Sonore microRendu

[d_elm]

Regarding point 4, check also the QNAP TS-251+. I use that with minimServer and BubbleUPnP Server. Lumin for the control point on iOS.

[d_elm]

Forgot to mention, the advantage of NAS is the device has low power requirements and is always available.

[Larry Borden]

Thank you. I am however most curious about my questions 1-3.

 

As for the NAS: The Mac Mini is not my main commuter; I currently use it solely for music. So if I added a microRendu, the Mac Mini could remain committed to music. In light of that, is there any advantage to a NAS over the Mac mini + USB hard drive? Note that I do not need access to my music in other rooms.

 

Thanks -

 

Larry

[Albrecht]

Thank you. I am however most curious about my questions 1-3.

 

As for the NAS: The Mac Mini is not my main commuter; I currently use it solely for music. So if I added a microRendu, the Mac Mini could remain committed to music. In light of that, is there any advantage to a NAS over the Mac mini + USB hard drive? Note that I do not need access to my music in other rooms.

 

Thanks -

 

Larry

 

Hi,

Essentially, - one of the biggest, if not the biggest reason for the NAS is digital file distribution to more than one device. Although some folks have reported an improvement in using QNAP's NAS virtual switch & running a cable direct from 1 ethernet port to the renderer. I am going to do this, this weekend.

In addition, some Roon & LMS users are reporting improvements in running those Server programs from the NAS drive instead of a commercial PC: largely due to some overhead with the GUI, - where the "headless" "Server" version doesn't have that capability.

 

Cheers,

[barrows]

Thank you. I am however most curious about my questions 1-3.

 

As for the NAS: The Mac Mini is not my main commuter; I currently use it solely for music. So if I added a microRendu, the Mac Mini could remain committed to music. In light of that, is there any advantage to a NAS over the Mac mini + USB hard drive? Note that I do not need access to my music in other rooms.

 

Thanks -

 

Larry

 

Larry, I suspect there is no definitive answer to this question at this time. Technically speaking, as long as your Mini (or NAS if one goes that route) is located physically away from the audio system, and preferably powered from an entirely different AC branch, then you should get identical performance from either. But, the potential for performance differences will depend somewhat on how you use the µRendu, as if it is used as an end point for ROON, or if it is used as a DLNA device may result in performance differences.

There are so many different ways to use the µRendu (DLNA, NAA, ROON endpoint, shared drive over Ethernet, etc) that it is hard to know what every configuration is capable of. So some experimentation may be required to get the best set up for you.

 

Regarding your previous post, I am willing to suggest that there will be a notable performance improvement going from your Mini-USB-EMM combo, to a µRendu-USB-EMM set up, regardless of how you end up serving the files.

[Larry Borden]

Thank you Barrows. I will order the microRendu today, and hold off on a NAS.

 

"There are so many different ways to use the µRendu (DLNA, NAA, ROON endpoint, shared drive over Ethernet, etc) that it is hard to know what every configuration is capable of."

 

I like Roon, and want to keep using it, so if my rudimentary understanding is correct, I will use the microRendu as a ROON endpoint. Is that correct?

 

Thanks again!

 

Larry

[Larry Borden]

One additional question:

 

I am aware that when using a computer directly driving a DAC, it is best for the computer to do as few other things as possible. Is this also true when using the computer in conjunction with a microRendu? So what I'm really asking is, would there be any significant benefit from replacing the Mac mini with a "dedicated" music computer such as the Sonic transporter?

 

Larry

[Albrecht]

Thank you Barrows. I will order the microRendu today, and hold off on a NAS.

 

"There are so many different ways to use the µRendu (DLNA, NAA, ROON endpoint, shared drive over Ethernet, etc) that it is hard to know what every configuration is capable of."

 

I like Roon, and want to keep using it, so if my rudimentary understanding is correct, I will use the microRendu as a ROON endpoint. Is that correct?

 

Thanks again!

 

Larry

 

 

Yes....

 

And to answer your additional question, - it might, - as you have a Meitner. :-)

 

As i mentioned, - there are folks who are gaining benefit by running Roon Server as opposed to Roon Core.

 

Cheers,

 

PS> Is your Mini located in another room? If not, - your microRendu affords you the ability to get it out of there.

[Johnny Moondog]

Although some folks have reported an improvement in using QNAP's NAS virtual switch & running a cable direct from 1 ethernet port to the renderer. [...] In addition, some Roon & LMS users are reporting improvements in running those Server programs from the NAS drive instead of a commercial PC...

 

Are these comments referring to an online forum you can point me to? I'm curious to learn more...

[AllenB]

I have a customer that reported that Reboot and Power Down were switched. I could not reproduce it so I dismissed it. Use Power Down and see if it comes up after a minute?

 

I also have to report the same issue, the 'Reboot' seems to completely shut down the mR, leave it as long as you like and it does not come back up. A 'Power Down' closes the mR down but the ethernet light blinks constantly, however the browser GUI is not able to log back into it. For both, only turning the PSU off and on again brings it back online. Software is on 2.1 and does not report any update available in the GUI, so I do not believe I am missing any update.

[MikeyFresh]

I also have to report the same issue, the 'Reboot' seems to completely shut down the mR, leave it as long as you like and it does not come back up. A 'Power Down' closes the mR down but the ethernet light blinks constantly, however the browser GUI is not able to log back into it. For both, only turning the PSU off and on again brings it back online. Software is on 2.1 and does not report any update available in the GUI, so I do not believe I am missing any update.

 

I have similar but not identical behavior, the Power Down does indeed shut off the unit and no attempt to power it up again works unless I physically disconnect and reconnect the power supply (which has no on/off switch of it's own).

 

On the other hand, the Reboot function seemed to work just fine for me.

[Elescher]

I also have to report the same issue, the 'Reboot' seems to completely shut down the mR, leave it as long as you like and it does not come back up. A 'Power Down' closes the mR down but the ethernet light blinks constantly, however the browser GUI is not able to log back into it. For both, only turning the PSU off and on again brings it back online. Software is on 2.1 and does not report any update available in the GUI, so I do not believe I am missing any update.

 

Well if anyone can figure this out I would certainly like to hear how to get it working. I hooked mine up to a different network and DAC, but still had the same thing happen. Anyone else try other troubleshooting measures?

[The Computer Audiophile]

I have similar but not identical behavior, the Power Down does indeed shut off the unit and no attempt to power it up again works unless I physically disconnect and reconnect the power supply (which has no on/off switch of it's own).

 

On the other hand, the Reboot function seemed to work just fine for me.

Isn't this how it's supposed to work?

[MikeyFresh]

Isn't this how it's supposed to work?

If there is documentation on exactly how it's supposed to work I must have missed it.

 

My thought was the Power button would also allow a power up sequence, in essence power down just putting it in a standby mode that can be reawakened again using that same power button.

 

It's certainly no big deal for me as I tend to leave the unit on all the time, although when using a battery supply it is shut down to disconnect/recharge the battery.

 

Eventually I'll have it running from a spare 12 volt output on an existing LPS energizing the forthcoming UpTone LPS-1, at which point I won't be disconnecting it anymore and will just leave it on at all times.

 

But I was curious as to what behavior I would get seeing as others don't seem to be reporting uniform results. Perhaps the behavior I witnessed is the intended functionality.

[Elescher]

Isn't this how it's supposed to work?

 

My understanding is that when the unit powers down that it does require the user to manually disconnect/reconnect the power, whether it be by unplugging the Rendu or turning the attached PSU on/off. Based on the experience I am having with my particular unit I would have to say that this is NOT how it is supposed to work. Anyone out there that is familiar enough with these that can provide some information or direction on what I/we can do to resolve this, or who to contact that can help out?

[alcarp]

Yes. Under Settings->Plugins you enable the DSDPlayer. Then under Settings->Advanced->File Types make sure DSF and DFF are enabled. This will work for DoP, not native DSD as far as I understand it. I have not tried this myself as I use the BrutefirDRC plugin for convolution which only works with PCM.

 

I'm running LMS version 7.7.3 on a Synology DS214 play. I don't see any DSDPlayer plugin available.

 

Do I need LMS 7.9 to have this and, if so, where can I get it for the Synology NAS?

 

Any help in how to install 7.9 on the NAS would be greatly appreciated.

[zettelsm]

First time poster, so please forgive me if my questions (which are very basic) have already been answered in this rather lengthy thread.

 

I am currently using a Mac Mini with Power Supply from Core Audio Technology, running Roon, feeding (via USB) an EMM Labs DAC2x. I do not currently have a NAS; my backup is a USB external hard drive, with automatic backup via Apple's Time machine.

 

Based on what I've read, it is my belief (and hope) that I can improve the sound by switching to a microRendu. My questions are as follows:

 

1. Is it reasonable to expect that the addition of a microRendu will improve the sound?

 

2. Assuming the answer to question 1 is in the affirmative, can I use the Mac mini (which is connected to my Network) to run Roon?

 

3. Would if be beneficial (sonically speaking) to replace the Mac mini with a Sonic transporter? Or better yet I suppose, a Sonic transporter AP?

 

4. Is there any advantage to my getting a NAS? If so, is the Synology DS216+ II a reasonable choice?

 

Thank in advance for your assistance and again, my apologies for asking questions that have probably been discussed ad nauseum.

 

Regards,

 

Larry

 

Hello Larry,

 

Answering your questions in order:

 

1. Yes, it is very reasonable to expect the microRendu to improve the sound of your system. In my experience using a Playback Designs MPD-3 DAC I found a direct USB connection from Mini to DAC to be the bottom rung of the sound quality ladder, even after adding an Uptone Audio REGEN and linear power supply. Next step up was an Auralic Aries with linear supply, and an significant improvement over the Aries was an Aurender N100H. However, the microRendu tops all of these.

 

The "magic" combo for me right now while I wait for Uptone Audio's LPS-1 to be released is a microRendu powered by an IntoCircuit 32000 Mah battery pack, running Roon and HQPlayer (in pass-through without filtering or sample-rate conversion) on an external power supply Mac Mini.

 

2. Unless your Mini is really old I don't see why not. I'm running Roon and HQPlayer on a 2009 Mini without any problems. I tried HQPlayer upsampling everything to DSD128 in conjunction with Roon and did not experience any dropouts or stuttering. The only reason I'm using HQPlayer without upsampling is my DAC already up samples everything to DSD128 and I prefer the sound with the DAC doing the processing rather than HQPlayer.

 

3. I don't have any experience with the SonicTransporters so can't say. However I was able to move the Mini to an adjoining room on another electrical circuit and that paid sonic dividends in terms of lowering electrical noise, as did running fiber optical Ethernet from that room to the listening room.

 

I considered the SonicTransporter AP quite seriously (and may still end up trying one), but opted instead for a late-2012 Mac Mini i7 quad-core with SSD and 16GB RAM. On paper at least, the late2012 Mini is somewhat more powerful than the ST AP but there are certainly some advantages to having a purpose-built for audio computer like the ST in terms of noise performance.

 

4. I have two NAS, however if the max hard drive size (8TB IIRC) of the SonicTransporter AP will hold your library, that is certainly a viable option. I use Thecus NAS but Synology is a very good brand and it's user interface is certainly better than the clunky Windows-like Thecus GUI.

 

Some people are running the headless version of Roon on their NAS if it is powerful enough but I am unaware of anyone able to run Roon and HQPlayer on their NAS in lieu of a PC or Mac.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Steve Z

[alonwa]

You do need 7.9.0 for DSD/DoP. You can install 7.9.0 quite easily by enabling beta packages (open Package Center and press on Settings, then check the box in the Beta tab). You should then see that it will offer you to install 7.9.0.

 

I'm running LMS version 7.7.3 on a Synology DS214 play. I don't see any DSDPlayer plugin available.

 

Do I need LMS 7.9 to have this and, if so, where can I get it for the Synology NAS?

 

Any help in how to install 7.9 on the NAS would be greatly appreciated.

[vortecjr]

You do need 7.9.0 for DSD/DoP. You can install 7.9.0 quite easily by enabling beta packages (open Package Center and press on Settings, then check the box in the Beta tab). You should then see that it will offer you to install 7.9.0.

 

This is correct. You also need the PlayDSD plug-in enabled. This will send DSD to SqueezeLite and SqueezeLite will send DSD/DoP to your device.

[Priaptor]

This is correct. You also need the PlayDSD plug-in enabled. This will send DSD to SqueezeLite and SqueezeLite will send DSD/DoP to your device.

 

Jesus,

 

I finally got a chance to use it with my MSB Diamond Plus. You had indicated when I did, to send you the data sheet from the microrendu that shows the interaction between the two. No issue playing DoP and not that it is a biggy, but if you want to see the data sheet to try to implement direct DSD with MSB let me know where to send it. It is the best I have heard my MSB to date. Thanks

[vortecjr]

Jesus,

 

I finally got a chance to use it with my MSB Diamond Plus. You had indicated when I did, to send you the data sheet from the microrendu that shows the interaction between the two. No issue playing DoP and not that it is a biggy, but if you want to see the data sheet to try to implement direct DSD with MSB let me know where to send it. It is the best I have heard my MSB to date. Thanks

 

Post the complete output of Apps / DAC Diagnostics here:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f26-sonore-sponsored/sonicorbiter-native-direct-stream-digital-support-27418/

[Priaptor]

Post the complete output of Apps / DAC Diagnostics here:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f26-sonore-sponsored/sonicorbiter-native-direct-stream-digital-support-27418/

 

Thanks Jesus

 

Will do when I get home from work. Thanks.

[Angular Mo]

Saving my dollars for this.

[mrvco]

Isn't this how it's supposed to work?

 

Yes, it does seem to shut down the OS gracefully / safely.

[mrvco]

My understanding is that when the unit powers down that it does require the user to manually disconnect/reconnect the power, whether it be by unplugging the Rendu or turning the attached PSU on/off. Based on the experience I am having with my particular unit I would have to say that this is NOT how it is supposed to work. Anyone out there that is familiar enough with these that can provide some information or direction on what I/we can do to resolve this, or who to contact that can help out?

 

I've only used shut down when moving my µR. I didn't look at the lights specifically, but my intent was for a safe shutdown rather than just pulling the plug. Actually, I just tried it and the network lights continue to flash (it is still connected to power), but the OS is definitely off-line.