PS Audio LANRover USB Reclocker/ Purifier vs ISO Regan/ W4S RUR

[DancingSea]

Aloha From Maui,

 

As I continue to upgrade my system, I find myself in the USB reclocker room.  Am auditioning the iFi iPurfier and Nano iUSB.  Am considering the W4S RUR and the ISO Regan.

 

After reading this review I'm now considering the PS Audio LANRover.  The review says the LANRover is more tube like, which is my sort of thing, and I have a PS Audio DAC and Amp anyway (Stellar Gain).

 

Any thoughts on the LANRover?  What do you think about PS Audio's system of dividing the unit into 2 pieces and connect with an ethernet cable as a means to further isolate, regenerate and purifier the USB signal?

 

Is the ethernet cable portion a step up from the usual suspects of this arena?

 

Thanks. 

[DancingSea]

Went ahead and ordered the PS Audio LANRover for audition.  They let me do a trade in which mitigated the $600 price to $419.  This puts in the iFi Micro iUSB price point.  And the LANRover has the galvanic isolation, which mixes the best of the ISO Regan.  And then the ethernet cable between the two LANRover modules is yet another step.  Thus for $419, which is more than I planned to spend, the LANRover seems like a good bargain.

 

Hopefully the online reviews are correct that the LANRover is tube like yet detailed.

[audio.bill]

Good luck with the LR, it is reported to sound quite good. You should be aware though of some apparent issues it has working with Windows 10 which is documented on the PS Audio forum. Let us know how it works out for you!

[DancingSea]

Thanks for the heads up.  Fortunately, since 1979, I have only owned a Mac.  The iFi Nano iUSB arrives today, so will be interesting to compare.

 

So many on this forum are enthusiastic about these USB regeneration devices and site substantial benefits.  On the ISO Regan forum a person said he's entire collection now sounds like master tapes.

 

I have the iFi iPurifier currently installed, and there is some improvement, but its subtle at best.  Here's to hoping the full enchilada delivers the goods.

[Kilauea50]

You are going to LOVE the LR.  I was stunned at the difference sonically when I added it to the mix.  i would definitely say 'tube like" is a good descrlption.  Enjoy!!

[DancingSea]

Great to hear.  The LR arrives tomorrow, and the Curious Regen Link arrives shortly thereafter.  I like the iFi Nano quite a bit, its spicy and exciting, but I'm more of smooth, warm, tube like dude.

 

Oh please dearest sound Gods, bless me with lovely sonic satisfaction in the presence of the LANRover so I can stop focusing on the sound and get back to the music!

 

I recently upgraded my entire system, after nearly 20 years with one setup (that I loved).  The LR is the last step.  Just need to smooth everything out a bit.

[agladstone]

I cant wait to hear the comparisons LR vs IFI Nano!

Now you've got me thinking about the LR (bastard)!

[DancingSea]

47 minutes ago, agladstone said:

I cant wait to hear the comparisons LR vs IFI Nano!

Now you've got me thinking about the LR (bastard)!

 

Now wait a minute mister!  You, with your beguiling "you should get a Brooklyn DAC" talk has taken me from a fairly comfortable existence down an upgrade road, at last count, that is nearly $4000 long (retail).  Its clearly my responsibility to respond in kind.

 

The BHK Signature 250 Amp could be a step up from Emotive (g)

 

As for the LR, all reports suggest it has a tube, perhaps warming effect (others feel free to chime in).  Although tubes are not inherently warm, some are and some aren't.  Thus not sure if the LR would be a synergistic match for your system.  But hey, that's what 30 day free trials were made for.

 

LANRover arrives tomorrow.  If only my Curious Regen Link were here as well (g).

[DancingSea]

On June 28, 2017 at 8:10 AM, Kilauea50 said:

You are going to LOVE the LR.  I was stunned at the difference sonically when I added it to the mix.  i would definitely say 'tube like" is a good descrlption.  Enjoy!!

 

Anyone successfully using the LR on a Mac?  Has been a disaster so far.  Even with the audio midi settings properly set, the LANRover won't play music.  It works intermittently with Audirvana.  iTunes won't even launch with the LR connected.  Amarra 4 Luxe and Fidelia both launch, and play music, but no sound comes out.  I have my DAC selected in audio midi, system preferences, as well as the volume icon in the menu bar.

 

The iFi Nano iUSB plays all the above well.

 

PS Audio is closed for the weekend, will call on Monday.  Any ideas?

[jtwrace]

1 hour ago, DancingSea said:

PS Audio is closed for the weekend, will call on Monday.  Any ideas?

Post on the PS Audio forum and you will likely get some help.  

[Kilauea50]

1 hour ago, DancingSea said:

 

Anyone successfully using the LR on a Mac?  Has been a disaster so far.  Even with the audio midi settings properly set, the LANRover won't play music.  It works intermittently with Audirvana.  iTunes won't even launch with the LR connected.  Amarra 4 Luxe and Fidelia both launch, and play music, but no sound comes out.  I have my DAC selected in audio midi, system preferences, as well as the volume icon in the menu bar.

 

The iFi Nano iUSB plays all the above well.

 

PS Audio is closed for the weekend, will call on Monday.  Any ideas?

I have a MacMini and have had no issues.  I use both Audirvana and Roon via a SonicTransporter i7 and have not had a single glitch.  I haven't done anything in Audi Midi.  I just placed it between my Dac and the MacMini and started playing music

[DancingSea]

I did post in the PS Audio forums.  Even Paul McGowan the owner responded.  The only suggestions were to adjust the audio midi settings.  I also upgraded to the latest version of Sierra.  A+ works some times.  iTunes, Fidelia, and Amarra all do not play at all.   Paul said to call his staff on Wednesday.  Others have chimed in with similar issues.

 

Its all very disappointing.  When it did play, sounded terrific.  I just know that problematic USB devices can cause all sorts of trouble on Mac OS that extend beyond their intended use.  At this point, I don't trust that the LR will be a reliable addition, great sound aside.  Such a device ought to be plug and play, and function with whatever player I choose.

 

Will see what they say on Wednesday.  For now it remains unplugged.

[DancingSea]

I spoke with PS Audio's tech support.  They suggested the following:

 

1) unplug and reconnect anywhere in the USB chain.

2) quit all apps and restart the Mac, next time only launch an app associated with the LR.

3) Adjust audio midi settings to 192..  apparently the LR has sample rate issues.

 

I did all of that.  iTunes w/ Bit Perfect did work.  A+ worked sometimes.  Amarra Luxe and Fidelia not at all.

 

On the PS Audio support forums I read that many people, including the original beta testers, had/ have frequent issues with the LR.  For some, it works perfectly.

 

My impression is that PS Audio stopped R&D too earlier on this device.  I just didn't trust its instability, despite its excellent sound, and thus returned the LR to Colorado.  Its too bad because their Stellar Gain Cell DAC and S300 power amp are fantastic.

 

After trying the iFi Nano iUSB3, I've now settled on the W4S RUR as it has the type of sound I like.

[Superdad]

54 minutes ago, DancingSea said:

After trying the iFi Nano iUSB3, I've now settled on the W4S RUR as it has the type of sound I like.

 

https://audiobacon.net/2017/07/11/uptone-audio-iso-regen-review/

Oops... 

 

 

[DancingSea]

Well, I can still return the RUR

 

My main main main thing is for the sound to be warm and tube/ vinyl like.  I'm allergic to digital harshness.  The iFi was too bright for me.  I do find the RUR to have a more muddled, smaller soundstage compared to the iFi Nano iUSB3.  But I do love the warm smooth sound of the RUR, even with the shortcomings.

 

Because of your lengthy shipping delays, and because $655 ISO Regen full monty is beyond my budget, I'm contemplating keeping the RUR.

 

The AudioBacon review is certainly comprehensive in its condemnation of the RUR.  My question is what about warmth?  An organic sound is more important to me than a hyper detailed digital sound.  I prefer vinyl to CD.

 

So SuperDad, what say you about the vinyl like properties of your ISO Regen?

[hurka]

hyper-super detailed organic sound there......

[agladstone]

42 minutes ago, DancingSea said:

Well, I can still return the RUR

 

My main main main thing is for the sound to be warm and tube/ vinyl like.  I'm allergic to digital harshness.  The iFi was too bright for me.  I do find the RUR to have a more muddled, smaller soundstage compared to the iFi Nano iUSB3.  But I do love the warm smooth sound of the RUR, even with the shortcomings.

 

Because of your lengthy shipping delays, and because $655 ISO Regen full monty is beyond my budget, I'm contemplating keeping the RUR.

 

The AudioBacon review is certainly comprehensive in its condemnation of the RUR.  My question is what about warmth?  An organic sound is more important to me than a hyper detailed digital sound.  I prefer vinyl to CD.

 

So SuperDad, what say you about the vinyl like properties of your ISO Regen?

It is really all about system specific synergy and most importantly what combination and Reclocker sounds best to your ears and your personal preference! 

Not that I have any bias towards you keeping the RUR ? 

(For the rest of the threads members, I'm letting DancingSea trial my RUR before he decides to purchase it:) ) 

[Elberoth]

I'm using the Intona USB isolator + W4S Recovery reclocker combo. The Intona is a great addition to Recovery, greatly enhancing the dimensionality, making the sound images more palpable and 3-dimensional, at the same time lowering the noise floor. 

 

Intona USB isolator + W4S Recovery reclocker combo is similar in features to ISO Regen (which is a reclocker and an isolator in one box). In my experience so far, the ISO Regen sound more open on top, with more see-through-transparency than the Intona USB + W4S Recovery combo. The later sounds more meaty, with more 'meat on the bones'. 

 

 

[DancingSea]

9 hours ago, Elberoth said:

I'm using the Intona USB isolator + W4S Recovery reclocker combo. The Intona is a great addition to Recovery, greatly enhancing the dimensionality, making the sound images more palpable and 3-dimensional, at the same time lowering the noise floor. 

 

Intona USB isolator + W4S Recovery reclocker combo is similar in features to ISO Regen (which is a reclocker and an isolator in one box). In my experience so far, the ISO Regen sound more open on top, with more see-through-transparency than the Intona USB + W4S Recovery combo. The later sounds more meaty, with more 'meat on the bones'. 

 

 

 

Ah yes, thanks so much for further complicating matters !  I like meat on the bones, but do find the RUR by itself to be a bit flat and compressed, lacking 3D - although I like the overall sound.  I hadn't considered the Intona as a possibility, and the grand total cost would be similar to the ISO Regan.

 

And do I understand correctly that you have $75,000 speakers?   Wow.

[agladstone]

You can find pre-owned Intona's on ebay (and here), lots of people are switching to ISO Regen, which means lots of Intona users will be selling their Intona's! 

Also IFI is coming out with the iGalvanic which I think will be $199 or so so that's another option.  

[DancingSea]

23 minutes ago, agladstone said:

You can find pre-owned Intona's on ebay (and here), lots of people are switching to ISO Regen, which means lots of Intona users will be selling their Intona's! 

Also IFI is coming out with the iGalvanic which I think will be $199 or so so that's another option.  

 

People seem to be hanging on to the Intona, I don't see any on eBay except being sold by Intona themselves, and none here either.  I take that as a good sign.  Intona is selling them on Amazon as well.  On Amazon, Intona follows the standard 30 day Amazon return policy, so I could try it out.  Something to think about for sure....  Are they sold anywhere else besides Intona themselves?

[ElviaCaprice]

1 minute ago, DancingSea said:

 

People seem to be hanging on to the Intona, I don't see any on eBay except being sold by Intona themselves, and none here either.  I take that as a good sign.  Intona is selling them on Amazon as well.  Something to think about for sure....

I sold mine in a heartbeat, Intona Industrial.  There's no comparison with the ISO Regen.

[DancingSea]

1 minute ago, ElviaCaprice said:

I sold mine in a heartbeat, Intona Industrial.  There's no comparison with the ISO Regen.

 

Thanks for the feedback.  What was your Intona paired with?

[ElviaCaprice]

9 minutes ago, DancingSea said:

 

Thanks for the feedback.  What was your Intona paired with?

PPA PCIE usb card powered by LPS-1, adapter to Intona, Supra USB chord (no 5V VBUS) to Regen powered by LPS-1, DAC was a Chord 2Qute. 

The Intona/Regen combo added nothing to the 2Qute, previously Hugo.  The ISO Regen with 2 USPCB's has replaced the PPA, Intona and Regen with a much better SQ, including the fact I eliminated the need for one LPS-1.  That's a significant $$$ difference.

[Elberoth]

17 hours ago, ElviaCaprice said:

PPA PCIE usb card powered by LPS-1, adapter to Intona, Supra USB chord (no 5V VBUS) to Regen powered by LPS-1, DAC was a Chord 2Qute. 

The Intona/Regen combo added nothing to the 2Qute, previously Hugo.  The ISO Regen with 2 USPCB's has replaced the PPA, Intona and Regen with a much better SQ, including the fact I eliminated the need for one LPS-1.  That's a significant $$$ difference.

 

I'm not surprised. The original Regen Orange, you have been using with the Intona, performed quite poorly in my system. 

 

The Intona + W4S Recovery combo, was much, MUCH better.