Streamer/DDC Showdown: Pi2AES vs Sotm SMS200 Ultra Neo

[db_Cooper]

This is the closest thread I can ask this question in… shot in the dark but might as well. Can anyone interpret the following Sotm Ultra Neo label? I got the easy parts. It’s a NEO, with the conversion to 12v, US plug. But does the rest of the label indicate that this one has the cap upgrade and the Silver cabling? No idea what the eABS means.

EDIT: never mind, answered my own question.

About the sMS-200ultra Special Edition

For audiophiles who are looking for the best sound quality with their sMS-200ultra, the sMS-200ultra Crux Audio Special Edition further upgrades this fantastic network player with the addition of eABS-200 EMI absorber sheet (eliminating EMI noise), replacing internal wires with 7N-UPOCC silver or copper wires, and upgrading existing capacitors with EVOX capacitors.

The sMS-200ultra Crux Audio Special Edition already includes the sCLK-EX clock — the heart of this superior digital audio equipment. This new combination brings dramatic sound improvement.

[Wesley]

I just bought the Singxer SU-6 DDC. I almost got the Pi2AES, but I don’t wanna deal with Raspberry Pi setup + wireless tech.

[db_Cooper]

It’s actually pretty straight forward. This guide covers just about everything you’re going to need and I’ll help you with the rest.

I dove head first into the bridge idea and getting all music endpoints out of the PC. I picked up this SOtM but apparently I got lucky, the seller didn’t know it was a special edition, neither did I until I just caught the details on the label. Should have it tomorrow. I’m keeping the Pi2AES for my desktop and this for my 2 channel stereo.

[db_Cooper]

That Singxer looks pretty sweet though!

[Wesley]

It uses a super cap system to power the unit. Pretty good for the price. I picked it up on Amazon for $585.

[mochimashu]

Hi @M0N , sorry for digging out an old post but can I ask a couple of questions regarding this part of the chain (is it still called transport?) now that I have almost built the rest? I generally find your advice really helpful and thank you so much in advance.

Is Pi2AES a better option than, say, other Pi-based streamers such as the Allo Digi+ or DDC such as Singxer SU2/SU6? For one it’s probably cheaper (only with Meanwell PSU).

Regarding better power supply of Pi2AES, is it possible to, say, get an SBooster 24V or equivalent and split it into two, one for the Pi2AES and one for RNHP? (Trying to save a socket and a bit of the cost here)

Lastly, at the moment I am just using a MacBook (and I use some streaming services such as Qobuz but mostly ALAC files in iTunes ripped from CDs and I don’t have a strong need for hi-res tbh) with USB, will a solution like Pi2AES or a DDC make a noticeable sonic improvement?

Many thanks again!

[db_Cooper]

Most of your questions will be answered here.

Pi2aes Source install and other thoughts

For those that may not be aware, the Pi2aes is a digital audio interface that connects to the Raspberry Pi via the GPIO pins. This is particularly useful is it enables you to stream music to your DAC without the noise of your PC potentially polluting the signal stream. I’m told that the Pi2aes has particularly good clocks and this enables you to get a higher quality digital signal to your DAC than by using USB. Special thanks to @GoldenOne for helping me get my set up running and giving me ma…

@mochimashu

I am just using a MacBook (and I use some streaming services such as Qobuz but mostly ALAC files in iTunes ripped from CDs and I don’t have a strong need for hi-res tbh) with USB, will a solution like Pi2AES or a DDC make a noticeable sonic improvement?

Most of the sonic benefits from the Pi2AES will come from it being a network bridge where you can get off of USB. A DDC on the other hand may be a better solution if your plan is to get music out of a PC via USB. BTW since you mention having the BF2. The Unisom USB is pretty good, but it’s still bettered by the BNC or AES output from the Pi2AES into my Yggdrasil.

[mochimashu]

Cheers, will read more into that.

[ShenaRingo326]

@GoldenOne

I’d started with a raspberry pi, and after hearing the difference that made vs direct USB to my PC, but also how the USB 2.0 ports on the pi4 differed from the USB 3.0 ports, and then how the pi3b+ actually sounded better (likely due to being a lower noise/power consumption board), I explored other options too.

Hi @GoldenOne,

I stumbled upon your review of Chord M Scaler vs HQPlayer recently, and I have been learning a lot from your other reviews on other DACs / audio equipment so far!

A few questions for you…

1. Would you be sharing your steps in building the Pi2AES (hardware & software) some time soon?
2. Regarding the RPi4, did you find USB 2.0 or 3.0 to be better (noise, jitter) when feeding a DAC? If the DAC matters, I’m interested in how it works with my Chord Mojo from Moode right now, as for future DACs I plan on exploring the I2S route.

Thanks!

[A_Jedi]

@ShenaRingo326

Would you be sharing your steps in building the Pi2AES (hardware & software) some time soon?

Here you go:

Dummies Guide to Pi2AES! Throw away your PC or laptop.

[ShenaRingo326]

thanks! i also noticed db_Cooper’s post right after replying so i’ll read up on that as well.

i’m most interested in how to get the custom 5V PSU support as that would make the iFi iPower X a great option to power the devices

[db_Cooper]

Streamer/DDC Showdown: Pi2AES vs Sotm SMS200 Ultra Neo

RopieeeXL is typically the easiest. Pretty much flash and go. Though the only thing i’d say: Make sure you connect the network BEFORE turning on the pi. Otherwise it gets a bit fussy on first boot. Dietpi is also good but a bit more involved. I’d say go ropieeeXL unless you have a reason not to. For power, the ideal solution is actually to use a single 5v PSU to power both. You can bypass the onboard 24v->5v switcher by connecting to the pins directly as shown in the pic below. [photo_2021-0…

Take a look at this picture, it’s pretty much all you have to do. I glued that adapter from the inside when I built mine so there are no external wires. It works very well and one LPS powers everything. The board is clearly labeled as well so it’s hard to screw things up.

[A_Jedi]

@ShenaRingo326

i’m most interested in how to get the custom 5V PSU support as that would make the iFi iPower X a great option to power the devices

Ugh I don’t remember the exact pins but there’s a pin jumper change you make on the Pi2AES board and it stops 5V going to Pi board. Then you can use the 5V power directly to Pi board. Do a search on SBAF and you should find the details.

[ShenaRingo326]

thanks for the quick replies @db_Cooper and @A_Jedi !!

i’ll spend some time reading over those guides and start planning my build

[GoldenOne]

This image shows it a little more clearly. There is a 5v pin and gnd pin which you can directly connect a 5v psu to in order to bypass the onboard switcher and power the pi2aes (and pi) with 5v direct. This allows you to use something like an ifi ipower or LPS.
In this image white is 5v and black is gnd

Easiest way is to get some male to female jumper leads and a DC barrel adapter. Plus PSU of your choice. This way there’s no soldering or ‘diy’ stuff needed. literally just plug it together and you’re good.

Kinda have to buy the bigger packs of both but they’re super cheap anyway. Will cost ~$15 for both

Amazon.com: Elegoo EL-CP-004 120pcs Multicolored Dupont Wire 40pin Male to...

Amazon.com: 10 Male and 10 Female 12v DC Power Jack Adapter Connector for Led...

Once that’s done, decide if you’re going to power the pi separately or with your 5v PSU. If powering both, I’d strongly recommend getting one that is at least 2a. If you only have a 1a psu like the topping p50 then you probably want to power them separately.

If you’d like to power them separately, remove the jumper circled in this image.
If you’d like to power both from one PSU, leave it on.

Lastly, for the OS I personally would recommend RopieeeXL ( RoPieee | XL ). Supports roon, DNLA/UPNP, spotify connect, airplay, HQPlayer and just about anything you could need.

In Ropiee (or your chosen OS), enable SSH, connect, and edit the config.txt ( sudo nano /boot/config.txt by default ) and add the following to the file:

arm_freq=900
arm_freq_max=900
arm_freq_min=150
gpu_freq=250
core_freq_min=250
sdram_freq_min=250
over_voltage=-3
over_voltage_min=-8
initial_turbo=30
temp_limit=60

This will underclock the pi and reduce power consumption, to ensure you don’t end up with any psu issues which I’ve found sometimes happens on some 2a/2.5a psus.

[Christof]

Thanks I will give this a try with my Allo Shanti. Shanti Dual Linear Ultra Low Noise PSU although I’ll need to order some wires first. I asked Michael Kelly about this and he said that this can bypass the esd and over voltage protection. Is that true or something you’ve had any issues with?

[GoldenOne]

This is probably true yes so do this at your own risk. As long as you aren’t using a dodgy PSU then it’s fine. Wouldn’t recommend doing this with one of those aliexpress linear PSUs (and wouldn’t recommend using one of those in ANY situation, seriously PSUs are the one thing you do not want to screw about with or cheap out on). But if you have an allo, ifi ipower, sbooster or other proper reliable model then it’s fine

[Christof]

I wanted to clarify the pins to plug into and found these images in the pi2aes documentation.

As it shows in @GoldenOne picture, pins 2 and 3 are what is needed for connecting an external supply. The wires that I require to connect all of this arrive tomorrow so I’ll post some impressions of how it all sounds tomorrow hopefully

[ShenaRingo326]

@GoldenOne thank you very much for the detailed response!!

one more question…

when using rpi 4 USB out to a dac, did you find the USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports to measure better in regards to jitter & noise on the dac’s analog out??

[db_Cooper]

Hey @GoldenOne I pinged you the other day since I’m interested in your comentary of the SOtM. I picked one up and it turned out to be a special edition. Streamer/DDC Showdown: Pi2AES vs Sotm SMS200 Ultra Neo - #15 by db_Cooper
A lot of hardware (with one of the new ifi Power Elite) and it’s seem about the same, maybe I’d give it a slight edge compared to the Pi2AES with a 5v LPS. The SOtM has to feed USB out to my Lampi, where the Pi could use the BNC which is stated to be SE AES on the Pi2 so that helps keep it in the game.

All in $350 for the complete Pi setup to $1800 for the SOtM, so five times the cost and it more than holds its own.

Is the suggested underclock only to weed out iffy power supplies or does the reduced processing help to further reduce noise?

So if you take that 5v connector and glue it into the case from inside, you can keep everything nice and tidy so no external wiring.