Sonore microRendu

[Patatorz]

What is the availability of the micro-Rendu ? No information on sonore website.

BR

[Jiffi32]

Hi it was in a link in the original posters update.

 

Copied here for you both. Would be fascinated to know what I you hear with it

 

Simon

 

If you have a need you can go to this site and when in the cart just add en70-hd-audio to the coupon code section.

 

Thank you Simon.

 

Just tried to order from eu website which is in berlin, but they don't ship to UK???? :-(

[jtwrace]

Thank you for the pointer and discount code, those look like a good way of protecting my home network from the vagaries of the old external cable wiring in my neighborhood.

 

Sorry for being silly, but where is the discount code? i'd like to give one a try.

See below

 

 

So you are using two of them at 2 different points or just one?

Do you hear a difference with it installed, or is it just a matter of protection?

Yes, as mentioned above somewhere I *think* I do. Subjectively of course.

 

Me too.

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f22-networking-networked-audio-and-streaming/emo-systems-discount-code-29018/

[JohnSwenson]

Question for John Swenson. I posted this regarding the EMO Systems EN-70H. I have one before my modem for surge protection of the devices. However, I decided to purchase another to try before the µRendu. I'm quite surprised by what I *think* is a subjective improvement. I'd be curious to know your thoughts on this.

 

Audio Applications are here.

 

[ATTACH]27372[/ATTACH]

 

sales (at) emosystems (dot) com

 

Well its an Ethernet transformer with a bandwidth that seems a little low to me. Both 100Megabit and gigabit use 125 megasymbols per second, this transformer has a bandwidth that starts falling off below 100MHz, this means it will be causing some signal integrity degradation. It will also reject some very high frequency noise if it is there.

 

It breaks shielding, so if you have cable with a continuous shield this will break it, thus potentially breaking a ground loop.

 

Any or all of these may be causing an increase in SQ.

 

Given its somewhat low bandwidth I personally would not recommend these be used willy nilly in a system. Use of one after a modem sounds like a really good thing to block potentially damaging transient events from getting into your system.

 

But if one of these is improving SQ, my personal thought is that you have something else that might need some work in your system.

 

John S.

[JohnSwenson]

Anyone using an Intona with their rendu?

 

I took mine out of the chain when the rendu arrived, and connected with a curious link (hard adapter doesn't fit). This was because I thought the rendu was meant to give the best USB output possible.

 

Dont get me wrong I've been really happy with it, but after a busy month or so I thought 'what the hell, it's just sitting there I'll plug the Intona back in'. To my ears, it sounds quite a bit better with it. Sort of pleased, surprised and dissapointed in equal measure.

 

Pleased because it sounds better, surprised because I thought it was meant to be rendered unnecessary, and dissapointed because I was hoping to simplify the chain and sell the Intona.

 

Connected hard adapter to the Intona, and Regen link from there as before. I use the ifi.

 

Unfortunately there is no simple answer here. We are way down in the tertiary effects where many different low level things can be affecting SQ.

 

The Intona is an isolator in the USB cable so if you put one in you are most likely breaking a ground loop from somewhere. The two most likely places are from the power supply of the device connected to the Ethernet port on the microRendu, and the other is the power supply powering the microRendu itself.

 

The first is most likely to happen if you are using shielded Ethernet cable. The second is most likely to be what is happening in your case. ALL power supplies have what is called leakage current, this will work its way through your system in many different ways and cause low level noise to show up in your system. SMPS supplies in general seem to be worse at this than most linear supplies. If your system is REALLY good and knocked down a lot of other problems, the leakage current from using an SMPS to power the microRendu could definitely be audible. Thus putting the Intona in the USB connection may help.

 

Using a different power supply with lower leakage current can also help without needing the Intona. Unfortunately NOBODY is listing leakage current specs on power supplies, and the spectrum of the leakage current is also quite important, but HOW it is important varies wildly from system to system. So it is essentially a crap shoot.

 

So it comes down to use what sounds best to YOU. If the Intona makes it sound better, you can keep it there, or if you don't want to, going with a lower leakage power supply will also probably improve things as well.

 

John S.

[drdkey]

..

 

Tried that too and my network/rendu is not recognized.

 

I am using the Blue Jean cable after John's recommendation and very happy. I did find it to be a snug fit as others noted and you need a little force to get it to click in. I haven't had any recognition problems.

[HumanMedia]

Anyone using the Channel Islands VDC9mkII to power their microRendu?

 

Is it audibly different to the iFi?

 

I was thinking about getting one to directly power the microRendu, then for charging the Uptone super capacitor supply. Any opinions or comments on this strategy? Any cheaper options which sound better?

[Steve Bruzonsky]

Operating system update 2.2 is now available!

[vortecjr]

My unit arrived today.

 

I had been planning on connecting it directly to my Mac Mini, from which I run HQ Player, but discovered that does not work. (This is the second time the Internet has steered me wrong - the first was in 1996 when I got an anonymous tip that smoking is good for you.)

 

So, on the way to taking the family to a local municipal 4th Of July festival, I stopped at Best Buy and picked up a Wifi extended to connect the Rendu to.

 

Within minutes of getting home I was up & running, using, as before, HQ Player to output DSD64 & 128 directly and convert PCM to DSD128 for my Lampizator Lite 7 DSD DAC.

 

Before I go on, I'll mention the main reason I bought it: I learned a few months ago that my Mac Mini is not capable of delivering sound quality anywhere near the level of a purpose-built audio PC running tweaked Windows 10. My Mini is a 2016 model with 16 Gb RAM, SSD, and two cores, with the system tweaked per the Mojo instructions. Compared to a Phasure PC (also running HQ) it just sounded like mud, across several different DACs. Every parameter of sound quality was seriously inferior, to put it simply.

 

So, I knew that if I were serious about computer audio I needed something else, but didn't really feel like putting together or buying an audio PC.

 

(Note: One major difference between the two machines in the little shootout I did was that the PC had no on-board Wifi, while the Mac does. For all I know, that could account for all the difference. But I could not turn the Mac's Wifi off as that's how I control it. So I'm not saying this was any kind of scientific or serious Mac vs. PC or Windows vs. OS X test - far from it. My point is just that I learned that a "stock" Mini, with a Schiit Wyrd in the mix also, does not cut it. Not when you want your digital to compete with a $25K vinyl setup anyway.)

 

So - in short, with the standard switching power supply, the improvement the mR brought over the bare Mini is roughly "100%". Every parameter is improved in a major way - before it, things sounded homogenized and flat, while now there is much better instrument separation, micro dynamics, and even truer tone. In audiophile terms this is a night & day difference, something that doesn't require any sort of A/B testing to discern.

 

The improvement in the treble is especially pronounced. I'm not great with analogies, but, before the mR, we might liken PCM treble (native DSD was & is still better) to a large pile of hog waste, while with the mR it is more akin to Scarlett Johansson's breasts.

 

For the asking price this thing is an absolute no-brainer. I can't say that a full-on, dedicated music server with the best hardware (in the $4-5K range) would not beat it, but I'm pretty confident in saying this device can turn virtually any computer into something that delivers state-of-the-art digital sound quality, at least comparable to the best dedicated servers.

 

No wonder they can't make them fast enough.

 

(Now, what's the best linear power supply for this thing...?)

 

I appreciate you posting this.

[vortecjr]

Anyone using the Channel Islands VDC9mkII to power their microRendu?

 

Is it audibly different to the iFi?

 

I was thinking about getting one to directly power the microRendu, then for charging the Uptone super capacitor supply. Any opinions or comments on this strategy? Any cheaper options which sound better?

 

I think it's worth a try if it's in your budget. I'm not sure I would use it for a charger for the Uptone PS though.

[vortecjr]

What is the availability of the micro-Rendu ? No information on sonore website.

BR

 

The units are available and any sales would ship this week.

[mikey8811]

I think it's worth a try if it's in your budget. I'm not sure I would use it for a charger for the Uptone PS though.

 

 

What would you suggest as a charger for the Uptone PS? Is the iFi iPower good enough?

[hifi_swlon]

Unfortunately there is no simple answer here. We are way down in the tertiary effects where many different low level things can be affecting SQ.

 

The Intona is an isolator in the USB cable so if you put one in you are most likely breaking a ground loop from somewhere. The two most likely places are from the power supply of the device connected to the Ethernet port on the microRendu, and the other is the power supply powering the microRendu itself.

 

The first is most likely to happen if you are using shielded Ethernet cable. The second is most likely to be what is happening in your case. ALL power supplies have what is called leakage current, this will work its way through your system in many different ways and cause low level noise to show up in your system. SMPS supplies in general seem to be worse at this than most linear supplies. If your system is REALLY good and knocked down a lot of other problems, the leakage current from using an SMPS to power the microRendu could definitely be audible. Thus putting the Intona in the USB connection may help.

 

Using a different power supply with lower leakage current can also help without needing the Intona. Unfortunately NOBODY is listing leakage current specs on power supplies, and the spectrum of the leakage current is also quite important, but HOW it is important varies wildly from system to system. So it is essentially a crap shoot.

 

So it comes down to use what sounds best to YOU. If the Intona makes it sound better, you can keep it there, or if you don't want to, going with a lower leakage power supply will also probably improve things as well.

 

John S.

 

Thanks John.

 

interstingly I notice the Intonas improvement more with the rendu than the Mac mini it was used with previously. I.e. The result is a certain more 'magic' - hard to define but it's a more addictive sound which was completely unexpected. I was sure I'd be unplugging it sooner rather than later. More interestingly, I kind of forgot I put it back in, and the next morning I was listening to Internet radio via Roon (highest quality BBC stream). Anyway for a good few hours I was thinking to myself that I REALLY liked the sound and maybe I just like whatever euphonic processing they do on radio, but then the penny dropped when I play some Tidal/redbook stuff and remembered about the Intona.

 

Agreed these things are all quite subtle, but at the same times can be startlingly different if you're used to the sound your setup makes. Mines not particularly high end compared to some here (Devialet 200 and PMC Fact 8 speakers) but it is unforgiving, and this latest source setup has showed me a hint of why unforgiving systems need a much better source to sound pleasing.

 

Back to practicalities, I'd love to try your suggestion, but power supplies are very hard to 'try before you buy' and also quite heavy and expensive for shipping/customs so I'm torn about what to do. I wouldn't want to spend a fortune and end up with a big power supply and no Intona, but the same net sound result. Will think it through - for now I'll keep the Intona in.

 

I don't want to drag up other threads from elsewhere, and I don't particularly like the parties involved anyway, but I will mention that, well, let's say it's been suggested the ifi/microrendu may have a particular pairing issue with this leakage current noise you mention. (If I understood correctly) Any thoughts here specific to the ifi and what it might be doing? If anything.

 

Also I've read elsewhere (the ifi notes on the ipower) that you need one active ground only in the audio setup. I have the Devialet plugged into one Uk socket with earth pin, and the ifi powering the rendu from a different socket but it has no earth pin anyway. The only other connections to the Devialet are optical, and an Ethernet cable for control access. So in theory am I right in saying I only have one ground? Or can either of the Ethernet cables (into Devialet and rendu) be bringing in grounds? They're both unshielded but basic cat5e patch cables on a busy netgear gigabit switch (with bog standard power).

[jtwrace]

Would it be possible to have a place on the Sonore website with release notes so we know what's changing with each version (e.g. 2.1 to 2.2)?

[vortecjr]

What would you suggest as a charger for the Uptone PS? Is the iFi iPower good enough?

 

I'm sure Alex at Uptone Audio will make recommendations so let's wait and see what he says.

[vortecjr]

Would it be possible to have a place on the Sonore website with release notes so we know what's changing with each version (e.g. 2.1 to 2.2)?

 

It's been asked before and we are considering it. However, we have our reasons for not posting the changes. Should any update change the feature list of the devices we will update our website and this post as needed. All other updates should be considered bug fixes and version upgrades to existing Apps.

[firedog]

What would you suggest as a charger for the Uptone PS? Is the iFi iPower good enough?

 

No reason to use anything but a standard wall wart as a charger for the Uptone. The charging device has no effect on the output of the Uptone - that's part of the point. Save your better PS for other uses.

[barrows]

No reason to use anything but a standard wall wart as a charger for the Uptone. The charging device has no effect on the output of the Uptone - that's part of the point. Save your better PS for other uses.

 

This is not true at all. Whatever powers the Uptone would be plugged into the wall near your audio system, and will be sharing noise onto the AC line,a nd that noise will get back into your system via the AC line. It is best to keep all cheap power supplies as far away from the audio system as possible, and anything plugged into the same circuit as the audio system should be high quality/low noise.

[Angular Mo]

saving up for a MR

[HumanMedia]

This is not true at all. Whatever powers the Uptone would be plugged into the wall near your audio system, and will be sharing noise onto the AC line,a nd that noise will get back into your system via the AC line. It is best to keep all cheap power supplies as far away from the audio system as possible, and anything plugged into the same circuit as the audio system should be high quality/low noise.

 

Exactly.

And the Uptone capacitor power supply doesn't sound like you charge it for a few hours then disconnect the charger and have it run for days without the toxic switching charger. It almost sounds like you have to have it attached to the charger most of the time?

 

Anyways I think there is at least one person out there using the Channel Islands VDC9 to run their microRendu? Any comparisons to the iFi supply?

[earnmyturns]

This is not true at all. Whatever powers the Uptone would be plugged into the wall near your audio system, and will be sharing noise onto the AC line,a nd that noise will get back into your system via the AC line. It is best to keep all cheap power supplies as far away from the audio system as possible, and anything plugged into the same circuit as the audio system should be high quality/low noise.

Do you have not-too-bulky suggestions on how to separate the backwash from SMPSs from other components? Would something like this be worth it? Other options? My headphone system has a Teddy Pardo PS for a microRendu, which sounds very good but has not much separation between the switching side (network switch) and the audio side (just different outlets in the same room) and I'm waiting for the LPS-1 to power a second microRendu for my speaker system, again not well-separated power for SMPSs (that would be the LPS-1, a small NAS, and a network switch) and the audio gear.

[jtwrace]

Do you have not-too-bulky suggestions on how to separate the backwash from SMPSs from other components? Would something like this be worth it? Other options? My headphone system has a Teddy Pardo PS for a microRendu, which sounds very good but has not much separation between the switching side (network switch) and the audio side (just different outlets in the same room) and I'm waiting for the LPS-1 to power a second microRendu for my speaker system, again not well-separated power for SMPSs (that would be the LPS-1, a small NAS, and a network switch) and the audio gear.

 

Yes, the Vinnie Rossi LIO doesn't care what's plugged into the wall for example.

[earnmyturns]

Yes, the Vinnie Rossi LIO doesn't care what's plugged into the wall for example.

Not sure that answers my question. My systems have multiple components all with their own built-in or separate PSs. The question is not whether the LPS-1 (or the LIO) care about what they get from wall power, but what they send back to the wall to interfere with what other components get. There was discussion both here and in the UpTone LPS-1 thread about the potential for the PS stage that feeds the ultracaps to put high-frequency noise back into the wall power circuits.

[jtwrace]

Not sure that answers my question. My systems have multiple components all with their own built-in or separate PSs. The question is not whether the LPS-1 (or the LIO) care about what they get from wall power, but what they send back to the wall to interfere with what other components get. There was discussion both here and in the UpTone LPS-1 thread about the potential for the PS stage that feeds the ultracaps to put high-frequency noise back into the wall power circuits.

 

In my experience the P.I. Audio UberBuss does an incredible job totally killing the SMPS noise that goes back into the AC mains.

[earnmyturns]

In my experience the P.I. Audio UberBuss does an incredible job totally killing the SMPS noise that goes back into the AC mains.

Thanks, that helps.