Why hasn't SOtM introduced the SMS300 yet?

It's 2023 there are dozens of $800 network streamers with vastly more features. What is missing from the SOtM SMS200 Ultra Neo lineup you ask?

The first easy answer is more outputs than just a USB output. Why no, AES-EBU, or S/PDIF Coax or BNC or Optical?? Why no option for optical fiber internet built into the unit?. Heck, while we're dreaming wild dreams... why no display of any kind? Sure the competition has full-color touch screens but SOtM doesn't even have a small LED row of lights to indicate resolution. Nothing nada - just a network activity flashing light.

The only "BIG" change to the SMS200 Ultra has been the addition of a new capacitor in the power supply to make a whole new "NEO" model. A filter cap change makes a new model??????

Talk about the SMS200 Ultra Neo with any other audiophile and they're likely to say, "Whatsssat?"

At this point the Holo Audio Red streamer, introduced hardly a year ago, is likely outselling SOtM 100 to 1.

Wake up SOtM - look around at the market and compete or your future isn't very bright.

On 10/22/2023 at 9:13 PM, creativepart said:

Why no option for optical fiber internet built into the unit?

That’s a good point 

On 10/22/2023 at 9:13 PM, creativepart said:

why no display of any kind? Sure the competition has full-color touch screens

Is it useful? The sms200 is just an endpoint, can you really read a display from around 3mt? Touch screen? What is it needed for?

On 10/22/2023 at 9:13 PM, creativepart said:

Nothing nada - just a network activity flashing light

It’s actually a cpu activity flashing light, the network activity leds are on the back.

On 10/22/2023 at 9:13 PM, creativepart said:

SOtM doesn't even have a small LED row of lights to indicate resolution

the dac should show it

On 10/22/2023 at 9:13 PM, creativepart said:

Holo Audio Red streamer

It doesn’t have any led or full touch color screen, very similar to sms200.

.

Does the Holo Red have an external clock option?

Does the Holo Red have the option to connect a usb hdd?

.

… we don’t need a Christmas tree but a very functional network endpoint with no frills.

.
The good old rule “if ain't broke don't fix it” is still valid …

I see you didn’t comment on the other outputs? I see that as the most obvious missing part of the SOtM device.
 

To my thinking, a network streamer with nothing but a USB output in 2023 is “broke” and isn’t competitive.

The Clock connection is an extra cost option. Should be standard.  The HDD input is a plus for many, so I’ll give you that. I don’t use it, so it wasn’t on my list.

I don’t care about the display at all. It’s just that most of the other competing network streamers have this to some degree. 
 

Surely, the company is aware of their competition, many are even coming from South Korean manufacturers. 

8 minutes ago, creativepart said:

I see you didn’t comment on the other outputs? I see that as the most obvious missing part of the SOtM device.

Because I use it as HQPlayer NAA endpoint (up to DSD512) and spdif/aes output would be unuseful

@creativepart … anyway SOtM announced few months ago they are working on a new generation of sMS-1000SQ based on their sMB-Q370 motherboard,  we’ll see soon …

How many years has the SMS200 been available... one change to Ultra and then a single power section filter capacitor to make the Neo versions.

I like my SMS200 Ultra (DIY Neo), but I'm not loyal to the company. Innovate or die is the rule of the electronics jungle.

18 hours ago, creativepart said:

How many years has the SMS200 been available... one change to Ultra and then a single power section filter capacitor to make the Neo versions.

Munich high-end show, May 2016, the Ultra a year later. 

I bought my sMS-200 in 2017. There have been at least three significant sonic upgrades since then, via free firmware updates. I use it with a linear power supply in my desktop system. I upgraded to Neo status via DIY last year for a pittance.

I still believe it is economically and sonically competitive, but I see your point, it is probably time SOtM released a new end point, if for no other reason than to revive some buzz.

Hans Beekhuyzen on YouTube was instrumental in educating a lot of people about the goodness of SoTM's SMS200 products. This was 6 years ago.

He's reviewed half a dozen newer network streamers in the years since and he currently uses and mentions favorably the Magna Mano Ultra MK III Farad network streamer. But there's never any further mention of SoTM's SMS200 products.

So, I asked him If he could comment on the SMS200 and it's continued relevance. Here's his response:

Quote

Be assured the SOtM sMS200 Ultra Neo is in the same class as the Magna Mano Ultra MK III Farad. But where the SOtM has USB as output, the Magna offers AES/EBU (or SPDIF) and I²S.

Which was and is the question in this thread - Why hasn't the SMS200 been updated with more output choices. USB is not the be all and end all of output options available. 2016 was a long time ago and things have changed very much since then.

I want SoTM to thrive and in today's market you need more than routine firmware updates, even if they improve SQ, to keep up with other players. Surely, SoTM can see this as well????

@creativepart … but the Magna Mano Ultra … is raspberry pi3 based and rpi3 is well known to have issues when Ethernet and usb are used at the same time (shared bus) and the Ethernet throughput is under average too … would you then prefer a under average usb output but with AES etc …?

3 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

@creativepart … but the Magna Mano Ultra …

I'm not suggesting that unit. I don't see it as viable for me and it looks to have issues overall. I'm only pointing out that people would naturally choose many other network streamers instead of being locked into USB output only.

My DAC has USB, Toslink and BNC S/PDIF inputs and I feel that it is limited with "only" three choices. I used USB for 5+ years and recently bought a SRC-DX to use dual BNC S/PDIF and there's a large sound difference between USB and S/PDIF inputs in my Hugo TT2. Of course, I wouldn't know this if I didn't buy some device to make this happen. I couldn't test inputs to my DAC and use my SoTM streamer.

All I'm saying is, in today's marketplace, after 7-years there should be some product evolution to reflect the way things are today.

8 hours ago, stefano_mbp said:

@creativepart … but the Magna Mano Ultra … is raspberry pi3 based and rpi3 is well known to have issues when Ethernet and usb are used at the same time (shared bus) and the Ethernet throughput is under average too … would you then prefer a under average usb output but with AES etc …?

The well-regarded Metrum Ambre and Pi2Design Mercury are both based on Pi4...

10 hours ago, creativepart said:

My DAC has USB, Toslink and BNC S/PDIF inputs and I feel that it is limited with "only" three choices.

You could use other inputs with different sources. I use the sMS-200 in my desktop system via USB, and a PC/iPurifier2/Schiit Eitr via coax. In my main system, the DAC is fed from a renderer via USB, a CD transport via coax and TV via optical. 

10 hours ago, creativepart said:

USB is not the be all and end all of output options available.

Actually, I believe it is superior to all other options, including I2S, if the USB input is well implemented. The main problem with I2S is that the clock and chip are connected by a long cable, which can pick up EMI/RFI and increase jitter.

… sMS-2000 will be launched at High End Munich 2024

5 hours ago, stefano_mbp said:

… sMS-2000 will be launched at High End Munich 2024

Wow, at 4x the price of the SMS200 and it includes a Disc Slot Loading drive which according to what I read elsewhere will read SACDs???? Looks nice though but $5,000???

On 3/29/2024 at 10:18 PM, audiobomber said:

You could use other inputs with different sources. I use the sMS-200 in my desktop system via USB, and a PC/iPurifier2/Schiit Eitr via coax. In my main system, the DAC is fed from a renderer via USB, a CD transport via coax and TV via optical. 

Actually, I believe it is superior to all other options, including I2S, if the USB input is well implemented. The main problem with I2S is that the clock and chip are connected by a long cable, which can pick up EMI/RFI and increase jitter.

 

After much experimentation, I think I agree with you.

I thought my Chord Hugo TT2 was really great - USB implementation included. But then I tried a SRC-DX to convert USB to coax S/PDIF and it sounded much better.

Then I replaced the TT2 with a Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE and I found that the USB implementation is very very good compared to the Chord DAC.

As a result I no longer worry about the SoTM being a USB only output. The Spring 3 has just about every kind of digital inputs. This works better not just with my SoTM but also with my Shanling ET-3 CD Transport using the I2S features.

5 minutes ago, creativepart said:

Wow, at 4x the price of the SMS200 and it includes a Disc Slot Loading drive which according to what I read elsewhere will read SACDs???? Looks nice though but $5,000???

As far I can understand it will be the sMS-1000 successor therefore a different “beast” compared to sMS-200 , the name (sMS-x000) and price suggest this and, as May anticipated few months ago, it should be based on their sMB-Q370 motherboard … we’ll see

2 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

As far I can understand it will be the sMS-1000 successor therefore a different “beast” compared to sMS-200 ,

I kind of figured that due to the X000 naming. But when I first heard it I thought maybe instead of SMS300 they had simply added a zero to the SMS200.

It is confirmed the sMS-2000 will be based on sMB-Q370, on top it will use their usb card, network card and clock

While the sMS-200 is an endpoint this sMS-2000 will be a real server 

https://www.facebook.com/100057192140934/posts/pfbid02uWT8hejSoRDHecBiPmNUuWNS7gTB327djiG8yj1Jz87biq1n8Y12SvKmNdtPqn8Kl/?

22 hours ago, stefano_mbp said:

It is confirmed the sMS-2000 will be based on sMB-Q370, on top it will use their usb card, network card and clock

While the sMS-200 is an endpoint this sMS-2000 will be a real server 

It is possible to listen to it in two rooms of High End Munich:

https://www.monoandstereo.com/sotm-sms-2000-next-generation/