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Sonore OpticalRendu

When I decided to go to digital streaming, I was looking for the best turnkey system for my budget.  When I came across The Small Green Computer Company and Alex, I was intrigued.  And then I saw the optical setup with the Sonore Rendu offered in a bundle with The Small Green Computer Company.  That sealed the deal for me and I have not looked back.  Having used it for over a year now the quality of the digital source in my system is very close to the analog side.  And Alex could not have been more helpful when I did have questions.

 

If you are looking into starting the digital journey, I highly recommend looking at The Small Green Computer Company offerings.

mokes2024

Showing 2 responses by mistercrash

mistercrash
19 posts
 

I got a Sonore Signature Rendu about a year ago in a bundle with a Small Green Computer i5. At the time, I was considering moving from my Sony HAP-Z1ES streamer to a Roon setup. At first I was puzzled by how to get the system set up, but Andrew Gillis at SGC has great writeups and videos on his site that I was able to follow. I have the SGC in a separate room, connected by ethernet to a network switch, with a fiber optic connection from the switch that feeds right into my Signature Rendu.

I would echo your recommendation. I've been using the Signature as my main playback device for the past year and I've been impressed by it. Andrew had been very helpful with questions I've had, and I've appreciated the setup so much that I ended up getting an ultraRendu for another room.

mistercrash
19 posts
 

The setup that I have uses a SGC as a Roon core, which then connects through my home network via Ethernet. The SGC can also be set up in a few other modes that the Rendu players accept. I then have a network switch with an SFP module that converts the signal to optical and a magenta patch cable to feed into a Signature Rendu, with USB going out to the DAC. This same setup would work with an OpticalRendu as it accepts the same fiber optic input.

In a separate setup, I have another network switch with an SFP module which is connected to an optical converter. The Ethernet gets converted to optical in the switch, then back to Ethernet in the converter, which then feeds the ultraRendu, with USB going out to the DAC.

The advantage of Optical vs ultra is that there are fewer boxes and less setup required. The OpticalRendu also has some other internal improvements, and I expect the new OpticalRendu to have even more.

Just as a note, when ordering parts like the SFP modules, you really need to pay attention to specs: frequency, throughput, compatibility with your switch. They aren't all the same and if you get the wrong module, it won't work. I ended up getting a Cisco SFP from FS.com since I was using Cisco switches, and their tech support e-mailed me to confirm compatibility before they sent it out. 

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