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Uptone Regen and your DAC. What DAC do you use?


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W4S DAC2, not the DSDse version with galvanic isolation. Regen wiped away layers of grunge, huge improvement. Adding the Corning cable was wonderfully complimentary, it added real life to the timbre. Can't wait for Regen Amber and a new usb cable yet to be determined.

Bob

 

Mac Mini M1 12 volt dc > Roon > HQ Player to DSD 256 > Fibre to EtherRegen w/LPS1.2 and BG7TBL OCXO > Sonore microRendu v1.3 > IsoRegen > Denafrips Iris > i2s  > Denafrips Pontus II > Schiit Freya+ w/ Linlai E-6SN7's >  Nord One Up NCore 500 monoblocks REV D w/SI990Enh op amps > Martin Logan Impression 11A w/ dual Rythmik E15HP2 subs. Supra Cat8, JPS Labs Superconductor+ cables

 

 

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Immediate improvement in clarity and tone of instruments on Ayre QB-9 DSD. See my posts in REGEN Listening Impressions thread. This DAC has a dedicated internal power supply for the USB circuitry, but the REGEN (green) still significantly enhances USB signal integrity. Tested with a modest Straightwire USB cable. I plan to upgrade to the amber REGEN.

 

I haven't yet tested REGEN with my Berkeley Alpha USB but I expect similar results and plan to order a 2nd amber REGEN for this chain.

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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My Uptone Audio Regen is used with a Benchmark DAC2 HGC. It is connected to my Mac Mini with a Supra USB cable.

 

The Supra cable is new, and I have been trying to separate out the differing contributions of the two (I waited a week before installing the Regen, after the Supra swap).

 

What impresses me the most about the effect of the Regen is the easy way it has of letting me distinguish between different instrumental lines (in a decently recorded track). Each instrument has such a clear, distinct, sound of it's own, that I can listen to this one, then that one, or another, without any effort at all. It just happens with the Regen.

 

I have other issues that may come from the USB cable, or something else... It will take me some time to tease out these various issues, but that will have to wait until I can get my speakers back in operation. I had to pull them out of the listening room this weekend for carpet cleaning, and I found some little things that need to be dealt with before they can be reinstalled in my system, and further serious listening can resume.

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Mac Mini - Uptone MMk & JS2 - Totaldac D1 USB cable - Regen - Antelope Zodiac Platinum - Trinnov Amethyst

 

I am using my Regen with the above playback system, and I too noticed a major step up in; wider soundstage, increased depth, more clarity of instrument tones/timbres, in simple terms a layer of grunge removed - only downside is that my system is even more revealing of poor recordings now

ER / Geisman OXCO / Grimm MU1  / Dutch & Dutch 8C / Townshend Seismic Isolation

 

HP - SMSL Sanskrit 10th A’ , Woo Audio WA5 LE, Hifiman HEK v2

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But guys, most of those DAC manufacturers claim their USB inputs are isolated/immune/reclocked/etc. and that all this stuff in front of them can't make any difference! ;)

 

(Great thread though. Thanks for starting it Al.)

 

Funny is it not? I thought I was always the crazy one going on about how much I hate USB and all the workarounds to get it palpable.

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Funny is it not? I thought I was always the crazy one going on about how much I hate USB and all the workarounds to get it palpable.

 

count me among the crazy ones: done my best, since the beginning, to avoid USB ;)

(to the point of trying Toslink first but... meh!:( )

Qnap HS-264 NAS (powered by an HD-Plex 100w LPS) > Cirrus7 Nimbini v2.5 Media Edition i7-8559U/32/512 running Roon ROCK (powered by a Keces P8 LPS) > Lumin U2  > Metrum Acoustics Adagio NOS digital preamplifier > First Watt SIT 3  power amplifier (or Don Garber Fi "Y" 6922 tube preamplifier + Don Garber Fi "X" 2A3 SET power amplifier, both powered from an Alpha-Core BP-30 Isolated Symmetrical Power Transformer) > Klipsch Cornwall III

 

headphones system:

Cirrus 7 > Lumin U2 > Metrum Acoustics Adagio > Pathos Aurium amplifier (powered by an UpTone Audio JS-2 LPS) > Focal Clear headphones

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But guys, most of those DAC manufacturers claim their USB inputs are isolated/immune/reclocked/etc. and that all this stuff in front of them can't make any difference! ;)

 

(Great thread though. Thanks for starting it Al.)

 

Alex, your more then welcome.

 

Ya, I have one of those!!

Ambassador for Sound Galleries Monaco and Taiko Audio The Netherlands 

Sound Test USA

[email protected]

 

Sound Galleries SGM 2015 Music Server>ROON-all rates up-sampled to DSD512 by HQ Player>Sablon Reserva 2017 USB>T+A DAC 8 DSD>Merrill Audio Veritas Ncore NC1200 Mono Amps>B&W 802D>High Fidelity Cables Interconnect, Speaker & Power Cords for Amps & SGM & T+A>Power Conditioning High Fidelity MC-6 Hemisphere>T+A & Hemisphere supported by Stillpoints Ultra Mini - B&W 802D & Veritas supported by Stillpoints Ultra SS>All sitting on IKEA Aptitlig bamboo butcher blocks - Taiko Audio Setchi active grounding on SGM & T+A

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count me among the crazy ones: done my best, since the beginning, to avoid USB ;)

(to the point of trying Toslink first but... meh!:( )

 

Reminds me of what Churchill said about democracy: "[T]he worst form of government ever invented by the mind of man - except for all the others." Async USB has a lot wrong with it. Just about everything else has more.

One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller

The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein

Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature.

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For those with the ifi Micro iDSD how are you connecting from the Regen to the OTG connector? Using the regular ifi supplied blue cable or...?

[br]QNAP+ -> Allo DigiOne Signature -> RequisiteAudio D3rs ->  McIntosh C52 -> McIntosh MC-275 MK VI -> Harbeth 30.1's via Roon

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For those with the ifi Micro iDSD how are you connecting from the Regen to the OTG connector? Using the regular ifi supplied blue cable or...?

 

I think some are using a solid USB "A" male to USB "mini" (or is it "micro") adapter. Those are readily available (actually much more available than the male/male A>B I ship with the REGEN kits).

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Funny is it not? I thought I was always the crazy one going on about how much I hate USB and all the workarounds to get it palpable.

 

I thought I was one of the crazy ones as well in hating USB ... the Regen changed that.

Speaker : iPhone 6S Plus > UpTone Audio USB Regen (x2) > Benchmark DAC1 Pre > Pass Labs INT-30A > Focal Micro Utopia BE

Headphone : Auralic Aries > Auralic Gemini 2000 > Audeze LCD-X

Power & Tweaks : Heaps of Balanced & Isolation Power supplies, Dedicated Line, Vinnie Rossi MINI PURE-DC-4EVR, HD-Plex LPSU, iFi Audio DC iPurifiers, DIY Resonance/Vibration platforms using Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Pods

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For those with the ifi Micro iDSD how are you connecting from the Regen to the OTG connector? Using the regular ifi supplied blue cable or...?

 

I'm using a Female "A" to Male "A" from REGEN to Micro iDSD. USB cable directly to the REGEN input.

W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs

 

Watch my Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMw_bZWBMtRWNJQfTJ38kA/videos

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But guys, most of those DAC manufacturers claim their USB inputs are isolated/immune/reclocked/etc. and that all this stuff in front of them can't make any difference! ;)

Yeah, and Schiit is now up to USB Gen 3 with the adapticlock clock regeneration system on their new Yggdrasil DAC. It would be really interesting to see how that DAC sounds with a REGEN. Anybody got one?

Pareto Audio AMD 7700 Server --> Berkeley Alpha USB --> Jeff Rowland Aeris --> Jeff Rowland 625 S2 --> Focal Utopia 3 Diablos with 2 x Focal Electra SW 1000 BE subs

 

i7-6700K/Windows 10  --> EVGA Nu Audio Card --> Focal CMS50's 

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Yeah, and Schiit is now up to USB Gen 3 with the adapticlock clock regeneration system on their new Yggdrasil DAC. I would be really interesting to see how that DAC sounds with a REGEN. Anybody got one?

 

I know someone with one who will be trying my REGEN next month.

W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs

 

Watch my Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMw_bZWBMtRWNJQfTJ38kA/videos

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Anyone used the regen yet with a lampi dac?

Mac Mini 2012 SSD 8 GB Ram running Audirvana 2.1 > Music Library - Firewire 800 Lacie Rugged 2 TB External HDD > IFi iUsb > Gemini and Mercury Digital Cables > Lampizator Big 5 Dueland Cast Caps > New Audio Frontiers Supreme Special Edition 300b Integrated Amp > Bastanis Matterhorn Speakers > Antipodes Komako Speaker Cables and Interconnects > Home made power cords with Furutech sockets and IEC Connectors > Primacoustic Absorption panels

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Regen feeding an Audiophilleo 1 that runs on PurePower battery:

- makes an audible difference with Regen's stock PS

- makes a whole world of a difference powering the Regen from a LPS

 

What I'm curious is whether the Regen eliminates the need for a USB->SPDIF converter. Mind testing it out for us?

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Anyone used the regen yet with a lampi dac?

 

From page 1:

 

Regen green on Lampi Big 7 has a very significant effect with absolutely no downsides

 

will report later this week on Antelope Zodiac Platinum

 

Regen is our most secret weapon at Munich High End ;-)

 

 

Mac Mini 2012>Regen Green>Lampizator Big 7. Big improvement.

Regen Green at Dac end marginal better than at Mac end.

 

Ifi USB/Ipurifier no longer used.

Upgrade to Amber is on and wondering where to put the Regen Green?

 

The Regen has a larger impact on the Headphone section, where the DAC is feeding Ifi ICan.

 

PS. Big 7 may be the best out there? er!!! GG lives on another planet.....

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What I'm curious is whether the Regen eliminates the need for a USB->SPDIF converter. Mind testing it out for us?

 

sorry, I can't: when I had to pick a better (than the two S****ts I owned, the second one for just a week before sending it back) DAC, after listening to a dozen USB ones, opted for... the one that didn't even had an USB input :P

Qnap HS-264 NAS (powered by an HD-Plex 100w LPS) > Cirrus7 Nimbini v2.5 Media Edition i7-8559U/32/512 running Roon ROCK (powered by a Keces P8 LPS) > Lumin U2  > Metrum Acoustics Adagio NOS digital preamplifier > First Watt SIT 3  power amplifier (or Don Garber Fi "Y" 6922 tube preamplifier + Don Garber Fi "X" 2A3 SET power amplifier, both powered from an Alpha-Core BP-30 Isolated Symmetrical Power Transformer) > Klipsch Cornwall III

 

headphones system:

Cirrus 7 > Lumin U2 > Metrum Acoustics Adagio > Pathos Aurium amplifier (powered by an UpTone Audio JS-2 LPS) > Focal Clear headphones

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