05-14-2015, 11:16 AM #283
AnotherSpin  AnotherSpin is offline
Sophomore Member
Join Date
Sep 2012
Location
Odessa, Ukraine
Posts
420
After ten days of listening Regen I would like to add my impressions.

First, I would like to join my voice with all those who confirmed improvement brought by Regen into their system. I got the same improved clarity, grain and noise decrease, better tone of instruments, more/new sounds from familiar recordings, better dynamics, improved overall musicality and enjoyment from listening.

Additionally to that, I found out:
- musical picture became "bigger", and separate instruments seem to be closer or subjectively "bigger" now;
- I can hear more on low volume with improved lows and highs;
- subjectively, slow music became "slower", fast became "faster";
- symphonic orchestra and opera communicated better, is more true and convincing than before;

Regen is very revealing for both good and bad recordings what may work against some not so well recorded material. It seems some usb cables fit better to Regen than others. Regen needs several burn-in days, at the very first listening sessions I heard some sublime aural pressure which seem to gone in a few days.

With Regen I hear differences in HQ Player settings much clearly than before. When I was trying to change some of HQP settings before Regen I was barely noticing a change if any, now it became much more apparent. Also Regen reveals bigger difference between running OS from ssd vs. sd card.

USB Regen does two functions;

First, the USB REGEN takes the digital audio stream from your computer or other music streaming device, and generates a completely new USB data signal to feed to your DAC.  It accomplishes this by combining a carefully chosen USB hub chip with an ultra low-noise regulator and low-jitter clock.  Importantly, it does so with ideal impedance matching—right at the input of your DAC.

The USB REGEN's secondary function is that it disconnects the computer's noisy 5 volt bus power coming down the USB cable, and provides clean 5VBUS on its output--for DACs that need it—via a second ultra low-noise regulator.

This secondary function is same as Schiit Wyrd. Simply put, it cleans up your USB connection, eliminating noise and glitches caused by crappy USB power or USB port power management. It is a linear power supply through USB cable for DAC.

05-08-2015, 04:27 PM #257
reverendo  reverendo is offline
Sophomore Member
Join Date
Aug 2009
Location
Dallas, TX
Posts
394
I have finally have the time to write my impressions. I tested the REGEN in two different systems.
The first system was at the Lone Star Audio Fest here in Dallas. I received the REGEN on Saturday and went to the LSAF on Sunday late afternoon. Luckily Dave from Raven Audio still had his system set up and he was so kind to let me use it. Sunday afternoon the kids were at home and a decent comparison session would have been impossible  BTW, his system has me, a solid-state-guy, rethinking tubes and definitely showed me that I had listened to the Legacy Audio Aeris speakers in a terrible system.
Here's his system: PC > Mytek Manhatten > Goldfinch pre/Silhoutte Mk 2 pre > Spirit Mk2 Monos > Legacy Audio Focus HD. All cables were Douglas Connection top cables (I bought the Alpha-1 speaker cables after our listening session).
There's not much to say, actually, since the difference was so immediate and obvious that we only swapped it out once just in order to get a better grip on the differences. Dave also has very trained ears and our observations were pretty much the same. We quickly re-inserted the REGEN, since listening just wasn't as enjoyable without it anymore. I'll describe the main improvements at the end of this post.
Today I also had finally some time to listen to it in my system, since I had been travelling since Monday.
Here's my system: SBT w/ Welborne PSU > Resolution Audio Cantata > Gryphon Diablo > Evolution Acoustics MicroOne. I was using the Light Harmonic Lightspeed red USB cable. I also used a "normal" USB cable with a ferrite in order to see if cables matter with a REGEN in the digital chain.
So, enough talk... here's a summary of the results:
w/ REGEN
cleaned the whole sound, but not in a abrasive/chemical way. It's as if dust and dirt has been removed from crevices and corners revealing textures that were hidden and, simultaneously, someone showed up with a wet cloth, which made colours and timbres come to life, but in a completely natural way. Taking the REGEN out took timbres, colors and textures away, as if a fine gray dust had settled on the sound. The following points are probably the result of this main trait.
sound stage depth increased quite a bit
small inflections and inner detail increased quite a lot. I started to hear new details in the lower and mid frequencies, so in the regions that aren't necessarily affected if there were a fake tilt in the higher frequencies that sometimes create a sense of detail.
complex harmonics like Timpani and Glockenspiel decay were far more resolved and natural
wood sounds like wood (e.g knocking on double bass), and the prior sounds that mimicked wood now sound more like thick cardboard.

Belive me, it's hard to live without it after having it in your system.
Comparing the Lightspeed with my normal USB cable with ferrite made both cables sound spookily close. I guess that differences between good cables and the top cables will still be there, but by a far smaller fraction. The main differences were a slight lack of finesse and a less resolved sound, but it was subtle. I'm not even sure that many will be able to spot the differences without going back and forth quite a few times.
I know see that this post could sound like an ad, so let me make it clear: I am NOT affiliated with the creators of the REGEN, although I'd love to be able brag about having contributed to any of it. Unfortunately, like most of us here, we didn't. So, honor to whom honor is due, John and Alex. #respect

You're welcome, Will.
I will give my review opinion after I get and try USB Regen for 2 weeks.

I contacted the U.S. distributer for tmy he USB/SPDIF converter to get his take on the Regen and to see if I would benefit given I have the USB/SPDIF in the chain.

He said devices like this do provide better SQ (system dependent on how much) and would provide an improvement given that my converter is not galvanically isolated.

But he recommended I spend less and buy this unit:

https://electronics-shop.dk/usb_isolation.htm?currency=USD

He said for $50 (versus $150), it provides the same benefits.

So I contacted the designer after seeing a post over on head-fi and he basically said save your money.  Beyond what his unit does, the rest is hocus pocus.

After a little more back and forth with the designer and reading the Regen designer notes, I am not convinced that the lower cost device guy is correct.  If seems that the Regen does function as a hub with new information generated, where the cheaper device does not.  Is that important?

I think only an A/B test will tell.  I may buy the $50 device and Raven has the Regen on order.  They are constantly backordered so he won't get it till September some time.

Hmmm, I haven't thought of it in terms of priority, but here is what I have done in what I remember to be order of impact:

1. External LPSU with internal power filter (Teradak for about $350, I think)

2. Installed a SSD for the OS

2.  Used an applescript written by someone over at computer audiophile which creates a ramdisk and copies the Audirvana application to it.  It also creates a separate ramdisk for music.  Some claim this to be an improvement even though Audirvana loads the song into ram prior to playback.

3.  Bought a high speed SD card and loaded music on that.

4.  A few tweaks to Audirvana.  I don't recall all of them off hand, but I run 2X oversampling which I think gives me some lift.

5. Music on an external 2TB firewire HD powered by a battery, not a wall wart.  The battery is a pain, but I perceived degradation with a switching power supply anywhere in the system.

I also bought a USB to SPDIF converter, but that is more of Chord DAC thing.  The first iteration of the Chord Qute sounds better via SPDIF.

Some people install fan kits or run the fan via external power supply, etc. but I haven't gone there and probably won't.  There is other internal shielding you can do as well.

When I am trying to get the best sound I can, I run the ram disk application, copy music onto the SD card, run Audirvana stand alone.

I will be interested in what the regen or regen like product can do.

I have a late 2010.  Still has the optical drive.

I haven't done much research on which model is better.  The pre-2010 models have the external power supply so easier to mod, but you may run into performance issues with the new OS.  Not sure though.

OS may have more to do with sound than anything.  I am running Mavericks.  Not sure about the latest version.

Another thing I didn't mention since I bought mine with 8GB of ram, but I think that much ram is a good thing too.

Note: Edited due to having my Mac Mini year wrong.  2010 is when they went to the internal supply, not 2009.  Thanks Will.

Hrm, I didn't think of bandwidth limitations of these devices...As Palomino mentioned, I have the UpTone Audio USB Regen on order, simply because Ted_b from Computer Audiophile raved about it on the PS Audio forum (I trust his thoughts - he's proven himself again and again in my mind. Even though the CA Forums think PS Audio are crooks, Ted_b still uses the PS Audio DirectStream).

Due to my changed domestic situation, I'm no longer able to afford putting money into audio - so this USB Regen is my last audio purchase for a long while. I'm hoping it's worth it, but since it's sold out 4-6 weeks in advance; it shouldn't be difficult to resell if I don't like it.

BTW, I downloaded Yosemite after reading some positive reviews of how it plays with Audirvana using direct mode.  It does sound nice. Not sure if its a big improvement.  Seems a little smoother, but hard to A/B system changes.  It certainly didn't take things backwards.

Hrumph. I should pay more attention to the PS Audio forums. I've not been here or there much lately. But what does this sound like to you guys.

http://www.psaudio.com/forum/accessories-cables-and-room-tuning/new-usb-device-a...

Palo, have you looked into this one as well?

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-333558-audioquest-jitterbug-usb-filter.aspx

Well, here is a good review of the options out there.  Regen wins, but combos of the three are interesting.

/http://www.audiostream.com/content/usb-accessory-roundup-uptone-audio-usb-regen-...

In other news, I am becoming quite fond of Yosemite/Audirvana.  A more natural, relaxed and open sound.  More reverberant details.  I listened all day to that combo and really enjoyed the music.

I just got my USB Regen and play with it 3 hours. It is connected in between Mac Mini and Empire Audio Offramp 5 USB/SPDIF converter to Audio Note DAC mod to level 4.1.

The sound is quite obvious different after USB Regen is installed. It provides;

1) More black background noise.
2) More depth sound stage (may be 25% increase in depth).
3) Midrange and high frequency sound are more focused and pin point positioning in stage.
4) More details of nuances and timbre.
5) More dynamics and hear more louder (at same volume level).

Only weak point is that it is a little more harsh sound. However I think that because it does not pass burn in yet. It is only 2-3 hours playing after open the box. It may need to be played > 200 hours burn in and the harsh sound may be gone.

However after USB Regen is installed in your system, you will feel like you get new DAC. The sound different is like that you get new DAC in your system. If you like new sound different then it is a RAVE tweaks to spend only USD 175 to get new DAC.

The USB Regen is ground isolate and 5V electric supply isolate from computer already so that no need to spend money on any ground isolate device of USB cable.

I will report more when USB Regen is played more than 200 hours.

By the way, I am very happy now of its performance.

Nice! I just got shipping notice (Seconds ago) that my USB Regen has shipped this afternoon!

I probably won't see it till I get back from Peoria on Tuesday, so I'll update this thread when I get a few hours on it.

With my system, changes are pretty apparent, pretty quickly. Especially now that my overall noise floor has dropped at the house.  :)

I got my USB Regen on Tuesday night - I've not had much time on it yet. Still figuring it out. I'm going to let Palomino listen before I post any thoughts on it. I've had it plugged in and playing none stop for two days now...if it does need burn-in, it's getting it now.

Raven said he's tied up so go ahead.  Here is my brief report.  The entire listening session was probably 30-45 minutes but enough to form an opinion.

He had the regen running into his PS Audio DS Dac via the hard extension supplied with the regen.  We listened to a few different artists, but our A/B tune was primarily Jersey Girl by Holly Cole.  I think a 24/96 version.

I thought it was fairly easy to see that there was a difference with the Regen in the system.  Better focus/positioning on the instruments for me (I was in the sweet spot) and more detail.  

For example, there is a tambourine that is in the Jersey girl song.  With the Regen, it sounds more like a real tambourine where you hear the multiple "clinks" (for lack of a better word).  Without it, you hear it as more of a single clink and it just wasn't as real.  Some people say more air with the regen.  I didn't necessarily hear that.

On Computer Audiophile, they talk about a 20% increase (subjective I know), but Raven and I independently put our own subjective rating lower.  He said 10%, I said 10% to 15%.  Worth the $175, I think.

Anyway, I bought one an will try it out with the supplied SMPS and a small linear supply I have that puts out 5-6v.  The manufacturer is backed up so I won't have it till October.

I have taken a different path investing more in my room to get the best sound, but I am confident that I'll get some improvement out of this little device.  

Yeah, improved bass was another thing I did not notice on Raven's system with the regen, although it is widely reported over on CA.

There are some good reports of it working with Chord DACs, albeit the EX or 2Qute.  The weakness of the Chord QuteHD when it first came out was the USB interface.  Thus I bought the SDIF converter.  I will be trying it with both the converter and direct into the DAC to see which sounds better.  Net/net I could end up being able to sell one of my coax cables and the converter and more than pay for the regen.

I ordered some right angle RCA adapters so I can use the short solid USB adapter with either the SDIF or direct to the Chord.  Maybe I can lure Eric back over to my place with regen in hand .

This still all boggles my mind, because I came from the "bits is bits" mentality, and a USB hub (Regenerator) and changing a power supply on said regenerator shouldn't make a difference. But it does. I've even gone as far as doing the PS Audio "bit perfect" test on the DAC to prove that with and without the Regen, the bit's are technically the same. So there is a lot more going on here then just bits (I have friends who still poo-poo this, but I don't know enough to counter their reasoning why bits are bits).

But I heard everything Palo heard. I was sitting off-axis at my computer desk playing DJ, so I didn't hear as much imaging as I did tightening and focus and micro-detail.

Quote:


I have a date with my new favorite girl this weekend, but I don't know if it will be Saturday or Sunday yet. I'm probably available around Noon either day though. Ping me and we'll figure it out.

I have read some of the technical stuff on this gizmo and they don't focus exclusively on regenerating the bits but also on lowering the noise that is generated "where the bits get processed."  

A lower noise signal being read in by the DAC (the designer calls it signal integrity) makes the DAC work less hard and as a result, it produces less noise at the first stage of processing.  

The regen itself produces noise as it processes the USB signal coming in, so the higher quality signal coming in makes it work less hard and thus produces less noise on the output to the DAC.  That's why a higher quality USB cords have been shown to still improve the overall sound.

Still USB cords can introduce some noise in the signal and that's why after the regen and going into the dac, the preference seems to be for the short adapter rather than a USB cord.  Shorter length = less impact on the signal.

Finally, a linear power supply (or batteries) also don't add as much noise (as the SMPS) to either the mains or the regen itself, thus it seems to help SQ as well.

Seems the whole computer/USB chain has the potential to introduce noise at each link.  This thing works on one of the links.

I don't know if I got this completely right or if any of this makes EE sense, but I do know it sounds gooder.

The only thing I would add to your analogy is that a quality USB cord filters out some mud, then the regen filters out some more mud so the DAC doesn't have to work too hard to filter out the rest (and in doing so create any new mud itself).

Eric refers to me as "old man" and I can still hear the difference the regen makes!

I spent the last two days working at home and listened the entire day both days.  This regen is a must in my system.  

I think it may be a must for any computer generated audio with USB.  This is so smooth and detailed its a no brainer.  They are really on to something here.

$175 for the regen and $75 for the LPSU.  So $250 for this sound.  Great bargain.

First this, then the UFOs.  Good month for the hobby.

Yeah their site has good explanations.  Ted smiths explanation mirrors their explanation as well.  Keep the discussion focused on noise and not bits and I think you will avoid a bits is bits argument.  Bad signal makes the dac work harder and that creates noise.

I should get my own unit soon.   I think I am in the first Oct batch.

Thanks.  I had read the first but not the second so that was new information.  As a layman, I do see some flaws in the testing in the second review but it's not worth more discussion.   I do think it's important to scroll down and see the color spectrum graph which I think more clearly represents what I hear.

I will say this.  The effect is more pronounced in my system than it is in Ravens.  So the degree of impact seems to be system dependent.  Also the short USB connector sounds much better than the cheap USB Cord they include.  My spdif converter is out of the system now and a lpsu greatly enhances the sound.

I listened to EmmyLou Harris Wrecking Ball last night.  This is a complex layered recording that my buddy in the biz raved about and I always thought it sounded congested.  Well with the regen it was certainly less congested last night.   I finally started hearing what I think he was talking about.  

There are about 2000 owners out there now.  More than a couple would be crying bs if this thing didn't have a positive impact in what you hear.

I had some respect for his diligence in his tests till he said that.  Then he lost me.

I wonder how the iFi Audio iUSB3.0 may fair against the Regen?

I'm considering getting that battery posted...I can't spend much, but I wouldn't mind squeezing some more improvement out of the system.

Yeah, I skimmed that thread for any of Superdad's posts and saw that.

That apparently isn't useful data. LOL

That whole thread is people telling me I'm delusional for hearing an improvement. I wasn't expecting any, being super skeptical of such devices - but I heard it, and Palomino heard it, and our notes were very similar - so we heard the same changes/improvements.

Just because I'm not a scientist and can't/don't know how to measure it, doesn't mean the changes are in my imagination.

I'm also seeing...I guess I'd call it reverse placebo. It's  "I don't see anything in the measurements, so I don't hear anything when listening. "

I think its great in concept, but very difficult and time consuming to do correctly.  I generally don't get that worked up about somebody disagreeing with me to go to the effort to prove them right or wrong.

Raven and I sometimes do the highly scientific "you first" test.  It's not even single blind.  We both know a change has been made.  But one of us has to go first in terms of describing what difference were heard.  Then the other (on his honor) states what he heard.  Generally, we hit on about 2/3 of the opinion.  He may hear something slightly different than me or vice versa.

Anything we both agree makes a positive difference is generally enough to consider a purchase.  We also do this at CDApS.  Rob and I heard the UFOs in his system and were both slack jawed enough that no conversation was even necessary.  A couple days later, he bought.  I am still contemplating my next move.  I'd like to hear them in a Rachael.

I haven't tried the Regen, because I'm doubtful it will make an improvement on the SOtM USB audio card in my Auraliti
PK90(powered by a Linear PSU) and my DAC doesn't need to see the 5VDC buss power.

Plus when you are quiet it typically means you hear no change or don't like the change.  Way to mess with me.

On the SOtM card, I'm not sure I read anyone over at computer audiophile commenting on it and/or an improvement.  Maybe there is a reason for that.

Well hopefully you'll return mine soon!

So I stopped by Palomino's today, and listened to his Torii III setup in his well treated, and fantastic sounding room. He popped my regen in one last time before I took it home.

Yeah, it's the real deal. The reverb in recordings sounded more focused, instruments a little more natural, imaging was a little sharper and soundstage a little wider. I also felt that tracks where the micro-detail sounded congested when they got loud or really busy, sounded sharper and less congested.

At this point, nobody is going to convince me this is placebo

I was out all week at a conference in Vegas but when I got home, my regen had arrived.  

I wasn't expecting much given it would be cold and the amp was cold, but I was very pleasantly surprised that it sounded really, really good.  

The instruments now have more air around them and seem to float a little more 3D in the soundstage.  The music engulfed me more like a nice warm soft blanket but with more realistic detail.

I played the Chesky soundstage test track I have mentioned before and it was clearly the best I have heard it.  The key difference was that effect where the musicians go behind you is more convincing.

The only change versus my listening sessions with Eric's regen was that I brought home from the cottage one of my better DIY power cords to use with the LPSU for the regen.

I had also heard an improvement with Eric's regen when I did a PC swap before.  So twice now, I have heard an improvement as I moved up the chain in power cord quality.

Anyway, I can say pretty confidently that the LPSU really helps the regen and using a good power cord on the LPSU helps even more.

I think I have seen three flavors in the forums.  

Their high end JS2 at $925, the teradak like I have at about $70 and the "el cheapo" for around $60 that has a nice r-core transformer.  

I think the JS2 is better, but not sure I have read a review of the teradak vs the el cheapo.

Some people are waiting for their new PS.  Not sure of the release date.  I think November at the earliest.

Looks pretty good.  9v setting as well.  How long do you get out of a charge?

My Regen arrived last week and I finally had a chance to get it into the system this weekend.  The one track I listened to was "House of the Rising Sun" from the Opus 3 DSD sampler as I did a few comparisons.

1) Physically, the Regen was smaller than I was expecting based on the pictures.
2) I have it hooked up to my DAC with the small USB cord they provided.  I initially used the direct connection but like others have mentioned I didn't like how it put pressure on my USB input.  I didn't notice much difference between the two connections.  In my system, the short cord was good enough.  
3) When the Regen was connected I noticed blacker backgrounds, more focused imaging and more natural sounding instruments (cymbals/percussion).  Dynamics were very good and transients well defined.  I wouldn't describe these as small differences that you have to 'squint to see'.  
4) My initial sense was that I lost a little bit of depth to the soundstage.  The percussion rear/left of the SS didn't seem set as far back, but I may have been imagining this.
5) I also have a Jitterbug.  When I add this either in parallel or series, transients become less pronounced (softer) and the entire soundstage shifts back (increased depth).  I need to listen further to determine if this is something I like, particularly the softer transients.  The Jitterbug by itself is definitely less of a WOW vs. the Regen.

I have a modest computer setup and I am still navigating my way into computer audio.  MacBook Pro (battery) /SS HD/Audirvana Plus/Generic USB Cable.

Pal...sounds like I have a lot of room to improve.  What is encouraging is that I noticed a difference with the Regen right out of the box.

I didn't have a lot of time last weekend to listen, so hopefully I can squeeze in a few hours this weekend to solidify my observations.  I want to focus a little more on the Regen + Jitterbug.  My initial preference was Regen alone vs. the combination.

Does anyone notice a difference in volume with the Regen in the signal path?

I didn't notice any volume difference, but that said, we've heard an apparent volume difference when we've swapped from a $30 digital cable to a $350 digital cable. So *something* is going on there. I too would chalk it up to clarity and blacker background making it sound louder.

I have my regen in with the solid cord all the time now. It's drooping, but I'm going to cut a nice wood block for it to rest on. I did order that battery mentioned above, but it's coming on a slow boat from Hong Kong. I probalby could have made something in the mean time, but I figure I'll just be patient.

I didn't order a Jitterbug - they were sold out each time I looked to get one, and I'm kinda broke right now. Though it is my birthday in two weeks, so maybe I'll sell something to buy something. Crap, I need new tubes...I've plum wore-out my power tubes on the ZMA. Two years is way too long for me to be beating on them. I also have a preamp tube that's going. Time to offer to sweep floors and sling solder at Decware to afford a tube replacement!

I have been listening casually this evening...streaming Tidal via my computer.   The Regen seems to make Tidal less harsh.  More specifically, it seems to reduce glare/hash in the highs.  For reference, I am streaming Tidal via wireless, web browser only, without an audio shell (e.g. Amarra Tidal).  Prior to the Regen, Tidal was only tolerable for short durations and needed to be either turned down or off.  While not reference quality (yet), I can now listen to Tidal without fatigue.  Encouraging.        

This evening, my gut reaction to adding the Jitterbug is a slight loss of dynamics and transient detail.  This echoes my previous reaction when listening critically last weekend.

More to come...

Another Jitterbug review:

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/audioquest_jitterbug.htm

PS- even though I doubt the Regen will make an improvement on the SOtM USB audio card in my Auraliti PK90 (powered by a Linear PSU), I ordered one to try out.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2015/11/next-level-usb-audio-with-uptone-regen...

Stereophile JA's measurements of the Regen:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/uptone-audio-usb-regen-measurements#Xvo60FfZ5...

Also, per the stereophile measurements, he's the second person to observe no difference via measurements in the analogue outputs on the DAC.  

Given that literally thousands of people hear a difference, me thinks they are not measuring what is causing the reported difference.

Or maybe this is similar to how so many people report seeing bigfoot and describing the creature in a similar fashion.  Or describe aliens.

Anyway, I will continue to enjoy hearing what can't be measured.

Not much sanity in this hobby

I think uptone didn't help themselves when they said they would measure then they didn't.  Then they said that it would take expensive test equipment with lower jitter than the DAC.  I'll try to find the link.

I doubt there are tests that could show how decware amps do what they do but here I am.  Imaging for example?  Air?  Dimensionality?  Size of soundstage?  What electrical test can measure that?  I suppose you can measure noise and odd/even harmonics and deduce from those measures that you can achieve some of those attributes in their presence or absence.  

Until such measurements come about I will stick to my ears backed up by the high-precision lonely Raven and/or Proggrob test.

"Measuring the signal integrity of the USB signal is something fairly easy to do with a 3–4GHz scope and an eye-pattern test. Jitter measurements are a lot harder[;] at the exceedingly low level we are looking at[,] it takes some rather expensive test equipment."

http://www.stereophile.com/content/uptone-audio-usb-regen-manufacturers-comment#...

Quote:


Again, why make all these detailed claims then explain why you can't prove it with this lame excuse?
Lots of independent test labs out there that can do it and you don't have to buy the equipment.
I've been designing electronic equipment for 30+ years and no company I ever worked for has been able to (or needed to) afford all the equipment required to test some parameter we needed to meet.
I say again, just say it sounds better if it does.
Audiophiles will follow that and try it.
At this point I would say they have sold enough to be able to afford to have an independent lab do the testing if they really wanted to.

Core32,

Great post!

As should you!

I am curious though.  Have you had an opportunity to hear the regen?

I have had the regen for a while. There was an immediate improvement. I especially noticed the bass get tighter on the ERRx radials. Yesterday I got a JS-2 Linear power supply from Uptone. I liked this unit because I could power my regen at 7 VDC and at the same time power my 1 watt MicroZOTL2 amp at 12 VDC. The ERRx have never sounded so good. The regen is for real and got better with a good power supply.

Palomino, I haven't had it long enough to get used to the new/better SQ quite yet, but I will read up on "varying voltage", sounds interesting.

LR/Pal…I am also curious about the Curious.  I don't plan to use the dongle provided with the Regen.  It puts too much stress on the USB input and prevents me from using one of the I2S inputs on my DAC.  So, I may pick up the Curious Regen link too.

I am currently using a generic USB cable and the switching power supply for the Regen, so I have a lot of upside potential.  It sounds like they are working on a small linear power supply for the Regen, but it could be a while.  That said, I am in no rush.

Yeah, the battery for sure give me a little bit of a lift. It's somehow very slightly more involving than using the stock power.

I'm just having issues charging this battery now. Not sure why.

Pal, did you already order the Curious cable? Did you order the short, or the long? Because I think with your mad-money, I'd focus on the long...or both if you can swing it. I was close to ordering the long for myself as a birthday present...but I really need to keep on the straight and narrow with my spending.

Understood-

I'm still having issues charging this battery. I got one good use out of it, and now it only lasts for about 10 seconds then dies. I think I got jipped.

If I can't get it going tonight (trying to charge yet again), then I'm going to E-mail them and hope they just sound out a replacement. I might be back to figuring out how to charge one of my 6v lantern batteries.

Quote:


Yes, but it is not a panacea if the usb packet noise and 8kHz carrier are "infused" into the data or ground, which is why I have to use an Adnaco S3B fiber--over-usb - I can hear this noise in audible band at my speakers otherwise (i.e. REGEN > Computer direct using SMPS LPSU or battery!). Just FYI.

In regards to the Curious Cable, it would make sense that it would have to be placed after the Regen (from Regen to DAC) correct?  I just don't see how a USB cable could effect the sound if used from the PC to the Regen because the Regen is doing something to the signal before sending it to the DAC.

Sorry Hifi, just reread your post and saw you were getting the noise with the regen in place.

I don't get anything out of the ordinary without the regen.  Just better sound with it in.

I am using Audirvana which shuts down a lot of processes and I am using a SSD, external LPSU with my mac plus an internal power filter.  I would suspect that contributes to lower crud, but not carrier based noise.

On a separate note, I did tape over the 5v pin on the USB cord before the regen and felt it enhanced the sound.

Raven, I may want to hear the battery before the next CDApS if either of us are in each other's neighborhood.

I have some laptop Anker batteries that work, but it's argued since they have switching regulators to change voltage they aren't the best. Still they work, and I don't hear anything adverse. You can use up to 12V.

@ hifitubes, yes I could see that being a potential problem and will keep that in mind as I have not tried the Regen (or any USB cleanup device for that matter) as of yet.  Though, I'm considering the iFi iUSB 3.0 unit over the Regen as well.  because it deals with power cleanup on top of re-clocking, etc. and possibly their Gemini USB cable as I like the idea of the dual cable separation.

When does it find an end point?  NEVER!  (Insert evil laughter here).

Seriously, I think the regen with a good power supply or battery is a very good stopping point.   I would love to try the jitterbug but Raven is letting me down.

I will know in a week if a good USB cord brings anything to the party.

After that, the icing on the cake is a good power cord feeding the regen lpsu and a better USB cord before the regen or possibly taping the power pin (1) on an existing USB cord going in to the regen.

Many are reporting good lift with just the regen and stock power supply.

I am not in a position to post a picture but pull out your USB cord from the computer and orient so that the white plastic spacer is on the bottom and you can see the four pins appear across the top of the spacer.

Pin 1 is to the far right.  Take notice of the space from the far right of the plug casing to the second pin.  I would guess that it's around 1/4 ". Maybe a bit less.  Take a piece of masking tape and cut a strip about that wide and about 1/2" long.  Insert with sticky side down till hit hits the back of the housing.  Bend what sticks out beyond the end down and press to the outside of the housing.  Then take a toothpick or some small flat instrument and put it inside the housing and press the tape down till it sticks to the pin/plastic spacer.  It it touches the second pin it is too wide, so re-cut. Carefully insert the cord back into the computer USB port.

That's great.  I have found Alex to be very responsive.

You may be the first one with a zen/regen combo.  Keep us informed.

DPC, tell me more about your Heil Air motion converters and how you set them up.  I had ESS AMT 10b speakers in the past and remember loving them.  Do you not have to use the complicated ESS crossover?  You just use one cap? Can you attenuate the highs like on the original speakers? I'm not technically inclined so I don't know how it works.  Thanks,  Mark.

Sorry thought you were a zen 2 watt man.  How do you like audirvana 2.2.

Pal, you were not wrong, there have been a few Decware amps here.  For my needs the Rachel fits the best right now.  Have been a Decware fanboy for about thirteen years now.  On whim I read some white papers Steve wrote and gave him a call and he invited to drop by for a listen.  End of story!

IMO computer audio is the present and future for the majority or average music lovers.  Have a PC running Foobar 2000, sounds OK but the Mac mini with Audirvana is the best player for my money.  Some folks like anchovies on their pizza, some don't.  To each his own!

Well, I got the curious regen link USB cable.  Took two weeks to arrive.  

I was going to wait to comment to see if Eric heard the same things I did, but this is so obvious he have to turn in his CDApS card and sell the ZMA if he couldn’t hear what this cable brings to the table.

It didn’t start out great though.  Nothing remarkable through the first night of listening.  But I ran music through it for 24 hours and then sat down and listened again last night.  

Pretty much everything that Rob (the designer) says, it will do.  Most notable is the dimensionality of the soundstage.  I thought I had a big soundstage going.  This increases it to a notable degree.  I did some A/B with the hard connector from the regen to the DAC and without rushing to complete the A/B; you could easily hear how the soundstage shrunk with the hard connector.

Smoother delivery, spot on tone, pretty much everything else he says.  Foot taping, front to back separation, all that.

One of my test tracks for anything new is Fleetwood Mac, Gold Dust Woman from the Rumors album.  During the first (not 2nd) chorus, I listen to see if I can pick out Christie McVee singing backup on the right side.  It’s a good detail/separation test.  Anyway, not only could I pick her out easily, but it gave the illusion of her being back several feet in the soundstage, and distinct from the rest of the track.

I tried the link in front of the regen and also after the regen and got the same effect, so I believe it is due to the curious cable.

I will try to get over to the Raven’s multimedia lair to see if it has the same effect with a Windows/ Directstream setup, but I do remember Alrainbow, of the PS Audio site citing good things in a post about pairing it with the DirectStream.

So I am on a pretty good run with the WE16g wire, the regen and LPSU and now the Curious cable.  Dare I try some new tubes??

I forgot about the battery.  Yeah, that would be good to hear as well.

I should have some time this weekend.  A friend is in town so I have to figure out when I can get together with him, then I can let you know.

There is such a positive boost to the soundstage presentation with the Curious regen link USB cable that I felt it rivaled what I get with vinyl.  My vinyl rig is very old (new cartridge), but I still delivers that huge multi-dimensional soundstage that I have never been able to match with digital.

The album I chose for the test was Joe Jackson’s Body and Soul – side 2.  This is a good semi-live recording that I believe was recorded in an old church in New York.  Joe Jackson has always taken care with the production of his albums and I have had this album since I was in my 20s.  Over the years I was always disappointed when I did comparisons to the digital version.  Instead of this huge performance, I got this small, flat, less dynamic sound and I pretty much gave up on the digital version.  It just didn’t take me where the vinyl version did emotionally.

I spent some time A/B-ing but having to adjust the volume as I switched.   At first, the vinyl version blew away the digital.  It still sounded thin, less full, less big.  Then I cranked the Audirvana volume all the way up, and found it closely matched the output from my turntable so that I could flip the source switch and have pretty well matched up volume between the two sources.

I was very pleasantly surprised that now the multi-dimensional soundstage was there, plus the dynamics and most important, the emotional involvement.   I might give a slight edge to the analog version.  Might.

I think the Uptone and Curious cable guys are on to something in computer based audio.  At least a far as USB goes.  

If I get some time today, I will do a few other comparisons where I have both the digital and vinyl version.  Most of my album buying ended in the 80s, so I don’t have a lot to compare.

Not sure I can say for sure.  I think the regen added more but I'd have to go back and test to be sure.  The Curious adds more than the LPSU.

Yeah, might be hitting the point of diminishing returns.  John Darko said it brought some improvement, but it didn't sound like much.

They had me at regen.  But I am glad I went a little further.

Sorry I didn't get by this weekend.  Until my wife finds a dress to wear to this wedding, my life is on hold:).