Sonicorbiter - The Operating System

[vortecjr]

10 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I demand flight cases for microSD cards 😁

That can be arranged:)

[The Computer Audiophile]

15 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

That can be arranged:)

I read that too quick and thought it said that’s deranged. 

[simon_pepper]

1 hour ago, vortecjr said:

This was a cardboard reinforced shipment and it did not work either so that idea is out. This process is the process, but the shipping method is a subject to change. 

no Cardboard used for this shipment - it was just the card in a little bag, with a letter in regular envelope.

 

When you get a new card from Amazon etc, they tend to be packaged up in a plastic carrier, with a branded cardboard wrapper around them (see photo), then Amazon packs them in a stout envelope to go through the mail.

You need a padded envelope to cushion against the rollers used in the sorting and delivery offices, and some sort of carrier for the delicate SD card, if you going to continue with a physical delivery process for the major upgrades.

 

I know it adds to the fulfilment process, in terms of additional packaging & shipment costs, but there seems to quite a high number DOA and then quite a rate of cards failing later on in the field, causing customer grief.

 

Happy to procure a high quality Class 10, U3, A1 App type card, and use Etcher to write a downloaded disk image, as I do with dietPi or Roon ROCK for these releases.

Then you don’t have this problem.

 

Simon

[vortecjr]

4 hours ago, simon_pepper said:

no Cardboard used for this shipment - it was just the card in a little bag, with a letter in regular envelope.

 

Even higher probability it would break then.

[satbaba]

I ordered in istanbul on January 27, 2020 but the Mail has not yet arrived

And hopefully it doesn't broken 

[Matias]

8 hours ago, vortecjr said:

For us having the customer burn the images is a no go for many reasons and we prefer to control the process. This a huge update and you can’t just update to it as usual. 

Not burning images, but the software directly updating itself. Not possible?

[satbaba]

How many days did your mail arrive?

[quark]

11 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I demand flight cases for microSD cards 😁

Black box😎
actually just ship them inside an Opticalrendu, That should protect them 😉

[Axiom05]

10 minutes ago, quark said:

Black box😎
actually just ship them inside an Opticalrendu, That should protect them 😉

I was actually considering that route, not so sure now.

[vortecjr]

3 hours ago, Matias said:

Not burning images, but the software directly updating itself. Not possible?

This update replaces the operating system completely. It's just not possible. 

[vortecjr]

26 minutes ago, quark said:

Black box😎
actually just ship them inside an Opticalrendu, That should protect them 😉

Not what you meant, but all new units have been shipping with 2.8. 

[Matias]

FYI there are these transparent cases for microSD to protect during shipping.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32989386588.html

[reruam]

As a long term user of “Rendus”, I find being forced to buy firmware distasteful.

i can purchase a 16gb micro SD card. I can put the files on the card. I can load the card in the Rendu.  It’s at most a $5 card.

 

Reraum

[Matias]

5 minutes ago, reruam said:

As a long term user of “Rendus”, I find being forced to buy firmware distasteful.

i can purchase a 16gb micro SD card. I can put the files on the card. I can load the card in the Rendu.  It’s at most a $5 card.

 

Reraum

The cost is not about the card, is about the work involved to prepare the new version.

It is like paying for a new version update of a software. And the former version still works so we are not forced to upgrade.

[mtcs]

I'm curious, has anyone has heard an SQ difference with 2.8 on an ultraRendu? Thanks.

[Axiom05]

41 minutes ago, mtcs said:

I'm curious, has anyone has heard an SQ difference with 2.8 on an ultraRendu? Thanks.

It's hard to say for sure as a meaningful direct comparison is impossible. Nevertheless, using MPD for playback, I think the sound has improved, but don't expect anything dramatic. No complaints about SQ from me. Roon sounds the same, unfortunately.

[mtcs]

11 minutes ago, Axiom05 said:

It's hard to say for sure as a meaningful direct comparison is impossible. Nevertheless, using MPD for playback, I think the sound has improved, but don't expect anything dramatic. No complaints about SQ from me. Roon sounds the same, unfortunately.

 

At least it isn't worse. Thanks.

[vortecjr]

8 hours ago, Matias said:

FYI there are these transparent cases for microSD to protect during shipping.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32989386588.html

Those are great. 

[vortecjr]

6 hours ago, reruam said:

As a long term user of “Rendus”, I find being forced to buy firmware distasteful.

i can purchase a 16gb micro SD card. I can put the files on the card. I can load the card in the Rendu.  It’s at most a $5 card.

 

Reraum

We don't force anything on anyone and the card is only a small fraction of the total cost of doing this update.  

[vortecjr]

6 hours ago, Matias said:

The cost is not about the card, is about the work involved to prepare the new version.

It is like paying for a new version update of a software. And the former version still works so we are not forced to upgrade.

This card will also get regular updates for free as things come up.

[Tihon]

1 hour ago, vortecjr said:

This card will also get regular updates for free as things come up.

 

Can you explain what are "regular updates" and what are "not regular", please?

 

opticalRendu is my first Rendu. I like the product, but paid firmware updates is quite a surprise to me. I was never charged for new iOS or OS X version, because I've already paid for Mac or iPhone. Can't say that thirty bucks would make any difference for me, but I am shocked by this attitude.

[vortecjr]

3 minutes ago, Tihon said:

 

Can you explain what are "regular updates" and what are "not regular", please?

 

opticalRendu is my first Rendu. I like the product, but paid firmware updates is quite a surprise to me. I was never charged for new iOS or OS X version, because I've already paid for Mac or iPhone. Can't say that thirty bucks would make any difference for me, but I am shocked by this attitude.

For example if RoonReady is updated. 

[soares]

8 hours ago, mtcs said:

I'm curious, has anyone has heard an SQ difference with 2.8 on an ultraRendu? Thanks.

Not really but the point here is to make the OS compatible with several apps updates now and in the future. So I am quite comfortable.

[reruam]

“The cost is not about the card, is about the work involved to prepare the new version.

It is like paying for a new version update of a software. And the former version still works so we are not forced to upgrade.”
 

 

Well that’s true, if it works...

When I read the ad from SGC for the upgrade it says it fixes Spotify connection issues...

Well guess what.. Spotify connect doesn’t work in my system with 2 generations of Rendus...original and now an optical...

That’s ok for me but my wife uses Spotify.

So once again the bad taste.  It’s advertised as doing Spotify connect and it doesn’t.

Now an upgrade comes along that fixes something it was supposed to do and I have to pay $30 for it?

Sorry but that doesn’t seem right.

[André Gosselin]

I received today a new opticalrendu SD 2.8 card, as a replacement for a previous bad card which did not boot. The new card boots, and was carefully set up using the exact same settings as used on my previous SD2.7 card, and making sure all setings were properly saved. The new card is correctly seen in SonicOrbiter.com .

 

The orendu is powered by a SGC 7V/50W LPS, and connected by USB to a SimAudio Moon 780D dac.

 

I am however running into a new set of problems. With SD 2.8 installed and streaming a local DSD 128 track through Roon .the track plays for about 2-3 minutes, then the orendu simply shuts off. After disconnecting the orendu and powering it on again, the red led at the back stays on constantly, and the orendu eventually shuts off.

 

If I reinstall the SD 2.7 card, the same track plays without any problems.

 

If I remove the SD 2.7 card and reinstall the SD 2.8 card, I note that I have no problem playing (through Roon) a 176/24 version of the track. Trying again to play the DSD128 version produces the same problem as before: the orendu shuts off after a couple of minutes and refuses to boot anymore after a disconnect/reconnect sequence.

 

I have attached screenshots of my RoonReady settings in SonicOrbiter, and in Roon Device setup.

 

In summary:

- The issue occurs only with SD 2.8 card

- The issue occurs only with DSD 128 tracks. I did not try with DSD 64 tracks. I could not try with DSD256 and DSD 512, because my DAC limits me to DSD 128/DOP.

- This issue can be replicated at will on my system

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will be glad to contribute any needed information.