Interesting finding. I agree that YMMV. Some DACs most certainly will benefit from devices such as ISO Regen, however, most DACs are designed and intended to work well without it. Ultimately it may boil down to individual system vagaries such as the particular jitter level at the DAC input and the robustness of the DAC jitter rejection methodology for the particular jitter coming in.
Mini Review of Uptone ISO Regen and UltraCap LPS-1 Power Supply Combo
Despite contrary recommendations from my DAC manufacturer and a computer audio-savvy friend, I decided to try the latest Uptone ISO Regen/UltraCap LPS-1 combo. You can see the details of my system on my virtual system page, but for clarity the comparison here involved the following components:
Motorola 7550 dual-band modem/router => Purist Audio Ethernet cable => Aurender N100H server/renderer/streamer => Purist Audio 30th Anniversary USB cable => //insert/remove Uptone UltraCap LPS-1 power supply & ISO Regen// => Exogal Comet Plus DAC via USB input.
Music for comparison was a combination of 192/24 and 96/24 hi-rez downloaded files from the Aurender’s HDD and selections streamed from Tidal.
After a week spending a lot of time listening with the ISO Regen/UltraCap LPS-1 combo in my computer audio front end, I decided this afternoon to remove it from between my Aurender and my Comet DAC. I have found that removing a tweak is the best way to see what it is or isn’t doing.
Bottom Line: I greatly prefer the sound of the Aurender/Comet combo WITHOUT the ISO Regen/UltraCap LPS-1. In addition, I brought my golden-eared wife in for the usual "set me straight session". She was in agreement (perhaps less adamant). Over the years, she has been spot-on re: cabling/room acoustical treatment/even setting VTA on my TT and I have learned that she is 100 times faster at pinpointing sound differences in the vocal/high-mid ranges and especially at recognizing a lack of refinement that later becomes a burr under my saddle if I don’t heed her observations.
On first/casual listen, the Uptone gear seems to add refinement and a better focal balance between instruments relative to each other, especially instruments vs vocals seem to be more integrated. The lower frequencies seem fuller. However, after more listening with them in the chain, one starts to miss some PRAT and listener involvement. Removing the Uptone gear from the chain immediately reveals the trick: What has actually happened is that a (not insignificant) degree of detail, air, and life has been removed along with any noise that it reduced/eliminated. The music seems slower. The percussive nature of piano is deadened somewhat with less wafting of harmonic aftertones around the instrument and throughout the soundstage.
If one has a system that uses a better digital source like the Aurender (vs noisy PC) combined with a DAC possessing a USB input that has been designed to address noise/isolation/jitter along with quality USB cabling, then the effect of the Uptone device is a takeaway IME. However, I have little doubt that the same effect would benefit an entry level computer front end with PC/Mac and/or lesser DAC and/or poor cabling by eliminating noise artifacts and impedance mismatch.
If I had the choice of a noisy/flat/sterile yet open sound (without Regen) or a somewhat reduced noise floor/more palatable yet ultimately a bit closed-in sound (with Regen), I suppose I would choose the latter. Avoid that sad choice of evils and then it is likely that these devices will do more harm than good. YMMV.
The ISO Regen unit itself is back in the box. I still plan to investigate using the UltraCap LPS-1 with my router modem before returning both.
Dave
Motorola 7550 dual-band modem/router => Purist Audio Ethernet cable => Aurender N100H server/renderer/streamer => Purist Audio 30th Anniversary USB cable => //insert/remove Uptone UltraCap LPS-1 power supply & ISO Regen// => Exogal Comet Plus DAC via USB input.
Music for comparison was a combination of 192/24 and 96/24 hi-rez downloaded files from the Aurender’s HDD and selections streamed from Tidal.
After a week spending a lot of time listening with the ISO Regen/UltraCap LPS-1 combo in my computer audio front end, I decided this afternoon to remove it from between my Aurender and my Comet DAC. I have found that removing a tweak is the best way to see what it is or isn’t doing.
Bottom Line: I greatly prefer the sound of the Aurender/Comet combo WITHOUT the ISO Regen/UltraCap LPS-1. In addition, I brought my golden-eared wife in for the usual "set me straight session". She was in agreement (perhaps less adamant). Over the years, she has been spot-on re: cabling/room acoustical treatment/even setting VTA on my TT and I have learned that she is 100 times faster at pinpointing sound differences in the vocal/high-mid ranges and especially at recognizing a lack of refinement that later becomes a burr under my saddle if I don’t heed her observations.
On first/casual listen, the Uptone gear seems to add refinement and a better focal balance between instruments relative to each other, especially instruments vs vocals seem to be more integrated. The lower frequencies seem fuller. However, after more listening with them in the chain, one starts to miss some PRAT and listener involvement. Removing the Uptone gear from the chain immediately reveals the trick: What has actually happened is that a (not insignificant) degree of detail, air, and life has been removed along with any noise that it reduced/eliminated. The music seems slower. The percussive nature of piano is deadened somewhat with less wafting of harmonic aftertones around the instrument and throughout the soundstage.
If one has a system that uses a better digital source like the Aurender (vs noisy PC) combined with a DAC possessing a USB input that has been designed to address noise/isolation/jitter along with quality USB cabling, then the effect of the Uptone device is a takeaway IME. However, I have little doubt that the same effect would benefit an entry level computer front end with PC/Mac and/or lesser DAC and/or poor cabling by eliminating noise artifacts and impedance mismatch.
If I had the choice of a noisy/flat/sterile yet open sound (without Regen) or a somewhat reduced noise floor/more palatable yet ultimately a bit closed-in sound (with Regen), I suppose I would choose the latter. Avoid that sad choice of evils and then it is likely that these devices will do more harm than good. YMMV.
The ISO Regen unit itself is back in the box. I still plan to investigate using the UltraCap LPS-1 with my router modem before returning both.
Dave