Sonore microRendu

[ericuco]

Got my microRendu yesterday and had a few startup issues that I got resolved but thought it might be helpful to others that might be having similar issues.

 

1) First issue was that my network could not find the microRendu when using MySonicorbiter while the microRendu was positioned in its proper place next to my DAC. To be fair, my network is somewhat complex including several switches (fiber & copper), wireless access points, media converters (copper to fiber, fiber to copper), etc. To resolve the issue, I connected the microRendu directly to my router (Airport Extreme) and the microRendu was immediately found & an IP address assigned.

 

2) After issue 1) was resolved, I moved the microRendu back into its proper place in my system and it was found on my network as expected. The next issue was getting the HQP NAA selected and recognizing my DAC. This issue was user error on my part. When you go to the "apps" tab, there is a list of the available apps including HQP NAA. I kept selecting the HQP NAA app but nothing would happen. In my excitement to get everything running, I failed to notice the "select app" button (far left) - my eye just naturally gravitated to the HQP NAA button. I know this is spelled out in the documentation so obviously user error. In any case, once I did get the HQP NAA selected, my DAC wasn't being seen. I power cycled my DAC and after that it showed up under the "settings" tab and everything was working as advertised.

 

Hopefully this information might reduce the technical support calls to Jesus & Andrew.

[ismarketing]

First day and I'm very happy. Glorious tone density and big sound stage. Just kills the Aries Mini, and I'm only using the Ifi. Two set up tips.

 

Make sure the memory card is fully seated before you power up. Mine wasn't and my heart skipped a beat.

 

If using squeezeplay, check your player settings on LMS. Mine had volume equalization turned on and a digital volume control at 50%. I changed both settings.

 

Enjoy all and thanks Jesus and team.

[Albrecht]

First day and I'm very happy. Glorious tone density and big sound stage. Just kills the Aries Mini, and I'm only using the Ifi. Two set up tips.

 

Make sure the memory card is fully seated before you power up. Mine wasn't and my heart skipped a beat.

 

If using squeezeplay, check your player settings on LMS. Mine had volume equalization turned on and a digital volume control at 50%. I changed both settings.

 

Enjoy all and thanks Jesus and team.

 

What did you set the volume control to?

[Doak]

First day and I'm very happy. Glorious tone density and big sound stage. Just kills the Aries Mini, and I'm only using the Ifi. Two set up tips.

 

Make sure the memory card is fully seated before you power up. Mine wasn't and my heart skipped a beat.

 

If using squeezeplay, check your player settings on LMS. Mine had volume equalization turned on and a digital volume control at 50%. I changed both settings.

 

Enjoy all and thanks Jesus and team.

How are you feeding the microRendu?

[Albrecht]

Can those of you giving sonic impressions tell us what power supply you are using with the microRendu? Might help some of the others to decide what PS to buy with it.[/quote

 

I'm using a Teradak 30w 9v 2.5a LPS.

 

I have nothing else to compare it with. i bought Jameco LPS wall warts for my FMCs & Kimber video switch as they are all near the audio rack & cost $11. I did compare (once) the Jamecos' to the ifi iPower (NOt with a microRendu) and thought that I heard a slight improvement with the Jamecos.

 

Things sound amazing with the Teradak. I can't see myself NOT buying the Uptone Mystery supply when available; knowing now that I can still keep using the Teradak to feed it. Even though i think that Sonore sig Rendu LPS is going to be a good deal at $1399 with Cardas A/C cord, - i can't afford it.

 

Cheers,

[Theobetley]

You may get much better results with speakers of at least 94dB efficiency, seeing this is a SET DHT, especially if your room is spacious.

 

Looking forward to your listening impressions with high rate DSD and the microrendu!

 

The DHT is not an amp its a line stage only

[hifi_swlon]

same for me , no news about my 29 april order ?

 

Same here....

 

I know Sonore aren't Amazon and this is a new product launch, but the 24hr early ordering mailing list 'reward' is starting to feel a bit mute if four weekdays after ordering there's still no shipping notification for international customers, while US customers are already using theirs! I was kind of hoping it wouldn't just be an early payment opportunity, but we might actually get the chance to get them sooner too

 

Maybe it's time to ship out a few overseas orders

[chetthejet]

Hi...

 

First time here...nice to meet you all. I currently have the following configuration:

 

microjukebox (Vortexbox)-->Uptone Regen-->Benchmark DAC2D

 

Needless to say the microjukebox and Regen/Benchmark are in very close proximity to each other. To my ears, the sound quality of this configuration is excellent.

 

My question is, if I eliminate the Regen and substitute the uRendu, am I likely to notice any positive change in sound quality? A byproduct of doing this change would be (mostly for esthetic reasons) being able to move the microjukebox/server to a completely different physical location. But, by far, the #1 reason for purchasing the uRendu would be sound quality improvement.

 

Thanks for any feedback!

[ted_b]

Am using Sonic Transporter/microRendu to play DSD128 into Lampizator Amenaro USB with zero problems/dropouts.

 

I assume you are talking NAA, because yes I have no issues with MPD/DLNA mode either. DSD128 fine there.

[ted_b]

I believe the board only does DOP to 128. It only goes to 512 with an ASIO driver.

You misunderstood my point. Yes, I know it only goes to DSD128 via DoP and have said that a few times. My issue, currently, is I can't get it to DSD128 with NAA, and it clearly isn't the source cuz it (my beast HQP machine) does DSD512 without sweating into the same dac with Windows ASIO. The uRendu will take full advantage of the Amanero DoP DSD128 and play glitch-freee using MDP or OpenHome (Kazoo).

[Dev]

Looking forward to a comparison with a highly optimized 2 computer system with JPlay and Audiophile optimizer

 

I will let you know when I get mine. I have dual PC (well tricked out with ppa parts and LPS) running WS 2012 R2/Jplay/AO/Fidelizer Pro/PL setup with Intona and RUR inline and it does sound excellent. I am hoping that the microRendu will beat this setup.

[ted_b]

Sounds like a routing issue. Is there anyway to get a direct route defined from the microRendu to the NAS?

 

Who is this addressed to?

[Dev]

Not true. We have 12 emails between us. Am I going to have to put you in time out:)

 

Don’t mind timeout but pls ship the microRendu :)

[Dev]

My question is, if I eliminate the Regen and substitute the uRendu, am I likely to notice any positive change in sound quality?

 

The microRendu is supposed to have a built-in improved version of Regen. So theoretically you don’t need the Regen when using the microRendu but in audio anything is possible and you might get additional benefit with Regen in the chain as well. Experiment is the key !!!

[chetthejet]

Thanks, Dev, that is also my understanding about the uRendu vis-à-vis the Regen.

 

Yeah, I would've tried it both ways but I'm mostly interested in hearing whether or not the uRendu would effect a positive SQ change--either with or without the Regen.

[MikeyFresh]

Comparing the mrendu against a ChromeCast Audio seems way too easy to decide who the winner will be ...

 

As for your question about Linn Kazoo, this is a control point built for OpenHome renderers. Non OpenHome renderers just wont be seen by Linn Kazoo. Configuring OpenHome Server on the microrendu will "wrap" it inside an OpenHome layer, making it visible to Linn Kazoo. On the other hand, BubbleUPnP control point can operate with both non-OpenHome and OpenHome renderers, so configuring OpenHome on the mrendu is not strictly necessary if you mainly intend to use Bubble as your control point. As a renderer, the mrendu also handles gapless playback, and the OpenHome layer plays no role here. Apart from making a renderer visible to OpenHome control points, the main advantage of configuring OpenHome is that now the playlists are stored inside the renderer. You can shutdown your control point, and the playlist will continue to play. You can then restart your control point (the same or another one) and retake control of the playlist.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you, that is a helpful explanation regarding OpenHome. I currently use Bubble over the top of a JRiver server and I did try gapless playback last night successfully. That kept me up until 1am listening to Dark Side Of The Moon.

 

My primary control point is iPad2 running JRemote, or to a lesser extent a Moto X Pure running either Bubble or JRemote.

 

I didn't mean to phrase the comparison between mRendu and Airport Express or ChromeCast Audio in such a way as to suggest that's a fair fight, or for that matter any kind of meaningful comparison that people can learn from. I merely stated what my personal point of comparison is, which is to say there is no comparison at all.

[MikeyFresh]

Can those of you giving sonic impressions tell us what power supply you are using with the microRendu? Might help some of the others to decide what PS to buy with it.

 

My impressions are with the use of the iFi iPower 9vdc power supply.

[Guidof]

Hi...

 

First time here...nice to meet you all. I currently have the following configuration:

 

microjukebox (Vortexbox)-->Uptone Regen-->Benchmark DAC2D

 

Needless to say the microjukebox and Regen/Benchmark are in very close proximity to each other. To my ears, the sound quality of this configuration is excellent.

 

My question is, if I eliminate the Regen and substitute the uRendu, am I likely to notice any positive change in sound quality? A byproduct of doing this change would be (mostly for esthetic reasons) being able to move the microjukebox/server to a completely different physical location. But, by far, the #1 reason for purchasing the uRendu would be sound quality improvement.

 

Thanks for any feedback!

 

I have a somewhat similar setup to yours. In a post of mine, barrows suggested that the microRendu would indeed yield better sound. We shall see (when it gets here in NorCal).

[lmitche]

Who is this addressed to?

Hi Ted,

 

It was addressed to you. Sorry not to be clear.

[JohnSwenson]

You misunderstood my point. Yes, I know it only goes to DSD128 via DoP and have said that a few times. My issue, currently, is I can't get it to DSD128 with NAA, and it clearly isn't the source cuz it (my beast HQP machine) does DSD512 without sweating into the same dac with Windows ASIO. The uRendu will take full advantage of the Amanero DoP DSD128 and play glitch-freee using MDP or OpenHome (Kazoo).

 

When I was over at Alex's house with a prototype microRendu we had the same issue with NAA, he said that he had heard similar reports (obviously NOT for a microRendu) on other forums and there was a setting that could be changed in HQP that fixed the problem. I have no idea what this is or where it is talked about, but Alex was pretty sure it could be fixed in HQP.

 

John S.

[hifi_swlon]

Shipped!. Thank you and much love.

 

Now we're just at the mercy of postage and customs....

 

looking forward to sharing impressions back here.

[ismarketing]

Reset the volume control in LMS to fixed at 100%. I use the same setting with a Squeezebox Touch connected to an external DAC.

[ismarketing]

How are you feeding the microRendu?

 

iFi for power, with the iFi plugged in an old PS Audio Powerplant 300. Blue Jeans CAT6a Ethernet. The Micro is feeding a Davialet 120 via a Wireworld Nova USB cable, which is about to be replaced with a Curious USB link.

[Distinctive]

My unit was shipped May 3rd and by May 5th it is reported to be on its way to Norway over the Atlantic Ocean, so yes! - the international orders have started shipping......(?)

[ted_b]

Hi Ted,

 

It was addressed to you. Sorry not to be clear.

 

My routing up til now has been very successful (DSD512 upsampling at 30% cpu usage; DSD256 multichannel upsampling; silent backgrounds) using my Diablo fiber switch and fiber throughout. My NAS, Windows NAA and router are all using the Diablo via FMCs (fiber converters) while my HQP machine uses it directly from a fiber NIC card in the machine.

 

Enter the uRendu. When I had this setup using the SSR (Sig Rendu) I noitced that the SSR did not like the fiber/FMC and concluded it needed lower bandwidth (fiber is always gigabit, at least, especially with my FMCs). So I began that way with the uRendu, pluggin it into the sole RJ45 port of the Dibalo fiber switch. MLP and DLNA mode worked fine (DSD128 max DoP with my test DAC). NAA hiccupped badly. I switched to using the fiber/FMC cabling previously used successfully with my Windows NAA machine. Got worse everywhere, which made sense to me, given the SSR results.

 

Well...I moved the connection from the uRendu/fiber switch to my router (although technically, to my router's 8 port gigabit switch). NAA is now fully glitch-free, playing DSD128 both natively and upsampling PCM or DSD64 to DSD128. It seems the uRendu does not like anything about my up-til-now very successful fiber network. NAS, HQP machine, Windows NAA, etc are still on that Diablo fiber switch, but even going uRendu copper into its RJ45 port wasn't doing it for the NAA mode (DLNA mode was fine). It's too early to tell if I am introducing any noise; seems not to.