Uptone Audio EtherREGEN review


I've never done a review of any audio product before but felt compelled to share my experience with the Uptone Audio EtherREGEN. I have no relation to the company - I'm just a regular guy with 20+ years off and on in this hobby.

Quick backstory: Based on extensive reading online and my interest in advancements in digital audio, I decided to give the EtherREGEN (hereafter referred to as ER) a try, especially since it has a 30 day trial period. My system is fairly simple - I use an Intel NUC running Roon Rock which serves streams Tidal and ripped CDs over the network to a Lyngdorf TDAI-3400, which in turn drives a pair of Buchardt S400s (these are pretty nice speakers but too soft in the treble region for me and will eventually be replaced). I run a 1m ethernet cable from the router to the ER, then another 1m ethernet cable from the ER to the Lyngdorf. All music listening is streamed through Roon.

I installed the ER in March right as this Covid mess started and immediately relocated my family to a mountain home we have, where we stayed for several months. That blew my 30 day trial away but I wasn't worried about it given everything else going on. When we got back home I basically forgot I even installed the ER so I've been listening to it without thinking about it for a couple months now. I recently remembered it was there so I decided to put my old $15 TPLink switch back in place and remove the ER to see if there was a difference. One thing I hate that people talk a lot about is A/B comparisons because in my experience they don't work. Your ears (or at least mine) become accustomed to sound over time and when you switch something after several weeks or months, you can hear the difference quite clearly. But if you A/B back and forth after seconds or minutes, especially if you A/B/A/B/A/B in one session, it's often very hard to tell the difference because your brain is filling in the missing details. That's how it works for me at least. Anyway, after months of using and becoming used to the sound with the ER in place, the difference was IMMEDIATELY noticeable when I removed it. Literally everything got worse. Yes it sounds like hyperbole and yes I know everyone says their latest new gear or tweak is the greatest ever, but for me the difference was as apparent as when I turn the Lyngdorf room correction on and off (i.e. not subtle). Image separation and soundstage decreased, as did bass impact, midrange clarity, and airiness of the treble. And I definitely can't explain this one and didn't get my SPL meter out but I swear the whole presentation sounded like the volume had been turned down 3dB. There's no way I messed the volume up because all I did was swap the ethernet cable that was going from the router to the ER and moved it from the router to the TPLink. I didn't even turn the Lyngdorf off, I just paused Roon.

I fully expected to hear no difference or practically no difference when I went back to the old TPLink switch. After hearing such a drastic difference, I really felt like I ought to share my experience. I'm no audio expert but I've owned a fair amount of gear over the past 23+ years and I have never put anything in my system that made this much of a difference for under $700. I'd highly recommend if you stream a lot and have any interest to give it a try, knowing you can always send it back in 30 days for just the cost of shipping. The only negative I can say about it is the thing runs HOT - like burn your fingers hot - so be careful where you place it. I believe the manual says 45 degrees C is normal.
jnehma1

An EtherRegen inserted just in front of my Tambaqui, with a Supra cable, improved my system to my ears.  Replacing my Netgear switch with a  Crux Audio Switch between my Modem and Nucleus improved things to my ears as well, but to a lesser degree.  I did not try the new switch without the EtherRegen.

Perhaps the EtherRegen is more helpful with cable than with fibre?

@audiom3 

Fiber…I wish. I’m using 500mb with perhaps the worst ISP in the country (optimum). 

@jl1ny I will say that an EtherRegen which I inserted into my all-fiber LAN recently made little/no difference.  For reference, I noted immediate/obvious differences when adding in LPS's to my upstream components.  Router, Intel NUC and every one of my fiber switches.  And a huge difference when I converted from a copper LAN to fiber.  The jury is still out there on this one.

Have ended up buying a modified switch from Hans at AudioPhool.nl

 

He claims it is as good if not better than the EtherRegen.

This I may never know, as I no longer plan on buying one.

If it's even close, i'm going to be happy.

@jc51373 

I take no heed of reviews from ASR. They are about as far away from the reality of musical enjoyment as I believe you can get.

My (soon to be previous) Dac was trashed by them, but it has taken my listening pleasure to heights I didn't know were possible.

 

No Roberts here...

@jl1ny

 

Don't listen to those idiots on ASR..Honestly, search the threads and see how they treat people..It's just a group of bitter dicks who can't afford anything hifi who live in their Mom's basements. 

Just find ways to listen to items with a good return policy. Let your ears decide, not a bunch of nerds who think THEY have defined how we humans hear and sense vibrations, how our brains process it and beyond that have instruments to measure all that...It's all a farce, it's literally a website of guys who are pissed at the audio industry at large because it's over priced..Thats the only point I agree with them on.

I’ve been looking to get an EtherRegen, but have pivoted and probably going to get a switch modded.

I’m open minded to most things Hi-Fi but I was pretty skeptical from jump street about a switch being able to noticeably improve sound quality. I was reluctantly about to get the etherREGEN until I watched the Audio science review. Now I’d really like to know if someone comment on what degree of sound quality improvement they are experiencing? Less than or equal to a set of new interconnects would bring? 

A company with 0 Ethernet experience (other than a cable), 0 related electronics experience, 0 appropriate measurement equipment to validate is going to crank out a better Ethernet switch? Call me skeptical ... sort of like how I am when I don’t see the absolutely required FCC declaration or test/compliance information.

I would never get that.

@yyzsantabarbara ,

 

You can always spend more money with something like this. Though I doubt it is better than Fibre.

Synergistic Research Ethernet Switch - Positive Feedback (positive-feedback.com)

 

A company with 0 Ethernet experience (other than a cable), 0 related electronics experience, 0 appropriate measurement equipment to validate is going to crank out a better Ethernet switch? Call me skeptical ... sort of like how I am when I don’t see the absolutely required FCC declaration or test/compliance information.

 

I figured out today that my network switch or something else on my network is causing ROON to have hiccups. So I am going to get 2 more of these switches.

I want to add that I tested my ROON Core last night connected directly to my Ubiquiti switch. Previously the ROON Core was in another room connected to the network by 2 more NetGear switches. I was able to reproduce my ROON problems even when I was connected directly to the Ubiquiti switch. So, no point replacing the NetGear switches with Ubiquiti switches.

 

In terms of RJ45 connections I doubt there is any difference. However, my one has 2 SFP Fibre Optical connections which was a massive improvement over Ethernet. I compared this to a Sonore microRendu (Ethernet) to a Sonore OpticalRendu (Fibre).

 

You can always spend more money with something like this. Though I doubt it is better than Fibre.

Synergistic Research Ethernet Switch - Positive Feedback (positive-feedback.com)

I figured out today that my network switch or something else on my network is causing ROON to have hiccups. So I am going to get 2 more of these switches.

Amazon.com: Ubiquiti Networks Networks UniFi Switch 8-Port 150 Watts, White : Electronics

The first one I bought earlier in the year was $199 (I think). I believe it is cheaper directly from Ubiquiti. Not sure why the price jump on the Ubiquiti gear on Amazon.

Switch 8 PoE (150W) – Ubiquiti Inc.

 

 

I've been looking at the Ubiquiti Networks US-8-60W switch and have seen it from $109 to as much as $635 why such a big difference in $$$?

How does the EtherRegen compare to something like the Ubiquiti Networks US-8-60W - for example? Fully managed switched, Ubiquiti generally considered best of breed at that price point and functionality combo - meaning pro features at more affordable prices ( compared to enterprise grade)?  Has anyone ran a side by side evaluation? 

 

( First post here, I think! - have lurked for so long, I am not sure! :D )

@andynotadam I know you posted this awhile back but I just ordered an EtherREGEN and the literature on the Uptone Audio website states there's no reason to purchase an external power supply.  Here's the ad 'Of note, UpTone has specifically designed EtherREGEN so that it does not require an external linear power supply to provide nominal performance. Rather, it comes with an UpTone Audio switch-mode power supply specially designed to prevent the passage of high source-impedance leakage current to the EtherREGEN'. 

Have you compared the stock Uptone Audio switch-mode power supply to the the external SBooster LPS you purchased?

Thanks,

Brian ...

Anyone who puts any stock into ASR wouldn't be trying one of these devices in the first place. 
@yoby Yes mine stays on all the time. It runs very hot by design as the case acts as a heat sink. That's detailed somewhere in the manual, I recall. When we go out of town I unplug it just because I know it's a waste of electricity sitting there outputting so much heat but otherwise it stays on.
To owners of the Ether Regen: Do you you leave it powered on 24/7? I just got mine yesterday along with the LPS1.2 power supply. Very impressive right out of the box. The unit itself and the LPS1.2 run pretty warm. I set the voltage to 12V per Alex's recommendation. Good listening. Jeff
I think he means (and correctly uses later) "PoE", which is Power Over Ethernet. Basically, you can power a low power device over your ethernet connection from your switch or via a PoE "injector".


One common use-case is for security cameras where you can just run CAT-5 or CAT-6 and power the camera over that line. Requires a switch that can do it, or a small device that adds the power. I use PoE to power multiple access points for my WiFi for example, and my Ring doorbell.
Are any Ether Regen owners using an updated umbilical cable from the LPS 1.2 ? 
I think he means "ethernet over power" - adapters to run your network through your electrical outlets. I'm not sure if that works. Mine is a standard setup of router to EtherRegen to DAC/Amp with ethernet cables. 
Agree with improvement with etheregen and fiber optic cable.
My set up is Router: ethernet cable >> Ubiquiti Unifi: fiber optic >> ubiquity unifi: ethernet cable >> etheregen: ethernet cable >> Server/streamer (Antipodes CCX/S30): USB cable >> Uptone iso-regen: USB cable >> DAC.  It gets better with every step. I like the improvement seen and will not go back. 
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Does EtherREGEN work with EoP? John Swenson the designer says it doesn't work with PoE.  I wonder if it's the same issue with EoP?

I'll echo the comments here by other ER owners. This is for me, the best $640 I've spent in audio. I've been through several Network cables (Cable Matters 8 and Supra 8+ and Monoprice 5e) and they certainly make a difference as well, though not on the level of the ER itself. I'm going to buy a Paul Hynes SR4T next and that'll probably do it. I'd suggest that anyone that is streaming should give the ER a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.

BTW, I had read from a few users, and I believe Alex over at Uptone, that having the ER as close to the source as possible was the best place for it. I can say that I had it 20+' away for months and then moved it to my audio rack and after it settled for a day or two it was a significant and free upgrade. FYI - I also liked the Supra 8+ best as it seems to be the most life like in presentation.
I got my ER in the first batch last year and noticed an immediate improvement in all aspects of sound right out of the box in my Roon Nucleus+ based system. Since then, I have enhanced its performance in stages first by adding an Sbooster linear power supply, then by going optical from the router to the ER with a cheap 10GTek optical converter powered by an HDPlex LPS, then finally by replacing the 10Gtek converter with a Sonore optical module. To me, the improvements were worthwhile every step along the way.

Enjoy!
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Good to read this morning, I have an etherRegen being delivered via FedEx today - looking forward to connecting to my Naim Uniti Nova and Innuos Zen MK III to see what if any gains it offers. I'm tempering expectations and expecting something along the lines of swapping out a higher end power cable. 
As stated in the manual, the chassis is its heat sink. I’ve had one for 300+ hours, and agree with you that it is a meaningful improvement. I’m synchronizing it to a 10mhz rubidium clock.
@gdnrbob I was just sharing that tidbit of info but the user manual does indicate it's normal to run very hot. It's just potentially a placement issue for some folks. Mine is in a closed cabinet but it has quite a bit of open space above and to the sides so it seems to be ok.
@djones51 no, the point is that it won't be apparent unless you are already familiar with the baseline sound. This IMO is the basis for all the pitchfork carrying anti cable people saying no one can pass an A/B test because of course you can't tell the difference in an unfamiliar system after listening to two 30 second snippets. In a system you've been listening to for months, yes you can hear the difference when something changes. When "A" is well known, the difference with "B" is noticable. At least that's how my ears work. That's why I brought up the fact that I'd been listening to the ER now for over 2 months.
@OP, 
Great post. 
And, I agree with djones51, if you can hear it it is real.
As far as running hot, I can say my Ayre Codex runs hot. But, when I talked with them, they said not to worry, it is normal.
So, if a component runs hot, contact the manufacturer and get their take on it.
Bob
But if you A/B back and forth after seconds or minutes, especially if you A/B/A/B/A/B in one session, it's often very hard to tell the difference
That's the point, if there is a difference it will be apparent.