UpTone Audio USB Regen Listening Impressions

[pl_svn]

Alex,

 

Take a look at HTTrack: HTTrack Website Copier - Free Software Offline Browser (GNU GPL)

 

It is free software that allows you to download webpages (or forum threads) to a local folder. I've used it in the past to create backups of "expired" threads/forums.

 

It is Windows only.

 

since I believe Alex uses a Mac... SiteSucker for OS X

[Al Jones]

I've put over 100 hours of non-stop use on my Regen since it arrived Wednesday and cannot perceive any change in its performance. Not that I'm complaining!

 

Has anyone experienced any burn-in effect?

[wwaldmanfan]

i thought that I read that the REGEN is supposed to minimize the SQ variations between USB cables. On my system, the thing has such resolving power that it has the opposite effect. Before, the SQ differences between my Kimber Cu USB and the Supra USB were very subtle.

Now, the Supra sounds more organic and smooth, with better imaging, and no trace of digititis or sibilance, while the Kimber, by comparison, has more high-frequency detail (cymbals, tambourines, etc.), but borders on harsh and fatiguing with less-that-perfect recordings.

So, Alex and John were spot-on about the Supra being a great match with the REGEN, and that's the one for me.

[reverendo]

i thought that I read that the REGEN is supposed to minimize the SQ variations between USB cables. On my system, the thing has such resolving power that it has the opposite effect. Before, the SQ differences between my Kimber Cu USB and the Supra USB were very subtle.

Now, the Supra sounds more organic and smooth, with better imaging, and no trace of digititis or sibilance, while the Kimber, by comparison, has more high-frequency detail (cymbals, tambourines, etc.), but borders on harsh and fatiguing with less-that-perfect recordings.

So, Alex and John were spot-on about the Supra being a great match with the REGEN, and that's the one for me.

are you using the Supra before or after the REGEN?

[wwaldmanfan]

are you using the Supra before or after the REGEN?

 

Just look at my sig below. Before, with the solid adaptor into the DAC, as recommended.

[reverendo]

Just look at my sig below. Before, with the solid adaptor into the DAC, as recommended.

thanks. have you tried something "better" and compared it to the Supra? or is it just some kind of synergy?

[wwaldmanfan]

thanks. have you tried something "better" and compared it to the Supra? or is it just some kind of synergy?

 

I don't obsess over cables like some, or spend boatloads of money, but I have tested half a dozen cables on my system over a 2-1/2 year period. The REGEN is a game-changer, so my previous impressions may not be relevant anymore, but pre-REGEN, with my system as listed below, these were my subjective impressions, FWIW. I still have the WW, the Supra, and the Kimber Cu, but, as I said, the Supra sounds best with the REGEN.

 

•Belden grey printer cable, $20 It works. A baseline reference for comparison, actually sounded better than at least one other.

•Supra USB, $45 Sounded a little dull (until matched with the REGEN)

•WireWorld Ultraviolet 7, $50 Good average cable, nothing exceptional or terrible about it.

•Kimber Kable B-Bus Cu, $60 (supplied ferrrites removed) Most balanced frequency response and pleasant sound, given the other limitations of my system.

•Kimber Kable B-Bus Ag, $165 Highly detailed, great with best-quality recordings, otherwise too much brightness/sibilance for my ear.

•Elijah Audio Isolate Cu, $180 (signal leg & return only, no 5v power) Just wrong on my rig. Lifeless and dull. Worst of the bunch. (Sorry, Michael)

[reverendo]

I don't obsess over cables like some, or spend boatloads of money, but I have tested half a dozen cables on my system over a 2-1/2 year period. The REGEN is a game-changer, so my previous impressions may not be relevant anymore, but pre-REGEN, with my system as listed below, these were my subjective impressions, FWIW. I still have the WW, the Supra, and the Kimber Cu, but, as I said, the Supra sounds best with the REGEN.

 

•Belden grey printer cable, $20 It works. A baseline reference for comparison, actually sounded better than at least one other.

•Supra USB, $45 Sounded a little dull (until matched with the REGEN)

•WireWorld Ultraviolet 7, $50 Good average cable, nothing exceptional or terrible about it.

•Kimber Kable B-Bus Cu, $60 (supplied ferrrites removed) Most balanced frequency response and pleasant sound, given the other limitations of my system.

•Kimber Kable B-Bus Ag, $165 Highly detailed, great with best-quality recordings, otherwise too much brightness/sibilance for my ear.

•Elijah Audio Isolate Cu, $180 (signal leg & return only, no 5v power) Just wrong on my rig. Lifeless and dull. Worst of the bunch. (Sorry, Michael)

thanks. I'm one of those who "obsess over cables".

[AnotherSpin]

since I believe Alex uses a Mac... SiteSucker for OS X

 

Do you know, anything not Apple is prohibited in CA by law?

[jexby]

With all the USB cable talk here, would anyone be interested in listening / comparing to my spare YFS Reference split USB cable?

Believe we could all trust each other to forward it onto the next CA member if the list grows....

 

Send me a PM here and perhaps by late next week can get it shipped out.

 

YFS performs amazingly well with my Regen green (Amber board not installed yet), and for anyone without a Regen the power leg of cable runs well off any Anker like external battery or LPS.

[reverendo]

With all the USB cable talk here, would anyone be interested in listening / comparing to my spare YFS Reference split USB cable?

Believe we could all trust each other to forward it onto the next CA member if the list grows....

 

Send me a PM here and perhaps by late next week can get it shipped out.

 

YFS performs amazingly well with my Regen green (Amber board not installed yet), and for anyone without a Regen the power leg of cable runs well off any Anker like external battery or LPS.

Hi jexby,

I'm one of those crazy USB cable nerds, but a split cable wouldn't work with my system. I use a SBT as transport. That's why I use a red Lightspeed instead of a white one.

[zilch0md]

i thought that I read that the REGEN is supposed to minimize the SQ variations between USB cables. On my system, the thing has such resolving power that it has the opposite effect. Before, the SQ differences between my Kimber Cu USB and the Supra USB were very subtle.

Now, the Supra sounds more organic and smooth, with better imaging, and no trace of digititis or sibilance, while the Kimber, by comparison, has more high-frequency detail (cymbals, tambourines, etc.), but borders on harsh and fatiguing with less-that-perfect recordings.

So, Alex and John were spot-on about the Supra being a great match with the REGEN, and that's the one for me.

 

I don't obsess over cables like some, or spend boatloads of money, but I have tested half a dozen cables on my system over a 2-1/2 year period. The REGEN is a game-changer, so my previous impressions may not be relevant anymore, but pre-REGEN, with my system as listed below, these were my subjective impressions, FWIW. I still have the WW, the Supra, and the Kimber Cu, but, as I said, the Supra sounds best with the REGEN.

 

•Belden grey printer cable, $20 It works. A baseline reference for comparison, actually sounded better than at least one other.

•Supra USB, $45 Sounded a little dull (until matched with the REGEN)

•WireWorld Ultraviolet 7, $50 Good average cable, nothing exceptional or terrible about it.

•Kimber Kable B-Bus Cu, $60 (supplied ferrrites removed) Most balanced frequency response and pleasant sound, given the other limitations of my system.

•Kimber Kable B-Bus Ag, $165 Highly detailed, great with best-quality recordings, otherwise too much brightness/sibilance for my ear.

•Elijah Audio Isolate Cu, $180 (signal leg & return only, no 5v power) Just wrong on my rig. Lifeless and dull. Worst of the bunch. (Sorry, Michael)

 

Thanks wwaldmanfan,

 

I'm thrilled to read this, as I have a Supra 0.7m cable heading my way from a UK retailer.

 

With all the USB cable talk here, would anyone be interested in listening / comparing to my spare YFS Reference split USB cable?

Believe we could all trust each other to forward it onto the next CA member if the list grows....

 

Send me a PM here and perhaps by late next week can get it shipped out.

 

YFS performs amazingly well with my Regen green (Amber board not installed yet), and for anyone without a Regen the power leg of cable runs well off any Anker like external battery or LPS.

 

Hey jexby,

 

I think it very generous of you to suggest this loaner program (twice now), but frankly, I'm terrified at the thought of borrowing it, liking it, and not wanting to spend the money to buy one for myself. LOL

 

What does it cost? I cannot find prices at the YFS site and haven't bothered to write them.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[jexby]

1. With a Regen in play, I don't even hook up the USB power leg of YFS split cable to battery or LPS.

 

2. For CA folks, YFS could provide a price of around $250. Length depending of course. Standard length is 3ft.

[kennyb123]

Has anyone experienced any burn-in effect?

 

I didn't.

[zilch0md]

1. With a Regen in play, I don't even hook up the USB power leg of YFS split cable to battery or LPS.

 

2. For CA folks, YFS could provide a price of around $250. Length depending of course. Standard length is 3ft.

 

Thanks John!

[maximum kahuna]

DAC Recognition Issue:

 

Just a quick note in case anyone else experiences a similar issue.... I received my Amber Regen in the mail, plugged it in and my USB/spdif converter was immediately recognized. Over the last few weeks I have plugged and unplugged my MacBook Pro many times and I never had any DAC/converter cognition problems.

 

Last night, I attached my MacBook Pro and for some reason, my computer would not recognize my DAC (actually, more precisely, my Berkeley Alpha Converter) and the window on my DAC noted a loss of signal. I tried rebooting the computer, turning my DAC and converter on and off, plugging and unplugging cables, tried the foregoing in different sequences, removing my iFi iUSB, etc. Nothing worked.

 

What finally worked is this- with all my audio components turned on and all cables attached/plugged in, I unplugged the power cable going from the wall outlet to the Regen's SMPS, then plugged it back in.

 

Voila! Instant recognition.

 

FWIW I hooked my Regen direct to my Bifrost. It took two reboots of my computer, but after the second one...music, sweet music. Initial impressions are just what everyone has been saying.

[Elberoth]

Got my second, improved Regen today. The Amber sounds better, no question about that. Next thing I tried was running to Regens in series on my Trinity DAC - the Amber next to the DAC and the Green on the computer USB out. I need to do more listening, but I think daisy chaining them makes the sound even better !

 

I was to give the old Green to a friend of mine, but now I think I'm gonna keep both, lol.

 

The new Amber Regen (yeah, I'm lazy - it is still naked):

 

 

The old Regen Green:

 

[zilch0md]

 

 

(snip)

 

 

I need to do more listening, but I think daisy chaining them makes the sound even better !

 

 

I was to give the old Green to a friend of mine, but now I think I'm gonna keep both, lol

 

 

 

 

Uh oh! Maybe I should get three USB Regens!

[finewiner]

G'day all. First post here. I don't remember how I came upon the Regen but I took the plunge and mine should be arriving in a week.

Macbookpro running pure music into a TubeDac-11 to Virtue Integrated feeding Tekton Lore-s. In reading all the testimonials it's hard to keep expectations low. Mine is a modest system unlike many described here. I wonder if the gains will be similar? Thanks

 

to answer the question that I've been asking of myself: yes.

I'm a bit bleary eyed this morn from staying up long past bedtime playing tunes.

No need to A/B test. The change brought by the Regen were immediate and obvious.

Holy cow!

[rocky]

Got my Regen today and found I could not use the small adapter to plug it into the back of my Chord 2Qute Dac.

The RCA cables are too close to the USB port.

So zipped down to the local Electronic store and brought 2 right angle RCA adapters. Thought it would be better to have adpters on the RCA's instead of using the other cable in the box.

Seemed to work well to allow me to use the short adapter that came with the Regen.

 

Still early on my listening tests, so not sure of any benefits yet but thought I would post incase anyone else might have the same dilema I had as I think all Chord dacs might have a similar issue.

 

[shahed99]

Hi Adam, Did you try the new REGEN with your Lampi dac? If so, how is your impression? You mentioned on audioshark a certain thinness with Lampi dac when using the old REGEN? Is it still the case?

 

Btw, I definitely hear clear improvement with Lampi 7 using the new REGEN as mentioned on audioshark.

[JHG]

Got my Regen today and found I could not use the small adapter to plug it into the back of my Chord 2Qute Dac.

The RCA cables are too close to the USB port.

So zipped down to the local Electronic store and brought 2 right angle RCA adapters. Thought it would be better to have adpters on the RCA's instead of using the other cable in the box.

Seemed to work well to allow me to use the short adapter that came with the Regen.

 

Still early on my listening tests, so not sure of any benefits yet but thought I would post incase anyone else might have the same dilema I had as I think all Chord dacs might have a similar issue.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19343[/ATTACH]

 

Hi Rocky,

I have a Qute HD (soon to move up to a 2Qute) with the same problem. I would like to suggest that you remove the right angle adapters and use the 6 inch adapter for the REGEN to see which setup sounds better and let us know.

Jim

[rocky]

Hi Rocky,

I have a Qute HD (soon to move up to a 2Qute) with the same problem. I would like to suggest that you remove the right angle adapters and use the 6 inch adapter for the REGEN to see which setup sounds better and let us know.

Jim

 

Reading through this thread the general consensus is to use the small adapter over the 6 inch one.

So far in my early listening, I think I prefer the 2Qute running just with the iFi USB power from my PC using iFi cables(Gemini & mercury) than with the Regen.

I hopefully might get some more time this weekend to give it a better listen.

 

What everyone has posted so far on the Regen with what they hear is pretty much what I hear already when I first installed the the 2Qute in my system. Putting the Regen in seems to make it (for lack of a better word) harsher and I seem to loose a bit of depth and dimension to the instruments. Less 3D if you like.

But as I say I will play around a bit more soon as I really have not given it good listen.

 

Also maybe with the 2Qute it does not work as well as with other Dacs.

When I bought the 2Qute I was hoping to sell my iFi gear as from what I read it is not an advantage. But when I tried it, I liked it better, so thought I would hang on to for a while and do some more testing.

I have been building up my system but I think I am close to finished, so will find some time soon to try it all out.

 

Actually thinking about it now, I did start with the 6' adapter lead and was a little disappointed with the sound and went and read more in this thread for any tips. That is when I read the short adapter seems to be better. So I went to the electronics store to get the RCA right angle adapters. This enabled me to use the shorter Regen adapter.

http://www.jaycar.com.au/Sight-%26-Sound---Home/AV-Leads-%26-Adaptors/Audio/RCA-Right-Angle-Adaptor/p/PA3566

[Duke40]

When I bought the 2Qute I was hoping to sell my iFi gear as from what I read it is not an advantage. But when I tried it, I liked it better, so thought I would hang on to for a while and do some more testing.

I have been building up my system but I think I am close to finished, so will find some time soon to try it all out.

 

I actually did that, sold my iFi gear (iPurifier, Mercury, Gemini) ... after getting the USB Regen.

Did not have the iFi Usb power (already had an expensive industrial hub instead).

I think the iFi gear is excellent, very well made, and at least they do things like pay attention to 90 Ohms and such.

I was very happy with this iFi gear ... and never would have sold it before hearing the USB Regen.

 

After doing both critical & casual listening ... I just found that less is more ... and kept the USB Regen.

 

Though, take my thoughts with a grain of salt, as I actually found that I much prefer to just use USB A to B Male Adapters

instead of USB Cables.

 

Anyway, I encourage you to give a better listen to the Regen (something you have already mentioned you would this weekend if you get some more time).

[theppd]

Gentlemen I have one short question: The thing is that right now I have some black 3m USB noname cable connected between the Aries and Vega. So I have to make a decision of which option is better right now: the Stock Regen or AQ Diamond/Transparent Premium? What do you all think?