ISO REGEN Listening Impressions (kicked off with some measurements)

[Speed Racer]

21 minutes ago, pam1975 said:

Alex, can the Iso Regen be used before a Mutec MC3+ USB? Thanks 

 

I am not Alex, but sure, why not? I am using one before my DDC...a Singxer F-1.

[Speed Racer]

My setup has a 2016 MacBook Pro running Audirvana Plus 3.x using USB to a Singxer F-1 DDC using S/PDIF coax to an Yggdrasil DAC. The DAC is using XLR interconnects to a Mjolnir 2 headphone amp. I am doing all of my listening on powered nearfield monitors. The DAC, amp, and speakers are all plugged into a TrippLite “PS” power strip. The power strip is plugged into a 2.5kVa Topaz isolation transformer. To this, I added an ISO Regen powered by an LPS-1 between the DDC and MacBook Pro. The USB cable from the MacBook is plugged into the input of the ISO Regen. The ISO Regen is connected to DDC using a USPCB. The following comments outline the changes I perceive with the ISO Regen and USPCB in place and powered on for more 15 hours.

 

The music and voices emanate from a quieter background.

 

The timbre of instruments and voices are a bit more defined. This is even true with bass sounds which tend to muddle together more.

 

The bass is more full yet has more detail and clarity. The mids and highs are a bit sharper without being harsher. The overall clarity and detail is a little bit better.

 

The soundstage isn’t any wider but I get a sense of more depth and height. Instruments and voices have much better isolation and their locations are more defined. The is the single biggest difference I hear in the music. I could hear this before but not with the laser like focus I get now. Instead of the sound coming from a general direction on the stage, I get a sense of the sound coming from a very specific location on the stage. The effect is not subtle and gives me a much better sense of being at a live performance.

 

The best analogy I can come up with is that with the ISO Regen, LPS-1, and USPCB in place versus what I started with is like comparing two photos on the same scene. One slightly out of focus with a color filter in place while the other is perfectly in focus with no filter. You can tell that both are of the same image. But, with the slightly out of focus image, you can’t quite see all the detail. Parts of the image are blurred together and some of the colors aren’t quite right. It’s pleasing to the eye until you see the perfectly focused image. You immediately realize what you are missing. You see all the details and the colors look better and more natural. It’s like a veil has been lifted from your eyes.

 

None of the differences I hear are anything more than subtle. It’s when take them as a whole that you realize how much the listening experience is enhanced. The clarity and detail improvements along with the voice and instrument isolation on the soundstage make for a much more realistic and better sounding listening experience.

[Speed Racer]

13 minutes ago, elan120 said:

I am another one joining the WOW – this is amazing club!

 

Got the shipment yesterday, installed both IsoRegen and LPS-1 to my chain and power up for about 3 hours while finishing up other chores.  Once I started listening to this new configuration, my feeling was wow, this is amazing.  The music becomes more musical, more defined detail, more engaging, better impact, and is now much easier to get drawn into the music, in the meantime, hard to stop playing next track.  This new-found experience is quite a good surprise to me since I have been searching for ways to improve my system for a short while, especially the last few months with different mods that made very positive incremental improvements to the point I thought will be hard to gain sizable improvement, then IsoRegen changed that right away.  Alex and John sure hit a home run with this new product, and I am very happy having one in my setup.

 

As for reference, my current temporary setup consists of HQPlayer > NAS > ROON server > wifi router > FMC > ROON endpoint > iMicro USB > Gemini USB Cable > IsoRegen (LPS-1) > modified SU-1 (LPS-1) > Holo Spring LTE (level 3) > iCan Pro > Norne Audio Silvergarde S2 > HD800S

 

That iMicro USB seems superfluous in that chain.

[Speed Racer]

I am listening to Coltrane right now ("I'll Wait and Pray")and he never sounded better or more like I was sitting in the front row at a gig....

[Speed Racer]

I have over three days of listening in now with the ISO Regen/USPCB in place. The differences I keep coming back to are in soundstage, clarity, detail, and reduced noise. The best metaphor I can come up with is that everything was a just a bit blurry before and is now in razor sharp focus. The timbre in instruments and voices have more resolution. In my setup, the individual differences are subtle, but the overall effect is not. 

[Speed Racer]

3 minutes ago, Tone Deaf said:

Having recently picked up a new camera body, I have a similar, but slightly different analogy.  Compared to my previous camera, the new has improved resolution, contrast, and color rendition.  Pictures from each of them can be equally in focus.  But when comparing pictures between cameras, pictures from the newer camera tend to be more "striking", and I can see "deeper" into them, resulting in more "wow, that's a really great photo" with the new body.

 

Pretty similar to the effect of the ISO Regen.

 

Sure. Different lenses have different levels of contrast and color rendition. Sensors also affect resolution, color, and noise. Let's not get into bokeh!! I didn't want to get too deep into the metaphor! 

[Speed Racer]

33 minutes ago, Superdad said:

...I'd venture to say that the impact of the ISO REGEN will greatest for those who simply have a standard computer running a standard USB cable to the ISO REGEN attached directly to their DAC with the included USPCB A>B Adapter.

 

I suspect this is the reason I am not seeing huge differences in specific areas. The Singxer F-1 DDC actually does a decent job of handling the poor USB signal from the computer and does provide some level of isolation from the USB side of the chain. I also have followed John's advice in using a Topaz isolation transformer and low impedance between plugs power strip.

 

However, using the LPS-1 to power the ISO Regen means that the Singxer F-1 DDC is getting the cleanest possible power with no ground loop or AC leakage issues. The ISO Regen with the USPCB provides the best possible USB signals as well. All of that combines to allow the Singxer F-1 to send the best SPDIF signals it can to my Yggdrasil. The result is a musical experience that is a clear step above what I had before the ISO Regen/LPS-1/USPCB combination was employed. No aspect of the sound took a step backwards either. All I hear are improvements.

[Speed Racer]

45 minutes ago, agladstone said:

Sorry!!!

 

Considering the sub-forum "owner", Superdad, says you are fine, I wouldn't worry about what anyone else had to say.

 

I think you are going to love the ISO Regen/LPS-1 combo. I would start out with no Micro iUSB 3.0 in your chain and give yourself some time with the ISO Regen/LPS-1 combo. Let it "burn in" for several days and get comfortable with the sound. Then try adding the Micro iUSB 3.0 before the ISO Regen in the chain and see what that does. Personally, I like to keep the USB chain as simple as possible. But you will have to make the call as to what sounds best in your setup.

[Speed Racer]

It's an on/off switch and it cuts the 5vdc USB VBUS power in the off position.

[Speed Racer]

I should be getting my PS Audio DirectStream DAC with Network Bridge II installed on Thursday. I will be using both the Network Bridge II and ultraRendu/Teddy Pardo/Phasure Lush USB cable as Roon endpoints feeding the DirectStream DAC. 

 

My real hope is that the Network Bridge II sounds as good or better than coming via USB. Someone whose ears I respect a lot told me that he heard no difference using the Network Bridge II versus feeding the DirectStream using I2S. Someone here told me something different. We'll see.....

 

If all works as I want it to, I will be selling my Yggdrasil, ultraRendu, Teddy Pardo PS, and Lush cable.....

[Speed Racer]

5 hours ago, thyname said:

 

When you say “using Network Bridge II” vs. i2s, how are you using i2s w/ ultraRendu? It is UsB 

 

Please reread what I wrote.

 

Here is more detail: A friend tested the DAC using both the Network Bridge II and using one of the I2S inputs with a streamer. Clearly not at the same time. To test the Network Bridge II, he plugged into his Ethernet switch and set it up as a Roon endpoint. To test the I2S connection, he used a high quality streamer with I2S output as a Roon endpoint. He feels this unnamed streamer is better sounding than the ultraRendu.

 

He noticed no difference in sound quality between the two.

 

We should not discuss this here anymore as this has nothing to do with the ISO Regen or any other UpTone Audio product.

 

Note: I will never know the name of the streamer as it was being tested under nondisclosure so will do no good to ask.....