Uptone EtherRegen

@lancelock

One of these days (post social distancing now?) I will make it down finally to hear your stuff.

It looks like you have nothing but some of the best gear I have heard running down there these days and a lot of solid thought and research went into it. 

Frankly, I fear if I hear your setup, upgrade fever could set in. That can be expensive! 😳

It would be interesting to know if anyone uses this device with a Benchmark DAC and if so how much difference there is in that case. 

Networks and USB carry only the electric signal needed to represent the bits. Computer protocols used assure each bit is transmitted and received 100% accurately. Otherwise no application that relies on them could work at all. There is no audio signal. Just the parts needed to construct an audio signal downstream (by the DAC).

The DAC is where the bits are assembled and used to create an analog signal that represents the music. To do that the right bits must be converted at exactly the right time. Some DACs do this much better than others but the technology to do it well is readily available for modest cost in many but not all cases these days.

Noise in the signal used directly by the D2A process can have a negative effect in the resulting sound. Less noise in the electric circuit is always a good thing. With a wireless connection, the streaming device and associated DAC , the devices actually involed in producing the " music signal" are isolated from any noise in the wired portion of the network out to the internet, etc.

No, clock only comes into play at the DAC where the bits must be converted at the right time to make an analog signal that represents the music.

All bits on the network are the same and protocols ensure all bits get transmittted 100% correctly. If not then there is a defect. No network based application like your browser accessing a remote website could work at all otherwise.

My understanding is that noise introduced in the Signal to the DAC can affect the timing needed to convert to analog ie make sure the bits get converted to analog and transmitted downstream at the right time. Jitter is the measurement used to quantify that error. Noise might be introduced anywhere upstream on the device,network, or other devices in the circuit. and make its way to the signal input to the DAC. But the point is wired or wireless the bits make it 100% correctly across the network always unless there is a defect in the chain somewhere. Its the D/A process where normal noise levels can have an effect by not converting the right things at the right time which results in audible effects if beyond a certain magnitude. Dacs like Benchmark that reclock address that problem in exactly the right place immediately prior to conversion.

So I am not saying this device cannot make a difference. Rather, that results likely vary case to case and there are ways to address any negative effects optimally by reclocking properly in the DAC prior to conversion. Also wireless connections do not suffer from the same noise issues as devices in a wired circuit. Not to say anything is perfect though.

I mention Benchmark mainly as a vendor that has blazed trails and implemented a widely acclaimed reference model for getting things right ie addressing jitter where it matters most, when the digital signal is comverted to analog. Many DACS even for modest cost do a very good job of this these days whereas this was not the case say 5-10 years ago.

OK but there is no clock involved with a network connection, only with a digital audio connection to DAC where the digital signal is converted to analog to make the time-based signal for music.

Granted any computer devices can generate more or less noise as it does it’s work so that can come into play on any computer or streaming device.

Like I said, I will stick to wireless network connections to avoid noise from network wires altogether, so I have no need for this.

In any case I do not have time or money to try things unless I understand the theory or basis for which something works and how that would apply to my particular case, but that’s just me.

Gotta decide what to try or not somehow. Hunches alone don’t cut it for me.  People determine all kinds of things "sound better" to them....who has time and money to try everything?

...although its beyond me how any "noise"/jitter reduction can be done on a network connection to a streamer and persist on to the DAC.

Mystery to me there......maybe I’ll read the product site some more when I get some time.

I suppose its possible better switches provide a better signal to the streaming device attached to the network which perhaps might make the network card or other circuits work less and produce less noise there, kinda similar in theory to how some USB attached devices might produce less noise streaming which might help there. In that case the results would likely vary widely from one streamer device to another and do more in some cases than others, perhaps nothing in some as well.

Very hard to predict.....

Does not sound like it would substitute for a good jitter resistent DAC though.

Does seem you pay a premium for this versus other network switches, not so much perhaps versus reclocking devices that are only used for computer audio applications between streamer and external DAC, but those do seem totally different.

I use and prefer wireless connections only for computer audio, no wired ethernet. Wireless connections, assuming proper bandwidth, work very well in regards to noise (dead quiet) and overall quality I find because your streamer or computer has no wired network connection to anything. I’d say wires are best avoided whenever possible to help isolate devices and minimize noise and for best possible sound quality, assuming adequate bandwidth which is not an issue with WIfi I find these days for either audio and/or even most video streaming.

Hey Lance, hope all is well.

At a glance, I read the product website and find it very confusing. Network switches normally have nothing to do with sound quality, they merely provide additional ports for data connections.

Seems its labeled an audiophile switch because it does some reclocking and jitter reduction prior to the DAC. There are other devices that do that as their sole function providing various digital audio (not computer) connection types and are not necessarily switches providing additional physical connections, , but a network switch that does that also.... sure why not.


If you hear a difference in detail/noise level, seems to be that would likely be because the device is reducing jitter prior to the DAC which I think is the main benefit claimed. That is always a good thing if so.

Some modern DACs like Benchmark have effective reclocking/jitter reduction processing built in. Many others not.

The price is not bad if the device in fact does a good job at jitter reduction.

If it were me, I would ideally want jitter reduction to occur within the DAC itself. The further upstream that occurs prior, the more chance of jitter getting introduced again prior to the DAC which is where it matters. NEtork connections usually go to streaming devices not DACs, however of course most streaming devices have a DAC built in which I think would be best in the case of this device. If an external DAC were used with the streamer, jitter could get reintroduced between streamer and DAC. COuld happen within a streamer with built in DAC as well. That’s why I think it best for jitter reduction to be handled immediate prior to the A/D conversion that is the prime function of a DAC.