Sonore microRendu - Ethernet Cables Observations, Considerations & Commentary

[R1200CL]

There is a thread about power. Several actually.

 

Maybe be you can find something here:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f26-sonore-sponsored/sonore-microrendu-power-supply-unit-observations-considerations-and-commentary-28480/index17.html

[soares]

Hi R1200,

 

Nice bike by the way.

 

I've just relegated the FMCs to the loft, to put a media break from my main switch to the HiFi ....why? I bought an EMO-70-HD, this is twice the price of the FMC solution, but sounds better - may be due the removal of two SMPSs; resolves even more low level detail.

 

Having bought the SBooster when I bought the mR the LPS-1 will have to wait a while. I do keep trying to find a post by someone who has done a comparison of the LPSUs ...do you know of one?

 

M

As I am in the same situation, I also would appreciate your views regarding sbooster and lps1 with MR.

 

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[lvc10000]

Anyone tried the new WW starlight Ethernet? Especially in comparison to AQ cinnamon or Vodka equivalents

[MrUnderhill]

As I am in the same situation, I also would appreciate your views regarding sbooster and lps1 with MR.

Hi Soares,

 

I am not intending to buy the LPS1, at least not in the foreseeable, been sorting out other issues; and making some progress. I do have a much cheaper Chinese 9V LPS that I bought to power the commercial switch I use for my HiFi, I may try that in place of the Sbooster.

 

M

[R1200CL]

Anyone tried the new WW starlight Ethernet? Especially in comparison to AQ cinnamon or Vodka equivalents

 

Yes:

http://www.audiostream.com/content/wireworld-starlight-cat8-ethernet-cable#PhA2vCXQIw4WZHWZ.97

 

"Incidentally, for those of you that feel that there are no differences between Ethernet cables, I did some comparisons with a CAT6 Belden Ethernet cable and the Starlight CAT8. The Starlight CAT8 trounced the Belden in terms of sound quality."

 

I think changing connector on Belden, may be an option.

You can purchase connectors used on that cable from WW at $20.

 

Also the connectors used on Vodka can be bought, but they are more expensive.

[R1200CL]

[t_ram]

Just picked up a vodka off Amazon so I figured it would be worth a try and see how it fairs against the Supra cat8. Right out of the box it seems about the same but not as detailed. Anybody that has had the vodka know if it takes a few days of use before it sounds better? Or does it take longer.

[lvc10000]

If I recall my AQ cinnamon, I think it had after letting it run with a burn in track repeating till the next evening.

 

 

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[Laowei Steve]

Just picked up a vodka off Amazon so I figured it would be worth a try and see how it fairs against the Supra cat8. Right out of the box it seems about the same but not as detailed. Anybody that has had the vodka know if it takes a few days of use before it sounds better? Or does it take longer.

 

The AQ Vodka Ethernet cable is directional and has arrows on the end connectors to indicate the signal direction. You might try making sure it is installed correctly in your system, if you have not done so already. The AQ Vodka does sound different in my system depending on which way it is installed.

 

 

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[jtrelin]

I thought it was better out of the box. An immediate reduction of harshness and improvement in resolution. Although I'm still think the cat8 is a better value. I never looked at the direction on the Ethernet cable, but will do so now.

 

 

SonicTransport i5 ->mRendu (Mojo-Audio Lumen) ->Bricasti M1 ->ATC CA2->ATC SCM ASL 20 II Audience Power Conditioner, Tellurium Q analog cables and cords, Audioquest Vodka Ethernet, Curious USB

[t_ram]

Yeah, when I initially installed the vodka the arrows were backwards so I switched the direction and it did sound better. Whether I like it better than the Supra cat 8 is still to be determined. With my current setup I can have both in the chain at the same time but of course the one going into the microRendu is the one that ultimately gives the sound. Hopefully tomorrow I can do a little a/b to see which I prefer. The review on the Wireworld starlight cat 8 from the audiostream article sounds interesting, and it's cheaper than the vodka.

[barrows]

Question: Is everyone here making sure their routers/switches/NAS etc. are connected to different circuit branches (preferably on the opposite phase) from their audio systems?

I am very hesitant to try Ethernet cables from Audioquest, as they make no effort to insure equal wire lengths by virtue of their construction. For example, BJC 6 and 6a both use Belden bonded pair technology, which assures that all individual wires are of equal length, and hence have equal TD. If one must use an "audiophile" cable, i would suggest trying Wireworld, as their cable construction does guarantee equal length wires.

[barrows]

On FMCs, are there any real Networking experts here? Electrical to optical converters do add jitter, so it may be that adding an FMC will contribute to a higher error rate on Ethernet transmission. A higher error rate (Ethernet errors are of course corrected by re-sends) will likely result in higher processor activity in the µRendu, and more spiky noise.

I would love to know (and this can be confirmed by network analysis) for sure if the addition of an FMC results in a higher error rate in Ethernet transmission.

[lmitche]

Finding the network receive error rate for a nic card is trivial on Linux. Someone with command line access on the microRendu could easily do so with whatever netstat equivalent commands are used on the microRendu OS.

[Emcee]

Question: Is everyone here making sure their routers/switches/NAS etc. are connected to different circuit branches (preferably on the opposite phase) from their audio systems?

I am very hesitant to try Ethernet cables from Audioquest, as they make no effort to insure equal wire lengths by virtue of their construction. For example, BJC 6 and 6a both use Belden bonded pair technology, which assures that all individual wires are of equal length, and hence have equal TD. If one must use an "audiophile" cable, i would suggest trying Wireworld, as their cable construction does guarantee equal length wires.

Could you please explain that first question, I don't quite understand what you mean by ''different branches''

 

I've been using 10m of BJC 6a for years but being a sucker for what others claim is clearly better just ordered 10m of Supra CAT 8 STP. I wouldn't have tried Audioquest since 10m is prohibitively expensive.

If it's another component that's going to fetch more detail at the expense of tonal weight then I'll, once again, be disappointed.

We shall see...

[miguelito]

If you are considering replacing a lot of cable, perhaps some in the walls, then consider optical isolation right before the microRendu. There is a thread for this on CA. Perhaps use two TP-LINK MC200CM, short piece of fibre, pay attention to the power for the MC200CM feeding the microRendu and choose a shielded ethernet cable for the microRendu and connect the shield at only one end.

I'm using this simply because I had it:

 

iSO-CAT6 – SOtM – English

 

I have not done comparisons of the sound with/without.

[Sator]

On 9/12/2016 at 10:56 PM, jtrelin said:

I have tested the following Ethernet cables with my mRendu, BJC 6, BJC 6a, stock cat 7 from multiple manufacturers, stock cat 8, Supra Cat 8, and Audioquest Vodka.

 

For the most part, the performance differences weren't subtle

 

By far the Vodka outperformed all, noticeably fuller more natural, with reduced harshness and vocal clipping.

 

The Supra was second, followed closely by the BJC 6a.

 

The stock cables and the BJC 6 performed significantly poorer.

 

system: mRendu, Bricasti M1SE DAC, ATC CA2 pre, ATC SCM 20 actives. Primarily. Tellurium Q cabling and power cords, and I'm running a SonicTransporter as a Roon server, using a Synology NAS for source.

 

 

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Sorry to bring this ancient post back from the dead. There is a paucity of info out there about suitable high-end cable for the Sonore microRendu and this thread was about all I could find. Sonore themselves actually recommend against using Cat 7 cable:

 

"I'm not sure is the AQ Ethernet cables tie the shields at both ends. Doing so could also defeat the galvanic isolation of the connected components. We typically recommend BlueJean cat 6a Ethernet cables"
Read more at https://www.audiostream.com/content/sonore-simple-design-microrendu-audiophile-odyssey#IomrjClTKHrUv2iM.99

 

It seems that come 2013 the AudioQuest Vodka was already being touted as Cat 7 compliant:

https://www.audiostream.com/content/audioquest-vodka-ethernet-cable-and-diamond-ethernet-cable

 

If the AQ Vodka did bring a performance upgrade, I wonder if it implies that it really isn't Cat 7 compliant (with the shields tied at both ends)? If so this is good when it comes to using with the microRendu. 

 

Have others had a consistently positive experience with AQ Vodka and their microRendu units?

[barrows]

If you have access to even the most basic multimeter (audiophiles should own one, comes in handy for lots of things), you can easily test if the shields are tied to the plugs at both ends.  Just set the meter to test for resistance and press the probes against the metal shells of the plugs at both ends, if you get a low resistance, the shield connection is continuous.

Sonore's official recommendation is to use Blue Jeans Cables CAT 6A, which is a known quality cable, and each one is tested for performance before it ships.  If one elects to try "Audiophile" Ethernet cables, I would highly recommend testing them against a known quality cable, the BJC CAT 6A.

And, if you are using a microRendu, for heaven's sake please consider upgrading to an ultraRendu or Signature Rendu SE before spending thousands of dollars on "audiophile" Ethernet cables!

[Sator]

The trouble is that the Australian distributor has called it quits. Just bought the second to last of two remaining microRendu units left. If I get the ultraRendu or Signature Rendu, I have to import from overseas sellers. That means paying thousands to have it shipped to the Antipodes. At least the AudioQuest Vodka doesn't cost "thousands". Hundreds perhaps, but not thousands.

 

Of interest is that Audiostream merrily publishes reviews of Cat 7 and Cat 8 cables with the microRendu without once mentioning that Sonore advises against them!

 

https://www.audiostream.com/content/wireworld-starlight-cat8-ethernet-cable

 

If they did improve the sound, it makes you wonder if they really are Cat 7/8 compliant.

[barrows]

If your distributor is out of the picture I am sure Sonore can always help you out directly.  I know nothing of your import duties, but shipping should not be too bad.  For information on this from Sonore go to sonore.us and use the contact info there to e-mail Adrian.

 

I have nothing against people trying "audiophile" Ethernet cables, indeed there is one I would be interested in trying, but I am just cautioning folks to test these cables against something that we know is good (and meets spec), and that reference is the BJC CAT 6A for us.  Generic cables of Chinese origin are suspect, which means a lot of the cables out there.

[Sator]

It's not the shipping cost. The question is whether you would really buy a $3K unit sight unseen shipped from Australia? 

 

As for being a cable Believer vs Sceptic, yes, it is best to be a little of both. The lack of performance standards and independent scrutiny means that cables are the wild west of the audio world. Odd that nobody dissects out cables to see if they comply with claimed standards or publishes data based on multimeter readings.

[barrows]

I guess personally that would depend on the unit, but I certainly understand what you are saying.  It can be hard for small manufacturers to have good representation everywhere, but we are certainly willing to work with customers if they have no local representation to try and provide solutions.  All I can offer is that we stand behind all our products, and we want our customers to be confident of that.

[Sator]

One more thing. As for cables, I really do wish that Sonore would make its own line of Ethernet cable with specs ideally optimised to the unique needs of its electronics. After all, iFi-Audio offers its own line of USB cables design specifically for its own range of products. Why can't Sonore do the same rather than sending us all out to the la la land of third-party products? I'd certainly buy a top-notch Ethernet 6a—or much better—from you, perfectly customised to the technical demands of Sonore products.

[Sator]

I should add that my microRendu, bought as part of a closing down sale of the Australian distributor, is shipping tomorrow. I have high expectations given the glowing reviews for the product. Naturally, if I am over the moon about how it performs I might well consider upgrading at a later phase to the Signature Rendu, but given my geographic situation, one always tends to want to test the water with entry-level products first.

[Sator]

Oh my, I just discovered this:

 

http://www.sonore.us/USBcable.html

 

You do offer USB cable! $845 USD for 0.75m. That's well over 1k in Australian dollars (we tend to run on parity to the Canadian dollar) especially if you consider the import duty. If I got that I would be spending "thousands" on audiophile cable. LOL.

 

Now, if only you could offer a similar top-notch Ethernet cable.