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

Yeah, I own the Optical Rendu and the Deluxe Optical Module and agree they are excellent.  I have added a little augmentation with the power supplies (I'm using ones from Linear Tube Audio) but I understand that there are excellent options available from Sonore as well.

I began hunting for a streamer for a new system a couple of years ago and compared everything to my Innuos Zenith Mkiii that was running in the old system.  Once I dialed in on my DAC choice (a Mersson DAC1) I compared everything to the Innuos as a streamer.  I tried lower-end stuff from Bluesound (meh) and then iFi's Zen Stream (Better) and then moved up the chain to include Bricasti, an older Auralic, and a couple of all-in-ones (streamer/DACS).  Nothing really knocked off the Innuos used as an endpoint.  Until I got to the Optical Rendu.

I read a few times about the positive effect of the galvanic isolation provided by the conversion of the incoming ethernet signal to an optical signal.  A couple of reviewers that I trust mentioned that this was one of the few things in streaming that actually makes a difference.  After trying the Optical Rendu package, I completely agree.  Finally, there was something that sounded better than my Innuos.  Better separation of instruments and delineation of space and sound stage and dead quiet backgrounds.  And all for a reasonable price point.  At some point, I'd like to upgrade to the "Ultimate Rendu" but Sonore at all levels makes great products that punch way above their price points and (at the upper end) actually push the state-of-the-art.  Don't let these simple little black boxes fool you, if you want a fabulous streamer, Sonore should be on your shortlist.  

I had 3 of the optical Rendus at one time. I only have 1 left, but I am looking to get the new OpticalRendu coming out maybe next month.

I compared the OpticalRendu to the opticalStreamer in the Lumin X1 and they sounded different, but neither was better.

When I first switched to Roon, I thought that an "Audiophile Grade" silent PC running Roon Bridge would be perfect between Roon Core and my DAC.

I then tried the UltraRendu from Sonore-SGC... what a difference ! Every aspect of it was better soundstage, tighter bass, smoother highs. So impressive for such a small device! 

Last year I decided to go optical, and bought a OpticalRendu. Again, what a HUGE improvement, especially a much lower noise floor.  Following Andrew's advices at SGC it was frankly easy to change from Ethernet to Optical, ans SO worth it.  

My budget won't allow for the Signature Rendu, so I'm a bit jealous ;) but not too much, since the OpticalRendu is quite an amazing device.   

quintiq

I just spoke to Adrian @ Sonore, and he said they hope to have the new OpticalRendu out by this fall. They have had supply chain issues and the parts costs have gone way up. It will be about $500 more than the current OpticalRendu.

In the meantime, I will upgrade my power supply for my MicroRendu (which I love) to the Sonore external supply (about $800!), which I can use with the new OpticalRendu when it comes out. Adrian says upgrading the power supply (from the SGC external PS) will be very noticeable. 

It seems wise to make the leap past the UltraRendu to the OpticalRendu, though with the better Sonore power supply I would probably be very happy with the Ultra also. I am running an SGC Sonictransporter, which imo is excellent.