Janke

Hi Mitch2, the short answer is yes. It is better. When I compare different devices, the USB to Spdif converter and the DAC are considered to be one unit. The quality of this unit (or a single DAC) in a system is probably of significant importance to the degree of improvement that all these devices might do the USB signal. In my system the Jitterbugs and the AQVOX 5V bus power LPS did not work as advertised and presumed. They are now "retired". I´m eager to try the RUR and check out how it compares.

I will. I have got them all - including the same DAC and USB cabling. The difference is that I use the OR5 to convert the USB signals into spdif/BNC. When the RUR arrives next week I´m planning to compare them after the proper 100 hours of burn-in of the RUR. Interesting to see how my tandem Regen´s will come out of it. I have been very happy using them to reduce the Intona jitter.

Yes, that´s correct. No change in volume level.

Hi Mike, Thanks for your feedback. When the Jitterbuggs were new I had the same experience, especially when used in the free USB port on my MacBook. It was not reducing jitter and noise as I could percieve. It just lowered the volume and destroyed dynamics. I have the McIntosh 601 monos and the VU meters clearly indicated a lower volume level using the Jitterbugg, about 2-3 dB every time it was inserted. So instead I tried this one in the USB port of my cable TV reciever box. The improvement to the picture was instant. My Pioneer Elite Plasma (KRP 500A in Europe) really did shine. Beautiful colors and great dynamics. The other Jitterbug in the "filter chain" to the DAC was remowed at first when the short USB cables arrived. After some days of cable burn-in I inserted it again and was very happy with the result. Nothing at all of what you experienced after 72 hours. Yesterday I tried the one in the cable TV box on my Mac again. This time - and after extensive burn-in - it was very good. It lowered the noise floor and produced a better defined bass. But not as much as the Synergistic Research Grounding Block with HD power and USB cables did. So this Jitterbug is back again adding brilliance to the plasma. The Jitterbug might need a lot of burn-in in certain applications it seems.

Yes, it is a lot, but it´s not too much - in my system. The brilliant SQ is telling me that. Being close to illiterate in tech matters, I still find this chain kind of logical based on the information I´ve picked up here on the forum. The Jitterbug can work very well with the Regen. Two chained Regens can work better than one, while the first is serving the second with a cleaner signal to work with before sending it to the DAC/USB to spdif converter. Linear power supplies for the Regen does not hurt, the higher quality the better - hence the expectations for Johns upcoming "christmas add-on". Bettering the signal transfer in between and from the Regens by replacing the solid adapters with the short AQVOX cable is a no brainer IMO. Allthough I can´t explain the logic behind the improved SQ I hear with this cable, also when it replaces my usual 1.5m in the beginning of the chain, it does work wonders. This leaves us with the noise the Jitterbug lets through travelling down the first short USB. I can´t see what a Short Block USB filter can do wrong by cutting off the 5V alltogether and "reducing jitter caused by common-mode noise on the USB cable". If it´s true that the first Regen provides a better signal for the second, leading to an optimal signal into the DAC, it is very likely that the Short Block will do the same for the first Regen providing it a cleaner signal to work with. It would be intersting to see objections to my conjectures here. I´m always willing to travel other roads to get a sweater sound - if I can afford it!

Double

It´s very hard for to say because I never used the SMPS coming with the Regen. I´m very convinced though that the cable made a much bigger difference than I could hear between the 9V chinese and the 6V SBooster. I can not put any numbers to it, but for now; if the Regen is the king, the AQVOX cable is the prince. It really made the Regen, or the whole chain in my case, sound a lot better. It was certainly worth the investment.

I must say I am very grateful to Al Jones, first suggesting the 6V SBooster and then the AQVOX 12cm USB to replace the solid adapter for the Regen. The cable was a big leap in SQ. When I inserted two more, one to replace the second adapter while I have two chained Regens, the other to replace my 1.5m Synergistic Research active USB, it just took off completely. Big improvement, very close to major. The chain now consists of: Jitterbugg>>AQVOX>>Empirical Short Block>>Regen on "El Cheapo">>AQVOX>>Regen on the 6V SBooster >>AQVOX>>DAC. When I started pondering on how to top this excellent SQ, I came to think of my Empirical Off-Ramp 5 USB to spdif converter. I had only tried this new constellation of a heavily tweaked signal chain straight into the USB input of my Metrum Pavane DAC, but decided to give coax another go using a 75 Ohm BNC cable. And there it was. Best SQ I ever had, and my Magico S3 speakers never lie. Everything I play, from whatever source material and resolution, sounds fantastic. Even old stuff like the late 1969 recordings on Mountain´s "Climbing". The iconic riff on "Never in my Life" came blasting out as clear, solid and heavy as I imagine Lesley West and Felix Papalardi intended it to do. Thank you for the music - and signal integrity!

No, can´t help you, only the USB and BNC inputs.

No, I have not asked him about the Regen. We have only been in contact about his Rj45 I2S board to maybe replace the USB input on my Pavane, while I have had good results with an Empirical Audio Off-Ramp 5 USB to spdif converter driving the W4S DAC2 DSDse over I2S. If I mod the Pavane I will still use the same setup with the Regens (and a Jitterbug + Empirical Short Block) into the OR-5. I tried it running 75 Ohm BNC, but found it too bright even if the bass was very well defined and clear.

I have had the Metrum Pavane NOS DAC in my system for a couple of months and it profited very much from a couple of Regen Ambers (chained), in the same way most other reports state. The Regens are powered by the SBooster 6V and the chinese 9V "El Cheapo". What bettered their performance, considerably I must say, was the short 12cm AQvox USB cable into the DAC instead of the adapter. This was advocated by Al Jones here on the forum - same member who made us aware of the SBooster LPS. His findings was very valuable and now two more of the short AQvox cables are on their way. One is supposed to go between the Regens to replace the remaining adapter, the other one to replace my ordinary 1.5m active USB cable from Synergistic Research - and see how that works out.

Yes, I got one a few weeks ago replacing a W4S DAC-2 DSDse. It still needs a couple of hundred hours burn-in before I should make a judgement, but so far everything sounds very promising. I have to get back at you in a week or so after some additional trials and testing. At the moment I´m driving The Pavane through the USB input using quite heavy filtering from both the Empirical Short Block and two chained UpTone Regens on LPS. Smile on my face!

SUPRA USB - SERIOUS MALFUNCTION! Got my two Regens a couple of weeks ago. They are chained and powered by the 6V SBooster BOTW + the 9V El Cheapo. After all the talk about the 0.75m Supra USB I bought one last week to try out between the receiving end of an Icron USB Extender and the Regens plugged into an Empirical Off-Ramp 5, which up until then had worked very good. I made a straight swop, not changing anything, and it was all ugly noise, electrical, digital or whatever you call it, following the volume control in loudness. I could not believe it. I had heard a lot about non-working Supra cables, but never anything like this. I then tried the cable straight into my DAC at this time, the W4S DSDse. Same noise. When I checked the OR 5 with my regular cable, The Synergistic Research Active USB, and without the Regens, non of the outputs worked. Later I discovered the Icron hub also had suffered some damage, now producing a lot more noise and sibilance than before. I had a spare Icron unit at home which I had ditched after a lightning strike a couple of years ago. It works, but I´m not sure how well. My regular system is up and running now with the Regens into a Metrum Pavane NOS DAC, but I´m not sure about the Regens either, if they might have been damaged in some way. And I can´t compare from memory either because I did not use the Pavane when the Regens came in while my preamp was at service in the UK. Steve at Empirical will take care of the OR 5 in a few weeks, and the W4S seems to be intact, but I´m a bit worried about the Regens. Do any of you guys have any idea of what was wrong with this cable and what might have happened to my gear when it was inserted? I´m not a tech person, so apologies to Supra if all this is on me. If it´s not, be warned all you Computer Audiophile friends! Thanks Janke

I have one on order. It will arrive in a couple of weeks. My present DAC is W4S DSDse driven by a Hynes powered Off-Ramp 5 throgh I2S HDMI. When the Pavane is fully burnt in I will report on what I found of differences between them. Cees at Metrum told me there are some new reviews coming up in a while. Might be worh waiting for if you are interested in more professional views and analyzing. The 6moons review I found a bit cryptic.

Dan, I now go variable 0/47 to a passive linestage on max volume with very good results (thanks to you). I don´t touch the volume control on the dac2, only on the source. In fixed mode I used to go 5/55 on the same route, but then I used the analog volume control on the linestage and kept the digital source at max volume. I don´t know how it´s supposed to be done, but this 0/47 variable setting works absolutely fine in my system.