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UpTone Audio USB Regen Listening Impressions


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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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