The DXE-ISO-PLUS filter thread for various network, cable experiments

[Meridimac]

I'm sorry to be a naysayer here, but my experience inserting DXEs after EtherRegen and a Cisco 2960 switch, and before a long run of CAT5e through the walls past all kinds of devices, and then the other piece installed before a second Cisco switch gave me reduced dynamics compared to no filters. Suggestions?

 

I will now try these on a different, long CAT5e run to an Allo USBridge for my Audeze headphones before I rule them out.

[Meridimac]

On 10/16/2021 at 11:08 AM, PYP said:

My DXEs are AFTER my modem/router/wifi unit and BEFORE the eR.  The theory being that the DXE in that configuration kills off some of the RF before the eR does its thing.    Also, the included pigtail DXE connectors didn't sound right to me and I don't use them.  I use short, inexpensive mono price slim line RJ45 and that works for me.  

 

An experiment with the copper ethernet cable after the eR (and directly to the DAC) suggested that in my system this last leg is critical (significantly upgrading the ethernet cable made a large positive difference in SQ).    If that can be generalized (perhaps not), then one needs to be careful about what follows the eR (meaning, don't muck it up).  Just one system and one data point.  

Mea Culpa. After replacing the supplied blue Ethernet pigtales with your recommended short & cheap monoprice UTP versions, and letting everything play for a day or two, l find that a pair of these DXEs do indeed provide a deeper background that reveals more detail. Quieter but tighter. Thanks.

 

I am also hearing more, bigger bass which is OK with me, but are we getting some kind of unnatural bottom end “bloom” with these cheap devices, or were the recordings originally made that way? OCD minds want to know…

[Meridimac]

On 10/16/2021 at 7:09 PM, roman410 said:

What it is your digital chain? I am suggest to you use your EtherRegen on position last device before your music player, renderer, endpoint, or ethernet DAC, especialy if you powering yours Cisco switches with their internal noisy switching power supplies.

My situation changed when I found that I prefer the ENO Ag cable and filter just before my best Roon network endpoint. ENO replaced the ER which then found a home after the optical segment that isolates my audio gear from the main Ubiquiti router and before three endpoints (primary system, secondary and headphone station), hence the Cisco switch to serve all three.

 

Yes, the switch is AC powered but acceptable to me (or at least rationalized) through Shunyata cables and conditioning.

[Meridimac]

32 minutes ago, PYP said:

You may not need the DXE filter or it may not work well in that setup.  

So far, it’s been worthwhile using ER for all three endpoints through the Cisco switch. Hans B reported that positioning it before the ENO hurt his results, but I haven’t found that to be true.

 

I wish that someone would buy me another ENO. Barring that, a DXE pair at each end of those long inwall runs gives the other endpoints a decent lift for few dollars.

[Meridimac]

4 hours ago, One and a half said:

The DXE work very well with the EtherRegen A side, but not so good on the B side.

Agreed. They can compromise 3D imaging, such as the ability to “see” the piano keyboard from left to right on good recordings like Stefano Bollani’s excellent Stone In The Water.

 

For a fun test of soundstage presentation, check out Yosi Horikawa’s track Bubbles from the album Wanderings, which sends bouncing balls all around you if the imaging is right. DXE must constrict the “leading edge” of TCP packets, as described by the GigaFOIL people, which affects midrange and treble to blur the sound:

 

https://www.djmelectronics.com/gigafoilv4-inline-ethernet-filter.html

[Meridimac]

4 hours ago, Meridimac said:

…as described by the GigaFOIL people:

As a member of the DJM Electronics FOIL™ brand Ethernet filters, the GigaFOILv3-EMP™ utilizes patented technology that provides 100dB performance from 10kHz to 10GHz and higher. Standard signal line filters rely on capacitors and inductors to eliminate unwanted RF signals. However, these types of filters often eliminate the high frequencies that make up the sharp edges of high speed digital square wave signals thereby degrading the integrity of the signal. In order to avoid this side effect, it is necessary for standard signal line filters to have extended passbands that allow the higher frequencies to pass unimpeded. Even the best standard signal line filters offer only 70dB from 50MHz to 10GHz and will only work with 10Base-T. There are no Fast Ethernet (100Base-TX) or Gigabit Ethernet (1000Base-T) standard signal line filters available on the market. Also, it is important to note that standard signal line filters do not differentiate between Ethernet signals and undesirable signals. They act like a "hole" in the shielded enclosure to all signals - good and bad - within the passband.