microRendu General Thread

How will customs manage when they are dealing with EU post as well?

Maybe a more efficient EU based department will take over?

Hard to imagine a less efficient mechanism.
Here (Ireland) the postman collects any vat / customs due. If you can’t pay or are not in it goes back to the local post office for you to sort out.

Very off topic having a Brexit debate but I couldn’t resist!

SJB

Back on that topic, I was hoping for a few more reviews of the microRendu with a Roon now that it is out in the wild.

Are there many of you using it? How are you getting on?

SJB

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If only I could tell you! (hopefully in the future Sonore will consider UPS or Fedex or local distribution like Amazon for the UK).

I’m sure you are aware but there is a fair amount of feedback over at the CA forum - both under the main review linked above, and in the Sonore sponsored area.

Also quite a few starting to trickle in at Devialetchat too, and some are using Roon.

Hopefully some more will trickle in here, but in the meantime these might cure your thirst for reviews/feedback… In summary it all seems very positive so far…

I’ve had my uRendu w/iFi PS now for a bit over a week serving Roon to my Devialet 200. I have posted a few comments over on DevialetChat as well.

My system has never sounded this good. Setup was a piece of cake - maybe 10 minutes to get it working. While it sounded great straight out of the box, after 3 days I knew there was no going back. Amazing level of detail, better/deeper soundstage, etc… Just a more immersive listening experience. While I’ve not been in the bits-are-bits camp, I was actually quite surprised and impressed with just how much better my system sounds with the uRendu. That’s compared to streaming to a SB Touch to the Devialet or via AIR to the Devialet.

Huge thumbs up!

I’ve installed mine yesterday within 10 minutes (to realize I had to add a new endpoint in Roon settings was the most time consuming part of the installation process)
Sounds very good direct out of the box, and works with all music formats. Sounds without doubt better than my old Nuc-SOTM DX-USB HD - Kii Three combination - but I want to play 3 days with it to give my opinion

I have the Main ROONServer on another computer and used ROONBridge on a CAPSv4 Pipeline and my sonics were marvelous! Only recently with ROON update to v!.2 was I able to move the main ROON to another computer, which was a nice sonic improvement. However the Microrendu, using the HDPlex LPS that came with my CAPSv4, sounds much better,particularly vocals and 3D imaging. I have the Sonore Signature Power Supply on order1

Oh installation was easy too

Came home from work slightly grumpy tonight because my CuBox-i power supply has carked it and I’m having to listen to my Aries. There are things to like about the Aries, but it’s not HQP and the sound is dynamic but less natural.

So I cured my blues by sending off for a microRendu (just the iFi supply atm). Quite excited now, haven’t heard anyone saying “meh”; which is pretty unusual for any group of audiophiles.

Looking forward to hearing more reviews, and the effect of different Power Supplies, as they burn in.

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Finally received mine today :slight_smile: after a fairly loooong wait, but can’t try until tonight.

Like you say there are very few ‘meh’ type comments. I was hoping for elation across the board but I’ve now seen quite a few ‘I’m looking at power supply options’ type posts which I guess means people are still hoping for more. Will see for myself tonight I guess (standard ifi here too).

Devialets AIR3 beta release timing kind of bummed me out, but I’m sure they’ll manage to break it by the time it’s gets released officially, and hopefully the rendu’s better anyway. :smile:

I’m stoked! I running it with HQPlayer and it sounds great. Sounds every bit as good (if not better) as my Bryston BDP-1 in MPD mode (AES/EBU).

I’d like to hear more about the systems this is being used in. Amp, DAC, speakers, etc. Integrated systems?

Seems to me there is a pretty high floor to be able to hear the advantages it has to offer.

Can someone please explain what a MicroRendu does that the Sonicorbiter SE doesn’t do? If they both do the same thing, is there a performance benefit to the MicroRendu? I’ve been perfectly happy with the SE. Is there any reason to switch?

From everything I read on the Sonore forum over at CA, the difference is that the microRendu was designed to achieve the best sound quality possible from a USB based source - which required fully custom designed hardware (and presumably software).

So essentially they’re the same but different!

In fact, what the SE does that the micro doesn’t, is optical out since the micro is USB only, and also I guess you could put your own OS and software on it as its actually a ‘generic’ cubox computer.

I’m still looking for thoughts on a baseline system that takes advantage of the microrendu over simpler streaming devices like the sonic orbiter or a BeagleBone black.

Is it all in the $1K power supply?

In the Hans Beekhuyzen review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XRi9utNBl4), he mentions a Chord Hugo, the rendu, and a SBooster power supply combo. He seemed pretty excited about the results.
Not sure how that fits with your baseline question?

Really doesn’t. I’m looking for what the low-end is that the Rendu. Seems to me one needs about $8K of equipment to see a benefit.

Nothing great here - mostly mid-fi, I guess. I’m running:

  • Roon system and library on desktop PC
  • Music files on 4tb USB3 drive attached to same PC
  • Roon remote apps on Macbook (den) and iphone
  • TPLink Wifi Extender -> Supra CAT8 -> microRendu (iFi ps) -> AQ Carbon USB -> den rig listed below
  • SonicOrbiter SE on office rig below
  • Squeezebox Touch’s on other rigs

Den: Rega RP6 (mods) - AT33PTGII - Parks Budgie SUT - Jolida jd9 (mods), Roon - Bryston BDP1 - BDA1, Joule-Electra LA-100 mkiii, Sunfire Sig II, MIT S3, Polk SDA SRS 1.2 (mods), Bottlehead Crack - Senn 600

LR: Roon - W4S Dac2(Femto), Belles 20a (mods), Pass Labs Aleph 30, MIT S3, Usher CP-6311 / Revel M22

Office: Music Hall MMF-5.1se - Speed Box II - DL103r - PS Audio NPC, Roon - Music Hall 25.3, Dared MP-5, MIT S3, Hartley Reference Mini-Tower

My goal was to meet the sound quality of the Bryston BDP-1 in its native (MPD- Manic Moose) mode. I think it’s even a tad better - improved spatial queues, deeper, enveloping three-dimensional soundstage, more “live” sound. Noticeably better than BDP-1 in Squeezelite mode, SonicOrbiter SE in RoonReady mode, and Squeezebox Touch in Squeezelite mode. I haven’t tried the direct connect USB adapter or upgraded power supply, but I am VERY happy with the current sound.

Well, his setup was SBooster Power Supply (£200) plus Chord Hugo (£1400) = £1,600. Not sure what speakers/headphones he was using, but the base kit is quite a bit less than $8,000USD… If he could hear a positive effect there, I’m sure the baseline would be lower than £1,600. Whether or not it makes enough difference to justify the rendu cost, or whether the amount of difference is worthwhile to any individual, is of course a different matter.