Sonore microRendu

[pdickerson]

Maybe Schiit will have to respond to the problem when more and more people have the problem.

[vortecjr]

1 hour ago, lgp said:

Nothing, really. I just updated to latest version and afterwards I get the messages:

 DAC Diagnostics

No audio devices found. Attach a USB DAC to this system.

I’ve tested the connection from my Mac and it is working fine.

 

Try updates the unit again.

 

To verify if the Rendu sees your device go to Apps / DAC Diagnostics. If the device is not listed you may have to remove and reconnect the USB cable, then refresh the page. If your device is still not listed try power cycling the device followed by power cycling the Rendu and then go to Apps / DAC Diagnostics. 

[flkin]

Jesus, emailed you without reply so I'm following up here.

 

After loading the latest firmware 2 days ago into my 1.3 original mR (software 2.5), the mR stopped working and isn't recognised in MySonicorbitor. Shows "No Sonicorbiter OS based music players found on your network." 

 

Tried rebooting everything, changed USB cable, power supply to the mR, reseat the SD card and even changed the router.

 

During first boot, the ethernet lights on the mR USED to turn on and a few seconds later turn off for say 2 seconds before coming back on again. This I found previously was the usual boot light sequence. Doesn't do that anymore, lights turn on and there is no 2 second black out. So the boot sequence has changed.

 

Please advice what would be the next step to making it work again.

[E-Stat]

I have a question for Jesus or someone else with a deeper understanding of microRendu configuration options than I. 

 

I also have a Raspberry PI player running piCorePlayer which uses Squeezelite as the player software.  While I still prefer the uRendu, the pCP software has a nifty ability which I've found to help with some streaming issues.  One can designate the size of both an input and output buffer.  Since the base computer has 1 GB of memory and pCP/Squeezelite is a very thin application, I'm able to specify a 600 MB output buffer.

 

That has proven to be useful at times.  Is there an equivalent ability with the Rendu's software?

 

Thanks!

[vortecjr]

21 hours ago, flkin said:

Jesus, emailed you without reply so I'm following up here.

 

After loading the latest firmware 2 days ago into my 1.3 original mR (software 2.5), the mR stopped working and isn't recognised in MySonicorbitor. Shows "No Sonicorbiter OS based music players found on your network." 

 

Tried rebooting everything, changed USB cable, power supply to the mR, reseat the SD card and even changed the router.

 

During first boot, the ethernet lights on the mR USED to turn on and a few seconds later turn off for say 2 seconds before coming back on again. This I found previously was the usual boot light sequence. Doesn't do that anymore, lights turn on and there is no 2 second black out. So the boot sequence has changed.

 

Please advice what would be the next step to making it work again.

Strange all my support emails are up to date. This is my email: [email protected].

[vortecjr]

15 hours ago, E-Stat said:

I have a question for Jesus or someone else with a deeper understanding of microRendu configuration options than I. 

 

I also have a Raspberry PI player running piCorePlayer which uses Squeezelite as the player software.  While I still prefer the uRendu, the pCP software has a nifty ability which I've found to help with some streaming issues.  One can designate the size of both an input and output buffer.  Since the base computer has 1 GB of memory and pCP/Squeezelite is a very thin application, I'm able to specify a 600 MB output buffer.

 

That has proven to be useful at times.  Is there an equivalent ability with the Rendu's software?

 

Thanks!

All the configuration options for SqueezeLite are in Settings / SqueezeLite. Most of those settings are best left alone and are only there for very rare issues. 

[flkin]

3 hours ago, vortecjr said:

Strange all my support emails are up to date. This is my email: [email protected].

 

Yes they are. You replied directly already, thanks for that. Await your replacement SD card. 

[E-Stat]

4 hours ago, vortecjr said:

All the configuration options for SqueezeLite are in Settings / SqueezeLite. Most of those settings are best left alone and are only there for very rare issues. 

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Does the unit by default utilize memory for output buffering? 

[Kelly]

I have a question about purchasing a new microRendu. If I purchase a new unit from the Sonore website will it have the "original version" 1.3 board and not the most recent 1.4 board? Or do all new units ship with the most recent hardware?

[vortecjr]

10 hours ago, E-Stat said:

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Does the unit by default utilize memory for output buffering? 

Yes.

[vortecjr]

8 hours ago, Kelly said:

I have a question about purchasing a new microRendu. If I purchase a new unit from the Sonore website will it have the "original version" 1.3 board and not the most recent 1.4 board? Or do all new units ship with the most recent hardware?

All new units are 1.3 main board design. This is clearly posted on our website. 

[Kelly]

49 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

All new units are 1.3 main board design. This is clearly posted on our website. 

A bit prickly eh? It just seems like a weird sales model to sell "new" units that are not the latest version at full price. So I asked.

[esmit]

19 hours ago, Kelly said:

A bit prickly eh? It just seems like a weird sales model to sell "new" units that are not the latest version at full price. So I asked.

Maybe microRendu and microRendu SE would have been better. 

[vortecjr]

On 10/4/2017 at 10:01 PM, Kelly said:

A bit prickly eh? It just seems like a weird sales model to sell "new" units that are not the latest version at full price. So I asked.

We are just trying to give owners a change to update their unit first. You can always by an ultraRendu. 

[vortecjr]

5 hours ago, esmit said:

Maybe microRendu and microRendu SE would have been better. 

I think you meant ultraRendu?

[Cyrus]

Sonore's approach on this is supportive of their customer base that already own the v1.3. Really nice to see a company stand by their current customers.

 

It also allows new customers to choose the base 1.3 version or get the upgrade when they order. The 1.3 is no slouch and a terrific buy for those looking to save upfront with an easy path to upgrade later, should they want to.

 

 

[OldBigEars]

I have a related question.  It's well documented that the microRendu 1.3 (which I have and am pleased with) benefits greatly from upgrading the power supply as well as converting to the 1.4 board.  I've done neither yet, but of course I do think about it.

 

My complication is that I also use the Schiit Eitr USB/Coax between the mR and my DAC.  The Eitr is an incredible device and has transformed the SQ of my system.  The Eitr is so effective that some testers have claimed, quite categorically, that *nothing* upstream matters.  It literally neutralizes the performance variations between extremely different sources - they all sound equally good.  One tester in particular specifically recommends not 'wasting money' on higher end players such as ultraRendu, or souped up power supplies.

 

Obviously, as a consumer, it's extremely hard to test this theory without actually buying a power supply and converting the mR to the 1.4 board. 

 

So here's (finally) the question...directed to Jesus as well as any other mR users who may now be using the Eitr...do you find either the power supply upgrade (over an IFI) or the 1.4 board to make a valuable difference?  And if you've tried both - which has the most impact? Obviously, I understand this is a difficult question for Jesus to answer objectively but I hope he gives it his best shot. 

 

I should say that my good friend @Charente has already generously done a comparison test at my suggestion.  I'm not certain if he has the 1.4 mR but he was able to compare the IFI with the LPS-1.  I'd rather not prejudice responses by relaying his conclusions here.  Has anyone else got experience to share?

[JootecFromMars]

39 minutes ago, OldBigEars said:

So here's (finally) the question...directed to Jesus as well as any other mR users who may now be using the Eitr...do you find either the power supply upgrade (over an IFI) or the 1.4 board to make a valuable difference?  And if you've tried both - which has the most impact? Obviously, I understand this is a difficult question for Jesus to answer objectively but I hope he gives it his best shot. 

 

i have the mR 1.4 with LPS-1 and  a Gen5 USB Yggy, On a Gen3 USB Yggy, the LPS-1 (with aftermarket DC cable) made a massive difference over the ifi iPower. I got the mR 1.4 still on a Gen3USB Yggy and that added a lot of extra clarity/detail/soundstage. When I got the Gen5 USB upgrade, clarity/detail/soundstage was better again. i would suggest that a mR 1.4 with a better more accurate clock aids in the eventual sound quality.

[Summit]

2 hours ago, OldBigEars said:

I have a related question.  It's well documented that the microRendu 1.3 (which I have and am pleased with) benefits greatly from upgrading the power supply as well as converting to the 1.4 board.  I've done neither yet, but of course I do think about it.

 

My complication is that I also use the Schiit Eitr USB/Coax between the mR and my DAC.  The Eitr is an incredible device and has transformed the SQ of my system.  The Eitr is so effective that some testers have claimed, quite categorically, that *nothing* upstream matters.  It literally neutralizes the performance variations between extremely different sources - they all sound equally good.  One tester in particular specifically recommends not 'wasting money' on higher end players such as ultraRendu, or souped up power supplies.

 

Obviously, as a consumer, it's extremely hard to test this theory without actually buying a power supply and converting the mR to the 1.4 board. 

 

So here's (finally) the question...directed to Jesus as well as any other mR users who may now be using the Eitr...do you find either the power supply upgrade (over an IFI) or the 1.4 board to make a valuable difference?  And if you've tried both - which has the most impact? Obviously, I understand this is a difficult question for Jesus to answer objectively but I hope he gives it his best shot. 

 

I should say that my good friend @Charente has already generously done a comparison test at my suggestion.  I'm not certain if he has the 1.4 mR but he was able to compare the IFI with the LPS-1.  I'd rather not prejudice responses by relaying his conclusions here.  Has anyone else got experience to share?

 

I can’t answer your questions because I don’t have an Eiter or mR 1.4. What I can say is if you have both a Schiit Eitr and mR already you can listen and see if the clams (that nothing upstream of the Eiter matters) are correct or not. From the result of the listening test you will know who to listen to.

 

My conjecture from testing with mR 1.3 and uR is change to good PSU first.  

[jaaptina]

2 hours ago, OldBigEars said:

I have a related question.  It's well documented that the microRendu 1.3 (which I have and am pleased with) benefits greatly from upgrading the power supply as well as converting to the 1.4 board.  I've done neither yet, but of course I do think about it.

 

My complication is that I also use the Schiit Eitr USB/Coax between the mR and my DAC.  The Eitr is an incredible device and has transformed the SQ of my system.  The Eitr is so effective that some testers have claimed, quite categorically, that *nothing* upstream matters.  It literally neutralizes the performance variations between extremely different sources - they all sound equally good.  One tester in particular specifically recommends not 'wasting money' on higher end players such as ultraRendu, or souped up power supplies.

 

Obviously, as a consumer, it's extremely hard to test this theory without actually buying a power supply and converting the mR to the 1.4 board. 

 

So here's (finally) the question...directed to Jesus as well as any other mR users who may now be using the Eitr...do you find either the power supply upgrade (over an IFI) or the 1.4 board to make a valuable difference?  And if you've tried both - which has the most impact? Obviously, I understand this is a difficult question for Jesus to answer objectively but I hope he gives it his best shot. 

 

I should say that my good friend @Charente has already generously done a comparison test at my suggestion.  I'm not certain if he has the 1.4 mR but he was able to compare the IFI with the LPS-1.  I'd rather not prejudice responses by relaying his conclusions here.  Has anyone else got experience to share?

You can test what a good power supply will do for your system by powering your microRendu with a set of rechargeable AA batteries. In my system the AA batteries sounded a lot better than iFi iPower. Based on that finding I bought LPS-1. 

[OldBigEars]

4 hours ago, JootecFromMars said:

 

i have the mR 1.4 with LPS-1 and  a Gen5 USB Yggy, On a Gen3 USB Yggy, the LPS-1 (with aftermarket DC cable) made a massive difference over the ifi iPower. I got the mR 1.4 still on a Gen3USB Yggy and that added a lot of extra clarity/detail/soundstage. When I got the Gen5 USB upgrade, clarity/detail/soundstage was better again. i would suggest that a mR 1.4 with a better more accurate clock aids in the eventual sound quality.

 

Very interesting - thanks for your reply.  I imagine it must be very hard to really assess the step-up in quality of the 1.4 conversation, due to the time lag before you hear one after the other.  But it sounds like you were pleased with the improvement. I'm tempted by the 1.4 - not a huge investment if it makes a nice difference.

[OldBigEars]

2 hours ago, jaaptina said:

You can test what a good power supply will do for your system by powering your microRendu with a set of rechargeable AA batteries. In my system the AA batteries sounded a lot better than iFi iPower. Based on that finding I bought LPS-1. 

 

Batteries sound like a great idea - but maybe not for me.  I wouldn't have a clue how to set that up LOL

[OldBigEars]

2 hours ago, jaaptina said:

You can test what a good power supply will do for your system by powering your microRendu with a set of rechargeable AA batteries. In my system the AA batteries sounded a lot better than iFi iPower. Based on that finding I bought LPS-1. 

 

I believe the mR + Eitr is probably slightly better than Eitr direct from a MacBook Pro.  No regrets, from my personal experience.  I'll do a more thorough evaluation once I feel everything  is completely broken in and my ears are completely attuned to Roon (I've switched from A+). 

 

Important to note that I've already discredited Torq's Law....the tester on another site who led the theory that "Nothing else (except Eitr) matters."  He's wrong, of course.  The surrounding cables do in fact matter.  My experience with mR also suggests to me that it makes a clear difference.  It's not massive.  The Eitr is so good you can manage just fine with a simple computer set up - make no mistake.  Differences are marginal, but they are clearly there once you stop LISTENING and just relax and let the music play, as you normally would.

 

But I I don't think my experience with mR enables me to predict further improvements with either a power supply upgrade or with the 1.4 board.  Thanks for sharing your ideas.

[lgp]

On 3.10.2017 at 3:57 AM, vortecjr said:

Try updates the unit again.

 

To verify if the Rendu sees your device go to Apps / DAC Diagnostics. If the device is not listed you may have to remove and reconnect the USB cable, then refresh the page. If your device is still not listed try power cycling the device followed by power cycling the Rendu and then go to Apps / DAC Diagnostics. 

I tried the update again without success, then I tried to power cycle the DAC and then the microRendu and then it worked! Thanks a lot! 

[vortecjr]

30 minutes ago, lgp said:

I tried the update again without success, then I tried to power cycle the DAC and then the microRendu and then it worked! Thanks a lot! 

Good work.