Review: Sonore ultraRendu


This is a review of the Sonore ultraRendu. This is an ethernet-to-usb converter that I use for HQ Player Network Audio Adapter output or for Roon-Ready output. In either output mode, I use the ultraRendu device with Roon. I do not use the other output modes, which include Squeezelite output, Sharepoint output, and MPD/DLNA output. My Roon Core and HQ Player (embedded version) run on a Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i9 music server. In the past I’ve also run Roon Core and HQ player (desktop version) on a Mac Mini, in which case I can dispense with the ultraRendu and connect the Mac with a USB cable directly to my integrated streamer/DAC/pre-amp. I also can connect an ethernet cable from the sonicTransporter directly to my streamer/DAC/pre-amp, bypassing the ultraRendu.

I notice little if any difference in the sound quality of these various connections, per se. So, why use the ultraRendu at all? The main reason is that HQ Player embedded version runs a bit better on my sonicTransporter than the HQ Player desktop version does on my 2014 Mac Mini, allowing (in some cases) higher upsampling rates. As far as I know, I have no way to use HQ Player embedded on the sonicTransporter without inserting the ultraRendu as an NAA (adapter) in between the sonicTransporter and the streamer/DAC/pre-amp.

So, basically, I’m using it as a switching device upstream from my preamp. The ultraRendu needs a separate power supply. For this purpose I use Uptone Audio’s ultraCap linear power supply, whose case is almost identical to the ultraRendu’s. The ultraRendu and ultraCap add cost, complexity, clutter and heat to my system. So I’d love to find a satisfactory way to run HQ Player embedded on my music server (the sonicTransporter i9) without these extra little devices. Some people might be satisfied with the sound I get by using my streamer/DAC/pre-amp as a network-attached Roon-ready device. In that case, I could dispense with HQ Player, the ultraRendu, and the ultraCap. In some future Roon release, maybe the digital signal processing features (including upsampling) will improve to the point that I’ll be ready to do that. Meanwhile, the ultraRendu works pretty well for my current needs, usually. An exception is when, after a power outage, the USB handshake sometimes does not recover gracefully. Then I sometimes have to do a sequence of reboots/reconnects to restore the connections. I don’t know if the fault is with the ultraRendu, the DAC, or the combination.

Caveat: I’m writing this review primarily to qualify for a free upgrade to my player’s operating system. The vendor wants upgrading users to first post an online review of a Sonore Rendu series player, otherwise pay for the upgrade. I apologize in advance for any unintended inaccuracies in the above review, in which case I’d welcome polite corrections from other posters.

 

 

tk21

Thanks for sharing insight on the UR.  Not a fan of review bribery…seems a bit sleazy to me.  Hope for Andrew they are all good reviews 😳.  I don’t have a Rendu but I do love my Sonic transporter from them!

Nice review. I’m writing a review of the optical rendu for the same reason. I agree, this is beneath the otherwise good intentions of Sonore and SGC. In any case, I use the optical rendu in my downstairs second system, connected via an optical module. I previously had a Sonore signature rendu  and I feels the optical rendu is very close in sq to that unit. Highly recommended 
 

Caveat: I’m writing this review primarily to qualify for a free upgrade to my player’s operating system. The vendor wants upgrading users to first post an online review of a Sonore Rendu series player, otherwise pay for the upgrade. I apologize in advance for any unintended inaccuracies in the above review, in which case I’d welcome polite corrections from other posters

Same. All this to save $29.

That said, my UltraRendu is worth writing about. My friend Jay, formerly of Audio Revelation (sadly, one of the great high-end audio retailers closed up shop with Jay's retirement a couple of years ago), turned me onto the Rendu. I purchased an UltraRendu along with a SGC Linear power supply, and followed that up a year later with a Sonic Transporter. Of all the digital sources I have used - and I have tried many media-based and streaming sources, the UltraRendu, connected to an Alpha USB converter (I'm not sure the Alpha is any better than my M2Tech EVO2, and with the M2Tech Clock2, it isn't. But it is less fiddly.) is the best sounding digital source in my rig and I recommend it highly. I do plan to upgrade to the Optical Rendu. 

 

I'll add to this discussion. I don't normally like to write "sponsored" reviews, but I have had an ultraRendu for over 2 years and it really did make a big difference in my system, especially coming from just a normal PC core. I've never had any problems with it and it's produced incredibly clear sound quality for me, hour after hour, week after week.

One thing I may add of value here is that an addon / upgrade of dual fiber media converters (with SPF transceivers) is a very cheap way to take the sound quality to another level, by kicking out a lot of the ethernet noise. Highly recommended if you have an ultraRendu.