FWIW, last fall I upgraded my digital chain from a VBA to Sonic transporter i5, UR, and SGC LPS. I use the switch SGC recommended, a $22 Trendnet. My system always seemed quiet, before and after upgrade. I did not try OR. My DAC lacked USB, which I was happy living without until the UR arrived, requiring a USB DAC. Long story short, none of DACs I tried (4 DACs priced from $500 to $1300) sounded as good as my old DAC. The solution was the SGC USB to S/PDIF adapter. Pricey at $500, but everything sounds pretty good now. I will say that this digital chain is more revealing and less euphonic than the old set up, so I can now differentiate between really good recordings and not so good ones. Honestly, I miss the euphony a bit. I might try that iFi power supply for the switch.
Optical vs Ultra Rendu.
Is it worth the $696 more to go with the optical Rendu:
Over the standard (ethernet connected) ultra Rendu:
Has anybody compared these units, is there a notable difference in sound quality between these two? Both still connect to the DAC via USB.
Showing 3 responses by bondmanp
@high-amp Sorry...VBA is a generic term for any dedicated computer running Linux with Vortexbox server software. Before the Sonic Orbiter and Sonic Transporter products, Small Green Computer sold Vortexbox appliances, pretty cheaply, I might add. My first music server, in 2011, was a SGC VBA, for under a grand. My satisfaction with this server and with SGC were important factors in my decision to upgrade to the Sonic Transporter i5. The support from SGC is excellent. |
So, as an update, I gave up trying to avoid Chi-Fi and bought a Denafrips Pontus II DAC. This has an I2S over HDMI that is compatible with the I2S output of the UltraDigital. Although I could just use USB from the UR into the DAC, this way I can use the UD ( I did pay for it!), and some feel the I2S sounds better than USB. Of course, USB is still in use from the UR to the UD. As the system has broken in, things have improved steadily, to the point where things sound really good. I would still like a little more warmth and smoothness, but maybe that will come with more break in. I also put a small dip at 3kHz in the digital chain by using the Roon DSP. This seems to help a lot without messing anything up.
Meanwhile, after speaking with Andrew at SGC, I am considering the fiber optical converter bundle, for $350. It is returnable if it doesn’t provide any improvement. I have to wait for funds for this purchase to be available, but I will try to post here if I get this bundle. |