UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

[andresz]

Etherregen arrived two days ago and chain is:

 

Modem (Uptone JS2) > Shunyata SIGMA Ethernet cable> Etherregen (PC is Shunyata ALPHA) > Shunyata Ethernet cable> Streamer> WEISS USB to SPDIF converter>Empirical Audio Syncromesh clock>DAC.  

 

Very sensitive and high res system that highlight the slightest changes in cabling, isolation........I do a lot of config testing and to the clowns on ASR, who carry on about blind testing A/B and all that stuff - when you switch gear in and out and you hear the same signature in the changes and others recognise it too, the measurement argument is a fallacy. It matters only marginally in what you actually hear and how you react. If these guys cant hear the difference between a silver and copper cable or power cables then they are in the wrong hobby. Anyway......

 

Interesting observations:

 

I used an EMO 70e to great effect until I received the Shunyata SIGMA ethernet cable - which made it redundant. Different technicals re the filters on the SR versus the isolator but it is the only cable I have tested where the EMO provides no benefit. I use it end to end. I mention this as it may have impact on my observations.....

 

After three hours of listening (appreciate that lots of break in to go), here is my immediate impression:

 

The Very Good.

 

1. This is a remarkable piece of gear and immediately I hear more profound, textured and present bass. Not boomy but solid and you hear more of what the foundation this instrument brings to the music. Harmonic overtones are better heard.

2. Soundstage is wider and deeper. There is more of the sensation of instruments floating in front of speakers. This is not hard to experience. It isn't like otehr tests where you try to find differences or have to tilt your head to try and imagine it. It is there. Unmistakable. 

3. A sense of "performance" - more live and engaging. You want to listen to more recordings. This is THE test for me. Do I enjoy things more or do I keep channel surfing.

 

The not so Good.

 

1. There is a slight dulling of treble and the popping of dynamics. Almost filter like. Ex the ER, there is more veracity and tingle to instruments like the triangle and with the ER these are more polite - smooth. But to a point where they seem a bit robbed of energy.

2. A slight bityness to SQ when volume turned up. (expect this is a burn in issue).

 

Does the Etherregen work? Without question and it works to a greater effect than swapping very high end PC and IC cables in the rig. And these did make a big difference. I have yet to give it some testing re LPS, different ethernet cables etc... and I can say that music is more enjoyable to listen to.

 

The dulling of the treble and dynamics is something that is strange - even though all this SQ is set within an incredible 3D scape.  Hopefully a decent burn in will address this.  Interesting in others experiences re dynamics and treble roundness. What it does well so far is extraordinary - just a bit inconsistent so far re the total SQ setting. 

[andresz]

My early impressions (around three hours) was that Etherregen makes a very distinguishable difference to SQ. I have Shunyata Sigma Ethernet throughout.  Using a Shunyata Alpha to power the ER.  The pros were soundstage and bass texture and deliniaiton. The cons were a peaky top end, a diffuse rounded off treble (more detail but like binoculars slightly out of focus - you can see closer but it is not clean). Also A goes to mt HT rig and there was a drop off on picture quality on the 110 inch screen.  However, there was still more involvement,

 

30 hours in and the transformation has been profound. The soundstage is larger, the detail is emerging and the sense of "real" and involvement has leapt forward. The degree of intimacy is a good description - Youtube music/video clips are astoundingly good. What I also notice is the step up in the home theatre - the picture is more cinema like and rendered - more involving. Surround Dolby has moved to a new level. It is very ambient, large and small details not noticed before emerge and dissapear. This is a very interesting observation as it effects video as well - predictably I guess.

 

The last time I had a wow moment after a lot of gear was the Metrum Adagio DAC and then the Shunyata ethernet. 

 

I am excited again to listen to familiar material - I think that is the "measurement".  The folks on ASR have missed the point of audio IMO. You cant measure "driving experience" of a porsche 911 by its specs.  You may be able to correlate some dimensions but it isn't the same thing.

 

Two points to make - The ER in my system punches way above its weight re SQ. It does make a difference. No question.

Secondly, burn in is real. I went from the jury is out to this is a keeper - will be interesting how the SQ develops from here.

[andresz]

Actually - that is a very good description re the timing of attack and decay and how separate instruments interplay - this makes for a very different and enjoyable, engaging listening experience.

 

I have a high end pre power valve set up with highly resolving speakers (Nagra/TIDAL)  Shunyata SIGMA loom, (from PC to IC to Ethernet, USB), Metrum Adagio DAC, grounding, furutech NCF risers, stillpoints isolation and the ER is not only significant in its effect but the impact on streaming (which is almost all of my listening these days) is profound.  If I put a $ value on it in terms of comparable advances in listening pleasure it would be on par with my DAC purchase. (many multiples of the ER price).

 

I had thought like a few here with systems which have been meticulously built and tested over years that there wasn't much more to go - but there is! Excellent work Alex and John.  You tube streams for concerts, audiophile series of recordings etc.... are fantastic. Even less well recorded ones are enjoyable as I think the brain responds very well to realistic timing cues. (Thats the "it sounds real" bit). 

 

I also use ER feed for high end HT. That's a great experience for Dolby sound and Video quality. There is a level of involvement at the Video level too which is an obvious step up. 

 

I am using the stock PS with Shunyata cabling. 

[andresz]

I think many of these people on ASR are best ignored. No point arguing with idiots who have a one sided perspective re science. I bet they would try and measure the porsche driving experience by the cylinders and horsepower.  We can't measure a lot of things as we dont have the tools to do so. They would probably try and measure the "emotion" of a song by the notes played. They have the wrong paradigm - which is that the measurements that can be made mechanically are a direct causality of the impact sound has on the ear/brain connection.  Many of them have tonka toy rigs.  They ignore evidence which is outside of their geek theories. If you cannot prove the connection between measurement of variables and the emotional impact of what the sound waves are doing then the whole premise is flawed. No matter how pseudoscientific their appeal to authority fallacies are.

 

For those true lovers of music - they know when the music connects with them and that does have variables such as removal of noise, isolation, metallurgy which does have traits - but the axiom of "there cant be more than we can measure" is a fallacy.  I find a lot of their tech assessments to be worthless - I have a high end rig and experiment constantly with a lot of gear and there are enormous differences. You can recognize very easily differences - not by measuring stuff but by your reaction to the music you are hearing. The balance in the ques which enable your brain to react a certain way is easily recognised. When people have very similar reactions, be that power cables, metallurgy, isolation, visceral etc.... that tells us something. Of course, there is a lot of science that these flat earth ASR guys dismiss as it does not fit their world view.

 

Anyway, back on track to say the Etherregen is the most impactful change I have had in my system since my Metrum Adagio DAC. The extra bonus is that the impact on picture quality on my large Home Theatre is worth it just for that. And the dolby immersion is up a significant level. Excellent equipment that is worth many times its price IMO. 

 

 

[andresz]

Yes I think you nailed it. There is a character to leading edge and decay and how that overlays on the 3D soundscape is the “magic”. pRAT is heavily affected here “toe tap”. 

 

By the way, upstream is very important - I tried the system with and without an emo 70e and also with daisy chaining two Shunyata Ethernet sigmas and the effect on video and audio is immediate. In my case, too much roll off on transient attack and a softness in video. I think that is just too many filters in the chain. So yes, it does matter what you out upstream. This was easily noticed. 

Changing the power supply to a grounded Sbooster lifts things a bit but not the essential character.  This is harder to notice.

 

Grounding the ER certainly had the effect of adding solidity to the SQ. 

 

Put some good vibration control underneath the ER like you should On everything. Something like Grand Prix Audio Apex feet.

 

I spent a bit of time on ASR yesterday and that was an eye opener.  The definition of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. These people are arrogant and opinionated. Wouldn’t stand up to real innovators like Caelin Gabriel from Shunyata and many more who have advanced the field of music reproduction and have a scientific basis. They seem like the worst part of what engineering represents as opposed to science and exploration. 

 

Many are like the smart arse kid in primary school who knows more than his peers until they meet up with someone from Uni. They really don’t know what to measure nor seem to have any capability of hearing differences. 

 

Their catch all defence of placebo and confirmation bias only IMO has limited value as most audiophiles, and my experience too, is that often I don’t hear a difference even when I expect it to, or the difference I hear has the same signature consistently. It’s a sad read on ASR - those guys are infantile and love their very limited toy. 

 

Clearly as they dont believe in higher echelons of equipment they are unlikely to have systems capable of nuance.