Sonore opticalModule v0.95 - discontinued

[charlesphoto]

Got mine on order. Will be going direct from my newer Cisco 2960L-16G (1g) switch to the Opticalmodule > Ghent JSSG ethernet cable> microrendu 1.4. Cable already set between basement server closet and hifi floor above. Will be powered by older HDPLEX. Currently going Cisco>generic RJ45>TP Link 10/100 FMC (iFi different circuit)> optical cable> TP Link (HDPLEX, dedicated power circuit). Ghent JSSG> micro. Will be curious to hear what the difference might be. If nothing else it will simplify the chain. 

[charlesphoto]

On 6/1/2019 at 3:01 PM, vortecjr said:

This should work fine. Because you are feeding a microRendu via Ethernet you might also want to try it with a sort Ethernet cable. 

Wish i could have stretched to an oR, but that would have also meant a new USB cable and power supply - funds just not there at the moment....

[charlesphoto]

Ah, thanks, but I'm using an LPS -1.0 on the rendu (with an extra Lt3045 in-between) and an Uptone USPCB around back the V1 (no room. to dangle an Ultra back there). For now just going to see what the oM (powered by the HDPLEX) brings to the table over the TP-Link FMC's. 

 

[charlesphoto]

oM arrived today but hit a snag- turns out the SFP in my Cisco isn't the EXACT same spec as the one in the oM. The switch will recognize the mR via the oM, but not talk to it. I get solid green light only on Cisco SFP and both amber and green blinking on the oM - swapped SFP's, and with the Cisco one in the oM I get green light only, and both lights at switch with the oM SFP.  So matching SFP on order and here tomorrow and can report back on sound then. 

[charlesphoto]

5 hours ago, Puma Cat said:

Yep. I'm using a similar configuation, but even less expensive; the OpticalModule functions as the downstream FMC just before the microRendu and a TP-Link MC220L fiber media convertor is upstream with a SystemOptique-certified SFP Optical Transceiver plugged into the SFP cage. My 7M run of LC/LC fiber cost ~$17. The upstream FMC is powered by an $11 Jameco 9V LPS. As soon as it burns in, my OpticalModule will be powered by a Jameco 5V LPS until my Keces P3 arrives; it presently being powered by my Uptone LPS-1 set to 5V. 

 

This is what I'm about to do since I can't seem to get my Cisco switch to work with the oM. MC220L on the way from Amazon. I'll be powering it with an iFi I have. I do have the luxury of the upstream module being on one circuit (with TV etc) and the downstream (oM, crossing fingers) on another dedicated circuit. Unfortunately I have no means or understanding to log into my (very good sounding) Cisco switch and find out what's going wrong with the uplink. 

[charlesphoto]

5 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

What Ethernet device are you trying to use with the opticalModule?

 

MicroRendu 1.4. It shows green light on the Cisco switch (which according to the manual is all that it will exhibit and means link made) SFP port, and then green light and blinking amber on the oM, and same on the mR. mR was updated recently. Tried powering off everything to modem and then back up from there to no avail.  My TP Link MC110's just light up and work, no matter how you unplug power cables, etc. mR works direct to switch with RJ45 cable as well. Maybe the mR isn't negotiating the full gb speed of the oM? 

[charlesphoto]

5 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Are you able to manage the Rendu?

 

No. It shows the OS page saying it recognizes the streamer, but won't get through to manage. 

[charlesphoto]

5 minutes ago, Puma Cat said:

I know this sounds wacky, but try rebooting your computer. Sometimes I have to do this on my Macbook Pro to see the microRendu on the My Sonicorbiter Manage page, and then be able to connect to it to manage the microRendu. 

 

Ok. I’ll play around a bit more once family in bed. Do you know what the blinking amber light means? 

[charlesphoto]

Nada. Tried a Roku and another switch as well, and the Cisco/oM links but just doesn't want to talk to them. Will see with the MC220 on the other end tomorrow. 

[charlesphoto]

19 minutes ago, Puma Cat said:

IIRC, the blinking amber light is the (Ethernet) bitstream...

 

Just checked: Right now, the amber light on the OM is a solid ON, the amber light on mRendu is always blinking. 

 

Thanks. Yeah, my oM is always blinking. Unfortunately my current FMC’s are 10/100 MC’s so tomorrow when the MC200L comes I can check a lot. As long as the oM sounds better I don’t mind, but now over $300 with another FMC into the mix so it had better best the current TP Links by a fair margin or it just won’t make sense to keep. 

[charlesphoto]

20 minutes ago, Puma Cat said:

MC200L? Not familiar with that model. Is it current and is it only 1000Base-T? I just checked the FMCs I was using prior to my MC220L: the  MC200M. They are 10/100/1000 for the copper Ethernet RJ45 port and 1000-Base SX for the SC optical port.  The TP-Link MC220L FMC I am using for the upstream SFP-style FMC is also 10/100/1000 for the copper Ethernet RJ45 port, but I am using the SystemOptique-specified SFP optical transceiver, which I understand to be 1000-Base only. Not sure what difference this may make...lots of factors for consideration. 

Sorry, typo, MC220L on the way.

[charlesphoto]

4 hours ago, vortecjr said:

My apologies for not catching this earlier in your post. The opticalModule and opticalRendu are 1000 speed internet devices. Your upstream devices (switch, SFP transceivers, fiber media converters) need to be 1000 speed.    

 

Actually not the problem as the Cisco SFP is 1000 and I’m not using the old 10/100 FMC’s (just saying they work without a hitch compared to the SFP>oM). I think it’s a software issue on my switch. I don’t have a windows computer in the house (unless I drag my son’s pc downstairs) so can’t console in to it. So  later today I’ll report back when I go Cisco 2960> rj45> TP link MC220L>oM>mR. 

[charlesphoto]

Finally! After lots of plugging and switching and hair pulling and Amazon truck waiting I've got it to work. I was about ready to send Jesus an RMA email this morning, and one last change and voila! And so glad I waited. It's incredible compared to the cheap TP Link converters  - one of which I still have - a new one, MC220L -  on the back end. It's downstairs in the server/switch closet with a short patch cable to the Cisco switch, then fiber through the floor to the oM. 

 

Frankly, I'm more than blown away, and I'm sure it will improve some with burn-in, and a better dc cable from the HDPLEX. Much more natural, easier to follow individual  instruments and voices on all genres and recording qualities.  Currently listening to the new Cate Le Bon album in 24/96 via Qobuz and there's so much going on, amazing details, yet not fatiguing at all at loud volume (and I have really bad tinnitus). I keep thinking I want/need a bigger/better amp, but then I do something like this and my vintage, 35w, rebuilt Naim 110 just says I'm good, I got this, thanks for feeding me better food. 

 

So bravo Sonore, for not too much outlay I feel that with the addition of the oM along with the mR 1.4, I'm probably 2/3rds of the way to an oR! I like the idea of being able to incrementally improve and keeping what you have, vs losing big chunks of $ in the race for 'better.' Of course, I'm now curious if having an oR on the upstream section after the switch would improve on the TP Link I just got....

[charlesphoto]

In place. 

[charlesphoto]

6 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

So what did you do to get it to work?

 

John S.

 

Well, the SFP port of the Cisco wouldn't work for me no matter what. At first the TP Link FMC wouldn't work either - hair pulling - but then I tried a different RJ45 port and it came up and then I recalled a couple of ports weren't working right. I really need to get into that switch sometime and figure out what's going on with he config. 

 

Again, it sounds freaking amazing and has transformed my system. Of course, it's not like a new amp, speaker etc - it doesn't change the sound per se, more like it's a sharpening filter in Photoshop with a little bit of contrast curve to give it a bit more pop and some noise filter to smooth it out - but none to the point of being unnatural sounding. I would say it's a bigger jump in sq than the 1.4 board change in the microRendu was. 

[charlesphoto]

4 hours ago, BlueDL said:

Hi charlesphoto,

I’m looking to use a 200W HDPLEX LPSU to power my server at 19V, an external SDD caddy at 5V, an EtherREGEN (eventually) at 12V and a microrendu at 7.5V. Have you looked at grounding the DC output of any of these outputs back to the AC source ground, or is that unnecessary with this type of power supply? I ask particularly as I will be looking to power a switch at 12V. Maybe JS can advise / shoot me down!

 

I'm actually creating some JS ground shunts today and will report back. Found a ring connector that will go around the barrel of the dc connecter - in some cases I think the screw dc connectors were compromising quality. I honestly wouldn't power everything I have off of one HDPLEX. You want to bereak some os that stuff up for best practice. For example, my NUC, initial FMC, Cisco switch etc are all in the basement (NUC Zero Zone 12v 100va supply, HD on NUC iFi, and FMC iFi), the oM with HDPLEX and mR with LPS-1 on its own circuit, the Naim gear on its own circuit, and so on. 

[charlesphoto]

I would characterize it like this:

 

No FMC's (Cat6 straight to mR from Cisco 2960): very nice sounding and the Cisco switch was a nice jump in sq. A bit tame though in the body, esp bass.

 

TP Link 10/100 FMC bridge: brings palpable bass to the mix, but somewhat at the expense of the highs and upper mid - a bit digital, glary sounding. More exciting though, with fuller body and they were worth keeping in (I tried six months in, six months out and then recently put back in). 

 

oM as final FMC: Night and day imo: bass isn't quite as shake the room palpable, but much much better defined - instruments sound fully realized and hang in space and very easy to follow. More detail and clarity (though I can see how too much more and it might become a bit dis-orienting at first!) and wider/deeper soundstage (though my Naim gear isn't exactly known for its imaging per se). But definitely yesterday was that proverbial hearing everything for the first time again kind of day. 

[charlesphoto]

13 minutes ago, BlueDL said:

Thanks for the reply. So the ring connector is positioned with a snug fit around the exposed (5.5mm dia) barrel and you are running an earth wire from there to a mains grounding plug, right? Are you doing that for all outputs in use or just one?

I understand what you are saying wrt minimising the reliance on the one LPS source, but the practicalities of having limited available sockets on my 8-way mains block is forcing me down this route, unfortunately. I have a fair few boxes (TP-Link MC100 FMC, Supernait 2 with Hicap DR, Holo Audio DAC, Singxer SU-1, HDPlex, Sonictransporter, two LPS-1s and an LPS-1.2, etc.) to ultimately only deliver stereo sound.......looks like a home cinema system to the untrained eye!

 

Yes. Important to run the ground plugged into the SAME circuit the device is being powered from. I just need to get some cable ($6 for 25 ft at Lowe's) and I'll be doing the FMC, NUC, and external USB HD connected to the NUC. Upstairs I'll be doing just the oM. 

 

No way to separate some of that analog gear from the digital/server side? 

[charlesphoto]

I'd love to have that Supernait DR, though I'm enamored of the half case stuff. Thinking about going to a 100 from my 110, just not sure it'd be worth it. My friend/ Naim dealer sort of feels the same.

 

I think according to JS, the case ground is not the same dealing with impedance leakage as the plug ground. 

 

Ghent Audio solid Neotec .3m cable on the way for the oM. Should be the icing on the cake. Future upgrades possibly include the new Sonore LPS for the mR, (and move the LPS-1 over to the oM) or an ultra rendu if I can find a good deal on used one. We've just found out our daughter has a reading disability and it's going to be an expensive but worthy path getting her the help she'll need. New black boxes might have to wait for awhile...

[charlesphoto]

2 hours ago, BlueDL said:

Charles, best of luck with your daughter’s situation. As a father of twin girls (4 years old), I can relate to this.

One had to have most of her left lung removed and the other has a lazy eye which we hope will be resolved by wearing glasses. They are both lovers of music, however - which I use to ‘justify’ my hobby!

The Supernait/Hicap were bought used, but were still an extravagance even at used prices. I began with a Nait 5i and worked my way up over the years (looking back, the Nait XS was a great amp for the money).

Really intriguing to read all the positive comments regarding the OM, as I was naively of the belief that a standard FMC with a good LPS would be enough.

 

Yeah, kids. Too quote a famous band though, they'll be alright. But even just the private testing we want to do will be over a $1k. We'll have the school test her as well, but with these things never trust one source imo. And the private we can start this afternoon - schools take forever. 

 

I started with a 5i and CD5i as well. Then a Unitiqute (now in the office) and then the V1 and rebuilt 110. Love the 'live' Naim sound. No, the oM is a serious game changer, sorry to report! I also just ground shunted all the dc in the server closet and the oM and I'll say it's made a positive difference (and it's cheap and fun to do - as long as you have the outlets available!). Seems to have tempered most of the remaining sibilance except for what's in the recording, vocal or otherwise. 

[charlesphoto]

58 minutes ago, BlueDL said:

What Grounding Plug did you opt for? Any steer would be much appreciated.

Sounds like you are going to do your utmost to rectify your daughter’s disabilities (as all good parents would).

Fortunately, our daughter loves her glasses (and the other seems quite envious!).

 

There's a great thread on here all about this, but in a nutshell, we're thinking Home Depot, not the Cable Co. Basic three prong plug of your choosing (mine were $5 yellow  Hubbell's at Lowe's and ugly as sin but all hidden - you could probably get better looking for cheaper online) some 16ga 'primary' or lamp wire (green is nice but could be anything 24g and up) and 16-14 ring terminals (if you have strong hands just cinch with pliers). Take a dc plug with just to make sure on sizing. I put some heat shrink on the cinch ends because I had it but not necessary. Cut to length. All available at your local hardware store or online. Pretty much works out to under $6 a connection, though I'm sure I could do it for a lot less even (or a whole heck of a lot more!)

[charlesphoto]

Another great night of listening and a few more revelations with the opticalModule. Hi-res never really did much for me before - now I get it! I think perhaps all of that extra detail was doing more harm than good if it was getting lost and muddled in the transport - now it's all crystal clear and organized sounding. Grant Green's Idle Moments at 24/192 via Qobuz is spine tingling. I would also say it's leveled the playing field between my local hard drive and streaming. It can reveal brutally poor recordings, but seems to bring something to merely ok or middling recordings - I think it's due to it being easier to follow separate instrumentation. 

 

IMO, the oM is almost like a DAC before the DAC/streamer. It also really shows just how much electrical 'noise' there is in ethernet lines. 

[charlesphoto]

3 hours ago, vortecjr said:

I would put the ground shunts on the iFi iPower supplies and on the LPS-1. Not sure about the Zero Zone because I'm unfamiliar with it. 

 Zero Zone is just a basic Chinese branded 100va 12v R-Core power supply I have powering the NUC. Actually quite nice for the price - no worse and maybe even a bit better than the original HDPLEX. 

[charlesphoto]

26 minutes ago, Steffenegede said:

Hi, I'm new to this forum and a bit of a newbie when it comes to fiddling with network etc. I'm currently using a  TP Link MC100CM optical bridge + Microrendu to feed a 2qute dac. If I understand this correctly I wouldn't just be able to switch the downstream fmc with an Opticalmodule, I'd need something that is able to do a gigabit right? Also, will changing anything before the first fmc be worth it for better quality sound? I read that optical eliminates the noise, but after changing a receptacle, feeding my router, laptop and first fmc to an already burned in Oyaide receptacle I "feel" there's an improvement in sound quality. I'm asking because I've been thinking about getting a linear psu for the laptop that is located just before the first fmc. I could buy one  and listen for myself yes, but if anyone have any experience with it I could save the $$ for something else 🙂

 

Hi. I had an MC100CM bridge before as well (and still do on the office set up). Yes, you'll need a gigabit FMC (TP Link MC220L or equivalent). Just do it I say. Don't worry about the upstream for now and what's powering it. I will be getting second oM at some point for the office, and at that time I can test oM to oM, but in all honest opinion it's probably overkill as it does such a good job of cleaning up the signal. I could be wrong though and have been before. I may end up with three or four of them eventually!

[charlesphoto]

The opticalModule was giving so much more bass energy I finally had to use eq in Roon for the first time. No fault of the opticalModule - just room/speaker interaction giving some standing bass waves at the very low end. A bigger amp perhaps would tame some of that as well at higher volumes. New cable on the way from Ghent should tame as well, and better power someday. System still sounds like I snuck off to the dealers and spent in the low four figures instead of $280 (module and cheap TP Link FMC for the other end). Thinking about a second one for the office and/or other end of the fiber cable.

 

Any report on running an opticalModule to opticalModule or opticalModule to opticalRendu and if there's any change for the better?