Just went with SMG i5 and opticalrendu package. Andrew is easy to work with and very responsive to inquiries. I'm simply waiting on the opticalrendu package to arrive so I can fire this whole thing up.
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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volumizer: yeah, someone mentioned that already. I replied above. I have no association with SGC whatsoever. I’m just very happy with my purchase and they happened to be the first place I stumbled across the optical thing. Someone above said that SOtM has some good products that work similarly, so I would encourage people to check that out -- or any other company that has similar optical gear. |
@agillis, to enjoy the benefits of fiber optic isolation, it looks like you need both an opticalModule and fiber ethernet converter. But in some of the other threads I've read about your product (Roon community), people suggest using two opticalModules. Can you explain which configuration is correct and why anyone would need two opticalModules? Thanks. In my testing here using an opticalModule on both ends didn't make much of a difference. Using on the "clean" end of the fiber gave a noticeable improvement in sound. But the Roon community members are not the only ones who heard a difference with an opticalModule on the "dirty" end. Hans Beekhuyzen a youtube reviewer also says his opticalRendu sounds best with an opticalModule on the "dirty" end. You can watch his video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0A0l6keKTg I have noticed that any time you eliminate switching power supplies from the area around your audio system the sound can improve. That may be what is happening here. |
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