UpTone Audio REGEN Power Supply Add-On

[sandyk]

Damn. I was just about to tell slippers-on to check out your post 384

[Slippers-on]

Oh, ok fellas for the info on what it is.

[Slippers-on]

That's thanks for the info on WHAT it is.

[Kugel]

Any source Recommended for Ayre QB -9 DSD not be very expensive ?

 

Thank you

[Doak]

Any source Recommended for Ayre QB -9 DSD not be very expensive ?

 

Thank you

 

If you're asking about streamer/server I recommend the Auralic Aries as a reasonably priced option.

[westy]

Slippers-on, I hear you it may be overkill but I am the type that likes to tweak. Sometimes it matters , sometimes it doesn't. After all, who wouldn't want to be able to hear Diana Krall "toot" in the extreme background ?

I'm only kidding of course but I do want to see how far back the sound stage can go.

 

Right now, I have both the Regens and the new iFi unit working together, and the sound is very nice. I have the iFi going into the Regens. The Regens are going into the Dac. All are now powered by a single linear power supply.

I guess, I will then use just the Regens and see what changes. If something degrades then I will know there is some type of synergy with the iFi.

After that, I will still need to run the Regens into the iFi.

 

I just wish I could do a quick A/B test on the different units and/or combos.

[sdube]

This also answers my endless queries: thank you.

Slippers-on, I hear you it may be overkill but I am the type that likes to tweak. Sometimes it matters , sometimes it doesn't. After all, who wouldn't want to be able to hear Diana Krall "toot" in the extreme background ?

I'm only kidding of course but I do want to see how far back the sound stage can go.

 

Right now, I have both the Regens and the new iFi unit working together, and the sound is very nice. I have the iFi going into the Regens. The Regens are going into the Dac. All are now powered by a single linear power supply.

I guess, I will then use just the Regens and see what changes. If something degrades then I will know there is some type of synergy with the iFi.

After that, I will still need to run the Regens into the iFi.

 

I just wish I could do a quick A/B test on the different units and/or combos.

[westy]

sdube,

Ok, I think I have a conclusion.

Drum roll please....

The 2 Regens by themselves was not as good as in combo with the iFi.

But!...

The best combo is having the Regens plugged into the iFi. The iFi then goes into the Dac. Absolutely the best sound so far.

[Blake]

sdube,

Ok, I think I have a conclusion.

Drum roll please....

The 2 Regens by themselves was not as good as in combo with the iFi.

But!...

The best combo is having the Regens plugged into the iFi. The iFi then goes into the Dac. Absolutely the best sound so far.

 

But what about 2 Regens vs the iFi?

[westy]

Blake,

Playing one set or the other yielded satisfying results. For sure running the Regens into the iFi was better than the other way around.

My take is the Regens are doing there thing, then that signal is sent into the iFi, where it then squeezes the last bit of resolution available.

[Superdad]

sdube,

Ok, I think I have a conclusion.

Drum roll please....

The 2 Regens by themselves was not as good as in combo with the iFi.

But!...

The best combo is having the Regens plugged into the iFi. The iFi then goes into the Dac. Absolutely the best sound so far.

 

A few questions:

a) To be clear, you are referring to the new iFi micro iUSB3.0, correct?

b) Is the USB port (that you are using) on your computer a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port?

c) If it is a USB 3.0 port, then when you attach the iUSB3.0 (as the first device after your computer) are you using a USB 3.0 cable?

 

I ask this because one of the chief differences between the REGEN and the iUSB3.0 (aside from more elaborate circuitry--especially on the power side--and the need for a second cable) is their use of a USB 3.0 hub chip. While I don't know of ANY DACs supporting USB 3.0's SuperSpeed mode (even if they have a USB 3.0-style input jack), I am assuming, based on iFi's marketing, that they support the 5 Gbit/sec SuperSpeed mode between the computer and the iUSB3.0 if one uses a 3.0 cable with the extra pins.

 

So I think to be fair to the iUSB3.0, it ought to be evaluated--by itself--based on use of a 3.0 cable between it and the computer. And when doing so, one should check their computer's profiler utility to see if it is communicating with the iUSB3.0 in SuperSpeed mode. There may or may not be benefit to that, but to my mind that would be the correct way to begin to assess the product.

 

Regards,

 

ALEX

[Blake]

Blake,

Playing one set or the other yielded satisfying results. For sure running the Regens into the iFi was better than the other way around.

My take is the Regens are doing there thing, then that signal is sent into the iFi, where it then squeezes the last bit of resolution available.

 

Ok, so we have a tie.

 

Whew, relief, so I don't have to buy and try an iFi iUSB3.0! LOL

[sdube]

Drum-roll, indeed. Valiance in going through all this. The reward: you will be "cited" much, as they say in academia, which is a fetish like audiophilia. Irony apart, thank you.

sdube,

Ok, I think I have a conclusion.

Drum roll please....

The 2 Regens by themselves was not as good as in combo with the iFi.

But!...

The best combo is having the Regens plugged into the iFi. The iFi then goes into the Dac. Absolutely the best sound so far.

[sdube]

But isn't USB 3 compatible with USB 2? And, more to the point (from this Luddite), isn't the USB 3 protocol not conducive to high-end audio? Confused. (I like synergy and conversation.)

A few questions:

a) To be clear, you are referring to the new iFi micro iUSB3.0, correct?

b) Is the USB port (that you are using) on your computer a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port?

c) If it is a USB 3.0 port, then when you attach the iUSB3.0 (as the first device after your computer) are you using a USB 3.0 cable?

 

I ask this because one of the chief differences between the REGEN and the iUSB3.0 (aside from more elaborate circuitry--especially on the power side--and the need for a second cable) is their use of a USB 3.0 hub chip. While I don't know of ANY DACs supporting USB 3.0's SuperSpeed mode (even if they have a USB 3.0-style input jack), I am assuming, based on iFi's marketing, that they support the 5 Gbit/sec SuperSpeed mode between the computer and the iUSB3.0 if one uses a 3.0 cable with the extra pins.

 

So I think to be fair to the iUSB3.0, it ought to be evaluated--by itself--based on use of a 3.0 cable between it and the computer. And when doing so, one should check their computer's profiler utility to see if it is communicating with the iUSB3.0 in SuperSpeed mode. There may or may not be benefit to that, but to my mind that would be the correct way to begin to assess the product.

 

Regards,

 

ALEX

[sdube]

Put another way, could the USB3 nomenclature possibly be something of a hard-sell, self-advertising talk, not just keeping up with the Regens, but accessing and exceeding them?

[sdube]

That is, *trying to* access and exceed the Regens (and the Jonses, at large).

[JohnSwenson]

All known DACs work at full speed or high speed mode. These are supported by both USB2.0 and 3.0. 3.0 adds the super speed mode.

 

The iFi device can supposedly talk high speed to a DAC and convert to super speed to talk to the computer. Nobody really knows whether this is an advantage or not. You force high speed by using a USB2.0 cable between the computer and iFi. IF the port is 3.0 and you use a 3.0 cable the iFi unit should talk super speed to the computer. This test in and of itself is a very interesting test to perform for those that have the iFi unit.

 

Of course if a REGEN is feeding the iFi it will be talking at high speed mode since the REGEN does not support super speed.

 

John S.

[sandyk]

Of course if a REGEN is feeding the iFi it will be talking at high speed mode since the REGEN does not support super speed.

 

John S.

 

Perhaps further down the track for your Regen ?

[sdube]

Thanks, John. Are there well-constructed, sensible USB 3.0 cables for audio, and I don't mean audiophile fetishes here? You are right of course, but I still feel that a lot of the iFI bid around the USB 3.0 is marketing hype, and claim to being prepared for the future. Btw, I do enjoy your music reviews in Stereophile.

All known DACs work at full speed or high speed mode. These are supported by both USB2.0 and 3.0. 3.0 adds the super speed mode.

 

The iFi device can supposedly talk high speed to a DAC and convert to super speed to talk to the computer. Nobody really knows whether this is an advantage or not. You force high speed by using a USB2.0 cable between the computer and iFi. IF the port is 3.0 and you use a 3.0 cable the iFi unit should talk super speed to the computer. This test in and of itself is a very interesting test to perform for those that have the iFi unit.

 

Of course if a REGEN is feeding the iFi it will be talking at high speed mode since the REGEN does not support super speed.

 

John S.

[Slippers-on]

Slippers-on, I hear you it may be overkill but I am the type that likes to tweak. Sometimes it matters , sometimes it doesn't. After all, who wouldn't want to be able to hear Diana Krall "toot" in the extreme background ?

I'm only kidding of course but I do want to see how far back the sound stage can go.

 

Right now, I have both the Regens and the new iFi unit working together, and the sound is very nice. I have the iFi going into the Regens. The Regens are going into the Dac. All are now powered by a single linear power supply.

I guess, I will then use just the Regens and see what changes. If something degrades then I will know there is some type of synergy with the iFi.

After that, I will still need to run the Regens into the iFi.

 

I just wish I could do a quick A/B test on the different units and/or combos.

 

Thanks for the insight, westy!

[Freann]

Have got this right?

You can’t use USB3 for audio since there are not USB3 audio protocols.

 

You can use USB3 cables/connector for audio, but you are only using the UBS2 part.

 

So: USB3 is not actually relevant for audio (yet), but it’s ok to use the USB3 hardware.

[likethesoup2]

Have got this right?

You can’t use USB3 for audio since there are not USB3 audio protocols.

 

You can use USB3 cables/connector for audio, but you are only using the UBS2 part.

 

So: USB3 is not actually relevant for audio (yet), but it’s ok to use the USB3 hardware.

 

Never mind that the iUSB3 doesn't have the in/outputs for usb3 hardware . . .

[sdube]

So what is going on? Does prove my (speculative) point, actually.

Never mind that the iUSB3 doesn't have the in/outputs for usb3 hardware . . .

[westy]

A few questions:

a) To be clear, you are referring to the new iFi micro iUSB3.0, correct?

b) Is the USB port (that you are using) on your computer a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port?

c) If it is a USB 3.0 port, then when you attach the iUSB3.0 (as the first device after your computer) are you using a USB 3.0 cable?

 

I ask this because one of the chief differences between the REGEN and the iUSB3.0 (aside from more elaborate circuitry--especially on the power side--and the need for a second cable) is their use of a USB 3.0 hub chip. While I don't know of ANY DACs supporting USB 3.0's SuperSpeed mode (even if they have a USB 3.0-style input jack), I am assuming, based on iFi's marketing, that they support the 5 Gbit/sec SuperSpeed mode between the computer and the iUSB3.0 if one uses a 3.0 cable with the extra pins.

 

So I think to be fair to the iUSB3.0, it ought to be evaluated--by itself--based on use of a 3.0 cable between it and the computer. And when doing so, one should check their computer's profiler utility to see if it is communicating with the iUSB3.0 in SuperSpeed mode. There may or may not be benefit to that, but to my mind that would be the correct way to begin to assess the product.

 

Regards,

 

ALEX

 

Alex,

A). Yes it is the new iFi micro iusb3.0.

B).The source is a Bryston BDP-2.

C). Using only (2) 2.0 cable a Pangea AG .5 meters.

[westy]

Let me clear, I am not ready to proclaim one unit better than the other.

 

First off, the iFi unit has very little hours on it. Also, perhaps the combo of both technologies favors one unit over the other as to which one sounds the best plugged into the dac.

I'm still testing, all I know for sure right now is that both the Regens and the new iFi unit increase my musical enjoyment.