UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

[Discopants]

3 days in with the ER, yesterday and this morning Ive been streaming all my spotify favourites, its like hearing new material, the step up is so profound.

 

So I’ve also been streaming TV through apple TV 4th gen. watched regular TV with live music and also streamed youtube music videos. So I had my ER set up with ethernet in and apple TV on the A side and Lyngdorf TDAI3400 on the B. Apple TV is also HDMI connected through the TDAI3400 and out to the TV a 15 year old Sony bravia LCD.

 

With  this configuration I could still hear an improvement in sound for the TV but way way lower step up than with the improvement in spotify. I would not be totally confident of detecting the improvement in a blind test though. 

 

So i switched the switch round to feed my ethernet in on the B side and I put the TDAI3400 and the Apple tv on the A side. 😮 😲 wow..... I might be wrong but I think this way round I lost a marginal amount of performance on listening to spotify but apple tv stepped up SQ to be significantly better than without, the same jump in performance that I was hearing with spotify. Picture looks great too. I did use the ground nut to ground to my Isotek sigmas power conditioner ground screw on both configurations.

 

Very happy customer here, I will keep my eye out for a suitable LPS to feed it at some point and Ill keep an eye on the cable thread too. So pleased to get one of these in the system before Christmas.

 

Congratulations Alex and John on a cracking little product I’d encourage anyone who is serious about digital streaming SQ to give it a try.

[Puma Cat]

On 12/14/2019 at 5:34 PM, spotforscott said:

I have had the ER up and running now for 3 to 4 days and wanted to share my feedback.

 

In terms of setup, I could not the B side of the ER to work with my NUC because the NUC cannot accept 100mb speed (NUC issue, not and ER issue). So here is how it is connected in the chain:

ETHERNET: Router > SonicTransporter i7 > ER B side > A side > NUC 

SOURCE: NUC USB > Mscaler > Dual BNC > OptoDX > Dual BNC > Chord DAVE > HFC Trinity > Abyss TC (with Superconductor cable). PC and BNC's are full loom of HFC.

 

Also of note, ER replaces the Linear Solution Switch. Both the the previous switch and the ER are powered by an LPS 1.2.

 

I did not start to seriously listen until ER had 50 hours on it. I have listened to it for about 25 hours. I then put back the Linear Solutions switch for about 5 hours, then back to the ER again.

 

I had reasonable high hopes for the ER like others on this board but I have to say, it easily surpassed my expectations. I have tried many different things in my system over the past 2 to 3 years with various hits and misses along the way. Well the ER is NOT a miss, it's the "real deal". It's performance embarasses what I thought was a pretty good (Linear Solutions) switch.

 

First and foremost, it has noticably lowered the noise floor so that I hear more into the music - more detail and more life. It also seems to relax the music whilst maintaining speed. Also, if anything, it seems to contribute to more more musical density rather than thinning things out - like some components do.

 

Put simply, the ER makes it easier for to get more enjoyment out of my music

 

Thanks Alex and John, very well done!  

 

 

Nice review, and agreed on all points. 

[Discopants]

5 hours ago, jamesg11 said:

In the first set up, you crossed over the moat with the hdmi?

 

No, first set up I had ethernet in and Apple TV on A side and my streaming amp on B.

 

There is no hdmi on the switch, I only mentioned it because i was worried that because I also have Hdmi connection between apple tv and the amp it may have undid the benefits of the etherregen... however that is not the case.

 

[simon_pepper]

Just been watching the AppleTV which is on the A ports of the EtherRegen, the PQ is definitely improved from before. No other changes apart from the replacement of the 5-port Cisco switch with the EtherRegen.

And my AppleTV outputs picture via HDMI into a Lumsden HDpro Video processor and then via single DVI-D to a B&O Beovision 7 panel. The Audio is a Toslink digital output from the ATV to a Tag MacLaren AVR32 AV processor before feeding Fronts and Sub.

Maybe a new topic under ‘PQ impressions using EtherRegen’ for when one A port is used for a media server configuration.

Simon

[alsterfan]

Yesterday I got my EtherRegen (thanks Martin!) and instantaneously put it in my chain, i.e. attached 2 Mac minis to ER´s A-side using 2 Blue Belden Cat 6a cables (1 Mm has an HDD hooked on with music stored on it, from the second Mm the music software is started). The B-side is connected with my La Rosita Pi Streamer.

From the very start (with the ER still being cold from the transport) more details could be heard mainly by emphasizing higher frequencies. This was ok but not too pleasant: Instruments lacked body, so the music sounded sort of "thin".

B u t  after 14 hours of burning-in things have extremely changed for the better.

In short:

- The higher frequencies are no longer over-represented.

- Instruments begin to develop their body.

- Different instruments can be separated from each other much more easily.

- The soundstage is easier to "grasp" (left-right, front-back).

- Dynamics are improving.

Last but not least:

Piano music, the presentation of which to me has always been a bit difficult, now is beginning to sound a lot more natural or live.

To sum up:

It has been a very good idea to give the ER a try. Even after such a short time of burning-in everything sounds so promising, that I am really curious what will happen in the days/weeks ahead (I know there are some users speaking about burn-in times of 200-300 hours).

 

Thanks a lot to Alex and John for their great creation!

 

Best wishes,

Uwe

 

P.S. As some have mentioned before, the ER quickly gets pretty hot, something I normally don´t fancy. However, Alex calmed me down writing he and John elaborately addressed this point with the result that we should not worry about the temperature, once we have provided sufficient room for the ER to dissipate heat.

[Jud]

54 minutes ago, alsterfan said:

 

Piano music, the presentation of which to me has always been a bit difficult, now is beginning to sound a lot more natural or live.

 

Yes, I think it's difficult to get piano just right, and I feel with the ER in my system it does sound right. (By which I mean it sounds like one would expect a piano to sound in the context of the recording. On very good recordings it can sound very close to "in the room." And I'm feeling that my recordings are generally sounding better, so I am experiencing this more often.)

[Lucie]

A couple of days ago I reported my initial findings. Of course I didn’t stop listening these last days. And I have to report that my enthusiasm remains high as far as the soundstage (deeper), the separation of the instruments, and the placement are concerned. But these last days I had some growing doubts about the better “listenability” I reported earlier. My wife was still very positive in this respect, but over the last days for me the music had developed a certain “dryness”. This was perhaps my way of avoiding the word “dullness”. I was looking for the ‘old’ energy in my perception of the music, but I thought the most probable explanation was psychological: initial enthusiasm perhaps somewhat exagerated? Tiredness in these busy weeks during the dark months?…Who can tell? Done too much listening perhaps?

 

From the very start I had my ER connected to a sBooster 12V LPS. I had it on my former switch, and I had no doubt at all that that would be the best thing to do. Yesterday evening, I decided to connect the ER to the supplied 7.5V supply. No special reason for that, just to give it a try, before disconnecting it again and putting it in a box somewhere in the barn. Although I was pretty certain that the supplied PS would be an inferior solution, it was a revelation. I couldn’t believe my ears! If I were to read this from anybody else on this forum, I would think: interesting, but very improbable…

 

So I asked my wife for a blind test. I just had her listen to a minute or so of music (the difference is so clear, you don’t need more), changed the PS and asked her if she heard a difference. She said: "Of course, that’s clear isn’t it?!". The sBooster she described as “more dull” (in Dutch: doffer) and “more veiled” (omfloerster). That’s exactly what I hear. To me the 7.5V PS is a big improvement over the sBooster. (Re-reading this I can hear a voice say: nobody is going to believe this). In my system anyone can hear it in a minute. Beyond doubt . My wife (unlike me she likes background music) also thinks the music is less listenable, because it's more upfront. Fair to report that as well. And no worries: we’ve always figured this out together quite well 🙂 🙂 .

 

To me the smile and the joy are back and the “dryness” completely disappeared. The volume can be turned back down a bit. The other advantages I reported before stayed unchanged: the soundstage remains deep, perhaps the separation and placement of the instruments improved a bit. That’s my impression for now at least. I’ll have to do more listening to confirm that.

 

I have no explanation for this very big PS effect. On the contrary: it seems improbable, disturbing. Note that the sBooster is 12V, the PS 7.5V. Could that make any difference? By the way I grounded the ER when the sBooster was attached and the grounding is still connected.

 

Now on to the next 100 hours. A good friend of mine, who also had his ER in the second batch, comes for some music listening just before Christmas. We’ll do some blind testing then. I’ll report our findings later.

[alsterfan]

4 hours ago, Jud said:

 

Yes, I think it's difficult to get piano just right, and I feel with the ER in my system it does sound right. (By which I mean it sounds like one would expect a piano to sound in the context of the recording. On very good recordings it can sound very close to "in the room." And I'm feeling that my recordings are generally sounding better, so I am experiencing this more often.)

That´s exactly what I wanted to say, Jud. I couldn´t have put it better than how you expressed it.

P.S. I forgot to mention that my ER gets its power from the 7.5V power supply that comes shipped with the ER.

[HumanMedia]

@Lucie

Very interesting. I have similar findings. I’m only day 5 in burning in, but I found that initially the ER added an exaggerated spatiality due to pushing the midrange and highs forward.

 

I knew there were changes from burning in so I’m sitting tight and almost relieved that the tonal balance is becoming more normal and the spatiality is less sound effecty.

 

Ive held off tweaking too much until things settle but have tried powering it with a JS-2 and LPS 1.2. These did add some improvements in treble but had a more congested mid range. With the LPS it’s like the bass information was pulled up into the midrange, not in a good way. The JS-2 had promise but I will come back to that when things settle a bit. My current preference is the stock supply, on a circuit separate from the audio system. I’m still having unnatural highs, but so have others until later in burn in process.

 

Overall it’s a definite improvement, but comes with some exaggerated negatives at least initially. Not trying to be negative, just objective amongst almost universal praise.

[Superdad]

Happy that you gents are all having fun and enjoying your EtherREGENs.  Please don't forget that there is a separate thread for your various power, cable, and other tweaks:

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

Chit-chat about power cords and supplies really belongs over there.  Thanks!

[Jud]

Jayhawks, "Pouring Rain At Dawn," from their album "Mockingbird Time." I never considered this to be a well recorded album, but it's sounding just great.

[cat6man]

I'm in the January build but have 3 configurations under consideration at this time.

 

My current configuration is:

1.  hqplayer under audiolinux running on NUC

2.  NAA mode in opticalRendu (oR) to DAC

3.  NUC-->router/rj45-->opticalModule(oM)==>15m fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

4.  all units running on LPS-1.2 (oM) or SR-4 (oR)

 

I'll re-configure when I get the etherRegen in January but it is not obvious to me if the oM becomes superfluous or not.

When I get the etherRegen(eR), I see three options:

==> (optical ethernet connection)

-->  (copper ethernet connection)

 

A.  NUC-->router/rj45-->etherRegen(oR)==>15m fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

B.  NUC-->router/opticalSFP==>short fiber==>opticalModule(oM)-->etherRegen(eR)==>15m fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

C.  NUC-->router/rj45-->15m copper ethernet-->etherRegen(eR)==>short fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

 

Note that with the 3 new cases, the etherRegen is running Bin/Aout while the oM is also running Bin/Aout also (which is the reverse of the Ain/Bout configuration with my current etherRegen-less setup).

 

Has anyone tried any 2 or 3 of these options and have any listening impressions to share?

 

 

[JohnSwenson]

3 hours ago, cat6man said:

I'm in the January build but have 3 configurations under consideration at this time.

 

My current configuration is:

1.  hqplayer under audiolinux running on NUC

2.  NAA mode in opticalRendu (oR) to DAC

3.  NUC-->router/rj45-->opticalModule(oM)==>15m fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

4.  all units running on LPS-1.2 (oM) or SR-4 (oR)

 

I'll re-configure when I get the etherRegen in January but it is not obvious to me if the oM becomes superfluous or not.

When I get the etherRegen(eR), I see three options:

==> (optical ethernet connection)

-->  (copper ethernet connection)

 

A.  NUC-->router/rj45-->etherRegen(oR)==>15m fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

B.  NUC-->router/opticalSFP==>short fiber==>opticalModule(oM)-->etherRegen(eR)==>15m fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

C.  NUC-->router/rj45-->15m copper ethernet-->etherRegen(eR)==>short fiber==>opticalRendu(oR)

 

Note that with the 3 new cases, the etherRegen is running Bin/Aout while the oM is also running Bin/Aout also (which is the reverse of the Ain/Bout configuration with my current etherRegen-less setup).

 

Has anyone tried any 2 or 3 of these options and have any listening impressions to share?

 

 

"B" won't work, the B side port of the EtherREGEN is only 100Mbs, and the RJ45 port of the oM is only gigbit.

 

John S.

[cat6man]

4 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

"B" won't work, the B side port of the EtherREGEN is only 100Mbs, and the RJ45 port of the oM is only gigbit.

 

John S.

 

thanks john............good catch

[Confused]

I have had my EtherRegen for a little over a week now.  First to say that it works flawlessly.  I have tried it upsampling with HQPlayer, in Roon Ready mode, feeding both my SOtM sMS-200Ultra and my Devialet direct via its Ethernet input, everything works as it should, and not one single dropout or stutter.  So it works.  As an aside, some Devialet owners experience issues using the Devialet in "Roon Ready" mode, getting stuttering or an "audio file is loading slowly" error message when running 24/192 or 24/176.4 material.  I have this issue, but with the EtherRegen in place the issue is gone.  I think this is an unintended result of the fact that the EtherRegen runs 100BASE-T.  Another interesting quirk is that SOtM's firmware for the sMS-200Ultra has a 100BASE-T mode, which never worked for me when running HQPlayer.  By comparison, the 100BASE-T EtherRegen works fine with HQPlayer, in my case upsampling to 24/192, which is the maximum PCM input rate for the Devialet via AES/EBU.

 

Another point to note, is that I am powering the EtherRegen with a SOtM sPS-500 set to 7V.  Recently the sPS-500 has been sat on the shelf unused, so it the best thing I have for power at the moment.

 

Yesterday I had some free time to try some listening tests with the EtherRegen.  Previous to having the EtherRegen, my preferred set up was running a standard TP-Link switch, which then feeds my SOtM modified D-Link switch.  This is a set up that I found preferable to either the standard TP-Link switch or the SOtM modified switch on its own.  I only had about an hour spare yesterday, so I thought I would try the quick Ethernet cable swap method, to take the EtherRegen in and out of the chain. This method works surprisingly well, no need to worry about volume levelling, and the streaming set-up remained stable even swapping cables between the EtherRegen and the SOtM modified switch.  This test was a little inconclusive. I did have a slight feeling that things sounded better with the EtherRegen in place, but at the same time, it was not a big enough difference for me to be sure that I was not kidding myself. At this point I ran out of time yesterday, and other seasonal related tasks had to take precedence over further experimenting.

Reflecting on the above, it occurred to me that in a way the above test was not entirely fair. Consider that without the EtherRegen, I was running a standard switch, then a SOtM switch, which is effectively running off the Mutec Ref 10. So even without the EtherRegen I have a degree of noise isolation from the upstream kit, plus I am running switch with a decent clock signal.

This takes me to this morning. I thought I would try the following:

A) TP-Link switch, SOtM modified switch versus TP-Link switch, SOtM modified, EtherRegen
B) TP-Link switch versus TP-Link switch, EtherRegen

I chose the above over the more obvious comparison of simply substituting the TP-Link switch for the EtherRegen, because A and B above can be done with a single Ethernet cable swap, and furthermore, the EtherRegen is supposed to make everything before the switch irrelevant, so why should it care if the TP-Link switch is there or not.

Anyway, the conclusion is not far off the one I reached yesterday. Yes, I do feel that there is a very slight improvement from having either the SOtM modified switch or the EtherRegen in the chain, but the difference is very subtle indeed. Could it be imagined? I really am not sure, it is in that strange zone where you go from thinking yes, I can here something, then after a few swaps either way, you become less sure if it is real or imagined. If I have to come off the fence and commit, I would go with an improvement, but very small. What do I think I am hearing as an improvement? It is a sharpening of the sound stage, a touch more focus and resolution to the details, and a general feeling of things being more relaxed but more natural.

For now, I will be leaving the system as TP-Link switch, SOtM modified switch, EtherRegen. This seemed best to me. My overcomplicated system gets yet more complicated. One thing to try in the future will be to use the REF10 to provide the clock reference to the EtherRegen.

Whilst in the mood for confusing A/B swaps, I thought I would try the EtherRegen feeding the Devialet via Ethernet direct using its built in "Core Intelligence" board Roon RAAT mode, and compare to feeding the Devialet direct from the standard TP-Link switch. Curiously, or perhaps not curiously, the results were pretty much the same as when feeding my SOtM / Mutec kit. I could detect a small difference, but perhaps at the margins of what might be imagined. Same thing as before, the sound seemed a little more focused, tidier if you like, a fraction sharper with more resolution. 

So no jaws literally hitting the floor, but I think a very small improvement.  To provide a little context to all this, I actually preferred my system with the standard TP-Link switch to the old SOtM modified switch on its own, and the TP-Link switch is one that I used in the past for a comparison with an AQVOX switch, which I ultimately sent back for a refund, I just could not find any difference between the two. So this is very marginal stuff, at the edge of what might be messing with your mind, and I think my old TP-Link switch might be quite good for what it is, but I would take the EtherRegen over the AQVOX, and sit down and enjoy the music happy that the EtherRegen might just be adding that touch of polish to the sound.

The next step for me is to see how I find the system in normal use over time, then perhaps try feeding the EtherRegen with the REF10.

 

Sometimes these first impressions hold, sometimes other things become apparent in normal use with a range of music. Time will tell.

 

I do not want this post to sound too negative, I have a very complex front end, with a sMS-200Ultra Neo feeding a tX-USBultra feeding a Mutec MC3+USB, all fed from a Mutec REF10, so I already have lots of signal "cleaning" and "reclocking" going on, and yes, the improvement is marginal but I think it is there.  Unlike the AQVOX that went back for a refund, I'll be keeping the EtherRegen

[d_elm]

1 hour ago, Confused said:

I have had my EtherRegen for a little over a week now.  First to say that it works flawlessly.  I have tried it upsampling with HQPlayer, in Roon Ready mode, feeding both my SOtM sMS-200Ultra and my Devialet direct via its Ethernet input, everything works as it should, and not one single dropout or stutter.  So it works.  As an aside, some Devialet owners experience issues using the Devialet in "Roon Ready" mode, getting stuttering or an "audio file is loading slowly" error message when running 24/192 or 24/176.4 material.  I have this issue, but with the EtherRegen in place the issue is gone.  I think this is an unintended result of the fact that the EtherRegen runs 100BASE-T.  Another interesting quirk is that SOtM's firmware for the sMS-200Ultra has a 100BASE-T mode, which never worked for me when running HQPlayer.  By comparison, the 100BASE-T EtherRegen works fine with HQPlayer, in my case upsampling to 24/192, which is the maximum PCM input rate for the Devialet via AES/EBU.

 

Another point to note, is that I am powering the EtherRegen with a SOtM sPS-500 set to 7V.  Recently the sPS-500 has been sat on the shelf unused, so it the best thing I have for power at the moment.

 

Yesterday I had some free time to try some listening tests with the EtherRegen.  Previous to having the EtherRegen, my preferred set up was running a standard TP-Link switch, which then feeds my SOtM modified D-Link switch.  This is a set up that I found preferable to either the standard TP-Link switch or the SOtM modified switch on its own.  I only had about an hour spare yesterday, so I thought I would try the quick Ethernet cable swap method, to take the EtherRegen in and out of the chain. This method works surprisingly well, no need to worry about volume levelling, and the streaming set-up remained stable even swapping cables between the EtherRegen and the SOtM modified switch.  This test was a little inconclusive. I did have a slight feeling that things sounded better with the EtherRegen in place, but at the same time, it was not a big enough difference for me to be sure that I was not kidding myself. At this point I ran out of time yesterday, and other seasonal related tasks had to take precedence over further experimenting.

Reflecting on the above, it occurred to me that in a way the above test was not entirely fair. Consider that without the EtherRegen, I was running a standard switch, then a SOtM switch, which is effectively running off the Mutec Ref 10. So even without the EtherRegen I have a degree of noise isolation from the upstream kit, plus I am running switch with a decent clock signal.

This takes me to this morning. I thought I would try the following:

A) TP-Link switch, SOtM modified switch versus TP-Link switch, SOtM modified, EtherRegen
B) TP-Link switch versus TP-Link switch, EtherRegen

I chose the above over the more obvious comparison of simply substituting the TP-Link switch for the EtherRegen, because A and B above can be done with a single Ethernet cable swap, and furthermore, the EtherRegen is supposed to make everything before the switch irrelevant, so why should it care if the TP-Link switch is there or not.

Anyway, the conclusion is not far off the one I reached yesterday. Yes, I do feel that there is a very slight improvement from having either the SOtM modified switch or the EtherRegen in the chain, but the difference is very subtle indeed. Could it be imagined? I really am not sure, it is in that strange zone where you go from thinking yes, I can here something, then after a few swaps either way, you become less sure if it is real or imagined. If I have to come off the fence and commit, I would go with an improvement, but very small. What do I think I am hearing as an improvement? It is a sharpening of the sound stage, a touch more focus and resolution to the details, and a general feeling of things being more relaxed but more natural.

For now, I will be leaving the system as TP-Link switch, SOtM modified switch, EtherRegen. This seemed best to me. My overcomplicated system gets yet more complicated. One thing to try in the future will be to use the REF10 to provide the clock reference to the EtherRegen.

Whilst in the mood for confusing A/B swaps, I thought I would try the EtherRegen feeding the Devialet via Ethernet direct using its built in "Core Intelligence" board Roon RAAT mode, and compare to feeding the Devialet direct from the standard TP-Link switch. Curiously, or perhaps not curiously, the results were pretty much the same as when feeding my SOtM / Mutec kit. I could detect a small difference, but perhaps at the margins of what might be imagined. Same thing as before, the sound seemed a little more focused, tidier if you like, a fraction sharper with more resolution. 

So no jaws literally hitting the floor, but I think a very small improvement.  To provide a little context to all this, I actually preferred my system with the standard TP-Link switch to the old SOtM modified switch on its own, and the TP-Link switch is one that I used in the past for a comparison with an AQVOX switch, which I ultimately sent back for a refund, I just could not find any difference between the two. So this is very marginal stuff, at the edge of what might be messing with your mind, and I think my old TP-Link switch might be quite good for what it is, but I would take the EtherRegen over the AQVOX, and sit down and enjoy the music happy that the EtherRegen might just be adding that touch of polish to the sound.

The next step for me is to see how I find the system in normal use over time, then perhaps try feeding the EtherRegen with the REF10.

 

Sometimes these first impressions hold, sometimes other things become apparent in normal use with a range of music. Time will tell.

 

I do not want this post to sound too negative, I have a very complex front end, with a sMS-200Ultra Neo feeding a tX-USBultra feeding a Mutec MC3+USB, all fed from a Mutec REF10, so I already have lots of signal "cleaning" and "reclocking" going on, and yes, the improvement is marginal but I think it is there.  Unlike the AQVOX that went back for a refund, I'll be keeping the EtherRegen

Please try the EtherREGEN with the REF10 as the only switch in comparison to the other two switches in series.  I have an EtherREGEN on order and plan to use an LPS 1.2 and Cybershaft OP13 with it.  In my temporary setup I can hear the OP13 effect as you describe.

[Superdad]

@Confused: Great report, thanks. I am a little concerned that you might be defeating the differential isolation moat ot the EtherREGEN in your setup. There is a chance of that if you are using your Mutec REF10 to clock devices both upstream and downstream of the EtherREGEN. Can you post a system diagram?

If the isolation gets defeated, the EtherREGEN will then just sound like a very good conventional switch.

Also, have you tried having the EtherREGEN as your only switch? 

Hope you have a lovely holiday and New Years,

—Alex C.

[stevebythebay]

3 hours ago, Confused said:

I have had my EtherRegen for a little over a week now.  First to say that it works flawlessly.  I have tried it upsampling with HQPlayer, in Roon Ready mode, feeding both my SOtM sMS-200Ultra and my Devialet direct via its Ethernet input, everything works as it should, and not one single dropout or stutter.  So it works.  As an aside, some Devialet owners experience issues using the Devialet in "Roon Ready" mode, getting stuttering or an "audio file is loading slowly" error message when running 24/192 or 24/176.4 material.  I have this issue, but with the EtherRegen in place the issue is gone.  I think this is an unintended result of the fact that the EtherRegen runs 100BASE-T.  Another interesting quirk is that SOtM's firmware for the sMS-200Ultra has a 100BASE-T mode, which never worked for me when running HQPlayer.  By comparison, the 100BASE-T EtherRegen works fine with HQPlayer, in my case upsampling to 24/192, which is the maximum PCM input rate for the Devialet via AES/EBU.

 

Another point to note, is that I am powering the EtherRegen with a SOtM sPS-500 set to 7V.  Recently the sPS-500 has been sat on the shelf unused, so it the best thing I have for power at the moment.

 

Yesterday I had some free time to try some listening tests with the EtherRegen.  Previous to having the EtherRegen, my preferred set up was running a standard TP-Link switch, which then feeds my SOtM modified D-Link switch.  This is a set up that I found preferable to either the standard TP-Link switch or the SOtM modified switch on its own.  I only had about an hour spare yesterday, so I thought I would try the quick Ethernet cable swap method, to take the EtherRegen in and out of the chain. This method works surprisingly well, no need to worry about volume levelling, and the streaming set-up remained stable even swapping cables between the EtherRegen and the SOtM modified switch.  This test was a little inconclusive. I did have a slight feeling that things sounded better with the EtherRegen in place, but at the same time, it was not a big enough difference for me to be sure that I was not kidding myself. At this point I ran out of time yesterday, and other seasonal related tasks had to take precedence over further experimenting.

Reflecting on the above, it occurred to me that in a way the above test was not entirely fair. Consider that without the EtherRegen, I was running a standard switch, then a SOtM switch, which is effectively running off the Mutec Ref 10. So even without the EtherRegen I have a degree of noise isolation from the upstream kit, plus I am running switch with a decent clock signal.

This takes me to this morning. I thought I would try the following:

A) TP-Link switch, SOtM modified switch versus TP-Link switch, SOtM modified, EtherRegen
B) TP-Link switch versus TP-Link switch, EtherRegen

I chose the above over the more obvious comparison of simply substituting the TP-Link switch for the EtherRegen, because A and B above can be done with a single Ethernet cable swap, and furthermore, the EtherRegen is supposed to make everything before the switch irrelevant, so why should it care if the TP-Link switch is there or not.

Anyway, the conclusion is not far off the one I reached yesterday. Yes, I do feel that there is a very slight improvement from having either the SOtM modified switch or the EtherRegen in the chain, but the difference is very subtle indeed. Could it be imagined? I really am not sure, it is in that strange zone where you go from thinking yes, I can here something, then after a few swaps either way, you become less sure if it is real or imagined. If I have to come off the fence and commit, I would go with an improvement, but very small. What do I think I am hearing as an improvement? It is a sharpening of the sound stage, a touch more focus and resolution to the details, and a general feeling of things being more relaxed but more natural.

For now, I will be leaving the system as TP-Link switch, SOtM modified switch, EtherRegen. This seemed best to me. My overcomplicated system gets yet more complicated. One thing to try in the future will be to use the REF10 to provide the clock reference to the EtherRegen.

Whilst in the mood for confusing A/B swaps, I thought I would try the EtherRegen feeding the Devialet via Ethernet direct using its built in "Core Intelligence" board Roon RAAT mode, and compare to feeding the Devialet direct from the standard TP-Link switch. Curiously, or perhaps not curiously, the results were pretty much the same as when feeding my SOtM / Mutec kit. I could detect a small difference, but perhaps at the margins of what might be imagined. Same thing as before, the sound seemed a little more focused, tidier if you like, a fraction sharper with more resolution. 

So no jaws literally hitting the floor, but I think a very small improvement.  To provide a little context to all this, I actually preferred my system with the standard TP-Link switch to the old SOtM modified switch on its own, and the TP-Link switch is one that I used in the past for a comparison with an AQVOX switch, which I ultimately sent back for a refund, I just could not find any difference between the two. So this is very marginal stuff, at the edge of what might be messing with your mind, and I think my old TP-Link switch might be quite good for what it is, but I would take the EtherRegen over the AQVOX, and sit down and enjoy the music happy that the EtherRegen might just be adding that touch of polish to the sound.

The next step for me is to see how I find the system in normal use over time, then perhaps try feeding the EtherRegen with the REF10.

 

Sometimes these first impressions hold, sometimes other things become apparent in normal use with a range of music. Time will tell.

 

I do not want this post to sound too negative, I have a very complex front end, with a sMS-200Ultra Neo feeding a tX-USBultra feeding a Mutec MC3+USB, all fed from a Mutec REF10, so I already have lots of signal "cleaning" and "reclocking" going on, and yes, the improvement is marginal but I think it is there.  Unlike the AQVOX that went back for a refund, I'll be keeping the EtherRegen

Certainly agree with Alex on this.  Always strart clean and simple with as few items in the chain.  What you're doing, apart from the fact that you're not allowing the eR to stabilize for a few hundred hours in the system (more than burn-in actually thermally getting stable) is like putting a bunch of dudes in a police line-up with the lights really dimmed.  And a diagram with all details would be nice, including the wires (copper or fiber).

[Midnightrambler]

Hi.

Just running in my ER. Going very well so far. Can any of the first batch users say what can be expected in the coming weeks please.

I am running it at 10v on a bespoke lps, is there any benefit upping this to 12v?

Thanks

Rich

 

[Confused]

2 hours ago, Superdad said:

@Confused: Great report, thanks. I am a little concerned that you might be defeating the differential isolation moat ot the EtherREGEN in your setup. There is a chance of that if you are using your Mutec REF10 to clock devices both upstream and downstream of the EtherREGEN. Can you post a system diagram?

If the isolation gets defeated, the EtherREGEN will then just sound like a very good conventional switch.

Also, have you tried having the EtherREGEN as your only switch? 

Hope you have a lovely holiday and New Years,

—Alex C.

Thanks for that Alex, an interesting observation, and you make a very good point.  The SOtM modified switch takes its reference clock from the clock distribution board in the sMS-200Ultra, so this does potentially add a link to both sides of the EtherRegen "moat".

 

Anyway, it is easy enough to remove the SOtM modified switch from the system completely, and indeed to run the EtherRegen as the only switch in the chain.

 

I will certainly give this a try.

[gstew]

40 minutes ago, Midnightrambler said:

Hi.

Just running in my ER. Going very well so far. Can any of the first batch users say what can be expected in the coming weeks please.

I am running it at 10v on a bespoke lps, is there any benefit upping this to 12v?

Thanks

Rich

 

 

What I posted a week or so ago:

 

On 12/14/2019 at 12:08 AM, gstew said:

 

See this post in the Firmware update thread...

 

I felt the author did a good job of describing the experience of the process.

 

Greg in Mississippi

 

On 10V vs 12V, I don't remember seeing any controlled tests that suggested a preference. 

 

Greg in Mississippi

 

[KHA]

@Confused,

 

As I am new to this forum, and also using the Uptone stuff with sotm sms 200 ultra I have purchased the mutec

REF-10 clock . Did you have any issues with synchronizing the ether regen and the sotm sms 200 ultra.

thanks for an answer

 

Karl-Heinz

 

 

[alsterfan]

6 hours ago, stevebythebay said:

@stevebythebay (more than burn-in actually thermally getting stable)

Did I get you right and is it common knowledge that apart from burn-in and its influence on SQ there is also an impact on thermal stability?

[stevebythebay]

18 minutes ago, alsterfan said:

Did I get you right and is it common knowledge that apart from burn-in and its influence on SQ there is also an impact on thermal stability?

Been my experience to date, at least with the eR, but have also found it true with other devices I've used, that removing power and then reconnecting power seems to have the effect of altering the workings of the device under test.  It just seems to take a bit of time, usually 1/2-1 hour to get everything stable again.  And that has an impact on SQ to one degree or another.  No clear idea why.

[Confused]

8 hours ago, stevebythebay said:

Been my experience to date, at least with the eR, but have also found it true with other devices I've used, that removing power and then reconnecting power seems to have the effect of altering the workings of the device under test.  It just seems to take a bit of time, usually 1/2-1 hour to get everything stable again.  And that has an impact on SQ to one degree or another.  No clear idea why.

Audio clocks typically need to be running for half an hour or more and at a stable temperature for the clock accuracy itself to be stable.  (minimum phase noise)

 

Initially, I did not quite understand your comment with reference to my post, but now it is clear.  I think I need to clarify that my EtherRegen has been powered up and running for over a week now.  When comparing to other Ethernet switches, as mentioned in my earlier post,  I was connecting / disconnecting Ethernet cables, but at no time did I remove power from the EtherRegen. The EtherRegen remained "powered up" constantly for exactly the reasons you mentioned.  

 

Alex made a good point about possible "leakage loops", so I will be revisiting this one with a simpler set-up, as you both suggest.