If you stream music from the internet, I can't recommend this more highly


I had been using a Roon Nucleus to stream Qobuz, with my Chord Qutest directly connected to the Nucleus. I thought I was getting pretty decent sound quality. And then I got a marketing email from Small Green Computer touting some of their optical gear. The basic idea is that normal cables and connections used to stream from the internet pick up noise of one kind or another (radio frequencies and electromagnetic something or other). But fiber optic cables and their connections/interfaces do not. I don’t know anything about anything, but it made theoretical sense to me, it wasn’t a huge amount of money ($1,400), and with a 30 day return policy I figured I could always return it if I didn’t hear any improvement. Well, I didn’t just hear a slight improvement; it was like turning on the lights in a dark room. Much greater clarity and detail, much better micro and macro dynamics, better timbre to acoustic instruments -- overall just more lifelike. Two quick examples: I’ve listened to some of Steely Dan’s top songs 100s of times over the course of my life, and this is the first time I’d ever noticed a particular and very subtle sound characteristic of Fagen’s keyboard in Babylon Sister. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like there’s a slight sound of air being exhaled by it. The other example: the specific timbre of whatever percussive instrument is used at the beginning of Copeland’s "Fanfare for the Common Man" (a recording by the Minnesota Orchestra). There’s more of a metallic sound than a drum skin sound to it that I didn’t know was there before. The metallic sound starts in the center and then projects out and to the sides, like a wave washing over you. Anyway, I’m just thrilled about having stumbled upon the whole "optical" thing and felt obligated to let others know about it. If you stream music over the internet, I highly recommend giving it a try. (The product I got was the opticalRendu, with the linear power supply option, and the Fiber Ethernet Converter Bundle option.)
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Showing 1 response by arafiq

@dougthebiker ... Haan Beekhuyzen has another video where he talks about the differences between the microRendu, ultraRendu and opticalRendu ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0A0l6keKTg
He feels that the opticalRendu is a step above the ultraRendu, which in turn is a step above the microRendu. 

@hiphiphan ... couldn't agree with you more. I bought the opticalRendu several months ago, and was pleasantly surprised at the level of improvement. It lowered the noise floor considerably resulting in a darker background, and is highly recommended at its given price point. It beats the Node 2i, Apple TV, and Chromecast hands down, these are all the streamers that I still own. I felt that it was at least equal to the Innuous Zen MK3 in terms of sound quality, but to be fair I did not hear the Innuous in my own system, so I might be wrong.

Also, don't worry about the so called 'frequency graph warriors', you don't owe them an explanation. Most of them are armed only with theoretical knowledge, where actually listening to the equipment is not only considered unnecessary but undesirable. It's understandable that they would take potshots at someone as accomplished and knowledgable as Haans Beekhuyzen, who actually reviews the equipment in his own setup (the horror!!!) before passing judgment. Remember, there is no compression algorithm for actual listening.