Sonore microrendu making waves

square_wave

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
Messages
3,338
Points
113
Location
Edinburgh
SONORE microRendu

Guys, do consider this device if you are planning pc audio. This thing replaces your PC and all the tweaks that you need to do to make it sound good. Rave reviews all over and also got some good reports from people whose ears I trust.

You need to add a DAC and an outboard power supply of your choice to make this work. This device takes your music from a NAS via wired Ethernet and gives you an output via USB. Controlled by an app from a handheld device.
 
At $690, cheap it ain't!

Hi George
Add another USD 300 for outboard linear supply
So that takes it to USD 1000 territory

But no denying its an interesting product specially with the Ethernet and USB implementation

How well it performs vs its counterparts is a thing to know
 
At $690, cheap it ain't!

Pricy it may seem but it depends on who is looking at the product. This is for people who are clearly unhappy with the un tweaked pc for audio. Also for people who does not want the hassle of tweaking a pc or want a regular pc in their audio room. If you see the alternatives for such people, this thingy is not pricy at all.
 
Its actually cheap on the other side of the Atlantic. Seems everybody is buying it and raving about it.

I'm waiting on Bryston Pi myself, but from all accounts I've heard the microRendu is a killer SQ wise.
 
Square wave, any reports on how it sounds vis a vis the Aries Mini

I have not read comparisons against the Aries or the mini yet. Reviews are pouring in from all over. I am sure we will start seeing something soon. From what I read and conversed, it is on par or sometimes better than the best tweaked out mac minis and pcs out there.
 
it is on par or sometimes better than the best tweaked out mac minis and pcs out there.

It is not actually. It's not a replacement for a PC or a Mac. It only functions as a transport or more aptly as an endpoint/renderer.

It still needs an actual PC or something along the lines of a NAS/Pi running on the network and running a media server s/w.

I believe it would be better served if it ran the OS itself, but this way its another gadget that we need to add to the chain to make the music SQ better.
 
How would it compare to good network players with inbuilt DAC?
Where you need to give just a Ethernet connection to the player and should have a dlna server within the network
 
How would it compare to good network players with inbuilt DAC?

A lot depends on the quality of the network player and the DAC. To me the problem is with the integrated unit, if anything goes wrong you'll be shopping for multiple replacements i.e. server, streamer, DAC, etc.

Also, the firmware may not always be updated so it might not be compatible or even work with the latest versions of DLNA, UPnP, Open Home, etc.

Finally the apps suck. I've never come across an app that compares to or betters BubbleUPnP.

I know someone with a network player/DAC that's not compatible as a streamer anymore just 3 years old. It's not h/w fault but s/w. Terrible app support and it does not play well with other devices.

IMHO always better to use separate s/w and h/w that runs the server like a PC, Mac Mini, Pi, etc. You are not at the mercy of anyone to update firmware and apps.

Where you need to give just a Ethernet connection to the player and should have a dlna server within the network

Yes, that's the way its designed to work, but not just DLNA. Can also be other servers/interfaces like Roon, HQPlayer, LMS, etc.
 
It is not actually. It's not a replacement for a PC or a Mac. It only functions as a transport or more aptly as an endpoint/renderer.

It still needs an actual PC or something along the lines of a NAS/Pi running on the network and running a media server s/w.

I believe it would be better served if it ran the OS itself, but this way its another gadget that we need to add to the chain to make the music SQ better.

If you have a NAS, you do not need a PC. I think I mentioned the need for a NAS in my OP.

Most people doing pc audio already own a NAS in addition to their pc.
 
If you have a NAS, you do not need a PC. I think I mentioned the need for a NAS in my OP.

Most people doing pc audio already own a NAS in addition to their pc.

No that is misleading about this product.

The NAS needs to run any 1 of the 4 types of media servers this device supports and to my knowledge only one of them runs on NAS - MinimServer which is DLNA/wireless. The rest like MPD, Roon, HQPlayer will need a separate PC as they don't have any NAS variants of their OS that can be installed on any NAS like Synology, QNAP, etc.

Which brings me to the point it's a multi device playground i.e. NAS, PC, microRendu - and that's just source/transport and yes you also need a router or network switch or WiFi extender/repeater with ethernet port to connect the microRendu itself. That's 4 devices.

PS: If one opts for WiFi then the Pi 3 is just as good, the wireless LAN on the Pi 3 runs on a separate BUS and it costs all of $35.

I'm not saying the microRendu sounds bad, but its not a PC or Mac replacement, not by any means.
 
No that is misleading about this product.

The NAS needs to run any 1 of the 4 types of media servers this device supports and to my knowledge only one of them runs on NAS - MinimServer which is DLNA/wireless. The rest like MPD, Roon, HQPlayer will need a separate PC as they don't have any NAS variants of their OS that can be installed on any NAS like Synology, QNAP, etc.

.


That is interesting. If one needs to turn on a pc along with this device, it will be a non starter for many folks.
 
I think its clearly mentioned it's a NAA (network audio adapter)
So surely not a replacement for PC
As regeha mentioned if you use DLNA, then only one can skip a PC, provided a nas with dlna is available
 
Has any one had a chance to listen to this device?
I am wondering if the Ethernet can be wired from the Nas (dlna) directly without going through the internet route or is it mandatory to connect to the network ?
 
Has any one had a chance to listen to this device?
I am wondering if the Ethernet can be wired from the Nas (dlna) directly without going through the internet route or is it mandatory to connect to the network ?

Hi
Micro renedu + its lps is quiet close to price with airies mini with linear supply
With airies you get toslink and coaxial along with usb
Only thing it doed not do is work as hqplayer NAA but there are talks in next upgrade that feature will also be available

I am not sure about if it can be directly connect to nas which acts as a dlna server . Maybe you can email the company directly. They do respond quiet fast
 
@Rikhav : Yes I am also browsing the Mini.
One box solution vs perfecting a single Task.
The other consideration is the upgrade and forward compatibility.
Is USB audio going to stay for long or will be replaced by I2s. The Signature rendu does i2s and spdif .... Is this an indication of what the future dacs should support ? All these questions are haunting me ...
 
Hi
I2s seems to be best medium.to transfer Audio from transport to dac
No need for any regeneration
But it's not our usual HDMI output we can use from our pc, if pc used as source
But yeah I know many who have got i2s HDMI input dac and tried streamers with i2s HDMI out. They claim it's the best sound heard by them

But i2s capable dac and streamer won't be cheap so it won't be in each and every dac, so my guess is usb will be most popular so it's Here to stay
 
Hi

I2s seems to be best medium.to transfer Audio from transport to dac

No need for any regeneration

Hi Rikhav what I was told was that I2s is only good for very short paths ( less than 1/2 feet ) and that it's very susceptible to rfi as it was never meant for external transmission





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Follow HiFiMART on Instagram for offers, deals and FREE giveaways!
Back
Top