UpTone Audio USB Regen Listening Impressions

[Le Concombre Masqué]

if I ever get back a properly working Corning (seems that exemples of defective ones keep piling) I'll confirm but I recall feeling things reported here about the REGEN : cleaner, though might feel leaner at first, sound & the urge to knock down the volume 1 to 1.5 dB on acoustic recordings while having the impression of stronger, cleaner more lifelike forte, let's call that an increase in dynamics ; being able to crank the volume is not always the sign of better and vice versa

Checked and to the best of my iPhone mic's ability to tell after many iterations, the answer appears to be that the Regen is not making the music any louder.

 

This is surprising, because frankly it *sounds* a little louder and clearer.

[miguelito]

Anybody willing to evaluate the difference between their Mac with / without process optimization using the REGEN? I don't know that I need to go through the hassle and risk of bricking / unbricking my Mini with what I'm hearing now with the REGEN. Can it get that much better?

 

What do you mean by bricking?

[wisnon]

What do you mean by bricking?

 

FUBAR.

 

I am nit sure that its possble short of mechanical damage or electrical shorting.

[JHG]

What do you mean by bricking?

 

That would be #2 below:

 

brick

brik/

verb

gerund or present participle: bricking

 

• 1.
  block or enclose with a wall of bricks.
  
• "the doors have been bricked up"
  

 

 

• 2.
  informal
  cause (a smartphone or other electronic device) to become completely unable to function, typically on a permanent basis.
  

 

[Jud]

Clearer may sound louder ,if you know what I mean

 

That is precisely what I mean. I consistently have my volume knob a couple of clicks down now, because the music is so clear it seems louder. Yet even at lower volumes it still seems clearer.

[jtwrace]

That is precisely what I mean. I consistently have my volume knob a couple of clicks down now, because the music is so clear it seems louder. Yet even at lower volumes it still seems clearer.

 

Yes, then I found myself going the other way. ?

[mmerrill99]

Deleted

[pl_svn]

Yes, then I found myself going the other way. 

 

... and I'm not even thinking about touching the volume knob

[pl_svn]

... oh... Jud: piano you said? look for Nils Frahm's most recent album, "Solo", available as a free Hi-Res download from a dedicated website

[Solstice380]

That would be #2 below:

 

brick

brik/

 

• 2.
  informal
  cause (a smartphone or other electronic device) to become completely unable to function, typically on a permanent basis.
  

 

 

Thanks, JHG! Saved me having to find the urban dictionary for answer #2 - that is what I was referring to, miguelito.

[RichB]

 

I got mine Saturday and have only been able to squeeze out 20 min here and there since then to listen to it as I have been dealing with a bunch of other issues and work.

 

It does clearly work..... and I think its showing up some issues with my 2009 Mac Mini that I use for a music server (Mavericks, some optimizations, Audirvana 1.5 something running with itunes). A few times just going up to the DAC (touching my rack first to ground myself/discharge any static charge) and touching the regen resulted in the cosecant apparently loosing lock and having me to disconnect and reconnect cables or reboot to get the mini to recognize that cosecant is there... as you can see issues which have been a pain when trying to switch back and forth between the iFi iUSB Power etc.

 

Things do sound much more clearer and cleaner and more present with it as opposed to the iUSB Power. I don't think the regen likes my JPS USB cable though as while things are more dynamic with better punch with the (lower) bass... mid and upper bass is leaner. Going to a set-up that is JPS USB to iUSB Power to iFi Gemini USB to the Regen is better in that regards though. Go figure.

 

Base on the above,I still need to try a different USB cable (I should have a iFi Gemini USB cable around somewhere or in stock) direct from the mini to the Regen besides the JPS USB (and do a bunch more listening). The Regen is clearly a eye/ear opener though. What I need is more time to listen and experiment with it and figure out the issues I am having (actually more time so I can finish building the 2014 Core i7 mac mini and Uptone JS-2 music server system I am working on besides a bunch of other stuff!)

 

For music so far I have been using CD rips of some Alison Krauss (solo and with union station), Neil Young Live at Massy Hall, some Mark Knopfler, and some Boz Scaggs tracks I am familiar with.

 

The new iFi iPower power supplies (not to be confused with the iUSB Power device I have been using above) have been ordered, but are not available yet I have been told... and it may be a week or two until I see them, but when they arrive I will try one with the Regen and get one out to Alex to try.

 

I have been trying to keep up with all the comments/post here and on the general Regen thread... lots of good info and thoughts... need to spend more time listening and less reading.

 

Happy listening!

[fmak]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18140[/ATTACH]

 

It does clearly work..... and I think its showing up some issues with my 2009 Mac Mini that I use for a music server (Mavericks, some optimizations, Audirvana 1.5 something running with itunes). A few times just going up to the DAC (touching my rack first to ground myself/discharge any static charge) and touching the regen resulted in the cosecant apparently loosing lock and having me to disconnect and reconnect cables or reboot to get the mini to recognize that cosecant is there... as you can see issues which have been a pain when trying to switch back and forth between the iFi iUSB Power etc.

 

Happy listening!

 

Try gently squeezing your usb plugs with a pair of pliers. Some of these fit loosely, especially when the cable is heavy. Touching

can cause loss of contact.

 

I have such problems with one particular iUSB Power.

 

The Schiit Wyrd sound clearer and more dynamic than the iUSB Power, with its heavily filtered lines. Which is better depends

on the system and the power supply. The iUSB does not sound that good to me on the stock smps supply, whatever the claims

may be.

[pl_svn]

Regen day two

 

something pretty challenging today: Jacob's (controversial but extraordinary) version of Bach's Matthäus-Passion

 

always thought the issue with large orchestras/choruses was... my (Don Garber's) *entry level series* 6922 pre and 2A3 stereo ampli could not handle that much stuff so "fullest" passages resulted in a sort of "tutti-frutti marmalade" (albeit a pleasing one )

 

boys how wrong was I!

 

 

 

forgot to mention I'm powering my Regen from a JS-2 PS

tried yesterday using his stock SMPS and... it still makes a difference (remember I'm using an Audiophilleo, not a USB DAC?) but not a so impressing one as when powered by a (excellent) LPS

[Jud]

@pl_svn: Noticed the same on orchestral music - the musical "lines" of instrument sections and individual instruments are easier to follow. I too had thought large scale orchestral music was beyond the capabilities of my system to render in a manner that did not require concentration on the part of the listener.

[pl_svn]

... might cancel the order I placed a few weeks ago for his "state of the art" pre and monos

 

 

 

just kidding... unfortunately

[pooger]

... oh... Jud: piano you said? look for Nils Frahm's most recent album, "Solo", available as a free Hi-Res download from a dedicated website

 

Thanks for this link!!

[steklo]

Thanks for this link!!

 

Just listening to it – very beautiful. Thanks from here too!

[pl_svn]

bought almost all of his works, after hearing that one

 

there's another album of his available as free Hi-Res download

(can't remember if from publisher's, Erased Tapes, website or somewhere else. think a link can be found on author's website )

[kennyb123]

Thanks for all the comments folks. Order placed.

[rah50]

Received my Regen yesterday, but unfortunately my wife went to bed very early last night. So I had to wait till this morning to setup and audition the Regen. Ok, I was 45 minutes late to work, but sacrifices have to be made. Besides, it was only “Clean up your act day” here at the opera where we spend the day making our offices presentable and functional before the season starts.

 

One note, I couldn’t get the solid adapter to work due to very stiff cables in the way. So I had to use the short cable supplied by Alex just in case. Thanks Alex for the great forethought!

 

1st track up was the Chesky Livingston Taylor “Isn’t She Lovely”. Wonderful track in 196/24. Didn’t hear much at first, just a very quiet background, very relaxed.

 

2nd track, was Annie Lennox’s “No More I Love You’s“ from Medusa. A flac rip from the cd, highly produced, a huge amount of things going on. Most notable, Annie’s voice was much more localized in the soundstage, very smooth and rich and I heard a lot more of the little background details.

 

3rd track was the most improvement, Renee Fleming singing Dvorak’s “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka (the best opera most people have never heard or heard of, highly recommended). I love this, but it’s a very mediocre recording (a flac rip from the cd). I’ve never been able turn this up to realistic volume as Renee’s voice always seemed a little distorted. Not now, with layers of grunge removed, it was wonderful. She moved out of the grey background, had a nice presence and a beautiful vibrato instead of yuk.

 

Thanks Alex and John.

[jtm]

... oh... Jud: piano you said? look for Nils Frahm's most recent album, "Solo", available as a free Hi-Res download from a dedicated website

 

Thanks for the hint !

[Duke40]

My impressions and thoughts of the USB REGEN.

 

 

I am a little bit bitter & twisted about every new gizmo which is supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread and failing to deliver or provide modest gains at best (for an exorbitant sum).

 

 

That said, I must admit I have been very intrigued about the REGEN, something which base it’s gains on engineering and taking a new perspective. What also really interested me was that it would help minimise the effect/influence of USB cables … I think they do matter to a certain extent , though there are many other things I would rather spend my money on. I also thought the price of the REGEN was very reasonable when taking in the design & quality of parts (shipping price was also very good).

I did have some expectation bias that a positive effect would be provided, but that can be a double edged sword if a significant enough improvement is not provided, that is, it can backfire.

 

 

So, I thought I would give the REGEN a go.

 

 

How I tested … rather than just type IMHO, YMMV, "take it with a grain of salt" and all the other disclaimers, I though to type the following to provide a “baseline”. I also think over hyping products serves no good to anyone, so I will try my best to be balanced.

 

 

Music : My HDTracks library is quite small, so I thought this may be better to use to detect changes, rather than doing A/B tests (which just ends with me getting tired of my favourite music). Some is well recorded, some not that great ... including Jazz, Vocals, Reggae, Classic Rock genres.

Me : My hearing is still excellent for mids and HF, though poor in LF (some damage in bass region … a bit of a train wreck , rollercoaster, actually in the lower octaves).

Gear used : Modest compared to most .. just used my headphone rig (Audeze LCD-3F & Auralic Gemini 2000 DAC/AMP). Powered the REGEN with a 9V LPS, plugged into a Balanced power supply. Onkyo HF Player with HDTacks music stored on my iPhone 5.

Took out my iFi USB cables and just used USB adapters like those provided with the REGEN to minimise any influence of USB cables.

Bias : Never been a fan of USB (until I got a Vaunix USB hub), or expensive cables (my average is probably $100 and I DIY as much as possible, with a range of $0 to $200) as I would rather spend my money on audio gear or power tweaks or … music !

 

 

 

 

Listening impressions

 

 

First impressions … nothing … until the 3rd song ... then I was shocked (and yes, I am trying to be balanced rather than overhyping : )

I like classic rock & it was a Meat Loaf song of all things, “You took the words right out of my mouth” which I consider poorly recorded, though the spoken vocal intro was so realistic, plus I had never previously noticed the room they recorded in before.

 

 

“Aint no sunshine” from the “World’s Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings"

sounded better (tone), “Dusty in Memphis” Dusty Springfield album (backing vocals more detailed), Bob Marley “Redemption Song” (just sounds more clear … like a layer of distortion or haze has been removed).

 

 

Things I noticed in other songs ...

 

 

More details … such as for Live music albums … sounds like I am there, hearing the environment more, both the room and the crowd, making it more realistic.

 

 

Improved Vocals : Inflection of Tone, when this improves then this increases the emotional response. That is, I “get” the feeling or emotion the singer is trying to convey.

Noticed this on all songs, including from Shelby Lynne, Neko Case and Sheryl Crow songs during my initial listening.

 

 

Significantly realistic Tone/Timbre : Drums, Cymbals, Trumpet …

and to a lesser extent for Tone/Timbre : Piano, Guitar ...

It is not that it highlighted some instruments more … it is that it improved some instruments (drums, trumpet) which did not sound as tonally realistic (before REGEN) as I had already achieved for other instruments (piano, guitar) with other tweaks.

 

 

Improved PRAT. I especially like any improvement in Timing, which the REGEN provides. Elvis “Fever”, I liked the improvement in timing on this song.

 

 

Bass … it is more detailed, nuanced.

 

 

Sounds a touch louder as well.

 

 

 

 

Other thoughts ...

 

 

It has been in my Headphone rig for about 4 hours and seems to be improving … burn in ??? …. or maybe I am just noticing the benefits more and more.

 

 

The impressions above were performed with the REGEN directly attached to my DAC, then 30 minutes ago I just used a $1 USB Male A / Male B adapter to plug my Vaunix USB hub behind it, and I gained further improvements. The REGEN makes some of the Vaunix hub benefits redundant, as the REGEN now provides clean 5V power to the USB input of the DAC , though the Vaunix provides an isolated ground (I don’t really know, just guessing why the combo sounds great, though the benefits of both products appear to be providing a wonderful synergy … now I just need to get a optical USB cable to get full isolation, that’s my next step).

 

 

 

 

Final thoughts ...

 

 

What I did not notice …. any real difference in soundstaging or imaging as I am testing on my headphone rig rather than my speaker rig (I like & prefer the resolution of headphones to detect changes in audio gear & tweaks, though I think they are poor for determining soundstaging changes, speakers are still superior for that).

Could be benefits, but I did not use the right tool for the job.

 

 

What I noticed (and wanted) the most ... PRAT, this along with Tone is what I desire the most for my Headphone Rig … and I have obtained a significant improvement that the REGEN is worth it to me. Plus the other benefits I noted above.

 

 

It is a keeper !!!

 

 

Thank you Alex Crespi & John Swenson for improving USB audio … for me it is a significant advance … like the development of Async was for USB … to my ears the calibre of improvement is in the same league.

[Jimmypowder]

My impressions and thoughts of the USB REGEN.

 

 

I am a little bit bitter & twisted about every new gizmo which is supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread and failing to deliver or provide modest gains at best (for an exorbitant sum).

 

 

That said, I must admit I have been very intrigued about the REGEN, something which base it’s gains on engineering and taking a new perspective. What also really interested me was that it would help minimise the effect/influence of USB cables … I think they do matter to a certain extent , though there are many other things I would rather spend my money on. I also thought the price of the REGEN was very reasonable when taking in the design & quality of parts (shipping price was also very good).

I did have some expectation bias that a positive effect would be provided, but that can be a double edged sword if a significant enough improvement is not provided, that is, it can backfire.

 

 

So, I thought I would give the REGEN a go.

 

 

How I tested … rather than just type IMHO, YMMV, "take it with a grain of salt" and all the other disclaimers, I though to type the following to provide a “baseline”. I also think over hyping products serves no good to anyone, so I will try my best to be balanced.

 

 

Music : My HDTracks library is quite small, so I thought this may be better to use to detect changes, rather than doing A/B tests (which just ends with me getting tired of my favourite music). Some is well recorded, some not that great ... including Jazz, Vocals, Reggae, Classic Rock genres.

Me : My hearing is still excellent for mids and HF, though poor in LF (some damage in bass region … a bit of a train wreck , rollercoaster, actually in the lower octaves).

Gear used : Modest compared to most .. just used my headphone rig (Audeze LCD-3F & Auralic Gemini 2000 DAC/AMP). Powered the REGEN with a 9V LPS, plugged into a Balanced power supply. Onkyo HF Player with HDTacks music stored on my iPhone 5.

Took out my iFi USB cables and just used USB adapters like those provided with the REGEN to minimise any influence of USB cables.

Bias : Never been a fan of USB (until I got a Vaunix USB hub), or expensive cables (my average is probably $100 and I DIY as much as possible, with a range of $0 to $200) as I would rather spend my money on audio gear or power tweaks or … music !

 

 

 

 

Listening impressions

 

 

First impressions … nothing … until the 3rd song ... then I was shocked (and yes, I am trying to be balanced rather than overhyping : )

I like classic rock & it was a Meat Loaf song of all things, “You took the words right out of my mouth” which I consider poorly recorded, though the spoken vocal intro was so realistic, plus I had never previously noticed the room they recorded in before.

 

 

“Aint no sunshine” from the “World’s Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings"

sounded better (tone), “Dusty in Memphis” Dusty Springfield album (backing vocals more detailed), Bob Marley “Redemption Song” (just sounds more clear … like a layer of distortion or haze has been removed).

 

 

Things I noticed in other songs ...

 

 

More details … such as for Live music albums … sounds like I am there, hearing the environment more, both the room and the crowd, making it more realistic.

 

 

Improved Vocals : Inflection of Tone, when this improves then this increases the emotional response. That is, I “get” the feeling or emotion the singer is trying to convey.

Noticed this on all songs, including from Shelby Lynne, Neko Case and Sheryl Crow songs during my initial listening.

 

 

Significantly realistic Tone/Timbre : Drums, Cymbals, Trumpet …

and to a lesser extent for Tone/Timbre : Piano, Guitar ...

It is not that it highlighted some instruments more … it is that it improved some instruments (drums, trumpet) which did not sound as tonally realistic (before REGEN) as I had already achieved for other instruments (piano, guitar) with other tweaks.

 

 

Improved PRAT. I especially like any improvement in Timing, which the REGEN provides. Elvis “Fever”, I liked the improvement in timing on this song.

 

 

Bass … it is more detailed, nuanced.

 

 

Sounds a touch louder as well.

 

 

 

 

Other thoughts ...

 

 

It has been in my Headphone rig for about 4 hours and seems to be improving … burn in ??? …. or maybe I am just noticing the benefits more and more.

 

 

The impressions above were performed with the REGEN directly attached to my DAC, then 30 minutes ago I just used a $1 USB Male A / Male B adapter to plug my Vaunix USB hub behind it, and I gained further improvements. The REGEN makes some of the Vaunix hub benefits redundant, as the REGEN now provides clean 5V power to the USB input of the DAC , though the Vaunix provides an isolated ground (I don’t really know, just guessing why the combo sounds great, though the benefits of both products appear to be providing a wonderful synergy … now I just need to get a optical USB cable to get full isolation, that’s my next step).

 

 

 

 

Final thoughts ...

 

 

What I did not notice …. any real difference in soundstaging or imaging as I am testing on my headphone rig rather than my speaker rig (I like & prefer the resolution of headphones to detect changes in audio gear & tweaks, though I think they are poor for determining soundstaging changes, speakers are still superior for that).

Could be benefits, but I did not use the right tool for the job.

 

 

What I noticed (and wanted) the most ... PRAT, this along with Tone is what I desire the most for my Headphone Rig … and I have obtained a significant improvement that the REGEN is worth it to me. Plus the other benefits I noted above.

 

 

It is a keeper !!!

 

 

Thank you Alex Crespi & John Swenson for improving USB audio … for me it is a significant advance … like the development of Async was for USB … to my ears the calibre of improvement is in the same league.

 

Thanks for the review.I have a tendency to use cheap USB cables like the Belkin USB Gold so I hope to hear improvements in my system when I get my hands on this baby in May.

[tboooe]

Just listening to it – very beautiful. Thanks from here too!

+1 Thank you. Just downloaded as well and listening now.

[JohnSwenson]

My impressions and thoughts of the USB REGEN.

 

The impressions above were performed with the REGEN directly attached to my DAC, then 30 minutes ago I just used a $1 USB Male A / Male B adapter to plug my Vaunix USB hub behind it, and I gained further improvements. The REGEN makes some of the Vaunix hub benefits redundant, as the REGEN now provides clean 5V power to the USB input of the DAC , though the Vaunix provides an isolated ground (I don’t really know, just guessing why the combo sounds great, though the benefits of both products appear to be providing a wonderful synergy … now I just need to get a optical USB cable to get full isolation, that’s my next step).

 

 

The Vaunix hub does NOT provide any isolation, it is just a normal hub, with a really good power supply. My guess is that the benefits come from the power supply, because they are aiming at a very robust supply (1A per port), they naturally wind up with low impedance to the hub chip. It may not be highly optimized PDN, but it is highly likely it is much better than most hubs.

 

John S.