KeithL
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Posts: 10,256
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Post by KeithL on Dec 27, 2018 12:17:52 GMT -5
And I'll bet it only cost you a few bucks. First off, until someone has put a stopwatch on it, I'm not going to take the word of happy passengers that "it feels faster".... I want to see actual numbers that I can compare to someone else. There are just too many ways in which our perceptions, including mine, can be monkeyed with.
The best "performance per dollar" improvement that I've ever made on an automobile was fitting a lighter accelerator pedal return spring . . .
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,256
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Post by KeithL on Dec 27, 2018 12:23:01 GMT -5
Not a bad idea.... but it's a little late in the game for that  Why don't we change the title and limit participation specifically to actual microRendu owners. 🤔 |
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DYohn
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Posts: 18,485
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Post by DYohn on Dec 27, 2018 13:24:55 GMT -5
Not a bad idea.... but it's a little late in the game for that Why don't we change the title and limit participation specifically to actual microRendu owners. 🤔 Ah, but Keith, then you wouldn't be able to come into the thread and tell us how foolish we all were for trusting our perceptions. |
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klinemj
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Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,083
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Post by klinemj on Dec 27, 2018 17:40:57 GMT -5
Not a bad idea.... but it's a little late in the game for that Ah, but Keith, then you wouldn't be able to come into the thread and tell us how foolish we all were for trusting our perceptions. Then by all means, we should implement that change in this thread effective immediately! LOL! Mark |
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Post by liv2teach on Jan 14, 2019 23:35:20 GMT -5
I guess I'll check in to see if this thread is dead. I finally got my Ultra Rendu up and running...not without the usual pain in the butt tech issues. I don't want to comment much until I get a chance to spend several hours and perhaps bring in some more ears to listen, but in a very brief side by side comparison with my Bluesound Node 2i, I'd give the clear nod to the Ultra Rendu. Again, this was just with about 15 minutes of back and forth listening with just one song. If there's interest, I'll post a much more thorough review in the not to distant future...
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Post by Soup on Jan 15, 2019 8:43:25 GMT -5
I guess I'll check in to see if this thread is dead. I finally got my Ultra Rendu up and running...not without the usual pain in the butt tech issues. I don't want to comment much until I get a chance to spend several hours and perhaps bring in some more ears to listen, but in a very brief side by side comparison with my Bluesound Node 2i, I'd give the clear nod to the Ultra Rendu. Again, this was just with about 15 minutes of back and forth listening with just one song. If there's interest, I'll post a much more thorough review in the not to distant future... I'm interested in reading your complete review. Thanks!  |
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Post by liv2teach on Jan 19, 2019 17:20:10 GMT -5
Okay, as promised here’s my two cents on my comparison between the Bluesound Node 2i and the ultraRendu...
The Bluesound is good solid, heavy well-built unit. It can operate in Wi-Fi or tethered via Ethernet connection. For my purposes it was Wi-Fi. One of the selling points of the Bluesound is its abilities to wirelessly connect to small Bluesound speakers around the house. (I don’t have any of these speakers, therefore won’t comment on them.) Bluesound comes in around $499. I connected the unit to my DAC with a toslink cable. Also, the Bluesound does have an onboard DAC of its own, but offers the option to bypass it…which obviously I did.
The ultraRendu is of a far less impressive stature… I did get the power supply which is good and hefty…so it’s a two piece unit. It does not offer Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, it is basically a plug and play unit. It’s priced around $1000 with the power unit. It was connected to my DAC via USB cable.
Both units were connected to my Modwright Oppo 205 by their respective cables of equal, but moderate quality. The processor was a Primaluna Dialogue Premium and the amps were Primaluna Dialogue HP. The speakers were Goldenear Reference, and I streamed Tidal through Roon for all music listening.
After beginning my comparative listening, it dawned on me that there was a fly in the ointment. While reviewing some info on the internet I remembered that after a firmware upgrade, the Oppo 205 could be used as a Roon endpoint. Thus, I had to toss the Oppo into the mix as a legitimate streaming source. From this point forward, for a point of clarity, when I refer to the Oppo... I’m referring to the Modwright Oppo 205, a far different animal than a factory stock Oppo 205.
Bluesound Node 2i: If you’re looking to get into streaming for the sub $500 level, look no further…the Bluesound is great. Convenient and easy setup...although I did struggle with getting it to recognize my network. It recognized my neighbor’s network that is several hundred yards away, but couldn’t find my network. I found it easier to just plug in the Ethernet cable, set the device up and then move it downstairs to the media room. It interfaces with your phone (app), and for the most part works flawlessly. It did drop my network after a prolonged power outage and had to be set up again, and on an occasion I would get a drop in sound, most likely because of spotty internet reception. The audio is best described as warm and full. The soundstage was solid with singers and instruments well placed and the depth layered. So as not to cast a shadow on the media screen when it’s lowered, the speakers are set fairly wide apart. The Bluesound filled the stage with sound, but I felt the width of the soundstage stopped where the speakers began. The clarity of sound was solid and words and music were well articulated.
ultraRendu: In a word the difference between the ultraRendu and the Bluesound would have to be... clarity. It felt as if the Rendu lifted that last little veil between the listener and the music. In fact I continued to bounce between the Rendu and Bluesound to see if perhaps the Rendu was to sterile. In the end though, it wasn’t sterile, it simply was clear. The placement of singers and music was precise; there was a real sense of presence with the music. During one listening session I was extremely tired from a day of teaching and drifted into sleep...humorously, while in-between the state of sleep and consciousness, I envisioned Jim Morrison standing and singing in front of me. When it came to the depth of the soundstage I kept vacillating between being thin, or just highly detailed and well placed. I concluded that what I heard was the Rendu removing the filler or fuzz from between the instruments and allowing the music to present itself in a highly revealing way. The unnecessary filler was gone. As for the width of the soundstage, hands down the ultraRendu was far superior. The sound extended well beyond the speaker’s edge to wrap around the listener. A time or two, I had to remind myself I was listening to stereo and not multi-channel music. Almost thought the wide speakers were playing.
Modwright Oppo 205: I would say the Oppo was nearly the equal of the Rendu. In fact, I would have difficulty telling the difference between the two in many situations. I did say, “nearly” and “many”. When playing the higher res music, I felt the Rendu superior, more clear and articulate. From what I have read and come to understand, the Oppo as a music server is incapable of playing hi res music at the MQA resolution. I would say that my listening experience confirms this…but then again, some would argue that we humans are incapable of hearing this difference anyway.
Final word: If you’re looking to get into streaming cheap with great sound and versatility, go with the Bluesound and enjoy. In reality, to lessen my equipment load in the media room, the Bluesound will probably find a home upstairs in my office. Perhaps we’ll give some of the Bluetooth speakers a try in the bedroom and/or living areas. If you own a Modwright Oppo 205 and you use it as a Roon endpoint, I would be somewhat hesitant to invest the extra dollars to gain a small advantage in sound quality with the ultraRendu, but with that said, I'm glad I did and look forward to many hours ahead of exploring and listening to music with the ultraRendu.
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Post by Soup on Jan 19, 2019 17:30:03 GMT -5
Appreciated!
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Post by wilburthegoose on Jan 20, 2019 8:32:10 GMT -5
liv2teach - thank you for a very well written review. For what it's worth, I have a stock Oppo UDP-203 (which is great for playing movies), and it was nowhere near as good as your modified Oppo.
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