microRendu & HQPlayer

[YashN]

Medieval dance music. Maybe there were Dervishes in Renaissance Italy?

 

Mani.

 

Who knows? But that's exactly how it sounded: Afro-Celt with hints of Middle Eastern influence.

[manisandher]

Can you please post also the 4 original tracks?

I can measure the differences between different setups.

 

I had the iFi's filter set to 'minimum phase'. For your measurements, I'll need to redo this one track with each of the three configurations, with the filter set to 'normal'. Let me do this, and I'll post the original track too.

 

Finally got around to putting something together. Having already used my tricked-out hifi audio PC earlier, I thought I'd do things in my office this time (the location I had in mind for the microRendu). The audio PC here is a pretty run-of-the-mill affair, with one important exception - it also runs its Win10 OS purely from RAM (no HDDs or SDDs inside). For me, running the OS from RAM and taking all HDDs/SSDs out of the PC has been the single biggest improvement in my audio PCs.

 

Here's the original file:

 

1. Original file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfb3dGQVVSTW9kUEk

 

And here are the 24/192 captures (from the iFi's outputs):

 

2. Audio PC, XXHighEnd (ethernet activity virtually zero during playback): https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfbkw4M3ZFdm1xOVk

3. Audio PC, HQPlayer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfWE1sa1luSHMtSnc

4. microRendu, HQPlayer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfaW9BcHY3LXBFVWs

5. microRendu, Roon->HQPlayer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfT29remkwTVVEREk

6. microRendu, RoonReady: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfczVUSHNHU09DR2s

 

(In all cases, the raw 16/44.1 files are being fed to the iFi.)

 

None of the 24/192 captures sound exactly like the original to my ears - they tend to sound 'lighter' and 'less weighty'. I suspect this is a characteristic of the Tascam recorder.

 

Mani.

[bibo01]

Finally got around to putting something together. ...

Mani.

I will soon map all tests together

[manisandher]

Look forward to it.

 

Just bear in mind that all the files I posted in post #28 were taken with my tricked-out audio PC, with the iFi sitting in the fairly insulated (electrically, mechanically and acoustically) 'studio' in my basement (audio PC outside 'studio'). The files in post #77 were taken with a pretty run-of-the-mill audio PC, and the iFi sitting in my office. So totally different times/days, locations and PCs.

 

Mani.

[bibo01]

In your post #28 which captures in each of the three conditions come from the original file of post #77 ?

[bibo01]

Finally got around to putting something together. Having already used my tricked-out hifi audio PC earlier, I thought I'd do things in my office this time (the location I had in mind for the microRendu). The audio PC here is a pretty run-of-the-mill affair, with one important exception - it also runs its Win10 OS purely from RAM (no HDDs or SDDs inside). For me, running the OS from RAM and taking all HDDs/SSDs out of the PC has been the single biggest improvement in my audio PCs.

 

Here's the original file:

 

1. Original file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfb3dGQVVSTW9kUEk

 

And here are the 24/192 captures (from the iFi's outputs):

 

2. Audio PC, XXHighEnd (ethernet activity virtually zero during playback): https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfbkw4M3ZFdm1xOVk

3. Audio PC, HQPlayer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfWE1sa1luSHMtSnc

4. microRendu, HQPlayer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfaW9BcHY3LXBFVWs

5. microRendu, Roon->HQPlayer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfT29remkwTVVEREk

6. microRendu, RoonReady: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0PU5LO5jVjfczVUSHNHU09DR2s

 

(In all cases, the raw 16/44.1 files are being fed to the iFi.)

 

None of the 24/192 captures sound exactly like the original to my ears - they tend to sound 'lighter' and 'less weighty'. I suspect this is a characteristic of the Tascam recorder.

 

Mani.

 

Mani, you have a PM.

 

I am sure that Mani experienced differences in his various DUTs. However, for various reasons that I verified (and explained to Mani) the captures above are not a reliable source either for a null test or for listening comparison.

[manisandher]

Thanks for your PM bibo01. I'm not sure why you're analysis is showing a noise floor of -48dB for the 24/192 captures I linked to. Here are plots from the iFi's outputs with nothing playing:

 

1. Silence audio-PC

 

 

2. Silence microRendu

 

Of course, the noise goes up after 45kHz due to the ADC's SDMs. But otherwise, these seem perfectly reasonable to me considering the its a $200 DAC.

 

I'm away from home for the weekend but will link to these files when I get back.

 

Thoughts?

 

Mani.

[bibo01]

Silence, as you measured, and dynamic signal (music) are totally different. What you posted is not how you measure background noise.

[miguelito]

Hi all,

 

I ordered a microRendu to use as an NAA from Roon/HQP.

 

There are tons of posts on this going in many directions. Is there a concensus on the quality of this setup, especially compared to an Auralic Aries as a Roon speaker? If Auralic added NAA it would be more of an apple to apples, but they haven't.

 

Sorry if this is an answered question, I have not been able to find the answer.

 

Thx.

[mikey8811]

You've held out for so long and have finally given in.

 

I am about to do so too..

 

It will be interesting to hear about your impressions vs the Aries.

 

 

 

Hi all,

 

I ordered a microRendu to use as an NAA from Roon/HQP.

 

There are tons of posts on this going in many directions. Is there a concensus on the quality of this setup, especially compared to an Auralic Aries as a Roon speaker? If Auralic added NAA it would be more of an apple to apples, but they haven't.

 

Sorry if this is an answered question, I have not been able to find the answer.

 

Thx.

[miguelito]

You've held out for so long and have finally given in.

I am about to do so too..

It will be interesting to hear about your impressions vs the Aries.

Over the last 6-8 months, Roon+HQP has been a pretty stable combo. The quality of HQP upsampling is unmatched by anything else I have tried (A+ is pretty close).

 

I have also used the Aries as Roon speaker via AES, pretty good but no upsampling so HQP edges it out. If Auralic implemented NAA then it would be a nice thing, but I asked two years ago and got nothing so far.

 

Ultimately my measuring stick is a combination of sound quality and appliance-class stability.

We'll see...

[sdolezalek]

The only issue I have with the microRendu is that it is Linux based and, for now, that prevents it from being used as an NAA if you are trying to upsample everything to DSD512. So if you are really trying to get the best out of an audiophile Windows-based PC plus Tidal/Roon/HQPlayer into a DAC like the T+A DAC8 DSD, then you either have to direct connect your PC to the DAC or use a windows-based NAA (like a CuBox).

[jhwalker]

The only issue I have with the microRendu is that it is Linux based and, for now, that prevents it from being used as an NAA if you are trying to upsample everything to DSD512. So if you are really trying to get the best out of an audiophile Windows-based PC plus Tidal/Roon/HQPlayer into a DAC like the T+A DAC8 DSD, then you either have to direct connect your PC to the DAC or use a windows-based NAA (like a CuBox).

 

What makes you say that? I'm listening to Redbook content (Pentatonix new Christmas album), upsampled by HQPlayer to DSD512, on my iFi Micro iDSD via microRendu NAA, right now.

[sdolezalek]

What makes you say that? I'm listening to Redbook content (Pentatonix new Christmas album), upsampled by HQPlayer to DSD512, on my iFi Micro iDSD via microRendu NAA, right now.

 

Sorry, it may actually work with the iFi Micro iDSD. See the T+A dac8 dsd thread, posts 1252 and 1116 and thereafter for a lengthy discussion of why the microRendu won't work with the T+A in DSD512. Even Miska is quoted in one of those threads. But it may be the Amanero board in the T+A that is causing the problem with the Linux of the microRendu.

[Jud]

Sorry, it may actually work with the iFi Micro iDSD. See the T+A dac8 dsd thread, posts 1252 and 1116 and thereafter for a lengthy discussion of why the microRendu won't work with the T+A in DSD512. Even Miska is quoted in one of those threads. But it may be the Amanero board in the T+A that is causing the problem with the Linux of the microRendu.

 

I'm pretty sure the iFi will. I've tried DSD512 with mine and though playback wasn't acceptable due to my 2010 vintage desktop, I did get sound.

[lmitche]

Sorry, it may actually work with the iFi Micro iDSD. See the T+A dac8 dsd thread, posts 1252 and 1116 and thereafter for a lengthy discussion of why the microRendu won't work with the T+A in DSD512. Even Miska is quoted in one of those threads. But it may be the Amanero board in the T+A that is causing the problem with the Linux of the microRendu.

The microRendu will definitely play with a microIDSD at DSD512. It should be run in variable volume mode, or connected to a preamp as it can create large thumps in native DSD.

 

The Linux based microRendu will not work with the T+A at DSD512. This is because the AmaneroUSB receiver used in the T+A does not support native DSD with Linux.