"The server that started it all.Originally created as a custom build for Munich Hi-End in 2015."
LEGACY PRODUCT
SGM 2015 EVO MUSIC SERVER
The Sound Galleries Music Server has been designed to bring the best of two worlds together:
1. The best sounding audio player.
2. The best software for discovering and choosing the music to play.
In our opinion the best audio player is HQPlayer from Signalyst and the best software for discovering and choosing music is Roon from Roon Labs.
The Sound Galleries music server has been built around computer architecture. It doesn’t feel like using a computer anymore than your car or refrigerator though. Almost all electronic devices are “smart” nowadays, just like your phone. You turn on the music server with a button on the front and turn it off by pressing the same button. In other words just like an amplifier or any other piece of HiFi equipment in your system.
Your interaction with the Sound Galleries Music server will typically be with an iPad or iPhone running the roon app. This has been designed around the desires of people who are passionate about music, rather than to please computer nerds. The HQPlayer software used as an audio engine can look ahead into each music track while it’s playing, discover all the artefacts that were introduced in the recording process and eliminate them!
"The Sound Galleries music server is a state of the art device for enjoying music, built and designed without compromise right down to every detail of its design. Instead of comparing it to other “computer audio” products such as “streamers” and so called “music servers” it begs comparison with the finest turntable arm and cartridge combination you can think of. When you hear it you will believe it!"
Enhancements in the EVO Edition
The improvements to the Sound Galleries Monaco edition to the Evo are as follows:
• Two expansion slots have been added which can be fitted with, for example: AES/EBU in and outputs (up to 16 channels, single, dual or quad wire;etc.), additional UTP or Fibrechannel networking ports, PCIe Storage, Rednet, or anything else you can think of that is available on a PCIe card. We will supply the card(s) and fit them at your request. Contact us to discuss options and our recommendations. As an example, with an AES/EBU card, such as one from RME, the SGM output may be sent directly to any DAC which lacks a USB input. With a card such as this the SGM is no longer limited to USB only output.
• The passive (no fan’s) cpu cooling system has been improved. The CPU is “de-lidded”, which means we remove the stock heat spreader and replace it with a solid copper block.
• Additionally we also use the highest available quality copper heatpipes. The heatsinks were already CNC machined from a solid copper block. This means we now have a fully copper cooling system, all the way from the cpu cores, up to and including the external heatsinks.
• We cherry pick the cpu’s we use. They are selected for operating temperature and stability. We discard a significant percentage, which fail to meet our demanding standards. Combined with our passive cooling system we can now run them on full “turbospeed”, all cores, 24/7, and still have 20-40 degrees Celcius lower temperatures than before. This remains true even at 35 degrees Celcius, ambient temperature in the environment. Operating temperature is very significant for sound quality.
• We also select memory modules to operate under a specific set of conditions, and apply a lot of tweaking to their timing settings.
• The power supply has been redesigned, with new chokes custom designed by Per Lundahl to meet our specific needs. This has resulted in a unique combination of high current capability, high inductance and low DC resistance. This is a level quite beyond what other manufacturers have been able to achieve.
• We have adopted several new vibration control measures over and above those we employed for the original SGM.
• The Operating System now resides on Optane storage. This change alone makes for a very significant increase in Sound Quality. You may still store your music on the standard 1TB SSD. We will be happy to discuss other storage options with you, to find the best that suits your needs. As with the PCIe cards, we can source and install your preferred storage option for you.
• We have adopted several new vibration control measures over and above those we employed for the original SGM.
• Finally, each SGM Evo is individually tuned to ensure they all operate at an identical high level of performance.
