Sonore ultraRendu v1.3

[rlow]

So case changes, but also this: "The ultraRendu utilizes a new proprietary printed circuit board with only the essential components and some updates to match its ultra designation." 

 

Anymore details about this??

[rlow]

28 minutes ago, canali said:

so aside from the aesthetic changes  this product has been out only one yr, it's not inexpensive, and yet we're being prompted to shell out cash again for an upgrade..whatever happened to 2 yr product cycles at the min with firmware upgrade, if possible, to lessen costs?

we're not talking a hundred bucks or so here.

and sure we all like progress and are willing to pay for such (as any of can attest on here with our rigs).

but releasing 'new and improved' products too soon, most esp on $$$ items, just as hifiman or audeze with their v2 revisions (read:  to many it smacks of a cash grab) have done far too often, doesn't build customer loyalty and trust in my books.

do i sound a bit cynical?

 

I think this is more than cosmetic changes (just not explained till later, per one of Jesus's previous reply) and will have significantly different internal hardware with enhanced audio characteristics than the microRendu.  It sounds like the microRendu will stay in their product lineup as the "middle tier" above the Sonicorbiter SE. And because of the enhancements, the new ultraRendu will likely be more expensive product. 

 

Offering different tiers of hardware that launch at different times is completely typical in the audio industry...this 2 year cycle thing you mention is something Apple created/popularized, and many manufactures (most I'd say) do not follow this...they go with what makes sense for their business.

[rlow]

43 minutes ago, Cool3r King said:

 

Yes mine is hot too. It's certainly not warm! My mR is hot also, but all seems to be working fine and sounding rather good at the moment I must say. My iFi 9v/2a is nowhere near as hot as the LPS..

 

I've read there are some possible concerns energizing the LPS-1 with the iFi 9v/2a (running very hot). Not sure if this is a bad thing or not, but the Meanwell they sell with the LPS-1 seems to be more recommended by Uptone...believe I saw that in the Uptone/LPS-1 thread..

[rlow]

1 hour ago, Cool3r King said:

 

Yes ive read those too. I have the meanwell and had been using it from the start. But someone suggested the iFi to help with a problem I had of the system being a little bright. The iFi seemed to improve things. I'll see how it goes and change back ar some point, see if it's all in my head..?

 

The whole point of the LPS-1 design is that it's output is completely isolated from the energizing power supply, so I can't see how that would make a difference in SQ unless you took the iFi away from something else in the signal chain...

 

At anyrate I will cut this here, since this is a thread about the ultraRendu, not the LPS-1.

[rlow]

56 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Here is a draft of the ultraRendu product page:

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

 

It would certainly be very much appreciated if you did something similar with the pricing of the ultraRendu for your Canadian friends that you're doing with the microRendu. With the exchange, and taxes up here, the price is of 875 USD becomes around $1350 CAD!! :'(

[rlow]

32 minutes ago, Tubeburner said:

This is out of control IMO. The companies I work for would never release what has been released here. A lot of the information is proprietary information and this forum will ask questions down to parts used and design and never think twice if this is appropriate. The microRendu has performed way above expectations and I can't say enough about support. Emails were answered quickly when questions were asked. All I want is the email that says I can buy the ultraRendu now!

 

Could not agree more with that...this is a bit much folks. Lots of good info provided so far, so now be patient till it's released or go buy something else.

[rlow]

24 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

That is code for we opened pre-orders to the people on the mailing list:)

 

Did I miss something? Was there an email sent out announcing pre-orders?

 

Edit: Nevermind found it!

[rlow]

I know technical details are not being disclosed at this point, but for the microRendu, it was described (by John S. I believe) that there was effectively an "improved regen" incorporated...

 

- does the ultraRendu effectively include an "Iso Regen" incorporated?

[rlow]

Yes it does thanks - and makes complete sense since Ethernet is the input in the Rendus, rather than USB.

[rlow]

5 hours ago, mikey8811 said:

 

So the original microRendu will benefit from an ISO Regen but the ultraRendu will not? Is this correct?

 

Nonetheless there will be folk who will use an ISO Regen with the ultraRendu and claim improvements...

 

Just as there will be folk who will compare an ISO Regen with the microRendu vs the ultraRendu on its own

 

The microRendu has a "regen" built in - so does the ultraRendu. The "Iso" part (galvanic isolation) is also already inherently part of both designs as well with the use of the Ethernet input...I wasn't thinking about that correctly when I asked my question.

[rlow]

11 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Just a final note or clarification. We don't call the circuit a USB Regen or ISO Regen our of respect for Uptone Audio and because the component list might be different. We simply say they include a regenerative USB circuit.    

 

Makes sense

[rlow]

Would love to order one of these, but $1400 Canadian after shipping, exchange and tax is a bit too much for my blood right now - maybe someday...when the flippin CAD goes up!

 

I'm looking forward to the reviews however in the meantime! Hopefully we'll get some really critical listeners chiming in with their listening impressions.

 

EDIT: To clarify, that cost is with the iFi power supply included.

[rlow]

15 minutes ago, fbczar said:

Thanks for your reply. If I were using an UltraRendu I would use it as a network device. My main concern was the difference in sound quality, if any, in a situation where the connection to a DAC was asynchronous. I cannot understand how the UltraRendu can make a difference if an asynchronous DAC is involved. Perhaps someone with a device like Oppo's Sonica DAC could tell me how the UltraRendu affected the sound of the Sonica DAC.

 

Similar to the previous poster, here is a description of the microRendu from Sonore's website which might be useful:

 

What makes the microRendu different from a typical computer music server is that it's a purpose built audiophile device. The problem with computer music servers is that they all rely on mass produced motherboards designed for general purpose computing and are built to the lowest possible price point. The microRendu solves this problem by removing the consumer grade computer peripherals and optimizing power supplies where necessary. The microRendu has been specifically built for processing USB audio perfectly. You can also combine the microRendu with an audiophile grade linear power supply to achieve the lowest possible noise floor.

 

 

The ultraRendu is essentially an improved version of this with a slightly different form factor.

[rlow]

On 2017-11-25 at 12:10 AM, scottcocoabeach said:

Ordered bundle #5 on the Black Friday special. Looking forward to a big upgrade from the Sonic Orbiter SE!

 

I also ordered the UltraRendu Bundle #5 on Black Friday. Moving from MicroRendu with iFi power supply, obviously hoping it will be an improvement in sound quality, even though it is feeding a Gen 5 USB Schiit DAC (Gumby).

 

That said, I haven't received any update on the order progress yet, hoping it will ship soon!!

[rlow]

56 minutes ago, left channel said:

The product description says "Supports Tidal and Qobuz lossless streaming in Squeezelite output mode and DLNA output mode" but there are not configuration details on the online user manual page. Anyone care to share setup details? Qobuz in particular, as we can't use Roon to make that one easier, but Tidal setup for this mode would also be a good example.

 

I think it would be the same as Tidal, except whatever software you use to login and control playback, you simply log into Qobuz instead.

 

For instance I use BubbleUPNP for Android, and the same spot I can enable Tidal, also has an option to sign in to Qobuz right above it.

[rlow]

1 hour ago, left channel said:

 

 

 

Thanks @Charente! That article was only posted just over one week ago. Chrome's built-in Translate did the trick. (I regret to say I've studied only Spanish and Mandarin.) What I needed was one little secret buried in there. It is not in the App Gallery, but it can be added elsewhere. @rlow I don't know BubbleUPnP, but it is the same as Tidal in LMS except it requires a somewhat unofficial third-party plug-in hidden deep inside the Settings > Plugins tab.

 

I am now streaming hi-res Qobuz tracks from LMS. The interface is certainly not Qobuz or Roon, but I'm getting most of my money's worth. Very happy. I already had Tidal HiFi working in LMS. If I want MQA I don't think that can be done even with LMS bit perfect tweaks, but I'll poke around.

 

The above experiment was performed on a microJukebox, but I now feel better about ordering an ultraRendu. Thank you.

 

BubbleUPNP is if you run DNLA output mode, plus the BubbleUPNP server plugin app from within Sonicorbiter and configure as an "OpenHome renderer". BubbleUPNP actually has an excellent interface IMO, but again, is Android only.

[rlow]

10 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

Roon is so much nicer than A+......once I used Roon, there was no going back to A+. Roon is much more polished, has a superior user interface, and the zones feature is incredible. Roon actually provides support...they don't go dark for weeks at a time. I couldn't pay for my Roon Lifetime Subscription fast enough!

 

I think Roon is the acknowledged leader at this point, it's just the price point that people balk at, but of course it's all relative to the state of your audio priorities and your bank account.

 

I've been contemplating Roon for a while not just for interface, but really for it's music discovery features - it's rich metadata appears to be a real competitive advantage that other software/servers would be pretty hard pressed to ever match.

 

Now back to the ultraRendu.

 

Mine finally came today (Black Friday bundle with the Sbooster power supply)! Currently warming up with Natalie Merchant on repeat :-)

 

More to come.

[rlow]

Anyone have any thoughts on optimal "burn-in" time for the ultraRendu,  and/or the amount of powered-on time it needs to achieve thermal/clock stability to have it sound optimal? Maybe people don't think this is really a thing with the uR, like some DACs and other equipment?

[rlow]

11 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

I leave my ultraRendu on all the time. It should burn-in within 100 hours but mine sounded great right away. It got a little better after 10 hours. But then I put a new USB cable into play and shortly after that a new LPS to replace the iFi SMPS. Now it sounds quite sublime. 

 

3 hours ago, Dougster said:

Agree fully with SR’s reply, mine on all the time too, and remains stable ready for instant music!

 

Yep, sorry I wasn't clear. I do leave mine on all the time as well (just moving from the mR up to the uR, uR arrived yesterday) and just wondering how long people thought it might take to break-in and reach clock stability as well.

 

No reason to power off the Rendus, as I don't think they use much power anyhow, and likely not much when not streaming.

 

Plus, as you say, who wants to wait when they have a hankerin' for some tunes

[rlow]

So, I've listened to my new uR now for a handful of hours. The uR with the included Sbooster power supply has been powered up since I received it on Thursday, and has been playing random music for about half that time as well (mostly with my preamp off).

 

My initial impressions over the mR are below.

 

There have been improvements in:

- resolution/detail

- instrument separation

- bass tightness/impact

- soundstage image focus

 

Unfortunately I am also getting an increase in sibilance/stridance in some recordings that I had not heard previously. This is mainly noticeable in female voices where the "s" and other vocalizations are very sharp and cut though in a harsh way. Going back to the mR, these pretty much disappear, although if you really listen for it closely you can still detect it, it's just very diminished to the point where it is no longer annoying or fatiguing. So perhaps this is something that was in the recordings all along, only now brought more to light by the ultraRendu, but I do find it a bit fatiguing.

 

This is feeding a Gen 5 USB Gungnir Multibit DAC, just for everyone's reference.

 

More burn-in time and listening is ahead.

 

[rlow]

1 hour ago, Speed Racer said:

 

I can't believe I am saying this but you should try the Phasure "Lush" USB cable. It helped get rid of any trace of sibilance/stridance I was experiencing in my setup. That cable and the Teddy Pardo power supply did the trick.

 

Lol, I like the intro to that statement. In general I am not a cable believer either, but I will invest in something of decent quality/value. I am currently using a Curious Regen Link (short 8 inch cable) and I did swap for some cheaper, longer cables just for the heck of it and did notice a difference (surprisingly), so might be worth a try. I did find with the cheaper cables, the uR lost some of the benefits I stated, but did also lose some of the sibilance as well. Perhaps the Lush would keep the good and remove the bad, who knows. I won't buy something like that new/full price though (especially something that iffy) so I may be waiting a while for one to show up used in Canada.

 

In the meantime I caught a line on an Uptone LPS-1 that should come to me in a week or so, which I will be interested to compare with the Sbooster.

[rlow]

14 minutes ago, sahmen said:

 

I can certainly do that and report back.  However, the Lush cable was playing absolutely nice with the Yggy's USB 5 module, before the Yggy went off for the Analog 2 upgrade (which did not have anything to do with USB at all), so I wonder.  I shall test with a generic USB cable and report back.

 

 

If that doesn't work, do you have a PC you could plug into the Yggy direct USB as well to try?

[rlow]

24 minutes ago, sahmen said:

 

Yes I have asked Schiit again, and they're now admitting that they may have returned the Yggdrasil with a faulty USB 5 module, but they have not explained why or how the Analog 2 upgrade might have messed with the USB 5...  As much as I hate doing this, I am going to have to RMA the YGGY back to California for another service run (The thing just arrived yesterday from its Analog2 upgrade trip, so to say I am bummed about having to send it back tomorrow could be considered the understatement of the year, at least of my year!  But what else can I do?)...  I'm also pissed because this looks like the result of some very sloppy, and careless work on Schiit's part...  At least this looks like something very avoidable, because the Gen5 USB was in flawless working shape when it went out on the Analog 2 upgrade trip...  But let me stop here because I do not want to get worked up anymore than I currently am already... )

The Analog 2 upgrade swaps a pretty major board and does some firmware updates too. Perhaps there were also some running changes in the Gen5 USB boards and they wanted to give you the latest version. For whatever reason, looks like you have a faulty USB board. It sucks yes, and I'm surprised it wasn't caught in testing, but hopefully they can turn it around for you quickly. These things can happen. You will definitely be happy when you finally get it working I guarantee you, just a bit more patience is required (it's hard I know, but what can you do). Hang in there!