Kendrick

I understand that the EtherRegen is intended as the last device in the signal path before the streamer/dac. However, many audiophiles keep the modem/router/server far from their audio system. In my case, the IT gear is connected to an Aqvox “audiophile” switch in a separate part of the house with 75’ of ethernet to an Sonore Ultra Rendu. In theory, the EtherRegen could be located either with the IT gear, replacing the Aqvox switch, or with the audio gear using both the Aqvox and EtherRegen switches. I wonder which will sound better or perhaps it is too early to know?

My new Border Patrol SE Dac has only three days (72 hours) of burn-in but sounds absolutely fabulous. The BP is more revealing and clearer sounding than my current ($2,500) Dac but is not in any way bright or detailed. On the contrary, the presentation of voices and instruments is surprisingly natural. It's early still, so maybe the sound quality will get even better with time!

Thanks for clarifying. Still learning about the direct connection option and thought maybe I missed something. Will leave my Sonic Transporte I5r>Aqvox switch>uR as is for now!

Barrows said "The Signature Rendu SE loves to get its Ethernet input direct from the Sonic Transporter I5!". Not sure I understand how a direct connection would work with an ST I5 > SRSE. The ST I5 only has one ethernet port and needs a switch to connect router and renderer. Of course the ST I7 would work with its two ethernet ports.

Cornan - You are so right about the proper way to connect ethernet cables to the Aqvox switch, and maybe other switches, too. Reading your comment today, I checked my Aqvox switch and found the ethernet cables were randomly connected and Ports 1 and 8 were not used at all. After changing the cables (router input cable to port 1, output to a UltraRendu to port 8) I was gobsmacked at the difference. Music is so much clearer now and the depth is amazing. It's almost like a bought a new component. Who knew the connection order could make that much difference? I didn't find any connection instructions with the product literature but did email Aqvox today to suggest that they include connection advice with the switch. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing this information and your other experiences tweaking your audio system. You are on the leading (bleeding) edge here.... Bruce

I’m using the ultraRendu with a .75 meter Sonore DC4 power cable, a .8 meter Curious USB cable, and a Uptone Audio LPS-1. After a few days to allow for burn-in of the uR and new cables, the music presentation is clearer, deeper, and more involving on an emotional level than the mR which preceded it. Good recordings simply sound better, but what is really surprising is that average quality recordings have new life and vibrancy now. I frequently notice this when Roon Radio serves up some seldom listened to tracks and the music seems much more listenable than before. The uR seems to unravel complex passages better, too. With classical music, violins, violas, and cellos are now more distinct than with the mR. My system has never sounded better! I'm a very happy customer. Cheers to Al Jones and others who found creative solutions to using a USB adapter with the uR. For those not willing to perform “cable surgery” to accommodate a tight 90 degree bend, a high quality USB cable like Curious seems to work really well with the uR. Speaking of cables, the DC4 cable is a must have with the Uptone Audio LPS-1. The power supply almost sounds “broken” without it. That said, the short 12” length of the DC4 cable seems better suited to the mR rather than the uR. Sonore was kind enough to make a special .75 meter length for me and it works great. With the longer cable, the uR and LPS-1 can be placed on separate shelfs of my rack for a cleaner look. Perfect! Previous streaming source: mR>LPS-1 with Sonore USB Adapter and DC4 cable

Given the configuration of the uR with power, ethernet and USB connections on the back of the unit, I don't see how a short USB adapter (Uptone or Sonore) could work. I ended up buying a .8m USB cable from Curious and a custom .75m DC4 cable from Sonore for my uR, which arrived two days ago. All three items are "burning-in" at the moment, so no comment on the SQ other than say it was noticeably better of late than fresh out of the box.

I just noticed that the online magazine "Audio Bacon" recently published a very positive review of the ISO Regen, including comparisons to other USB correction devices such as the SOTM TX-USBultra. Might be a good read for anyone thinking about a purchase.

Jesus - Looking at the draft webpage for the ultraRendu, the dimensions of this larger device match the smaller microRendu. A "cut and paste" issue, I think.

I'm very interested in the Aries streamer but don't have much experience with computer audio other than using a W4S modified Sonos with an IPad. A video of the latest Lightning App in action would really be helpful to people like me unsure about the ease of use, setting up play lists, internet radio, downloads, etc. IMO, audio companies or audio retailers should being doing this routinely for streamer and music server products. The software interface and ease of use is such an important part of the user experience. Would anyone care to post a video of the Lightning App on Youtube? Thanks.

By most accounts on this thread, the Chord Qute HD is an exceptional DAC with PCM and DSD sources, particularly on well-recorded material played from a computer. Yet little has been said how the DAC sounds with lower resolution music from MOG, Spotify or Pandora, or its use with playback devices like Sonos or Squeezebox. I’m trying to decide whether to replace a perfectly good Teddy Pardo DAC ($1,300) with the Qute HD and want to avoid a costly sideways move. My source is Wyred4Sound modified Sonos and I listen exclusively to MOG or Pandora… for now. Something tells me that streaming lower resolution Internet music on Sonos minimizes differences among Dacs. But I could be wrong. My first post. Great discussion, BTW.

One issue affecting the sound quality may be that the Musical Fidelity V-link does not have galvanic isolation. If the the higher end model is a noisier unit, for whatever reason, the V-link is passing that noise through your dac. You might try "isolating" computer noise with a glass toslink cable like the Wireworld Super Nova 6, which is made from high quality glass instead of plastic. (The Nova 6 costs about $150) Checking the internet for "galvanic isolation v-link (or vlink), you'll find a number of people who prefer using the toslink connection instead of coax. Another idea comes from the Naim Forum. Several members there prefer to connect the Mac Mini using the Nova 6 toslink cable and foregoing a USB converter. This preference only applies to the newest mac minis (without an optical disk reader) which are said to have lower jitter than previous versions. USB converters are recommended for the non-current versions of the mac mini. You might want to try the Nova 6 in your system, with and without the V-link and see if it helps. If you do, please keep us posted on your results. Sonos>Rega Dac>Naim Nait XS>Totem Rainmaker with Chord cables throughout.