Ether Regen - first experience

Oi, less of the ‘old’, Gazza. :wink:

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Correction - when I took the ER (with stock PS) out of my then (272-based) system, I decided it made little or no difference to SQ.

So I sent it back.

Now I have an EE8.

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I like what mine did - it is a clear and obvious improvement in my system by a large margin and well worth the outlay. It was further improved with the Linear Supply use - that was more unexpected but very worthwhile.

System context is perhaps a factor. I don’t much post on an item once I have clearly proved it was better to me, so it is irrelevant if others find no difference or want to come up with reasons why it can’t be different…etc…not interested. If people do not like these things - it is HiFi and it can happen we have different opinions and priorities as to what to achieve.

I’m interested in opinions of people that try stuff and they come to a different view - I respect that a lot, not that it should matter at all what I think. If people don’t try an item and then techno-babble on why it can’t work ‘because physics’ or such …I have my own background and for me know differently.

Try it - hate it/like it - move-on!

When it gets to people trying to form a consensus view or ‘convert’ people - not interested in that sort of politico-religious stuff personally, but people can have at it, but without me. :bear:

DB.

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True, but it is always good to have representative views of a particular item. Many will read the forum to decide if they want to try an item out, particularly one that might divide opinion.

So disproportionate one-sided views might wrongly dissuade, or wrongly persuade, those looking on from the sidelines to try an item out. The former means a missed opportunity, the latter risking a waste of money, if a demo is not available. Thankfully the 14 day returns policy on online orders reduces the risk having to keep an item that, although functions well, provides little or no uplift in SQ, although I presume this returns policy was not aimed at those who want to try before they buy.

So I don’t see ‘redressing the balance’ as a ‘conversion’ effort, more ‘setting the record straight’.

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So far, the three posters in this thread who didn’t hear a positive difference are all using it in situations where there are additional devices between EtherRegen and the the device hosting the DAC?

There’s the OP with his relatively complex arrangement of USB and optical devices, there’s jsawer09 with ND5XS2 into Qutest, and Simon-in-Suffolk with an NDX2, and possibly an m-scaler between ER and Dave.

Possibly the separation of the streamer and DAC in these cases is reducing the impact of the ER for these posters

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Good point, and this underlines how the effect of a device like the ER varies according to different LAN set-ups and different streamers/DACs, let alone the effect different Ethernet cables can have.

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A related question might be where the point lies where it becomes worth the time and investment to research and buy these kind of tweaks, since like @jsawyer09 mentioned it can become quite an investment over time.

Researching and trying out many different types of cables, switches, reclockers etc and after many months and spending a few thousand pounds concluding that they do or don’t make a difference – would the improvement actually be greater than for instance spending the same amount on a single better DAC, streamer, amplifier or pair of speakers?

I understand that for some trying out all these tweaks is a part of the hobby, but when does it become a sensible investment in a practical sense? For some folks with A-grade 500 setups there might not be much else to improve apart from these kinds of tweaks, but for instance people with an old NDS which is known to be more susceptible to outside interference and electric/network stability, it might be a more sensible step to invest in proper main equipment first.

If the foundation isn’t great, you can keep tweaking but it will never be as good as a setup with simply better main equipment.

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No, it’s a streamer (which as a term is interchangeable with renderer). It streams music from a server that can be output to a DAC. It’s just that unlike the Naim streamers/renders it doesn’t have a proprietary control app and therefore relies on third party apps for control - in my case Roon though pre-Roon I used it with Lumin, Kazoo, Peng, LMS, etc. So essentially you are streaming to a streamer. What mode are you using the uR in?

This is a really good, sound, valid point, and is why it’s a YMMV prospect.

ADDED: This is why perhaps I started looking at ultra-isolation and balanced transformers, in addition to LPSs and proven grounding configurations to address what I think we’re all trying to address, just going about it in different ways of achieving it, and along the way finding inconsistent results.

A universal truth—er, point of view (but one I quite agree with)—right there.

Oups!
However I am sure that now you have a 252 and Ndx2, you would probably found the ER a great upgrade too :laughing:
Difficult from memory to remember who has the EE8 and who the ER.

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I have dedicated mains and high quality and expensive power cords, with a high quality power block.
The ER / lps makes however a clear upgrade.

My system is more resolving than it was then.

That suggests I might more clearly hear the difference the ER makes to SQ if I tried it again now.

But now my dac is in a separate box than my streamer, which suggests the effect on SQ of a switch might be smaller than if I was still using a single box streamer/dac.

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What i like about the tests done on this by the guy, is that in all tests he did, it made no difference at all, nothing changed. The fact we are not talking about sound here, but actual measurements, nothing changed, so if nothing changed, how can the sound be any different?, it can’t can it, if nothing has changed, plus the fact that as far as i know, not one manufacturer of these switches has given any real test results showing what it does, all you get is posh chat.
It backs up nicely what a few manufacturers say about these things, like linn and dCS, they do nothing, dont waste your money.

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I’ve only got the Roon Ready mode on. Roon sees the Ultrarendu as a bridge device.

And I can see now that you can stream spotify and others.

I didn’t perform any critical intending with the NDX2 analogue out… so can’t comment sorry.

That refund could be used for charity if you do not need it? African/Latin American kids need it.

Well I can put it in my kit box of spares if it become completely superfluous, at the very least it’s an active repeater… don’t you keep spares?
I keep my charity contributions and my Hi-Fi spending separate, don’t you? I also feel we have charities of need very much closer to home as well…

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You have a box full of spare Ether Regens? How often do you forget to send these things back?? :wink:

I feel Simon will advocate his Cisco to death…:star_struck: