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UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions


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My ER arrived on Saturday and it has been running in my system since Saturday night on Roon radio.  Very nice surprise by Alex with the early delivery 😄.  I plan to sit down for some critical listening this weekend.  I was able to spend a little time on Sunday evening listing to Qobuz streaming and a couple local files via Roon.  What struck me out of the box was the micro-detail on tracks that I know pretty well.  They sounded more "intimate" and "present in the room" if that makes sense.  Imaging and placement was more defined.  So far, I'm very impressed.  More to follow this weekend.

 

My system:

iMac/Roon > ER > UltraRendu > Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC > LTA MicroZOTL tube preamp > LTA UltraLinear tube amp > Spatial Audio X2 Modular speakers

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Ok, couple of weeks in (3 and over a week since I applied the V2 firmware) and I am noticing so much more detail on every track. The detail was there before, as the same recordings/files, but now it is just there - is it that the noise floor has dropped so making the fine details more audible or is the signal timing more accurate allowing the micro-detail to come into better focus. It is equivalent to a source upgrade, a better cartridge, next gen DAC technology etc. Whatever it is and why, it is excellent, thank you.

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18 hours ago, Superdad said:

It is, but there is the matter what screw of the JS-2 enclosure you would use as the chassis is anodized and while the screws are steel, the ones holding the cover are short and a special countersink. Putting a wire under them could be tricky and likely to scratch the lovely case finish. And if you pick one of the other underside stainless steel hex-head screws, you need to be mindful as some are short PCB screws, and the larger ones are for the transformer and you could have trouble retightening them from only one side.

I'd really rather people not mess with JS-2 screws. You must have many other good grounds in your system. 9_9

Alex, I so appreciate the time and value you add to this forum.  Not many manufacturers would go the extra mile like Uptone Audio.  

 

Wouldn't a good system ground for the ER ground screw be the SR Active Grounding Block given that in my audio system I have all components and cables grounded to it?

Reviewer

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13 minutes ago, mikeg said:

Alex, I so appreciate the time and value you add to this forum.  Not many manufacturers would go the extra mile like Uptone Audio.

Thanks. We try our best.

 

13 minutes ago, mikeg said:

Wouldn't a good system ground for the ER ground screw be the SR Active Grounding Block given that in my audio system I have all components and cables grounded to it?

 

It could be, but remember, the goal of grounding with the EtherREGEN is not at all related to having common ground with your other audio components. It is about shunting—to mains ground—any residual high-source-impedance leakage currents (coming into the ‘A’-side RJ45 ports from other gear) that our 12-core per port magnetics don’t already block.

 

I have no idea how a Synergistic Research Active Grounding Block works, but if it increases impeadance to real mains ground then it would be a less-than-ideal choice for grounding the EtherREGEN. Feel free to experiment.

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On 12/9/2019 at 11:13 AM, cat6man said:

for what its worth, i remember reading years ago that the ear is exquisitely sensitive to delay, way beyond the inverse of highest frequency

(e.g. 1/20khz)........and classical conductors were reported to be able to discriminate in tests between absurdly low level of audio delay, which suggests that very small correlations and/or errors in sound between channels are important.


Exactly, Rob Watts the designer of the Chord DACs, believes we are more sensitive than that and attributes part of the success of his upscaling products to providing 1.3us accuracy.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hugo-m-scaler-by-chord-electronics-the-official-thread.885042/page-503#post-15076324

 

And what characterises his products? Clean accurate soundstage with delicate reverb and transients. The descriptions I hear of the EtherRegen are remarkably similar to the benefits of Chord products. He is often quoted as saying high sampling rate is mostly about transient accuracy and resultant reverb and soundstage as opposed to frequency response.

 

And would microsecond precision between channels be shown in those gross low resolution charts over at ARS? Of course not.


So my opinion is that part of what the EtherRegen does is removes noise or influences that affect timing of the reproduced analog signal downstream.

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10 hours ago, mikeg said:

Alex, I so appreciate the time and value you add to this forum.  Not many manufacturers would go the extra mile like Uptone Audio.  

 

Wouldn't a good system ground for the ER ground screw be the SR Active Grounding Block given that in my audio system I have all components and cables grounded to it?

+mikeg That's how I have mine set up and it sounds great. And Alex, the SR ground block is a star grounding scheme that is connected to the earth ground of the house AC. I my setup I have added a second ground rod at the breaker box in an attempt to further lower AC ground impedance. I'm a believer!

 

As for others seeking to experiment with grounding the ER when using a JS-2, rather than trying to kludge a ground wire to the JS-2 case, maybe try connecting a wire from the ER to the ground pin of a 3 prong male AC plug and connect it to an unused AC outlet?

Andy

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Just did a proper Google Search to get the meaning:  FMI, FYI:

 

What is an Ictus in music?
Ictus. With the spoken word, ictus indicates the stress or accent on the syllable or foot of a verse. In music, the term ictus is used in conducting to denote the specific point in a visible pattern of beat points that articulates the pulse of the music to the ensemble.

And by my listening, I would say that the ER does a very nice job of it.  

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💫🎁🎉 I got my EtherRegen today 🎉🎁💫

 

It took me 10 minutes to pull out my old Netgear fs105 and replace it with the ER so burn in can start.
Oh so happy, thanks superdad and superJohn.

Meitner ma1 v2 dac,  Sovereign preamp and power amp,

DIY speakers, scan speak illuminator.

Raal Requisite VM-1a -> SR-1a with Accurate Sound convolution.

Under development:

NUC7i7dnbe, Euphony Stylus, Qobuz.

Modded Buffalo-fiber-EtherRegen, DC3- Isoregen, Lush^2

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My "EtherRegen" was sent to Germany on Monday and was there yesterday afternoon. Great! Connected to Keces P3 since last night. 7V output. First I connected my Devialet to the B output, and the Innuos streamer and two other devices at the A input. Sound was good but a bit tight. Then I connected the Innuos to the B output and connected the Devialet via the Innuos bridge output. Significantly better in all disciplines. I'm very impressed. Much more music! The sound stage is slowly becoming more open and detailed.
@ Superdad: Should the EtherRegen be earthed because two more devices are connected to the A side?

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30 minutes ago, perry1 said:

@ Superdad: Should the EtherRegen be earthed because two more devices are connected to the A side?

 

If the zero-volt/-VE output "ground" of your Keces P3 is "floated" (not common to AC mains ground), then yes you might want to try using the Ground screw of the EtherREGEN.

 

And later, once you have a lot of hours on your EtherREGEN, please try reverting back to having just the Devialet on the 'B' side, with your Innous and other devices on the 'A' side--with Ground screw used. That may in the end give you the best results.  

Certainly glad you are enjoying it so far! :D

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I listened to the ER briefly on Thursday when I first got it, it sounded promising but left it at that. Thinking I rather listen to it after some burn-in time.

 

First toughs after 28 hours of music playing burn-in: 

Oh wow, need to recalibrate my brain. Much more precision in the whole soundstage meaning that every sound has now more of its own space around it, definition, decay and depth. 

Great stability, tight bass definition.

I think there’s still some harshness but I am confident it will disappear.

 

Oh I am tired 😴, going to casual listening mode now. 
 

Thanks SuperJohn and SuperDad for this SuperBad switch, just fantastic.

 

Music: (all via Tidal)

Iggy Pop, Free: Loves missing.

Supertramp: school.

Benjamin Clementine, At Least For Now.

Daft Punk, Random Access Memories: Giorgio by Moroder, Motherboard, Contact.

Fink, Bloom Innocent.

 

Ps etherregen fed with 12 volt gives it a toasty 43C.

Meitner ma1 v2 dac,  Sovereign preamp and power amp,

DIY speakers, scan speak illuminator.

Raal Requisite VM-1a -> SR-1a with Accurate Sound convolution.

Under development:

NUC7i7dnbe, Euphony Stylus, Qobuz.

Modded Buffalo-fiber-EtherRegen, DC3- Isoregen, Lush^2

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For folks who prefer streaming to endpoint with wifi, has anybody tried put the etherregen just before their wireless access point? For experimentation sake...

Untill know my streamer is connected by copper ethernet but when i receive my etherregen i will experiment putting it before my ubiquiti unify AC pŕo AP which is untill now used for non audio purposes and cut down normally when i have serious listening

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