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Visit to IJmuiden locks, IJmond outer harbor and beach works at Wijk aan Zee for the pull-in and laying of power cables for offshore wind farms Hollandse Kust.
The EISA award is perfectly understandable, the product in the hand e a remarkable piece of jewellery for audio on the go, the sound is almost on par with the micro iDSD Black Label in a quarter of the size simply amazing.
I can't remember another brand but Sony to have in the past this level of pleasure of owning one great quality product on my hand like their top of the line walkman hardware in the 80’s.
iFi with the xDSD made me feel today the same desire and satisfaction. It a wow! product since the initial unpacking to the pleasure of having it on the hand, is beautiful crafted and on the dark side a fingerprint revelation, I am simply in love by it.
The sound, I never used my micro iDSD away from the desktop, it was portable but not that portable, and very awkward to me to use something like the micro iDSD BL on the go, even if the micro sounds a little better the small advantage that the micro can have on sound does not justify the space and lack of usability on the size of the unit, no way I was using it on the go, anyway the micro Black is more complete and better sounding hardware that deserve is place on the best of the best.
The xDSD is something I will gladly use on the go with pride like an Hugo Boss suit, or an Breitling watch, it simply feels premium and sounds so good, it's not awkward it's beautiful, makes heads turn and look at it with curiosity, it's great sound with stylish looks.
The xbass makes magic on music, the 3D makes everything float around, the effects are not Audiophile correct, but who cares, on the go they are magical, and with all the noise around you on the streets you get more pleasure with them, the xBass and 3D are simple like honey, it produces lot's of detail in a musical way. All other portable Dac's now seem ugly as hell comparing the hardware alone side by side, but not only the portable DAC's, there is a lot of hardware that design and build is not on par with their sound, some have the design and sound horrible, other have the sound and are bad looking. The xDSD is the synergy of sound and looks well made.
EISA Award is very deserved for sound, size, battery duration, beauty, portability, even the price.
There are things we sell to be able to upgrade, and then many years after we regret to have sold that hardware that marked our memories. The iFi xDSD is one product that you will never forget if for some motive I sell it, in 10 or 20 years I will regret have done it, this one is special.
This was my computeraudiophile forum post about the xDSD www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38723-ifi-audio-x...
Congratulations iFi.
Okay, this is the last photo in my minimalism project so far.
If you liked this project, please hop on over to JPG magazine and give it a vote.
This photo was taken from Shifting Pixel (Permalink, additional comments)
Night scape of railway and light rail beside Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai, China, Aug 25, 2018
I became addict of the iPurifier when it fist brought it to my first edition iFi Micro iDSD, at the time I was discovering the iFi Products, and the iPurifier was an interesting product then in price and quality.
The original changed the sound signature of my system in a positive way, giving me more information and after that I brought the original Micro iUSB, but with the micro iUSB I also purchased the iPurifier 2, and they work paired giving me a lot or more information and dynamics, better sense of dimension with the harman kardon GLA-55, the effect was present in texture, better highs and lows, better small dynamic perception.
This small changes that sometimes when reading could be interpreted as big and that your system changes completely, but they are not in the magnitude of the words, but the words used are a good guide to focus a user in the perceptible changes in an easy to better evaluate the perceived benefits , for me in the way they work are in a magnitude way bigger than the 100 euros could give.
But this review is not about the iPurifier 2, instead the new iPurifier 3.
The iPurifier 3 is a USB gadget that reclocks, regenerates and has a rebalance tech, it incorporates a active noise cancelation technology that works impressively, a revised and upgraded version of the last itineration of their iPurifier 2 I also own, as always the unbox experience of the package from iFi products is very special.
The little package comes with a lot of extras and no one will indifferent of the construction quality of the iPurifier 3, it’s a rewarding hardware tech marvel.
Ifi upgraded all the internals resulting in a little bigger piece of hardware, there are new OS-CON capacitors, a new version of the noise canceling technology named “Active Noise Cancellation2® (ANC2)” and all the internals are better quality.
What about the iPurifier 3 in sound when compared to the 2.
The iPurifier 2 was a great product and it made an very good sonic upgrade, the iPurifier 3 feels a lot more refined, it has most the benefits form the iPurifier 3, but is more transparent, musical and natural, when connected to the system it does not have a defined personality, to explain I will try to explain the effect of the iPurifier 3 and the original iUSB, it added bass and highs noticeably, and when I connected to some of my higher quality and recent components like the iFi Pro iDSD version 2 gave a small veil in the sound. Notice that the iFi Pro iDSD does not need an iPurifier 2.
Anyway I tried the iPurifier 3 in my iFi iDSD pro to see if the same issue was present, and it was not, it simply cleaned the sound without any added issue, so this was an interesting test, the product has no degradation effect on the cables.
After that, as I brought it to the micro iDSD Black Label for my son I, removing the iPurifier 2 and connecting the iPurifier 3, it does give a more realistic and neutral musical presentation, also it really cleans more as some little sound are more perceptible like if o had sharpness to little details that where there but not so audible, the high frequencies are substantial more natural and less “irritating”, the lows are also more perceptible, and example is the Album Tubular Bells 3 from Mike Oldfield, the first track in the beginning has a bass that goes from left to right and right to left and that perception with the iPurifier 3 is a lot more defined and engages you more on the music track.
Also, the sound stage has benefits, as you gain small details and separation, you also gain in density of information, focus on all the dimensions of the soundstage and a global better enjoyment of your music.
Reading all the above and buying the iPurifier 3 is a no brainer if you have a system transparent enough that could show changes in the whole, I used the iFi new Gemini 3.0 Cable and also an Audioquest Diamond, and the original version of the iFi Gemini.
As I have been upgrading my system a lot in the last year, every step comes with trades and benefits, my system has turned out to become more revealing each time, some hardware results very well other not that so. The iPurifier 3 made no degradation and gave me a more beneficial effect with the iDSD Black Label.
I have to give my regards to iFi as each itineration of their product line, has been really an upgrade from the last, the iPurifier 3 deserves a very good listen.
I used a large format camera to take three 4x5 negatives and then i cut and taped them together and made a cyanotype.
British Insulated Calender’s Cables Ltd (BICC) was formed in 1945 from the merger of British Insulated Cables Ltd (BIC) & Callender’s Cables Ltd. After the merger, BICC had four major manufacturing sites at Prescot (wire mill & telephone cables), Helsby (thermoplastic cables & capacitors), Leigh (power cables) and Erith (power cables). BICC specialised in the manufacture of power cables and later optical cables, capacitors as well as being involved in construction.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, BICC underwent rapid development and reorganisation to consolidate its operations in Britain and expand the business overseas. By 1961 BICC had expanded to include manufacturing facilities in 11 countries and subsidiaries, employing some 41,000. By 1963 this had grown to over 48,000 employees across 16 countries. Manufacturing of all BICC’s divisions reached their peak during the 1970’s and steadily declined thereafter until the cabling sections of the business were sold in the 1990’s. In 2002, what remained of BICC plc was renamed as Balfour Beatty plc.
This may be a 50 year long-service badge but if anyone can confirm this, please get in touch. Thank you.
.
References:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Insulated_Callender%27s_Cables
www.crefige.dauphine.fr/recherche/histo_compta/boyns2.pdf (Development of management accounting at BICC during the 1950’s & 1960’s – also contains some history of the BICC company).
www.bobsoldphones.net/Pages/BI&H/History.htm (British Insulated Cables history).
www.gracesguide.co.uk/BICC (Various BICC advertisements dating from 1945 to 1955 all having the same BI-Callender’s logo as illustrated on the above badge).
.
Enamels: 2 (red & cream coloured).
Finish: Tin plated.
Material: Brass.
Fixer: Buttonhole (horseshoe shaped clasp).
Size: 15/16” x 1 1/8” (23mm x 28mm).
Process: Die stamped.
Imprint: No maker’s name or mark.
This new X line of iFi product range is something to beautiful to look at and feel in the hand, the xCan is really small like the amazing xDSD that received the EISA award last year, the xCan looks as good as the sounds, is a magical combination of hardware and passion.
That passion is present when you send music from your phone to the xDSD you understand how weak your phone amplifier is, this small wonder has power to drive some difficult headphones without showing signs of weakness, in a small package like this, and for me is really impressive.
The xCan is a portable amplifier that can be connected to your phone by bluetooth and use any set of wired headphones, even very demanding ones, and stream your music from your phone.
And this is a most needed add-on in a present where phone manufacturers are removing the headphone Jack, migrating users to a new wave of wireless headphones. Wireless headphones are practical but with that practicability we pay premium for a not so good sound, and for the same price there are a lot of superior wired headphones the we can buy and have a more rewarding sound experience.
In the end the best of the best earphones that I know are wired, so the xCan can be the the perfect add-on you can buy to your phone to listen music on the go.
Also at home you can connect this little marvel to a set of amplified speakers or even your living room system and transform tour speakers in wireless bluetooth speakers, streaming music by bluetooth in ACC or aptX from your tablet or phone.
You can also use the xBass and 3D effect if you wish, on some tracks it’s really good effect, the xCan implementation of xBass is an addictive effect to have on the go.
You can not go wrong with the xDSD, it plays very well, has a lot of functionality, it’s beautiful, very portable, the iFi X line really has the X Factor.
If you are looking to a good portable bluetooth preamp the xCan should be on your list of hardware to try.
have acquired the dc iPurifier 2, I have a substantial investment in power accessories in my desktop audio, audioquest thunder and tornado cables, an audioquest nigara, sbooster power supply’s, and now the DC iPurifier 2.
The introduction is not to grab about cables or other hardware, but because I thought the DC iPurifier 2 will not do anything or bring any benefit to my setup, it was connected between the SBooster and the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra streamer.
In my case it did no do a big, mean big difference but it made difference, after all hardware and cables before it to clean and modulate the sound to my taste it bettered the sound a little more.
What I have noticed was an overall sound gain in sharpness from low frequency’s to the high’s without compromising any musicality or having a degradation effect that some man in the middle accessories could bring.
I already have a pretty big investment for cleaning the electricity of my desktop audio, so the result of the DC iPurifier was a surprise to me that I was not expecting.
If I removed the SBooster and the audioquest tornado connected from the SOtM, and try the DC iPurifier 2 with the original power supply that comes with the SOtM the difference’s this time were in a greater proportion, as affects a lot more aspects of the sound as bigger image, a better sensation of transparency, attack and decay of notes, and the wall on the back of the speakers goes back a few inches more.
The combination of the SBooster, Audioquest tornado and DC iPurifier 2 result is justified for me, even giving only a small increase in the global result. But one thing I can’t complaint is an increase. The original SOtM transformer with DC iPurifier 2 combination is a bigger and more justified difference, but can’t compete with the added SBooster, AQ Tornado and DC iPurifier 2 trio.
All devices audio devices were connected to the AQ Nigara 1000, and for the price of the DS iPurifier 2 you can’t go wrong.
HDMI extended length fiber optic cables provide unmatched signal fidelity and transparency over a wide range of input resolutions with cables lengths up to 100 meters. These cables utilize high speed fiber-optic converters integrated within each connector that convert the digital input signals into optical pulses, and then back again at the display. The cable material is an innovative hybrid design consisting of 4 high-speed glass fibers and 5 copper wires, which offers a high degree of ruggedness and flexibility. These features make these cables especially well suited for critical display applications that demand flawless HDMI signal integrity over very long cable runs.
HDMI extended length fiber optic cables provide unmatched signal fidelity and transparency over a wide range of input resolutions with cables lengths up to 100 meters. These cables utilize high speed fiber-optic converters integrated within each connector that convert the digital input signals into optical pulses, and then back again at the display. The cable material is an innovative hybrid design consisting of 4 high-speed glass fibers and 5 copper wires, which offers a high degree of ruggedness and flexibility. These features make these cables especially well suited for critical display applications that demand flawless HDMI signal integrity over very long cable runs.
VCOM cable, wire and connector assembly include Bulk cable and wire; V.35 Router cable; SCSI, Multimedia cable ; Flat, Serial, Parallel, IEEE1284, RS232 cable; coaxial, RGB, KVM cable; audio & video cable, USB &IEEE1394 cable, mouse & keyboard cable, telecommunication cable, fiber cable, power cord & socket panel.
VCOM network distribution products include CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6 cable, Link Rack, general RJ45 Socket, 110 Socket, RJ45 Jack, Connector, Patch cable and variety of assembly boxes, Stripping, Crimping and Impacting Tools and so on. Our purposes are of providing series of products for Computer and Computer peripherals connecting, LAN and WAN connecting.
HDMI extended length fiber optic cables provide unmatched signal fidelity and transparency over a wide range of input resolutions with cables lengths up to 100 meters. These cables utilize high speed fiber-optic converters integrated within each connector that convert the digital input signals into optical pulses, and then back again at the display. The cable material is an innovative hybrid design consisting of 4 high-speed glass fibers and 5 copper wires, which offers a high degree of ruggedness and flexibility. These features make these cables especially well suited for critical display applications that demand flawless HDMI signal integrity over very long cable runs.
Designer: Ha Qiongwen (哈琼文)
1965, March
Become a red seedling - Strike root, sprout flower and bear seed in the places the motherland needs it most!'
Zuo yike hongsede zhongzi - Dao zuguo zui xuyaode difang shenggen faya, kaihua, jieguo! (做一颗红色的种子 - 到祖国最需要的地方生根, 发芽, 开花, 结果!)
Call nr.: BG E12/474 (IISH collection)
More? See: chineseposters.net
VCOM cable, wire and connector assembly include Bulk cable and wire; V.35 Router cable; SCSI, Multimedia cable ; Flat, Serial, Parallel, IEEE1284, RS232 cable; coaxial, RGB, KVM cable; audio & video cable, USB &IEEE1394 cable, mouse & keyboard cable, telecommunication cable, fiber cable, power cord & socket panel.
VCOM network distribution products include CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6 cable, Link Rack, general RJ45 Socket, 110 Socket, RJ45 Jack, Connector, Patch cable and variety of assembly boxes, Stripping, Crimping and Impacting Tools and so on. Our purposes are of providing series of products for Computer and Computer peripherals connecting, LAN and WAN connecting.
Power Cables.
I have many power cables from past living room systems, old audioquest NRG3, NRG5, Acoustic Arts ferrite I and II, Vovox textura Power to mention a few.
This new Audioquest storm series range of cables compared to the others in my systems really make things shine a lot more, and I mean a lot more, they are not affordable, but for me they make very noticeable positive diferences, the diferences are so big that my account suffers every time one of them enters in my audio system and play some music, welcome upgrades that sometimes are bigger than changing most of the hardware.
Every power cable I have changed in my desktop system made a big diference, even the Apple Mac Pro made very big changes in the sound when the original supplied cable was exchanged by an Audioquest Thunder, it’s not a subtile change.
The hurricane is one of the best I have ever heard and one of the most expensive I have ever listened to, the only downside in a few weeks is not if it is good enough, but if I can live without the Hurricane in my system anymore.
I give my special thank’s to Esotérico to landing me the Hurricane to listen before acquisition, you can check their site in esoterico.pt
Is this energy generated using wind or nuclear or solar or gas or from coal powered plant? Bluebonnet flowers are enjoying their season. I hope the flowers will bloom for generations to come and soon mankind will switch to clean energy production
Taken on the last night of my InDesign class at APU. My PowerBook is in the foreground with my Nalgene, Linda is speaking in the background (giving her final presentation).
This new X line of iFi product range is something to beautiful to look at and feel in the hand, the xCan is really small like the amazing xDSD that received the EISA award last year, the xCan looks as good as the sounds, is a magical combination of hardware and passion.
That passion is present when you send music from your phone to the xDSD you understand how weak your phone amplifier is, this small wonder has power to drive some difficult headphones without showing signs of weakness, in a small package like this, and for me is really impressive.
The xCan is a portable amplifier that can be connected to your phone by bluetooth and use any set of wired headphones, even very demanding ones, and stream your music from your phone.
And this is a most needed add-on in a present where phone manufacturers are removing the headphone Jack, migrating users to a new wave of wireless headphones. Wireless headphones are practical but with that practicability we pay premium for a not so good sound, and for the same price there are a lot of superior wired headphones the we can buy and have a more rewarding sound experience.
In the end the best of the best earphones that I know are wired, so the xCan can be the the perfect add-on you can buy to your phone to listen music on the go.
Also at home you can connect this little marvel to a set of amplified speakers or even your living room system and transform tour speakers in wireless bluetooth speakers, streaming music by bluetooth in ACC or aptX from your tablet or phone.
You can also use the xBass and 3D effect if you wish, on some tracks it’s really good effect, the xCan implementation of xBass is an addictive effect to have on the go.
You can not go wrong with the xDSD, it plays very well, has a lot of functionality, it’s beautiful, very portable, the iFi X line really has the X Factor.
If you are looking to a good portable bluetooth preamp the xCan should be on your list of hardware to try.
The EISA award is perfectly understandable, the product in the hand e a remarkable piece of jewellery for audio on the go, the sound is almost on par with the micro iDSD Black Label in a quarter of the size simply amazing.
I can't remember another brand but Sony to have in the past this level of pleasure of owning one great quality product on my hand like their top of the line walkman hardware in the 80’s.
iFi with the xDSD made me feel today the same desire and satisfaction. It a wow! product since the initial unpacking to the pleasure of having it on the hand, is beautiful crafted and on the dark side a fingerprint revelation, I am simply in love by it.
The sound, I never used my micro iDSD away from the desktop, it was portable but not that portable, and very awkward to me to use something like the micro iDSD BL on the go, even if the micro sounds a little better the small advantage that the micro can have on sound does not justify the space and lack of usability on the size of the unit, no way I was using it on the go, anyway the micro Black is more complete and better sounding hardware that deserve is place on the best of the best.
The xDSD is something I will gladly use on the go with pride like an Hugo Boss suit, or an Breitling watch, it simply feels premium and sounds so good, it's not awkward it's beautiful, makes heads turn and look at it with curiosity, it's great sound with stylish looks.
The xbass makes magic on music, the 3D makes everything float around, the effects are not Audiophile correct, but who cares, on the go they are magical, and with all the noise around you on the streets you get more pleasure with them, the xBass and 3D are simple like honey, it produces lot's of detail in a musical way. All other portable Dac's now seem ugly as hell comparing the hardware alone side by side, but not only the portable DAC's, there is a lot of hardware that design and build is not on par with their sound, some have the design and sound horrible, other have the sound and are bad looking. The xDSD is the synergy of sound and looks well made.
EISA Award is very deserved for sound, size, battery duration, beauty, portability, even the price.
There are things we sell to be able to upgrade, and then many years after we regret to have sold that hardware that marked our memories. The iFi xDSD is one product that you will never forget if for some motive I sell it, in 10 or 20 years I will regret have done it, this one is special.
This was my computeraudiophile forum post about the xDSD www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38723-ifi-audio-x...
Congratulations iFi.
In the search for a better musical experience extracting better sound from my recent iFi DAC upgrade and get more pleasure in the sound presentation I discovered SOTM products, I searched for information of network streamers and similar user opinions about them, saw videos and all that I can find about on the web, and after reading lots of average consensus of users in their with their experience, and after some weeks acquired an SOTM sMS-200 Ultra without listening.
I have to admit that acquiring without listening is risky decision, and sometimes you could end with a unit that do not give any positive enhancement to your system. The intent was to remove my noisy Mac Pro from degrading the sound of the DAC, is this case an iFi iDSD Pro that has galvanic isolation but is very sensible to all cables and accessories before it, as any other DAC the quality of the USB connection is primordial to a better sound experience.
You can clean your computer USB, but you will pay the same or more than buy a optimised and clean dedicated computer exclusively for audio.
It’s that quality USB connection I was searching and found it on the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra, it impressive how a single device for giving you a great USB link affects the final sound.
Computers are terribly noisy devices, electricity in an apartment is full of noise, that contaminates the computer, processor, motherboard, fan, hard drive, external devices with bad power supply’s, even software resource needs generate noise, and that noise affects the link that is made from the computer to the DAC.
Any user like me trying to get better audio will start a journey of cleaning that USB transmission with galvanic isolated solutions, USB regenerators and re-clockers, and many other solutions that exist on the market and stores that clean the USB signal. Some of devices at every step give you an extra more, or a different presentation, or change the total presentation, sometimes in a good way, other times not accomplishing what they promote or I expect for the price
What did SOtM do, they produced a small audio optimised network computer to connect to your DAC by USB, it has an optimised and excellent internal clock board, but they build it with high quality audiophile components, for me they have made something very special that results very well on my system.
The SOtM SMS-200 Ultra is a simple audiophile network streamer for the only propose to pass the bits to your DAC in the cleanest way possible.
The sMS-200 Ultra supports various audio standard protocols like the Roon RAAT, HQPlayer, LibreSpot, Minim Server, Airplay, Bubble UPnP, DLNA, Squeezelite, and runs a light linux optimised version for audio called Eunhasu that can be upgraded with more functionality and add support for future DAC hardware.
Their service and support has been very receptive to beginner questions, with fast reply and helpful responses, thats a thumbs up for support. For me, product support is one of the most important features of any product.
The sOTM sMS-200 Ultra is an awesome product it made a big change for the better to my music enjoyment… The final result is based on my personal system, room, cables, and could be different on your system, but one thing I have certain, If anyone tries one of this units the change will be noticed for the better.
When I dedicate some of my time to write about it, it’s because I the product quality and benefit it gave me. Is common that the new upgraded unit is better than the last used solution, and the big motive I upgraded an stayed in the system. But regarding the presence I feel now when I listen to a good album, the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is one of the best upgrades I have done in the last few years, and the upgrades where a lot.
Apart from some rock concerts, small jazz groups and some classical music concerts, my live music experience is not that active, I will not compare the real presentation that I can achieve, but instead the enjoyment the SOtM offered to me from my system, and with it came a new musical experience. The difference of hearing a real orchestra in plain euforia is something that I never heard any system being capable of, the real thing is a more powerful experience that any system or my small one can reproduce, I herd systems close to that reality with prices impossible to archive by a normal person, but with my hardware limitation, the emulation of the artist presence was upgraded to a new level.
All of this to explain that is difficult to quantify how better in my case the SOtM is compared to reality, but I can quantify listen experience before and after the SOtM, and here it goes.
The SOtM is all about music, after changing the in the box power supply for an SBooster it really shines, the music presentation grows a lot, and the speakers grow the sound to a huge presentation, the sound is so big that the room feels larger, a friend of mine when showing the music, started to look behind searching for surround speakers on the back wall, the SOtM sMS 200 Ultra really made the presentation of some albums impressive. One example of this is the Pink Floyd track On The Run from the Dark Side of the Moon album, or tracks from the album Blood from This Mortal Coil.
The SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is musical and not aggressive in any way, and has this 3D way of presenting the sound a sensation of magical sweetness without loss of information, I am loving it and ordered an SPS-500 Power supply with silver cable, it deserves the best friend to complement and shine even more.
The sound from my Mac Pro was somehow a little bi dimensional when compared to the SOtM, the highs sometimes where to much, and lacked the dimension that the SOtM has, it sounded ok but was not holographic like the sound I have now, and lacked some musicality, some albums where too harsh and very aggressive to be played, this doesn’t mean a bad recording will sound good, the bad will sound always bad, but good recording elevate your experience in a way with the SOtM that the computer did not acomplished.
When used with a good DAC and a quality usb cable, in my case the iFi iDSD Pro DAC and the Audioquest Diamond USB, it gave me impressive results connected to my Focal Solo 6be.
I find the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra very sensitive to power cables, I used Audioquest tornado cables on the iFI and SOtM, and they proved to result very well in my setup.
So I think audiophiles will love it, for me is not an option to revert back to my Mac Pro as a USB source.
If you are using a DAC connected to your computer, you have to try an SOtM streamer and see what you have been loosing in sound with your computer, and pair the SOtM with a good and decent power supply and it will really shine.
In the search for a better musical experience extracting better sound from my recent iFi DAC upgrade and get more pleasure in the sound presentation I discovered SOTM products, I searched for information of network streamers and similar user opinions about them, saw videos and all that I can find about on the web, and after reading lots of average consensus of users in their with their experience, and after some weeks acquired an SOTM sMS-200 Ultra without listening.
I have to admit that acquiring without listening is risky decision, and sometimes you could end with a unit that do not give any positive enhancement to your system. The intent was to remove my noisy Mac Pro from degrading the sound of the DAC, is this case an iFi iDSD Pro that has galvanic isolation but is very sensible to all cables and accessories before it, as any other DAC the quality of the USB connection is primordial to a better sound experience.
You can clean your computer USB, but you will pay the same or more than buy a optimised and clean dedicated computer exclusively for audio.
It’s that quality USB connection I was searching and found it on the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra, it impressive how a single device for giving you a great USB link affects the final sound.
Computers are terribly noisy devices, electricity in an apartment is full of noise, that contaminates the computer, processor, motherboard, fan, hard drive, external devices with bad power supply’s, even software resource needs generate noise, and that noise affects the link that is made from the computer to the DAC.
Any user like me trying to get better audio will start a journey of cleaning that USB transmission with galvanic isolated solutions, USB regenerators and re-clockers, and many other solutions that exist on the market and stores that clean the USB signal. Some of devices at every step give you an extra more, or a different presentation, or change the total presentation, sometimes in a good way, other times not accomplishing what they promote or I expect for the price
What did SOtM do, they produced a small audio optimised network computer to connect to your DAC by USB, it has an optimised and excellent internal clock board, but they build it with high quality audiophile components, for me they have made something very special that results very well on my system.
The SOtM SMS-200 Ultra is a simple audiophile network streamer for the only propose to pass the bits to your DAC in the cleanest way possible.
The sMS-200 Ultra supports various audio standard protocols like the Roon RAAT, HQPlayer, LibreSpot, Minim Server, Airplay, Bubble UPnP, DLNA, Squeezelite, and runs a light linux optimised version for audio called Eunhasu that can be upgraded with more functionality and add support for future DAC hardware.
Their service and support has been very receptive to beginner questions, with fast reply and helpful responses, thats a thumbs up for support. For me, product support is one of the most important features of any product.
The sOTM sMS-200 Ultra is an awesome product it made a big change for the better to my music enjoyment… The final result is based on my personal system, room, cables, and could be different on your system, but one thing I have certain, If anyone tries one of this units the change will be noticed for the better.
When I dedicate some of my time to write about it, it’s because I the product quality and benefit it gave me. Is common that the new upgraded unit is better than the last used solution, and the big motive I upgraded an stayed in the system. But regarding the presence I feel now when I listen to a good album, the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is one of the best upgrades I have done in the last few years, and the upgrades where a lot.
Apart from some rock concerts, small jazz groups and some classical music concerts, my live music experience is not that active, I will not compare the real presentation that I can achieve, but instead the enjoyment the SOtM offered to me from my system, and with it came a new musical experience. The difference of hearing a real orchestra in plain euforia is something that I never heard any system being capable of, the real thing is a more powerful experience that any system or my small one can reproduce, I herd systems close to that reality with prices impossible to archive by a normal person, but with my hardware limitation, the emulation of the artist presence was upgraded to a new level.
All of this to explain that is difficult to quantify how better in my case the SOtM is compared to reality, but I can quantify listen experience before and after the SOtM, and here it goes.
The SOtM is all about music, after changing the in the box power supply for an SBooster it really shines, the music presentation grows a lot, and the speakers grow the sound to a huge presentation, the sound is so big that the room feels larger, a friend of mine when showing the music, started to look behind searching for surround speakers on the back wall, the SOtM sMS 200 Ultra really made the presentation of some albums impressive. One example of this is the Pink Floyd track On The Run from the Dark Side of the Moon album, or tracks from the album Blood from This Mortal Coil.
The SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is musical and not aggressive in any way, and has this 3D way of presenting the sound a sensation of magical sweetness without loss of information, I am loving it and ordered an SPS-500 Power supply with silver cable, it deserves the best friend to complement and shine even more.
The sound from my Mac Pro was somehow a little bi dimensional when compared to the SOtM, the highs sometimes where to much, and lacked the dimension that the SOtM has, it sounded ok but was not holographic like the sound I have now, and lacked some musicality, some albums where too harsh and very aggressive to be played, this doesn’t mean a bad recording will sound good, the bad will sound always bad, but good recording elevate your experience in a way with the SOtM that the computer did not acomplished.
When used with a good DAC and a quality usb cable, in my case the iFi iDSD Pro DAC and the Audioquest Diamond USB, it gave me impressive results connected to my Focal Solo 6be.
I find the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra very sensitive to power cables, I used Audioquest tornado cables on the iFI and SOtM, and they proved to result very well in my setup.
So I think audiophiles will love it, for me is not an option to revert back to my Mac Pro as a USB source.
If you are using a DAC connected to your computer, you have to try an SOtM streamer and see what you have been loosing in sound with your computer, and pair the SOtM with a good and decent power supply and it will really shine.
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Taken on a walk, which wasn't so much a walk, more a photoshoot spread over a mile and a half of countryside - 2,4km. A round trip of 3 miles - 4,8km.
A composition used in Week 18 - Perspective - set by the Compositionally Challenged Group.
A looking upward perspective, with the converging verticals removed in Photoshop elements 2022.