UpTone Audio USB Regen Listening Impressions

[rah50]

+1

[rickca]

Honestly? My first reaction was Holy Shit.

As opposed to Holy Schiit?

[robcentola]

I think Jason's too busy listening to improved SQ to comment.

[jtwrace]

I'll be back later but wanted to note that my JS-2 is set at 7Vdc for anyone else who will be using one.

[rah50]

Take good notes.

[jtwrace]

Take good notes.

 

haha.

[baddog]

West Coast reporting in. Eagle has landed, a day earlier than expected. Just got home, need to warm up the Aries and DAC for two hours first.

 

 

[esimms86]

I'll be back later but wanted to note that my JS-2 is set at 7Vdc for anyone else who will be using one.

 

OK Jason this is what I'm looking to hear about from you(no pressure and, obviously, you're under no obligation to me or anyone else):

 

1)Regen with and without the JS-2(for those of us who don't own one). You'll, of course, tell us what usb cable(s) you use.

2)JS-2 with Aries(for people like me that own an Aries but not a JS-2).

3)Regen without allergies engaged : )

 

Esau

 

P.S.

- My Regen should arrive at work on Monday but I'm on vacation with no plan to get back to work until a week from Monday. Same thing happened to me with my Aries, as I recall! : (

[jtwrace]

You'll, of course, tell us what usb cable(s) you use.

DH Labs Mirage

 

2)JS-2 with Aries(for people like me that own an Aries but not a JS-2).

Hmm, maybe you need to buy a JS-2. ;-)

3)Regen without allergies engaged : )

Nah, they're gone. Thankfully.

 

 

 

- My Regen should arrive at work on Monday but I'm on vacation with no plan to get back to work until a week from Monday. Same thing happened to me with my Aries, as I recall! : (

They call it work for a reason...

[esimms86]

Hmm, maybe you need to buy a JS-2. ;-)

 

In this hobby there's need and there's want...we've all been down the rabbit hole.

 

Esau

[jtwrace]

In this hobby there's need and there's want...we've all been down the rabbit hole.

 

Esau

 

Well, yeah, got news for you though. We don't "need" any of this. It's 100% want! Just keepin' it real.

[Jud]

Yup, better.

 

Thanks Alex and John!

 

[jtwrace]

Yup, better.

 

Thanks Alex and John!

 

 

That's it?!?!

[jtwrace]

OK, I've been listening non-stop since this little gem arrived today. I did leave for dinner and even set the Tivo for the UFC fights. I've been really confused as I really didn't know what to say other than it's good and I like it. I've been listening to all kinds of material and the normal stuff actually sounded mo better. What was weird was that I actually listen to stuff that I like, not just well recorded stuff. These particular tracks aren't recorded all that well but with the REGEN actually sound good. Then I put on Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" in DSD and tried the same test with/without the REGEN. The best way to describe it for me is that there is less distortion. It's bizarre. The guitar riff at the beginning sounds almost f'd up without the REGEN and then you put it in and it sounds like something just got fixed. It's really strange but it's staying in my system. In fact, I think I need to order one for my Micro iDSD system. Yikes! Oh but first I need to do something...I'll report back if I'm able to get what I think could be useful for all. Give me a few weeks.

 

Bottom line, go order your REGEN from batch #2 due at the end of May. I'd be shocked if you didn't like it.

[baddog]

Ok so my system path is as follows: NAS (Minimserver) wireless to Aries, LH LightSpeed USB (standard ), MSB Analog DAC, Shindo tube pre amp and Lafon 300B tube amps and DeVore O/96 speakers.

 

The only change in my system in the last few weeks is I am awaiting replacement of my preferred 300B tubes, one of which died two weeks ago. So using the original WE300Bs in them at the moment.

 

I really need to listen some more to different recordings, however my initial impression is positive. It is hard to describe, however there does appear to be an increase in dynamics, nuance, and detail. No negative impact to anything I have played so far. Also I have not let my electronics warm up enough, I lack patience.

 

Music played with and without the Regen:

 

Dire Straits - S/T (DSD) - Six Blade Knife

Mark Knopfler - Tracker (24/192) - Basil

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (24/88) - Within

Jim Hall - Concierto (DSD) - Concierto de Aranjuez

Eagles - Hotel California (24/192) - Hotel California

 

Dynamics are great, the music is very engaging. I have had a long long day so just going to enjoy the music on it now, will report more tomorrow with fresh ears.

 

Barr

 

p.s. interesting comment Jason made about distorted guitars. I actually also briefly played Rush's 2112 (24/96 ), first track and actually I noticed that the rhythm guitar had more clarity than normal, however it was a passing thought, interesting that someone else heard something similar.

[Jud]

That's it?!?!

 

Ha!

 

What can I say, sometimes I like a tease.

 

I want to do a few things before I expand on that initial comment:

 

- Let the Regen break in for a while (100 hours or so).

 

- Sit here with this big relaxed grin I've got on my face and listen to lots of music.

 

But just FYI - I have a CD called Go Tell It On The Mountain by The Five Blind Boys Of Alabama. One of the tracks, a spoken word rendition of Oh Come All Ye Faithful by Meshell Ndegeocello, just came on, and I didn't recognize the piano intro at all. It sounded so beautiful and so right that I thought it must be a classical piano recording I forgot I had.

[jtwrace]

Ha!

 

What can I say, sometimes I like a tease.

 

I want to do a few things before I expand on that initial comment:

 

- Let the Regen break in for a while (100 hours or so).

 

- Sit here with this big relaxed grin I've got on my face and listen to lots of music.

 

But just FYI - I have a CD called Go Tell It On The Mountain by The Five Blind Boys Of Alabama. One of the tracks, a spoken word rendition of Oh Come All Ye Faithful by Meshell Ndegeocello, just came on, and I didn't recognize the piano intro at all. It sounded so beautiful and so right that I thought it must be a classical piano recording I forgot I had.

 

Nice. My head has been spining since the REGEN arrived. It's crazy what it does. I just turned off my system as I've been going for nearly 6 hrs. Nuts.

[Jud]

More: The Drive, from Sean Rowe's album Madman was just on. (Great album, FLAC download a steal for apparently just $7 on Bandcamp.). Spooky real guitar and vocal.

[Solstice380]

First impressions are always a little tricky. Until you listen for a while you're not sure if it's real improvement or just a little trick of more sparkle or some other "impact". I can say after repeated listening to one of my "realistic recordings", "Airto and Flora Purim Three Way Mirror from Reference Recordings", Jeff Beck "Wired" and Dire Straits "Love Over Gold" Japan Platinum flat transfer from the DSD master) that the REGEN is NOT a trick! As the others noted, it removed a layer of grunge from top to bottom, making things more in focus and appearing out of a quieter background. Better bottom end definition, too. There is less congestion so imaging is better.

 

My Mac Mini has the JS-2 LPS (to the REGEN also, at 7V) and MMK, minimal process stripping, HQPlayer outputting 128DSD from 44/16 files, HQP and music are on the SSD, a YFS Reference data-only USB cable to the REGEN, into my McIntosh D150 DAC.

 

I'll do some listening tomorrow with/without. I'll try the Mapleshade USB cable, too. Right now I need to add more songs to HQPlayer. I think it's going to be a long night!!!!

[AlainGr]

Ah... I wish sometime to have my stuff delivered with Air Pigeon... The more I read the different impressions, the more febrile I get... In the meantime I will try not to let the reports build too much enthusiastic expectations on my part But it is exciting ! Thanks !

[Superdad]

It's bizarre. The guitar riff at the beginning sounds almost f'd up without the REGEN and then you put it in and it sounds like something just got fixed. It's really strange but it's staying in my system. In fact, I think I need to order one for my Micro iDSD system. Yikes!

 

Yep, I am not surprised at all. In my system it is one of those things that is huge but almost impossible to describe. First reaction is sometimes that "this can't be right," but if it isn't right then the difference is so large it must be entirely wrong. But go ahead and try to finger what part is "wrong". I think acoustic instruments in a very real sounding space make it much easier to grok the "rightness" of what the REGEN does.

 

It would be technically incorrect to say it is reducing jitter, but the sonic difference does sound to me a bit like that. Or like what you notice with better PS (though REGEN doesn't so markedly improved bass foundation the way a good supply can) or by dropping a ton of background processes from your player computer OS. All those fall in the camp of hard to describe but quite significant.

 

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 (John with an HRT Music Streamer; me with an old Devilsound).

 

Anyway, I am glad you gents are "getting it" so far. There was a small part of me sweating that it might be too radical for some and interpreted poorly. I kept telling my wife that I thought it was going to be like a movie that people either love or hate.

But it is probably way too early, with only a few "precincts reporting" to conclude anything from the exit polls.

 

And still another 50 have to get mailed out early this coming week.

Thanks and goodnight gang,

 

--Alex C.

[jtwrace]

Next up is my iFi Micro iDSD and my ODAC. That should cover the whole "reasonable priced" range of dacs.

[firedog]

I figure it will take at least another week for mine to arrive and get through customs. Your descriptions have me salivating at the thought of plugging that baby in.

[4est]

We had plans last night, and all I got was a quick take. You asked about cheaper dacs Alex, and I had it connected to an ifi nano, stock smps and a Belden gold USB cable. The change was immediately evident- I didn't even need to get near the sweet spot, let alone sit down.

 

First take:There is a relaxed easfulness to it that in no way should be taken as soft dynamically.

[Solstice380]

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?