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Sonore microRendu


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OK, realise I am a bit late to the party but just received my MicroRendu yesterday and thought prospective buyers might appreciate how it compares to the Auralic Aries which I used for almost 2 years prior. Should note my DAC is the Auralic Aries with LPS so there should be some extra synergy between these 2 Auralic components (in theory).

 

First thing to say is that considering the MicroRendu is half the price of the Aries it compares very well performance-wise. First thing, this is amazingly compact and a joy to setup/use. Stability is superb, the Aries was a nightmare for me, wired or wireless, UPNP, Openhome, different routers, perhaps my unit has specific issues but it was always dropping out/completely disconnecting. The stability and just all round pleasant user experience of the MicroRendu alone might be enough to cause me to switch sides.

 

I am using the TeddyPardo PSU straight off the bat, so I don't know how it might sound with a stock PSU. I am using a Cardas Clear USB cable and cheap ethernet cable I found in a drawer somewhere (awaiting a Supra CAT 8 cable coming) The USB cable is a definite improvement on the hard adapter, first conclusion to draw (this was easy)

 

Squeezelite vs DNLA modes, if there is a difference it isn't massive but I will play with some of the oversampling options available via minimstream later. Using Squeezelite just because of the excellent Squeezecommander android app and Spotify support. Not tried playing music off a USB stick yet either (I believe this is possible with the MicroRendu?) It's a noticeable improvement on the Aries but wasn't really practical for me since all my music is on my NAS.

 

OK, I am not a great believer in burn-in, I've had it running around 24hrs, if any improvements manifest themselves they will be slight so let's just assume it's reached the required burn-in time. One thing I will say is that I had this thing set up in 10 mins from opening the box streaming music which is to be commended.

 

Of course now the all important criteria which products live and die by: sound quality. If I could describe the MicroRendu in one word I would say "clean". It's ability to extract detail is superb and noticeably better than the Aries. On Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek near the start there is a sound something like a plate crashing, it is heard on the Aries but with the MicroRendu it is like a light is shone on it. Just to show how emphatic this quality is there is a London Grammar song, I forget which but there is a random digital glitch on one of the tracks near the start, I listened to this album ad nauseum over the years I had my Aries, it wasn't that it was masked or faint, I literally never heard it, the Aries clearly wasn't capable of resolving this level of detail.

 

It would be pleasing if I could say the MicroRendu outclasses the Aries in all departments, however I'm not able to go this far. One clear advantage the Aries has over the MircroRendu is soundstage, the Aries soundstage is wider, deeper, vocals in particular have more room to breathe. If I listen to a track like London Grammar's If you Wait the Aries just draws you in, it sounds heavenly and totally ethereal, the midrange I feel at times is a little better on the Aries (though this is really close) The MicroRendu has a more compact soundstage (maybe this suits other systems better, I can only speak for my own) it simply lacks the cohesion of the Aries, dare I say it at the risk of perhaps oversimplifying it, it sacrifices musicality for accuracy.

 

Everything is a just a little more compact/reigned-in than the Aries. Bass is very tight and controlled, the Aries has more "slam" but on some tracks this can result in boominess and drowning out some of the other higher frequency ranges. Sibilance is non-existant on the MicroRendu, this is a clear win versus the Aries which suffers in varying degrees. Treble I give to the edge to the Aries, the MicroRendu treble is a little harsh, hi-hats for example sound more synthetic and as if they have been artifically boosted, whereas the Aries is much smoother( some might say rolled-off), strings sound more liquid for lack of a better word. It just sounds a little more believable on the Aries.

 

I saw enough good things in the MicroRendu and I realise there is far more tweaking to be done to lift its performance to an even greater level. I think the categories it wins in are: a) Price (at more than half the price) b) better flexibility, use with Squeezelite etc c) better accuracy, for me this was emphatic across the board. d) stability and robustness, compared to the Aries this is a (pleasant!) night and day difference.

 

Where it comes second best I feel is a) soundstage is definitely not what it is with the Aries, smaller and less "cohesive" b) treble is a little sharp, at times not real sounding (hi-hats) c) Aries has the better "musicality" overall but this difference is not huge and with some tweaking/performanc e optimisation can envision the gap narrowing.

 

 

You may like to use this thread

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f22-networking-networked-audio-and-streaming/auralic-aries-and-sonore-microrendu-listening-impressions-29351/#post567756

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I want to personally thank everyone who participated in the sale....enjoy!

Thank you for the offer.

Also, all of you guys are doing an incredible job with your customer service and helping people above and beyond on these forums. Just reading how much detail you go into and the patience you all have in repeating the same answers over and over is very, very impressive. The demand for your products already shows knowledge, expertise and respect for customers. I believe you (if aren't already) are going to be very big hitters in this side of the audio world.

 

Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

Peach Audio Iso Transformer, Linn Akurate DSM, McIntosh MA2275 

Paradigm 30th Anniversary Tributes, SVS SB13 Ultra x2, Dynaudio BM5A MKII

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Thank you! I'm surprised there is so little contrasting the two - where is Romaz when you need him? :)

 

It seems most people here forgo the cost difference, get the LPS-1 and call it a day... Any advice/personal experience from anyone?

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Thank you! I'm surprised there is so little contrasting the two - where is Romaz when you need him? :)

 

It seems most people here forgo the cost difference, get the LPS-1 and call it a day... Any advice/personal experience from anyone?

 

I have customer feedback, but it would not be fair or nice to Alex for me to post it:)

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Having a problem which is driving me crazy. While my Devialet is off in France being upgraded to Expert I thought I would try my microRendu with my Mytek headphone amp. The mR and USB cable are both known to be working fine (worked with the Devialet) and the mR is visible on the network and bootable/configurable/rebootable via the web interface. But try as I might I can't get the Mytek to lock onto the USB output from the mR.

 

Mytek is latest (last) fw 1.8.3 and Mytek is on when I boot/reboot the mR per the mR release notes. mR also on latest sw, 2.3. But whatever I try the Mytek just flashes "No Lock". Mytek website states that the USB2 driver doesn't work under El Capitan so I haven't been able to test the Mytek with any other USB2 host (all my Macs are on Sierra). Works fine on other inputs though (Firewire, S/PDIF RCA).

 

I know plenty of others have this combo working so I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Audio device list reports "Error in alsa-capabilities (v0.9.1): aplay did not find any soundcard.".

 

Any clues for the clueless gratefully received!

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Having a problem which is driving me crazy. While my Devialet is off in France being upgraded to Expert I thought I would try my microRendu with my Mytek headphone amp. The mR and USB cable are both known to be working fine (worked with the Devialet) and the mR is visible on the network and bootable/configurable/rebootable via the web interface. But try as I might I can't get the Mytek to lock onto the USB output from the mR.

 

Mytek is latest (last) fw 1.8.3 and Mytek is on when I boot/reboot the mR per the mR release notes. mR also on latest sw, 2.3. But whatever I try the Mytek just flashes "No Lock". Mytek website states that the USB2 driver doesn't work under El Capitan so I haven't been able to test the Mytek with any other USB2 host (all my Macs are on Sierra). Works fine on other inputs though (Firewire, S/PDIF RCA).

 

I know plenty of others have this combo working so I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Audio device list reports "Error in alsa-capabilities (v0.9.1): aplay did not find any soundcard.".

 

Any clues for the clueless gratefully received!

 

Just power off the DAC and the microRendu. Now power up the DAC and then the microRendu. The order matters with this device. Wait for a signal lock of 88.2 on the DAC's display and it's ready to go. Ignore the DAC Diagnostic messages.

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Just power off the DAC and the microRendu. Now power up the DAC and then the microRendu. The order matters with this device. Wait for a signal lock of 88.2 on the DAC's display and it's ready to go. Ignore the DAC Diagnostic messages.

Thanks Jesus. I've done exactly this multiple times but the Mytek never locks on, just blinks "No Lock". Can't for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong..

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Thanks Jesus. I've done exactly this multiple times but the Mytek never locks on, just blinks "No Lock". Can't for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong..

 

It could be the Firmware you are using. I'm using 1.7.1. Here is a link: https://mytekdigital.com/support_docs/

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Thanks Jesus. I've done exactly this multiple times but the Mytek never locks on, just blinks "No Lock". Can't for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong..

 

I further suggest you disconnect the usb cable from the DAC. Power the Mytek up fully, attach the USB cable from the mR, and then power the mR. Works for me. I do occasionally have to do the whole procedure twice.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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I further suggest you disconnect the usb cable from the DAC. Power the Mytek up fully, attach the USB cable from the mR, and then power the mR. Works for me. I do occasionally have to do the whole procedure twice.

 

You do not need to remove the USB cable. You just need to turn on the DAC and then the microRendu. This is the requirement of the driver.

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I further suggest you disconnect the usb cable from the DAC. Power the Mytek up fully, attach the USB cable from the mR, and then power the mR. Works for me. I do occasionally have to do the whole procedure twice.

 

Thanks firedog. Costs nothing to try so will give it a go before trying Jesus' firmware suggestion. Out of interest which fw version do you have in your Mytek?

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I'm currently using a Netgear GS105 (gigabit) switch with my system and am wondering if I will hear much if any improvement by using instead a 100Mbps switch, having I think read somewhere that gigabit switches can be noisier and that this speed is not needed for audio. The layout of my system is modem/router, NAS and mRendu (LPS-1) all plugged into the switch with normal cat 6/6e ethernet cables.

 

Also, can anyone give me a very short idiot's guide on FMCs - what they are intended to do to improve sound quality and when they should be used. My entire system, including all cabling and connections will be in one room, so no long lengths of cable. Would FMCs do anything for my system? Thanks

Zenith SE > USPCB (5v off) > tX-USBultra 9V (SR4) > Sablon Reserva Elite USB > M Scaler > WAVE Stream bnc > DAVE > Prion4/Lazuli Reference > Utopia/LCD-4/HE1000se

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I'm currently using a Netgear GS105 (gigabit) switch with my system and am wondering if I will hear much if any improvement by using instead a 100Mbps switch, having I think read somewhere that gigabit switches can be noisier and that this speed is not needed for audio. The layout of my system is modem/router, NAS and mRendu (LPS-1) all plugged into the switch with normal cat 6/6e ethernet cables.

 

Also, can anyone give me a very short idiot's guide on FMCs - what they are intended to do to improve sound quality and when they should be used. My entire system, including all cabling and connections will be in one room, so no long lengths of cable. Would FMCs do anything for my system? Thanks

This is discussed in detail in the Auralic Aries and Sonore microRendu listening impressions threat. Maybe it is better to keep this discussion over there. [emoji16]

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Thanks firedog. Costs nothing to try so will give it a go before trying Jesus' firmware suggestion. Out of interest which fw version do you have in your Mytek?

 

I have 1.82

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment
OK, realise I am a bit late to the party but just received my MicroRendu yesterday and thought prospective buyers might appreciate how it compares to the Auralic Aries which I used for almost 2 years prior. Should note my DAC is the Auralic Aries with LPS so there should be some extra synergy between these 2 Auralic components (in theory).

 

First thing to say is that considering the MicroRendu is half the price of the Aries it compares very well performance-wise. First thing, this is amazingly compact and a joy to setup/use. Stability is superb, the Aries was a nightmare for me, wired or wireless, UPNP, Openhome, different routers, perhaps my unit has specific issues but it was always dropping out/completely disconnecting. The stability and just all round pleasant user experience of the MicroRendu alone might be enough to cause me to switch sides.

 

I am using the TeddyPardo PSU straight off the bat, so I don't know how it might sound with a stock PSU. I am using a Cardas Clear USB cable and cheap ethernet cable I found in a drawer somewhere (awaiting a Supra CAT 8 cable coming) The USB cable is a definite improvement on the hard adapter, first conclusion to draw (this was easy)

 

Squeezelite vs DNLA modes, if there is a difference it isn't massive but I will play with some of the oversampling options available via minimstream later. Using Squeezelite just because of the excellent Squeezecommander android app and Spotify support. Not tried playing music off a USB stick yet either (I believe this is possible with the MicroRendu?) It's a noticeable improvement on the Aries but wasn't really practical for me since all my music is on my NAS.

 

OK, I am not a great believer in burn-in, I've had it running around 24hrs, if any improvements manifest themselves they will be slight so let's just assume it's reached the required burn-in time. One thing I will say is that I had this thing set up in 10 mins from opening the box streaming music which is to be commended.

 

Of course now the all important criteria which products live and die by: sound quality. If I could describe the MicroRendu in one word I would say "clean". It's ability to extract detail is superb and noticeably better than the Aries. On Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek near the start there is a sound something like a plate crashing, it is heard on the Aries but with the MicroRendu it is like a light is shone on it. Just to show how emphatic this quality is there is a London Grammar song, I forget which but there is a random digital glitch on one of the tracks near the start, I listened to this album ad nauseum over the years I had my Aries, it wasn't that it was masked or faint, I literally never heard it, the Aries clearly wasn't capable of resolving this level of detail.

 

It would be pleasing if I could say the MicroRendu outclasses the Aries in all departments, however I'm not able to go this far. One clear advantage the Aries has over the MircroRendu is soundstage, the Aries soundstage is wider, deeper, vocals in particular have more room to breathe. If I listen to a track like London Grammar's If you Wait the Aries just draws you in, it sounds heavenly and totally ethereal, the midrange I feel at times is a little better on the Aries (though this is really close) The MicroRendu has a more compact soundstage (maybe this suits other systems better, I can only speak for my own) it simply lacks the cohesion of the Aries, dare I say it at the risk of perhaps oversimplifying it, it sacrifices musicality for accuracy.

 

Everything is a just a little more compact/reigned-in than the Aries. Bass is very tight and controlled, the Aries has more "slam" but on some tracks this can result in boominess and drowning out some of the other higher frequency ranges. Sibilance is non-existant on the MicroRendu, this is a clear win versus the Aries which suffers in varying degrees. Treble I give to the edge to the Aries, the MicroRendu treble is a little harsh, hi-hats for example sound more synthetic and as if they have been artifically boosted, whereas the Aries is much smoother( some might say rolled-off), strings sound more liquid for lack of a better word. It just sounds a little more believable on the Aries.

 

I saw enough good things in the MicroRendu and I realise there is far more tweaking to be done to lift its performance to an even greater level. I think the categories it wins in are: a) Price (at more than half the price) b) better flexibility, use with Squeezelite etc c) better accuracy, for me this was emphatic across the board. d) stability and robustness, compared to the Aries this is a (pleasant!) night and day difference.

 

Where it comes second best I feel is a) soundstage is definitely not what it is with the Aries, smaller and less "cohesive" b) treble is a little sharp, at times not real sounding (hi-hats) c) Aries has the better "musicality" overall but this difference is not huge and with some tweaking/performance optimisation can envision the gap narrowing.

 

I was hoping the MicroRendu's performance would be comprehensively better than the Aries, enough so that I could sell my Aries. I will hold off for now, the MicroRendu will stay in my system as my prefered source and will see what benefits come from the CAT8 cable and maybe try HQPlayer and oversampling options for MinimServer. Overall the MicroRendu is a definite win, and perhaps a comparison to a product greater than twice its price is an unfair one. People coming from PC streaming, Squeezebox etc will be blown away by the performance of this thing. I think its level of performance merits a higher price, but hey not complaining :)

 

you might want to try hqplayer and use the MR as an NAA and not as the renderer.

i found big gains in soundstage without even upsampling, just moving the renderer off of the mR.

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Thank you very much to Andrew and all the guys involved in the black Friday deal.

It's has already arrived to a small town in Australia in less than a week. Extremely impressed.

Thank you

 

Sent from my JAZZ using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Enjoy!

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