UpTone Audio - USB Regen

I think you'll like it. Great little device 

Thanks James, I've read good things about it and the 'science' seems to make sense to me

Interesting! Naturally, one would expect Naim to provide a low power, fanless, headless music server with USB and SPDIF outputs optimized for the V1 and for the DAC digital to analog converters, packaged in a small nice black box, based on an open source OS and upgradable with an expensive PSU. But this is probably wishful thinking and Naim (and Chord) will most likely keep on providing excellent digital to analogue converters but not the devices needed to feed them. Please, let us know your findings with the Regen USB  once you get it! Thanks, nbpf

I ordered one a month ago and its a week away from delivery just now (just arrived in the UK pending customs clearance) .  I have a Hynes PS ready to power it.  Apparently a good LPS is an improvement on the SMPS supplied.

I'll comment when I get it into my system.

Excellent, look forward to seeing how you get on

Regen installed this morning. Powering with a Hynes LPS and also fitted a SBoost v-bus isolator on the outlet to the DAC (Auralic Vega).   This is to isolate the voltage line as the Vega doesn't need it.  

A very decent improvement is SQ for not much cash (140 quid inc. import duties).  Noticeably cleaner and clearer lines with quieter background, more detail and staging, and increased dynamics.  

Well worth a punt imho

Excellent, looking forward to getting mine now, as you say, not a lot of money

Thanks for that, Colin.

I've done a bit of googling on the web and have seen that a few owners of the DAC I use (Chord 2Qute) have reported only marginal benefits and some negative effects with the Regan. It has been suggested that this may be due the isolation already in place on the 2Qute, which I had suspected may be the case. Most people do seem to report very positive effects with other DACs however.

Makes me a tad more reluctant to take the punt! Shame it can't be demoed.

Looking at the latest measurements, the device actually appears to add noise to the analogue output, complete waste of money.

H

Impressive refutation.  Well done.

As I've listened to it with an LPS (not an SMPS per the WBF sourced tech report you are presumably referencing), I'll use my ears to judge.

Have you even heard it?

I have had a Regen on the Chord Hugo on and off for a while. I can't really say whether it improves it or not (playing from a desktop PC). Nothing dramatic anyways - perhaps less noise going through. I will try it with headphones to be sure.

I plugged Hugo into my main system (vacuum tube/solid state hybrid). Listening to Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez hires flac files (Mercury Living Presence) from HDtracks, I would say yes - the Regen does make a difference - it takes an already very good Hugo 'sound stage' and makes it even more 'focused' (probably less USB noise going into the DAC)!

I don't need to hear it, to know it does absolutely nothing, although I suppose if your dac is really an outstandingly poor design?

H

It's impressive that you can make such a definitive statement on a device you haven't heard in contradiction of those who have.  I wish I was that gifted but I'll just hedge my bets and use my ears when it arrives.

Billie Holiday - Commodore  amazing remaster 24/96 flac- via Regen > Hugo 'something +ve is added' but its hard to pinpoint - captivating.

Edit: could be that microdynamics are highlighted?

Art Pepper/Joe Farrell  - Darn that Dream. This is the type of recording where (IMHO) Hugo falls short.  I'm afraid to say Regen is not helping! This was one of (if not) Art Pepper's last recordings as he was quite ill and died only a few months after. You should be able to hear the 'gravitas' of that situation in these recordings. However Hugo tends to make light of things here and Regen is not helping in that regard.

All in all though, it is clear to me that Regen improves the Hugo USB playback.

Very interesting to hear how it affects from one recording to another, thanks for sharing

very welcome

last listen: Regen>Hugo

Mozart - Requiem 24_44.1 (Qobuz)

Sandrine Piau, Sara Mingardo, Werner Güra, Christopher Purves, Accentus, Laurence Equilbey

label: NAÏVE (24_44.1 flac from Qobuz)

This is one that I definitely prefer listening to without Regen (quite surprising) - Regen adds ' sound stage' focus but along with that there is  added 'hardness' to the vocal  crescendos in this remarkable performance. It all results in  a loss of  "souffle de vie" unfortunately (real or imagined)! YMMV

I have had my Regen for a couple of months and have been pleased with the results given the modest outlay. I have it directly coupled to my Hugo using an adapter I picked up on ebay, made by Startech I believe, for a couple of £. I had placed a photo in the original Regen thread. Also using a Supra USB cable between my SB Touch and the Regen.

I recently took it out of the system to see if I would miss it, resulting in it pretty much going right back in.

I had been listening to a lot of my old Bowie rips recently - given the new Bowie releases I was giving my old stuff a spin in the hope of getting my Bowie fix and thus not shell out for some replacements.  The main comparison was with a Ryko Au20 CD rip of Hunky Dory .

With the Regen in the chain I felt there was more body to the music with particularly better defined bass and better ability to hear distinct notes in quick bass runs or drum rolls. Sustained piano notes decayed with body and harmonics that was more pronounced than without the Regen. It wasn't massive - all the information was still there - but I felt the Regen just portrayed it with more weight and micro detail - almost as if the volume had been turned up - which it hadn't. 

I made the mistake of putting on a vinyl copy of HD thereafter. I really need to play my records more. This was the real deal, making the above micro-comparisons moot. The record just exploded with energy and weight - maybe a bit too much bass. Who knows, it is impossible to tell these days what is the absolute correct rendering of a classic LP. I guess the original 1st press is the arbiter here. Mine was an EMI 100 issue from the late 90's which sounded absolutely excellent. 

So the Regen stays. I am looking forward to their new product with is some type of power supply or power supply add on - they are keeping details pretty close to their chest. If it means I don't have to buy a Linear PS for the Regen, I'll be happy.

I would be careful about the UpTone people. They are smart. I have no proof but my gut tells me they have hired one or more people to create debate about their Regen (and other) products in forums like these. You see similar posts here, and on other hifi forums. This is not pure organic growth. It's targeted social media marketing.

Meanwhile, someone has recently taken some science to the product.

Moderated Post:  Please no unauthorised links in here, thanks.

Doubtful - there are enough people with way too much time on their hands to endlessly debate these things on certain forums without needing to hire them. 

It's a decent product. Cheap to try out and easy to sell on if it doesn't work for you. 

Quite. Shame more people can't do the same