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

[acousticsguru]

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.

[Frojo]

I have an SBooster 9-10V MK1 which i ran my etheregen from- plain sailing at 9V until i added an SFP module and started to get dropouts... had to increase the voltage to 10.5. (i think the MK11 has slightly increased power delivery, so it might not be an issue)

I did not notice much of an increase in case temperature on either setting.

I am using a JS2 at 12V now - hot!

 

[Superdad]

48 minutes ago, Frojo said:

I have an SBooster 9-10V MK1 which i ran my etheregen from- plain sailing at 9V until i added an SFP module and started to get dropouts... had to increase the voltage to 10.5.

 

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... 

[ASRMichael]

I use SFP with no issues with 7v from Sean Jacobs rail

[acousticsguru]

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... 

 

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.

[Frojo]

1 hour 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... 

 

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

 

 

[acousticsguru]

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.

[Mike Rubin]

On 5/28/2020 at 12:02 PM, Mike Rubin said:

I guess I missed my editing window for my last post.  

 

I want to try this for the sake of a "neater" equipment installation, not a "heater" one.  I am hoping not to create a "heater" one in the process. 😄

Here's the laptop stand repurposed into a CAPS/ER stand.  I have the feet facing one another.  Both units still run hot but not so differently than they ran previously.  (The lumps underneath are some old sorbothane footers just to get the bottom some heat dissipation.  Not sure they are necessary or effective.)

[Frojo]

This looks like an attractive space saving option.

If an upright position helps with heat dissipation, is there an orientation which would be preferable?

i.e. sfp cage down or up in the case of the Etheregen.

[TomWoB]

All SBooster LPS have their highest output power (Volt x Ampere = Watt) at their lowest voltage setting !

 

E.g. the values for the two possible SBoosters for EtherREGEN:

• BOTW P&P ECO MKII 9V - 10V
   - 9V x 2.35A = 21.15 W
   - 10V x 1.25A = 12.5 W
   - 10.5V x 1.1A = 11.55 W
   
• BOTW P&P ECO MKII 12V - 13V
   - 12V x 3A = 36 W
   - 13V x 2.75A = 35.75 W   (voltage too high for EtherREGEN)
   - 13.5V x 2.1A = 28.35 W   (voltage too high for EtherREGEN)

 

[Johnnydev]

 

I have a S-BOOSTER BOTW P&P ECO MKII 12-13V for a few months in use on the ER and no problem at all and a better SQ.

 

About a month ago i installed a synergistic ORANGE FUSE in the S-Booster with unmistakable great SQ results. Burn in for at least two weeks for the best result.

 

[Lucie]

This is a review of the Farad Super 3 LPS in combination with the ER.

 

I’ve had my ER since December 2019 and I enjoy it every day. It has been one of the most influential additions to my hifi system.

I’ve tried an SBooster 12V LPS a while ago with somewhat unsatisfying results and posted these findings a few months ago on this forum.

 

Let’s first explain why I re-examined an LPS for the ER. I’ve obtained very good results with dedicated power supplies in my system. Since I started using them with my Naim streamer (Naim and the Naim community justly consider power supplies to be of great value) I have gradually introduced power supplies in every part of my chain with generally good, sometimes great results. This made me decide to retry a linear power supply.

 

Posts on this forum led me to believe that the Farad was at least one of the best alternatives, apart from the fact that it is developed about 30 kilometers from where I live (#supportyourlocals :-)

 

It may be helpful to first describe my system. I’ll take two points of view: signal path and power chain.

 

The signal path: Modem -> ER ->  Roon Nucleus -> Naim NDX2 -> Accuphase E-600 -> Audio Physic Avanti .

To be precise and avoid any discussion about “the moat”: modem and Roon Nucleus are connected to ER A-side, the NDX2 streamer/DAC to the ER B-side.

 

Because this review covers a power supply, I’ll also briefly outline my power supply setup:

Wall socket -> Isol-8 Inline -> PS Audio Duet  ->Accuphase ps500v power regenerator.

 

(One outlet of the Duet connects to sBooster -> modem)

 

From the two sockets on the ps500v, one powers the amp (Accuphase E-600) directly, the other is connected to an Isotek Evo3 Polaris mains block (star-type).

 

Three linear power supplies are connected to this mains block:

Teddy Pardo XPS -> Naim NDX2

Teddy Pardo Nuc -> Roon Nucleus

Farad Super 3 -> ER

 

The cabling is a mixture of Audioquest, Siltech, Supra, Ghent, Isotek and Chord. It may not be very useful to give a detailed description of this.

 

Now I have come to the actual review of the Farad Super 3.

 

The Farad I have is the 12V-model with a Synergistic Research Orange fuse. I’ll briefly discuss the DC cable later. My listening started with the “Level 1 copper cable”, at a length of 50 cm.

 

I was a bit nervous when I sat down for a first listening impression after unboxing the Farad. How big would the difference be, assuming there would be any difference. After all, you’ve got to be realistic: it’s a confusing thought to think about the price of the Farad. With the fuse and DC-cable, I paid €944,- (ER costs $650,- = €575,-). That's about 1.6 times the price of the ER. Is that a sensible thing to do? These are rational considerations. It’s time to let the music speak.

 

The description I’ll give may be short and I it won’t be the hifi poetry that some have mastered so well. I’ll give you the notes I dryly took at that time:

 

“First impression. More detailed. Even cleaner. Much improved bass. Better separation. Comes a bit more loose from the speakers. Difference absolutely indisputable. Louder!”

 

That night my wife came home late from a short holiday. As she sat down, the first thing she said was: “Turn the volume down. That’s much too loud”. These words are not entirely unusual and mostly we tend to disagree on this, but I realized she was right. I played at the same volume as always, but the music was indeed more overwhelming. Was there more information in the music? It all seemed a bit “too much”. Puzzling. The effect was nonetheless so evident and also undesirable, that (and one may secretly laugh at my reaction, as I did myself) I checked cables, amp and even Roon settings. It was hard to believe this could be the impact of the power supply alone.

 

I left all devices turned on during the night and the following day I only picked up listening in the evening.

 

Back to my notes: “After about 20 hours: the vehemence has disappeared, as if it all settles down”. Playing mostly the same music as the night before, my wife, snapping her fingers, said : “This is the music I like.” My notes: “The sound is more organic now. I can play at even higher volume than normally (!). Bigger picture outside of the speakers. Perhaps less separation compared to the beginning, but better than with SMPS.”

 

Notes after a week:

“Seems to stabilize. Seduces me to listen with more concentration. Pulls you into the music. Detailed sound, but not exhausting at all. Volume turned back to normal. Sounds die out very long and in a detailed way. Soundstage deeper. Bigger picture. Bass still deep.”

 

Then I asked my wife for a blind test. At that moment, she still wasn’t aware that I had bought the Farad. First I let her hear the music with the SMPS, then I changed to the Farad. After only 5 seconds or so (!) she said “This is much much better. That’s clear.” I asked her to postpone her opinion and switched back to the SMPS. Her comment: “No, this is worse of course. This is not the quality level you normally play music at (sic).”

 

The difference between Farad and SMPS in my system is not subtle. It’s very very obvious and a big step forward. It improves the ER on all the qualities is has.

 

Finally a remark on the DC cable. I ordered my Farad with a “Level 2 silver DC cable”. But when I got it, it was delivered incorrectly with a “Level 1 copper DC cable”. Because of delivery delay and national holidays in Holland the right cable only arrived about two weeks later. Did I notice a difference between those cables? Risking a somewhat disappointing turn in this review: I couldn’t hear a difference. I have to admit that changing the cables is a bit of a chore, so I only switched two or three times, left it there and sent the copper cable back. Some costs could have been saved here, to be honest.

 

To come to a clear conclusion: the Farad is a huge improvement for the ER over the SMPS.

 

It’s difficult to explain in words how big the difference is. You have to hear it, of course, but one may want to get an indication… In my system (and ears) it has the same impact as the ER itself (over a standard switch), or the TeddyXPS for the NDX2. Apart from the speakers, these have been the three additions with the biggest impact on sound quality. Bigger than e.g. changing the Auralic Aries Femto for NDX2 (still quite a difference), or changing my twenty year-old Accuphase E-406V for a one year old E-600 (slight difference), or changing Kimber Cable 8pr for Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables (no difference). These examples are intended to prove that not all changes are big improvements in my opinion. The Farad really is. Highly recommended!

 

A selection of the music I listened during the evaluation:

Birds of Chicago “American Flowers” / Palatino “Palatino” / The Vogts Sisters “My own Dixie” and “Homeward” / Ill Considered “Live at the Crypt” / Paolo Fresu “P.A.R.T.E.” / Paul Motian “Sound of Love” / Michel Portal “Dockings” / Richard Galliano “Ballet Tango” …

 

P.S.: my wife asked me for a final say: she’d still rather book a holiday. 

[Mike Rubin]

11 hours ago, Frojo said:

This looks like an attractive space saving option.

If an upright position helps with heat dissipation, is there an orientation which would be preferable?

i.e. sfp cage down or up in the case of the Etheregen.

I have no idea which orientation works best.  I asked about that a few days ago, but got no response, so I am flying blind here. 

 

By having the units' bottoms face one another, I created about an extra inch of distance between the two units. I was hoping that the extra gap would minimize the risk of the hotter unit warming the other, but I have no idea if that is effective.  Choosing that orientation resulted in the SFP being towards the bottom.  As heat rises, though, maybe this is the way to go.  But don't take my word for it.

[kennyb123]

4 hours ago, Lucie said:

To come to a clear conclusion: the Farad is a huge improvement for the ER over the SMPS.

 

It’s difficult to explain in words how big the difference is. You have to hear it, of course, but one may want to get an indication… In my system (and ears) it has the same impact as the ER itself (over a standard switch), or the TeddyXPS for the NDX2. Apart from the speakers, these have been the three additions with the biggest impact on sound quality. Bigger than e.g. changing the Auralic Aries Femto for NDX2 (still quite a difference), or changing my twenty year-old Accuphase E-406V for a one year old E-600 (slight difference), or changing Kimber Cable 8pr for Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables (no difference). These examples are intended to prove that not all changes are big improvements in my opinion. The Farad really is. Highly recommended!

Thanks to you and your wife for letting us know your thoughts.  I had added one of these to my cart the other night with plans to use it to power my ER.  I should get back to it and actually complete the purchase.

[yellowblue]

23 hours ago, Johnnydev said:

 

I have a S-BOOSTER BOTW P&P ECO MKII 12-13V for a few months in use on the ER and no problem at all and a better SQ.

 

About a month ago i installed a synergistic ORANGE FUSE in the S-Booster with unmistakable great SQ results. Burn in for at least two weeks for the best result.

 

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.

[Johnnydev]

2 hours ago, yellowblue said:

Welke Orange Fuse passen op de S-Booster?

Zelf gebruik ik de S-Booster met een Idovr  DXP-1A5S voor mijn M-Scaler met geweldige resultaten. Ik vind de Farad een beetje te duur.

 

800mAT Orange Fuse 5x20mm

[acousticsguru]

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.

 

 

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.

[Johnnydev]

9 minutes ago, acousticsguru said:

 

 

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.

The Advice is to take a slightly higher value with the synergistic fuses

[skatbelt]

19 hours ago, Lucie said:

This is a review of the Farad Super 3 LPS in combination with the ER.

 

I’ve had my ER since December 2019 and I enjoy it every day. It has been one of the most influential additions to my hifi system.

I’ve tried an SBooster 12V LPS a while ago with somewhat unsatisfying results and posted these findings a few months ago on this forum.

 

Let’s first explain why I re-examined an LPS for the ER. I’ve obtained very good results with dedicated power supplies in my system. Since I started using them with my Naim streamer (Naim and the Naim community justly consider power supplies to be of great value) I have gradually introduced power supplies in every part of my chain with generally good, sometimes great results. This made me decide to retry a linear power supply.

 

Posts on this forum led me to believe that the Farad was at least one of the best alternatives, apart from the fact that it is developed about 30 kilometers from where I live (#supportyourlocals 🙂

 

It may be helpful to first describe my system. I’ll take two points of view: signal path and power chain.

 

The signal path: Modem -> ER ->  Roon Nucleus -> Naim NDX2 -> Accuphase E-600 -> Audio Physic Avanti .

To be precise and avoid any discussion about “the moat”: modem and Roon Nucleus are connected to ER A-side, the NDX2 streamer/DAC to the ER B-side.

 

Because this review covers a power supply, I’ll also briefly outline my power supply setup:

Wall socket -> Isol-8 Inline -> PS Audio Duet  ->Accuphase ps500v power regenerator.

 

(One outlet of the Duet connects to sBooster -> modem)

 

From the two sockets on the ps500v, one powers the amp (Accuphase E-600) directly, the other is connected to an Isotek Evo3 Polaris mains block (star-type).

 

Three linear power supplies are connected to this mains block:

Teddy Pardo XPS -> Naim NDX2

Teddy Pardo Nuc -> Roon Nucleus

Farad Super 3 -> ER

 

The cabling is a mixture of Audioquest, Siltech, Supra, Ghent, Isotek and Chord. It may not be very useful to give a detailed description of this.

 

Now I have come to the actual review of the Farad Super 3.

 

The Farad I have is the 12V-model with a Synergistic Research Orange fuse. I’ll briefly discuss the DC cable later. My listening started with the “Level 1 copper cable”, at a length of 50 cm.

 

I was a bit nervous when I sat down for a first listening impression after unboxing the Farad. How big would the difference be, assuming there would be any difference. After all, you’ve got to be realistic: it’s a confusing thought to think about the price of the Farad. With the fuse and DC-cable, I paid €944,- (ER costs $650,- = €575,-). That's about 1.6 times the price of the ER. Is that a sensible thing to do? These are rational considerations. It’s time to let the music speak.

 

The description I’ll give may be short and I it won’t be the hifi poetry that some have mastered so well. I’ll give you the notes I dryly took at that time:

 

“First impression. More detailed. Even cleaner. Much improved bass. Better separation. Comes a bit more loose from the speakers. Difference absolutely indisputable. Louder!”

 

That night my wife came home late from a short holiday. As she sat down, the first thing she said was: “Turn the volume down. That’s much too loud”. These words are not entirely unusual and mostly we tend to disagree on this, but I realized she was right. I played at the same volume as always, but the music was indeed more overwhelming. Was there more information in the music? It all seemed a bit “too much”. Puzzling. The effect was nonetheless so evident and also undesirable, that (and one may secretly laugh at my reaction, as I did myself) I checked cables, amp and even Roon settings. It was hard to believe this could be the impact of the power supply alone.

 

I left all devices turned on during the night and the following day I only picked up listening in the evening.

 

Back to my notes: “After about 20 hours: the vehemence has disappeared, as if it all settles down”. Playing mostly the same music as the night before, my wife, snapping her fingers, said : “This is the music I like.” My notes: “The sound is more organic now. I can play at even higher volume than normally (!). Bigger picture outside of the speakers. Perhaps less separation compared to the beginning, but better than with SMPS.”

 

Notes after a week:

“Seems to stabilize. Seduces me to listen with more concentration. Pulls you into the music. Detailed sound, but not exhausting at all. Volume turned back to normal. Sounds die out very long and in a detailed way. Soundstage deeper. Bigger picture. Bass still deep.”

 

Then I asked my wife for a blind test. At that moment, she still wasn’t aware that I had bought the Farad. First I let her hear the music with the SMPS, then I changed to the Farad. After only 5 seconds or so (!) she said “This is much much better. That’s clear.” I asked her to postpone her opinion and switched back to the SMPS. Her comment: “No, this is worse of course. This is not the quality level you normally play music at (sic).”

 

The difference between Farad and SMPS in my system is not subtle. It’s very very obvious and a big step forward. It improves the ER on all the qualities is has.

 

Finally a remark on the DC cable. I ordered my Farad with a “Level 2 silver DC cable”. But when I got it, it was delivered incorrectly with a “Level 1 copper DC cable”. Because of delivery delay and national holidays in Holland the right cable only arrived about two weeks later. Did I notice a difference between those cables? Risking a somewhat disappointing turn in this review: I couldn’t hear a difference. I have to admit that changing the cables is a bit of a chore, so I only switched two or three times, left it there and sent the copper cable back. Some costs could have been saved here, to be honest.

 

To come to a clear conclusion: the Farad is a huge improvement for the ER over the SMPS.

 

It’s difficult to explain in words how big the difference is. You have to hear it, of course, but one may want to get an indication… In my system (and ears) it has the same impact as the ER itself (over a standard switch), or the TeddyXPS for the NDX2. Apart from the speakers, these have been the three additions with the biggest impact on sound quality. Bigger than e.g. changing the Auralic Aries Femto for NDX2 (still quite a difference), or changing my twenty year-old Accuphase E-406V for a one year old E-600 (slight difference), or changing Kimber Cable 8pr for Audioquest Rocket 88 speaker cables (no difference). These examples are intended to prove that not all changes are big improvements in my opinion. The Farad really is. Highly recommended!

 

A selection of the music I listened during the evaluation:

Birds of Chicago “American Flowers” / Palatino “Palatino” / The Vogts Sisters “My own Dixie” and “Homeward” / Ill Considered “Live at the Crypt” / Paolo Fresu “P.A.R.T.E.” / Paul Motian “Sound of Love” / Michel Portal “Dockings” / Richard Galliano “Ballet Tango” …

 

P.S.: my wife asked me for a final say: she’d still rather book a holiday. 

 

Thx. Very detailed and useful. One question: which AC cable do you use with the Farad?

[Lucie]

Siltech SPO-18M

[sgr]

Are there any clocks out there that would be effective but not cost so much? 
 

Maybe Uptone will come out with a clock?

[MartinT]

See my thread in this area.

 

 

[kelvinwsy]

I jumped on board and bought this same unit and 2 generic 50cm 50ohm bnc. cables for less  than 120 usd shipped! 

I will hook this up to my ER and Ultra Neo when they arrive !! 😁😁👍

Will report back!

[mrkoven]

On 6/4/2020 at 9:39 PM, Mike Rubin said:

Here's the laptop stand repurposed into a CAPS/ER stand.  I have the feet facing one another.  Both units still run hot but not so differently than they ran previously.  (The lumps underneath are some old sorbothane footers just to get the bottom some heat dissipation.  Not sure they are necessary or effective.)

 

I want to try this orientation but how did you take off the rubber feet? Or is the feet still on there, it kind of looks like it w/ the gap but hard to tell.

[Mike Rubin]

I did not. They still are there.  As I mentioned, the feet create some distance and keep the units from snugging up against one another.  Perhaps that helps with cooling compared to having two metal bodies closer to one another, but that's just a hope that I have. I certainly can't prove that it's beneficial.

 

Also, while we are at it, I ran across this pic while shopping for mini computers.  The base ships with these units and I haven't found them offered separately.  @Superdad, maybe this base is a product that might fit into your line of offerings.