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ISO REGEN Listening Impressions (kicked off with some measurements)


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Hi Alex

 

I'm ready to try the Amber Regen and Iso Regen in series, as you suggested earlier.  I'll be using the Amber regen to provide power to the ISO Regen (ISO Regen is powered by an LPS-1).  

 

My question is: I've a spare high quality LPS which can output 6 volts (SBooster 5/6 volt LPS).  Would the 6 volts be enough to provide power to the Amber Regen and enough to provide upstream power to the ISO Regen?  The DAC itself would be powered by the ISO Regen and its LPS-1 power supply set to 7.5 volts.

 

My Regards

Barry

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2 hours ago, Barry in Calgary said:

Hi Alex

 

I'm ready to try the Amber Regen and Iso Regen in series, as you suggested earlier.  I'll be using the Amber regen to provide power to the ISO Regen (ISO Regen is powered by an LPS-1).  

 

My question is: I've a spare high quality LPS which can output 6 volts (SBooster 5/6 volt LPS).  Would the 6 volts be enough to provide power to the Amber Regen and enough to provide upstream power to the ISO Regen?  The DAC itself would be powered by the ISO Regen and its LPS-1 power supply set to 7.5 volts.

 

My Regards

Barry

Yes the 6 volts should be fine.

 

John S.

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So, I have run into a hitch. I replaced my USB cable with a USPCB Adapter from the Mac Mini to the Iso Regen (and another USPCB Adapter goes into the Berkeley Alpha USB thingamajig). I retained the grounding procedure on the second  USPCB Adapter into the PSU of my Preamp, as Alex C had suggested. But I am getting dropouts again with this configuration. Switching the Galvanic Isolation off removes the dropouts, and also improves the sound. Is there something wrong with grounding procedure, since the wires on the Iso Regen/USPCB Adapte are a bit scattered now? Or, am I missing something? Please help.

UptonedMacMini(onJS2)>TelluriumSiverDiamondUSB>IsREgen(onLPS1onJS2)>Curious(short)>BerkeleyAlphaUSB>TomboTronBNC>MetrumPavaneDAC>SilvermithPalladium>MargulesSF(20SE)Pre>TelluriumSilverDiamond>MarguesU280c(25SE)Amp>AZAbsoluteSpeakercables>MargulesOrpheus+MarguleSub.CD:Cambridge851C>StealthVaridigSextet>MetrumPavane.

Powerconditioning/cables:AudienceAR6TSSD;KubalaSosnaElationon>AR6;OndaRaptureonPre-andAmp;KaplancablesonDAC/Transport;Combak350>JS-2;AZAbsolute>Alpha USB.

5ab04fc775d4d_2018-02-1511_30_04.thumb.jpg.bdba2e1c8a8ba2d514247b298a41222d.jpg

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I've got an IR coming and was just wondering if it can clean up a signal from my USB ADC to my iMac if I put the IR in between. I know this wasn't possible with the USB Regen but wanted to find out before I play with it tomorrow. I do vinyl rips and I was just curious if I could swap it in when I rip to provide a lower noise, cleaner signal using my NuWave Phono Converter.

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7 hours ago, sdube said:

So, I have run into a hitch. I replaced my USB cable with a USPCB Adapter from the Mac Mini to the Iso Regen (and another USPCB Adapter goes into the Berkeley Alpha USB thingamajig). I retained the grounding procedure on the second  USPCB Adapter into the PSU of my Preamp, as Alex C had suggested. But I am getting dropouts again with this configuration. Switching the Galvanic Isolation off removes the dropouts, and also improves the sound. Is there something wrong with grounding procedure, since the wires on the Iso Regen/USPCB Adapte are a bit scattered now? Or, am I missing something? Please help.

 

Do you use the grounding proceedure on several SMPS at the same time? I got a similar issue with my ISO Regen that was resolved by grounding the SMPSs for the network devices (Aries Mini & Aqvox switch) to a grounding box and the SMPS to the ISO Regen to a star-earth plug on my PSD.

If you ground several devices try to remove the DC- output grounding to the ISO Regen. If it improves find another spot to ground it to.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Cornan said:

 

Do you use the grounding proceedure on several SMPS at the same time? I got a similar issue with my ISO Regen that was resolved by grounding the SMPSs for the network devices (Aries Mini & Aqvox switch) to a grounding box and the SMPS to the ISO Regen to a star-earth plug on my PSD.

If you ground several devices try to remove the DC- output grounding to the ISO Regen. If it improves find another spot to ground it to.

Thank you: I (tried to) ground only one. I should be more explicit, but my signature line (to be amended) assumes a bit.

UptonedMacMini(onJS2)>TelluriumSiverDiamondUSB>IsREgen(onLPS1onJS2)>Curious(short)>BerkeleyAlphaUSB>TomboTronBNC>MetrumPavaneDAC>SilvermithPalladium>MargulesSF(20SE)Pre>TelluriumSilverDiamond>MarguesU280c(25SE)Amp>AZAbsoluteSpeakercables>MargulesOrpheus+MarguleSub.CD:Cambridge851C>StealthVaridigSextet>MetrumPavane.

Powerconditioning/cables:AudienceAR6TSSD;KubalaSosnaElationon>AR6;OndaRaptureonPre-andAmp;KaplancablesonDAC/Transport;Combak350>JS-2;AZAbsolute>Alpha USB.

5ab04fc775d4d_2018-02-1511_30_04.thumb.jpg.bdba2e1c8a8ba2d514247b298a41222d.jpg

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2 minutes ago, sdube said:

Thank you: I (tried to) ground only one. I should be more explicit, but my signature line (to be amended) assumes a bit.

 

Your welcome! ? If it is only one it should be grounded to the same spot as the SMPS is plugged into. Be aware that you might create a ground loop path if ground it elsewhere.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Cornan said:

 

Your welcome! ? If it is only one it should be grounded to the same spot as the SMPS is plugged into. Be aware that you might create a ground loop path if ground it elsewhere.

Thank you for this. I am sorry, but there is no SMPS involved: do look up my signature line.

UptonedMacMini(onJS2)>TelluriumSiverDiamondUSB>IsREgen(onLPS1onJS2)>Curious(short)>BerkeleyAlphaUSB>TomboTronBNC>MetrumPavaneDAC>SilvermithPalladium>MargulesSF(20SE)Pre>TelluriumSilverDiamond>MarguesU280c(25SE)Amp>AZAbsoluteSpeakercables>MargulesOrpheus+MarguleSub.CD:Cambridge851C>StealthVaridigSextet>MetrumPavane.

Powerconditioning/cables:AudienceAR6TSSD;KubalaSosnaElationon>AR6;OndaRaptureonPre-andAmp;KaplancablesonDAC/Transport;Combak350>JS-2;AZAbsolute>Alpha USB.

5ab04fc775d4d_2018-02-1511_30_04.thumb.jpg.bdba2e1c8a8ba2d514247b298a41222d.jpg

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21 minutes ago, Frojo said:

Possibly counter intuitive, but i would remove the JS2 feed to the  LPS1/IsoRegen and use its meanwell.

 

Thanks so much. Earlier the JS-2 worked though, but  I am stupid.

UptonedMacMini(onJS2)>TelluriumSiverDiamondUSB>IsREgen(onLPS1onJS2)>Curious(short)>BerkeleyAlphaUSB>TomboTronBNC>MetrumPavaneDAC>SilvermithPalladium>MargulesSF(20SE)Pre>TelluriumSilverDiamond>MarguesU280c(25SE)Amp>AZAbsoluteSpeakercables>MargulesOrpheus+MarguleSub.CD:Cambridge851C>StealthVaridigSextet>MetrumPavane.

Powerconditioning/cables:AudienceAR6TSSD;KubalaSosnaElationon>AR6;OndaRaptureonPre-andAmp;KaplancablesonDAC/Transport;Combak350>JS-2;AZAbsolute>Alpha USB.

5ab04fc775d4d_2018-02-1511_30_04.thumb.jpg.bdba2e1c8a8ba2d514247b298a41222d.jpg

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Well, I have the iso regen for almost 2 months now, and I cannot imagine my system without it anymore. The improvement is incredible, I no longer experience any listening fatigue, some songs I've listening to for years now sound completely new (in a better way of course).

 

I don't know what kind of wizardry Uptone guys put into this little box, but it definetely works.

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I have to say I have it over 2 months and I tried using it with PUC2 lite and my T+A DAC8 DSD. Unfortunately the sound is best with PUC2 only and without the ISO REGEN. Sound without it iis clearer and highs are better. With ISO the lows are more dominant and may be a bit better but the highs and clarity is not as good. I gave it enough time to “burn” and it seems to stay the same. Currently I am not using it. Since PUC2 works only up to 192KHz + AES, I cannot use it for DSD which works USB only. For this the ISO may work better then USB only but currently I am not using DSD. For me at this point, it is a dissappointemt as I was sure it will improve the sound in a way I will like to use it. I hope nothing wrong with it as I heard some had issues. I have to add and I using it with TeraDak PSU and not the famous LPS-1. If this is why I am not liking it better, it’s means I have to spend much more than I wanted for the promised sound upgrade.

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Took the isoregen out when the ultrarendu arrived, a couple of months back now. Started using roon, care of the sonore / roon freeby trial - given I couldn’t get A+ 3.1 working properly in this setup, for still to be determined reasons.

 

Today I put the isoregen back in, having had some ghent cables waiting here for a few weeks. The first setup was non-functional cos I tried to run both the rendu & regen from a single lps-1, forgetting that the idsd micro dac needed power, not using the battery ... doh.

(ie macmini (with usb hd) bridged ethernet to rendu, regen downstream, uspbc from rendu & curious cable to idsd micro.)

 

Next, I ran just the iso regen from the lps-1, also thus powering the idsd dac, & ran the ultrarendu from the second power output of the js-2, which powers the macmini.

Thus far, very pleased with this, sonics-wise. Will leave it in as is for a few days & consider the difference, though the top end has a sparkling definition contrasting with the easy smoothness of just the roon-ultrarendu. No idea what’s in-play here, reclockings, etc.

macmini M1>ethernet / elgar iso tran(2.5kVa, .0005pfd)>consonance pw-3 boards>ghent ethernet(et linkway cat8 jssg360)>etherRegen(js-2)>ghent ethernet(et linkway cat8 jssg360) >ultraRendu (clones lpsu>lps1.2)>curious regen link>rme adi-2 dac(js-2)>cawsey cables>naquadria sp2 passive pre> 1.naquadria lucien mkII.5 power>elac fs249be + elac 4pi plus.2> 2.perreaux9000b(mods)>2x naquadria 12” passive subs.

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9 minutes ago, jamesg11 said:

Next, I ran just the iso regen from the lps-1, also thus powering the idsd dac, & ran the ultrarendu from the second power output of the js-2, which powers the macmini.

 

That combination does sound like the way to go James!  

 

9 minutes ago, jamesg11 said:

Thus far, very pleased with this, sonics-wise. Will leave it in as is for a few days & consider the difference, though the top end has a sparkling definition contrasting with the easy smoothness of just the roon-ultrarendu. No idea what’s in-play here, reclockings, etc.

 

While the ultraRendu and ISO REGEN both use the same Crystek 575 clock, the ISO REGEN further improves isolation and signal integrity with these 3 further techniques:

  • Galvanic isolation, further helping to stop upstream leakage (if you can hear the difference with the GI switched in and out, that proves there was something worth blocking).
  • USB3.1 hub chip (with all noisy superspeed stuff turned off); Aside from the clock, this was one of the key upgrades of the ISO REGEN over the USB REGEN, which used the same USB2.0 hub chip as still found in the microRendu/ultraRendu
  • More individual power networks: We dedicate separate regulators (the unrivaled LT3042) to the clock, two for the hub chip, and two for the galvanic isolator.

Of course the ultraRendu is VERY good source--among the absolute best.  So it is not a surprise that for most ultraRendu owners the difference with an ISO REGEN is not at all the same gobsmacked "wow" moment it can be with lesser sources.  But for a few hundred microRendu users the ISO REGEN has delivered in spades.

 

We look forward to your further impressions.

--Alex C.

 

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Yeh, well, ... just read thru JS’s epic tome in the smps grounding thread ... how many leakages have I just let loose (& already had) within my system - at least the elgar iso tran confines things.

macmini M1>ethernet / elgar iso tran(2.5kVa, .0005pfd)>consonance pw-3 boards>ghent ethernet(et linkway cat8 jssg360)>etherRegen(js-2)>ghent ethernet(et linkway cat8 jssg360) >ultraRendu (clones lpsu>lps1.2)>curious regen link>rme adi-2 dac(js-2)>cawsey cables>naquadria sp2 passive pre> 1.naquadria lucien mkII.5 power>elac fs249be + elac 4pi plus.2> 2.perreaux9000b(mods)>2x naquadria 12” passive subs.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Superdad:  I recently tried running the Iso-Regen together with the Ultrarendu, acting as a Roon endpoint  and experienced a connection problem which I have not been able to resolve yet.  My hunch is that it is a configuration problem, but before messing with any of my settings in Sonicorbiter or Roon, I thought I should run the issue by you and Jesus first for your input,

 

I'm currently running a chain which looks like this and works fine:

a. Macmini (Roon core) ==> Synology NAS ==>> Ultrarendu (Roon) (Power: LPS-1) ==>> (Phasure Lush USB cabe) ==>> Schiit Yggdrasil w/USB Gen 5.

 

The above already sounds amazingly good, but I thought I should experiment with the Iso Regen in the chain, just to see how things shake out, but I run into a brick wall...  Here's what the new chain looked like :

 

b. Macmini (Roon core) ==> Synology Nas ==>>Ultrarendu (Roon) (Power, LPS-1) ==>>Phasure Lush USB cable==> Iso Regen (Power: 2nd LPS-1)==>>USPCB==>> Schiit Yggdrasil (USB Gen 5).

 

As soon as I introduced the Iso Regen (LPS-1) ==>>USPCB into the chain, the ultrarendu as Roon endpoint completely vanished from my Roon GUIs, and it also seemed as if the Yggdrasil could no longer see the Ultrarendu, so I could not get any Roon music to play that way.  In order to get Roon playing again, I had to get the Iso Regen/LPS-1 combo out of the chain, and when I did that, the Ultrarendu reappeared on my Roon GUIs and everything went back to normal.

 

Do you know what I might have done wrong to hit that snag?  As I mentioned before idea of using the Iso Regen with Ultrarendu and the Yggy Gen 5 USB  was just an experiment.  However, I also have a microrendu (which also works as a Roon endpoint) that I will like to use with the IsoRegen/LPS-1 combo, but I wouldn't like to experience the same difficulty, which is why I am asking you and also Jesus for your input.

 

By the way, I did not mess with any of the switches on either the Iso Regen or the USPCB. I left both in their default positions,

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On 11/16/2017 at 10:45 PM, sahmen said:

Superdad:  I recently tried running the Iso-Regen together with the Ultrarendu, acting as a Roon endpoint  and experienced a connection problem which I have not been able to resolve yet.

 

Hi:

Here is something that John Swenson wrote a while ago that is likely most relevant.  Hope it helps:

 

So I have been trying all kinds of things today and the issue is generic, the microRendu will NOT see a hotplugged hub, period. Any hub attached has to be plugged in and powered up at boot time to be seen.

As long as the hub stays connected (USB cable plugged in) and power applied, plugging and unplugging, or powering on and off DACs seems to work.

The kernel will happily hotplug devices on the other side of a hub, it just won't hotplug the hub itself.

 

There MAY be an issue with some DACs that power the receiver from the bus, but the rest of the DAC is self powered. If the receiver stays powered up and connected and the rest of the DAC powers down and comes back up the rest of the DAC and the receiver may be out of sync. None of my DACs show this behavior but it MAY happen.

 

Any USB receiver chip should be implementing the "connect protocol" properly so a hot plug should work.

So it doesn't look like a REGEN specific issue.

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 Happy Thanksgiving! I received the new iso-regen yesterday. I am powering it c the LPS-1. I definitely can appreciate the improvement in sound quality over the prior USB regen as well as my wyred recovery. I don’t currently have my microrendo in the set up. I’m still not convinced I like the sound with it in there but may explore have both the iso-regen and Microrendu at some point but would need another linear power supply. My concern or question is with the USBPC adapter that came with the iso-regen. Whenever I try to connect it my computer a Mac Mini,I no longer can see  my DAC which is a newish Oppo 205. I have tried to turn the switch on and off on both iso-regen and the USBPC but whenever I have the USBPC in the chain nothing happens—the oppo disappears as an sound output option for the mac. I have tries thenUSBPC at both ends of the DAC and no matter what the oppo is invisible. When I take it out of the chain and just use a USB cable, suddenly my computer can see the oppo 205 again. So I have been using the iso-regen with two USB cables. Could it be the USBPC that was shipped to me is defective or is it a known issue with the Oppo?

I sent this to support but as a mini follow up I tried the “old” short  connector that came either with my old regen or microRendu and as soon as I swapped out the USBPC for that alternative connect the oppo immediately showed back up so must be a bad USBPC or something about the OPPO 205 and the USBPC not getting along.

Thanks
Doug

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On 11/23/2017 at 12:50 PM, Douglasmaurer said:

I sent this to support but as a mini follow up I tried the “old” short  connector that came either with my old regen or microRendu and as soon as I swapped out the USBPC for that alternative connect the oppo immediately showed back up so must be a bad USBPC or something about the OPPO 205 and the USBPC not getting along.

Thanks
Doug

 

Hi Doug:

 

This is my first day back since the long holiday out-of-town.  Hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a lovely time.

 

Sounds like you got a bum USPCB A>B Adapter.  I saw your e-mail message (though our Contact page) and I'll reply to you now about getting a replacement sent out right away.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

Thanks,

--Alex C.

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Idea. If i put USPCB on the end of USB extenion cord do i have a perfectly terminated 90ohm USB cable?

Or if i solder a four solidcore silver wires to the USPCB and put a good shielding on it would i stil have the same perfectly terminated 90ohm USB cable?

Meitner ma1 v2 dac,  Sovereign preamp and power amp,

DIY speakers, scan speak illuminator.

Raal Requisite VM-1a -> SR-1a with Accurate Sound convolution.

Under development:

NUC7i7dnbe, Euphony Stylus, Qobuz.

Modded Buffalo-fiber-EtherRegen, DC3- Isoregen, Lush^2

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