Storytime

Streaming A+ via microRendu vs. direct from Mac Mini? I have in the past used a MicroRendu to stream to my DAC via ethernet, but recently my “spare” Mac Mini was freed up and is now available for me to use directly in my audio system. Is there a consensus on which produces better sound quality with A+: streaming via MicroRendu or direct from the Mac? Either options would be fed to my DAC (Yggdrasil) via a Schiit Eitr. Much earlier in this thread some folks had expressed hope that the MicroRendu would provide superior sound quality because it would output a cleaner signal, but others expressed skepticism because the UPnP/DLNA connection would mean that the MicroRendu would be doing the playing, and not A+ itself. Has a consensus developed?

Thanks so much, Jacques. Definitely something I'm going to try out.

I'd been considering adding HQPlayer to my Roon/microRendu setup, and the discussion above makes me even more curious about it. Certainly worth a "free trial period" test-drive to see whether I can hear a difference. Could someone share with me how to go about setting HQPlayer for a "bitperfect" stream to my Yggdrasil (which I want to handle all the upsampling)? The instructions I've seen for controlling the software are very complex and daunting.

Thanks so much for the heads-up! Guess that rules out the split cable. Back it goes (once it arrives...)

Hmm. Doesn't sound promising. I guess this just proves yet again that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Does anyone know if this will DAMAGE the Rendu to try it?

Just because I couldn't find a way to prop up the microRendu without it resting on the other digital cables and plugs below, which seemed like a bad idea. Given enough time I could probably create some sort of hanging support system, but it was midnight and I got tired!

I think it will--from what I gather, the trick is to plug the power side of the split cable into a power source (like a laptop computer) when you first hook it up so that the USB cable can initiate a "handshake," which requires power. After it's up and running, you can disconnect the power side of the split cable entirely and just keep the data side of the cable plugged into the Rendu. In theory, this give the added benefit of isolating the data from the power. In theory.... I'll let you know how (and if!) it all works in practice.

Just got mine set up last night. Wow, was that easy!! Took all of 15 minutes, and that counts peeling the paper backing off the rubber feet and sticking them on--by far the most challenging part of the set-up for me! I'm running Roon straight up (no HQ Player), and it sounded very good for zero warm-up time. Might add HQ Player later, but I'm streaming to a Yggdrasil DAC, which does its own upsampling and doesn't do DSD, so I don't see the point. (But if someone wants to tell me why it would be a worthwhile move, I'd welcome more information.) The Yggy's USB input is located directly above all the other digital inputs, so the hard adapter was a no-go for me. I'm using a regular consumer-grade USB cable for now, and in a few days I'll receive and try out an LH Labs Lightspeed 2G USB split cable. I'll let you all know how that one sounds. Once again, I'd really like to thank Jesus, John, Andrew, et al., for a super-smooth set-up experience. It really works as flawlessly as advertised. I kept waiting for some hitch or error message during the installation, but all I got was great-sounding music, right off the bat. Can't wait to hear what it sounds like after a hundred hours of burn-in.

Ordered! Can't wait!! Thanks so much to Jesus, John, Andrew, and everyone involved. This was truly the piece of the puzzle I was waiting for to make the shift from CD to streaming.

Thanks, Karin.

Karin: While you're checking in, could you answer the question I posed above about using Sbooster with an internal drive in the Aries Mini? I asked about the chart on your website that indicates the BOTW P&P ECO is not suitable for powering the Aries Mini if it has a hard drive installed. Would this apply to both an HDD and an SSD? I gather that SSDs use less power.

Jesus: How would you describe the differences between the microRendu and the Sonic Orbiter SE? Did you envision two different target audiences when you created these two products?

mentt: On their website the S Booster folks say that the BOTW P&P ECO is not suitable for powering the Aries Mini if it has a hard drive installed. Do you have any experience with this style of a set-up using the BOTW, or are you streaming from a NAS? (Maybe an SSD be okay with the BOTW, rather than a spinning HDD? The S Booster website mentions only an HDD.)

Thanks so much to everyone who has weighed in on the differences in sound quality between the Aries Mini, RPI2/HiFiBerry Digi+, and Oppo 103 when streaming to an external DAC. This is exactly the type of information I've been looking for as I contemplate the move to a dedicated streamer/DAC solution. baddog, I've got a quick question for you--was your SSD internal in the Aries Mini or was it external and hooked up via USB?

Thanks so much, davide256. One more question--do you notice much of a difference when using the LPS for streaming to an external DAC? Or is the difference only notable when using the internal Aries Mini DAC?