[Articnoise]

I have had a look at the video and still don’t get it, thanks anyway shuttlepod. To me the design looks like many other transports, NAAs or servers. I get that it use a costume made mother board, galvanic isolation and reclocking, but many dedicated source players and DDCs does this thing, at least if put together. Don’t they? Yes we always have the possibility that this one does all those thing better, however that’s kind of another story. 

 

In my experience (and many others) it has been favorable to convert the USB signal to other protocols like I2S, AES or SPDIF thru an OR5 or other DDCs. This also with good USB inputs on the DAC. I cannot be sure that it’s the conversion from USB to other formats per se that was the reason I have thought it sounded better or if it’s just the reclocking, extra galvanically isolation, better clock, separate and better PSU etc. I guess probably a combination of the two.

 

Naim, Lumin and Linn and many others that streams Ethernet doesn’t convert to USB and I have always thought that that was the reason the sounded good. No extra conversion step and all that.

 

The Sonore Signature Rendu was in many ways made to operate like the new microRendu. I mean it took an asynchronous Ethernet; isolate it, re-clock and use well matched, dedicated ultra-low noise components that was made to sound good. The Sonore Signature Rendu sure differ some too, in that it also has a dedicated PSU, converts to I2S or SPDIF instead of USB and cost more. Well it doesn’t support more than 192 KHz via SPDIF and i2s output and only does DSD up to DSD128 via the i2s output. As ROON didn’t exist then it was made I don’t know if it does it, but it supports Tidal.

 

I’m interested to know how the Sonore Signature Rendu (or even better the OR5 + JCAT) would compare sonically to the microRendu as my earlier experience have been more favorable with I2S and SPDIF than USB in my DACs. I’m still interested in the microRendu as I like its simplicity, price and many functions. Just wonder if it couldn’t have been even better or at least more attractive with another sort of output than USB on it. Attractive for me and my DAC I mean

 

 

[romaz]

  I have had a look at the video and still don’t get it, thanks anyway shuttlepod. To me the design looks like many other transports, NAAs or servers. I get that it use a costume made mother board, galvanic isolation and reclocking, but many dedicated source players and DDCs does this thing, at least if put together. Don’t they? Yes we always have the possibility that this one does all those thing better, however that’s kind of another story. 

 

In my experience (and many others) it has been favorable to convert the USB signal to other protocols like I2S, AES or SPDIF thru an OR5 or other DDCs. This also with good USB inputs on the DAC. I cannot be sure that it’s the conversion from USB to other formats per se that was the reason I have thought it sounded better or if it’s just the reclocking, extra galvanically isolation, better clock, separate and better PSU etc. I guess probably a combination of the two.

 

Naim, Lumin and Linn and many others that streams Ethernet doesn’t convert to USB and I have always thought that that was the reason the sounded good. No extra conversion step and all that.

 

The Sonore Signature Rendu was in many ways made to operate like the new microRendu. I mean it took an asynchronous Ethernet; isolate it, re-clock and use well matched, dedicated ultra-low noise components that was made to sound good. The Sonore Signature Rendu sure differ some too, in that it also has a dedicated PSU, converts to I2S or SPDIF instead of USB and cost more. Well it doesn’t support more than 192 KHz via SPDIF and i2s output and only does DSD up to DSD128 via the i2s output. As ROON didn’t exist then it was made I don’t know if it does it, but it supports Tidal.

 

I’m interested to know how the Sonore Signature Rendu (or even better the OR5 + JCAT) would compare sonically to the microRendu as my earlier experience have been more favorable with I2S and SPDIF than USB in my DACs. I’m still interested in the microRendu as I like its simplicity, price and many functions. Just wonder if it couldn’t have been even better or at least more attractive with another sort of output than USB on it. Attractive for me and my DAC I mean

 

You're right, the mR isn't doing anything that others haven't tried to do before but the mR's implementation is different.  If there is one thing that separates the mR from others, I would say it is its extremely tight regulation.  Nothing I am aware of is as purposefully regulated as this small device in so many key areas.  The module is very small, as you can see, which results in an extremely short signal path from the ethernet input to the USB output (which is in itself a key reason why it sounds so good) and yet this tiny device has 10 points of regulation using extremely high quality and very low noise regulators.  My very large Oppo player has only 5 regulators and many computers have even less than that.  The by-product of all of that is isolation.  Even though the mR is capable of very high mains line rejection, what is being realized more and more is that there are so many processes that take place within a music server that will create its own RF that by the time the signal reaches the USB cable, even with the cleanest AC power feeding a music server and even with signal grounding using something like an Entreq grounding box or with signal regeneration using a USB Regen, the signal still is often significantly RF-degraded by the time it leaves the server.  The idea is that it's better to keep the signal clean from beginning to end than to have to clean a dirty signal because once the signal gets polluted, it becomes impossible to completely strip the pollution away.  
 
Yes, along the way, you have dedicated low jitter oscillators (clocks) for both the CPU and the USB hub and other jitter-fighting measures but as the DAVE is insensitive to source jitter, it is the "RF-busting" measures that matter more with people who own a DAVE.  Ultimately, the proof of concept is in how good it sounds and based on what I am hearing, it is better than anything I have yet to hear. As more reviews come out, it will become clearer how well John Swenson, Jesus Rodriguez and Andrew Gillis have succeeded.  If you are looking for further specifics in the mR's design, here is Chris Connaker's review if you haven't seen it already:
 
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/698-sonore-microrendu-review-part-1/ 

 

[nepherte]

  I haven't had time to set this up yet but I will this weekend.  I have high hopes for it.

Over on the Roonlabs community forum, Andrew Gillis mentioned the SonicTransporter is not supposed to be used with a DAC plugged into the USB port. I got the impression it won't work at all. Regardless, even as a RoonServer only, it would be great value. I'm considering the flavor without any internal SSD storage for music. I prefer to have everything on my NAS.

 

[romaz]

Thanks. I got most of it from the SonicTransporter product page

Can you give some impressions on the SonicTransporter while the DAC is directly connected to it ? How does it perform with large music libraries? Thanks!

Ok, SonicTransporter is in place and working very well.  It is very much "plug and play".
 

 

 

 
I had ordered to replace the stock 64GB SSD that the base unit uses for its OS/apps/Roon database with a 2TB SSD (Samsung EVO) and so OS/apps/Roon database + music files now reside on this single drive (single partition) although I am using the SonicTransporter to also access music files on my NAS.  With more than 2,000 albums spread out between the SonicTransporter's internal storage and my NAS, the performance with respect to searches is adequately brisk but not as brisk compared to my high powered Mac (12-core Xeon, 64GB, 1TB SSD).  When I first installed the device, it took longer for the machine to catalog my library but once it was cataloged, I would say operation has been very smooth.  Thus far, communication with the mR has been trouble-free and even with DSD256 and DXD playback through Roon, I have yet to hear a skip.  When I first turned it on, I realized that the version of RoonServer it was using wasn't the latest but upgrading to the latest version was very easy.  For the money charged, it has been a worthwhile purchase so far and I am finding no downsides.

 

[romaz]

  Over on the Roonlabs community forum, Andrew Gillis mentioned the SonicTransporter is not supposed to be used with a DAC plugged into the USB port. I got the impression it won't work at all. Regardless, even as a RoonServer only, it would be great value. I'm considering the flavor without any internal SSD storage for music. I prefer to have everything on my NAS.

I haven't tested the SonicTransorter as a standalone Roon Server + Endpoint but in the setup, I was provided the option of "local" playback vs play back through the microRendu.  I suspect "local" playback probably won't sound anywhere as good and so that may be why he said it shouldn't be used.  

 

[bballas]

 
Somebody  trial? consonance x5
more details only taobao.

 

[romaz]

 
 
Somebody  trial? consonance x5
more details only taobao.

 
I have not tried this player.  Do you have one of these?

 

[bballas]

I can buy,but I don't have usb module this time.

 

[TheAttorney]

Ok, SonicTransporter is in place and working very well.  It is very much "plug and play"....
 
....I had ordered to replace the stock 64GB SSD that the base unit uses for its OS/apps/Roon database with a 2TB SSD (Samsung EVO) and so OS/apps/Roon database + music files now reside on this single drive (single partition) although I am using the SonicTransporter to also access music files on my NAS.  

 
As the SonicTransporter/mR/Roon is now high on my list as the new music source to finally replace my Nagra CDC, some questions on practicalities:
 

1. Have you noticed any difference in SQ between internal SSD and NAS? (As an example, reports on the Melco server reckon its internal drives sound better than its NAS connection)
2. Is it easy to copy a pre-existing music database from, in my case, JRiver on a PC? I guess Roon would take care of that?    
3. Is the SSD user-upgradable? E.g. for when say a 4TB version comes out? I suspect that this wouldn't be straight forward because of the pre-installed s/w. Shame that the 2TB SSD replaces the 64GB SSD instead of sitting along side it.

 

[Articnoise]

  You're right, the mR isn't doing anything that others haven't tried to do before but the mR's implementation is different.  If there is one thing that separates the mR from others, I would say it is its extremely tight regulation.  Nothing I am aware of is as purposefully regulated as this small device in so many key areas.  The module is very small, as you can see, which results in an extremely short signal path from the ethernet input to the USB output (which is in itself a key reason why it sounds so good) and yet this tiny device has 10 points of regulation using extremely high quality and very low noise regulators.  My very large Oppo player has only 5 regulators and many computers have even less than that.  The by-product of all of that is isolation.  Even though the mR is capable of very high mains line rejection, what is being realized more and more is that there are so many processes that take place within a music server that will create its own RF that by the time the signal reaches the USB cable, even with the cleanest AC power feeding a music server and even with signal grounding using something like an Entreq grounding box or with signal regeneration using a USB Regen, the signal still is often significantly RF-degraded by the time it leaves the server.  The idea is that it's better to keep the signal clean from beginning to end than to have to clean a dirty signal because once the signal gets polluted, it becomes impossible to completely strip the pollution away.  
 
Yes, along the way, you have dedicated low jitter oscillators (clocks) for both the CPU and the USB hub and other jitter-fighting measures but as the DAVE is insensitive to source jitter, it is the "RF-busting" measures that matter more with people who own a DAVE.  Ultimately, the proof of concept is in how good it sounds and based on what I am hearing, it is better than anything I have yet to hear. As more reviews come out, it will become clearer how well John Swenson, Jesus Rodriguez and Andrew Gillis have succeeded.  If you are looking for further specifics in the mR's design, here is Chris Connaker's review if you haven't seen it already:
 
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/698-sonore-microrendu-review-part-1/ 

 

Yes I have read it and looking forward to see if he like it best with or without his beloved Berkeley Alpha USB. If Chris like it better without I will get one for sure, otherwise I will want to know how it stack up to something like the Sonore Signature Rendu.

 

I totally agree that it's better to keep the signal clean from beginning to end than to have to clean up a dirty signal.

 

I can’t say if it’s better or not than other good sources gear, regarding extremely tight regulation and oscillators. I think that it is that you pay for while moving up the line. I hope so at least.

I know that the Off-Ramp has a 5 voltage regulators that includes a main Hynes regulator and an USB Hynes regulator. And extra Hynes regulators can be added for S/PDIF and HDMI, if paying extra for it. I don’t know how many regulators the OR5 or the JCAT USB board has, maybe not as many as the mR, but I’m quite sure Steve and Marcin also designed for very short signal path, good components and a simple design.  

 

 

[romaz]

   
As the SonicTransporter/mR/Roon is now high on my list as the new music source to finally replace my Nagra CDC, some questions on practicalities:
 

1. Have you noticed any difference in SQ between internal SSD and NAS? (As an example, reports on the Melco server reckon its internal drives sound better than its NAS connection)
2. Is it easy to copy a pre-existing music database from, in my case, JRiver on a PC? I guess Roon would take care of that?    
3. Is the SSD user-upgradable? E.g. for when say a 4TB version comes out? I suspect that this wouldn't be straight forward because of the pre-installed s/w. Shame that the 2TB SSD replaces the 64GB SSD instead of sitting along side it.

Regarding internal SSD and NAS, this was of interest to me as well and I am not noticing any difference at all.  Even with streaming from Tidal, I am hearing no difference and this has more, I believe, to do with the incredible isolation built into the ethernet PHY of the microRendu and not anything that the sonicTransporter is doing.  So as far as SQ goes, it is the microRendu that is doing all the heavy lifting.
 
As far as copying music from a NAS or your PC's internal storage, yes it is easy and fairly quick, as quick as your network connection is.  Transferring a large DXD file (300MB) for example takes literally a couple of seconds.  It's even faster if you are transferring your music from a portable USB3 hard drive or thumb drive.
 
Is the SSD user-upgradable?  It should be as long as you are comfortable cloning an SSD.  The sonicTransporter uses a Linux file structure (exactly which one, I'm not sure).  As far as physically replacing the SSD, yes, this is very easy to do.  It's securely held in place by 4 small screws.  You also have the option of buying a 4TB SSD when they come out in a few months, enclosing it in a small portable USB3 enclosure and connecting it directly to the USB3 port of the sonicTransporter.  You then have the potential for massage storage this way.  In other setups I have owned (the Auralic Aries, for example), USB drives resulted in a degradation in SQ but once again, in this case, the microRendu appears to be agnostic of where the file streams from.  It doesn't seem to matter at all.

 

[romaz]

   

Yes I have read it and looking forward to see if he like it best with or without his beloved Berkeley Alpha USB. If Chris like it better without I will get one for sure, otherwise I will want to know how it stack up to something like the Sonore Signature Rendu.

 

I totally agree that it's better to keep the signal clean from beginning to end than to have to clean up a dirty signal.

 

I can’t say if it’s better or not than other good sources gear, regarding extremely tight regulation and oscillators. I think that it is that you pay for while moving up the line. I hope so at least.

I know that the Off-Ramp has a 5 voltage regulators that includes a main Hynes regulator and an USB Hynes regulator. And extra Hynes regulators can be added for S/PDIF and HDMI, if paying extra for it. I don’t know how many regulators the OR5 or the JCAT USB board has, maybe not as many as the mR, but I’m quite sure Steve and Marcin also designed for very short signal path, good components and a simple design.  

 

I'd be interested to know as well how the mR stacks up against the Sonore Signature Rendu but it all depends, I think, on whether your DAC sounds best via USB or via SPDIF since this is how these devices differ.  Obviously, the mR is a lot less expensive which is why it is so attractive.
 
I'm not personally familiar with the Off-Ramp but I am aware of its good reputation.  It seems to be based on very sound design.  There is quite a fervor that has developed with the mR and so I'm sure many comparative reviews will come out soon.

 

[nepherte]

   
As the SonicTransporter/mR/Roon is now high on my list as the new music source to finally replace my Nagra CDC, some questions on practicalities:

1. Is it easy to copy a pre-existing music database from, in my case, JRiver on a PC? I guess Roon would take care of that?    

 
If you're talking about copying over your JRiver music database into Roon, I guess it would depend on the file structure of your music library. Roon expects a certain directory hierarchy and naming convention. I believe it is something like: <artist>/<album_title/[CD<x>/]/<track_nr> <track_title>.<ext>

 

[romaz]

   
If you're talking about copying over your JRiver music database into Roon, I guess it would depend on the file structure of your music library. Roon expects a certain directory hierarchy and naming convention. I believe it is something like: <artist>/<album_title/[CD<x>/]/<track_nr> <track_title>.<ext>

I believe you also have the option of just dumping all of your files on a certain drive, pointing Roon to that drive and asking Roon to "organize" your files for you in the way it sees best.  To be honest, I have not used this feature.

 

[nepherte]

I believe you also have the option of just dumping all of your files on a certain drive, pointing Roon to that drive and asking Roon to "organize" your files for you in the way it sees best.  To be honest, I have not used this feature.

There is indeed such a feature, but it might lead to unexpected results. If I recall correctly, the developers intend to take that functionality out of a future release. Your best bet is to assist Roon by using that file structure.