A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming

ElviaCaprice · June 28, 2017

Mozes, any chance you could test the TX ultra vs. the ISO Regen without the galvanic isolation? Straight comparison? I think this would tell us more about the design and clocking between the two. Curious what score you would give the ISOless Regen?

limniscate · June 28, 2017

When I originally received my SOtM stack, I couldn't really hear a difference between the sMS-200 Ultra (HD-Plex @ 12V) and the microRendu (LPS-1). Obviously, this really bothered me and I was hoping that it was the power supply because I'd heard the standard sMS-200 with LPS-1 versus the microRendu with LPS-1 and preferred even the standard sMS-200 to the microRendu. I'd also heard @austinpop's modded sMS-200 to Ultra status versus the microRendu in both my system and his. My initial testing of the sMS-200 Ultra with HD-Plex versus the microRendu with LPS-1 was conducted without a bridged connection.

When @austinpopcame over with his stack, we first tested the microRendu with LPS-1 versus the sMS-200 Ultra with HD-Plex, and I immediately heard the difference. I was stunned that I could not tell the difference before when I first received my SOtM stack. But this time we were using a bridged connection from my PC, so I'm wondering if the sMS-200 is not only very sensitive to power supply, but also to ethernet input.

We then added the LPS-1 to the sMS-200 Ultra and the difference was even more pronounced. Prior to @austinpop coming over, @romazhad me worried because he said that he tested the HD-Plex versus LPS-1 on the microRendu and described the difference as night/day. I cannot distinguish the two power supplies on the microRendu after testing it on multiple occasions. @Bamberand I started PM'ing, and he seems to agree with me about the microRendu not being that sensitive to power supplies, which gave me some relief.

I need to revise some of my previous impressions of the tX, switch, and sMS-200. Originally, I said that they all added an equally significant improvement. After this round of testing, I'd say that the switch probably has the largest effect. The sMS-200's impact is probably slightly below or equal to the switch. The tX-USB Ultra seemed to have the least amount of impact to me, and in fact, I couldn't even really notice any improvement, which perturbed me because I thought I could easily distinguish the tX from @austinpop and I's previous two testings (one in his system, one in mine).

I'm strongly considering returning the dX-USB Ultra and modding my Singxer SU-1 to accept a DC connection, but I'm wondering if the master clock option could make a huge difference or if the dX-USB Ultra is more sensitive to power supplies than the Singxer. The impressive aspect of the Singxer is that both @austinpop and I thought it sounded better than the dX-USB Ultra even though the Singxer was stock and the dX-USB Ultra was powered by two LPS-1's in series to achieve 12V.

TL;DR

Switch mod is definitely worth it.

sMS-200 Ultra is also a fairly large jump.

tX/dX USB Ultra is questionable depending on whether you already have a DDC and/or which input sounds best on your DAC. I believe @romaz hypothesized this as well because he said the dX had the least amount of impact on his system when he had both the tX and the dX (probably because the DAVE DAC sounds best with USB), but I'd say the tX had less of an impact than the dX in my system but only because my DAC (Schiit Yggy) sounds best with AES.

seeteeyou · June 28, 2017

41 minutes ago, limniscate said:

After this round of testing, I'd say that the switch probably has the largest effect.

That seemed to further explain why romaz was getting these results back in May

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=61#comment-658475

Quote

To add to the mystery, here's one more observation. Over the weekend, a good friend lent me a pair of his SOtM dCBL-CAT7 ethernet cables ($500 each). According to SOtM, combining a pair of these cables along with their iSO-CAT6 LAN isolator ($350) can lead to dramatic improvements. As I already own (and have currently been using) SOtM's dCBL-CAT6 combined with their iSO-CAT 6 LAN isolator in my direct connection (which has resulted in decent gains in SQ over my BJC CAT6A by itself), I thought there would be no way their CAT7 Ethernet cable that incorporates a "filter" would do that much more. Boy, was I wrong. I elected to place SOtM's recommended "ultimate" combination of dCBL-CAT7 + iSO-CAT6 LAN isolator + dCBL-CAT7 between my Mac Mini and my Trend Net reclocking switch within the "direct connection" pathway and compared this against my dCBL-CAT6 by itself, a Supra CAT8 cable, and a BJC CAT6A cable and the improvement was nothing short of stunning in the form of a larger and more holographic soundstage and improved dynamics. It's as if those other cables were suffocating my music. The midrange sounded a bit more recessed than I would prefer but overall, the SQ improvement was tremendous and of similar impact as the reclocking switch itself! In fact, it literally doubled the impact of the switch and nearly matched the improvement of the sMS-200 Ultra in terms of "air" and dynamics.

Now I actually understand why multiple audiophiles in Japan would shell out the cash for this endgame switch that's costing an arm and a leg, either all of them were "stupid" or the switch must be THAT good

41 minutes ago, limniscate said:

The impressive aspect of the Singxer is that both @austinpop and I thought it sounded better than the dX-USB Ultra even though the Singxer was stock and the dX-USB Ultra was powered by two LPS-1's in series to achieve 12V.

It's hard to imagine what would happen once we replace all regulators with even better ones, feed SU-1 with LPS-1 and then Crystek CCHD-575/957 series clocks could be replaced by sCLK-EX accordingly.

If Singxer were able to sell SU-1 for only 400 (actually it's $379 w/ free international shipping on eBay) bucks, one could only speculate what they would do with SU-2 etc.

Not confirmed yet but someone from Taiwan did mention that successor might be released in August

https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Headphone/M.1498290403.A.E42.html

greenleo · June 28, 2017

1 hour ago, ElviaCaprice said:

I'm just thinking that you may get fairly close to the ISO Regen/TxUSB Ultra combo at half the total cost. Also the ISO Regens are much friendlier cascaded with the new adapter. You can even use the same LPS-1 power supply for both Regens, no penalty, for a further reduction in cost.

That's my thinking as well. I'll formulate my hypothesis later. However, I'm not sure if both the IR may be powered by one LPS-1 without SQ impact.

mozes · June 28, 2017

1 hour ago, ElviaCaprice said:

I'm just thinking that you may get fairly close to the ISO Regen/TxUSB Ultra combo at half the total cost. Also the ISO Regens are much friendlier cascaded with the new adapter. You can even use the same LPS-1 power supply for both Regens, no penalty, for a further reduction in cost.

I agree, I think so too. The tX design of placing the USB input and output next to each other in the back made it so hard for me to do these tests especially when trying to use the USPCB.

limniscate · June 28, 2017

39 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

That seemed to further explain why romaz was getting these results back in May

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=61#comment-658475

Now I actually understand why multiple audiophiles in Japan would shell out the cash for this endgame switch that's costing an arm and a leg, either all of them were "stupid" or the switch must be THAT good

http://audiofan2013.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-918.html
http://audiofan2013.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-919.html
http://audiofan2013.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-920.html
http://asoyaji.blogspot.com/2017/02/m12-gold-switch.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/04/m12-gold-switch.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/04/m12-gold-switch1.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/05/asoyaji-dacm12-gold-switch.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/05/m12-switch-gold3.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/05/m12-switch-gold4.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/06/m12-switch-gold5.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/06/m12-switch-gold6.html
http://hyper-pc-audio.blogspot.com/2017/06/m12-switch-gold7.html

It's hard to imagine what would happen once we replace all regulators with even better ones, feed SU-1 with LPS-1 and then Crystek CCHD-575/957 series clocks could be replaced by sCLK-EX accordingly.

If Singxer were able to sell SU-1 for only 400 (actually it's $379 w/ free international shipping on eBay) bucks, one could only speculate what they would do with SU-2 etc.

Not confirmed yet but someone from Taiwan did mention that successor might be released in August

https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Headphone/M.1498290403.A.E42.html

My dCBL7 cables may not be burned in yet, but so far, I'd have to disagree with @romaz They don't seem to impact the sound quality very much, if at all.

austinpop · June 28, 2017

9 hours ago, hols said:

I would like to share my experience with the SOtM ts-USB Ultra with 10M reference clock input which has arrived a week ago.

...Cybershaft OCXO 10M reference clock...

Very cool stuff!

Do you know if the Cybershaft is available in the US?

austinpop · June 28, 2017

6 hours ago, Cornan said:

May I suggest that you try powering the switch with battery and the charger disconnected from AC mains. IME especially network switches sounds best with battery power. I strongly believe switches kick a lot of noises back into the AC mains.

I'm working on writing up my results, but to this point - we did intend to try a battery, since we didn't have enough LPS-1's to go around. But sadly the battery turned out to be not sufficiently charged (operator error). So this will have to wait for another day.

But seriously - I have never found a battery to sound better than an LPS-1.

TopQuark · June 28, 2017

27 minutes ago, limniscate said:

My dCBL7 cables may not be burned in yet, but so far, I'd have to disagree with @romaz They don't seem to impact the sound quality very much, if at all.

@romaz is using very low impedance PH power supply so he's experiencing lots of resolving power there. Perhaps, wait until you have your PH power supply?

limniscate · June 28, 2017

4 minutes ago, TopQuark said:

@romaz is using very low impedance PH power supply so he's experiencing lots of resolving power there. Perhaps, wait until you have your PH power supply?

It's possible that that could make the difference, but I'm not holding my breath.

seeteeyou · June 28, 2017

Cybershaft should only sell directly from Japan and they do accept payments via PayPal

http://www.cybershaft.jp/overseas01.html

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?20827-Reasonably-priced-dual-master-clock-(10Mhz)-Rb-and-OCXO

Interesting comparisons between 50Ω versus 75Ω connectors / cables / connections etc.

http://www.audioaficionado.org/showpost.php?p=832200&postcount=15

http://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=37172&page=2

I'd wait for SOtM's 10MHz clock and let's see if that were anywhere close to the performance of Mutec REF 10.

guillaume31 · June 28, 2017

@limniscate,

after a FW update, I managed to get the virtual switch to work on the HS-251+, thanks !

I therefore joined the club of those connected via bridge connection and I got to say I love it !! Going through a basic router when I first connected the sMS-200 seemed to lower the whole frequency range, i.e. more bass & less treble (within reasons) but with the bridge I got my tonal balance back, the sound is more lively & airy.

I'm still wondering about the sMS-200Ultra versus the sMS-200 and there are so far not many people reporting on the differences between the 2.

One thing that got me concerned with the sMS-200Ultra is the need for a PSU with higher output than the LPS-1, what do you guys think ?

In your tests, @limniscate & @austinpop, you seem to have powered the sMS-200Ultra with the LPS-1....did you feel like it lacked amps output at any time ?

Re. power supplies, why is noone mentionning the Kenneth Lau units ? He proposes 2 product lines I believe, the standard one and the Signature Edition, which I have, and it's an outstanding product !

seeteeyou · June 28, 2017

Not sure about what romaz purchased but he did try one of those PSUs from Kenneth Lau as mentioned below

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-sms-200-and-microrendu/?page=9#comment-617273

On 1/10/2017 at 4:05 PM, romaz said:

I have high respect for my LPS-1 and it is my highest value PSU by far. For sure, it is playing a role in why my current setup sounds better but presently, it is only powering my switch and one of my FMCs. Compared to my SR7, the SR7 is better although to be fair to the LPS-1, the SR7 is better than PSUs I have from Kenneth Lau, Paul Pang, HDPlex and Teradak by an even wider margin.

Maybe not quite in the same league when compared to the top dogs?

Paul Hynes Design

UpTone Audio UltraCap LPS-1

Vinnie Rossi MINI PURE DC-4-EVR

austinpop · June 28, 2017

2-day Ultra-vaganza Report

I see @limniscatehas already leaked some important results to the press. Typical lawyer move.

I, OTOH am a scientist™, so what follows is the summary report from our listening sessions. We conducted at least 14 distinct experiments, so I'll be reporting those here.

A couple of overarching comments. I am going to confine most of our findings to better, equal, or worse SQ, without trying to describe each improvement. Where possible, I'll add some terse adjectives to describe, but no more. Also, while Eric and I agreed on many things, we didn't always hear the same effects and the same magnitudes. So what I describe here are my impressions alone. Eric can jump in and add his views as he chooses.

With that out of the way, on to the experiments.

Compare mR/LPS-1 to sMS-Ultra powered by HDPlex 12V
- No contest. The SQ improvement was yuge.
- Bigger, more dynamic, more resolution, better articulation.
Replace HDPlex 12V with 2xLPS-1s with serial cable to get 12V
- Another large jump in SQ
- blacker, more natural, bigger image
- For the bulk of experiments below, only LPS-1s were used. Where necessary, we used a Y-cable or a serial cable.
Add in D-Link switch modded for sCLK-EX (referred to as D-switch in rest of report), powered by LPS-1/5V
- Another huge jump in SQ.
- We continue to be amazed at the benefit of an sCLK-EX modded switch!
- Bigger, more natural, smoother, less fatiguing
Compare Rajiv's bifecta (?) of modded sMS-200 +modded Zyxel switch (referred to later as Z-switch) with Eric's combo of sMS-200ultra+D-switch
- More or less a wash, with a slight preference for Rajiv's setup
- Suspect it is the Z-switch sounding better than D-switch.
- ASIDE: we were looking for a way to compare the efficacy of the SMB connectors vs. hardwired, but couldn't find a way to just isolate that. Eric's clock cables from Digikey were about the same length as Rajiv's hardwired cables (0.2 to 0.3m range)
- Similarly, while we had no way to isolate just this variable, we saw no evidence that equipping the Ultra component as a 12V device was any better SQ than the standard 6.5-9V. When SOtM first proposed this option, their rationale was not SQ, but convenience for folks who already had 12V PSUs.
- For me, the ability to power the Ultra components with LPS-1s makes them far more cost attractive. No need for super-expensive VR Mini or SR7's. Although - the SR4's that Paul just announced up-thread sounds rather intriguing!
Compare Z-switch with D-switch, both with sMS-200ultra
- Z-switch by a nose
- More boogie factor, PRAT, bit more dynamic
- Remember, every piece is more than just a clock. The entire component design matters too. It looks like the Zyxel sounds a tad better.
Does using the same sCLK-EX board sound better/worse than separate boards?
- Compare sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra with sMS-200ultra > tX-USBultra
- We could not hear any significant difference.
dX-USB HD Ulta > AES out vs. tX-USBultra > USB out
- Baseline: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra
- Comparison: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > dX-USB HD Ulta
- Different strengths;
  - dX: better articulation, microdynamics
  - tX: deeper bass, more weight and slam
- If picking one, would pick the dX for the Yggy
Add 5th reclock - on USB
- Baseline: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra
- Comparison: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > dX-USB HD Ultra
- Definite SQ bump, but smaller in magnitude
- Heard combination of tX and dX strengths from experiment 7 results
- Would not pay $1k for tX to get this small an improvement.
- But maybe an IR? Intriguing thought - can't wait for my loaner from @bamber
Add 5th reclock - on Ethernet
- Baseline: D-switch > sMS-200ultra > tX-USBultra
- Comparison: Z-switch > D-switch > sMS-200ultra > tX-USBultra
- Very small SQ bump
- Definite case of diminishing returns
Add 6th reclock
- Baseline: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > dX-USB HD Ultra
- Comparison: D-switch > Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > dX-USB HD Ultra
- BUT: ran out of LPS-1s at this point, so had to power the D-switch (and the sMS-200ultra for the sCLK-EX) via 5V and 12V taps from the HDPlex
- Not good. Sounded worse than baseline. Smearing, loss of detail and microdynamics
- Conjecture: The HDPlex just ain't good enough for this.
- Will retry this when the mighty SR7MR2DRXL arrives
Compare dX with Singxer SU-1
- Baseline: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > dX-USB HD Ultra (all LPS-1)
- Comparison: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > SU-1 (unmodded, built-in PSU)
- Different strengths;
  - dX: more dynamic, larger
  - SU-1: more detail, slightly more natural and relaxed
- Once again, a component is more that just the clock. Clearly, DDCs are not created equal, and the SU-1 shines.
- I was really impressed with the SU-1. I am very curious to redo this comparison once Eric mods it and adds an LPS-1, as he plans. It would not surprise me to see it best the dX.
- OTOH - what happens when the dX is fed a 10MHz master reference clock?!
- But purely bang for buck, the SU-1 is incredible.
Ethernet experiments - Impact of iSO-Cat6 isolator
- Baseline: Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > dX-USB HD Ultra (all LPS-1) - same for all Ethernet experiments
  - server to switch: generic Cat6 cable
  - switch to sMS: BJC Cat 6a
- Comparison: changed server to switch: generic Cat6 cable > iSO-Cat6 > BJC Cat 6a
- Small SQ bump.
- I wouldn't pay $300 for this small an SQ change
Ethernet experiments - Impact of dCBL-Cat7
- Baseline:
  - server to switch: generic Cat6 cable > iSO-Cat6 > BJC Cat 6a
  - switch to sMS: BJC Cat 6a
- Comparison: changed switch to sMS: dCBL-Cat7
- Noticeable SQ bump. Wow, this cable does sound better
- I wouldn't pay $500 for this modest SQ bump
Ethernet experiments - Impact of full loom ($2600 worth of cables)
- Baseline:
  - server to switch: generic Cat6 cable > iSO-Cat6 > BJC Cat 6a
  - switch to sMS: dCBL-Cat7
- Comparison:
  - server to switch: dCBL-Cat7 > iSO-Cat6 > dCBL-Cat7
  - switch to sMS: dCBL-Cat7 > iSO-Cat6 > dCBL-Cat7
- Significant SQ bump. Wow, this full loom does sound good!
- But still not the magnitude of adding the modded switch to the sMS-200ultra
- $2600 for this improvement? Lord have mercy!
- No thanks!

Concluding Remarks

The sMS-200ultra plus a modded switch is the lowest cost winner here. I think this is the true uniqueness of the sCLK-EX approach, as for whatever reason, previous standalone Ethernet reclocking switches, as reported by Ray, have just not yielded this much SQ improvement.
For me, my trifecta (Zyxel modded switch, modded sMS-200, tX-USBultra) is still the sweet spot of bang for buck. I really lucked into this combo
There is a definite case of diminishing returns by adding a 5th reclocking, both on the Ethernet and the USB side. Given this, I'm curious to see how impactful @romaz's sCLK-EX mods of his mobo, NICs, router, modem etc pan out.
We need more data, so this is a conjecture only. I would hazard to say that the biggest bang for buck is by upgrading the system/USB/Ethernet clocks on the streamer, and reclocking once on Ethernet and USB. Subsequent reclockings become harder to justify in terms of price-performance.
Once we get the Paul Hynes SR7, we can delve into the 6th reclocking to validate my conjecture of diminishing returns.
The SU-1 really impressed me. I am intensely curious to see how much it improves with an LPS-1. This makes a lot of sense for the Yggy. I personally have no use for this device in my setup as
- my Ayre Codex only has USB and optical inputs, and sounds way better with USB
- about 25% of my library is DSD, so until I get a DAC that can accept DSD over AES, I'll be sticking with USB
The fact that the SU-1 at the end of the chain still managed to sound so good could mean one of two things:
- Roy's conjecture that clock chains should be in ascending quality up to the DAC has some unknown nuance to it, or
- the clock implementation of the SU-1, using the Crystek 975 clock chip is close in quality to the sCLK-EX - a clock about which we have no technical info
The above is bolstered by @mozes's findings with the IR in conjunction with the tX, which similarly held its own, and also employs the Crystek 975 as its clock chip.
All switches modded for sCLK-EX and upgraded regulators/capacitors still sound different. To my ears the Zyxel sounded a tad better than the DLink, but my choice of it for modding was dumb luck!
The dCBL-Cat7 cables are definitely da bomb, as Roy indicated. But here again, we are well into the realm of diminishing returns. And the cost is hard to justify - for me.

It's great to see @hols's and @mozes's comments today (coincidentally) regarding the ISO-Regen and the Cybershaft reference clock. While I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to audition the latter, I should be receiving @Bamber's ISO-Regen/LPS-1 in a matter of a few weeks.

I'll post my teaser of IR experiments I plan to try a few days before results - as is my habit

- to whet your appetite. We will also be revisiting some of these experiments with the arrival of the Singxer SU-1 mods, LPS-1 to power it, and the SR7MR2DRXL.

rickca · June 28, 2017

5 hours ago, limniscate said:

After this round of testing, I'd say that the switch probably has the largest effect.

Are you just using the switch between a bridged NIC and the sMS-200ultra?

I realize the switch mod makes perfect sense since you are transplanting a clock point from the sCLK-EX board in your sMS-200ultra. The incremental cost is $300 and there is a potential benefit of the clock in the switch sharing the internal reference clock on the sCLK-EX in the sMS-200ultra ... although John Swenson has said he's not sure that's all that important.

I'm wondering if the JCAT NET Card FEMTO would give similar results to the SOtM switch mod. Instead of reclocking in an external switch, it gives you a dual port NIC with a Crystek 957 and ultra low noise linear regulators in the PC that can be externally powered with a 12V/1.5A LPS. I'm wondering if this would be a good solution for those without an SOtM ultra product.

limniscate · June 28, 2017

3 minutes ago, rickca said:

Are you just using the switch between a bridged NIC and the sMS-200ultra?

I realize the switch mod makes perfect sense since you are transplanting a clock point from the sCLK-EX board in your sMS-200ultra. The incremental cost is $300 and there is a potential benefit of the clock in the switch sharing the internal reference clock on the sCLK-EX in the sMS-200ultra ... although John Swenson has said he's not sure that's all that important.

I'm wondering if the JCAT NET Card FEMTO would give similar results to the SOtM switch mod. Instead of reclocking in an external switch, it gives you a dual port NIC with a Crystek 957 and ultra low noise linear regulators in the PC that can be externally powered with a 12V/1.5A LPS. I'm wondering if this would be a good solution for those without an SOtM ultra product.

Yes. I'm curious about the new JCAT card as well. I'd also like to hear the Linn Klimax since another member got rid of his SOtM gear for it.

The Computer Audiophile · June 28, 2017

Nice work on this thread @austinpop!

guillaume31 · June 28, 2017

33 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

Not sure about what romaz purchased but he did try one of those PSUs from Kenneth Lau as mentioned below

Would be good to know which model it was...the standard or the Signature Edition, I have not had the standard one but there is supposed to be a big gap between the 2.

guillaume31 · June 28, 2017

Thanks for the detailed report @austinpop !!

Do you think the LPS-1 has enough oomph to power the 6.5V-9V sMS-200Ultra ?

hols · June 28, 2017

13 hours ago, lmitche said:

Hols -Did you try the ISO REGEN with uspcb into the tx-USBUltra?

Yes , I am using it already.

rickca · June 28, 2017

32 minutes ago, austinpop said:

the clock implementation of the SU-1, using the Crystek 975 clock chip is close in quality to the sCLK-EX - a clock about which we have no technical info

32 minutes ago, austinpop said:

The above is bolstered by @mozes's findings with the IR in conjunction with the tX, which similarly held its own, and also employs the Crystek 975 as its clock chip.

I'm pretty sure this is just a typo, but the clock in the IR is the Crystek 575. The ShenzhenAudio website description of the SU-1 says it uses Crystek CCHD-575/957 Series clock, so the SU-1 uses either the 575 or the 957.

I don't think there's any such thing as Crystek 975.

Awesome amount of work and excellent review. Thank you so much!

austinpop · June 28, 2017

13 minutes ago, guillaume31 said:

Thanks for the detailed report @austinpop !!

Do you think the LPS-1 has enough oomph to power the 6.5V-9V sMS-200Ultra ?

I cannot say authoritatively, as I have never directly used one, but I strongly expect so.

Works great with the tX-USBultra.

hols · June 28, 2017

13 hours ago, rickca said:

Thanks for a very useful post. Did you try the ISO REGEN/LPS-1 on its own (without tX-USBultra) and compare it to the tX-USBultra on its own?

I have not tried that. May try that later after the IsoRegen is burned in.

austinpop · June 28, 2017

3 minutes ago, rickca said:

I'm pretty sure this is just a typo, but the clock in the IR is the Crystek 575. The ShenzhenAudio website description of the SU-1 says it uses Crystek CCHD-575/957 Series clock, so the SU-1 uses either the 575 or the 957.

I don't think there's any such thing as Crystek 975.

Yes - typo.

AmusedToD · June 28, 2017

52 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Compare Z-switch with D-switch, both with sMS-200ultra

Z-switch by a nose

More boogie factor, PRAT, bit more dynamic

Remember, every piece is more than just a clock. The entire component design matters too. It looks like the Zyxel sounds a tad better.

Concluding Remarks

The sMS-200ultra plus a modded switch is the lowest cost winner here. I think this is the true uniqueness of the sCLK-EX approach, as for whatever reason, previous standalone Ethernet reclocking switches, as reported by Ray, have just not yielded this much SQ improvement.

I am convinced after your thorough comparisons. Thanks you so much for your time and effort!

I will definitely be sending my sms200Ultra for a switch mod. Could you please write down the exact model number of the Zyxel switch you were using in your test?

A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming

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