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Sonore opticalRendu


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Musikfan, I used that exact powerline-plus-optical arrangement with my microrendu until I replaced powerline with ethernet cable from my basement to the living room upstairs.  The powerline terminal upstairs was connected to a consumer grade switch, which was connected by a short ethernet cable to a Trendnet media converter, which in turn was connected to another Trendnet converter using a fiber patch cable.  The microrendu was connected to the second converter with a very short CAT 6 cable.  

 

People say that this is a noisy way to go about making a connection to the microrendu but I had no complaints.  The connection always was reliable and my audiophilia nervosa took some comfort from knowing that I had done something that conventional wisdom says might reduce whatever noise there was. 

Living room:  Synology 218+ NAS > NUC 10 i7 > HQP Embedded > xfinity Xfi Router > Netgear GS348 Switch > Sonore Optical Module Deluxe > Sonore Signature Rendu SE Optical Tier 2 > Okto DAC 8 Stereo > Topping Pre90 Preamp > Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini > Revel F32 Concertas

 

Computer Desk System: Synology DS-218+ NAS > Dell XPS 8930/NUC 10 i7  > HQP Desktop > xfinity Xfi Router > EtherRegen > ultraRendu > Topping D90 DAC > Audioengine A5+'s

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42 minutes ago, Mike Rubin said:

Musikfan, I used that exact powerline-plus-optical arrangement with my microrendu until I replaced powerline with ethernet cable from my basement to the living room upstairs.  The powerline terminal upstairs was connected to a consumer grade switch, which was connected by a short ethernet cable to a Trendnet media converter, which in turn was connected to another Trendnet converter using a fiber patch cable.  The microrendu was connected to the second converter with a very short CAT 6 cable.  

 

People say that this is a noisy way to go about making a connection to the microrendu but I had no complaints.  The connection always was reliable and my audiophilia nervosa took some comfort from knowing that I had done something that conventional wisdom says might reduce whatever noise there was. 

Hi Mike, thanks for your response.  It sounds like you had a very similar network setup that I use currently.  MayI might try adding the media converters to see if it makes a difference to the sound. May I ask if you also had a consumer switch downstairs in the basement besides the one in the living room?  I am using one switch in the basement into which I've plugged the eero, powerline base unit and the sonictransporter  i5.  But it sounds like I would need a second switch upstairs to run the media converters.  Thanks, James

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1 hour ago, Musikfan said:

Hi Mike, thanks for your response.  It sounds like you had a very similar network setup that I use currently.  MayI might try adding the media converters to see if it makes a difference to the sound. May I ask if you also had a consumer switch downstairs in the basement besides the one in the living room?  I am using one switch in the basement into which I've plugged the eero, powerline base unit and the sonictransporter  i5.  But it sounds like I would need a second switch upstairs to run the media converters.  Thanks, James

 

At the time, I did not use a switch downstairs.  The originating powerline adaptor was connected directly to the router, so there was no switch in the system prior to the one in the living room.  I would not have used a switch upstairs, either, if I hadn't also needed to connect a Blu-ray player and Fire TV Stick located in the same room.  

 

This is a bit off-topic, but I presently am using pairs of patch panels and Netgear SoHo switches downstairs in a cabinet because I now have a ton of ethernet cables running to the living room, bedrooms, and office areas throughout the house.  Sonore, however, recommended that I connect my current rendu (a Signature Rendu SE) directly to the router.  So, I disconnected from the switch the cable running up to the living room port where I connect the rendu. I then ran a cable directly from one of the router ports to the same patch panel where the rendu port cable terminates.  There, I used a short cable to bridge the two cables, which allows a wired connection between router and rendu without going through either of the switches.  I don't know that that affects the rendu's connectivity one way or the other, especially with a patch cord bridging the two cables, but at least I have removed a variable when troubleshooting by getting the switch out of the connection.

Living room:  Synology 218+ NAS > NUC 10 i7 > HQP Embedded > xfinity Xfi Router > Netgear GS348 Switch > Sonore Optical Module Deluxe > Sonore Signature Rendu SE Optical Tier 2 > Okto DAC 8 Stereo > Topping Pre90 Preamp > Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini > Revel F32 Concertas

 

Computer Desk System: Synology DS-218+ NAS > Dell XPS 8930/NUC 10 i7  > HQP Desktop > xfinity Xfi Router > EtherRegen > ultraRendu > Topping D90 DAC > Audioengine A5+'s

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2 hours ago, Mike Rubin said:

 

At the time, I did not use a switch downstairs.  The originating powerline adaptor was connected directly to the router, so there was no switch in the system prior to the one in the living room.  I would not have used a switch upstairs, either, if I hadn't also needed to connect a Blu-ray player and Fire TV Stick located in the same room.  

 

This is a bit off-topic, but I presently am using pairs of patch panels and Netgear SoHo switches downstairs in a cabinet because I now have a ton of ethernet cables running to the living room, bedrooms, and office areas throughout the house.  Sonore, however, recommended that I connect my current rendu (a Signature Rendu SE) directly to the router.  So, I disconnected from the switch the cable running up to the living room port where I connect the rendu. I then ran a cable directly from one of the router ports to the same patch panel where the rendu port cable terminates.  There, I used a short cable to bridge the two cables, which allows a wired connection between router and rendu without going through either of the switches.  I don't know that that affects the rendu's connectivity one way or the other, especially with a patch cord bridging the two cables, but at least I have removed a variable when troubleshooting by getting the switch out of the connection.

Mike, thanks again for your assistance and advice.  I think I will try connecting the 2 media converters and fiber cable upstairs.  Your help is greatly appreciated.  Regards, James

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On 2/17/2019 at 8:45 AM, vortecjr said:

The testing is going great:)

 

Hi Jesus,

 

That qualifies as a crumb :)

 

I'm just a little grumpy because I sold my ultraRendu and the sound of my system has taken a big step downward using just a cubox :(

 

I'm sure it will be worth the wait as you guys have a proven track record with me.

 

Cheers (and get back to work!)

 

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2 hours ago, cat6man said:

 

Hi Jesus,

 

That qualifies as a crumb :)

 

I'm just a little grumpy because I sold my ultraRendu and the sound of my system has taken a big step downward using just a cubox :(

 

I'm sure it will be worth the wait as you guys have a proven track record with me.

 

Cheers (and get back to work!)

 

Don't worry more news is coming soon. Chris said it's the best Rendu we have ever made and everyone who has heard it agrees)   

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2 hours ago, vortecjr said:

Don't worry more news is coming soon. Chris said it's the best Rendu we have ever made and everyone who has heard it agrees)   

Hi, I'm thinking of getting the trendnet 4-port gigabit with SFP slot to use with the optical rendu.  What optical fiber cable should be used between the optical rendu and the optical switch?  Also, what SFP optical transceiver module should be used with the switch? Thanks, James

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We are going to offer solutions that work together. If you are going to buy your own solutions it will be hard for us to approve them based on the number of possible configurations. Anyway, you will find some helpful tips here:

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/55216-sonore-systemoptique/?do=findComment&comment=910082

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36 minutes ago, alexreusch said:

Do you see any added value of the ultraDigital using I2S behind the opticalRendu? I mean, the USB output of the opticalRendu should be close to perfect, not? If a DAC has a very good USB input (PS-Audio), don't you think the extra box (ultraDigital) will be obsolete?

This is going to be DAC dependent, and bit of a preference among users as well.  Personally, I prefer USB in nearly all cases, but I do not want to argue the point with those who swear that I2S is better with their DAC-although I would always suggest start with USB out of the Rendu products, and use a really good USB cable.  The USB cable really matters, I know, it is maddening, but it is true.

SO/ROON/HQPe: DSD 512-Sonore opticalModuleDeluxe-Signature Rendu optical with Well Tempered Clock--DIY DSC-2 DAC with SC Pure Clock--DIY Purifi Amplifier-Focus Audio FS888 speakers-JL E 112 sub-Nordost Tyr USB, DIY EventHorizon AC cables, Iconoclast XLR & speaker cables, Synergistic Purple Fuses, Spacetime system clarifiers.  ISOAcoustics Oreas footers.                                                       

                                                                                           SONORE computer audio

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1 hour ago, barrows said:

This is going to be DAC dependent, and bit of a preference among users as well.  Personally, I prefer USB in nearly all cases, but I do not want to argue the point with those who swear that I2S is better with their DAC-although I would always suggest start with USB out of the Rendu products, and use a really good USB cable.  The USB cable really matters, I know, it is maddening, but it is true.

 

Maybe this isn't the place to ask this, but I have a question about USB cables and xRendu setups. I agree completely that some USB cables sound crazy different than others and I have gone through a few before finding one I like better than others.  I also know that some folks say that the Rendu series sounds better with devices like the xRegen series, W4S Recovery, or ethernet isolators in the signal path between Rendu and USB DAC input.  What I wonder is whether the short cables that go between these devices alter the sound for which you pay when you buy a high-end USB cable.  Any thoughts about this?  It is that kind of potential complication that prevents me from trying those devices in this particular application.  (If this isn't the right place to ask, please move or delete.) 

Living room:  Synology 218+ NAS > NUC 10 i7 > HQP Embedded > xfinity Xfi Router > Netgear GS348 Switch > Sonore Optical Module Deluxe > Sonore Signature Rendu SE Optical Tier 2 > Okto DAC 8 Stereo > Topping Pre90 Preamp > Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini > Revel F32 Concertas

 

Computer Desk System: Synology DS-218+ NAS > Dell XPS 8930/NUC 10 i7  > HQP Desktop > xfinity Xfi Router > EtherRegen > ultraRendu > Topping D90 DAC > Audioengine A5+'s

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3 minutes ago, barrows said:

@Mike Rubin.  I prefer to not use any "add on" devices.  I use the output of the Signature Rendu optical with a really good USB cable direct into my DACs.  The output of the Rendu is already really clean and I would rather avoid the complexities of add ons and the additional connections required to use them.  Always consider that every additional plug in connection is a point of loss.

Thanks for your opinion. I also think that that the opticalRendu should have a near perfect USB output. I just thought that the ultraDigital is a product from sonore as well, which has been designed to work optimally with the ultraRendu. But maybe this improvement is becoming obsolete with the opticalRendu. As you said: every additional component...

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Some people prefer to use I2S for their DAC.  I am not interested in saying they are wrong, if that is what works best for them, great, we have the ultraDigital.  For me, i have no fear of USB between my Signature Rendu systemeOptique and my DACs.

SO/ROON/HQPe: DSD 512-Sonore opticalModuleDeluxe-Signature Rendu optical with Well Tempered Clock--DIY DSC-2 DAC with SC Pure Clock--DIY Purifi Amplifier-Focus Audio FS888 speakers-JL E 112 sub-Nordost Tyr USB, DIY EventHorizon AC cables, Iconoclast XLR & speaker cables, Synergistic Purple Fuses, Spacetime system clarifiers.  ISOAcoustics Oreas footers.                                                       

                                                                                           SONORE computer audio

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15 hours ago, barrows said:

@Mike Rubin.  I prefer to not use any "add on" devices.  I use the output of the Signature Rendu optical with a really good USB cable direct into my DACs.  The output of the Rendu is already really clean and I would rather avoid the complexities of add ons and the additional connections required to use them.  Always consider that every additional plug in connection is a point of loss.

If people want to use add on devices, they are certainly welcome to, but I am not interested.  My advice would always be: get the fundamentals perfect before adding any tweaks.  Have the best Renderer you can, use optical isolation to reduce the influence of upstream components (servers, routers, switches, etc), use the best USB cable you can afford, and make sure you have a really good DAC with a really good USB implementation.  Once all the fundamentals are perfected, only then, would I say one might want to experiment with add ons, remembering that every additional component always adds its own noise signature (an inaccuracy be definition) to the system.  I prefer to KISS.

 

I agree with Barrows that the Signature Rendu SE sounds best without added USB enhancement devices. I am looking forward to the optical upgrade for the SE.

Steve Plaskin

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54 minutes ago, Michaelb4 said:

I have an eero with ethernet port. Small Green Computer sells a starter kit. Connect eero to switch by ethernet cable and then by fiber optic cable to Optical Rendu. Not sure where the transceiver module goes, I guess where it fits. Frankly hope that Sonore optical module follows shortly. 

I posted a schematic of my existing home network system that includes fiber optics (see below). My network uses Google Wifi but you can simply replace them with the eero, basically the same same.

 

The opticalModule would replace the existing FMC in my current system. However, if you go with a opticalRendu, no need for a FMC is needed, you go straight from the switch to the opticalRendu.

 

 

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