SOtM SMS-200

[hifimanrookie]

I did and I am in contact with May, and yes.. she is really super helpful!! wish more vendors were like her!

As i used to be an audio reviewer in past I made a little clip for her to show her in Realtime what gear I have (maybe an incompatibility issue with the new upgrade?) and the issues I have with squeezelight.

I really hope they find a solution soon as its driving me nuts as i need my music after a long day at work.

And if i read on other forums MANY are experiencing problems like the ones i am experiencing.

Maybe i should switch to Roon? how does that work? i mean moneywise. I see an annual contract for a server connection or something. If you use Roon only locally, do you need to pay every year that amount or only once? thanks for reply.

[octaviars]

@hifimanrookie I have used Roon a couple of years and would not go back to something else.

You need something to run the Roon core on if you look att Roon knowledge base you will find out how it works. You can try Roon for two weeks for free just put the core on a regular computer if you have both local music and Tidal the integration between local and Tidal is flawless. 

Either you pay by the year or get a lifetime subscribtion, some think it is expensive but to me it is cheap compared to what some pays for cables for example. Roon is the best software I have encountered it just works and updates works as intended.

[octaviars]

After reading a thing in the SOtM thread at Computer Audiophile I decided to wipe the SD card (16Gb class 10) clean and download the 4.51 image from SOtM and burn it to the SD card.

Took perhaps 15 minutes to download the 7.4Gb file and another 25 minutes to write and verify the card with USBimage program, I use a SD card reader that is connected via USB internally in my desktop computer.

Started my Neo and the front light is lit up constantly after it has booted up not flickering all the time as before, started up Roon and still the light was constant, pressed play in Roon and the light started flickering as it used to do with 4.22 so my conclusion is that there is something different with the download version compared to the one I did the upgrade to in Eunahasu webpage earlier this week.

[hifimanrookie]

ok..update on my ordeal with the new 0.4.5.1. update

good news..it works! but every time i startup the sms200 i do need to restart it once more before he stops restarting squeezelight over and over again (weird!)! only after a second restart (taking off power for a minute) it works as it should be:
so: no stutters, no silences..all works fine musically EXCEPT:

the volume level is still 1/4 lower on my amp! Normally i would listen with volume knob on 21:00 pm o'clock (that's only 1/4 of max volume position, i have sensitive ears), but now for same listening levels i need to put the volume knob up to 12:00-13:00 pm! the max position on my amp is at 18:00 WITH AN AMP THAT PUSHES:
power-output: 5,28W RMS into 50ohm, with both channels driven
total capacity: 650.000uF! (i have a proper review about this custom Headphone amp/dac with pics if you are interested)

At 12:00 my ears would have popped out before the update. (ps i even tried the old basic psu the sms200 go deliverd with.

BEFORE YOU ASK: YES I HAVE PUT THE VOLUME SETTINGS IN SQUEEZELIGHT ON MAX. AND FIXED. just as it was before the update...looks like some kind of a much lowered gain problem...

on a side note: omg..i just read Blue Circle Audio closed per 1 january 2019! another excellent boutique audio shop is gone. what a shame!!!!


so to come back to sms200: in short: if they solve those mentioned two issues i am happy again. am already happy that i can listen to music again (am burning in my new PSu and some other gear non stop now until they reach 100hrs)..

BY THE WAY: ANYONE ELSE IS HAVING THIS VOLUME ISSUE? and anyone has the 4.4 version for me???

and wow..the sms200 really opens up with a good powersupply!!!!its a total different animal now. well done SOTM..well done!!!!

[Confused]

With reference back to my pre-Christmas post #140. The 16GB micro SD card that I had ordered arrived last week, together with a micro to standard SD card adaptor that would allow me to burn the image via my PC's SD card slot.

I downloaded the latest V0.4.5.1 firmware, burnt it to the micro SD card using Balena Etcher. Much faffing around to swap the SD cards in the sMS-200Ultra, and no success, the sMS would not even boot up. You could turn the power light on, but the unit would then shut itself down. Clearly burning an image to my PC's SD card slot was not working for some reason. More faffing around, I eventually got imageUSB to work, but this would not recognise the PC's SD card slot, further faffing, I found an old USB to SD card adaptor and burnt the image using imageUSB. Put the SD card into the sMS-200Ultra, and success! The sMS-200Ultra booted up, it was recognised by Eunhasu, which showed the device was now on V0.4.5.1, so all good. Or so it seemed. I tried selecting HQPlayer NAA and this would not switch to "active", I just got the blue circle going around and around indefinitely. Puzzled, I then selected shairport mode as something to try, this did the same thing. Ummm. After yet more faffing, I discovered that you needed to click the config cog for both HQPlayer NAA and shairport, and reload the app. This was curious as I have never needed to do this, not even when I first had the sMS and used Eunhasu. So all a bit frustrating, but I got there in the end.

Now some good news, via HQPlayer NAA, the sMS-200Ultra appears to be 100% stable, so far it has worked perfectly. I only had time for a quick listen yesterday with V0.4.5.1, the initial impression was very positive, definitely sounding good, but I did have a slight niggle that maybe the highest treble was somehow a bit more metallic.

This morning I spent a couple of hours comparing, first running V0.4.5.1, then back to my old SC card with V.0.4.4, then returning to V0.4.5.1. I have found a definite improvement with V0.4.5.1. Overall, I would say V0.4.5.1 is more engaging and enjoyable to listen to. Of particular note were things like female vocals, in one case moving from a slightly sibilant sound to something far more natural sounding. (actually moving from slightly sibilant to ethereal sounding in one case, can ethereal be described as more natural? It is certainly better to listen to) Also notable was the presentation of the bass, better definition, more dynamic. Not more bass as such, but more bass impact. With extended listening and A/B comparison, the initial observation regarding the treble holds up. This could be system dependent, but some tracks that sounded fine with V.0.4.4 sounded just a fraction bright with V0.4.5.1. As an experiment, I used the Devialet remote to adjust treble whilst listening. Give the dial a big twist up and down, I cannot see the Devialet's display from the listening position, so in effect this blind test. I tried this with a couple of tracks on V.0.4.4 and ended up very close to 0 dB, with V0.4.5.1 my treble preference seemed to be nearer -1 or -2 dB. Most curious. For now I am sticking with V0.4.5.1. I tried some listening with the treble set to -2 dB and everything sounds great, this does upset my purist tendencies a little, but I can live with that when things are sounding so good. One thing occurs to me, last year I tried my old microRendu powered with the sPS-500 versus the LPS-1, I preferred the LPS-1 and when using the sPS-500 with the mR the system suffered from a very similar issue to the slightly metallic treble I am experiencing now. So I think I will revisit this one when my "end November 2018" batch Paul Hynes SR-4's arrive. (If they ever arrive)

As I final point, my downloaded imageUSB version of V04.5.1 definately sufferes from the blinking light issue.

[octaviars]

So I think I will revisit this one when my "end November 2018" batch Paul Hynes SR-4's arrive. (If they ever arrive)

As I final point, my downloaded imageUSB version of V04.5.1 definately sufferes from the blinking light issue.

@Confused you dont have to worrie the SR4 will for shure arrive I know all the trouble I had with my first one that DHL lost and Paul was very helpful building a new one straight away. I think Pauls move to a new location might slow things down a bit.

It seems a bit strange that so many suffers from different problems as I had the blinking light "syndrome" with the 4.51 I got from upgrading via the webpage and now with the one I downloaded it is working as it used to do.

Well I still feel that the sound from 4.51 is the best I have had in my system so I am happy with it. I do still have thoughts of how I will move forward. I had a dCS Rossini on loan a couple of weeks ago and will loan it again now with the new 2.0 firmware. Also a MSB dac with Roon renderer is something I might try. A network DAC would remove two SOtM products and two PSU from my system but it is a lot of money and will it bring better sound than my SOtM combo and TAD dac brings now, perhaps not.

Perhaps just enjoy the system is the best thing to do

[hifimanrookie]

UPDATE: I think it has to do with my amp/dac as I tried 0.4.2.2 and volume is lower on that firmware also then it should be! need to check it from my laptop tomorrow..streaming from my laptop (through jriver) into the sms200..just to make sure.

UPDATE 2: tried it with my laptop: sound levels are normal..volume level position on 21:00 as it also was with sms200. SO MY LUCKILY I HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY DAC/AMP!..

SOOOOOO i think the sms200 is broken or the F/W did something as both 4.22 as 4.5.1 are having same low volume level issues..

by the way, nobody finds it weird that 4.2.2 and 4.5.1 that are online now, are exactly the same size???? shouldn't the 4.2.2. be MORE smaller, as the update went super fast from 4.1.7. to 4.2.2 i can remember.

just to make sure it was not my ears, i did a hearing test..i scored an 89%, so thats not to bad for a 51 year old dude. so its also not my hearing.

ps..anyone has THE original 0.4.4. laying around i can download? just to test it out

[octaviars]

@hifimanrookie I thought I had 0.4.4 but I only have 0.4.0, 0.4.22, 0.4.5 and 0.4.51

[hifimanrookie]

ok thanks for checking..i appreciate it!

BUT..dont you think its weird also that the new 4.22 and o.4.5.1. are both exact same size? as 4.2.2 was originally to fit perfectly on that 8gb sdcard, so it should be smaller then.

it looks like the 422 thats now online is an modified one based on some variables of the latest version and that they just changed it to solve the stutter and instability issues with 0.4.5.1.

is your 4.2.2. and original one from months ago, or did you download it recently?

thanks for trying to helping me out!

But guys...the sound now!! Just listened to theme from harry’s Game from clannad....never knew that there was so much air in that song..almost churchlike.so much more depth and hight...wow!! The combo of the F/W upgrade 0451 and the new powersupply and new filter stuff really transformed the little guy...if only the volume issue was solved..and the ‘first switching on’ issue that restarts squeezelight over and over and only restarting the sms200 solves the problem...then its perfect....

ps..you dont have the volume issue???

[octaviars]

is your 4.2.2. and original one from months ago, or did you download it recently?

Downloaded when 4.2.2 came out a couple of months ago.

ps..you dont have the volume issue???

Cant say that I have that with Roon, same volume as I always used to play with.