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


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Hi all! I have a SBooster BOTW P&P ECO 9-10V MKII (external power supply) here that I'd like to try with the EtherREGEN. Any advice on which of the settings (9V, 10V, 10.5V) would be best? Will the EtherREGEN run more or less hot depending on the setting? Thanks!

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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54 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

Well that seems a little odd since at 9V an EtherREGEN draws just 1.0A (okay, maybe add 0.2A or so for an SFP transceiver), and the Sbooster manual claims 2.5A capability at 9V.

But as long as it is working for you... :D

 

So the answer to my question is 9V will do, or that the output voltage setting setting doesn't matter? Thanks!

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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2 hours ago, Frojo said:

 

Brain fogged 🤪- probably i have it the wrong way around. Drop outs @ 10.5V, but all ok at 9V (problems started after adding an SFP module)

I have just checked the SBooster site and confirmed that the MK11 has 50% more current capability than the MK1.

Shame i commented at all really!

 

SBooster 9-10V MK11   -  good to go

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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4 hours ago, yellowblue said:

What Orange Fuse do fit to the S-Booster?

I myself use the S-Booster with an Idovr DXP-1A5S for my M-Scaler with great results. I find the Farad a bit too expensive.

 

Fuse%20Rating%20and%20warning.jpg

 

I guess that would make it a 630mA for the 12-13V model, or 400mA for the 9-10V model I'm using?

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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  • 1 month later...
1 hour ago, Mike Rubin said:

 

If this question has been asked and answered, I missed it.

 

I have been using a Cable Matters CAT-8, a ~$20 cable, between my RJ-45 wall plug and my etherregen B side.  From the etherregen, I am running fibre to the Signature Rendu SE.  Going to the Cable Matters from a Monoprice CAT-8 made a slight difference in bass energy, but, otherwise, it wasn't a massive change, at least to my age-impaired ears.  However, it was a difference, so I have become a believer that ethernet cables can change a system's sound to some degree. 

 

What I wonder is this:  is mine the optimum application for a high end ethernet cable?  I have been reading crazy stuff about the 2020 Sablon ethernet cables.  I would readily consider experimenting with a non-budget cable like the Sablon if, like most of you, I were connecting the etherregen to the player by copper off the B side, but I suspect that the etherregen's isolation "moat" does act as a filter for whatever comes in on the other side.  Is that likely to be the case?

 

In your experiments with ethernet cables, have any of you found that it made a huge difference where you placed the better cables?  Any chance any of you have tried the Sablon in particular in an optically-oriented setup like mine?  Any information gratefully received. 

 

While I haven't tried your figuration, my guess is that "isolation" in this scenario is referring to noise, and that we assume that noise is what makes a difference sonically. The problem is that in my experience, anything appeared to make a minor difference. Not going to use superlatives, but a difference, and for the most part, worthwhile. I'd give it a try at least if you can get a sample cable. My concern is that I've tried ones that are said to be reference level and that sounded worse than the reasonably priced one I'm using now, so I wouldn't buy blind. What you summed up as less than a "massive change" is pretty much what I'd expect with any ethernet cable (having said that, some are indeed better than others, certainly in a given setup). Be sure to at least try an unshielded cable such as CAT6 - unless you have massive EMI/RFI problems, unshielded is the way to go with audio. Just my two cents worth, of course…

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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  • 2 months later...
44 minutes ago, OldBigEars said:

Minor tweak to my setup this evening....previously, my connection was straight from the nearest ethernet wall outlet via 1.5m Supra CAT8 to the ER A side.

 

As I have a spare Netgear ProSafe GS105, I ran the Supra to the Netgear switch instead of the ER, and then connected it with generic CAT6 to the ER.  The ProSafe has an iPower 12V PS.

 

I swear it's better. More relaxed, stronger bottom end.  Definitely keeping the ProSafe in the chain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It may be that a generic CAT6 is unshielded, as indeed a Ethernet cable should be for audio, that makes the difference. Of course that'll work best in a (relatively) EMI/RFI-free environment, which in your listening room, you may have.

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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  • 4 months later...
13 hours ago, Rsbrsvp said:

Seems the Sablon is very favored for the B to streamer cable. For router to A and server to A, what do I get?

 

I understand we want plastic terminated cables here.  Is that correct?

The relevant part is, you want to use unshielded as per John's recommendation, and yes, the plugs and termination may make more of a difference than the cable itself. I use Meicord for this reason, which I compared to more expensive cables, and to my surprise, there were differences (I honestly expected none). The Meicord has the advantage of making the Ethernet input sound just like any other digital input on the Vivaldi stack, versus tailoring the sound one way or the other (but of course if one's system sounds e.g. bright, I might prefer a cable such as the Cardas etc. & etc., so it's really system-dependent as well as a matter of taste, there's no right and wrong here).

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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7 minutes ago, acousticsguru said:

The relevant part is, you want to use unshielded as per John's recommendation, and yes, the plugs and termination may make more of a difference than the cable itself. I use Meicord for this reason, which I compared to more expensive cables, and to my surprise, there were differences (I honestly expected none). The Meicord has the advantage of making the Ethernet input sound just like any other digital input on the Vivaldi stack, versus tailoring the sound one way or the other (but of course if one's system sounds e.g. bright, I might prefer a cable such as the Cardas etc. & etc., so it's really system-dependent as well as a matter of taste, there's no right and wrong here).

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Needless to say, an added advantage of something like the Meicord (which is an unshielded CAT6, as per the recommendation for audio purposes) is the price, so one can use the same cable throughout, for runs to and from the EtherREGEN, from the Router to the NAS etc. & etc. In my experience, it never sounds better to mix and match cables, I'd rather use the best I can afford throughout.

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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2 hours ago, Rsbrsvp said:

I think I'll go with the blue jeans.  Floating shield and insulated belden wires.

 

Just read a report of a direct comparison of blue jeans to meicord and the blue jeans won.

 

Seems to meet the description of Mr. Swenson

A cable can only "win" a comparison in a given context. The important thing to learn from that comparison is that the unshielded CAT6 cables outperform shielded CAT7 etc., as indeed they should. To use a shielded Ethernet cable for audio and/or the EtherREGEN basically defeats the purpose of using Ethernet at all.

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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48 minutes ago, Rsbrsvp said:

I'm new to this so I really appreciate everyone's help.

 

Is optical module agreed  by all to be preferable to rj45 or is it not clear and not agreed upon?

 

What are the general sonic strengths and weaknesses of optical vs rj45?

Adding fibre may be beneficial in scenarios where the additional isolation is needed. The key word is "may". Remember there are two additional conversions/optical couplers involved - all else being equal, adding those cannot improve matters. It's a tradeoff, so the question is, do you have a RMI/RFI issue that needs too addressed? If not, you risk adding a little dullness to the sound without gaining anything in return.

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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7 hours ago, Rsbrsvp said:

Regarding optical on side A I need counseling.

 

Simple optical 101 lesson please.

 

I buy a sonore optical module which connects both to my router by rj45 and then to the etherregen side A by optical cable and everything else remains the same?

 

Is this correct?

There are lots of recommendations as to which brand to choose (again, no use mixing and matching, use the same on both ends), but best to find a short-distance opto-coupler (identical modules, don't just buy one for the EtherREGEN because it comes without, whereas there's usually one included with the Sonore) that does not require attenuators.

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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4 hours ago, Rsbrsvp said:

Actually my next question is on cable length.

 

Longer seems to be better, but does my sonore need to be far away from the etherregen or can it be a meter away and I can just bunch up the cable?

 

Next question.  My ether regen in this setup would receive an optical cable on side A which originates at my router.  But on side A I also have my server (a NUC) conneted to the etherregen with a rj45.  My question is will this connection ruin the benifit of optical connetion?

To answer one question specifically: yes, you can "bunch up" an optical cable, including up to several kilometers, no difference. Since there's no electricity, there's no inductance (which is why you absolutely cannot "bunch up" electrical cables).

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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22 minutes ago, Mike Rubin said:

FWIW, I “bunched up” a several meter-long single mode optical cable for awhile, until I got tired of managing its hanging off the back of my cabinet like a dead weight.  I then replaced it with one that is just a few inches long.  My hearing could be better and my system isn’t the most resolving on earth, but I am not deaf and my system isn’t horrible, so my conclusion was that there are better places to place tweak dollars than on longer optical cables.  I also am happier to have a cable that fits into the space intended for it.  
 

I should point out that I am not using attenuators.  Maybe that’s relevant in the calculus, as well.

Good decision! I have no idea why people claim a longer one would sound better? It's an optical cable. I know all the usual reasons when it comes to reflections off terminations in e.g. digital cables (electrical), but optical, no clue what difference that would make. Maybe they're hoping the cable itself would work as an attenuator (if so, how many kilometers are we talking about?), in which case I'd say they picked the wrong SFP module to begin with…

 

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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