Streamer Shoot-Out: Allo, Bluesound, Cambridge Audio, Innuos, Sonore, Sonos, Yamaha

Roon Software Discussion
1

Simon Price of 13th Note HiFi Reviews just did a great video where he reviews all the major music streamers. Most of these support Roon.

This is a really in depth comparison.

13 Likes
2

Got to agree, I watched it last night.
He does a good job with them

1 Like
3

It‘s a pity he didn’t include the UltraRendu. I‘d be interested to know if the optical Rendu would make such a big difference compared to an UltraRendu. The difference in price is substantial!

1 Like
4

Seemed a pretty sober and well informed review. As i have personally used very similar products i understand and agree, in general.
My personal experience tells me you can lessen the effect of emi/rfi in basically two ways:

  1. Galvanically isolate, such as in the Optical Rendu situation. This is effective primarily in the packetized data domain though, an optical SPDIF cable won’t be the same. I have chosen to use my Aries G1 over WLAN for a similar effect.
  2. Provide a “drain route” through virtual grounding on the digital signal path, such as CAD, Entreq, Nordost QKore products. I use Entreq and connect to signal grounds on SPDIF or shield on Ethernet to great effect. Try this on your server/NAS/Router and watch your jaw drop to the floor! :wink:
1 Like
5

How could he leave out the SOtM?

2 Likes
6

How could he include all devices!

1 Like
7

Hehe, curious as a cat! :slight_smile: I know the drill!

8

The ultraRendu is a very good streamer epically in the under $1000 market. But the opticalRendu does sound better and is 100% isolated from the network noise via optical Ethernet. This eliminates the need for expensive ethernet cables, audiophile ethernet switches, and using Linear supplies on other network devices such as routers and switches.

This can potentially save 1000s of $ in extra gear.

2 Likes
9

I once had a mircoRendu (upgraded to 1.4) What keeps me from buying one of the new design Rendus is the fact that the USB port is close to the network port on the same end. This forces me to use a USB cable. I don’t want that. The best USB connection I’ve heard is the USPCB from Uptone. Impossible to use, especially with the optical cable sticking out. The microRendu has ports on both ends so is easy to place behind a DAC, but it is not available with optical. OpticalRendu is probably better anyway…

10

But aren‘t Ethernet ports galvanically isolated anyhow? So wha‘s the use of additional isolation with optical cables?

4 Likes
11

Same here, also using an upgraded microRendu 1.4 mostly because I like the form factor, and it enables me to easily use an UpTone USB A>B adapter (which is very good btw), and a homemade kick-ass ethernet male-male adapter in the other end connected to an opticalModule.

1 Like
12

Also love the microRendu v1.4 in one of my systems, due to tiny size and great operating system (nice and easy switching modes).

It’s a classic!

1 Like
13

Yes wired Ethernet is “air gap” isolated with a transformer. The Ethernet signal can pass through the transformer using induction and so can some of the noise.

Optical fiber can not pass noise so 100% of the noise is filtered out.

14

How does a packet encapsulated and formed at the data-link layer of the OSI model have it’s content altered so that it affects the sound reproduced at the application layer?

I’m really not trying to be a problem, but I do not understand.

1 Like
15

It’s not about the bits. The bits are not altered.

16

Then the switch doesn’t matter, right?

17

This is a very good question. The answer is it can not have it’s digital content altered! There is no way for any of the digital data to be altered. Ethernet is quite good at moving one and zeros without altering them.

We we are talking about here is analog noise. This can travel over the wired Ethernet cable and get into the analog side of you DAC.

1 Like
18

If you are using a network player with an optical Ethernet interface like the opticalRendu then no it does not. In fact nothing on your network matters. You don’t need special shielded Ethernet cables or Linear supplies on all your network devices.

2 Likes
19

Appreciate the clarification.

20

The main problem is that DACs handles a clocked signal, so its internal clock is very important. However, all oscillators (clocks) are very sensitive to noise and voltage fluctuations. And digital data over a copper (like an ethernet cable) is in fact an analog signal which will happily bring electronic noise as well as the data, and once that electronic noise gets into the DAC it will lower the sound quality (more clock jitter).

Further, electronic noise will also affect the analog stage of the DAC.

1 Like