Sonore Signature Rendu SE Deluxe

[MartinT]

Hello all, those of you who know me know that I have been running an ultraRendu very happily for two years, gradually refining the sound with clocks, cables and grounding boxes.  I recently came into some money and wanted to invest in the best bang for buck, so I decided to upgrade the core streamer.

 

I have just ordered a Sonore Signature Rendu SE Tier II UK model, which thankfully Audiostore have in stock, along with 5m of optical cable and an SFP module to terminate my EtherREGEN.  I'm also pleased that it comes with an SR Purple fuse, to match the ones in my Gustard U18 DDC and Gustard X26 Pro DAC.

 

As I will be moving the EtherREGEN close to the 4G modem/router, and running it in 'reverse', I take it that the direction should now be 'B' side from the router leading to the SFP cage on the 'A' side?  I'm very excited to receive it and get it setup by the end of the week.  Are there members here who upgraded from the ultraRendu?  How did you find it?

[Superdad]

32 minutes ago, MartinT said:

I take it that the direction should now be 'B' side from the router leading to the SFP cage on the 'A' side? 

Yes, that is correct Martin.

In fact Sonore/UpTone engineer @JohnSwenson just left my place yesterday—after staying nearly a week with us, working, planning, experimenting, and listening—and he had brought his personal opticalRendu unit as well as an ultraRendu and other goodies.  The opticalRendu/EtherREGEN combo sounded terrific in my system. I am sure you will be very pleased. Plus Martin at AudioStore UK (mutual Sonore/UpTone dealer) is a truly first-rate individual. So glad that you made this significant purchase from him.

Best,

—Alex C.

[MartinT]

2 hours ago, Superdad said:

Plus Martin at AudioStore UK (mutual Sonore/UpTone dealer) is a truly first-rate individual. So glad that you made this significant purchase from him.

 

He has indeed been a true gentleman and we had a great chat about the upgrade and systems in general.

 

I would also thank Adrian at Sonore for being very helpful in my initial enquiries.

[Mike Rubin]

3 hours ago, MartinT said:

Hello all, those of you who know me know that I have been running an ultraRendu very happily for two years, gradually refining the sound with clocks, cables and grounding boxes.  I recently came into some money and wanted to invest in the best bang for buck, so I decided to upgrade the core streamer.

 

I have just ordered a Sonore Signature Rendu SE Tier II UK model, which thankfully Audiostore have in stock, along with 5m of optical cable and an SFP module to terminate my EtherREGEN.  I'm also pleased that it comes with an SR Purple fuse, to match the ones in my Gustard U18 DDC and Gustard X26 Pro DAC.

 

As I will be moving the EtherREGEN close to the 4G modem/router, and running it in 'reverse', I take it that the direction should now be 'B' side from the router leading to the SFP cage on the 'A' side?  I'm very excited to receive it and get it setup by the end of the week.  Are there members here who upgraded from the ultraRendu?  How did you find it?

Very happy with the expenditure after upgrading from an ultraRendu and Netgear FMC's.  I run a Sablon ethernet cable from the wall plate into the EtherRegen B side and optical from the A side to the Signature Rendu SE. I don't connect anything else to the ER. 

[MartinT]

The Signature Rendu SE Optical is now up and running in my system and sounds fabulous.

 

[vortecjr]

Enjoy!

[BCRich]

Not that it needs any but any improvements in the pipeline? Maybe the ability to add an external clock. I know this has been raised in the past..,…

[Mike Rubin]

16 hours ago, MartinT said:

The Signature Rendu SE Optical is now up and running in my system and sounds fabulous.

 

Has the case changed since Version 1?  I can see you have added the door stops atop the unit, but that little platform under them looks like part of the unit's casing. 

[MartinT]

14 hours ago, Mike Rubin said:

Has the case changed since Version 1?  I can see you have added the door stops atop the unit, but that little platform under them looks like part of the unit's casing. 

 

No, it's just a granite placemat to spread the load under the two door stops.  I use granite on all of my components with weights on top.  I use black sticky-back felt on the undersides.

[mwhitak]

Because ones and zeros need the mass of granite to sound better

[barrows]

4 minutes ago, mwhitak said:

Because ones and zeros need the mass of granite to sound better

It is actually not that simple.  Clock phase noise is sensitive to vibrations, and it has be shown that performance of the Signature Rendu improves as clock phase noise is lowered.  It is indeed possible that improvements to vibration damping will improve the performance.  The Signature Rendu uses a well built heavy gauge aluminum and steel case, with carefully designed footers with sorbothane damping inserts to reduce the influence of external vibrations not he circuitry.  at this level of performance, many seemingly small details do matter to the ultimate sound quality.

[mwhitak]

I know, I have a Sig SE,  however theoretical improvements in one technical area do not necessarily equal audible improvements. And what about damping the clock phase noise in the recording studios in the first place ? If it mattered, don't you think it would be done there, at the source ?

[Mike Rubin]

1 hour ago, barrows said:

It is actually not that simple.  Clock phase noise is sensitive to vibrations, and it has be shown that performance of the Signature Rendu improves as clock phase noise is lowered.  It is indeed possible that improvements to vibration damping will improve the performance.  The Signature Rendu uses a well built heavy gauge aluminum and steel case, with carefully designed footers with sorbothane damping inserts to reduce the influence of external vibrations not he circuitry.  at this level of performance, many seemingly small details do matter to the ultimate sound quality.

Hi, Barrows.  Does Sonore have specific recommendations for aftermarket vibration control?  I have mine on isoacoustics bronze footers, but I never have really heard significant changes in the SQ, let alone improvements.  If there is a better approach, I am open to ideas.

 

[barrows]

2 hours ago, Mike Rubin said:

Hi, Barrows.  Does Sonore have specific recommendations for aftermarket vibration control?  I have mine on isoacoustics bronze footers, but I never have really heard significant changes in the SQ, let alone improvements.  If there is a better approach, I am open to ideas.

 

I find ISOacoustics Orea Graphite to suit the Signature very well.  The graphite is in the correct weight range.  How substantial the improvement may be is always going to be system dependent in regards to rack, shelf, speaker proximity, floor type, etc...  So vibration control is always going to be a bit experimental for every different system.  Also note that the stock feet on the Signature are already quite good, so getting big improvements is unlikely.  

[MartinT]

I'm using Black Ravioli Big Pads under mine, which I use throughout the system.  Those, plus weights on top, give terrific vibration control and damping.  The combined effect of applying them to every component is significant.

[vortecjr]

On 6/26/2022 at 8:22 AM, BCRich said:

Not that it needs any but any improvements in the pipeline? Maybe the ability to add an external clock. I know this has been raised in the past..,…

I would be hesitant to change the Signature Rendu. As a reminder the unit is clocked by two very low noise oscillators. These oscillators serve the cpu, network phy, and the usb hub. Then there are a bunch of very low noise linear regulators powering everything. All of this takes place with short distances and optimal signal paths. These parts are hard to fine and/or very long lead time. We discontinued the oR to assure we can continue to make these because we are committed to making the very best player possible. 

 

There are some things we are considering…carbon fiber top replacements and a chrome front faceplates. If you are interested in one of these email me at [email protected].

[BCRich]

1 minute ago, vortecjr said:

There are some things we are considering…carbon fiber top replacements and a chrome front faceplate. Any thoughts on these? 

Carbon Fiber looks cool, not sure I would want a chrome faceplate.

I understand your comments as far as trying to improve the SE.

[MartinT]

7 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

chrome front faceplate. Any thoughts on these? 

 

What about being able to order the silver finish front panel as a separate item?

[vortecjr]

8 hours ago, mwhitak said:

I know, I have a Sig SE,  however theoretical improvements in one technical area do not necessarily equal audible improvements. And what about damping the clock phase noise in the recording studios in the first place ? If it mattered, don't you think it would be done there, at the source ?

I don’t mass load mine, but I would not mind isolating it more from my speakers. The recording studios are isolating things in separate rooms, heavy equipment racks, etc. I have a buddy who is a radio host and records commercials and he is very much concerned about his gear even though his deliverables are mostly low res:) 

[vortecjr]

7 minutes ago, MartinT said:

 

What about being able to order the silver finish front panel as a separate item?

We have two enclosures with chrome faceplates in the works.

[vortecjr]

1 hour ago, MartinT said:

 

What about being able to order the silver finish front panel as a separate item?

We would want to install it for you. 

[MartinT]

5 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

We would want to install it for you. 

 

Ah, never mind, it was only a thought.  I'm in the UK and would not want to be without it for so long!

[Mike Rubin]

5 hours ago, vortecjr said:

There are some things we are considering…carbon fiber top replacements and a chrome front faceplates. If you are interested in one of these email me at [email protected].

Hi, Jesus.  Is the carbon fiber top an esthetic thing or is there a sonic improvement expected from it? 

[barrows]

3 minutes ago, Mike Rubin said:

Hi, Jesus.  Is the carbon fiber top an esthetic thing or is there a sonic improvement expected from it? 

Not Jesus, but: Carbon Fiber has a couple of qualities which may be able to actually improve performance:

 

1. It naturally damps high frequency energy, like RFI.  So called "stealth" technology, this is one of the ways it helps the Stealth Fighter aircraft evade Radar detection, as the material absorbs and damps some RF energy.  In theory, this means that RF noise inside the Signature could be reduced by a carbon fiber top panel.

 

2. Carbon fiber also is a much damper material than aluminum plate when it comes to vibrational modes.  So by having a carbon fiber top panel, the resonance of the chassis is reduced-this may also improve performance.

 

The results of the above qualities may, or may not be of a magnitude to result in actual audible improvements, but it is a possibility.  I have been surprised that more companies have not taken advantage of carbon fiber's properties in chassis construction, and I suspect we will see more of it in the future design of audio components.  It is more expensive to produce chassis parts/chassis with CF than with common aluminum panel construction, with the exception of those chassis machined out of a single block of aluminum (such as Ayre Reference Series components).

[Mike Rubin]

Thanks, Barrows. I will email Jesus for upgrade information. In my experience with automotive applications, carbon fiber can be crazy expensive even for small pieces, but the top of a Sig SE cabinet isn't huge.