UpTone Audio USB REGEN

[Duke40]

 
Quote:

I'm in Aus too

Duke40: have you experimented much with different cables upstream to the regen?

 
I tried the following cables upstream ...
 
Corning USB Optical cable
Kimber Kable USB Ag
iFi Mercury
iFi Gemini 
Free USB cable that came with my Printer
Free USB cable that came with the USB Regen
Free USB A Male to B Male Adapter that came with the USB Regen
 
The source I used was either MacBook running on Battery ... or just my iPhone 5 (with the Onkyo HF Player app , playing my 24/96 HD Tracks music).
Mainly tested with my iPhone 5 ... might sound a bit weird for my best audiophile source, but I quite like it (better than my MacBook ... or my modded Oppo BDP-103, and my tweaked Mac Mini is now retired).
 
 
Rating starting from worse to best ...
 
7.
Free USB cable that came with the USB Regen
.... not good at all ... though to be fair it is just an inexpensive cable that UpTone Audio includes as most audiophiles will probably have there own preference for usb cable
... plus including a very cheap cable kept the costs for the USB Regen down, so that was a smart move.
 
6.
Corning USB Optical cable
... MacBook ... slight improvement ... though I wondered a bit what all the fuss was about with the Corning USB Optical
... iPhone ... negative
 
5.
Free USB Printer Cable
... MacBook ... I liked it better than the Corning
... iPhone ... negative
 
4.
Kimber Kable USB Ag
... better than a freebie USB cable, but not great
 
3.
iFi Mercury
... better than the Corning or Kimber ...now we are getting somewhere...  impressive build ... if I needed to use a USB cable, I would consider this the minimum for acceptable quality.
 
2.
iFi Gemini
... a very small improvement over the iFi Mercury ... and that was with critical listening 
 
1.
USB A Male to B Male Adapter (that was included with the USB Regen).
 
....Then I tried the free USB A Male to B Male Adapter that came with the USB Regen .... and liked that most of all.
I had a spare one of these adapters that came with my printer ... so I was able to do ...
Adapter >> USB Regen >> Adapter
and that was the winning combination ... so I sold all my USB cables.
 
I then went onto eBay and bought some silver plated USB adapters (must be audiophile

) and some gold plated ones for another test.
Could not really her any difference between the two types.
Still it was an inexpensive experiment ... those Adapters only cost about $1 each.
 
I do not need the length of a USB cable ... so I am happy just to use the USB Adapters (and they sounded best of all).
 
I wondered about this ... and I have read that people notice that a shorter length of a USB cable sounds better (even from the same manufacturer).
You can not get any shorter than a USB Adapter  
Plus it is a nice win when the most inexpensive option actually sounds the best ... and how often does that happen in audio ?
 
If I actually had a need for the length of a USB cable (that is , if my source was on a different shelf of my hifi rack to my DAC),
then I would have kept either the iFi Mercury or iFi Gemini.
 
I also hear very good reports about the Supra USB Cable though have not tested it.
The Supra is at least real world price level, rather than having a crazy audiophile markup applied ... though I think that the iFi cables also fit into an acceptable price bracket
(that is less than $200 ... and the shortest iFi Mercury is $99 I believe).    I would have stopped with the iFi cables ... if I had not thought to test using USB adapters both upstream & downstream.
 
Anyway, that is my experience.

 

[blasjw]

Just pulled the trigger on one of these bad boys.  Looking forward to trying it out when it arrives, presumably early next month.

 

[zilch0md]

   
I tried the following cables upstream ...
 
Corning USB Optical cable
Kimber Kable USB Ag
iFi Mercury
iFi Gemini 
Free USB cable that came with my Printer
Free USB cable that came with the USB Regen
Free USB A Male to B Male Adapter that came with the USB Regen
 
[snip]
 
1.
USB A Male to B Male Adapter (that was included with the USB Regen).
 
....Then I tried the free USB A Male to B Male Adapter that came with the USB Regen .... and liked that most of all.
 
I had a spare one of these adapters that came with my printer ... so I was able to do ...
 
Adapter >> USB Regen >> Adapter
 
and that was the winning combination ... so I sold all my USB cables.
 
[snip]
 
If I actually had a need for the length of a USB cable (that is , if my source was on a different shelf of my hifi rack to my DAC), then I would have kept either the iFi Mercury or iFi Gemini.
 
I also hear very good reports about the Supra USB Cable though have not tested it.
 
The Supra is at least real world price level, rather than having a crazy audiophile markup applied ... though I think that the iFi cables also fit into an acceptable price bracket
 
(that is less than $200 ... and the shortest iFi Mercury is $99 I believe).    I would have stopped with the iFi cables ... if I had not thought to test using USB adapters both upstream & downstream.
 
Anyway, that is my experience.

 
You've done a lot of trailblazing, thanks!  
 
I guess we shouldn't be surprised that cable-free connections between your Source > USB Regen > DAC have yielded the best audible performance.
 
For logistical reasons, the shortest connection I can have between my source and the USB Regen is about 25 inches, which is covered very nicely by the 28-inch (0.7 meter) Supra cable you've mentioned.
 
Thanks!
 
Mike

 

[Chodi]

I've been reading about this Regen product in this thread and also on C/A and I am interested in giving it a try as many user report positive results. I live outside the US and can find nothing on  their web site about international shipping charges? Can anyone who has ordered from outside the US explain how they handle export shipping? I suppose they would use USPS but I see nothing on their site about this.
 
Anyone outside the US who has ordered one of these might report how they handle export shipping?

 

[vhsownsbeta]

  I've been reading about this Regen product in this thread and also on C/A and I am interested in giving it a try as many user report positive results. I live outside the US and can find nothing on  their web site about international shipping charges? Can anyone who has ordered from outside the US explain how they handle export shipping? I suppose they would use USPS but I see nothing on their site about this.
 
Anyone outside the US who has ordered one of these might report how they handle export shipping?

USD$24 via USPS to australia

 

[Music Path]

   
I tried the following cables upstream ...
 
Corning USB Optical cable
Kimber Kable USB Ag
iFi Mercury
iFi Gemini 
Free USB cable that came with my Printer
Free USB cable that came with the USB Regen
Free USB A Male to B Male Adapter that came with the USB Regen
 
The source I used was either MacBook running on Battery ... or just my iPhone 5 (with the Onkyo HF Player app , playing my 24/96 HD Tracks music).
Mainly tested with my iPhone 5 ... might sound a bit weird for my best audiophile source, but I quite like it (better than my MacBook ... or my modded Oppo BDP-103, and my tweaked Mac Mini is now retired).
 
 
Rating starting from worse to best ...
 
7.
Free USB cable that came with the USB Regen
.... not good at all ... though to be fair it is just an inexpensive cable that UpTone Audio includes as most audiophiles will probably have there own preference for usb cable
... plus including a very cheap cable kept the costs for the USB Regen down, so that was a smart move.
 
6.
Corning USB Optical cable
... MacBook ... slight improvement ... though I wondered a bit what all the fuss was about with the Corning USB Optical
... iPhone ... negative
 
5.
Free USB Printer Cable
... MacBook ... I liked it better than the Corning
... iPhone ... negative
 
4.
Kimber Kable USB Ag
... better than a freebie USB cable, but not great
 
3.
iFi Mercury
... better than the Corning or Kimber ...now we are getting somewhere...  impressive build ... if I needed to use a USB cable, I would consider this the minimum for acceptable quality.
 
2.
iFi Gemini
... a very small improvement over the iFi Mercury ... and that was with critical listening 
 
1.
USB A Male to B Male Adapter (that was included with the USB Regen).
 
....Then I tried the free USB A Male to B Male Adapter that came with the USB Regen .... and liked that most of all.
I had a spare one of these adapters that came with my printer ... so I was able to do ...
Adapter >> USB Regen >> Adapter
and that was the winning combination ... so I sold all my USB cables.
 
I then went onto eBay and bought some silver plated USB adapters (must be audiophile

) and some gold plated ones for another test.
Could not really her any difference between the two types.
Still it was an inexpensive experiment ... those Adapters only cost about $1 each.
 
I do not need the length of a USB cable ... so I am happy just to use the USB Adapters (and they sounded best of all).
 
I wondered about this ... and I have read that people notice that a shorter length of a USB cable sounds better (even from the same manufacturer).
You can not get any shorter than a USB Adapter  
Plus it is a nice win when the most inexpensive option actually sounds the best ... and how often does that happen in audio ?
 
If I actually had a need for the length of a USB cable (that is , if my source was on a different shelf of my hifi rack to my DAC),
then I would have kept either the iFi Mercury or iFi Gemini.
 
I also hear very good reports about the Supra USB Cable though have not tested it.
The Supra is at least real world price level, rather than having a crazy audiophile markup applied ... though I think that the iFi cables also fit into an acceptable price bracket
(that is less than $200 ... and the shortest iFi Mercury is $99 I believe).    I would have stopped with the iFi cables ... if I had not thought to test using USB adapters both upstream & downstream.
 
Anyway, that is my experience.

I atually was tempting the mercury usb cable, but know i saw this. what adapter are you refering to? the only thing that i dont like about mecrcury, is that you have to use a cheap adapter for idsd. I think in case its the regen which is making the diference, at least you have some cable to conect. 0.25 minimum. lol but i agree, shorter, better.

 

[vhsownsbeta]

  I atually was tempting the mercury usb cable, but know i saw this. what adapter are you refering to? the only thing that i dont like about mecrcury, is that you have to use a cheap adapter for idsd. I think in case its the regen which is making the diference, at least you have some cable to conect. 0.25 minimum. lol but i agree, shorter, better.

This is the type of adapter included with the Regen. There is also a 6" cable for DACs with clearance issues around the USB input. The adapter (i.e. the shortest path between Regen and your DAC) is preferable though...

 

[Duke40]

vhsownsbeta .... yes, that's the one !  Thanks for posting an image.  Good on you.

 

[seeteeyou]

Have you guys tried powering USB ReGen with 7.4V batteries yet?
 
http://www.gerbing.eu/bestanden/handleidingen/eng/Manual_B7V-2500.pdf
http://www.gerbing.eu/en/products/7v-products/7v-batteries/bat-li-722-7-4v-2-2a-oplaadbare-batterij
http://www.amazon.com/Gerbings-7v-Lithium-Battery-Red/dp/B00J13T08A
http://www.amazon.com/Gerbing-Extended-Life-Rechargeable-Battery-Remote/dp/B00EEJ1OU8
 
http://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbings-heated-clothing-rechargeable-battery.html
http://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbing-extended-life-battery-with-remote.html
http://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbing-lithium-ion-battery.html
http://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbing-next-gen-battery.html
http://www.thewarmingstore.com/gerbing-battery.html

 

[Duke40]

I tried my XPAL 18000 LiPo .... it has 9 to 12 V as one of it's output .... though I much preferred 9V from my Linear PSU  (HD-Plex).
 
In general, I find Linear PSU's a step forward in comparison to batteries for most things ... but that is just me making a gross simplification,  afterall my current favourite source is an iPad or iPhone and they run off batteries.
 
Believe zilch0md is much more advanced than I ... in respect to batteries.... it will be interesting to see his thoughts on ... battery VS Linear PSU for powering the Regen (believe he has the TeraDak 9V).      Though I do not believe his Regen has shipped yet.
 
If you are interested in battery technology has you seen this from PPA (Paul Pang Audio)
http://ppaproduct.blogspot.tw/2014/09/battery-adapter.html
Have not tried it.   Just a thought.
 
.... and going back on topic ... back to the USB Regen ....  noticed that UpTone Audio mentioned 92 of the initial 95 owners selected to get the upgraded circuit board (and we are only 6 days into the 1 month that this option is available for)... a very high adoption rate.    The Regen is making a universal improvement across a range of audio systems.

 

[KritiKal]

Regen arrived (yesterday). I've only had an hour with it and A/B'ing with a Micro iDSD is difficult, but there's definitely an improvement in clarity (esp. with side images) and adds transparency and depth to the soundstage. So far, so good. Just does everything in the right way to bring realism. I'll get accustomed with it over the next few days then make a comparison without, as that's usually an easier comparison than A/B'ing. At this moment though it's definitely a worthwhile purchase and I'm sure this will only become a nore concrete opinion!

 

[Music Path]

Regen arrived (yesterday). I've only had an hour with it and A/B'ing with a Micro iDSD is difficult, but there's definitely an improvement in clarity (esp. with side images) and adds transparency and depth to the soundstage. So far, so good. Just does everything in the right way to bring realism. I'll get accustomed with it over the next few days then make a comparison without, as that's usually an easier comparison than A/B'ing. At this moment though it's definitely a worthwhile purchase and I'm sure this will only become a nore concrete opinion!

If you had some of the ifi cables, could you make an comparition? Since they are more or less same priced and same goal.

 

[KritiKal]

If you had some of the ifi cables, could you make an comparition? Since they are more or less same priced and same goal.

It does a whole lot more than a cable, but I guess you mean the iPower, iPurifier and Gemini combination. I don't own any of those though. I bought the Regen instead of that combo and I'm glad I did, as everything points to the Regen bejng superior.

Still I have a Mercury cable coming (eventually), so I will be able to test it with the Regen and compare to other cables. That's when the vendor ships it. It's in stock and it'll be a 5 week wait tomorrow!

 

[Music Path]

It does a whole lot more than a cable, but I guess you mean the iPower, iPurifier and Gemini combination. I don't own any of those though. I bought the Regen instead of that combo and I'm glad I did, as everything points to the Regen bejng superior.

Still I have a Mercury cable coming (eventually), so I will be able to test it with the Regen and compare to other cables. That's when the vendor ships it. It's in stock and it'll be a 5 week wait tomorrow!

Ok, well i m gettIing curioser, or i get this, or the usb mercury, dont want spend alot just to reduce noise. Btw what tipe of input is that, which comes with the Regen?

 

[jagu]

I've been reading about this Regen product in this thread and also on C/A and I am interested in giving it a try as many user report positive results. I live outside the US and can find nothing on  their web site about international shipping charges? Can anyone who has ordered from outside the US explain how they handle export shipping? I suppose they would use USPS but I see nothing on their site about this.
 
Anyone outside the US who has ordered one of these might report how they handle export shipping?

$23.50 to Sweden. Priority mail, 12-18 days for delivery. Shipped today.

I just tapatalked!