UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

[MichaelHiFi]

Congrats on your upgrade. I'll admit to being confused by how you're using this router. 

 

You have a wireless modem which of course has an ethernet port. You run your CATx cable to the Ubiquiti. Your Ubiquiti sends a CATx to the "A" side of the ER, correct?

 

I have a Motorola Modem, the 6800 which supposed to be the best sounding modem according to tests from audiophiles from somewhere, I forgot. That feeds a TP-Link AX6000 WiFi 6 Router. I send a CAT6 to the ER which feeds my NAS, my small green computer that hosts the Roon Core, a Dlink router that feeds other local devices and a NAD M17V2 prepro. The "B" side feeds the Lindemann Musicbook DSD. I use the Supra CAT8 cables on all the critical paths to audio except from TP-Link router to ER. That's a 45ft cable which costs some serious dollars.

 

So now if I understand you correctly, if I replace my Dlink network switch (which sits alongside the ER and feeds other network devices) with a Ubiquiti router, take the CAT6 long run from my TP-Link router and plug it into the Ubiquiti, then feed the ER with a CATx from the Ubiquiti, I should realize another bump in performance?

 

You know this is madness right?

 

As it is now, the sound is heroic. There's so much texture, clarity, nuance that it feels like my music is playing at half speed. Wife is amazed at what the ER had done to our system. Best upgrade for the money EVER.

[Ricardo007]

I received today à second etherregen which is intended for à second source, à double PC configuration, to be received later.

Meanwhile I have in my bedroom system with TV thé Nvidia shield Android TV box streamer, with farad super3, which I use also for looking you tube videos. There is behind it the first etherregen clockéd by SotM master clock and follow éd by isoregen just before Terminator DAC.

I was thinking why not try it à double stack of etherregen clockéd by 10M master clock? Master clock and New Etherregen are powered by UpTone JS2. One clock cable is sotm the second one is cheap cybershaft 1.5 meter cable.

To summarize it is à big shock, huge improvment compare to changing my DAC.

Naturalness, New depth of relaxe sounds, sources have shrinked to their normal size and well located in space, songs lyrics much better understood, long decay of sound, space around instruments, better timbre...

Actually thé second ER was à much bigger improvment compare to the first.

Congrats to Alex and John for bringing this high value item to market.

Behind the 2ER is à 25usd Cisco 2960 switch linked to the modem/router and to à second Cisco switch with ubiquity AP for wifi (non audio). No fiber yet in the system.

Next planned step is to isolate the network from wifi.

 

[esmit]

3 hours ago, Ricardo007 said:

Nvidia shield Android TV box streamer, with farad super3, w

How did you connect those two? I think it is a special connector?

[PLGA]

On 7/17/2020 at 12:28 PM, MichaelHiFi said:

So now if I understand you correctly, if I replace my Dlink network switch (which sits alongside the ER and feeds other network devices) with a Ubiquiti router, take the CAT6 long run from my TP-Link router and plug it into the Ubiquiti, then feed the ER with a CATx from the Ubiquiti, I should realize another bump in performance?

 

You have to take the TP Link WiFi Router out of the path to the ER. 

 

What I have is:

 

Wireless Modem > Ubiquiti > A side of the ER

 

From the B si de of the ER I take an Ethernet cable to my SOtM SMS-200 Ultra Neo, wich works as Audinirvana+ end point, and from it to my DDC an then to the DAC. 

 

Then, from another port of the Ubiquiti I took another Ethernet cable to a WiFi Router (placed away from the system). 

 

I also tried a Cisco Gigabite Switch but it made no difference (I had then the WiFi Router in the path to the ER). 

 

Consider that the Ubiquiti needs configuration. Its not a plug and play device as a switch. 

 

But it makes a BIG difference, maybe bigger than the ER to me. 

 

[PLGA]

On 7/17/2020 at 12:28 PM, MichaelHiFi said:

You know this is madness right?

 

Totally!! 

[LowMidHigh]

10 hours ago, Ricardo007 said:

I received today à second etherregen which is intended for à second source, à double PC configuration, to be received later.

Meanwhile I have in my bedroom system with TV thé Nvidia shield Android TV box streamer, with farad super3, which I use also for looking you tube videos. There is behind it the first etherregen clockéd by SotM master clock and follow éd by isoregen just before Terminator DAC.

I was thinking why not try it à double stack of etherregen clockéd by 10M master clock? Master clock and New Etherregen are powered by UpTone JS2. One clock cable is sotm the second one is cheap cybershaft 1.5 meter cable.

To summarize it is à big shock, huge improvment compare to changing my DAC.

Naturalness, New depth of relaxe sounds, sources have shrinked to their normal size and well located in space, songs lyrics much better understood, long decay of sound, space around instruments, better timbre...

Actually thé second ER was à much bigger improvment compare to the first.

Congrats to Alex and John for bringing this high value item to market.

Behind the 2ER is à 25usd Cisco 2960 switch linked to the modem/router and to à second Cisco switch with ubiquity AP for wifi (non audio). No fiber yet in the system.

Next planned step is to isolate the network from wifi.

 

 

I experienced the same. A cascade of 2 ER sounds surprisingly better than one.

Itching to test the limits and get a 3rd...

[PYP]

1 hour ago, LowMidHigh said:

 

I experienced the same. A cascade of 2 ER sounds surprisingly better than one.

Itching to test the limits and get a 3rd...

 

So, the Ref10 clocks both?  Are you using the included SMPS for power?

[LowMidHigh]

1 hour ago, PYP said:

 

So, the Ref10 clocks both?  Are you using the included SMPS for power?

 

Yes, both units are tethered to a Ref10. A Kesces P3 powers both. Grounded. 

 

It's a matter of seconds to bypass them, so A/B and even A/BX are easily performed. It's quite shocking how the  sound degrades absence the cascade. 

[jos]

Recently I bought a relatively cheap Yamaha Network player, the NPS-303 for about 300 euro, primarily to add some easy to connect internet radio stations for my wife. Normally I use the ultraRendu connected to my Chord Qutest DAC. I connected the the Yamaha with spdif coax digital out to my Qutest DAC too. To my surprise I could not hear a difference between the ultraRendu and the Yamaha, so I sold my ultraRendu asap to keep things as simple as possible. I guess the ER has to do with it (some redundancy with the ultraRendu?), so the ER is a money-saver too. Do others have the same experience?

[Ricardo007]

9 hours ago, LowMidHigh said:

 

I experienced the same. A cascade of 2 ER sounds surprisingly better than one.

Itching to test the limits and get a 3rd...

do you master clock them?

I had a worry that master clocking them by the same clock would defeat the isolation feature of the etherregen if superdad can chime in...

[Ricardo007]

16 hours ago, esmit said:

How did you connect those two? I think it is a special connector?

I sent the Nvidia shield SMPS (bought another one) to Farad Mattijs so he can take out the special connector and make a custom DC cable

[soares]

Not really here. Even with an oM and an eR, I prefer the sound of my uR than the usb output of my Zem MKIII.

[MichaelHiFi]

On 7/19/2020 at 12:55 PM, PLGA said:

 

You have to take the TP Link WiFi Router out of the path to the ER. 

 

What I have is:

 

Wireless Modem > Ubiquiti > A side of the ER

 

From the B si de of the ER I take an Ethernet cable to my SOtM SMS-200 Ultra Neo, wich works as Audinirvana+ end point, and from it to my DDC an then to the DAC. 

 

Then, from another port of the Ubiquiti I took another Ethernet cable to a WiFi Router (placed away from the system). 

 

I also tried a Cisco Gigabite Switch but it made no difference (I had then the WiFi Router in the path to the ER). 

 

Consider that the Ubiquiti needs configuration. Its not a plug and play device as a switch. 

 

But it makes a BIG difference, maybe bigger than the ER to me. 

 

On 7/19/2020 at 12:55 PM, PLGA said:

I can't take a CAtx directly from modem. There is only one output and it needs to first land on the TP-Link router. From router yes, I can take a CATx to the Ubiquiti but would that lesson whatever gain I might have from the Modem?

 

[PLGA]

4 hours ago, MichaelHiFi said:

 

 

 

If the TP Link is a WiFi Router (as I assume), yes, you have to take it out of the way and use it (and configure it) as a WiFi access point, "at the end of the line", not in between. 

 

The only output of the wireless modem goes to the Ubiquiti and, from it, you take two outputs, one to the ER and another one to the TP Link used as WiFi access point. 

 

If you cannot configure the TP Link as WiFi access point (as it was my case because it was blocked by the Internet company), you can get a WiFi Router for a few bucks and configure it. 

 

To make all of this work, you need to know about home networks. In my case, a friend tech guy did it for me. 

[JamesBardsley]

I have router - ER - Naim 272/555DR, 150x, SL2s.

 

Wondering whether I should try:

1. Add back a Cisco 2960 between router and ER connected by Blue Jeans Cat6a ?

2. Add Cisco connected by optical to the ER?

3. add a Sonore optical Module Connected via fibre to the ER?

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, JamesBardsley said:

I have router - ER - Naim 272/555DR, 150x, SL2s.

 

Wondering whether I should try:

1. Add back a Cisco 2960 between router and ER connected by Blue Jeans Cat6a ?

2. Add Cisco connected by optical to the ER?

3. add a Sonore optical Module Connected via fibre to the ER?

Why not all 😀

No 3 as a start. But maybe look at how you power the ER as well. 

[roman410]

4 hours ago, JamesBardsley said:

I have router - ER - Naim 272/555DR, 150x, SL2s.

 

Wondering whether I should try:

1. Add back a Cisco 2960 between router and ER connected by Blue Jeans Cat6a ?

2. Add Cisco connected by optical to the ER?

3. add a Sonore optical Module Connected via fibre to the ER?

 

I will start from most easy option 1. Also will modify Cisco to feed with LPS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vangelis]

On 7/7/2020 at 8:12 PM, MarkusBarkus said:

EtherReGen in the house yesterday and streaming all night and day.
 

Sounds sweet juiced with Farad3 from the "Tower of Power"rack I built for the blessed arrival. 
 

After a few days streaming, I will try to compare optical vs. PI Audio cryo-ed ethernet cable currently in play--which sounds excellent.

 

Nice rack. I should be careful who I say that to, I could get in trouble. Are you powering a switch with one of your Super 3s? I am very impressed with the huge improvement my Super 3 brought to my EtherRegen. I have switch ahead of the EtherRegen. This switch did improve the sound of my network but it has a cheesy two dollar switching power supply. I’m just curious if I need to go as far up as a Super 3 on a switch ahead of EtherRegen or buy less expensive linear supply. Any thoughts?

[Ponkbutler]

4 hours ago, Vangelis said:

Nice rack. I should be careful who I say that to, I could get in trouble. Are you powering a switch with one of your Super 3s? I am very impressed with the huge improvement my Super 3 brought to my EtherRegen. I have switch ahead of the EtherRegen. This switch did improve the sound of my network but it has a cheesy two dollar switching power supply. I’m just curious if I need to go as far up as a Super 3 on a switch ahead of EtherRegen or buy less expensive linear supply. Any thoughts?

The better the power supply the bigger the difference. The big PSUs from Hynes, Jacobs (CHFC) and MCRU are a big step up from the Farad. I would imagine the JS-2 is aswell.

[LowMidHigh]

37 minutes ago, Ponkbutler said:

The better the power supply the bigger the difference. The big PSUs from Hynes, Jacobs (CHFC) and MCRU are a big step up from the Farad. I would imagine the JS-2 is aswell.

 

For this sort of money, you'd be better off chaining two ER's.

The boost in sound will be more significant, and you'll be left with some spare change. 

[Ponkbutler]

18 minutes ago, LowMidHigh said:

 

For this sort of money, you'd be better off chaining two ER's.

The boost in sound will be more significant, and you'll be left with some spare change. 

Have you compared? I chain two EtherRegens and find it worthwhile but the Sean Jacobs (Custom HiFi Cables) DC3+ power supply made a much bigger difference.

[LowMidHigh]

4 hours ago, Ponkbutler said:

Have you compared? I chain two EtherRegens and find it worthwhile but the Sean Jacobs (Custom HiFi Cables) DC3+ power supply made a much bigger difference.

 

I did a blind test with 2 x ER vs. 1 vs. 0. Also swapped between a Keces P3 native SMPS. (I had the same 30 second of the same track played over and again).

 

In my system, I could detect the ERs to a various degree. The more the merrier. (with 2 ERS I got 7 out of 8). The power supply didn't make an improvementI have some work to do.  to my ears.

 

But I suppose a lot of it is system dependent. 

 

As food for thought, I'll mention that SMPS has gone a long way, objectively. 

Benchmark employs the technology in their DACs; Mutec in the MC+USB; and Genelec in their monitors.  And that naming only a few big hitters. Back in the day, as far as I recall, Alex wrote they didn't feel an LPS contributed much to the ER performance. "Unnecessary," I believed was the term. 

 

Again, it might make a substantial difference in your environment. 

 

 

 

[MarkusBarkus]

Vangelis, I am not currently powering any upstream switches with the Farad3s.
 

I have a couple of Ciscos running off line voltage upstream, and a Sonore OM awaiting a PS from Mr. Barrows. 
 

I imagine Ponkbutler is accurate regarding the potential impact of some of the more expensive supplies on various devices, but I went this way.

 

My Farad3s are plugged into a PI Audio power correction "supply."

"There are many ways to the top of the mountain," as the ancient audio guru might opine...

[Ponkbutler]

49 minutes ago, LowMidHigh said:

Again, it might make a substantial difference in your environment. 

 

 

Not just in my system and my environment but also in others (on the Naim forum).

[JamesBardsley]

18 hours ago, roman410 said:

modify Cisco to feed with LPS.

Do you feed a Cisco 2960 with an LPS?

is that commonly done on this forum?

which LPS is best to use?

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