UpTone Audio USB Regen Listening Impressions

[Evo1668]

I am also curious. I have the Totaldac D1 Cable too and was not particolary impressed.. :-(

 

Well I have the Totaldac D1 and I have also got one of the first batch of 50 Regen's released, so I will let you know my thoughts on the Regen; both with and without the D1....don't clog this thread Alexis, but PM me, interested in your thoughts on the D1, as mine are opposite.....

[Evo1668]

My Regen arrived today - after picking it up from the local sorting office and pay the import tax, and wait for it....handling charge £8 for an A5 sized box......Anyway that is in the past now....I now have the future music to listen forward to.

 

Ok, I would not vehemently disagree with any of the previous posts on the sound improvements brought along by the Regen, I don't think I have played a track in the first 3 hours and not noticed something new in the mix. I know expectation bias is always possibly in with our thoughts buying something new. Maybe I can write a more in depth view after a few weeks listening. I sure as hell won't have time for the forum;)

 

To my ears, the Regen adds something very very positive to my listening experience - Removes a layer of noise/grunge not perceived before, tiny overlooked details in some music become apparent, instruments now heard where they did not exist in the mix before (I am damn sure they did, but I was just not hearing them in my system before). Example Joni Mitchel - Both Sides Now - DVD Audio rip. The title track - I have never heard the really quiet snare drum playing throughout most of the track, it's there in the mix, but lost before the grunge is cleared away listening with the Regen.....

 

Ok one of the main things I was going to report back on was around cables, especially the Total Dac D1 that I use......Sorry I had to go and listen to Supertramp - School (the little girl screaming 1:45 into the track - my god she does scream doesn't she?)...Anyway, as I was saying. I listened for around an hour using the Regen and my trusty D1 cable. Ok I think from what Alex has said on these Regen pages, cables should not make such a difference with the USB. (Sorry Alex, they do! well let me explain in my circumstance)

 

I swapped out the D1 and replaced it with an AQ Cinnamon cable - my immediate observations was "oh no the D1 cable is no more"....as soon as the track got going though (Baltimore - Lianne La Havas - Round Nina album) the AQ sounded like it was trying just a bit too hard....swapped back to the D1 and the calm, grip structure, depth was all back in spades - the very reason I like D1. it just makes my digital system very musical indeed, with a tiny side order of analogue....

 

A side observation on the Regen after a very short time you recognise its sonic signature - music sounds louder, for the same given volume, although I know it isn't. Instruments are clearer. Regardless of volume level there is more dynamics to the tune being played. It allows you to listen into the musical mix, when things get busy you can still hear the individual instrument contribution where things may have got out of focus before and instruments blended together more. I am talking tiny degrees here, but very very noticeable.

 

Hence to close off without rabbiting on too much.....The Regen is staying put, and the D1 was always going to be a keeper as they both contribute to the party significantly in my system

[Evo1668]

There is one more thing I would like to say about the Regen... What it tells me is how much there is "stuff" to clean coming from the PC. It really is the "Achilles heel" of the chain... I wonder if what I read about 40 years ago (the source is the most important) still holds true... A better speaker with an average source will be ruthless, while a better source with a less excellent speaker should let pass better sound ?

 

What if someone tries to put a Regen at the output of the PC USB and one at the input of the dac ?

 

Well I tried the Regen at the computer end out of curiosity - it certainly is no where as good having the Regen at the DAC end, but I heard an impact to lower registers that was quite amazing....well I just had to go and order another Regen to find out..(number 1175) roll on June

[Evo1668]

Ok shout out to all Regen owners to try this......

 

Remove your favourite USB cable (mine was the TotalDac D1) coming from your usual digital source, computer/streamer etc....and use the mini USB A to B fly-lead that came with the Regen.....prepare yourselves to be even more surprised......!

 

Granted not everyone is going to be able (logistics), or possibly even bothered to try this (too busy listening to music), but humour me.....or thank me later

 

I would be interested in what peoples thoughts/views on this are....try the 'listening outside the room test', in the room volume level sounded quieter over my favourite D1 cable. Music just flows effortlessly and sounds even more correct to my ears - the only way I can describe it is like 'listening to a SoTA vinyl rig'

[Evo1668]

Elberoth I agree with you...I got my Regen Amber yesterday, and it is definitely even better sounding than the green. After spoiling my aural senses with the Amber, I plugged the green into my Mac Mini and the sound really does go up a level further (even more of the same from the Regen Amber on its own) - music is effortless to listen to, you just hear the music and completely forget it is reproduced music. Two Regens are definitely better than one....now is it even better with an upgraded green I have on order?

 

Alex/John - please can I have my stereo back as it has now disappeared ? On second thoughts keep it and send me an upgraded green instead

[Evo1668]

I think your right on the power supply.

It just seems so odd as I have been following the 2Qute thread and designer keeps stating that using a better power supply on the 2Qute is a waiste of time in his testing. There is no advantage.

He also mention the USB power coming in is covered by the Galvanic isolation that makes this mute too.

Unfortunately seems to be different for me in my testing with the USB power quality. I was hoping to sell off the iFi to get the extra money.

 

Well I have tried listening for strained/harsh in using the Regen Amber or green for that matter; and just simply can't hear it? But there again I am using the Uptone JS2 to power both my Regens. Which does point possibly to power supplies being the issue in your case?

[Evo1668]

I haven't searched the forums (Advanced search, single content type, for posts with both "12v" and "Regen" might do it), but I seem to recall the answer to this being yes.

 

I run both my Regens at 12v with no problems at all. I think as long as your dac is not drawing power from the usb bus it will cope fine. I am using my JS2 to power both Regens. Now the JS2 does get slightly warm running both the two Regens and my Mac mini at 12 v

[Evo1668]

Yesterday, I replaced my previous USB cable (Silnote silver) with a YFS data-only Custom Reference Silver 1.5 m USB cable to feed a single Regen (fed by JS-2) that goes into the Berkeley Alpha USB. Mon, the resulting change/sound is mighty good, especially ease and clarity. I shall be trying my twinned Regens next month with two 6" AQVOX USB cables, being picked up in Germany. U

 

I would be interested in your results too....I have two of the 6" Aqvox Usb cables, which I had connected between each Regen and connect the second Regen to my Dac. I noticed a more forward presentation, with a sense of more detail, so I stuck with this combination in my twin Regen setup. The cable feeding the regens, was the Supra 70cm USB cable.

 

Recently, after using this setup for a few weeks, I decided to go back to using a solid connector between the last Regen and my Dac....wow! Like listening to when I first inserted a Regen into the system originally - great soundstage and detail, the presentation was much more relaxed and to my ears less fatiguing. So, I tried substituting the Aqvox connecting the two Regens, with a solid adapter. Now this time the sound became less focussed to my ears?

 

The thing with a lot of the often small sonic differences/improvements around using USB, I don't think A/B type listening works very well at all. I find the sonic signature of your system when you take components away, tends, for me, to provide a more consistent identifyable difference than trying to perform straight A/B comparisons when adding components? Do others find this to be the case?

[Evo1668]

Have to agree with disconnecting pin 1 on computer end, works wonders with Zodiac DAC. I can't believe it's taken me so long to try the simple tweak, where your DAC doesn't need the 5v power line.

Improvement is noticing more background detail and note interplay. It is akin to looking up at the stars at night, but after the 20 mins or so it takes for your eyes to adjust to darkness levels - all of a sudden you see more stars - wow!

[Evo1668]

Can you specify which pin and how exactly you do it?

As you look directly head on to usb plug A, which goes into the computer USB port. With the gold pins facing up, pin 1 is far right. I cut with a modelling knife a 2-3 MM.wide strip of electrical tape, which is carefully placed over just pin 1, I used fine tweezers, to carefully place the tape on the pin 1 connector.

 

USB pinout diagram @ pinouts.ru

[Evo1668]

I tried this, but when I insert the plug into a USB port the tape bunches up, it won't stay stuck on flat. How do you overcome this?

 

You can also try model tape, used for masking off areas for paintwork....it is much thinner than electrical tape, very good adhesion and does not bunch up when you plug in