UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

[Johnnydev]

4 hours ago, Jud said:

More stuff to listen to with the ER:
 

Sean Rowe, The Drive, from the album Madman. 

 

Leonard Cohen, Old Ideas, especially Amen, where the bass is a physical thing.

 

Edit: And you might also try Juniper Arms, from Adam Torres’ Pearls to Swine album.

I am still awaiting my ER wivh is on its way, but i am very happy with your music tips that i already put on my qobuz (studio) playlists 👌

[Johnnydev]

This morning i recieved my ER   And after coming to room temperature i did the (easy) firmware upgrade.

Then i exchanged it with the cisco 2960 wich already gave an improvement and the reason was that i ordered the ER.
 

Maybe i’m one of the few or the first to use the ER in backwards mode. The B side is the input from my router and the A side is to my devialet phantoms golds L+R (All in one speakers) + devialet dialog. (see schedule)

 

I wil remove the devialet dialog after a devialet DOS2 software upgrade that i will do at a later time (when the ER is played in and DOS2 update is oke)

my first impressions:

After changing the cisco 2960 for the ER and nothing els changed ( wich i want to keep so until after 200 hours of playing) i had my doubts for the first 10 minutes.

After a few hours, no more doubts, the best and cheapest upgrade i ever had!  So that promised something for playing after 200 hours 😍

I will not repeat or quote what has been written here, but my first impressions after a few hours of playing: More music, more musical, more high-end (what ever that may be) and more emotion. Thanks to Alex and John!

John and Alex;

Would you please look at my connection diagram, at what i could do differently or better?

Perhaps there is also a market for the better all in one speaker for the ER

Removing and sell the Sboosters to the cable modem and netgear R7000 router, i want to try out (and perhaps sell) only after the 200 hours playing.

Sorry for my english but it’s not better. 

[Johnnydev]

22 minutes ago, jcn3 said:

 

I think for your situation, that's a very appropriate layout -- it isolates your "endpoints" from the rest of the network.

 

is there anyway to daisy chain the speakers?  if so, then i would think it might be best to daisy chain the phantoms on the B side and put the dialog on the A side.

No, daisy chain is not possible and the devialet dialog will expire shortly after the DOS2 software update, wich in itself would give an improvement in SQ.

 

If i understood correctly is the ER 100% Backward usable, hence my choice to do it this way.

[Johnnydev]

listening experiences after 100 hours burning in:

- First 10 minutes, mwaah?🙄
- After a few hours okay and considerably better than the Cisco 2960.😊
- Now after 100 hours: great, best upgrade I have ever had.😃😍💝

If I now stream a good internet radio station, it will sound as good as qobuz without The ER
Qobuz streaming does the same SQ improvement after the ER upgrade.

In one word, great!

I can also say that only using A-side for your music installation already gives a considerable improvement in SQ compared to the cisco 2960.

But streaming from A to B, or backwards from B to A, as in my case is unsurpassed.

Again many thanks for you Alex and John 

you have developed an unbeatable top product for a very real small price

[Johnnydev]

Important for my wife and me is the whole music experience:

 

Together or alone on the couch and immerse in the (live) music experience, with details and impact

 

Tight and layered bass, detail, nice, warm middle and a good resolution with a live feeling if present. sometimes as if you can walk among the musicians

 

Nice sound from the TV, films preferably with a smashing, lively (cinema) experience.

 

Playing like in a disco, but also very important nice sounding when music gets played in the background, and fine sounding as we walk around and do our daily things

 

The EtherRegen brings improvements in all these areas and gets better every day

[Johnnydev]

On 12/4/2019 at 12:30 PM, lpost said:

 

Have you removed the ER to make a comparison yet?  I have one on order but won't receive it until Feb so I'm living through you all vicariously in the meantime

Yes, I did, for 10 min., but it's not really necessary. It is immediately and without a doubt the best upgrade ever for me. Follow the advice to make your setup as simple as possible. The first 10 minutes after new connection I had some doubts, after a few hours no more. Every day in use still gives an SQ improvement. I'm on my way for 185 hours. February is still long, sympathize with you, but definitely worth the wait It is a big evolution in the switch world.

[Johnnydev]

54 minutes ago, lpost said:

 

Gelukkig lijd   ik momenteel niet, ik zal van de verwachting genieten

 

Bedankt

Your waiting will be rewarded, goosebumps on your arms. 😎🥰

[Johnnydev]

10 hours ago, flkin said:

Ok here it goes, something most here wouldn’t like to hear, but it’s my observation in my system. 

 

Over a listening period of 2 months and many different configurations of power supplies, external clocking and Ethernet cables, I’m going to conclude that the EtherRegen isn’t for me. 
 

Yes, the information retrieval is great and so is the imaging and bass control but I’m unable to reduce the harder and treble-centric sound to a level I’m happy with. My initial impression after a week of breaking in was very positive in line with what most here have found - many positive attributes especially improvements to the speed and control of the music but with lengthy listening sessions, I’m experiencing fatigue due to the harder treble.

 

After 2 months, I returned to direct from router to my Pink Faun 2.16x and immediately found relief - like an old comfortable sofa. Bliss and more connection with the music and singers. More emotion and more pulls on my heart strings. For me this matters most, not the analysis of the sound but the emotions imparted. 
 

I’ll keep my EtherRegen as it’s an intriguing device and hope to find a way to incorporate it in the future but in my current setup, it’s not staying in the system. 
 

For reference my signal path is:

 

Orbi satilite -> dCBL-CAT7 -> iso-Cat6-> dCBL-CAT7 -> PF2.16x

 

(the dcblcat7,isocat6,dcblcat7 is a SOtM cable)

 

Added the EtherRegen between the Orbi and the PF. 
 

Tried: A-B, B-A on the EtherRegen, different power supplies for the Orbi and EtherRegen, external OCXO clock and without, different Ethernet cables with different lengths before and after the EtherRegen, metal and plastic Ethernet heads, different cable conduit wrappings with mu-metals, different DC cables, external earthing the EtherRegen or not. 

 

Have you tried the ER without the SOTM dcbl cat7 and without the SOTM dcbl cat6 lan isolator?

 

I obtained the best result without these cables.

 

What I have kept is the 50 cm black, gray and dark gray cables of 50 cm from the SOTM dcbl cat6 SE version to tune with very good results.

 

I use the SOTM black and dark grey in combination with diy SUPRA cat8 and monoprice cat8 and have sold the SOTM dcbl cat 7 and the SOTM dcbl cat6 lan isolator. I have also sold the audioquest cinnamon, carbon and the Vodka

 

[Johnnydev]

43 minutes ago, RDOK said:

Een goede LPS verbetert inderdaad echt de resultaten met de ER, dat is ook mijn ervaring.

Ik heb een Farad Super3, Paul Hynes SR4 en SR4T geprobeerd en vond ze in die volgorde leuk.

Momenteel gebruik ik de SR4 op de ER omdat de SR4T in gebruik is om een IsoRegen te voeden. Over het algemeen gaf dat het beste resultaat in mijn systeem en in mijn oren.

 

Bedankt voor uw bericht

 

zou u alstublieft het verschil tussen de Farad en de SR4T op de ErherRegen  kunnen/willen aangeven?

[Johnnydev]

On 9/2/2020 at 2:49 AM, RDOK said:

The Farad is already very good when powering an ER.

But compared to the SR4(T) the Farad seemed a little more veiled or muddled, a little less open.

The SR4(T) was a somewhat more engaging and natural sounding.

The SR4T is a small but noticeable step better than the SR4 in this respect.

On the ER the input is optical (Planet MGB-TLS SFP) and output a Sablon pre-2020 ethernet cable, both on the A side. That sounds best to my ears.

Thanks for your reply,i can use this. This is in line with the review by @austinpop in his comparison between the Farad super 3 and the Paul Hynes SR4

[Johnnydev]

well deserved congratulations to you and your family and of course to John Swenson

[Johnnydev]

I've had the paul hynes SR4T here, together with the Farad super 3, both with the orange fuses
On the Etherregen in my setup, my preference is clearly for the Farad super 3

[Johnnydev]

4 hours ago, Savolax said:

Are you able to describe more thoroughly what made you prefer Farad3 more? This is interesting since I own two Farads, but not EtherRegen, at least not yet :)

Actually on the entire spectrum.
Tighter and more layered low tones, full bodied nice middle (not extra colored) voices and   piano etc. better.
More detail and resolution and nice high.
Great placement, with wide and deep soundstage.
Basically what you hope to get with high end.
The build quality of the Farad super 3 is superb. They are very sensitive to DC and power    cables.
I have experimented with AQ powercables. The Z3 works well, the Blizzard doesn't, 
the monsoon is the best combo here. I have not tested other powercables.
I liked the Farad super 3 so much that I also bought them for my modem and router, with good results. Modem gives the least upgrade, but still worth it.
Before this I had 3 S-boosters BOTW MK2, also on the EtherRegen,but was not a good match with the EtherRegen in my situation.The included Uptone SMPS was much better in that combination
Do take the time to play everything in, say 1 month, at least 3 weeks, including the orange  fuses.
Every change I now make to my system, up to and including every cable, is now clearly audible. Thanks to the EtherRegen and the Farads!
Sorry, but i use google translate

[Johnnydev]

I will try to explain a little better what my experiences are with the EtherRegen and various power supplies. Below you will find my review to Mattijs from Farad Super 3. (using google translate, sorry)

 

 

Dear Mattijs,

 

As promised I would let you know how I like my Farads Super 3.

 

To summarize: great, the best upgrade I've done in years, the farads are in the more expensive segment, but well worth it.

 

Years ago I started using ifi IPowers on modem, router and Tp-link switch. That improved. Then to 3 pieces of S-boosters BOTW MK1, which was certainly another step forward. This replaced by the MK 2 versions when they came out and again a small improvement.
 

At the time the EtherRegen came out, i ordered and had it from the first deliveries. This replaced the Tp-link switch with exceptionally good results. The original uptone smps switch supplied with the EtherRegen, however, sounded better than the S-booster MK2, even when it was upgraded with a synergistic research orange fuse.
 

So for the EtherRegen after reading the reviews, i bought the Paul Hynes SR4T. That was a big step forward and with the orange fuse in it, even better.
 

However, it kept gnawing whether the Farad super 3 could be even better, so ordered the farad 12V with level 2 DC cable and put the orange fuse in it to make the comparison with the SR4T. The difference was immediately apparent and after anticipating the choice was ultimately clear for the farad super 3. The tranquility, the beautiful full middle, beautifully layered and tight lows, detailed highs and great resolution, together with the live feeling were the deciding factors. Actually the “high-end” feeling that everyone strives for, but this is difficult for me to describe.
 

The build quality of the farads is also top. You just have to look at the fuseholders. Then also for modem and router, bought the Farads super 3, placed orange fuses in it, with a step up there (router the most) compared to the S-boosters BOTW MK2.

 

I also had the opportunity to test 3 different Audioquest powercords on the farads for a long time. They make significant differences. The Z3's sound great, the Monsoons the best, and Blizzards didn't like the farads in my system. (The blizzard sound very good to my niagara 1200.)

 

Thanks to the 3 pieces Farads super 3 with level 2 cables, orange fuses and the EtherRegen, I can now immediately observe and place every change of ethernet and power cables etc., absolutely great. I am very happy that I took that step, thank you also for your kindness and good advice. With friendly greetings

[Johnnydev]

On 12/21/2020 at 10:47 AM, Bernie said:

Hi all,

I have moved from an Aqvox SE to the Etherregen which is a BIG step up in SQ. Another noticable update is using my REF10 as external clock reference. I'm also using a TP-Link optical transmission from my router to the Etherregen which is also sounding better than cable.

From the Etherregen B-Side I'm using an Aqvox Excel Ethernet cable (0.5m) to my Devialet amp.

Now I have replaced the original SMPS with an ifi iPower X 9V which is another small upgrade in SQ.

Now I have 3 places for a possible update: replace the TP-Link optical module with a Sonore optical module, replace the ifi iPower X with a Farad 3 or upgrade the Aqvox Ethernet cable with something else.

Has someone any experience what makes most sense here ? Maybe some of you have also tried and compared the ifi with the Farad.

 

thanks,

Bernd

 

I just can't imagine ifi ipower sounds better than uptone SMPS

[Johnnydev]

1 hour ago, PYP said:

Regarding the "need" for two eRs, I should point out that unlike your sophisticated setup, the main network device in my setup is an ISP-provided modem/router/wifi box that is powered by a balanced power unit (which also powers TV, DVR and DVD, all located in a different room from audio).  Therefore, there is no optimization prior to the opticalModule.  I chose to keep the ISP-provided equipment and to only work on the downstream part.  I've read reactions from folks who added a second eR that describe the difference as "subtle" and others say it has a "greater effect than the first eR."  So, very system-dependent, as is always the case.  

 

Since all these setups are different, it seems we cannot generalize other than to say that the (first) eR benefits a very wide array of systems, from simple to complex.  Given the comments about adding an external clock, it seems safe to generalize that an external clock builds upon the eR's performance, as does adding an LPS.  

 

At any rate, glad you are enjoying your fine system.  You have clearly put a lot of time and thought into the configuration.    

+1 

[Johnnydev]

2 hours ago, Rsbrsvp said:

I received my second ER a few days ago.  Definite improvement.

 

What is interesting is that currently I prefer the OM out of the picture with two ER's in.

 

I find overall that I do not like the OM effect on tone even with one ER.   Things are brighter than without the OM.

 

I wonder if those SFP modules effect the tone and if there are SFP modules which are mellower?

 

Any advice would be appreciated...

 

[Johnnydev]

2 hours ago, Rsbrsvp said:

I did not eve think try fiber between the ER's.   I will hopefully try that today....

Try one of these between the EtherRegens:

 

[Johnnydev]

3 hours ago, MartinT said:

Quick A/B testing never works because you're always looking for change.

 

Just relax and listen and over the course of an hour or so the changes become apparent without effort. This is the best way to assess system changes 

And sometimes it is better not to draw conclusions until after a longer period of time.

[Johnnydev]

6 hours ago, rtsusc83 said:

Alex, many thanks!  I received mine today. Hooked up and running! Easy Peasy!  All I can say is WOW!  Even at low volume, I can hear more detail!  I can tell the difference with the music I am very familiar with.  Most definitely one of my best purchase in my pursuit of enhancing my music streaming!

Bob

yeah great, after a few weeks of use it will sound even better 😄

[Johnnydev]

I have the same experiences with audioquest niagara and the associated power cables.
In my opinion, everything is important and clearly observable in the chain:

 

- A good grounding system and the prevention of ground loops.

- Using an LPS anywhere with proper fuses and cables.

- Modem/router also equipped with LPS and good cables and also a correct grounding system, which also prevents ground loops.

- The use of the correct filters and/or amplifiers and grounding on the CAI system which is linked to the modem/router.

- Using a good OCXO clock on the ER, also with LPS and good cables

[Johnnydev]

Yes that’s right and even also on audioquest niagara 1200