lmitche Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I am happy to report the REGEN is working well with the SOTM SMS-100, Corning USB 3 cable and the Auralic Vega! First impressions are that there is a definite increase in SQ, more clarity, depth and improved "point source" of sound from individual instruments and vocalists. Better tone too, at least on Sara Bereilles piano. Sound stage is a little bigger, with more ambience. FYI - The REGEN is running from a 5volt line that was previously powering a J5create USB 3 hub. The Vega doesn't need the 5volts so I used my modified USB adapter with pin 1 removed and insulated ground shield. All for now. Does it really get better with break-in? Many thanks to John and Alex for this terrific product. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Very cool Have you tried with/without the Corning but with the REGEN? No, that would mean de-tweaking. I am having too much fun! Maybe later. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Mine arrives tomorrow! Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Two thumbs up for REGEN plus Chinese LPS. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I use a Green into Amber REGEN pair with my Auralic Vega. Both are powered by a KECES DC116 at 9 volts. After much time listening to cable permutations, the Supras sound best. I have two, one between the sms100 host and green REGEN, and one between the two REGENS. The supplied hard adapter connects the amber to the Vega. The sound is terrific with filter mode one with the exact mode clock. I was not happy with the stock REGEN power supply. The Vega appears to be very sensitive to cables and power quality in a non-intuitive way. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 My Auralic Vega with a DIY 2 conductor USB cable sounds great. However with the Supra cable, 5 volt pin disabled, SQ is even better. It is a mystery as to why the 2 conductor cable works at all. The SMS-100 USB host is on a true isolation transformer, separate from the DAC. I don't the know the path for reference ground between the devices. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I tested the .7 meter Supra vs the hard adapter on the connection between the Amber REGEN and Vega DAC. There was little if any difference. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 BUT, source player matters. I can do EXACT clock with ZERO dropouts with DSDx1, DSDx2, and 352kHz PCM. PCM2DSD (cup goes to 5% usage) cause sync loss at times using JRMC. I tested HQ player with the same PCM 2dsd settings and found the same sync loss. So who knows. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You just described the exact mode behavior of my Auralic Vega to a 'T'. Glad to hear I am not alone. Thanks. What do we do about this? Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Most of us put the regen near the DAC, with the adapter if possible. You can of course try both ends. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 That's cool. I didn't know anyone was offering an accessory like this. Thanks! I am trying one today between my REGEN twins. It will replace an AQVOX USB connector with no PS attached. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Yes, the Vbus isolator is a good idea. Eliminating the VBUS power on the Vega input makes a positive difference, even though the Vega doesn't use the 5volt power. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Miguelito, you are of course direct about the number of connectors. I use a hard adapter between the REGEN and Vega DAC. Using tweezers, I pulled the VBUS lead on the REGEN, A side, of the hard adapter. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Blake, have you tried the AQJB at the host end of the first USB cable rather than after the REGEN? That is working great here. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Today, I placed an AQJB between the USB sdcard adapter containing my linux boot image, and my intel based music server. The SQ difference is huge! This is the largest improvement I have heard since installing the REGENs. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I do only use the data lines after the AQJBs. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Nor was I. I just thought it might be worthwhile to suggest that the AQJB might not be to blame. Improvements that lower noise allow one to hear things more clearly. If something upstream is doing harm, it stands to reason that the harm will be heard more clearly too. I've experienced this a few times. For example after making a certain improvement I cannot recall, it became apparent that Pure Music's upsampling had been doing harm. The harm had been masked previous to this change. I think it's therefore prudent to consider the possibility that something else might be at fault before rushing to return the AQJB. I agree as well. It takes time to get the AQJBs in the correct position. The ability to easily move these "filters" into various positions in my two PC system has both increased SQ, but also revealed sources of noise that were surprising. The improvement in placing one between an USB sdcard adapter and PC USB port was shocking. Who knew these seemingly passive devices made so much noise. I too have been through the too bright and too dark placements. There are so many combinations to try. But the effort is worth it. At the moment the system with 5 AQJBs feels very balanced, much deeper bass, great imaging and soundstage, and the highs are just right. The last AQJB addition took depth, very good before, to an entire new level. Things aren't perfect though, the improvements have unmasked a level of female sibilance that needs to be corrected. Once fixed, I will have a system with the level of SQ I always hoped to achieve. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Yes, disconnecting pin 1 on my rig works wonders with my Vega DAC. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 You can negotiate with the Chinese eBay sellers. They will combine items into a single shipment as well. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 It is very unlikely that your implementation will be impacted by the addition of the REGEN. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Sorry, I meant unlikely to be negatively impacted. He was asking if the drivers would be a problem. Most likely there will be a positive impact! Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I've had a few days now to play with my fully broken-in Regen with the stock MeanWell brick (and one AQ Jitterbug), and I'm curious if anyone else had a similar experience. On the one hand, the Regen's improvement of the sound is obvious and undeniable—a layer of grunge is scraped away (though the sound is a little lighter in tone), and for the first time well-recorded guitar strings sound spooky real. But for me, the effect on the music is not entirely positive—the rhythmic drive of the music sounds impeded, and the sense of excitement that comes from dynamics seems dialed back, too. It feels like there's subtle barrier to the music's flow, and my foot doesn't tap as much as with the Jitterbug alone or without any USB filtration. I'm running the latest Audirvana + on an older Mac Book Pro with an SSD boot drive, through an Audience USB cable to an Ayre Codex DAC, then Shindo amplification and vintage Tannoy speakers. Try powering the REGEN with a better power supply, or lithium ion battery. You will be surprised at the improvement. Battery power sounds best to my ears. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
lmitche Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 They are all over amazon. I bought a lithium ion called a "greaty" for on sale for $10. Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Popular Post lmitche Posted July 19, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hi all, You should all know that Alex has been forced to evacuate his California home due to the forest fires nearby. We are unlikely to hear from him for a while. Power and cell towers are offline in his area. I know all of you, like me, wish Alex, his family and his Uptone Audio employees best wishes for a safe and quick return to their homes. Larry left channel, ssh and zilch0md 3 Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now