UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

[Nenon]

Did anyone test if power supplies make a difference? 

[Nenon]

30 minutes ago, wwc said:

My preliminary impressions:

 

After 60+ hours of cooking, I started A/B listening, with the assistance of a friend who has excellent and disciplined listening skills.  I switched the eR in and out, while my friend listened without knowing what the new component was, or whether it was connected or not.  We listening to three tracks of varied music repeating the A/B multiple times for each.

 

The setup:  Fiber > Modem w/lpsu > copper > Cisco 2960 switch > AudioQuest Diamond ethernet > Gigafoil optical isolator > more AQ ethernet > eR switch > more AQ cable ethernet cable > Taiko Extreme Server > Intona usb > Lampizator Dac w/300b tubes > Luxman 300b tube amp > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD speakers.

 

After about an hour of listening we concluded that any differences we thought we heard were so subtle and inconsistent as to be meaningless.   This makes me only the 2nd person on this thread not to report overwhelmingly positive results from the eR.

 

However, I later made a change by replacing the ethernet cable between the eR and Server with fiber optic.   My first impression, which I'll confirm or not tomorrow, was a significant uptick in resolution and a tonality shift toward treble. This was a mixed bag with the increased resolution adding more air and clarity but with a loss in bass and weight.  I compensated, at least with partial success, by raising the the bass gain level on the speakers dsp from my typical +6 to +12.

 

  I don't know at this point what to conclude from this.  

    Questions that come to mind are:

 

-- Does the noise mitigation already implemented in my system make the eR redundant?  That is, the Gigafoil fiber/optic isolator and the Taiko Server.  (However, Emile of Taiko, reports a positive change from the eR in his system.) 

 

-- Is the fiber from eR to Server enhancing the eR's effects?   My first impression is that it could be over-enhancing!

 

I'd like to listen to fiber from the Cisco straight to Server, but the sfp modules I have don't seem to work in the Cisco.

 

So, my conclusion at the moment is:

 

-- any effect of the eR via copper, may be having on the Dac output is subtle at most.

 

-- the fiber optic from eR to Server makes a very large change but may not be a fully positive one.   And I don't know yet if it's a synergism with the eR or just the fiber optic alone.

 

 

Interesting report and very impressive system. Thank you for sharing. 

 

I am wondering if you really need the Cisco 2960 switch and the Gigafoil optical isolator. Perhaps you could try simplifying things by going from:

Fiber > Modem w/lpsu > copper > Cisco 2960 switch > AudioQuest Diamond ethernet > Gigafoil optical isolator > more AQ ethernet > eR switch > more AQ cable ethernet cable > Taiko Extreme Server > Intona usb > Lampizator Dac w/300b tubes > Luxman 300b tube amp > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD speakers

 

to:

Fiber > Modem w/lpsu > copper > AQ ethernet > eR switch > AQ cable ethernet cable > Taiko Extreme Server > Intona usb > Lampizator Dac w/300b tubes > Luxman 300b tube amp > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD speakers

(assuming your modem has wifi or extra ports; otherwise you may need to leave the Cisco 2960, but in any case try removing the Gigafoil)

 

As far as I have heard, the Taiko Extreme performs better over fiber, so perhaps it would be better to connect the Taiko to the A-side fiber port on the EtherREGEN and the B-side to your modem. 

 

Also, were you streaming Tidal/Qobuz or playing local files?

With so much network isolation in your network, and such a good server, I can see how playing local files may not have a noticeable difference. You have fiber Internet to begin with. My Internet comes through a coaxial cable that wires the entire city of Chicago. Yes, they install a small isolator, but I am sure that poor little cheap thing does not do much, and I get a lot of noise through my Internet provider. And then you have a Gigafoil isolator on top of that. So your network noise isolation is top notch. You can mainly benefit from the quality recklocking in the EtherREGEN, but that would only apply to music you stream over your ethernet connection. 

 

I would try with removing the Cisco 2960 and the Gigafoil, connecting the Extreme to the A-side fiber port, the Modem to the B-side, and most importantly stream music from Qobuz or Tidal. Please let us know if you do that. Your system must be very resolving, and we would really like to hear more from people like you. 

 

 

[Nenon]

Congratulations from me too! Nice review.