I'm Not Gonna Tell How Great My MicroRendu plus Sonore Signature Power Supply Sounds!

FrantzM said:

We all learn from some place unless we invent. he was the most vocal about it and perhaps one of the very first here on WBF to push it. Let's at least give him that. Now that he doesn't post anymore here. We may need to learn to be more tolerant, mea culpa if I wasn't, his enthusiasm, willingness to share and to help and his knowledge (wherever he gleamed those information ) were a breath of fresh air. Was he annoying? Often! Shrill? Absolutely! Informative and dedicated? No doubt! and more than one have learn from him. It is too early to call the Rendu a revolution in the making, I don't see people abandoning their CAPS Zuma in drove. Let's see how well it will fare on the marketplace which is a rather cruel arbitrator.

P.S> I am still using Gary L. Koh Music "server" and don't care much about improving it ... I must be getting old or the entire OCDness of our hobby is getting under my skin

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microstrip said:

Steve,

I can not understand 4., apologies for my ignorance in these matters. How did you replace a computer server by the Microrendu? And please give us your opinions, Computer Audiophile is too hard for beginners!

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Steve Bruzonsky said:

Yes. Small Green Computer sells it, 8TB, for $1,575 .I have used a laptop, Bryston BDP-1 (5), CAPSv3 (4), CAPSv4 (2) , even an Aurender (3), and now Microrendu (1), with each having different sonics. I have rated the sonics over the past several years in my system for stereo, with (1) being the best, (5) being the "worst". The Bryston was digital out, all the rest were USB out using the Berkeley Audio USB to digital converter.
The MicroRendu is the real thing!!@@
Main Roon program runs on my CAPSv3, which I also use for multi-channel over HDMI with JRiver Media Center. MicroRendu is Roon ready and does the sample rate/bit rate conversion and outputs audio via USB - to my Berkeley Audio USB to digital output, which goes to my Theta CBIV SSP out digital to my Theta Digital Generation VIII Series 3 DAC, for stereo!

Microrendu (Roon Ready) $640.00
http://microjukebox.com/products/microrendu
with iFi power supply $690.00 (Sonore)
http://www.microrendu.sonore.us/
or add Sonore Signature Power Supply $1,399.00; $1,589.00 with Synergistic Research black fuses
http://rendu.sonore.us/signature-series-power-supply.html
or add HDPlex power supplu using 7.5 vdc output $395.00
http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-Fanless-Linear-Power-Supply-for-PC-Audio-and-CE-device.html

Sonic Transporter AP 8TM (Roon Server) $1,575.00
http://microjukebox.com/products/sonictransporter-ap-8tb-roon-server
(music server Steve Williams mentioned, which will run programs like the main Roon)

(If I was doing a completely new two channel music server system, I would consider getting the Sonic Transporter AP 8TM. But I already have a Western Digital WDMyCloudEX4 - 16 TB - using my multi-channel CAPSv3 Zuma to run the main Roon program.)
In one of the closed Microrendu threads here, Amir agreed that lower power usage should in theory provide lower electrical noise, and thus the theory goes better sonics. This, and theory that ethernet in only provides for better isolation and less noise (I ain't no spankin' engineer, so I ain't promising I am explaining this correctly, my objective style is perhaps more "Trumpian". HA!), is why Andrew Gillis of Small Green Computer was so interested in being involved with this Microrendu project with both John Swenson and Sonore.
Amir's theory (which I respect) that using a top notch USB to digital converter obviates any difference in sonics in the downstream computer/music server is clearly not proven with subjective listening in my own system.
I think objectivity is important, but not everything, and of course if objectivity tells you one thing and your ear/brain/sonics over time tell you something else, then perhaps the objective theory may be flawed!

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Steve Bruzonsky said:

Here's some info from Jesus, of Sonore, from the Sonore subforum at Computer Audiophile Forum:
Originally Posted by barrows
OK, first of all, I cannot specifically say that the Signature Supply (henceforth SPS) is superior to say, the JS-2 or the LPS-1. I do not have a JS-2, and the LPS-1 does not yet really exist. It is quite likely that the JS-2 would work very well with the µRendu, but it would be best if the JS-2 was solely powering the µRendu alone, as a dedicated supply is always going to have a technical advantage to a shared supply (shared transformer in this case). As to why the SPS is so good, that is pretty easy. The SPS is designed specifically to provide an ultra low noise, and ultra low impedance supply for the µRendu. It is designed to be able to provide plenty of peak current, giving it generous headroom. And it is designed to meet the ideal power requirements of the µRendu according to John Swenson: low impedance delivery, the ability to handle all kinds of transients with fast response and settling. In addition, and unlike some of the other supplies mentioned here, the SPS also offers the lowest noise possible from a regulated supply, by using an ideal, custom, discrete regulator. I know John believes that super low noise is not necessarily a requirement for the µRendu power supply, and I understand his point, as he already uses quite low noise local regulators onboard the µRendu. But my experience has always been that even with very low noise local regs, a low noise pre-regulated supply still brings benefits when powering digital circuits. So, with the SPS we have an ultra low impedance (to handle transient loads) and ultra low noise supply, with plenty of current capability. How we do this is just pretty standard stuff, well chosen parts, a damped transformer secondary to keep ringing to a minimum, a bit of filtering on the incoming AC line, large amounts of main supply filter capacitance, and a really, really good discrete regulator. A bit of a note on the price of the SPS: this is high quality audio product, with many parts sourced from the US, including a very nice aluminum chassis, and a custom made DC cable produced for us by Cardas, and it is hand built to order. While we might be able to achieve similar performance with a much cheaper chassis, at a bit lower price point, we made the SPS to be high quality inside and out, and so we put it in beautiful custom chassis of heavy gauge aluminum, rather than some off the shelf box made in China.

Originally Posted by barrows
It really is not anything spectacular to look at internally, there is a toroid transformer on one side, a very small pcb on the front panel holding the status LED and its resistor and capacitor, and the main power power supply PCB with the main filter capacitors, diodes, and a few small damping and decoupling film caps, and the heatsink mounted regulator and output capacitor. There is quite a bit of space in the middle of the chassis so that the transformer and AC input wiring can be spaced away from the output board. Then there is the input IEC with filter capacitor, switch and fuses on the transformer side, and a Neutrik Powercon jack on the power supply board side with the output wiring. I would rather not talk about specific part choices, as these are both proprietary and subject to change, occasionally.
Well I am certainly impressed, objectively and most importantly sonically! The Sonore Signature Power Supply is so well built and easy to look at! More importantly, the sonics using this power supply with the Microrendu are unparalled! I feel like the gal singin' or the band playin' is right in the room with me! Amazing! Congrats on phenomenal products, the Microrendu and the Sonore Signature Power Supply. In my case, I decided to get it with the Synergistic Research black fuses (2) (product just became available a few months ago), for which Sonore is also a dealer.

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Steve Bruzonsky said:

I first got a CAPSv3 Zuma, modded a bit with a larger Silverstone case and Sapphire AMD video card (I had done some testing and with my then Theta Casablanca IIIHD SSP – now a CBIV SSP (using external Theta Digital Generation VIII Series 3 DAC) – the onboard Intel HDMI wouldn’t output bit perfect from JriverMC whereas the AMD/Sapphire would), and with a SOTM USBExp card. Then I kept the Zuma but only for multi-channel, and got a CAPSv4 Pipeline with SOTM USBExp, which clearly sounded better for USB audio (to my Berkleley USB to digital converter) than the Zuma. Then I moved from JRiver to Roon for 2 channel from my CAPSv4, and then with Roon v1.2 I moved the main Roon program for 2 channel to the Zuma with the CAPSv4 as the Roon endpoint outputting USB audio; and then I replaced the CAPSv4 with the Microrendu using the CAPSv4 HDPlex power supply 9vdc output; and then I replaced the HDPlex power supply with the Sonore Signature power supply outputting 7vdc. Each step a sonic improvement, particularly that last step!
Keep in mind that my Theta Casablanca IV SSP includes Dirac Live processing at 24-96. I don’t require this for either the CAPSv4 or now the Microrendu. For those who do not use or want room correction, like Dirac Live (which has a 24-192 2 channel program for PCs), the Microrendu with a sufficient high resolution audio setup will sound better than using the CAPSv4 as a Roon endpoint! On the other hand, even for Roon users, some may not want to use another computer to run the main Roon program; or again may want to use Dirac Live or other room correction on the same computer with Roon or another audio software; and for these folks the Microrendu doesn’t give them all the functionality they need, so the CAPsv4 should not necessarily be abandoned! As only a few of us have the Microrendu so far, and in consideration of what I just said, its understandable that you “don't see people abandoning their CAPS Zuma in drove.”

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