ПК и серверы — SOtM sMS-1000SQ Windows Edition

The sMS-1000SQ Windows Edition is a music server from SOtM of Korea that runs Microsoft Windows instead of the Linux software used by the original sMS-1000SQ. It ships with AudiophileOptimizer from the Swiss company Highend-AudioPC, a program that configures the operating system purely for audio playback, and the server can also be set up as a multi-zone network audio system.

Key specs that matter

Buyers choose Windows 10 Pro or Windows Server 2012 R2. A 64 GB SSD is standard, and internal storage can be extended to a maximum of 8 TB on hard disk or 2 TB on SSD. Three output versions are offered. The USB model has an audio-grade USB 3.0 port on SOtM's tX-USBexp card, with an external power input jack, a USB power on/off switch, USB Audio Class 2.0 and support for PCM up to 32-bit/384 kHz and DSD. The digital model has AES/EBU, coaxial and optical outputs for PCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz. The analogue model provides balanced outputs at 1.9 Vrms and unbalanced outputs at 0.95 Vrms, handles 32-bit/192 kHz PCM, and is rated at 0.005% THD+N at 1 kHz with a bandwidth reaching 100 kHz at -3 dB. Power comes from a 19 V DC input with a maximum draw of 60 W. The case measures 360 x 68 x 240 mm and weighs just over 4 kg, and the operating range is 10 to 30 degrees C.

Engineering and use context

Running Windows lets owners use players that do not exist for Linux, and SOtM names Roon, TIDAL, Qobuz, Foobar2000, JRiver and PowerDVD as supported software. The separate power jack on the tX-USBexp card allows the audio USB port to take its 5 V from an outside supply instead of the computer's own rails. Optional clock modules can be fitted, and a Blu-ray drive can be added so that discs are ripped straight onto the internal storage. The choice of output card decides the role of the box - a USB transport for an outboard converter, a digital transport for a DAC with S/PDIF or AES inputs, or a complete source with its own conversion stage.

Pairing

The USB version suits DACs with asynchronous USB inputs, and SOtM's sDP-1000EX shares the same 360 mm width for a two-box stack. The analogue version, with its balanced line output, connects directly to an integrated amplifier or preamplifier and removes the need for a separate converter.

Alternatives

SOtM's sMS-1000SQ Eunhasu is built on the same hardware platform but runs Eunhasu, the Linux-based operating system the company wrote itself.