What is your configuration for Computer Audio?

[rikhav]

Source #1

Allo Digione running volumio and roon end point. Connected to dac using spdif. Extremely easy to use and great sound quality.

Source #2 : Chromecast Audio - connected to dac using optical. useful for streaming tidal and Google play music painlessly.

Source#3: Mac mini running HDMI into avr and usb dac. The Mac mini runs my Plex server and roon servers. Mostly used as a headless device.

Why don't you use roon to stream tidal ?
It's integration with tidal is very good now

 

[captainsubtext]

Why don't you use roon to stream tidal ?
It's integration with tidal is very good now

I use roon to stream tidal most of the time. Cc audio is just convenient

 

[Nikhil]

I think there is a huge potential for small form factor computers in audio.
It's great to see the Allo devices as well as the Raspberry Pi and Intel NUC based machines.

These offer great flexibility with setting up an audio source which is relatively quiet and inconspicuous.
Like I said earlier place a behemoth of a server in another room to do all the heavy lifting.
Just connect over LAN to a small factor device on your audio rack and you have a great source.


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[Rajeshh]

I'm a little curious to know how many are using the Sonore microRendu or UltraRendu?

So far I've heard some stellar feedback from one person who has made the switch from a Windows 2012 Server setup.
He did not hesitate to confirm that the microRendu topped his WS2012 machine with Audio Optimizer + Dual JPlay.
This was stunning value for me just considering all the bells and whistles on that machine.


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The last couple of weeks, I was running in a UltraRendu feeding a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ direct to my Power Amp on my set-up, and it is by far the best digital sound ive heard so far, easily outclassing my RP3 turntable to Rega Fono MK3.
Music was mainly Tidal HIFI on Roon with the UltraRendu as a roon endpoint.

Wish it was mine, but its a friend's hardware and its not quite time for an upgrade for me.

 

[terrible]

The last couple of weeks, I was running in a UltraRendu feeding a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ direct to my Power Amp on my set-up, and it is by far the best digital sound ive heard so far, easily outclassing my RP3 turntable to Rega Fono MK3.
Music was mainly Tidal HIFI on Roon with the UltraRendu as a roon endpoint.

Wish it was mine, but its a friend's hardware and its not quite time for an upgrade for me.

Just trying to understand what ultraRendu is. As I follow its more audiophile than belting out music from a computer. However, my question is how is it better? In my setup it would be between my NAS (has music files and Roon) and Oppo UDP-205 (has the DAC). Currently the Roon on the NAS reads UDP-205 as the renderer. My assumption is once ultraRendu comes in, it would connect to the USB DAC input of Oppo. So how will ultraRendu access songs from the NAS?

 

[Rajeshh]

Just trying to understand what ultraRendu is. As I follow its more audiophile than belting out music from a computer. However, my question is how is it better? In my setup it would be between my NAS (has music files and Roon) and Oppo UDP-205 (has the DAC). Currently the Roon on the NAS reads UDP-205 as the renderer. My assumption is once ultraRendu comes in, it would connect to the USB DAC input of Oppo. So how will ultraRendu access songs from the NAS?

Well the theory is that, a Roon "endpoint" isolated from any computer or NAS, can feed the DAC a cleaner & quiet-er Signal.
Theory or not i dont know, but the Ultrarendu sounds phenomenal with the Mytek brooklyn DAC+, but i would assume that the DAC's performance contributes quite heavily to this.

My assumption is once ultraRendu comes in, it would connect to the USB DAC input of Oppo. So how will ultraRendu access songs from the NAS?

1. Yes you are correct, Ultrarendu will connect to the USB of your DAC.
2. The Ultrarendu has to be connected to your network via a LAN cable. (that is its only input)
3. Roon server/core has to be on the same network.
4. Communication between the Ultrarendu (Roon end point) & the Roon server (your computer/NAS) will be via network & through Roon's RAAT protocol.

 

[guls]

Just trying to understand what ultraRendu is. As I follow its more audiophile than belting out music from a computer. However, my question is how is it better? In my setup it would be between my NAS (has music files and Roon) and Oppo UDP-205 (has the DAC). Currently the Roon on the NAS reads UDP-205 as the renderer. My assumption is once ultraRendu comes in, it would connect to the USB DAC input of Oppo. So how will ultraRendu access songs from the NAS?

Ultrarendu, microrendu, Sotm SMS-200 are renderers that support multiple end points. Renderer is a device that either converts and/or reproduces audio. End points could be Squeezlite which can access logitech media server, DLNA/MPD which supports Plex and other DLNA servers, Roon etc. These end points allow renderers to playback music from specific media servers.

You can use a mobile app like Linn Kazoo which is a Control point to link the content served by the above mentioned servers to renderers like ultrarendu. A control point will discover both media servers and renderers and allow you to pair them - play music from server X using renderer Y. Specific example could be to play music from Plex DLNA server using ultrarendu. For this to work at the time this pairing is active, the renderer should be running the appropriate end point. Ultrarendu will have a webpage which allows one to switch the active end point.

I do own a Sotm SMS-200 as well as a microrendu. Other than the audio quality another advantage is, these are pretty small devices that can be close to your main rig unlike placing a computer in your main rig.

Currently the pace at which these things evolve and new models show up, they become obsolete even before you buy them. These are not cheap by any means and you have to add the cost of a power supply which typically costs as much or more than the renderer itself. But yes, they are super convenient and have pretty good sound quality.

 

[Naturelover]

I do own a Sotm SMS-200 as well as a microrendu.

A comparison would be most appreciated, thanks

 

[panditji]

Question: I use an I3 music only laptop with a Chord 2Qute as the source. Will adding a linear power supply from say a Teddy Pardo powering both the DAC as well as the laptop make much of a difference in sound quality? Since such a power supply would be very expensive at approx. 550 USD, is it worth the improvement or should I invest in something like an Sotm ?

 

[rikhav]

Question: I use an I3 music only laptop with a Chord 2Qute as the source. Will adding a linear power supply from say a Teddy Pardo powering both the DAC as well as the laptop make much of a difference in sound quality? Since such a power supply would be very expensive at approx. 550 USD, is it worth the improvement or should I invest in something like an Sotm ?

Linear supply powering the SOTM and dac would make a huge difference

I am not sure how much difference does powering a laptop with linear supply make

In any case a SOTM (the way it's deisgned and meant to work ) should give better results then a laptop
Add to that powering it with LPS

And if you dac does not have a inbuilt linear supply then for sure linear supply powering SOTM and dac would give you a big step up

Now it's upon you to go step by step or upgrade in one shot

If it's just a step at once my personal choice would be powering the dac with a linear supply

 

[guls]

Both microrendu and SMS-200 sound good to me, but I have not invested in a specific power supply, so I wouldn't pass an opinion on that part. But even without a linear power supply they sound good. Since SMS-200 supports a wide range of input voltages (6.5V - 12V) that gives one a lot of flexibility with power supplies. In fact I use it with an old Musical Fidelity V-PSU power supply that I had, which is rated at 12V but lower current rating. Also SMS-200 has better build quality and have the added flexibility of two USB ports. The problems that I have with SMS-200 is related to pairing with the DAC's that I have. Somehow it outputs only a maximum of 96kHz to my DAC which is capable of 192kHz. It doesn't even recognize one of my other DAC's which is a Denafrips Ares. I didn't have any such issues with microrendu. Also the SMS-200 UI is pretty slow compared to microrendu.

 

[panditji]

The reason I asked is because I am quite happy with my DAC and it already has galvanic isolation so I think the laptop power should not interfere with the sound quality.. However if I do go for an LPS, I can always ask for 2 outputs since the DAC and the laptop do not require a lot of power... So adding an extra power outlet to an LPS may not cost much but even a small increase in sound quality by powering a laptop would be a huge benefit as the LPS would already be powering the DAC and not a lot of extra money... Just wanted opinions if anyone tried using an LPS with a laptop/Music PC. Since Sotm/Microrendu are better built than a cheap laptop, if an LPS can cause improvement to them then I am sure it would improve the laptop as well...

 

[terrible]

So just to further satiate my curiosity i went in to finding out a little more about these products and came across a host of information that merely boggles the mind. I'll share the links:

https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...-measurements-of-sonore-microrendu-v1-4.1867/
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...d-review-of-sotm-sms-200-network-player.1846/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ptone-iso-regen-review-and-measurements.1829/
https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/ap...audio-myth-switching-power-supplies-are-noisy
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...o-player-hardware-teardown-and-pictures.1855/
https://community.roonlabs.com/t/ultrarendu-or-sms-200ultra/30046/10

It's very difficult for a layman like me to decide if I need I product like ultrarendu, sotm, etc, once one reads more of these articles. In one of the links, the author clearly sees no merit of sotm sms 200 over his laptop/PC. Another thing that comes forth is good PSUs make for better listening. But the debate rages on about linear or switch mode. In specific, if I look at my scenario of Synology NAS with Roon Core feeding the Oppo DACs, I have no way of knowing what ultraRendu would do, that would better what I have. It has to be weighed and considered as these products are expensive. Also different PSUs seem to behave differently with different DACs as shown in the links. It may be that, by the time I reach a desired PSU (this assumes that I know how to take measurements, which I don't), I may get pretty light in the pocket. I think just understanding how these music renderers actually upgrade music, may be above my pay grade.

 

[panditji]

Thanks for the information sir... Even I was wondering why the performance of an Sotm sms 200 which in general is the same as a laptop/PC improves substantially by adding a linear power supply if it was well designed in the first place... Also if an LPS can improve an Sotm sms 200 then why not a laptop as well ...

 

[Nikhil]

panditji,

I used to use a laptop as source in my setup.
A dedicated headless machine running Win 10 has been a noticeable step up.

I haven't gone the microRendu route (yet) but that is a little different approach.
The SOtM products are really good but a little expensive in comparison to regular components.
But they are a noticeable step up if you are considering the move to any of their products.

If you are considering Roon - just get a NUC device and install ROCK.

Regards.

 

[Nikhil]

I was wondering why the performance of an Sotm sms 200 which in general is the same as a laptop/PC improves substantially by adding a linear power supply if it was well designed in the first place... Also if an LPS can improve an Sotm sms 200 then why not a laptop as well ...

The SMS 200 improves with an LPS due to the clean power.
By itself it benefits from top notch quality parts which are optimized for audio.
Some of the best benefits can be had when you add the clock module.

Laptops have noisy boards & power supplies and are susceptible to on board EMI/RF.
Using an LPS will improve some aspects of the power supply.
Do a comparison if you get a chance ... made a difference for me.

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[rikhav]

The SMS 200 improves with an LPS due to the clean power.
By itself it benefits from top notch quality parts which are optimized for audio.
Some of the best benefits can be had when you add the clock module.

Laptops have noisy boards & power supplies and are susceptible to on board EMI/RF.
Using an LPS will improve some aspects of the power supply.
Do a comparison if you get a chance ... made a difference for me.

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Hi Nikhil
You have a desktop PC or a laptop with a LPS?
I am sorry but I am little confused with that

The way the laptop is powered I still feel it won't improve much with a LPS
One of my friend is a full fledged hardware reapir engineer. He is not into audio but will try to learn from him if an LPS can make a difference with a laptop with respect to noise

 

[Nikhil]

Hi Rikhav,

I used to have a laptop when I started with computer audio.
Now I have a dedicated Win 10 headless machine on my audio rack.


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[rikhav]

Also in my opinion a well optimised machine like a music streamer or a roon rock or renderer like sotm or microrendu makes a difference in how highs sound. Not that the details increase but it sounds more natural due to less noise
And due to darker background it leads to listening more into music and hence we have a feeling that details have increased
Also accentuated sibelance is controlled to an extent.
I know it's difficult to make out if the sibelance is in the recording or its due to the audio setup
That's why I say it controls accentuated sibelance to an extent

 

[Rajeshh]

interesting comments so far.
Just to throw in some of my experiences into the mix.
1. I noticed the biggest change in sound from powering the Mytek DAC with conditioned power from a Isotek Aquarius (not exactly LPS but clean power), this had a bigger change than powering the Ultrarendu with conditioned power
2. Plugging in the Wyred4sound reclocker in-between the Ultrarendu & DAC had no effect whatsoever.
3. Tried the different modes in Ultrarendu - Roon sounds best, Spotify is pretty good, Apple airplay simulator sounded plain bad.

Before loaning the Ultrarendu & the Mytek DAC to me, my friend, the owner of these devices was using the Ultrarendu (minus the Mytek DAC) directly to his KEF LS50 Wireless's USB input, and it did not sound any good. The Mytek DAC, which he subsequently bought has transformed the sound.
Only conclusion i can draw, is that a good DAC makes a much bigger impact in sound quality than these renderers or cleaners

@panditji some food for thought, my mPre's USB input has galvanic isolation, but plugging in the Wyred4sound reclocker has obvious improvement in sound. Do consider the Uptone Regen or Recovery as an alternative buy to the Ultrarendu/SOTM, they are much cheaper & they do make an difference in sound.