@Jesus_Rodriguez
I would like to know how long software support is guaranteed for Sonore products.
This is important before buying any Sonore products.
thank you!
Iām have a meeting to discuss it today, but understand that there are factors outside of our control in the decision. Iām curious what are other companies telling you?
Hello Jesus
I didnt talk to any companies.
I am now with Roon since 2015. Even longer with HQP.
They update their stuff rather frequently since I acquired them.
Until now, I can write their newest software required to DAC connection in a rather easy way to a card and use it.
If I buy a Sonore product I depend on your company, and I am not in a position to update Sonore products myself. Therefore, my question: How long to you guarantee software updates?
thank you!
We have provided updates from RoonReady and NAA with each release as the developers make changes. Some times we skip a release depending on what was changed or other factors. As a user you press an update button in the Rendu software to get them. When large releases with modern kernels warrant a new card we sell the new cards with the entire update included.
What I would like to know:
If I buy a Micro Rendu today, how long do you guarantee software updates?
One, two, five, ten years?
Any time span?
thank you
The major release we are currently working on will be back ported to all units dating back as far as January 2016. We think that the software will be good for the next two years. This should give you some indication as to the long-standing commitment to support our products long-term. However as I stated before there are many circumstances to consider and thereās no hard and fast guarantee.
I understand you canāt commit to a time span in software support.
I appreciate your past support. Problem is, I depend on future support.
Letās consider a specific ānoiseā issue and whether a different power supply might address it (assuming itās even a problem worth addressing).
Again, I have the ultraRendu (fed by cat 7 ethernet from a Sonic Transporter i9), with an Uptone LPS-1.2 power supply. uRendu ā USB 3 ā iFi Pro iDSD DAC ā RCA analog ā Peachtree Nova 150 integrated amp ā Totem Arro speakers. The USB cable came in the box with the iDSD; the RCAs are from Blue Jeans Cable. Ethernet comes from an Orbi satellite (with WiFi backhaul).
Now, if I place an ear very close to a speaker, I hear a low rapid-fire pulsing/tapping noise (multiple beats per second). It only occurs with the amp switched to USB-B. It goes away if I then only power down the iDSD. However, if I power down the iDSD, then move its power brick down to the floor (away from the LPS 1.2 power brick), power back up and resync the USB connection ā¦ then the pulsing sound is gone.
I would have thought the ultraRendu (and also the galvanic isolation features of the iDSD) would eliminate noise like this. Not that I even know what it really is.
Have I identified the culprit and properly addressed it? Or, is it likely there are other signal path issues I havenāt even noticed, which a different power supply (/ DAC) would address? Is it perhaps a defect in one of the units? Iām hearing fairly loud pops/clicks when I adjust the iDSD settings.
That situation is the same for any software. We are pretty flexible since we are based on an ARM processor.
The problem is worth addressing because if you have a pre-amp attenuating the signal it will not attenuate the noise.
I understand that you have a sonicTransporter connected directly to an ultraRendu. Iām not a big fan of this connection scheme. Anyway, Iām not clear about what power supply you have connected to your DAC.
This is likely a power supply ground loop and the solution is to find the culprit which it appears you have. There are always better signal paths. This sort of issue does not generally represent a defect and more an interaction between two power supplies. Keeping the two power supplies apart is a good idea. If you have loud pops/clicks when adjusting the iDSD settings I would ask iFi Audio about it.
Thanks for that suggestion. Yes, I have a trouble ticket into iFi Audio. They seem to have good support, but not quite as fast as your responses 
I wonder if there isnāt a short inside the iFi unit.
For the iFi Pro iDSD Iām using the out-of-the-box SMPS.
iFi issues scary warnings about using alternative power supplies, along with bold claims for their supplies PS.
This evening Iāve been messing around with alternate signal paths. HQPlayer over uRendu by USB is my de facto āreferenceā signal path for SQ, but for functionality USB can be a PITA. Iām trying Roon to the Bluesound Node 2i ā (via Toslink) ā iFi iDSD (w/DSD upsampling) ā (analog RCA) ā Peachtree Nova amp. This seems to deliver close to the SQ of my āreferenceā, but with better functionality (such as IR remote to the Node 2i, no USB handshake issues, and good support for WiFi/Airplay or USB-A media).
(Isnāt this fun?!)
For your de facto do you mean
Roon -> HQ Player -> NAA
or
HQ Player -> NAA
Roon-> HQP->NAA
For regular use that can be a pain. Itās not a USB issue, but rather about making sure all those moving parts are running and the DAC is listed in Apps Diagnostics.
I disagree. Unless you can demonstrate they can make an audible difference, theyāre entirely comparable, your handholding and guidance (which matters) put aside.
Iād assumed you spoke in your capacity as an owner of Sonore. I seem to have been mistaken here as well.
Now itās āweā, but suggesting you take responsibility is āsillyā. Good things that expensive power cables arenāt part of that culture.
I spoke about that confusion from experience (this might further reassure you on me being a moron, but also not being an industry insider). When I first looked into your products, the shared industrial design language and electronics engineer initially made me assume Sonore and UpTone were different brands under the same ownership. Although Iām talking about a time long before this discussion, thank your for clarifying.
Yes, Iāve discovered that. Wasnāt sure if it was some defect in my gear, my connections, or the nature of the USB beast.
The ultraRendu in Roon-ready mode gives me a more stable configuration. It also allows for multi-zone grouping. Wish I could get the benefits of HQP running in the background of a Roon-ready endpoint. I do seem to get that, to some extent, by assigning upsampling/filtering tasks to the DAC.
If you are going to encourage people to build a DIY project (nothing wrong with that) at least let them know some of the pit falls. For example, most of the DIY boards share USB throughput with ethernet throughput over a USB sub system. The combination can make for delightful dropouts which Iām certain are audible. There might even be tweaks and hacks to improve the situation but itās DIY after all so have fun. I just donāt see a DIY project āentirely comparableā with a finished product. Agree to disagree.
I am one of the owners. The other owner likes to deal one on one with actual customers. This is another way I fail to see how a DIY project is āentirely comparableā with a finished product. Agree to disagree.
The use of āweā is entirely appropriate because there are others involved in this company.
This confusion causes some issues because I donāt always agree with some of the things they say or do. In fact, I have been highly critical of some of the things they say and do. So in this respect, there has to be a clear distinction between us and how we do things.
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Some USB audio devices have issues because of firmware, but most are pretty well behaved. The same applies for ethernet audio devices. All you are doing is replacing one protocol for another. My concern is that most USB audio and ethernet audio devices are not field programable so you are stuck with the firmware that shipped with the product. At least with Linux based endpoints we can sometimes work around inherent issues with USB audio devices. This is not the case if you have an ethernet audio devices with issues it can only be fixed with a firmware update. FYI we have plans to build an ethernet DAC based on SonicOrbiter OS which combines the best of both worlds.
Anyway, Roon has excellent re-sampling capabilities built right into the server.