kennyb123

Impressive Alex - thanks for sharing. But are we there yet, dad? (ducking)

It makes perfect sense to avoid the term “clean side” when viewed from the perspective of the EtherREGEN. It’s agnostic as you’ve described. I think it’s going to be tougher for the rest of us to abandon the terms “clean side” and “dirty side” when we view things from the perspective of our networks. On one side of the EtherREGEN will be simply my streamer. On the other side will be the rest of my network, which has all kinds of noise being dumped onto it. The goal of adding to EtherREGEN is to create a “clean side” (of my network) that’s isolated from the noisy “dirty side” (of my network). I think as long as folks are clear that it is their network that has the dirty/clean sides - and not specifically the EtherREGEN - that those terms can be helpful.

Are we there yet, (super)dad? 😐

I don’t see how what was reported back in March is relevant when assessing a brand new product from Sonore that was designed by John Swenson to address the shortcomings of optical solutions not intended specifically for high end music reproduction. To purchase the opticalRendu and not take advantage of what the designer considered an important part of getting the best from this product based on a quote not specifically referring to this product’s implementation seems short-sighted. This thread should probably be renamed to “Comparison of crippled Sonore opticalRendu and SOtM sms200Ultra”. LOL (I say that in jest).

What you describe may point more the power supplies than the endpoints. What happens when you use the CI supply with the sMS-200ultra?

I’m hoping you meant that in a positive way. 😊

Well said. I have a DS413 that has continued to operate without issue. My main NAS is a DS1515+, which I hope to get many years out from.

Sorry I missed your mention of "earphone". I use Cardas A8 Anniversary Edition earbuds with my Pono when I'm on the move and want good sound. I prefer Bluetooth buds when working out or doing yard work - Jaybird X4 connected to my iPhone. These are my commuting buds too. Yeah, I sacrifice sound quality, but the convenience and reduced risk of damage justify that. It looks to me as though you have selected a very fine combo. If you are going to be pretty active with your earbuds, you might want to find a set that allows the cable to be replaced. I don't recall if that was possible with the Shure models.

I am at this moment listening to Audioquest Nightowl Carbon headphones being driven by a Pono. I figure I spent right around your budget for this combo, and this combo has given me many hours of delightful listenting. Unfortunately, both have been discontinued, but the Nightowls can still be found for $399. If you can snag a pair of these, that'll leave you half your budget for a DAP. I'm not sure what to suggest at that price point, so I'll be interested in what others have to say. So back to your question, I think I'd say they are equally important. But headphones are a very personal thing - where comfort and reliability factor in as well. Maybe the best bet is to find a headphone you really like and then build around them.

I'm a Mac and iOS user. I've ripped all my CDs to AIFF and all my SACDs to DSF. As far as downloads, I try to purchase only AIFF, but that's not always possible, so I do have a couple dozen albums in FLAC. I used to convert these to AIFF, but stopped doing that once I started using Roon. I can't see any upside in converting to FLAC other than the smaller file size. It's been too long since I tried to listen for differences between file formats. What I do hear though is that files stored on my NAS sound better than files streamed from either Qobuz or Tidal.

I received my TT2 a week ago. It replaced a TT, which was being brought up to a half-million taps with the HMS. Substituting the TT2 at a million taps brought a tremendous upgrade. I’m still in disbelief over how much more lifelike the music sounds.

Can the ability to eliminate phase-noise fingerprints also provide benefit at the point where USB enters a DAC? I’m thinking about the clocks inside some of these music servers and renderers. Would their phase-noise get fingerprinted onto the USB signal? Music servers sound different, even with an ISO REGEN in use. Might that be part of the reason why? I have a feeling the EtherRegen might actually make server differences easier to hear, as it will reduce the harm all our network gadgets cause and thus give us clearer insight into the server. I could be wrong though. Can’t wait to find out!

A friend was powering his uR with the now-discontinued Sonore power supply designed by Barrows. He preferred the Zenith Std Mk2, which ultimately lead me to buying one. I’ll see if I can get him to post.

Earlier in the thread, audiophile cable manufactures were criticized because they don’t publish specs that justify their claims. I’ve been trying to understand what it would look like if they did. Belden has been held out as the gold standard, so this helps as BJC uses Belden cables. I see nothing that suggests superior engineering as far as specs go. “Sufficient adequate” would be my takeaway. Further, what I see as far as specs isn’t much different than what the audiophile manufacturers publish - but of course the audiophile manufacturers are the ones making claims. So now I better understand why some have complaints. Thanks to all who contributed here.

I didn’t expect you to answer the questions I asked you in post 19.