microRendu vs ultraRendu

[Speed Racer]

You folks that have had both the microRendu and ultraRendu, what is the actual difference you heard in sound quality? I don't really care what power supply or USB cable you are using as long as the comparison involves the same power supply and cable.

 

I am thinking about buying a microRendu/ultraRendu and would be using it as a Roon endpoint feeding my Yggdrasil via Gen 5 USB.

[jcn3]

There's a whole thread in the Sonore sponsored area on the uRendu and that's what most of the conversation is about.

 

First comparisons start here:

 

 

[Speed Racer]

11 hours ago, jcn3 said:

There's a whole thread in the Sonore sponsored area on the uRendu and that's what most of the conversation is about.

 

First comparisons start here:

 

 

 

Thanks! I decided on the ultraRendu and ordered one today from Small Green Computer. Andrew was great to deal with!!

[OldBigEars]

Not meaning to put you off upgrading from mR to uR, but I notice you have a Gen5 Schiit amp.  There's a strong body of opinion that firmly believes the Gen 5 USB negates the difference between the Sonore products.  I haven't compared these products myself - this is just an FYI.  I'd be interested to hear your views if you go ahead and make the upgrade.

[Speed Racer]

8 minutes ago, OldBigEars said:

Not meaning to put you off upgrading from mR to uR, but I notice you have a Gen5 Schiit amp.  There's a strong body of opinion that firmly believes the Gen 5 USB negates the difference between the Sonore products.  I haven't compared these products myself - this is just an FYI.  I'd be interested to hear your views if you go ahead and make the upgrade.

 

The ultraRendu I just ordered is my first Sonore product so I have nothing with which to make comparisons.

 

To be honest, I didn't want a Roon endpoint that outputs USB. But, the products with great sound quality that output AES, or even S/PDIF, cost more than I am willing to spend. The Gen 5 USB interface my Yggdrasil now has and the improved USB output of the ultraRendu have me feeling more comfortable with a USB solution. 

[OldBigEars]

32 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

 

The ultraRendu I just ordered is my first Sonore product so I have nothing with which to make comparisons.

 

To be honest, I didn't want a Roon endpoint that outputs USB. But, the products with great sound quality that output AES, or even S/PDIF, cost more than I am willing to spend. The Gen 5 USB interface my Yggdrasil now has and the improved USB output of the ultraRendu have me feeling more comfortable with a USB solution. 

 

Did you go for the power upgrade for your uR?  If so, did you find that made a significant difference with your Gen 5?

[Speed Racer]

11 minutes ago, OldBigEars said:

 

Did you go for the power upgrade for your uR?  If so, did you find that made a significant difference with your Gen 5?

 

I don't have any Sonore product yet. To start out, I am going to use the iFi power supply with the ultraRendu. I will ground the negative DC output. That should reduce noise dramatically based on what I read from John Swenson. I had been using my MacBook Pro and an Eitr to feed Yggdrasil via SPDIF. The Gen 5 USB card renders the Eitr unnecessary. I will repurpose it for use in my desktop nearfield setup with the Modi Multibit.

[OldBigEars]

Dumb question from an electrical know-nothing.  How do you go about grounding the negative DC output on your iPower? I should try that. 

[Speed Racer]

14 minutes ago, OldBigEars said:

Dumb question from an electrical know-nothing.  How do you go about grounding the negative DC output on your iPower? I should try that. 

 

 

[beerandmusic]

6 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

 

Thanks! I decided on the ultraRendu and ordered one today from Small Green Computer. Andrew was great to deal with!!

Just curios why you went down this path...did you find comparison reviews between ultrarendu and sotm ultra?  I haven't found any.  Does the ultrarendu use any advanced clocks like the SOTM ultra?

What is cost differential. I am sure you did your homework, and curious why one would go the sonore route over the sotm route?

[Speed Racer]

40 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

Just curios why you went down this path...did you find comparison reviews between ultrarendu and sotm ultra?  I haven't found any.  Does the ultrarendu use any advanced clocks like the SOTM ultra?

What is cost differential. I am sure you did your homework, and curious why one would go the sonore route over the sotm route?

 

I am not going to pay 50% more than an ultraRendu for something that doesn't necessarily sound any better than the ultraRendu. I have listened to a microRendu and a SOtM sMS-200. I thought the microRendu sounded a little better. I don't remember why because it has been quite a while. But I do remember knowing that, between the two, I was going to buy the microRendu.

 

I don't know what clocks are used in the sMS-200ultra or the ultraRendu. Has that information been released here or anywhere yet? I am sure they are both using excellent clocks. 

 

The new iterations of both of these products are clearly improvements based on comparative reviews. It would appear, based on what I have read, that the sMS-200ultra made the bigger jump. But, I am not too concerned about that. I have confidence in ultraRendu as it is clearly a step up from the microRendu. I would be very surprised to hear that the sMS-200ultra sounded obviously better than the ultraRendu. I also appreciate that I have easy access to the manufacturer here in the USA. Small Green Computer is a great dealer too.

[beerandmusic]

4 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

 

I am not going to pay 50% more than an ultraRendu for something that doesn't necessarily sound any better than the ultraRendu. I have listened to a microRendu and a SOtM sMS-200. I thought the microRendu sounded a little better. I don't remember why because it has been quite a while. But I do remember knowing that, between the two, I was going to buy the microRendu.

 

I don't know what clocks are used in the sMS-200ultra or the ultraRendu. Has that information been released here or anywhere yet? I am sure they are both using excellent clocks. 

 

The new iterations of both of these products are clearly improvements based on comparative reviews. It would appear, based on what I have read, that the sMS-200ultra made the bigger jump. But, I am not too concerned about that. I have confidence in ultraRendu as it is clearly a step up from the microRendu. I would be very surprised to hear that the sMS-200ultra sounded obviously better than the ultraRendu. I also appreciate that I have easy access to the manufacturer here in the USA. Small Green Computer is a great dealer too.

sounds reasonable....i didn't know the price gap was that different....i heard the regular sotm was less than and sounded better than the regular rendu, but have not heard any comparisons of the ultras??

 

Really curious, what is actual price of rendu ultra and sotm ultra given same power supply?

 

[Speed Racer]

Google is your friend!

[OldBigEars]

8 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

 

 

 

Thank you!

[Albrecht]

18 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

 

Thanks! I decided on the ultraRendu and ordered one today from Small Green Computer. Andrew was great to deal with!!

Hi Speed

FWIW, IMO, you won't be disappointed. Having owned both, i can say the ultraRendu is a dramatic step-up in SQ, instrument separation, clarity, and trueness to instruments. I also ran it with the iFi $50 supply, a $120 Teradak 9v LinearPSU and the LPS-1. To me, the LPS-1 was worth every penny, and it really kicks it all up a big notch. I see myself not touching this digital file player part for a long time.

Cheers,

 

[Speed Racer]

I received my ultraRendu today, thank you Andrew at Small Green Computer, and I have to say I am a little disappointed!

 

It took me all of 5 minutes to get my ultraRendu unboxed, plugged in, configured, and playing music through Roon. Now what am I supposed to do? For the price, I expected to have to futz around with stuff a little more to get it all integrated and working.

 

I guess I will just have to listen to the music instead!

 

[R1200CL]

On 10.11.2017 at 8:17 PM, Albrecht said:

FWIW, IMO, you won't be disappointed. Having owned both, i can say the ultraRendu is a dramatic step-up in S

 

That’s the 1,3 version you’re talking about right ?

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, Speed Racer said:

Now what am I supposed to do?

 

Order a LPS-1 of cause and a decent DC cable from Ghent, maybe with his Ethernet cable, and exchage your USB cable withe the USPCB ?

 

 

[Speed Racer]

6 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

 

Order a LPS-1 of cause and a decent DC cable from Ghent, maybe with his Ethernet cable, and exchage your USB cable withe the USPCB ?

 

 

 

Um, no!

 

What I will do is ground the negative DC output of the iFi iPower. I will also ground the negative DC output of the SMPS powering my Netgear GS-108 switch. Oh, I will make sure the ultraRendu, plugged into port 1 or 8 of the switch, has no other device plugged into the port next it. I will use a quality UTP Cat6 cable.

[OldBigEars]

How were you streaming previously before your uR?  I'm just wondering what you are stepping up from?  Congratulations on your purchase.  Next month, while I'm on vacation, I'm planning to have my mR upgraded to the 1.4 board.  Really I'm not sure how much of an actual difference it will make.  People tend to exaggerate these things.  We shall see...

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, OldBigEars said:

Next month, while I'm on vacation, I'm planning to have my mR upgraded to the 1.4 board.  Really I'm not sure how much of an actual difference it will make.

 

Me and my friend compare version 1,3 vs 1,4. It's defiantly worth the upgrade. Without heaving heard  the UltraRendu, I think you're very close to it as the 1,4 shares the same clock as the UR.

The other main difference except for a total different print layout is the power regulates.

 

We did the tests with LPS-1 (of cause). And good DC cables, which seems to be important. And the USPCB.

 

For those that owns a MicroRendu, I think the upgrade is what give the best value. I would say a 1,4 should be valued between $6 & 700.

 

I notice the MicroRendu now is on sale for $509. So you can get a new version 1,4 at 235+509=$741, so you still need to add another $134 to get an UR. Jesus once said if they ever selling the 1,4, it will not be be at the original $640.

 

Maybe Black Friday will add something ?

 

[Speed Racer]

6 hours ago, OldBigEars said:

How were you streaming previously before your uR?  I'm just wondering what you are stepping up from?  Congratulations on your purchase.  Next month, while I'm on vacation, I'm planning to have my mR upgraded to the 1.4 board.  Really I'm not sure how much of an actual difference it will make.  People tend to exaggerate these things.  We shall see...

 

I was using my MacBook Pro as a Roon endpoint until I decided on the endpoint I would finally buy. It worked well enough in that temporary role. I thought about buying an Allo DigiOne Player as an interim solution as the price is right at $169. But I pulled the trigger on the ultraRendu instead. The sMS 200ultra was just too expensive for what it is. I have a some friends that have owned both and they say that they are equal. One does things better than the other but neither stands out as "better" overall. 

 

I am sure you will hear improvements with the 1.4 board. It's all relative though......I bought the ultraRendu because it was the latest and would have the longest support life. With the way technology is moving forward, that may not be all that important as something much better will probably come out before Sonore stops supporting it.

[davide256]

thought of this thread when the review came out. Can't say I know that much about Audiobacon for reviewer  credibility.  Their opinion echoes speedracer; different strengths.

 

https://audiobacon.net/2017/11/18/sotm-sms-200ultra-network-audio-player-sps-500-power-supply-review/

[beerandmusic]

On 11/10/2017 at 12:49 AM, Speed Racer said:

Google is your friend!

i wonder what would sound better....the regular rendu with a good LPS or the ultra with a standard ps?

[Albrecht]

On 11/13/2017 at 4:49 PM, R1200CL said:

 

That’s the 1,3 version you’re talking about right ?

 

Hi,

I don't think so. What is the 1.3 version? Isn't the I/O board with new Clock upgrade called the 1.4? The nice person that I sold my mRendu to is getting the 1.4 upgrade. So, - soon, - I'll get to compare my old mRendu with 1.4 upgrade to the new ultraRendu.

 

Cheers,