Just bought a Rivo + to upgrade my streamer from a Bluesound Node 2i, The Rivo + will be connected to LAIV Harmony DAC, which is replacing my Pontus II. I am planning to add a LPY50 LPS for the Rivo, and front-end the Rivo with an EtherREGEN network switch. Downstream from the LAIV is my Modwright 9.0 SE hybrid tube preamplifier, into a McCormack DNA-125 power amp. I have a pair of LRS + speakers anda pair of Tekton Electron SE speakers. My primary listening is small group acoustic music, classical chamber, jazz trios and quartets, and some larger choral and symphonic music. I am hoping this upgrade on the digital front-end will make a noticeable difference in my system. The transition from BluOS UI to Volumio has been pretty easy so far, but Volumio does have a few quirks. Overall I’m happy with it. I keep the Bluesound with a coax connection because of the classical streaming service Idagio, which is not supported by Volumio ): Mostly running Qobuz and local flac files through Rivo. Enjoy the music!
Hello,
Thank you for sharing the details of your setup and your experience with the Rivo+.
It sounds like you’ve built an exceptional system, and I’m glad to hear that your transition from Bluesound’s BluOS to Volumio has been smooth overall.
Your configuration, with the Rivo+ connected to the LAIV Harmony DAC, and plans to add the LPY50 LPS along with an EtherREGEN network switch, sounds like a very well-thought-out upgrade. It’s great to see such a focus on achieving optimal sound quality, especially for acoustic, chamber, and jazz music, as well as larger orchestral works.
I appreciate your honest feedback regarding some of Volumio’s quirks. Our team is continually working to refine the experience, and insights like yours are incredibly valuable. It’s also interesting to note that you’re keeping the Bluesound for Idagio, and we hope to broaden our service support in the future.
If you have any further questions or need additional assistance as you continue to fine-tune your system, please don’t hesitate to reach out at:
support at volumio dot org
Enjoy the music!
Best regards,
Davide
VOLUMIO TECH SUPPORT
Thanks for sharing David,
I also have the Rivo+ in my setup and wonder if “EtherREGEN network switch” would make improvements, this knowing that Rivo+ already does reclocking of the signal.
I am already using “ifi elite 12v” power supply for my modem and network router, they both made sound improvements.
If the “EtherREGEN network switch” makes improvement it would be good to know in what way.
Also what power supply is used for “EtherREGEN network switch” and if external clock is connected to “EtherREGEN network switch”.
Many Thanks
Hello Mikael,
I am told the EtherREGEN profits by a burn-in period of 50+ hours. That, in addition to the fact that I am also breaking in the new LHY linear power supply, that replaces the standard Rivo + power supply, and a couple of other additions, means I am not quite ready to A-B test the Rivo + with and without EtherREGEN. So far, I have noticed little difference, except possibly very slightly smoother, but that may be due to the ER’s burning in process. I am waiting for things to settle down then I am going to do some more serious A-B comparisons. There are a lot of moving parts, since I am also trying to decide whether to sell my Denafrips Pontus II DAC, after purchasing the LAIV Harmony DAC. I will tell you that the LPS made a BIG difference over the standard Rivo + power supply. As far as the EtherREGEN is concerned, I am using the SPS that came with it. Apparently it is pretty high quality, and you could easily degrade the performance if you replace it with a cheap LPS. For improvement, you would need to get a more expensive high-end LPS, so I have stuck with the stock one for now. As far as clocks go, I am NOT using an external clock with the EtherREGEN. I should mention I am using the USB connection from Rivo to the LAIV and PONTUS DACs, which means the DAC clock is in control, not the clock in the Rivo +.
Hope this helps.