UltraRendu keeps flashing red

Suddenly my UltraRendu disapperead in Roon. The led keeps flashing red. It’s powered by LPS 1.2. My. Network is working fine. Tried all the recommadations i read in several forums. It’s not showing up in sonicorbiter.com or in Roon. Replaced cables, powering on and off. Rebooten network and SnicTransporter. My Ayre QB9 DSD also. It all worked fine untill last evening. Software is 2.8. Beats me. What Did I miss?

Try the shipped power supply for the UltraRendu, it could be the UltraCap LPS unit has gone bad.

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Yep. I connected my UltraRendu straight to the power supply and it’s working again. The LPS 1.2 isn’t working anymore. No more red light at the back of the LPS. Mailed Uptone and curious If this can be repaired. Thanks anyway.

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Alex at Uptone will look after you, as their after-sales service is excellent

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I have a similar problem. Blinking red light on the back of the ultraRendu, but the power indicator light is on (green) at the back of the ultraCap LPS 1.2. I’ve tried restarting the ultraCap a couple times but only get the blinking red light on the Rendu. I did recently install a new memory card in the Rendu and it was working fine for a while. I tried re-installing the old memory card and still get the red blinking light on the Rendu.

Tried connecting the ultraCap’s 7.5v power supply directly to the ultraRendu. This does seem to address the problem. The ultraRendu’s indicator light goes to green. Now I’m wondering if it’s worth pursuing a repair/replacement of the ultraCap LPS.

Update: If anything, the ultraCap’s 7.5v power brick seemed to make the ultraRendu sound better than it did with the ultraCap LPS 1.2, as long as the sample rate was below DSD 512. However, when upsampling to DSD 512, I noticed a static sound that I don’t recall hearing before. Could this be switching noise from the power brick? If so, could it be audible only at higher upsampling rates? I don’t know if what I’m reporting makes sense. Perhaps the LPS 1.2 had been failing gradually for a long time (not suddenly all at once), so by comparison the SMPS power brick sounded unexpectedly good?

Anyway, I’ve now replaced the failed ultraCap 1.2 LPS with the Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply, made in USA and sold to me by Small Green Computer. Another main contender was the UpTone JS-2. The Sonore unit is physically smaller than the JS-2 (but still much larger than the ultraCap), and a bit less expensive than the JS-2 (though the Sonore has only one output). This Sonore LPS seems a bit pricey for what you get, with no power switch, no power indicator light even, and an output fixed at 7V DC. But after leaving it powered on overnight and playing some tunes, the power supply case is barely warmer than the surrounding furniture surfaces. And (as a subjective 1st impression only) I do think it improves the system SQ. The static noise (mentioned above) is gone. The soundstage/imaging, dynamics, and detail seem to be a bit better than what I’d had with the ultraCap.

I had the same experience a few years ago. The UltraCap LPS had failed. Customer support from UpTone Audio was excellent and fixed me right up.

Unfortunately UpTone stopped selling the UltraCap LPS due to supply chain issues, and apparently they lack parts to repair it, too. I’ll probably either try to find another LPS or else ditch the ultraRendu, which the LPS 1.2 powered. Maybe just use my network-attached DAC in Roon Ready mode for a while and see how much I miss HQ Player (embedded version), which outputs to the ultraRendu running in NAA mode.

Ah, I didn’t realize that. There are other power supplies that work well with the ultraRendu. I remember being temped to try the one from Channel Islands. The ultraRendu is a great device and it would be a shame to abandon it. Though, I suppose change is fun, too.

Edit: Well, aren’t I behind the times? It seems Channel Islands is no longer producing their power supply either!

Uptone is preparing to release a new Choke-based power supply.
Sonore offers a 7v Power Supply (US built, which is the power section of the Signature Rendu, which is basically this supply and a UltraRendu in one box.
SGC also offer a range of Chinese sourced LPS supplies
There is also the Farad3 supply, which can be ordered with a a 7v output, or a Sean Jacobs CHC-DC3.
And nearly forgot, MCRU offer a supply for the Ultrarendu, designed by Longdog.

Lots of options, to avoid taking it off the road

I looked into the options when my UltraCap 1 failed, however Alex at Uptone sorted me with a board with a faulty LED, which had been left on the shelf, as too hard to fix, but still produced an output voltage. It was supplied without warranty, at a good price, so got me back running. But the other options will be required, as it just bought me time.