Article: Sonore microRendu Review, Part 1

[Doak]

There are a lot of questions about the sonicTransporter. The point of the sonicTransporter is that paired with the microRendu it provides a complete solution to turn a USB hard drive filled with music into a music playback system. All that is required is a network and a iPad or tablet for control....

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My Sonic Transporter and microRendu were delivered today. They're running in overnight.

Bought the "bundle" with the iFi PSU from Small Green Computer - great deal and lightning delivery.

sonicTransporter microRendu iFi bundle – Small Green Computer

[Doak]

Is it Lampizator compatible (Amanero USB board) ?

I am using microRendu with a Lampizator L4 G5 with Amanaro USB receiver. It was built about 8 months ago. Using Sonic Transporter to feed them.

[Doak]

Planning ahead for receiving my microRendu. I set up some full time cooling for it, so heat won't be an issue. Is the device vulnerable to vibration?

Mine has been running most of 3 days and it gets barely warm to touch.

Power is at 8.3v.

Powered by iFi @ 9.4v it got a bit warmer but nothing like "hot."

[Doak]

Thanks for the reply Doak.....my microRendu is going on a cabinet shelf, so I wanted to be extra safe. I will be using the iFi 9V power module. I can't tell from the photos, but are there little feet on the underbelly of the case?

Sonore supplies a set of 4 teeeeny stick on rubber "dot feet" as an option for those who wish to use them. Look for the teeeny zip lock bag.

[Doak]

Thanks Doak...Appreciate the info.

I have it on a cellphone "sticky pad" which does a good job of keeping it "planted."

So far this setup appears to doing/working fine.

[Doak]

Chris-

 

You alluded to this in part 1, but I'd just like to explicitly request that you try at least one or two other power supplies at different price points (less than the top of the line Sonore) to give us some kind of comparison/idea what difference the PS makes for the microRendu.

 

I imagine many owners will be trying to decide if to order an upmarket PS, and at what level is makes sense for them to invest.

 

I started a thread a few days ago in hopes attracting owner impressions of the effects of various power supplies on the microRendu. So far no takers except my impressions of the 3 supplies I've used so far. Hope others will chime in.

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f26-sonore-sponsored/sonore-microrendu-power-supply-unit-observations-considerations-and-commentary-28480/

[Doak]

Some other forums I am visiting are flooded with DIY guys claiming that they could do things better for a fraction of the money. It seems like products of the uR category act like a red blanket in front of a bull. Also, It is always about cost plus.

Coming mainly the "audiophile side" of this I find their claims and seeming distress rather laughable.

The price of most items under discussion could be considered a "pittance" in that realm. I do want, seek and expect the best bang for my buck and the Sonic Transporter/uRendu/iFi power bundle I bought punching WAY above its price point.

[Doak]

Hi John, well the bottom line is how do all of these systems sound in comparison to one another. So with the Bryston unit about to ship, I'd be interested in any group of people who could compare the sound of the microRendu, the BD-Pi, and an off the shelf Raspberry Pi 3 with a $10 power supply.

 

My bias is that with any good asynchronous USB DAC they would all sound exactly the same, but I'd welcome any data points that showed otherwise.

My only "data point" is my ears - the ONLY one that counts here.

This is something you'll prob have to do for yourself. If a product doesn't do what you need it to do then it's not for you.

[Doak]

I replaced my beloved HRT MusicStreamer II+ DAC with an IQAudio Pi-DAC+ I2S DAC, so I'm not actually using a USB DAC any longer. That said, while I agree the Pi has a poor master clock and is very noisy, when feeding an asynchronous USB DAC I don't see how any of that matters. If the renderer is feeding the DAC with the right bits, at the approximate right timing, and the DAC's clock is driving the timing, how would the renderer change the sound quality of the DAC's analog output? And yes, I've read John Swenson's articles.

OMG... knew it would eventually get to the (very, very) old and monotonous "bits is bits" thing.

Please take this elsewhere, if you must take it anywhere. This stuff is OT and NW (not welcome) on this thread.

[Doak]

I did, and it reminded me why I never go there Actually thats not fully fair as like I say being inquisitive and questioning is good for all of us, but it's just so, er, DULL, repetitive and ego central over there.

<SNIP>

Well put. They're off my "go to" list. Not worth the trouble.

[Doak]

Well, let's keep on beating that dead horse..........

 

And regarding Doak's comment that I'm not welcome here, this is, after all, a comment thread on a review of the microRendu. So in any critical review, and the comment thread to follow, I believe the basic design approach and "benefits" of the product should be questioned and debated. I also believe alternatives should be compared. Hence, my motivation for my original posting.

<SNIP>

Despite your attempt at justification, I (still) see no valid relation between your posts and the topic of this thread.

[Doak]

Admittedly, my admonition was heavy handed and out of place. Sorry.

 

It does rub me the wrong way to see productive threads sidetracked/hijacked by those not genuinely interested or involved in the subject/object under discussion.

[Doak]

Extinction: a procedure used in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) in which reinforcement that is provided for problem behavior (often unintentionally) is discontinued in order to decrease or eliminate occurrences of these types of negative (or problem) behaviors.

[Doak]

SMG has several more powerful versions of this type of appliance that may be able to run the upsampler. If they get enough requests maybe they will add HQ Player to the software suite of sonicOrbiter for those machines that can handle the load. It is worth a try to ask.

 

Also, there was some discussion on the Sonore sponsored thread about how to do this using another machine for the upsample but still using the sonicTransporter as the server. Check over there or email Jesus directly and I am sure they will help you get this figured out.

Both of these possible options for incorporating HQ Player are very interesting to me.

[Doak]

Any feedback from Aries owners... how does the Microrendu compare?

I may be a contrarian, but so far I prefer the sound I'm getting from my (optimized) Auralic Aries.

I will continue to use and work with the Sonic Transporter>mRendu setup. I'm looking into incorporating HQPlayer into the Roon mode implementation before I make any permanent decision.

[Doak]

Hi Doak

 

So far, with Roon and HQPlayer in the works, how would you now describe the microRendu vs the Aries?

 

Thanks

Now using HQP in NAA mode in conjunction w/Roon/mRendu.

Mind if I wait till I sell the Aries/Regen combo before I say anything? ;-)