UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

[FrankMA]

Burn in at 48 hours via Tidal. Some listening impressions from this morning. Playlist:

 

1. Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes/Refugee [HD Tracks 24/96]
2. Radiohead - Amnesiac/Pyramid Song
3. Todd Rundgren - The Very Best Of Todd Rundgren/Hello It's Me

I listened to my local file and a Tidal stream back to back for each song. I was very surprised to find I now like the stream equally (in some cases the soundstage/separation of instruments was better). This had not been the case previously where I always preferred the local file to Tidal/Qobuz. Impressive

 

Listening to Massive Attack - Mezzanine/Dissolved Girl (local file) which has a very challenging bass/kick attack. This song can sound muddy/out of control in the bass registers but with the ER it sounded excellent. It now had a very tight grip on the bass. Powerful & clean.

 

Overall I'm very happy with what the ER is bringing to my system 😀

 

Note: I did experience 2 more lost Roon Core moments. Frustrating.  A quick disconnect/power off/on did not find it. Needed the ER down for 5 minutes before it came back.

 

I'm sure Alex/John will get to the bottom of this

 

Back to my Tidal burn in.....

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, hols said:

 

 

Hi Hols:

Thank you for the diagram!  A few questions and comments if I may....

 

Questions:

1) What is this connection with dashed line you mark as “Bridged”?

2) Why is your Linux server being used—with two Ethernet ports—to make the connection from your router to the SOtM and UpTone switch?

2) What type of port do you use for the connection between the SOtM switch and the ‘A’ side port of the EtherREGEN?

3) What power supplies are you using for the SOtM switch, the Cybershaft clock, and the EtherREGEN? If you are using a JS-2 for one of those, what if anything is connected to the other output of the JS-2?

 

 

Comments:

a) It seems very unwise to have your server with two Ethernet ports and having it act as the connection (for all downstream equipment) to your router and the NAS.

b) With that second EtherREGEN between your NAS and your router—and with use of HQ Player Embedded (knowing what I do about how it draws data) you are creating a data bottleneck, as the 100Mbps ‘B’-side is not meant for that purpose. Plus, what really is the point to cleaning up from your NAS just to feed to your router? This application is really not what most people think of when they think of using more than one specialty switch for audio.

c) You are most likely defeating the EtherREGEN’s active differential isolation moat by using the same clock for both it and your SOtM switch—as the BNC shell of the EtherREGEN is common to its ‘B’-side power domain. There is also a good chance you are defeating the isolation via the power supplies as well.

 

Given all of the above I am not surprised that you sometimes get stuttering. And I also doubt that you are realizing the isolation moat benefits of the EtherREGEN.

 

I suggest you make the following changes to your network configuration—all at the same time:

a) Plug your SOtM switch directly into your router;

b) Remove the Ethernet connection between your Linux server and your router, leaving it connected only to the SOtM switch;

c) Plug your NAS directly into the SOtM switch, and set aside the second EtherREGEN for now;

d) For the moment, to assure effect of the EtherREGEN’s ADIM, connect the Cybershaft clock to only either the SOtM switch or the EtherREGEN—but not both at the same time.

e) Remove whatever that cable is—marked “bridge”—shown between the server and endpoint.

 

You may have some reasons for your diagramed configuration, but I think it is far from ideal, not how we intend the EtherREGEN be used, and that you will acheive much better results using my suggestions above.

We look forward to reading your answers to my first questions and also about what you hear when you make the recommended changes.

Best,

—Alex C.

[Cormorant]

On 11/16/2019 at 8:17 AM, _JL_ said:

An Extra Surprise:

 

If you're still reading then I have another pleasant surprise for you. I have a home theater where I use the Apple TV 4K for Netflix. Naturally I connected the ATV-4K to the ER and when I fired up the projector I was stunned by the improvement in picture quality! The picture appeared to be more solid and the black is much deeper.

 

 

This really blew me away and frankly the ER is worth it for the improvement in picture quality alone. The sound was also improved, not as significant as in the 2-Ch setup but still clearly discernible. If you have a video streamer then the ER is a must try!

 

The video market for the EtherREGEN is potentially bigger than the audiophile market!

[Superdad]

15 minutes ago, Sonic77 said:

I just connected to my SonicTransporter from the eR then from there to the SonicTransporter to the ultraRendu, (bridged) if you can't hear a difference there, maybe an ear doctor visit is in order.

 

switch>etherRegen _>SonicTransporter_>ultraRendu>Blu/Dave Dac

 

Hi:

Maybe I am misunderstanding your set up, but we strongly recommend that you attach your ultraRendu directly to the lone ‘B’-side port of the EtherREGEN.  Have one Ethernet cable from your house switch to an ‘A’ side port of the EtherREGEN. Then you can plug your SonicTrasporter into either your house switch or one of the other ‘A’ ports of the EtherREGEN—either way is fine. 

 

I am making the above point to you because I get the impression that you are attaching your SonicTransporter to the ‘B’ side and connecting your ultraRendu directly to the SonicTransporter.  If you are, then you are not realizing the full potential of your new EtherREGEN. 

 

In the era of EtherREGEN we think people will find that the Ethernet “bridging” thing is no longer beneficial and that it actually gets in the way (as above) of getting the best performance.

[Puma Cat]

7 hours ago, EVOLVIST said:

 

Like what could be masking it? I'm going from the modem directly to the ER which feeds right into my DAC/streamer. That's the optimal textbook config of how the ER should work. According to the design, nothing upstream of my modem should have any bearing on what comes after the ER. 

 

If you hear a difference, cool. Money well spent, right? 

I think the possible reason you didn't hear a difference/improvement with ER is because the Linn is just...SO DAMN GOOD. I mean, just look at the engineering specification of the K/DS3: the K/DS3 uses Linn's Katalyst Digital to Analog architecture, brings multiple isolated power supplies, a high-precision master clock, careful optimisation of the data before conversion and a new low-distortion output driver stage.

 

This is clearly a world-class, state of the art streamer/network bridge.  Acc. to What HiFi? the best music streamer on the market, period.

 

Also, given that Linn has extensive experience in digital reproduction, from making superb recordings all the way through to digital streamers, players and DACs, its a safe bet that...these guys really know what they are doing when it comes to digital. 

 

My guess is the $20,000+ Linn K/DS3 manages jitter and phase noise so well that adding an ER may not bring anything discernable to the table with respect to sound-quality that the K/DS3 hasn't already got covered. 

[RickyV]

4 hours ago, Puma Cat said:

I think the possible reason you didn't hear a difference/improvement with ER is because the Linn is just...SO DAMN GOOD. I mean, just look at the engineering specification of the K/DS3: the K/DS3 uses Linn's Katalyst Digital to Analog architecture, brings multiple isolated power supplies, a high-precision master clock, careful optimisation of the data before conversion and a new low-distortion output driver stage.

 

This is clearly a world-class, state of the art streamer/network bridge.  Acc. to What HiFi? the best music streamer on the market, period.

 

Also, given that Linn has extensive experience in digital reproduction, from making superb recordings all the way through to digital streamers, players and DACs, its a safe bet that...these guys really know what they are doing when it comes to digital. 

 

My guess is the $20,000+ Linn K/DS3 manages jitter and phase noise so well that adding an ER may not bring anything discernable to the table with respect to sound-quality that the K/DS3 hasn't already got covered. 

I think this sounds like a perfectly good explanation as to why the ER doesn’t have anything to improve anymore. We might as well have found one of the few streamers that is so well designed that the guys from ASR would finally be proud. That would be a great plus for Linn. The only downside is it's 20k and nobody at ASR or me can afford it so we buy the EtherRegen instead. 😁

[Evo1668]

I’ve done the comparison earlier today with the ER in front of my Linn streamer, and pulled the B side connection going to the Linn until the music stops playing - the Linn buffers approx 10+ seconds of music. Then plugging the Linn back into my Netgear switch and playing the music again. This is sighted of course, but each time without the ER in chain the music still sounds damn fine, but sounds overplayed, instruments within the mix are more muddled....I’ve tried this on several different genres of music tracks both known and unknown - same results each time - go figure?

[dminches]

FWIW, some people who own Taiko Extreme servers which cost close to $30k have written that the EtherREGEN has made a positive effect on the sound.  So, this concept that one cannot experience positive effects of the ER with high-end equipment seems to be false.  I don’t own a Taiko Extreme so I can only relay what I have read.

 

[thotdoc]

Listening and listening...and my right foot is bouncing in time to the music. So much more syncopation than before the ER...the notes stop and start in the pocket and the rhythms pulse. The ER makes the music better to experience 

 

Right now listening to Canned Heat..just went through Al Green then to a couple Magic Slim albums...try Please don't dog me.

 

Thank you to John and Superdad...and to Sonore and their crew...and then there is Hegel and Atma-sphere and magnepan and and and. The truth is there is a lot of information in the 1s an 0s and it takes a lot of good equipment to hear it...and the ER really does its part.

 

Gentlemen, you have a winner. You deserve it. It has been a LOT of work.

 

 

[Ehsu]

Hi Superdad and John, FedEX turned up at my door this morning with a flash new ER. They are very very reliable. I am impressed! 

Now, my EtherRegen has been cooking since arrival. Literally " cooking "!! It is boiling hot to the touch! I read other people commenting on hot running of this baby BUT.... I did not expect it to be THIS HOT! 

 

Is this normal? Does it run hotter because I used all A side ports? I am a little concerned about fire hazard now as it feels like a Class A amp!

 

I can not comment on the sound improvements yet as I only let it play continuously in the background since morning before committing to any critical listening. 

[Dutch]

10 hours ago, Ehsu said:

Well, I am running my own 12V Linear PSU. So I guess it is the reason? Is this true though that higher voltage will cause it to run hotter than lower voltage PSU? I mean, is it safe to be this hot? Or will this cause reliability issues later down the track?

It is normal. From the manual:

“During use, it is normal for the case of the EtherREGEN to become somewhat hot. 48~52C (118~126F), depending on room air temperature is to be expected. Do not be concerned about the heat. Even when hot, all parts are operating at less than half their thermal ratings. The case is the heat-sink. Please locate the EtherREGEN on a shelf where air can flow under and around it. If the heat of the case bothers you, standing it on edge will permit more airflow and will lower the case temperature by a few degrees. Do not stack other devices under or on top of the EtherREGEN.”

 

Also the supplied voltage does not matter much regarding heat. John wrote this recently because of the regulators used.

 

[pl_svn]

ok... my turn, now

 

got my EtherRegen delivered a couple of hours ago. let it regain room temperature then...

- listened to three/four tracks (both local and streaming from Qobuz) with my old setup (fiber to a TP-Link MC, copper to a Cisco SG100D-08 (all music gear plugged in there)

- turned everything off

- replaced Cisco and TP-Link MC with the EtherRegen (struggled a bit getting the fiber link up, no idea why, but got there in the end) and got "a little" mad because of my short and very stiff ethernet cables 🙄

- reconnected everything: Lumin U1 Mini to B port, Cirrus 7 (Roon ROCK) and Qnap HS-251+ to A ports

- rebooted Cirrus, NAS, Lumin

- started playing those very same tracks and...

OMG! no... wait... I mean... seriously: OMG!!!

 

Overall greatly improved "clarity" is the first, *immediate*, difference

Then... focus, finest detail, deep bass tighter than I ever head it from this system (in signature)

 

EtherRegen powered by its stock SMPS (Cisco and TP-Link were both powered by an HD-Plex 100)

Will try powering it from an LPS-1.2 later. Or maybe not 😛

 

thank you so much John and Alex for yet another little jewel

[emailists]

When I popped the ER into my system, (hooked up directly to Mac’s second Ethernet port) I had a Baaske passive medical Ethernet isolator as the last thing plugged in before my ps audio DS/bridge2.  I didn’t want to change more than 1 item at a time, so I left the Baaske in.

 

I posted several very positive impressions.  

 

With the ER fully broken in I decided to remove the Baaske, and was shocked what I heard (and confirmed by putting it back in the system)

 

The Baaske was throwing a blanket over the sound.  Without it, much more alive.  When I first got it I originally felt it made the sound smoother.

 

The level of sound quality I am now achieving (especially with WAV and DSD) Is just insane.  

 

With the Baaske now banished, I will now have to pull the ER out of the system to once again get a handle on what it’s doing.  

 

There were some aspects over the years of owning my TAD speakers that could be annoying.  I now realize that it had nothing to do with any shortcomings with the speaker, and everything to do with the signal it is being fed.

 

I used to think the concentric design yielded a sound that could be more “stuck” to the speakers, than on other designs.  I used to think Beryllium could sound brittle at times. 

 

All of this is false.  Between the latest Wisdom OS of my Directstream DAC and the EtherRegen, (along with converting flac to WAV)  the level of reproduction I’m getting is just shocking.  In some ways I’m now thinking it can be better than the live event.  I hear live acoustic music often.  recorded sound’s  production elements and close micing might possibly be providing more than one could hear  in the room the music was being made (an example of which being added reverb) 

 

There is a new sweetness and freedom from the speaker box, height information, depth, bandwidth of instruments, acoustic envelope and impulse response being presented that surpasses any expectation I had about what home music systems could reproduce.  I’m also feeling like the intact phase information presented by a coincident driver now fully shines.  

[Theobetley]

On 11/18/2019 at 7:56 AM, emailists said:

When I popped the ER into my system, (hooked up directly to Mac’s second Ethernet port) I had a Baaske passive medical Ethernet isolator as the last thing plugged in before my ps audio DS/bridge2.  I didn’t want to change more than 1 item at a time, so I left the Baaske in.

 

I posted several very positive impressions.  

 

With the ER fully broken in I decided to remove the Baaske, and was shocked what I heard (and confirmed by putting it back in the system)

 

The Baaske was throwing a blanket over the sound.  Without it, much more alive.  When I first got it I originally felt it made the sound smoother.

 

The level of sound quality I am now achieving (especially with WAV and DSD) Is just insane.  

 

With the Baaske now banished, I will now have to pull the ER out of the system to once again get a handle on what it’s doing.  

 

There were some aspects over the years of owning my TAD speakers that could be annoying.  I now realize that it had nothing to do with any shortcomings with the speaker, and everything to do with the signal it is being fed.

 

I used to think the concentric design yielded a sound that could be more “stuck” to the speakers, than on other designs.  I used to think Beryllium could sound brittle at times. 

 

All of this is false.  Between the latest Wisdom OS of my Directstream DAC and the EtherRegen, (along with converting flac to WAV)  the level of reproduction I’m getting is just shocking.  In some ways I’m now thinking it can be better than the live event.  I hear live acoustic music often.  recorded sound’s  production elements and close micing might possibly be providing more than one could hear  in the room the music was being made (an example of which being added reverb) 

 

There is a new sweetness and freedom from the speaker box, height information, depth, bandwidth of instruments, acoustic envelope and impulse response being presented that surpasses any expectation I had about what home music systems could reproduce.  I’m also feeling like the intact phase information presented by a coincident driver now fully shines.  

While I have a completely different system I agree on your description of the sonics of the ER. Astonished is the operative word. Another operative word is air. There is air around everything. I received my device Friday and now have about 30 hours on it and it keeps getting better, what really pops out for me is the clarity of background percussive sounds in many albums. And yes it is astonishing.

[nonesup]

5 hours ago, emailists said:

When I popped the ER into my system, (hooked up directly to Mac’s second Ethernet port) I had a Baaske passive medical Ethernet isolator as the last thing plugged in before my ps audio DS/bridge2.  I didn’t want to change more than 1 item at a time, so I left the Baaske in.

 

I posted several very positive impressions.  

 

With the ER fully broken in I decided to remove the Baaske, and was shocked what I heard (and confirmed by putting it back in the system)

 

The Baaske was throwing a blanket over the sound.  Without it, much more alive.  When I first got it I originally felt it made the sound smoother.

 

The level of sound quality I am now achieving (especially with WAV and DSD) Is just insane.  

 

With the Baaske now banished, I will now have to pull the ER out of the system to once again get a handle on what it’s doing.  

 

There were some aspects over the years of owning my TAD speakers that could be annoying.  I now realize that it had nothing to do with any shortcomings with the speaker, and everything to do with the signal it is being fed.

 

I used to think the concentric design yielded a sound that could be more “stuck” to the speakers, than on other designs.  I used to think Beryllium could sound brittle at times. 

 

All of this is false.  Between the latest Wisdom OS of my Directstream DAC and the EtherRegen, (along with converting flac to WAV)  the level of reproduction I’m getting is just shocking.  In some ways I’m now thinking it can be better than the live event.  I hear live acoustic music often.  recorded sound’s  production elements and close micing might possibly be providing more than one could hear  in the room the music was being made (an example of which being added reverb) 

 

There is a new sweetness and freedom from the speaker box, height information, depth, bandwidth of instruments, acoustic envelope and impulse response being presented that surpasses any expectation I had about what home music systems could reproduce.  I’m also feeling like the intact phase information presented by a coincident driver now fully shines.  

I had an imitator of the EMO brand.  Very soft but it killed the music.  Fortunately it was cheap.  It lasted an hour on my system.

[Jud]

By the way - for folks on other forums or this one who don't have an ER and wondering whether we've all gone crazy 😊 :

 

I don't feel the sound of the system with the ER is completely changed, or even that the quantitative difference is so huge. What I do think is that the improvements that have been made, while perhaps quantitatively small, have increased my qualitative enjoyment tremendously. Being able to hear subtleties from vocalists and instrumentalists just that little bit better creates a lot more emotional impact for me.

[stevebythebay]

40 minutes ago, Jud said:

By the way - for folks on other forums or this one who don't have an ER and wondering whether we've all gone crazy 😊 :

 

I don't feel the sound of the system with the ER is completely changed, or even that the quantitative difference is so huge. What I do think is that the improvements that have been made, while perhaps quantitatively small, have increased my qualitative enjoyment tremendously. Being able to hear subtleties from vocalists and instrumentalists just that little bit better creates a lot more emotional impact for me.

Absolutely agree.  It's more like cleaning a window and being able to see far more clearly (no fog or other distortions), distinctly (details), farther (depth), with a truer sense that no glass is intervening in the process.  So, whatever John has "cooked up" in his recipe and how he's managed balancing the ingredients, the result is for all of us to behold in our respective systems. 

 

What I fear is that so many I read on this forum have such a kludge of upstream paths/devices before arriving at the eR, it's hard to know how, not the bitstream but what's been carried along, is affecting what actually is entering the eR, and ultimately our DAC and downstream.

[MikePid]

51 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

By the way - for folks on other forums or this one who don't have an ER and wondering whether we've all gone crazy 😊 :

 

Well, until my ER arrives (3rd batch) you first batchers certainly seem to have gone crazy 😜 🤣.
 

My expectations are so high now that unless I can see the beads of sweat on the faces during live performances and the colors of the clothes of the musicians on the holograms in my listening room, I’ll certainly be disappointed with the ER 😉🤣

 

In the meantime I will be jealous and have to put up with my dirty Ethernet sound 😢.  Looking forward to going crazy myself in a couple of months 😁.

 

Enjoy your lunacy!

[Jud]

16 minutes ago, MikePid said:

My expectations are so high now that unless I can see the beads of sweat on the faces during live performances and the colors of the clothes of the musicians on the holograms in my listening room, I’ll certainly be disappointed with the ER 😉🤣

 

Odd you should mention that, because I literally find myself picturing vocalists, for instance, much more frequently now! 😀

[gstew]

2 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

I would like you and @gstew to take that sort of discussion to another thread or to PM.  

Thanks!

@Superdad,

Absolutely. Sorry for starting it in this thread.

Could you move the relevant posts to a 'EtherRegen Power and Cable Experiences' thread? OR if it is better (and can be done), I can start that thread and you could move the posts there afterwards.

Let me know.

Greg in Mississippi

[Superdad]

2 hours ago, gstew said:

Absolutely. Sorry for starting it in this thread.

 

Could you move the relevant posts to a 'EtherRegen Power and Cable Experiences' thread? OR if it is better (and can be done), I can start that thread and you could move the posts there afterwards.

 

New thread created and a few posts moved there:

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/57686-the-etherregen-thread-for-various-cable-and-power-experiences-and-experiments/

I wrote an intro to the new thread, but I think I have to ask Chris again for help to make my opening post appear as the first one.

 

The new thread will be a great place for any and all chatter, experiments, and experiences with discussions of cables, power supplies, combinations with various other networking equipment, etc. 

So please try to keep the current Listening Impressions thread just for initial reactions and use. That will be more useful for new people coming here to read about the product as used in various systems.

 

Thanks!

--Alex C.

[wwc]

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.

 

 

[emailists]

While not the same, in my system, removing the passive isolator I was using in conjunction with the ER proved positive.

 

I think the next test would be to remove other isolators and optical conversions and just try the ER.  Get a feel for it’s particular benefit, then compare to Gigafoil, etc  on their own.

 

Then ultimately would be try both units together (which you’ve done)  And then switching their order.

 

In my case I drive the Ethernet with the second port on my Mac, so it’s not going through a switch.  

 

 

[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. 

 

 

[Ehsu]

Right, my ER has been cooking for over 24hrs now so I had a few hours of listening in different setups. My ER connections are: B side to my main music system streamer/dac. A sides are connected to: SonicTransporter i5 as Roon Core, Netgear Switch for LAN, bedroom system and Internet, Apple TV 4K. Ground screw was used and connected to my home theatre power amp for now. Copper Ethernet only. Keces P3 LPSU supplies power to both Netgear switch and ER. NAS and asus router are far away in another room on a different power circuit. All my local music files are stored in QNAP NAS in WAV, FLAC or DSD. ER was simply added to my LAN chain before my main endpoints. I did not change any cables and I’m not going to compare different cables or psu yet because this the way of my existing system. All existing cables and psu are there so I don’t see any reason to experiment and adding variables to the mix. 
 

Now my systems are~

main music system: Naim Nac 252 Pre, Naim Nap 300 power amp, Naim ND555 streamer dac, Naim Superlumino speaker cables and DIN interconnect, Naim Powerline power cords, Chord Super Sarum Ethernet to B side of EtherRegen, Neat Ultimatum XL6 floorstanders. All Naim kits are on Naim Fraim rack. This system has its own dedicated power spur from the 3 phase power main. Roon server connected to A side of ER using Wireworld Starlight Ethernet cable. 

Listening Impression using UpTone ER:

wow! Amazing! The difference is night and day! I could not stop listening and my foot was tapping unintentionally. The sound is not only different, it definitely lift the performance level. PRaT are all there and more. Music almost picked up another gear! I suspect ER has lower the background noise so much that I can use all the HiFi terms to describe the improvements. Darker background, larger soundstage, more open sound, more details top to bottom, solid bass, faster transients etc... they are all there. 
Please do not ask me to do quick A/B comparison. I just don’t do that. I never see the point doing that because I know my system and music very well. I listen to my system at least 2hrs a day. Plus, people will get confused and lose the focus on music. I prefer to switch tested equipments after a few days to get fully familiar with the sound first. The best judge on any Hi-Fi gear is if I enjoy my music more than before. Which I must say, I am in love with my latest acquisition 🙂

Bravo! 
Bedroom system: BelCanto int amp dac, Squeezebox Touch feeding Dac amp by Chord Sarum Coax, Neat Motive 2 loudspeakers, Naim Naca5 speaker cables. Squeezebox connected to A side of ER using Chord C-Stream Ethernet cable.
in this much lesser system, lower volume and a more relaxed mindset, SQ also picked up but only by a little margin. Maybe 10-15%? I’ll need to spend a bit more time to be conclusive. 
 

Cinema system: Krell processor, ATI multi channel poweramp, oppo 203, Sony 4K projector, Neat and monitor audio loudspeakers, Velodyne DD+ 12 subwoofer, Apple TV 4K and Steward Film 100” Studiotek 130. ER A side is connected to Apple TV using AQ cinnamon Ethernet. This system has 2 dedicated power spurs for poweramp and 1 for lower powered gears. 
I have no time to watch familiar movie clips yet but watched the final 2019 MotoGP race on Apple TV. This was a revelation! Amazing picture. MotoGP is streamed in 1080p only but the image looks almost 4K 🙂. Colours are solid and picture is very stable. Crystal clear image. 
admittedly this finding is not conclusive until I watch some familiar clips. Or maybe motogp has upgraded their cameras? I’ll need to report back.

 

some reservations after 24hrs though. The case is even hotter today than yesterday! And my ER has lost connection to my ASUS router! I could not see all those gears connected to ER until I run a power cycle. Alex, any bug fix coming? Looks like ER has stopped broadcasting IP addresses for a while? Does it need a breather after running so hot for over 24hrs?

 

sorry for such a long write up. There is just so much to say about it. Magic! I’ll tell all my friends to replace their Cisco switch now 🙂