The EtherREGEN thread for various network, cable, power experiences and experiments

[soares]

3 hours ago, Lucie said:

The model is: BOTW P&P ECO 12-13.2V. No extra SBooster Ultra connected. I think it’s not the last model. I bought it new about 2 years ago.

It’s not the latest model. I can confirm. Curiously I didn’t find any changes between the stock power supply and the sbooster (also an old model but 9v-10v). After reading your post I included an ultra (new model) and I am finding a change. I still do not know which SQ I prefer but I am hearing more details. In any case with the original or a different one, the eR is probably the best upgrade (cost/benefit) I made in my system.

[soares]

While using an old sBooster MKI didn’t change the SQ of my system, the same sBooster with a new ultra filter increased the eR SQ. 

Not sure about the results from a new MKII. I would say yes😆

[soares]

12 hours ago, Jud said:

Although at least a couple of people, of whom I'm one, have experienced and stated the reverse: In my system I prefer the sound with the ER fed directly by the router, rather than a Cisco 2960 between the router and ER. I speculated, but don't know, that this might be due to the Cisco's internal SMPS kicking back noise into the rest of the system.

The same here Jud! Need to try a second Cisco 😄

[soares]

From my limited experience ( some Ghent and DC-4), I also recommend the signature silver cable. Thank you again Brian for your advice... 

Cheers Jorge

[soares]

1 hour ago, kennyb123 said:

In the Taiko Audio SGM Extreme thread on WBF, Emile from Taiko had recommended some fiber products that were found to work well the Extreme server.  A friend had installed these over the weekend, and reported being delighted with the results.  He doesn't yet have an ER, so I wasn't sure how well his results would transfer over to my situation.  Nonetheless, I took the plunge and ordered two Startech SFPs, a Startech FMC, and a run of fiber.  This would replace a 7m run of Wireworld Chroma from wall to the ER.

 

Right out of the box, there were very obvious improvements in clarity and ease.  Quantity of bass increased too - and maybe a slight hard edge was added.  In terms of the hard edge, hopefully some burn-in helps reduce that.  It should be noted that I'm using the stock SMPS with the StarTech FMC so that's less ideal, but it's plugged into a different circuit from the rest of my audio system.  On the plus side, the improved clarity has been taking my breath away.

 

The obvious takeaway for me here is that the cabling that feeds the ER can still matter.   I will be sticking with the fiber for the time being but plan to see what kind of improvement might come from using the Sonore opticalModule in place of the Startech FMC.  

 

These are the parts I used:

 

SFP:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0747WZ8LZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Fiber: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0099S4WYE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

FMC:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011KH1O1U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Note:  I believe Emile might have actually recommended the "chassis mount" FMC variant that follows.  This wasn't immediately available at Amazon so I chose the "no chassis" variant.  I'm not sure how much this matters.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FWJMTXU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hat tip to @zettelsm for taking the lead on this.  

 

I replaced my Gtek FMC with an optical module  and there was a notable increase of SQ. 
Cheers Jorge

[soares]

Currently using:

 

Jensen VRD- iFF > Router (HDPLEX) > Pink Faun isolator > Ethernet copper > Zen MKIII > Ethernet  copper > Optical module (LPS 1.2) > fiber > Etherregen (Sbooster + ultra) > Ethernet copper >  Ultrarendu (Sbooster) > USB > Isoregen (LPS 1.2) > USB > (OPPO 205 modded).

[soares]

56 minutes ago, kennyb123 said:

Would you say that the increase justified the cost of the opticalModule?

Ohh yes. Definitely:-)

Even with the additional cost of an extra LPS. 

[soares]

8 hours ago, PYP said:

 

Interesting setup.  By any chance did you try using the eR without the Optical module to determine how it improved the eR used alone?

 

I assume that a JS-2 LPS could power both optical module and eR.  That is an interesting prospect as I consider future improvements to the eR alone.   

Yes I did. The oM improves the already excellent eR SQ. Cheers Jorge

[soares]

Yes, I will do it whenever possible. 

[soares]

3 hours ago, Ultrarunner said:

I was hoping to sell my LPS 1.2 after installing the EtherRegen, but some A/B comparisons with the supplied SMPS made it clear that it was worthwhile using LPS 1.2 the feed the ER. 

Thanks! What voltage are you using?

[soares]

2 hours ago, Lucie said:

No matter the judgement, what is very clear is that modem (so "upstream") does have an effect in my system. To me that is, or rather was surprising.

Same evaluation here! I am feeding my router with a HDplex. Even the PQ of my WiFi Apple TV have improved. 🙂

[soares]

9 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

DIY types may be interested in this cable:  https://viablue.de/com/cables_ep7_ethernet.php

 

They can also be purchased as finished cables.

They look fantastic! And the prices very competitive. Have you tried them?

 

[soares]

5 hours ago, sahmen said:

 

2.  I am thinking of adding an optical module to the ER chain, to be set up as follows :

Asus Router==>> (copper ethernet)==>>Optical module==>>(optical ethernet)==>>(A side)Etherregen(B-Side)==>>(Copper ethernet) ==>> Metrum Ambre.

It works fabulously! 
Cheers Jorge

[soares]

On 1/14/2020 at 1:53 PM, esmit said:

 

Can you test without the isoregen? I have a similar setup, and although the ir improves my microrendu I find that my ultraRendu sounds better than mR+iR, and the ultrarendu on its own sounds better  than uR+iR. All powered by Lps1.2s. I am curious about your findings. I tested for instance with Sinner Man, from Four woman: the Nina Simone Philips Recordings. 

This came especially apparent after adding the etherRegen: before adding that I did not really notice this clearly. 

Sorry for being this late... While it is quite obvious the difference in sound, I think I still prefer with the iR, just for the timbre. Without it, the music might seem more real, with a better impact on your face, but the timbre is not so perfect. In any case this has lead to some new configurations in my system regarding cables and LPS. So far I haven’t reach to a conclusion. I nevertheless wanted to thank you for sharing your views. Kind regards. Jorge

[soares]

Yes, not easy to find a suitable LPS that significantly increases the  eR already very SQ. Good work Alex & John!!! 😀

[soares]

On 2/2/2020 at 4:12 PM, skatbelt said:

 

Wishfull thinking.. 😂

Funny! 
Any suggestions around 500$?

Already tried LPS-1.2 and Sbooster.

 

[soares]

Thanks. Should probably consider the JS-2. 
Best Jorge

[soares]

1 hour ago, PYP said:

 

Please hang in there for another two weeks.  😏  We will know the results soon.  

I hope you won’t regret it! 😀

As I had the opportunity to tell you guys, it’s not often that I listen to such a good SQ. 

Cheers Jorge

[soares]

Interesting conversation gentlemen. I use my Pink Faun lan isolator immediately after my router and before the Zen. It makes a difference. To be honest I never tried it after the eR and before the rendu. But if it would affect negatively SQ one might have a case against using cables with isolation after eR. No sure what is the type of isolation used in Sigmas, but several people reported to increase SQ. So I am looking forward to hearing your views on the products your expecting Jud! And yes it’s a tragedy, so many lives...

Cheers Jorge

[soares]

22 hours ago, soares said:

Interesting conversation gentlemen. I use my Pink Faun lan isolator immediately after my router and before the Zen. It makes a difference. To be honest I never tried it after the eR and before the rendu. But if it would affect negatively SQ one might have a case against using cables with isolation after eR. No sure what is the type of isolation used in Sigmas, but several people reported to increase SQ. So I am looking forward to hearing your views on the products your expecting Jud! And yes it’s a tragedy, so many lives...

Cheers Jorge

Just to confirm that the Pink Faun after the eR has a SQ negative impact. So back to place it was before.

[soares]

1 hour ago, adamaley said:

I would go with the Farad Super3. Not too far out of your budget if you go with the stock options.

Thanks Adamaley! Have you compared to other LPS? If yes, what were your findings and what voltage did you use? Cheers Jorge 

[soares]

On 3/15/2020 at 12:46 PM, PYP said:

 

@soares had mentioned that the oM increased SQ in his system.  Thanks, Jorge, for the recommendation.  You have spent my money well!  

Happy that you are experiencing the same results there! 😊

Cheers Jorge

[soares]

3 hours ago, sahmen said:

 

 

So @PYP and @soares :  I just added the Optical module to my audio chain, locating it right before the Etherregen and connecting it to the A-side of the ER with an optical fibre cable, while the B side of the ER is connected to my Metrum Ambre Roon endpoint iwith the usual RJ45 copper cable. I seem to have noticed a certain difference in the sound with the introduction of the OM, perhaps taking the form of a little more clarity, depth of the sound field, and separation of instruments, but I do not want to rush too quickly into evaluations yet as I think it might be too premature,  

 

What I want to know is whether the OM too is subject to "burn-in" changes, when added to the chain in this way, and if so, what kind? Prior to adding it to this chain, the OM had seen very little action, maybe not even a full hour of play time, since it arrived,  because I originally intended to use it in another chain with either my old ultrarendu or a new opticalrendu,  But that that alternative plan has been temporarily placed on ice, because I have tended to listen to my Metrum Ambre chain more, especially, since I added the ER to it.  That is why the OM has seen very little action so far, prior to my adding it to the ER/metrum ambre chain today.  I am asking about "burn-in" because I wonder whether there might be some benefit to having some music play through the OM continuously for some days, as I did for the ER when it first arrived.

 

Your input would be welcome. Thanks, 

I also felt some improvement from the burn-in process. But I must say that I felt immediately a jump on SQ, probably because of the level of my LPS’s. I used a LPS 1.2 with silver cables and a Sbooster with ultra. Sound is excellent with both! 
Cheers Jorge

[soares]

10 hours ago, sahmen said:

 

Talking about power supplies, I am currently using the SGC 5v LPS with the OM, and it sounds okay to me, although I haven't tried anything else with it yet.  I have not really considered changing the power supply for the OM, because I have always assumed an LPS swap with the OM wouldn't make as much of a difference, as it could potentially make with, say, the Etherregen. Does this sound like an accurate assessment to you?   Would the OM sound significantly different and better if I were to replace the 5v SGC LPS with an Uptone lpS 1.2, for example?

Excellent question! 😊

I remember that when I exchanged the SMPS (it was an iFi one) for the LPS 1.2 and than the sbooster + ultra I have experienced a noticeable SQ upgrade. I don’t have any SGC, so I can’t comment on that. In any case even using these latest LPS the sound differs between them, so I am sure that the “quality” of what you’re using  to feed the oM will at least change the sound! Sorry if my reply doesn’t really answer your question! 
Cheers Jorge

[soares]

On 7/21/2020 at 7:26 PM, Vangelis said:

I’ve just added a Farad Super 3 to my EtherRegen. I’m shocked at the level of improvement. I was skeptical, but this power supply upgrade from the stock power supply to the Super made as much improvement as my recent DAC upgrade.  Space, texture, continuous and resolution all took a huge leap up. After few days, it has even fleshed out better. Now Qobuz streaming is closer to the sound of my files off my Hd. 

 

I have modest switch ahead of the EtherRegen that also provided improvement to the sound of my network. I was first thinking of adding an inexpensive linear supply to replace the cheesy power supply on this switch. Now after experiencing what the Farad Super 3 did for the EtherRegen,  I’m wondering if I would experience a similar improvement with a Farad on a switch.  

Thanks for sharing. What voltage are you using? Thank you. Jorge