Who Owns A Sonore Signature Rendu?

KingCrimson · February 17, 2015

Based on the rave review by Chris, I'm sure at least a few people here in the forum must now own one of these. It appears it may offer the highest sound quality available, or at the very least be contending for that with a few other even higher priced units. I would certainly like some input by owners, as I am giving the SSR serious consideration for purchase.

TubeLover · February 17, 2015

I've been a bit surprised not to have seen an owners thread for the Signature Rendu too. I also would like to hear more about these, as there is the possibility that my DAC will not work with the Aries and I might have to go in a different direction.

Not sure of your needs, but the lack of wi-fi in the Rendu might be a dealbreaker for me, though.

JC

kunarx · February 17, 2015

I've been a bit surprised not to have seen an owners thread for the Signature Rendu too. I also would like to hear more about these, as there is the possibility that my DAC will not work with the Aries and I might have to go in a different direction.

Not sure of your needs, but the lack of wi-fi in the Rendu might be a dealbreaker for me, though.

JC

I too am very keen to get the SSR.

However the SSR is full of 'Lacks'

- Wifi

- Display

- Remote

- USB out

- Ability to attach HDD or USB driver

- High rate DSD (not even sure if it does low rate DSD)

The list goes on and on ......

But I guess it's due to the long list of Lacks that it sounds better than

many of the players that have the above features.

Still hoping people who have bought this post their impressions.

wisnon · February 17, 2015

TedB has one. Mike at Audioshark has one too.

JMotzi · February 17, 2015

....However the SSR is full of 'Lacks'.......

Sigh...I suppose it's like a turntable - no records, no record library, no tape player, no preamp, no amp, no speakers....

Just Ethernet in and digital out...

I have a Rendu but not the Signature Rendu. I like it very much.

JM

rodrigaj · February 18, 2015

Sigh...I suppose it's like a turntable - no records, no record library, no tape player, no preamp, no amp, no speakers....

Just Ethernet in and digital out...

I have a Rendu but not the Signature Rendu. I like it very much.

JM

+1

I have a Rendu and its simplicity is its strength.

One thing that needs clarification: Rendu does 128 DSD and if I recall the only time I tried it, 256 as well.

ted_b · February 18, 2015

I have the Signature Series Rendu and have given paragraphs of feedback on it. I used it as the cornerstone of my PS Audio Directstream (via I2S) review, and comment quite a bit in Chris's review thread too. I also mentioned in several threads that Jesus and I got Tidal working on it (via BubbleUPnP android app) and internet radio (via anything). It's quite an amazing sounding piece via I2S, and not too shabby via SPDIF either, but it's piece de resistance is the John Swenson-designed I2S implementation. As rock solid (I referred to it as lowest jitter, but that may not be technically appropriate; I don't care) a soundstage and image density as anything I've heard.

ted_b · February 18, 2015

I too am very keen to get the SSR.

However the SSR is full of 'Lacks'

- Wifi

- Display

- Remote

- USB out

- Ability to attach HDD or USB driver

- High rate DSD (not even sure if it does low rate DSD)

The list goes on and on ......

But I guess it's due to the long list of Lacks that it sounds better than

many of the players that have the above features.

Still hoping people who have bought this post their impressions.

The SSR:

* does DSD and DSD128; what would make you think it doesn't? Read the description on the webpage; read Chris's review, read any of our feedback. Via I2S I can even set Minimserver to do native DSD and DSD128, or do DoP. Yes and undocumented DSD256. I think it is quietly tested to DSD512 but of the seven DACs I own I don't have a DAC that does that.

* Display? Why do you need a display? You use it as a renderer and the music browsing is displayed on your laptop or tablet or phone. I find displays to be somewhat superflous and noisy anyway (Aries first set of bugs included bad noise from their display), plus I can't read something that far away (front of room with speakers, amps and DAC)

* Remote? For what? It's a renderer (i.e a black box).

* USB? Correct, no USB; but for good reason...they couldn't use an off the shelf and get this sq. If Jesus and company are going to build a USB Rendu from the ground up and it will be 2-3X the price of the SSR most likely....and probably 1-2 years away. They want to deliver the appropriate sq and it will cost them (and you). (Note: this is all silly speculation, other than the fact that Jesus was not pleased with any off the shelf USB chips for Rendu).

* Attach local files. No, it's an ethernet DLNA/Open Home (with Bubbleserver) renderer. It does one thing, and does it very well.

* Wifi. That is one area I would think Jesus and company could attempt, but not sure what it does to sq. Aries sounds fine with wifi but not sure how it would sound if it didn't have to deal with it.

You perfectly describe an Aries. Buy an Aries. I have one; it's fine. It's no SSR, though.

The list goes on and on?? Really? Are you sure you are keen on an ethernet renderer then? Sorry it but doesn't sound like it.

kunarx · February 18, 2015

The SSR:
* does DSD and DSD128; what would make you think it doesn't? Read the description on the webpage; read Chris's review, read any of our feedback. Via I2S I can even set Minimserver to do native DSD and DSD128, or do DoP. Yes and undocumented DSD256. I think it is quietly tested to DSD512 but of the seven DACs I own I don't have a DAC that does that.

* Display? Why do you need a display? You use it as a renderer and the music browsing is displayed on your laptop or tablet or phone. I find displays to be somewhat superflous and noisy anyway (Aries first set of bugs included bad noise from their display), plus I can't read something that far away (front of room with speakers, amps and DAC)

* Remote? For what? It's a renderer (i.e a black box).

* USB? Correct, no USB; but for good reason...they couldn't use an off the shelf and get this sq. If Jesus and company are going to build a USB Rendu from the ground up and it will be 2-3X the price of the SSR most likely....and probably 1-2 years away. They want to deliver the appropriate sq and it will cost them (and you). (Note: this is all silly speculation, other than the fact that Jesus was not pleased with any off the shelf USB chips for Rendu).

* Attach local files. No, it's an ethernet DLNA/Open Home (with Bubbleserver) renderer. It does one thing, and does it very well.

* Wifi. That is one area I would think Jesus and company could attempt, but not sure what it does to sq. Aries sounds fine with wifi but not sure how it would sound if it didn't have to deal with it.

You perfectly describe an Aries. Buy an Aries. I have one; it's fine. It's no SSR, though.

The list goes on and on?? Really? Are you sure you are keen on an ethernet renderer then? Sorry it but doesn't sound like it.

I think my post may have been misunderstood.

I am very keen to get the SSR in spite of the Lacks or rather because of the Lacks.

I am looking for the best sound quality I can get from a digital transport. I don’t want or need IR remotes, displays, etc.

I don’t care if it’s USB out or SPDIF.

What I have gathered from reading your comments and Chris’s review is that this is the Bees Knees for sound quality

and that is IMHO all that is needed.

My post was an attempt at sarcasm saying if people want all the extra’s at the expense of sound quality,

they should probably get an AV receiver or even an all in one.

The only thing which SSR is lacking is some hard-core ‘fanboys’ like the Aires has.

And I hope this thread bring out more people who have had positive experiences with the SSR

Rusty Jefferson · February 18, 2015

Based on the reviews by Chris, and Ted B, I contacted Sonore about an audition of an SSR. Adrian put me contact with a dealer who had a demo unit he was lending out for 1 week trials.

I don't have a NAS for storage of music files yet, just a PC running JRiver. I plugged the SSR into my router, my DAC, and a wall outlet. Turned it on, enabled DLNA in JRiver, and in less than a minute it was working. Couldn't have been easier with this installation. I'm sure I'll struggle a little getting the NAS and interface going, however.

I have demoed a CAPS Carbon V3, and was just a couple hours from ordering parts for a friend to build me a CAPS V4 when I saw the reviews. The SSR beats the CAP servers in all ways, even running music from my Windows PC. I'm told the performance will improve even more when I move the library onto a NAS and get the Windows PC out of the chain. In my system, it is as good, or possibly better than using my CD transport, and that's all I ever wanted from a music server.

It was a easy decision for me to go with the SSR, as I didn't have another server, and the SSR was only a couple hundred dollars more than the CAPS build. I just received my new unit last week and I'm very happy with the performance. I understand it will now stream Tidal, as well as stored music. That's all I need, should I ever invest in a streaming service.

I have not auditioned any other model renderer, so I can't give an opinion as to head to head performance. I was disappointed that in the comments section of the SSR review, even though many people asked Chris to rank the SSR vs the Aries, he didn't. Especially since he used essentially the same language to describe them both. I did not demo the Aries, and trying to coordinate both devices being here at the same time on loan seemed an unnecessary hassle.

As of this moment, it's the best sounding computer based server/interface I've auditioned.

Highfilter · February 18, 2015

I have an original Rendu with the signature upgrade and it's an amazing sounding piece of gear. Much better than using my Mac Mini as a transport via USB, and much better than my laptop via USB.

Haven't used the i2s yet, only SPDIF. Current DAC is the NAD M51.

One of the most improved areas in my system was in the higher frequency region. Vocals are more natural, drums and transient peaks are tighter and have less sibilance. Very clean and amazing separation.

Support via email from Jesus is also top notch. Device is very simple and just works. Highly recommended!

wanta911 · February 18, 2015

The only thing which SSR is lacking is some hard-core ‘fanboys’ like the Aires has.

From the urban dictionary: Fanboy - A passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, video games, anime, hobbits, Magic: The Gathering etc.), but who lets his passion override social graces.

As an Aries owner I'm not sure I fall into any of those categories........OK maybe the social graces bit

wisnon · February 18, 2015

From the urban dictionary: Fanboy - A passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, video games, anime, hobbits, Magic: The Gathering etc.), but who lets his passion override social graces.

As an Aries owner I'm not sure I fall into any of those categories........OK maybe the social graces bit

The thing is that while the SSR is more purist, the Aries is more feature packed at half the price.

What makes the SSR special is the i2s output via HDMI and at present only a few Dacs are compatible.

Clearly what needs to be done as a matter of urgency is for Sonore to expand the SSR appeal by arranging for more high end Dacs to have a compatible HDMI connection port.

Distinctive · February 18, 2015

You perfectly describe an Aries. Buy an Aries. I have one; it's fine. It's no SSR, though.

ted_b;

If you still have an Aries;

Have you been able to upgrade the Aries firmware (complete reworks of the core) and do you find any SQ changes for the better when outputting to the DS via USB?

ted_b · February 18, 2015

ted_b;
If you still have an Aries;

Have you been able to upgrade the Aries firmware (complete reworks of the core) and do you find any SQ changes for the better when outputting to the DS via USB?

Hi. Well, the DS is only magical for me when I use I2S (and the SSR, as it's the only I2S source i have). When I use USB or SPDIF I find my Hugo to be a slightly better match.

That being said, yes the newer Auralic Aries firmware has improved sq somewhat, but it's still way too lightweight sounding for my tastes. Via USB, my dual CAPS or my Aurender X100L are my go-to sources. Via SPDIF it's my SSR. Net/net, daily listening (when not in eval mode) is SSR-I2S-DS with rolled back firmware to 1.2.1.

fabien44 · February 18, 2015

Hello,

i have an external hard-drive shared on my local network (not a NAS), could SSR access it via Samba setting and play tracks?

Last question, is SSR a upnp renderer?

Distinctive · February 18, 2015

Hi. Well, the DS is only magical for me when I use I2S (and the SSR, as it's the only I2S source i have). When I use USB or SPDIF I find my Hugo to be a slightly better match.

That being said, yes the newer Auralic Aries firmware has improved sq somewhat, but it's still way too lightweight sounding for my tastes. Via USB, my dual CAPS or my Aurender X100L are my go-to sources. Via SPDIF it's my SSR. Net/net, daily listening (when not in eval mode) is SSR-I2S-DS with rolled back firmware to 1.2.1.

Thx.

I wonder how much my Hydra-Z contributes in the mix, but I guess it is hard to find out what others think about this in direct comparison with the SSR.

....and I see you have become an apostate Pikes Peak

ted_b · February 18, 2015

Thx.
I wonder how much my Hydra-Z contributes in the mix, but I guess it is hard to find out what others think about this in direct comparison with the SSR.

....and I see you have become an apostate Pikes Peak

So far. But religious apostates are not popular these days. Seriously, I will keep it around and see if it's simply pointing out issues up or downstream of it.

tranz · February 18, 2015

The thing is that while the SSR is more purist, the Aries is more feature packed at half the price.

What makes the SSR special is the i2s output via HDMI and at present only a few Dacs are compatible.

Clearly what needs to be done as a matter of urgency is for Sonore to expand the SSR appeal by arranging for more high end Dacs to have a compatible HDMI connection port.

Or whatever the I2S input is of the DAC, which in many cases would require joint development. This becomes difficult because many of those same companies would rather bring out their own streamer. If it would work with mine I would have one already. Bypassing USB and SPDIF conversion and ability to use the DACs master clock sounds great. In addition the signal would have to be balanced as I2S was really meant for super small distances inside a box.

ted_b · February 18, 2015

In addition the signal would have to be balanced as I2S was really meant for super small distances inside a box.

That's why they use LVDS for I2S transmissions.

Distinctive · February 18, 2015

That's why they use LVDS for I2S transmissions.

Yup.

I think the main downside with the SSR (for us non-US citizens) is the fact that Sonore gear is not CE approved. This makes it more risky for customers outside of the US.

kunarx · February 18, 2015

Hi. Well, the DS is only magical for me when I use I2S (and the SSR, as it's the only I2S source i have). When I use USB or SPDIF I find my Hugo to be a slightly better match.

That being said, yes the newer Auralic Aries firmware has improved sq somewhat, but it's still way too lightweight sounding for my tastes. Via USB, my dual CAPS or my Aurender X100L are my go-to sources. Via SPDIF it's my SSR. Net/net, daily listening (when not in eval mode) is SSR-I2S-DS with rolled back firmware to 1.2.1.

Thanks again for your feedback.

My DAC doesn't have I2S and I have no plans of upgrading my DAC. I just have USB and Coax input.

I guess my only concern is if the SSR via coax would still be better than another streamer or CAPS over USB into my DAC.

I hope the SSR magic is not lost over SPDIF.

And I too found the Aires thin sounding.

Rusty Jefferson · February 19, 2015

.....I guess my only concern is if the SSR via coax would still be better than another streamer or CAPS over USB into my DAC.

I hope the SSR magic is not lost over SPDIF.

And I too found the Aires thin sounding.

As I posted above, in my system the SSR beat the CAPS v3 in all respects. This includes using the S/pdif output of the SSR. It's very good. There is a (at least 1) dealer who will let you demo one for 7 days. If you're considering a purchase, try it in your system.

TubeLover · February 19, 2015

What makes the SSR special is the i2s output via HDMI and at present only a few Dacs are compatible.

Exactly. I really, really wanted to purchase the SSR. It took me a while to make the hard decision to drop essentially $3k on it, but after reading the comments by Chris, and Ted, I decided I HAD to have the sound quality offered by the SSR for my "retirement" system. However, the fact that my new, and very expensive DAC, which was an unexpected gift, isn't compatible with I2S leaves me painfully unable to go with the option I truly wanted.

Ted mentioned "It's quite an amazing sounding piece via I2S, and not too shabby via SPDIF either, but it's piece de resistance is the John Swenson-designed I2S implementation." Sure the SPDIF output may be okay, but spending that kind of money to purchase an expensive piece of equipment when you can't make use of it's strongest asset makes no sense, unfortunately. So now I have to come up with another option, and all of the other ones available are disappointing, given how much I wanted the SSR's sonic quality.

JC

tranz · February 19, 2015

Exactly. I really, really wanted to purchase the SSR. It took me a while to make the hard decision to drop essentially $3k on it, but after reading the comments by Chris, and Ted, I decided I HAD to have the sound quality offered by the SSR for my "retirement" system. However, the fact that my new, and very expensive DAC, which was an unexpected gift, isn't compatible with I2S leaves me painfully unable to go with the option I truly wanted.

Ted mentioned "It's quite an amazing sounding piece via I2S, and not too shabby via SPDIF either, but it's piece de resistance is the John Swenson-designed I2S implementation." Sure the SPDIF output may be okay, but spending that kind of money to purchase an expensive piece of equipment when you can't make use of it's strongest asset makes no sense, unfortunately. So now I have to come up with another option, and all of the other ones available are disappointing, given how much I wanted the SSR's sonic quality.

JC

Did you try the Aries? Just curious if you liked that sound.

Who Owns A Sonore Signature Rendu?

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