2. digital
  3. 177790-7401

Ethernet - Analog/Digital Signal Clean Up

Curiosity got the better of me recently and I tried a pretty cheap tweak where I used two Fiber Optic converters between the eero access point and my Lumin U1 Mini streamer. Converted from copper Ethernet to fiber optic then back to copper and then into streamer using my Supra Cat8. 

I was pleasantly surprised with the improvements this change had brought into my system and now I am wondering if I can do better. One other aspect of the current configuration that I don’t like is the clutter - each unit comes with it’s own power supply and add to that a fiber optic cable. I already have a spider web of wires and am not looking to add to that. 

Objective is to have as much noise, RFI and EMI removed before it reaches the streamer. 

Seeking opinions on the following units from those who had tried them in their systems:

  1. English Electric Network Switch 8 (Silent Angel is pretty much the same thing)
  2. Uptone EtherREGEN (currently out of stock)
  3. Network Acoustics Eno (box or streaming system)

 

What is your experience with these units?

Anything else to add to the above list? 

 

Thanks in advance!

audphile1

Showing 5 responses by jjss49

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

@sns

ahh got it, i did not appreciate the distinction pre vs post music server...

i think the prevaling thinking is that much noise is going to be on the overall lan, put there by the everyday gear that operates on it, cable modem/router, home office computers, printers, hard wired commodity smart devices, the like... so the key is noise filtration/isolation coming out of the network into the streamer that processes the specific digital feed bearing the music

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

@sns

hans is usually quite reliable in his findings i am a fan of his work overall, his dedication

in my own case, i find running an uptone etherregen into sfp to optical rendu (with proper power supplies of course) did make quite a (positive) difference in the sound... but i guess adding up msrp’s of those pieces is well over a grand in cost

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

the debate or question about whether audiophile grade ethernet switches, high and low priced, provide any better sound is like anything else in considered in our hobby, no?

try it for yourself, then decide - what someone else says only goes so far, it is their system, their ears, their way of comparing, their brain/ego/psychology, not your own

some retailers and makers allow money back trials, or buy it used for a fair price, sell it off if tried and no meaningful improvement is obtained

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

🤷🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️🤔

jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

i use the etherregen, along with, and stand alone, without a fiber optic clean-up module - they are both very important to  having a pure feed from network into streamer/renderer

the ether regen is very similar to the n-a eno - in fact the maker of the regen tells customers if they have an eno they don’t need a regen, they do the same thing

the silent angel network switch is different

look up hans beekhuysen on youtube, he has informative videos there on all three, you will be well versed in these after viewing them

More to discover