Стримеры — SOtM sMS-200 Neo

The sMS-200 Neo is a compact network audio player from SOtM (Soul Of the Music), the South Korean digital audio specialist. It is a network endpoint without a DAC of its own - it receives music over Ethernet from a NAS, a computer or streaming services and sends it as a digital signal through a dedicated USB audio port to an external USB DAC. The Neo is the updated version of SOtM's original sMS-200 mini network player.

Key specs that matter

The sMS-200 Neo supports PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512, depending on the connected DAC. Connections are one gigabit Ethernet port, one high-grade USB audio output and two USB 2.0 ports for external storage. There is no Wi-Fi. It runs SOtM's Linux-based Eunhasu platform, which provides Roon Ready, DLNA/UPnP renderer, MPD, Logitech Media Server, Squeezelite, HQPlayer Network Audio Adapter and Shairport (AirPlay). Power comes from an external DC supply. The chassis measures 106 x 48 x 152mm and weighs 1.5kg.

Engineering and use context

The sMS-200 Neo uses a media-player board built on an ARM processor developed by SOtM specifically for audio, instead of an off-the-shelf computing board with features an audio device does not need. Removing unused functions reduces processing noise and power draw. The audio section has its own separate power board, and the circuitry uses ultra-low-noise regulators, SOtM's active noise-cancelling filters derived from its tX-USBexp USB card and sDP-1000EX, dedicated audio-grade capacitors and heatsinks for stable operation. The USB audio port is built to a higher standard than the storage ports, since its power and data lines feed the DAC directly. Eunhasu, meaning river of stars, is configured through a web interface from a computer, phone or tablet, and lets the owner choose which player software runs, from Roon to HQPlayer's NAA mode, in which a powerful computer performs upsampling and filtering and the sMS-200 Neo simply delivers the processed stream to the DAC. New functions arrive through software updates. Because the unit has no DAC or display, it relies entirely on the chosen control app.

Pairing

The sMS-200 Neo needs a USB DAC, and it suits owners who already have a good DAC and want to add network streaming. Since noise from the power supply matters in such a device, SOtM offers linear power supplies such as the sPS-500 as upgrades to the standard adapter, and a wired Ethernet connection is required.

Alternatives

SOtM's own sMS-200ultra Neo adds the sCLK-EX high-precision clock and an input for an external 10MHz master clock.