UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Switch Review

[Veri]

Someone should revoke his licence to shill.

That the new 007 movie?

 

[mansr]

That the new 007 movie?

Bond goes undercover as an influencer?

 

[Jinjuku]

I'm glad I had the common sense to check other people's opinions on the ER before I went ahead with the purchase. Common sense actually works!

And to think he actually typed this out and the eR fixed it for him:

ahead the works! with actually I on went the had sense before purchase. ER opinions check to other glad the common I Common people's I'm sense

 

[DonH56]

Apparently adding audiophile isolation feet to a switch makes all the difference, guess @amirm should retest (not). Apparently the bits in an audio bitstream are much more sensitive than all that data bits that just work in networks all over the world...

NETWORK EQUIPMENT IN DIGITAL AUDIO AND VIBRATION

Network switches in hi-fi systems - in this case the M12 SWITCH Magic - are very sensitive for vibration.
Most audiophiles do not realize that network switches, especially those in close proximity to the main hi-fi rig, should be treated with the same attention to vibration as any other high quality digital audio component. In fact, during our listening trials, we've found the impact of anti-vibration footers under the M12 SWITCH Magic to be greater than under a DAC.
This simple tweak, quite unexpectedly, boosted the performance to the sound quality level that was possible to achieve only with the ultimate network switch; M12 SWITCH GOLD.

 

[Sal1950]

Apparently adding audiophile isolation feet to a switch makes all the difference, guess @amirm should retest (not). Apparently the bits in an audio bitstream are much more sensitive than all that data bits that just work in networks all over the world...

You can't shake up the bits or like dice they roll a different number almost every time.

 

[Maxah]

Hey guys,
I am new to this forum : Maxime a french chap living in Paris. I first would like to thank Amir for the great content of its various review.

I went trough the 53 pages of this one review (the French Covid lockdown helped me to find some free time !) and I understand that this product ignites a lot of passions

Amir, I also red your review of an Ethernet passive isolator back in 2017 : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...o-en-60kds-ethernet-isolator.1869/#post-48753

You were initialy very sceptical about its possible effectiveness (what I can understand since I am also doubtful) but in the end you updated your review by inducing 60 Hz mains into the Ethernet cable and saw the effectiveness of the product that reduces not only the 60Hz peak but also decreased the level of sideband jitters at 11.760 Khz that had been created by this 60Hz Harmonics (even though I totally agree that amplitudes of -128 dbFS is inaudible). This experience you did in 2017, in my opinion, supports the theory of UpTone guys who say that interferences in the Ethernet cable can induce (or at least increase) some jitter in the analog domain. Am I wrong?

My question is : do you have performed such a test with the EtherRegen?
My theory is that some people can have a poor installation at home where they have for instance a 60Hz mains into the Ethernet cable and then the EtherRegen brings this people with some kind of improvement (that you highlighted in 2017) that they can hear.
Is that not possible?


Thank you in advance for your reply. (Sorry if my english is a bit poor I am not a native speaker )

Keep Peace
Max

 

[Jinjuku]

My question is : do you have performed such a test with the EtherRegen?

My question in response is why does it take a 3rd party to produce data that the manufacturers should be doing?

 

[Maxah]

My question in response is why does it take a 3rd party to produce data that the manufacturers should be doing?

Yeah, I totally agree with you : it's weird that the manufacturer doesnt do it. It s not good sign for the quality of their product... Don t get me wrong. I am not here to defend any one.

To summarize, if i understand well, neither the manufacturer nor Amir did run this test? Crap. I would have been curious.

 

[Mihalis]

My dac uses fiber optic converters to take signal from streamers (usb to converter to fiber optic) and send it to the dac which received the fiber cable. The converter is run by the dac clock. I can test I receive bit perfect signal. So...bit perfect signal, buffered in the dac, without “noise” given fiber. I tried 3-4 15-20,000 streamers to no difference in sound. Zero. Double blind tests with the dealers who brought them home. No one also has offered any reason in principle why such a fancy streamer would make a difference. Yet when I posted asking this question on audiophile sites I was lynched by the “cable direction matters mob”. Reading your stuff here: (1) thank you and (2) I became a member and donor immediately. Maybe you ok explain to me why I should be hearing a difference from those streamers.

 

[BDWoody]

Reading your stuff here: (1) thank you and (2) I became a member and donor immediately. Maybe you ok explain to me why I should be hearing a difference from those streamers.

First of all, welcome!

Well, something could be broken of course... Other than that, your bullshit meter seems properly tuned.

 

[AudioTodd]

First of all, welcome!

Well, something could be broken of course... Other than that, your bullshit meter seems properly tuned.

Right. A buddy just ignored my advice to buy a $549 easy to use widely compatible streamer (a Pi can be done cheaper but he’s not a DIY guy) in favor of a - discounted - $2,500 difficult to use streamer with unnecessary features and hardware and very limited compatibility with streaming services. I think he cannot accept that “high end” sound does not require 1/4” faceplates and $2,000 plus price tags. I tried to explain that these are not anything more than computers focused on transmitting bit-perfect data according to the relevant standard, but I think my 9 month old Pug comprehends more of my lectures on the common misconceptions surrounding Special Relativity than my buddy did my quips about streamers.

 

[watchnerd]

Right. A buddy just ignored my advice to buy a $549 easy to use widely compatible streamer (a Pi can be done cheaper but he’s not a DIY guy) in favor of a - discounted - $2,500 difficult to use streamer with unnecessary features and hardware and very limited compatibility with streaming services. I think he cannot accept that “high end” sound does not require 1/4” faceplates and $2,000 plus price tags. I tried to explain that these are not anything more than computers focused on transmitting bit-perfect data according to the relevant standard, but I think my 9 month old Pug comprehends more of my lectures on the common misconceptions surrounding Special Relativity than my buddy did my quips about streamers.

To be fair, Pi are great if you want to hide them behind the cabinet.

But most are ugly AF.

And things sound better when you think they look cool.

 

[amirm]

Reading your stuff here: (1) thank you and (2) I became a member and donor immediately. Maybe you ok explain to me why I should be hearing a difference from those streamers.

Thank you very much for the kind donation. There is a technical explanation that the noise from the streamer could be travelling to the downstream DAC and pollute its analog output. In practice, hardly any DAC I have tested has such issues. And even if the problem was there, it would manifest itself as noise, not "soundstage, etc." that people describe as benefits of one vs another streamer.

Our brain on the other hand, is happy to manufacture such fidelity differences with ease even if technically nothing has changed.

 

[Sal1950]

Maybe you ok explain to me why I should be hearing a difference from those streamers.

Welcome to ASR!
There is only one truthful answer to your question, because it makes LOTS of money for everyone involved in the high end industry. The print and web media along with the manufacturers have all joined together to brainwash the public into believing more $ buys better sound. I got my copy of TAS the other day promoting the glorious sound of the TecDAS Air Force Zero $450,000 US turntable. Yes you read that right, a almost half million dollars to drag a rock thru a ditch. OMG

 

[AudioTodd]

Welcome to ASR!
There is only one truthful answer to your question, because it makes LOTS of money for everyone involved in the high end industry. The print and web media along with the manufacturers have all joined together to brainwash the public into believing more $ buys better sound. I got my copy of TAS the other day promoting the glorious sound of the TecDAS Air Force Zero $450,000 US turntable. Yes you read that right, a almost half million dollars to drag a rock thru a ditch. OMG

I love that Sal!

 

[anmpr1]

...almost half million dollars to drag a rock thru a ditch.

Great line. And apt. Sort of reminds me of Bugatti. It's not exactly a good comparison, since the car at least does something amazing..., but where would you even drive it?

 

[Mihalis]

Great line. And apt. Sort of reminds me of Bugatti. It's not exactly a good comparison, since the car at least does something amazing..., but where would you even drive it?

Tidal audio the loudspeaker company just announced new speakers for bugatti!

 

[Mihalis]

Thank you very much for the kind donation. There is a technical explanation that the noise from the streamer could be travelling to the downstream DAC and pollute its analog output. In practice, hardly any DAC I have tested has such issues. And even if the problem was there, it would manifest itself as noise, not "soundstage, etc." that people describe as benefits of one vs another streamer.

Our brain on the other hand, is happy to manufacture such fidelity differences with ease even if technically nothing has changed.

Agreed. But with the use of fiber optic cables that noise shouldn’t be traveling through. So the only in principle noise I can imagine is either airborne (come on!) or that a terrible streamer is polluting the power supply of the house. Again “come on” since the refrigerator, computers, etc etc are likely doing much worse.
You will enjoy this: one of the makers of one of the most popular ultra high end streamers told a reviewer that he can hear differences in sound depending on how tight he torques the screws of the top plate of his streamer!!!! And people keep buying his stuff. His dealer was at my home and couldn’t get any consistency in choosing it in a double blind test.

 

[Sal1950]

You will enjoy this: one of the makers of one of the most popular ultra high end streamers told a reviewer that he can hear differences in sound depending on how tight he torques the screws of the top plate of his streamer!!!!

I believe he was the one getting too tightly torqued.

 

[amirm]

You will enjoy this: one of the makers of one of the most popular ultra high end streamers told a reviewer that he can hear differences in sound depending on how tight he torques the screws of the top plate of his streamer!!!!

That certainly ranks way up there with a guy I know that says the screws on his AC receptacles made a difference!