rickca Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I'd be interested to hear feedback from anyone using a filtered USB cable like the Totaldac D1. I haven't got a clue what's in their little box. A comparison to a less extravagant USB cable with a REGEN would be nice. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Honestly? My first reaction was Holy Shit.As opposed to Holy Schiit? Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 One of you needs to try it with a cheap DAC you might have hanging around. John and I thought it was pretty freaky what it did for ones we had. Alex, I have a Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus (retails for $499) that I plan to sell that I can try. I used to use it in my office with my Focal CMS50 monitors. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I think I've seen every interface known to man described by different designers as 'hopelessly compromised'. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 It's really important to me for instruments to have a realistic tone, and this is where the REGEN is impressive. If you play an instrument, just listen to some pieces you've played yourself. It's very convincing. I started with some Debussy played by Bavouzet. This is material where the touch of the pianist is everything. Debussy wants you to hear raindrops. The focus and clarity of the REGEN just works perfectly here. Next I tried some Liszt played by Jorge Bolet. Deep rumbling bass passages sounded far less confused with the REGEN, and the treble shimmered beautifully. Liszt loves the extreme octaves. I'm now listening to a Dvorak cello concerto performed by Rostropovich. When the tone of the instruments is right, things like improved instrument separation just come along for the ride. At first I thought my system sounded somehow restrained with the REGEN. Actually, it just wasn't as smeared. I tried all this on my nearfield system because I thought I'd have to listen carefully to get what the REGEN was doing. It wasn't necessary. REGEN is kind of immediately likeable. Oh yeah ... this was with the supplied Mean Well PS and a $50 StraightWire USB cable. I guess it gets even better with a JS-2 or a fancier cable. I think the REGEN lets you better evaluate what the rest of your gear is doing for you. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Has anyone compared the REGEN with a SOtM or JCAT card? Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 The more stuff I listen to, the more I'm impressed. I was planning to loan my REGEN to a friend tomorrow, but I'm afraid he won't give it back! Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 If you like classical music, try Paganini's Violin Concerto #2 with the REGEN. The whole concerto has crazy treble extension and pizzicato runs, and the Rondo has a delicate triangle or something in the background toward the end. You need excellent clarity to make this sound great, and the REGEN delivers. I recommend the recording by violinist Accardo. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I've already posted my enthusiastic impressions of using the REGEN with my Ayre QB-9 DSD. Today I tested it on my other system which has a Berkeley Alpha USB. The same good things happen, but it's a little more subtle. You still get improved focus and purity of instrument tone. The REGEN kind of takes you from a relatively homogeneous sound to something with more life and an amped up contrast ratio. I'm not surprised that the impact of the REGEN doesn't hit you in the face as much in a configuration with a USB-SPDIF converter. The Berkeley Alpha USB has a high degree of isolation between the USB input and the output master clocks/line drivers. One interesting thing. The Ayre has a dedicated power supply for the USB circuitry, while the Berkeley Alpha USB uses 5v USB bus power for the USB receiver and processing. You can tell. The REGEN stays stone cold with the Ayre, but it gets a little warm with the Berkeley Alpha USB. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Deleted by rickca Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I would like to spend a few hours training my ears to listen to these recordings on my system before the Regen is installed. It's really easy to hear the difference with REGEN. I don't think you need to do this to be confident in your assessment. It took me about 10 minutes to convince myself this thing was great, and I'm usually pretty skeptical. As far as instrument timbre, I found that flute and cello were remarkably better with the REGEN. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Can we please keep this thread focused on REGEN listening impressions? Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 There has to be a difference between a $150 Teradak R-core DC-30W-Touch DC9V 2.5A and that $62 R-core DC9V 3.3A one that JS found ... doesn't there? If it isn't just brand name markup, can you give me an idea of what the differences might be? I have all kinds of nasty SMPS around in my office setup ... Asus router, Motorola cable modem and so on. So would it be a waste to get a LPS for the REGEN in that kind of environment? How do you mitigate the noise these computer component SMPS put back into the AC? Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 The secret that dare not speak its name. This is just getting too weird. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Al Jones ... I can't even find the Sbooster Ultra Regen on their website. I see Switch-mode upgrade for the Regen Uptone Audio priced at 34.95 Euros ... I think VAT has already been taken off since I'm accessing their website from the USA. Even with VAT added back in I can't get to your reported price of 65 Euros, so I'm not sure I'm looking at what you're calling the Sbooster Ultra Regen. I can't find anything called Sbooster Ultra Regen on their website. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Wow, that was a short product cycle. Actually, I'm probably going to wait until it's clear whether the Sbooster Ultra Regen would be complementary to Uptone's power supply add-on or just an interim solution. It's also unclear whether Uptone's power supply add-on will sound any better with a LPS rather than the supplied Mean Well SMPS. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The Sbooster Ultra for the REGEN is now on their website for 65 Euros with expected shipment week 31/32. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I'm using a Crystal Cable gold/silver alloy digital cable from the Off Ramp 3 to the Havana Dac and Kool Cable gold RCA cables out of the dac. Wow, those are some expensive cables! I'm just dreaming about them. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 now have Regen Amber hooked up to Yggy I'm interested in more comments from people using REGEN amber with Yggdrasil DAC. Schiit now has their Adapticlock clock regeneration system and USB Gen 3 input module ... so it will be nice to hear whether REGEN still makes a significant difference. If I recall correctly, when Bifrost first came out Schiit was less than enthusiastic about USB. Jimmypowder, I'm glad you're happy with your REGEN. I told you you wouldn't be disappointed. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 So one idea people are trying is using two REGENs connected by a solid USB-A male --> USB-B male adapter, is that right? It sounds like each REGEN will need its own upcoming Uptone 1A power supply, and maybe those two 1A power supplies can be powered by a single Mean Well SMPS with a Y-cable. Even so, it's quite a lot of stuff hanging off the back of your DAC. It seems a bit unwieldy. I guess we can't really evaluate this until we know more about the 1A power supply ... especially its size and weight. I wonder whether an SOtM USB card (or filtered USB cable) and a single REGEN sounds as good as two back-to-back REGENs. It's a little more manageable. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 So this is calling for an integrated product in the future. Something that is effectively equivalent to two back-to-back REGENs together with the upcoming Uptone power supply technology. There's probably quite a bit of redundant stuff that's not really adding to the sound quality with two separate REGENs ... two USB hubs, power from 1st REGEN is ignored by the 2nd REGEN and so on. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 We've seen over the past few years how vulnerable to less than optimal sound the USB port on our DACs can be. Apparently most manufacturers don't know how to improve it, or don't do it in order to hit a price point. Only a few manufacturers like Ayre and MSB (I'm not saying they are the only ones) seem to have devoted the resources necessary for a true audiophile USB connection. I have an Ayre QB-9 DSD and the REGEN made a significant difference. John and Alex seem to have come up with something really innovative. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 So, there's a power supply thingy that is itself fed by the Mean Well SMPS. Then there's a LPS thingy to replace the Mean Well SMPS. Then there's a flexible PCB thingy to replace the solid adapter. On top of all this, there's some 'major project' underway. Help I'm losing track. Hey Alex at least you didn't call it Downbeat Audio. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Regen review is out It will get interesting when Michael compares the Wyrd, REGEN, JitterBug and TotalDAC USB cable in his last article. So far what he says about the JitterBug sounds a lot like what he says about the REGEN. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
rickca Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 I'd like to know how Mark Waldrep can make statements like I would prefer to use Amarra because I believe it does the best at playing back the digital information or how he how he has selected 'a couple of good USB cables' given his approach to this test. Maybe he needs to subject Amarra and his cables to similar tests, since he clearly thinks those components sound better. I just want him to be consistent. Of course, he may just decide that the REGEN actually does sound better despite not being able to account for it. Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs i7-6700K/Windows 10 --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's Link to comment
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