MicroRendu, UltraRendu or Other

Audio Gear Talk Sonore
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I am considering a MicroRendu or UltraRendu to connect my iMac (running Roon core) to my Chord Hugo TT2 DAC via Ethernet. I use Roon to access music on my iMac and through Qobuz. Eventually I will be adding a Chord M-Scaler

Presently, I am streaming wirelessly to an iPad Pro or MacBook Air connected to Hugo via USB.

My goals are as follows:

  1. Replace the wireless connection with a wired connection to improve audio quality; of course other sonic benefits are welcome too
  2. Eliminate the local tether between my iPad Pro or MacBook Air and the Hugo for convenience
  3. A solution that provides good ROI

I am not familiar with the either Sonore product. Given the above is the Ultra Rendu worth the additional cost?

Is their a different solution I should be considering for roughly the same cost?

Thank you

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Allo USBridge Sig + Shanti PSU. Don’t let the cheaper price fool you.

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Absolutely! That could possibly give room for an etherRegen too :slightly_smiling_face:

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I’ve heard that the Corning is a little unreliable and can break easily, but that may have been an earlier model.

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Yeah, that’d make sense. They probably don’t have the bend radius of a normal cable, and there’s a minimum of 30ft to hide (and thus, bend…). I don’t use one, but given how most of us would use those, which is pretty much set and forget, I don’t see it as being as much of an issue than if they’re used as normal USB extension cords and moved around all the time.

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There is still copper conductors in the cable yo carry power and ground noise…so it is a waste of money to use.

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It’s also important to note that such a cable is of dubious use with something that’s as clean as a USBridge + shanti. I’m personally unconvinced by the whole EtherRegen thing, and am waiting, with baited breath, for its promoters to prove their claims at dac output (or at preamp output if they prefer) in a way that’s independently verifiable and doesn’t involve “stellar customer feedback” (I have no doubt their support is fantastic). This isn’t unique to them.

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The ultraRendu and microRendu are still quieter than the any of the RPi based products.

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Well… that’s not what @Archimago’s measurements say.

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From that link:

" Objective measurements of analogue output from my DAC using the optical USB cable shows no difference compared to a shielded 10’ USB 2 wire cable.** **Likewise, no difference in the J-Test FFT to suggest audible jitter anomaly at 16-bit/44kHz or 24-bit/48kHz"

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Two paragraphs higher: “Indeed, the analogue noise can be transmitted down cables like the USB cable and cause audible interference. I demonstrated how the Corning Optical USB cable can be used to minimize the noise originating from the computer. It’s logical. It can be measured. No magic.”

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[Moderated]

The ultraRendu has far less circuitry than the RPi units. The RPi is a scaled down general purpose computer that makes lots of electrical noise. The components are so close together that EMI is an issue so even with all the cleanup that Also does, there is still more noise than with the ultraRendu. I’ve tried all this stuff as I wanted a cheaper endpoint…it’s just putting lipstick on a pig. It’s better but it is still a pig.

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Both the Sonore and Allo products referred to above are excellent. I use a microRendu in my main rig and a DigiOne in a second system at my partner’s house.

Unfortunately I haven’t done a direct comparison in a way that would enable me to sensibly recommend one over the other and I haven’t had any experience with an ultraRendu.

One bit of gear that did make a difference in my microRendu system was the UltraCap LPS-1.2. This definitely increased the dynamics in my system. Would another less expensive LPS have done the same ? I can’t say.

Edit: One thing I would say about the price differential between a second hand microRendu and a new ultraRendu is that spending that money on a room treatment wav to convolve in Roon is likely to make a bigger impact.

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This should be everyone’s take-home. There are no bad choices here. Plus, in all likelihood (and this coming from someone who’s happy to use such devices rather than a Pi), a bit is a bit, anyway.

and that, too… 3… 2… 1… “Dirac, or better yet, Trinnov, add-on for Roon !!!” :wink:

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I’ve had an ultraRendu in my system for nearly a year, feeding the DAC in a Hegel H190, with Roon core running on a Mac mini. It cost me about 1,000 Canadian pesos (with sBooster PS). It works flawlessly. It sounds great. I’m very happy with it, especially having faffed around with DNLA, UpNP etc., as all I have to do is switch to Roon on my MacBook Pro where the controller is and turn the amp on. Haven’t had a chance to A/B with a similar product like Allo’s offerings, which by all accounts are also excellent, but it definitely sounds better than the Mac mini directly feeding the Hegel. In fact, the Roon Ready implementation from Hegel (whenever it arrives) is going to have to be pretty darned good to make me switch. You’d be happy with either Allo or Sonore offerings I’m sure.

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Thanks for everyone’s input. I am curious if anyone has experience with the Bluesound Node 2 or 2i and should I consider as a possible solution.

Thank you

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Am I right in thinking that Daniel has used these @Rugby ?

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I have used the DigiOne, not the signature version, and I love that. I have tried the Sonore products and while I like them, I really didn’t have a use for them so I passed them on to other friends. If I had a situation where I needed one, I’d have no hesitation picking one up.