UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Listening Impressions

Not to be a pest, and I am being hypocritical as I frequently go OT, but if we could follow Alex' instructions to keep this thread focused more on listening impressions, and put technical questions in the other thread, that would be peachy.  TIA from those of us living vicariously through those who have the ER and post listening impressions. ☮️

So, I got mine today (the day before my birthday). I'm simply going from my SonicTransporter i5 into a combo modem/router from Xfinity. Then from modem/router (A-Side) into the ER then into my Linn KDS/3 (B-Side).

After resetting my the SonicTransporter and remounting the HD in the Roon server software, the ER came right online. 

I mean, I'm giving the ER the dirtiest signal that I can imagine, straight from a modem/router, right into the ER. According to what the ER is supposed to do, it should totally scrub everything upstream, so it shouldn't matter what config comes before the ER, right? 

I should mention that I've got all of my shit sitting on these super thick Symposium Ultra Platforms.

Anyway, I clicked on Roon and the first song was "Have Your Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)." I only heard about 4 seconds of it, but my impressions was that it sounded great! 

I know you didn't want to hear about 4 seconds worth of a review 😜, but so that my ears won't adjust to the sound, I'm letting it "burn in" for at least 48 hours (maybe more) before I give it a real listen. Then I'll take it in and out of the system to see how the sound fares with or without the ER in the chain.

Does that sound fair? 

I received my EtherRegen today. Someone was home to get it inside, open the package, and let it at room temperature for about five hours. It’s cold here in DC area today.

I left work a bit early. Plugged in and left it working for a couple of hours.

Still too early, no real burn in, but I am so excited of this purchase, that I could not help it, but post here. And perhaps my post can help some people that have already implemented some type of optical isolation.

I was already using dual opticalModules (both powered by separate SGC linear power supplies). Fiber between the two. Then Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Reference Ethernet cable from the downstream opticalModule to Innuos ZENith MK3 (server and Renderer via Roon), USB out of the ZENith to my DAC (MSB Discrete).

Left the upstream opticalModule as is. Replaced the downstream opticalModule with EtherRegen. Stock power supply. Had already purchased the SFP Module for EtherRegen (the Sonore one Alex had posted). Everything powered up and worked instantly.

I have already only played five tracks from my Test playlist. I am thrilled to report that EtherRegen works! I was a bit skeptical, as the opticalModules already provided that isolation with good results, but EtherRegen brings things to a new level of satisfaction. First impression: everything opens up more by a good margin. Sound is deeper, more “organic”, and everything sounds just more natural. Acoustic guitar like the artist is in my room. Timbre and tonality to die for. Stuff that I don’t know how to explain, as I don’t know they existed.

You have a winner here Alex!

The tones of cellos are so gorgeous with the ER in the system I could listen to Bach cello suites all day long.

I had to register to reply here, have been reading around for a while now. 

Today my etherregen from Audiostore in the UK arrived in the Netherlands. And it's in my system right now for about half an hour.

My first impression? ( I have given it time to warm up a bit for 15 minutes,before connecting Ethernet cables)

First seconds of music, my jaw dropped at the floor, thinking WTF!!?  Just brilliant. Way, way more details, wider and deeper sound stage, more definition, more ease, more calmness etc. 

A serious good investment this one.

For who's interested, it replaced a basic d-link switch between home network (desktop PC somewhere in the house used as NAS)  and streamer/pre-amp, with basic cat 5e and cat6 cables of all kinds of brands that I just had laying around.

( I just use my streamer for local file Playback)

2 hours ago, EVOLVIST said:

#2 Could it be that the ER is accentuating some highs, slightly? My "accentuating" isn't the right word. Hearing Nat King Cole's "Welcome to the Club" with the ER running, well...with lesser systems, or before I had my room acoustically treated it's easy for Cole's vocals to get peaky.

Given my own experience with the ER thus far, and with all other gear I've broken in previously, I believe what you are describing is a break-in issue.  Some have suggested 30 hours of break-in is a good timeframe for hearing what the ER can do.  

While some are reporting fantastic results right out of the box (which is great), that wasn't the case for me.  While I could hear a cleaner bass line and better separation of instruments, the high end of the piano didn't sound right -- peaky, as you said.  After 7 hours the highs were better.  After 20 hours, the "big pipe" (as someone explained the ER's effect) was there, liquidity was there, but the highs were just a little accentuated.  From past experience with other gear, this isn't a surprise to me.  Usually, the break-in seems to go from low frequencies to high, with the high frequencies sometimes taking a very long time to even out (or maybe that is just how my hearing senses the changes--perhaps it is really all happening simultaneously).  

I'm going to give the ER at least 30 hours before writing my impressions.  Just thought this might help you a bit.  

4 hours ago, EVOLVIST said:

So, was it Uptone that recommended a "burn in" time? I mean, this thing runs pretty hot, so I fail to see how pushing bits through it is going to do anything.

 

Otherwise, I've had music running through it for near 24 hours. I haven't been listening much (because of yeah, this "burn in" thing, but there are two initial observations. Note, however, that I won't get a full grasp on SQ differences until I take the ER out of my system, and put it back in, etc., etc.,

 

#1 There seems to a be a purity of tone. Something extra pure now? I walked into some Strauss playing, whereupon I turned up the volume, sat down for a few minutes and listened to some very realistic violin and cellos. Now, mind you, I'm not as familiar with this piece as others, so I wasn't listening against audio cues hardwired in my brain, so take that with a grain of salt. It certainly was nice, though. Liquid, even.

 

#2 Could it be that the ER is accentuating some highs, slightly? My "accentuating" isn't the right word. Hearing Nat King Cole's "Welcome to the Club" with the ER running, well...with lesser systems, or before I had my room acoustically treated it's easy for Cole's vocals to get peaky. The vox is so forward juxtaposed against the music. With the ER in the system, no, it didn't get peaky again, but it didn't sound as full-bodied as it did before either. I'm talking fractions here. This is the same thing that I experienced on Elton John's "High Flying Bird" where the full analog sound of his vocals now seems a fraction lacking with the ER. By contrast, the background vocals were certainly clearer, the piano had more sparkle, and the bass guitar had that stellar growl that I like, only a tad more recessed.

 

#3 Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" - I had to turn it down a hair from my usual listening. It was definitely clear! I don't think I had ever heard Jimi's voice that clear in the left channel. BUT! - the guitar intro did seem a smidge peaky. It was as if that small area in the low-mids was no longer there. 

 

Now, none of this was necessarily pleasant. Even when talking about Jimi's guitar in the intro, it didn't sound less real...just different, you feel me? 

 

So, in that respect, the ER is doing something. It's not just sitting there, for better or for worse; I'm simply trying to wrap my head around what I'm hearing. It could very well be that what I'm hearing is the way it's supposed to sound. But how would I know if that's the way it was supposed sound?

 

But anyway, if I'm hearing more delineated instruments, that's a good sign, yeah? You know, I need to go to some of my test tracks like Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" and "American Tune." 

I get what you’re saying. My experience with the ER has been a) slow to begin to gel (about 24-30 hours) b) slower refinement for another 48 hours c) now at around 100 hours in and everything is smooth as silk - top to bottom 

suggest you give it time and then return to the music you thought “strange”. 
I’ve found that the ER reveals more - warts and all. I’ve been taken aback by recordings I thought I knew. Listening to a few of Ella Fitzgerald’s songbooks and I’m getting far more depth in the soundstage and her special vocalizations and the varied miking techniques of each recording. Also, pick out some live recordings - audience applause is far more realistic.  I’m certain there are many other cues you’ll pick up on. 

I'm also at about 100 hours now and the sound is considerably better balanced than even 30 hours in. Good stuff! Thanks John and Alex!!!

Finally. Just the first 5 minutes. 
Literally jaw dropping...

cisco 2960 > (fiber) oM > (copper) uR

I am in heaven! 

Thank you Alex and John.

Will report after the weekend.

Cheers Jorge

24 hours in and you can hear the improvements across the audio band, you know this can only get better.  I’ve also noticed on certain miked/mixed recordings the peakiness in the recordings. The 8C speakers are very revealing of good and bad recording mixes, this is further stripped back by the ER, and definitely indicates further burn in time for the ER.  Different or better - no contest, this is better by audio miles 24 hours in.  
 

i think someone mentioned earlier about bass notes being even more defined - multiple harmonics in bass notes I had never heard before with the excellent 8C - these speakers really do sublime bass. For example the under or over damping of the bass/kick drum can be clearly heard, and the way the room is pressurised is clearly much improved for you to able to hear this information in the audio cues. On really well recorded/produced tracks it’s like hearing people play music to you as opposed to listening to music....Play Etta James “ Ball and Chain” or Tracy Nelson “ What Good Drinkin Can Do” from HoB The Songs of Janis Joplin - fantastic album by the way - and turn it up....! 

Further impressions will follow as this “device of alchemy” stretches its legs;  but let me say - the ER completely dispels the myth that network switches do not matter to network  audio - because this device does

On 11/10/2019 at 9:01 PM, so-no-mah said:

I also grounded the LPS 1.2, my internet switch and the DS DAC to to my Synergistic Active Ground Block.  

 

 The ER is powered by an HD Plex and is grounded to the SR Active Ground Block.  

I have the Uptone LPS 1.2 and the SR Active Grounding Block also.  Did you ground the LPS 1.2 to the SR AGB using the unused output on LPS 1.2?  You soldered a wire to the neutral pin on the female connector?  The LPS 1.2 doesn't have a grounding terminal like the EtherRegen.

Mini Review:

In my system which includes the an Uptone Audio LPS 1.2 feeding a 2TB SSD NAS - 0.5m Wireworld Platinum 8 - EtherRegen - 2.0 m Wireworld Platinum 8 - Ayon Audio S-5 Network Player/DAC/Preamp (all components heavily treated by PPT Omega Mats, PPT Gate, and PPT Alpha cards), the addition of the EtherRegen has to be the top grade I've done to the digital part of my reviewing system.  Still breaking in but the transformation due to the lower noise floor far exceeds my expectations.  I reviewed and was blown away the LSP 1.2, better Ethernet cables, and adding a SSD drive to my NAS but the addition of the EtherRegen to my system is on a whole new level. More details to follow.  Glad I was in the first shipment.  Holy sh_t.

On 11/10/2019 at 5:47 PM, Jud said:

My wife picked up the ER in the mail yesterday, but I spent most of yesterday and early this morning in bed with a reaction to the new shingles vaccine I received Friday, so I haven’t had a chance to hook it up yet. (Hey, I’ll take a day in bed over a case of shingles any time.) So these listening impressions are from the beta version. All purely subjective.

 

My system before ER: From my router, Ethernet cable to a Cisco switch; optical Ethernet to a second Cisco switch; Ethernet cable to microRendu to IsoREGEN to DAC. The Cisco switches are powered by internal SMPSs.

 

I compared one Cisco switch feeding the ER via optical to replacing both Cisco switches and feeding the ER via Ethernet cable from the router. I liked the latter better. Perhaps it has something to do with the non-grounded SMPS in the Cisco vs. the grounded SMPS for the ER. (Speaking of grounding, I'm not using the grounding knob on the ER.)

 

- The thing I immediately noticed with the ER was greater solidity of images. Vocals and instruments seemed more stably fixed in space.

 

- Initially vs. the Ciscos there was less "air" around vocalists and instruments. However, after about 10-20 hours the sound with the ER seemed to open up.

 

- Something that may be a little hard for me to explain, but I'll try: The sounds of instruments seemed to be more "integrated." The pluck of an acoustic guitar string and the note from the string, for example, were all part of the same sound rather than separate from each other. This made instruments sound more real to me, because that's how I hear it when I listen to someone playing an acoustic guitar in front of me.

 

Hopefully today I'll get a chance to start listening to the production version.

I installed my EtherREGEN, but then I had a few things to do outside, so I could warmup the ER for a about 3 hours. My first impression was the same as Jud and others experienced, greater solidity; everything seems to be more stable. My ER is replacing my Netgear GS108 switch, with on the B-side my ultraRendu feeding my Chord Qutest DAC, and on the A-side my NAS, Router, Apple TV and iMac with Audirvana. Supra cat8 cables are used everywhere. Amp and loudspeakers are Yamaha A-S2100, Revel F208. I assume things will improve later on...

So, I'm only 30+ hours in now. If anyone has been reading, I mentioned some distortion in Betty Carter's voice...A possible NOTE TO ROON USERS. Since I'm running a pretty straight line: SonicTransporter i5 -> Modem -> ER -> Linn KDS/3. The signal was clipping! I had the clipping indicator on in Roon, but my headroom manager was set to 0db, because I never saw it clip; I just left it on to monitor my signal. Now, when I was playing music, the clipping indicator would show in the red with the ER in. So, I went into the headroom manager and reduced it by -3db. The clipping went away. No distortion. @Superdad Could this happen with a more "open pipe?" Perhaps I'm receiving a stronger signal with the ER in? Would that sound right?

This morning at about 30+ hours in...wow! Any lean sound, or peaky bits were gone. Gone! I'm not even a firm believe in "burn in" or "break in," because I've experienced it with a few things, but mostly not (oddly enough, there was break in some Morrow speaker cables, but with one high-end amp, zero, ziltch, nada).

Anyhow, things are really starting to sound good! Maybe I'll get more, as I let it burn in through the weekend. We'll see.

I mean, to me, even as a general skeptic, we now put something in our system that proves 100% that you can change that ethernet signal. It's not just 1s and 0s. Now it's starting to sound like a part of my system...perhaps even a vital part.  

15 hours ago, stevebythebay said:

My experience with the ER has been a) slow to begin to gel (about 24-30 hours) b) slower refinement for another 48 hours c) now at around 100 hours in and everything is smooth as silk - top to bottom 

Great information.  Thank you.  Now at 30 hours, my ER is tracking your experience.  Showing great promise.  Feeling no pain listening to Jazz via internet radio.  

I think this little wonder is going to show many audiophiles how good their DACs really are and how far digital playback has come in recent years.  The resolution is amazing these days, even with excellent internet radio.  The ER might help treat DU - digital upgraditis - but check with your doctor first.  The ER might cause temporary racing pulse, drooling and involuntary spasms known as male dancing.