computers are everywhere. It's time for the Internet of Things and running on this IoT are millions of tiny devices that can be used to create a simple Ethernet in and USB audio out device. As The O'Jays, The Kinks, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings said, Give the People What They Want. Thus, the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server was created. We finally have a physically simple device that converts network audio streams into USB audio streams for playback on nearly any popular USB DAC.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

     

     

     

    What Is It?

     

     

    In ultra layman's terms the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server is an Ethernet to USB converter. Plug it in to a network on one side and a USB DAC on the other side. This sounds simple enough for most people to get the essence of the sMS-100. The "inside baseball" details involved with this Ethernet to USB converter will be covered later.

     

    The SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server is a very versatile in that it that enables the listener to stream audio through the device to a USB DAC using one of several methods. The sMS-100 supports USB Audio Class 2.0 compliant DACs as well as DACs from Chord, Mytek, and the M2Tech HiFace 1 & 2. Only one streaming method can be used at a time, but the listener can switch to any of the other methods very easily. For example, the listener can start using AirPlay then switch to use UPnP / DLNA with a couple mouse clicks.

     

    SqueezeLite - When set to this mode the sMS-100 receives audio from any Logitech Media Server (LMS). LMS can be installed on any computer and most NAS drives, enabling listeners to stream from a Mac, PC, or even straight from the NAS without a traditional computer "middle man". This configuration essentially turns the sMS-100 into a modern Squeezebox replacement. iOS apps such as iPeng 7 can be used to browse an LMS library or Internet radio service and stream the audio directly to the sMS-100 for output to a USB DAC. Gapless playback of FLAC, ALAC, WAV, and AIFF is supported. DSD is supported in combination with Vortexbox 2.3 or newer, Daphile, or a custom version of LMS for Mac.

     

    AirPlay - In this mode the sMS-100 looks like an Apple AirPort Express to any audio device that supports AirPlay. These devices such as an iPhone, iPad, and computer running iTunes can stream directly to the sMS-100 the same way audio is sent to an AirPort Express. Selecting the sMS-100 as the audio end point is done via the identical process as selecting an AirPlay speaker or other AirPlay device.

     

    UPnP / DLNA - In this operating mode the sMS-100 turns into a UPnP / DLNA Renderer. Listeners can use their favorite UPnP / DLNA server such as JRiver Media Center, MinimServer, Asset UPnP, or any number of apps built-in to NAS drives from Synology, QNAP, or Thecus. In addition, the selection of a UPnP / DLNA control point (remote control) is wide open to the listener. PlugPlayer is one iOS option with some limitations while BubbleUPnP is a solid Android based option. JRemote is a solid option used in conjunction with JRiver as the media server. Gapless playback of FLAC, ALAC, WAV, and AIFF is supported as well as DSD / DoP when using a DoP compliant server such as MinimServer and JRiver Media Center. I've been told Audionet is a good option for iOS as well, but can't verify it at this time.

     

    MPD - This is a unique mode that requires the use of a Vortexbox based music server from companies such as Sonore, SOtM, and Wyred 4 Sound. The sMS-100 functions as an MPD player, but has the ability to find music stored on a Vortexbox automatically over the network. Both PCM and DSD are supported. Gapless playback of FLAC, ALAC, WAV, and AIFF is also supported.

     

    HQ Player NAA - This mode works in combination with the Sygnalyst HQ Player application. HQ Player is an advanced application capable of serious DSP. The app is a bit complex for most computer audiophiles. Nonetheless the sMS-100 can accept network audio streaming from the app.

     

     

    The SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server runs Fedora Linux as its operating system. Software named Sonic Orbiter, created by Small Green Computer, and licensed to SOtM, is what makes the sMS-100 special. Sonic Orbiter is a combination of open source and proprietary software that enables seamless switching between the aforementioned audio modes, and the ability for the sMS-100 to find networked music on a Vortextbox automatically. The selectable audio modes enable the sMS-100 to support various playback schemes supporting PCM and/or DSD with several file formats at several sample rates. In other words, Sonic Orbiter is the secret sauce of the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server.

     

    Note: I've been working with small ARM based single board computers for years. I know exactly what it takes to create a product such as the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server with Sonic Orbiter software. Getting such a device most of the way toward working is the easy part. Perfecting the device to support all relevant sample rates, file formats, gapless playback, without sonic dropouts, and third party USB drivers is no simple task. I mention this because invariably some readers will insist that a device like the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server can be built easily by someone with a little Linux knowledge. In my experience getting a device to work this well is not an easy task.

     

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    Why The Need?

     

    The need for an Ethernet to USB audio device is obvious to some and lost on others. This need came about for several reasons. First, the market for USB DACs has exploded and listeners want to take advantage of these DACs in every way possible. Second, an add-on device like the sMS-100 increases choice for consumers looking for a USB DAC with a specific sound or set of features. Third, high performing audio components with built-in Ethernet capability, like Linn, T+A, and dCS, have traditionally been much more expensive than USB DACs, plus many other expensive streamers use the same internal card from Stream Unlimited. That card brings us to the fourth reason, reliability and functionality. Many network capable devices like the Musical Fidelity M1 CLiC and PS Audio Perfect Wave Bridge have been fraught with streaming issues. Many network DACs, especially early builds, had issues leading consumers to steer toward USB DACs. That's a brief, but not exhaustive view of how we got here and why the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server is a solution for a real audio need, not a solution looking for a problem.

     

     

     

     

    The SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server In Use

     

    app-switcher-small.pngThe SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server isn't a complete end-to-end solution. It's simply an end point or renderer that requires a server and remote control app. During the review period I tested all kinds of apps and servers using both UPnP / DLNA and Logitech Media Server (LMS). I prefer to go the UPnP / DLNA route over the LMS route because I like the server and remote control interface options much better. To be 100% honest, I'm not a big fan of LMS. But, I do understand the platform has a really large following and I can't argue with people's preferences.

     

    The configuration I used for most of the review period was a Synology DS1812+ NAS for music storage, a Windows 8.1 PC running JRiver Media Center as the DLNA server and music library curation application, and JRemote to browse and select music from an iPad. Once the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server is connected to the network, with DLNA enabled, it appears automatically as a zone in JRiver / JRemote. Each additional SOtM sMS-100 device added to the network appears as a separate zone and JRemote has complete independent control over these zones. The sMS-100 is a very smart dumb device. Once DLNA is selected there is nothing else a user needs to configure on the unit. It acts like a "dumb" Ethernet to USB audio converter. However, the software inside the sMS-100 is far from dumb.

     

    I like to test devices like the sMS-100 not only by streaming all types of audio, but also by connecting and disconnecting DACs and pulling the power cable when I probably shouldn't cut the power. There wasn't a single thing I could do to make the sMS-100 malfunction. I started playing music with the EMM Labs DAC2X connected. I wanted to try the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB so I stopped playback, like any normal person would do, plugged the USB cable in to the Alpha USB, then pressed play. Playback commenced immediately. The sMS-100 didn't skip a single byte or bit. Many servers on many operating systems would struggle with this USB audio device swap and would require user intervention. There was no such issue with the sMS-100. I get that most users will have a single DAC and have no interested in hot swapping DACs. However, I described this test as an indication of the sophistication of the sMS-100 and Sonic Orbiter software.

     

    Testing audio playback with a handful of difficult or problem tracks also displayed no weakness in the sMS-100. I sent 24 bit / 192 kHz gapless tracks, high resolution tracks with multi-megabyte album art, gapless DSD, compressed and uncompressed FLAC without identifying a single issue with the sMS-100. The sMS-100 performance in this area is much like the Lumin DLNA player. The similarity between both devices is that they handle all the network audio functions with Linux based software. The major differences between the devices are functionality and price. The Lumin is a full featured DLNA renderer with DAC and iOS app for around $7,000 and the sMS-100 is a much simpler device with less functionality for $450.

     

     

    The sound quality of music played through the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server had three distinct levels, good, better, and great. But, not all levels were present while connected to all DACs. For example, when connected to a completely isolated USB audio device such as the Alpha USB or Ayre Acoustics QB-9 the sMS-100 was only capable of great sound. The other levels of sound quality were present with unisolated devices, and depended on use of the SOtM mBPS-d2s Intelligent Battery Power Supply ($399).

     

    Listening through the sMS-100 connected directly to the EMM Labs DAC2X via USB the sound quality was good. Most of my rock and roll tracks from Pearl Jam, The White Stripes, and new 2014 Led Zeppelin 24/96 remasters had no sonic issues. When listening to Perfect Sense, Part I on Roger Waters' Amused To Death album I noticed the soundstage was reduced quite a bit from what I'm used to hearing in my system. This album features Q Sound. The voices in the begin of Perfect Sense, Part I should emanate from the far left while the piano should emanate from the far right. It's an enveloping sound when done right. In this configuration the voices barely reached outside the left side of the left speaker and the Piano wasn't nearly as far right as it should have been. Switching to Shelby Lynne's track Like A Fool, I noticed a little lack of resolution and my inability to place the instruments and vocals exactly in their familiar positions. The sound was running together a bit.

     

    In addition to receiving the sMS-100 I received the SOtM mBPS-d2s battery supply to try if I was interested. I initially planned on skipping the battery supply for this review. However, I had a gut feeling that the sonic impurities I heard we related to electrical noise. I connected the sMS-100 into the mBPS-d2s battery supply and played the same tracks through the identical system. The sound quality was quite a bit better. It was easy to hear the soundstage widen while listening to Perfect Sense, Part I and better delineation of the instruments in Like A Fool. This was a very positive improvement. But, sound quality wasn't as good as it would get with the sMS-100.

     

    Testing my theory a bit more I connected the sMS-100 without the battery supply to a Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB converter that converts USB to AES. This converter has the best isolation of any converter I've ever used. The setup was USB out of the sMS-100 in to the Alpha USB, and AES out of the Alpha USB and in to the EMM Labs DAC2X. Playing the same tunes I immediately noticed my music come to life. The ultra wide sound stage of Q Sound and the delicate backing instruments of Shelby Lynne's band were right there in front of me. This was the sound I was searching for from the sMS-100. Continuing the evaluation I placed the mBPS-d2s battery supply back in the chain to power of the sMS-100 while still connected to the Alpha USB. This made absolutely no sonic difference. Based on this little unscientific experiment I concluded the USB output of the sMS-100 with its standard switch mode power supply is probably a bit dirty, but there are viable remedies to improve performance greatly.

     

    Logitech Media Server isn't normally that intriguing to me because I like the alternatives much better. However, there's one development that changes things a little bit. After a recent trip to Munich's high end audio show and my discussions with the team from WiMP, I rigged LMS to stream lossless 16 bit / 44.1 kHz music from WiMP's HiFi service in Norway and controlled playback from my iPad using the iPeng 7 app. It wasn't the ideal solution, but it enabled me to stream from a collection of over twenty million bit transparent lossless tracks. In the coming months and years there will be several variations of this type of system that enable streaming lossless CD quality and higher resolutions. I enjoyed WiMP through LMS, but moved away from it eventually because the iPeng 7 interface with WiMP leaves a bit to be desired (the same can be said for the official Logitech iOS app) and the WiMP / Sonos interface). While in Munich I talked to a couple people who used this exact setup WiMP / LMS / iPeng 7 and they were completely satisfied with the interface. Again, I can't argue with people's preferences.

     

     

     

     

    Conclusion

     

    cash-logo-black-thumb.jpgStreaming via DLNA, LMS, AirPlay, NAA, and even from lossless cloud based services through the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server is terrific. Audio isn't a one size fits all hobby. Some people love Logitech Media Server while others prefer DLNA streaming. Yet others prefer to stream podcasts from iTunes via AirPlay to the sMS-100 then switch to DLNA for the serious stuff. The sMS-100 makes all of these use cases possible and simple to execute with excellent reliability. Great sound quality is possible through the sMS-100, but may be dependent on one's DAC, USB audio interface, or even the relatively inexpensive SOtM mBPS-d2s Intelligent Battery Power Supply ($399). Computer audiophiles interested in the new Auralic Aries ($1000-$1600) should consider the already-available SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server at less than half the price. Based on its great performance for a relatively small price and the fact that this product fills a huge hole in our wonderful hobby, the SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server is CASH Listed.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Product Information:

     

     

     

    • Product - SOtM sMS-100 Mini Server
    • Price - $449, (optional SOtM mBPS-d2s Intelligent Battery Power Supply - $399)
    • Product Page - Link
    • User Manual - Link (PDF)

     

     

     

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    Where To Buy

     

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    So a question, is this a direct replacement for the Squeezebox Touch? My question is in reference to the SB support for Rhapsody and Spotify. Rhapsody support with the Touch seemed to require the mysqueezebox.com website. It looks like Chris managed to get the Wimp app working, does Rhapsody work? (I have a huge Rhapsody library, which is the main reason for my concern with it.)

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    If you use this with Logitech Media Server as your server software you get all the SB functionality you had in the Touch. When you hook it up it appears as an SB device to the LMS server software.

     

    You just need a tablet, pc, or smartphone with browser or app installed to control LMS.

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    mine came with 110V. just specify. and it's dead silent. increases dynamics and soundstage height width and depth.

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    Hi there,

     

    I am quite new to this entire computer audiophile world. Requesting your kind guidance.

     

    I am currently using Synology DS214 Play -> Gigabyte brix (Windows 8.1 with JRiver) -> Ayre QB-9 DSD -> Accuphase Amp -> Harbeth Speaker combination. I have a few DSD files as well. I am not happy with my current setup. I was looking for a good Audio server for my setup.

     

    I heard SotM Audio server with Singapore dealer and it sounds amazing. But it is too expensive. I tried to buy the SoTM USB card but my Gigabyte brix does not have a PCI extension. After reading this review I am trying to understand

    1. If I use this SoTM mini Server in between Gigabyte and Ayre then will I get similar sound to SoTM Audio server?

    2. Or should I install a LMS in my Synology and eliminate the Gigabyte completely?

     

    How can I get a better sound (ability to play DSD as well) with convenience of control from iPAD?

     

    Thanks.

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    Quick update, all is going well with my SMS100 and mBPS-d2s battery supply, now playing HQPlayer DSD64. First impression is that the filter types in HQP seem to alter sound much more than DXD vs. DSD64. Not capable of DSD128 without dropouts yet, CPU load with 16/44 to DSD64 conversion is around 27%, about double that with DSD128. But I need way more time with my setup. I am extremely pleased with the SOtM gear, no fuss, just great performance.

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    Update, changed conversion algorithm to poly-sinc-2s which cut my CPU load in half, now have reliable DSD128 playback via network using HQP and SMS100. Wonderful sound.

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    Update, changed conversion algorithm to poly-sinc-2s which cut my CPU load in half, now have reliable DSD128 playback via network using HQP and SMS100. Wonderful sound.

     

    Nice to know thanks for the feedback...

     

    You have a very curious 2.2 setup...and it seems that your velodyne's are vertically alligned with the ATC's..

     

    May I ask how you treat any eventual phase variations / distortions...can the Velodyns setup automatically introducing any time-delay if necessary?

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    That is good to hear. I have been wondering what caused your issues.

    Update, changed conversion algorithm to poly-sinc-2s which cut my CPU load in half, now have reliable DSD128 playback via network using HQP and SMS100. Wonderful sound.

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    Nice to know thanks for the feedback... ...You have a very curious 2.2 setup...and it seems that your velodyne's are vertically alligned with the ATC's..

    May I ask how you treat any eventual phase variations / distortions...can the Velodyns setup automatically introducing any time-delay if necessary?

     

    Aw carp, I wrote and the forum ate my reply. OK, reset...

     

    Click to expand system photo:

     

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    Great question Mike. My subs are aligned horizontally (width) beneath the L/R ATC mains, but somewhat offset longitudinally. After I adjusted the height of the ATCs (the stands are adjustable) for correct time alignment with the chosen listening position (ears), I placed the subs symmetrically beneath the mains, then adjusted by ear as before. Actually in an earlier post I said that the ATCs were aligned when the ears are on a line emitting orthogonally from a point about at the inside edge of the woofer surround at both 12' out and infinity, but then I realized that at infinity the ears would need to be a few degrees (maybe 2 deg) below that orthogonal line.

     

    After the mains were aligned, months after actually, I bought the subs and placed them at a starting point where the acoustic center of the driver of each was a little closer to the nearest ear than the acoustic center of the corresponding ATC midbass driver. This was all made possible by extremely heavy, stiff, and dead stands. They weigh much more than the combined speakers. Anyway, I aligned the subs by moving them longitudinally wrt the mains until the alignment was just right.

     

    Now the ideal solution for this is to use a digital delay on the ATC tweeters and midbasses so that the front of all drivers would be nearly in a straight vertical line. The direct radiation wouldn't improve, but the reflections would be far better aligned. But I didn't have six high-quality channels of line outputs to deliver the processed signals to my amps and subs. The DD12+ subs do have delay adjustment, but I also didn't trust their DAC or preamp sections to drive the ATCs. Similarly, I run the mains full-range because I don't trust the high-pass circuit in the Velodynes to avoid harming the quality of my mains' signals.

     

    But here is where my experience is at odds with conventional practice: I use little or no toe-in of main speakers, always set speakers facing down the long walls of a room. I never use an equilateral arrangement but an isosceles triangle; my speakers are now about 7' feet apart center-to-center but about 12 feet away from the listening position. The room is long and quite narrow, maybe 25'x11'x8'. I placed the stands horizontally centered at odd fractions of distance from the side (1/5 out, much farther than they appear in the photo), back (1/5), and front (4/5) walls as a simple way to minimize the strength of nodes. There is ugly carpet that helps soak up floor reflections, but no treatment *yet* to deal with side and ceiling echoes. I expect to get some tube traps for slap echoes. The room isn't bad though, it has a very large opening to the rest of the house, so the lowest bass lacks response peaks that are really out of control.

     

    The governing principle for me is that systems which are time-aligned to a high degree have a psychological attribute that few people experience: The first and all secondary reflections are masked *far* better than in most systems. Now, if a room has big problems, you will still notice them, but even in a narrow space like mine the soundstage extends beyond *every* wall. But I do plan to treat the nearest surfaces to tame the first reflections... now that the alignment is truly dialed in. My last adjustment was moving my subs back less than 1/4". With tweeters vs. midrange drivers, I align with 1/16". Cheers :)

     

    That is good to hear. I have been wondering what caused your issues.

     

    Thanks. I still want to see what else I can do to be able to try different filters, they really change things.

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    But here is where my experience is at odds with conventional practice: I use little or no toe-in of main speakers, always set speakers facing down the long walls of a room. I never use an equilateral arrangement but an isosceles triangle; my speakers are now about 7' feet apart center-to-center but about 12 feet away from the listening position. The room is long and quite narrow, maybe 25'x11'x8'.

     

    Nice set-up Sam. "Conventional practice," (heavy toe-in, equal triangle, speakers way out in room) is all wrong anyway. I'm with you on the set up. I only wish my room was as long as yours (I'm about 12' x 19"), and that I had gone to the extra trouble to fill my back-wall with sand as my friend and ex-Hovland partner did with his room (mine is pattered after his in a number of ways). My walls are very solid, but he gets an even more firm launch of bass than I do (we have the same speakers and system--though he has a pair of the big Hovland Stratos mono blocks and I just have our RADIA (about 200 wpc).

     

    Cheers,

    --Alex

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    Nice set-up Sam. "Conventional practice," (heavy toe-in, equal triangle, speakers way out in room) is all wrong anyway. I'm with you on the set up. I only wish my room was as long as yours (I'm about 12' x 19"), and that I had gone to the extra trouble to fill my back-wall with sand as my friend and ex-Hovland partner did with his room (mine is pattered after his in a number of ways). My walls are very solid, but he gets an even more firm launch of bass than I do (we have the same speakers and system--though he has a pair of the big Hovland Stratos mono blocks and I just have our RADIA (about 200 wpc). Cheers, --Alex

     

    Thank you Alex. You enabled a fun retort which I'll pocket on this family forum. In our main room at Essence we had a Golden Ratio room of around 27x17x11 (?) with double walls, floating floor, and solid ceiling with 20 tons of sand. Bass, bass.... and no treatment save some small tapestries on the side walls. Learning to align speakers by ear was perhaps the most fun I had in audio. I used that skill to determine what I called "absolute offsets" that I entered into a spreadsheet to adjust transducer settings for any listener's position in 3-space. Every speaker builder should do this, but only a handful have. When I pressed Billy Woodman on the issue (I would not accept an incomplete answer), he said that the ATC SCM50s converge downwards, since the best mountings were in studio soffits. But he didn't know the distance!

     

    intuitiveaudio

     

    The speakers on the left side of the linked page are the Denalis which had individual, movable enclosures for each driver (except the bass module had two woofers). But an obvious mistake is the forward projection of the tweeter and midrange mounting plates...I had warned about it. They weren't big but they sounded heavenly and solid at 600lbs each. The formula is just that of a sphere, plus an offset.

     

    The tweeter baffle position was determined by x^2 + y^2 + z^2 = (r + Offset tweet/bass)^2, where r is the distance from the near-side ear to the acoustic center of the two bass drivers and x is the longitudinal distance of the tweeter baffle relative to the ears. The difference between x for bass (having no offset) vs x for tweeter tells you how far backwards that you would adjust the tweeter. The drivers moved only longitudinally, so y was constant for a given speaker placement in a room and a particular client seated as he/she desired. Height z changed somewhat with uneven floors and with spikes, bearings, and marble floor slabs. A full setup with Denalis, refrigerator-sized subs, floor slabs and 8 amp chassis weighed over 1.5 tons. Mass, baby....mass!

     

    I hope we can meet at a show, audio is getting to be fun these days. Cheers, Sam

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    intuitiveaudio

     

    A full setup with Denalis, refrigerator-sized subs, floor slabs and 8 amp chassis weighed over 1.5 tons. Mass, baby....mass!

     

    I hope we can meet at a show, audio is getting to be fun these days. Cheers, Sam

     

     

    Off-topic:

     

    Hi Sam,

    Forgive me if I don't recall your name or background. I'm guessing you used to be with (or own?) a dealership named Essence--where was that? How long ago? And can you tell us your involvement, if any with the folks doing those big speakers at Intuitive Design? Did you have a pair at the store?

     

    Indeed, mass is most always a very good thing. Except when it comes to my personal mass. ;)

     

    I may go to RMAF this year.

    Best,

    ALEX

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    Team, please keep the posts about the SOtM sMS-100 mini server.

     

    Jesus R

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    Off-topic:

     

    Hi Sam,

    Forgive me if I don't recall your name or background........I may go to RMAF this year.

    PMed you. Cheers

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    I received my sMS 100 last night (thanks JR!) and so far so good, but I cannot get DSD to play without using DoP. Is this how it is supposed to be?

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    I received my sMS 100 last night (thanks JR!) and so far so good, but I cannot get DSD to play without using DoP. Is this how it is supposed to be?

     

    This is NAA output mode? What USB device are you using?

     

    Jesus R

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    Thanks for the reply, please excuse my delay. Yes, this is using it as an NAA into an Amanero USB>I2S. If I try to run straight DSD, HQPlayer hangs after closing the settings panel and only presents the PCM option for playback.

    This is NAA output mode? What USB device are you using?

     

    Jesus R

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    Thanks for the reply, please excuse my delay. Yes, this is using it as an NAA into an Amanero USB>I2S. If I try to run straight DSD, HQPlayer hangs after closing the settings panel and only presents the PCM option for playback.

     

    That is how it should work unless Miska has some secret sauce to make it work with native DSD. I have an email into him for clarification...I'll keep you posted.

     

    Jesus R

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    Thanks for the reply, please excuse my delay. Yes, this is using it as an NAA into an Amanero USB>I2S. If I try to run straight DSD, HQPlayer hangs after closing the settings panel and only presents the PCM option for playback.

     

    To play without DoP to Amanero requires using ASIO on Windows. Since NAA is Linux-based and there are no Amanero-specific Linux drivers, it is only standard UAC2 and thus require DoP (and limited to 6.1 MHz DSD).

     

    When using NAA, the DoP setting only affects NAA output, the stream between HQPlayer and NAA is always native DSD and doesn't use DoP.

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    OK, then all is well. I feared that I had mucked up the un-muckable which seems the case with Linux and myself. Thanks for the support.

    To play without DoP to Amanero requires using ASIO on Windows. Since NAA is Linux-based and there are no Amanero-specific Linux drivers, it is only standard UAC2 and thus require DoP (and limited to 6.1 MHz DSD).

     

    When using NAA, the DoP setting only affects NAA output, the stream between HQPlayer and NAA is always native DSD and doesn't use DoP.

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    OMG! This thing has the Pogoplug E02 circuit board inside! And running the Vortex Box Pogoplug code. There is a sticker which says Pogoplug v2 inside!

     

    _bild_1395833763.jpg

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    OMG! This thing has the Pogoplug E02 circuit board inside!

     

    Is Pogoplug something we should all have, and does E02 sound better than E01?

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    OMG! This thing has the Pogoplug E02 circuit board inside! And running the Vortex Box Pogoplug code. There is a sticker which says Pogoplug v2 inside!

     

    _bild_1395833763.jpg

     

    These units use an operating system called Sonic Obiter and not Vortexbox. Andrew and I developed the system and licensed it to SOtM. We also provided SOtM the main boards because the OS is CPU specific....

     

    Jesus R

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    These units use an operating system called Sonic Obiter and not Vortexbox. Andrew and I developed the system and licensed it to SOtM. We also provided SOtM the main boards because the OS is CPU specific....

     

    Jesus R

     

    Isn't the code based on the VAMP 0.6 image that Andrew released over at Vortexbox? Also, I see that the hw you guys provided is a Pogoplug E02. I wonder where you guys find so many E02 as a few friends of mine are looking for E02 and is pretty hard to find now unless you pay a hefty price on eBay. My friend has the sMS100, the code certainly works on my E02.

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