Jump to content
IGNORED

Trouble Connecting Sonore Micro Rendu to Macbook


rwbullock

Recommended Posts

Hi, I am having trouble connecting a new Micro Rendu to a Macbook Pro laptop used as a music server. (My internet router is one floor and 40 feet away from the audio system, so I can't connect to that).  Yesterday, I learned from Jesus at Sonore that there is a essentially a 2nd instruction manual posted here on Audiophile Style for directly connecting the Rendu to a Mac or PC: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/27933-sonicorbiter-direct-connection-to-a-macpc-beta/ 

 

This page showed me how to turn on internet sharing on the Mac, which allows the Sonic Orbiter website to detect the Rendu device and my IP. That's progress, but the web page also says that "no Sonicorbiter OS based music servers can be found on my network".  Also, when I click on the 'manage' button on the web page in order to configure the Rendu, my computer then tries to reach my own 8-digit IP address and fails.  Fyi I reported these problems to Jesus this morning but I guess he's busy because I haven't received a reply.

 

My system is a 2019 Macbook Pro with two USB C ports>Audirvana>ethernet cable to the Rendu>USB cable to the DAC on a Vinnie Rossi Lio amp.  The cables are all stock. I'll upgrade them if necessary or to see if I get a performance boost.

 

I am a newbie in terms of digital audio but really want to make it work.  What am I doing wrong? Do I need to install some kind of Sonic Orbiter software on my computer?  Is it a problem that I am using an adapter to connect the ethernet cable to the computer's USB port?  Are there other settings to be tweaked that I don't know about?  

 

Thank you for any help!  I really don't know what to do otherwise! 

Link to comment

I would re-post this in the Sonore section so The right people see it. Jesus will get back to you.

 

Try connecting to the router and not directly to the Mac.You may need to use a ethernet wireline adapter or run another cat5e line.  Direct connection to a computer has been discussed here before and it usually does not work without a lot of effort and is not recommended. Try searching the site to find those discussions. They are going to be somewhere in the Sonore section.

Link to comment

Please do the search as there is much discussion about this over the years. The microRendu needs a router to assign it a distinct IP address that is different from your computer's IP. There is software that can do this but I am only aware of the fact that it is not easy to do and may not even be possible on a Mac. As I said, a power-line ethernet adapter will work very well. One goes at the router, the other goes at the unit. I used this method for years and it worked well. You could also use a wifi to ethernet adapter but that is much less stable. 

Link to comment

Thank you very much, it's the first i've heard about a powerline ethernet adapter  but I will look into it. Is there a particular model or set of features you recommend, hopefully not too expensive?  I really didn't plan for any more expense than the Rendu and a few cables.  I'll also do a more in depth search here in this forum.  Thanks again.

Link to comment

Sounds you could use a Wifi extender which was one option noted above. There are lots available in a wide price range. Just Google “WiFi extender”.

 

If you decide to go that route, be sure to get one with at least two Ethernet ports - one for Mac, one for mRendu.

 

What happens is the extender connects to your router (network) via WiFi. It also serves as a local network switch to connect your Mac & mRendu with one another.

Link to comment

OK, so I've spent the last hour reading through related threads as well as the responses above. Not at all sure that I've got this right, but it sounds like I have (at least) 2 options that appear to be straightforward:

 

1. buy and install a powerline network adapter that has at least 2 ethernet ports.  Maybe $100-120? Our house has an electrical system/wiring that's just 4 years old fyi.

2. Create a bridge in the Mac to generate a new IP address that the Rendu can use.   Eg following https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/bridge-virtual-network-interfaces-on-mac-mh43557/mac. Though I'm not sure, using this option, what  what exactly I do to "select the interfaces to include in the bridge"? 

 

Are these options straightforward?  Which is best?  Is there another simple solution that I haven't read about yet?  (I will keep digging in the archives but also need to go to work!)

 

Reading the threads, I am struck that many users who seem to have much more advanced knowledge than me have such difficulties setting up the rendu.  In reading the reviews, I didn't see any mention of this.  Would a non-tech guy like me be better off buying some other, more user-friendly, piece of equipment that does the same job?

Link to comment
21 minutes ago, rwbullock said:

OK, so I've spent the last hour reading through related threads as well as the responses above. Not at all sure that I've got this right, but it sounds like I have (at least) 2 options that appear to be straightforward:

 

1. buy and install a powerline network adapter that has at least 2 ethernet ports.  Maybe $100-120? Our house has an electrical system/wiring that's just 4 years old fyi.

2. Create a bridge in the Mac to generate a new IP address that the Rendu can use.   Eg following https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/bridge-virtual-network-interfaces-on-mac-mh43557/mac. Though I'm not sure, using this option, what  what exactly I do to "select the interfaces to include in the bridge"? 

 

Are these options straightforward?  Which is best?  Is there another simple solution that I haven't read about yet?  (I will keep digging in the archives but also need to go to work!)

 

Reading the threads, I am struck that many users who seem to have much more advanced knowledge than me have such difficulties setting up the rendu.  In reading the reviews, I didn't see any mention of this.  Would a non-tech guy like me be better off buying some other, more user-friendly, piece of equipment that does the same job?

 

your issue isn't the microrendu, it's the network in your house.  if you had the proper network, setting up the microrendu would be a very quick exercise. the microrendu is a wired device -- it requires a ethernet cable connected to a router to operate. 

 

you can achieve that through powerline adapters and wifi extenders.  like others have said, i would avoid the bridging approach since it is difficult to configure.  it appears your mac is connected via wi-fi so that introduces additional complexity (i don't recall anyone bridging through a pc that was connected via wi-fi)

(1) holo audio red (hqp naa) > chord dave > luxman cl-38uc/mq-88uc > kef reference 1
(2) simaudio moon mind 2 > chord qutest > luxman sq-n150 > monitor audio gold gx100
Link to comment

The powerline adapters are cheap and the most stable. Trendnet has some very good ones. Don't worry about high speeds. A 100 Mbps one will do just fine. If you get the two port ones, put one at the router and the other at the Mac/Rendu location and connect both to it. You will get better performance that way. WiFi and audio frequently don't mix well. Not saying that it won't work just that others have had problems.

Link to comment

Thank you, all.  I researched and ordered Netgear Powerline 2000 -- an open box version for $60. Each of the two units have two ethernet ports, and it's well reviewed except for some complaints about frequently being dropped from the network (seems to be an issue common to these network adapters, at least judging by reviews). Hopefully that won't happen to me but I will report back. In the meantime, I spent part of yesterday trying and failing to make a virtual bridge on my Mac. One problem in doing so is that creating a bridge that can knock out the existing settings for wireless, and I had a fairly long call with Apple to resolve that -- successfully, in the end.  Thanks again! 

Link to comment

If your Mac and the Rendu are in different locations you will need three units. One at router, one at Mac, one at Rendu. Leaving the Mac connected via wifi (assuming the Mac is acting as a server running Roon or something similar) may cause dropouts. You can try it but you should be prepared. Most routers that internet providers give consumers do not have robust enough performance to handle audio over wifi unless the distances are very short. If you can get a cat 5e cable from the two port powerline unit to both the Rendu and the Mac then two units should work fine. Good luck!

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

Hi, has the page for micro Rendu support been closed down? I wasn't able to reply there.  I've been trying to get a microrendu operational, just received a new SD card from Jesus, but unfortunately my computer still doesn't recognize the microrendu.  Previous discussion here: 

 

Any advice, including whether I should post this to a new page, would be welcome. Thank you!

 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...