Some news from SOtM - A new "Neo" version of the sMS-200 and sMS-200Ultra.
From SOtM:
SOtM is going to release the sMS-200 Neo and sMS-200ultra Neo. They are a newer version of the original sMS-200 and sMS-200ultra, and sound colors and sound characteristic are different from the original version. The Neo has deeper mid-range and better bass expressions compared to the original version. And the original version has little more dynamics and presents bright sound compared to Neo version. With such changes, the overall balance of Neo becomes richer and brings musical inspiration.
Pricing and Availability
The price is the same as the standard version.
If you would like to change your current standard version to Neo version, the following price would be required
- Keep the front panel to the same as original : USD30
- Change the front panel to the Neo : USD80
The component inside of original version have been changed and selected new component for Neo, so the standard version will be discontinued and Neo version is going to be available from the first week of August. Pre order is available from now on.
I have to say I am a little surprised that the cost of this upgrade is $30. When you consider parts, labour, administration time, and so on, $30 is not much! (It will certainly be a lot more cash to ship to Korea and back) And let's be honest here, in the rarefied world of hifi kit, I doubt many people would question a $100 charge for un upgrade of this type.
That said, this is of particular interest to myself. As I have mentioned in my streaming thread, I have found the sMS-200Ultra to sound a little "thin and bright", and here we have SOtM claiming that "The Neo has deeper mid-range and better bass expressions compared to the original version. And the original version has little more dynamics and presents bright sound compared to Neo version." - This sounds perfect to me, except it does imply the Neo has inferior dynamics! I wonder if this was lost in translation a little bit? Maybe not?
I also note that it is an extra $50 for the new front panel, which to me looks identical to the old front panel, except for "Neo" written in tiny vertical text.
Amongst the sMS-200Ultra users here, I find the unit a little bright, whilst others do not. I wonder how many of us will bother to upgrade?
From SOtM:
SOtM is going to release the sMS-200 Neo and sMS-200ultra Neo. They are a newer version of the original sMS-200 and sMS-200ultra, and sound colors and sound characteristic are different from the original version. The Neo has deeper mid-range and better bass expressions compared to the original version. And the original version has little more dynamics and presents bright sound compared to Neo version. With such changes, the overall balance of Neo becomes richer and brings musical inspiration.
Pricing and Availability
The price is the same as the standard version.
If you would like to change your current standard version to Neo version, the following price would be required
- Keep the front panel to the same as original : USD30
- Change the front panel to the Neo : USD80
The component inside of original version have been changed and selected new component for Neo, so the standard version will be discontinued and Neo version is going to be available from the first week of August. Pre order is available from now on.
I have to say I am a little surprised that the cost of this upgrade is $30. When you consider parts, labour, administration time, and so on, $30 is not much! (It will certainly be a lot more cash to ship to Korea and back) And let's be honest here, in the rarefied world of hifi kit, I doubt many people would question a $100 charge for un upgrade of this type.
That said, this is of particular interest to myself. As I have mentioned in my streaming thread, I have found the sMS-200Ultra to sound a little "thin and bright", and here we have SOtM claiming that "The Neo has deeper mid-range and better bass expressions compared to the original version. And the original version has little more dynamics and presents bright sound compared to Neo version." - This sounds perfect to me, except it does imply the Neo has inferior dynamics! I wonder if this was lost in translation a little bit? Maybe not?
I also note that it is an extra $50 for the new front panel, which to me looks identical to the old front panel, except for "Neo" written in tiny vertical text.
Amongst the sMS-200Ultra users here, I find the unit a little bright, whilst others do not. I wonder how many of us will bother to upgrade?
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