advertisement


UptoneAudio EtherREGEN

I have all my vinyl but sold my LP12 / Aro / Armageddon / D17mk2 a long time ago. I was going to buy a new special turntable but DCS streaming is so good, I’m done with nostalgic vinyl.
I still enjoy the whole LP ritual, part of it is definitely being able to afford the rigs I read about as a kid but could only dream about buying.

CD never gave me the same joy as LP, the jewel cases were too small for proper artwork and readable lyric sheets, plus they used to break, nothing like a full on gatefold double LP experience. Also albums specifically released around distinct sides lose that aspect on CD/Streaming.
 
To be honest, I went for the silver cable because I’m a sucker for “it must be better” but the truth is I have zero idea! But as a whole - power supply and cable - I’m happy with the performance. I have a DCS Rossini player and overall, for the first time, streaming is better than most CD’s and for the first time I can really hear the difference between red book and hi res (all things being equal).

Thanks

I havent been brave enough to trial a home demo of DCS, as I suspect i would nor]t be able to hand it back

What is your source?
 
Source is Qobuz, Tidal, CD and some ripped files on a hard drive. I use Roon via a dedicated fanless NUC but for the best sound I use the DCS Mosaic app.
 
Source is Qobuz, Tidal, CD and some ripped files on a hard drive. I use Roon via a dedicated fanless NUC but for the best sound I use the DCS Mosaic app.

Given the quality if your DAC and switch I wondered if you have considered an 'audiophile' server, with LPS etc to store your ripped CDs. It would be interesting to learn if this makes a significant difference
 
See audiophilestyle for instructions on how to build servers... very interesting.
There are lots of individual posts and articles, is there a full guide on what’s currently best of breed, am out of touch and fancy a lockdown project. Could just decant a NUC into a HD Plex but might take on something a bit more complex/interesting.
 
The custom server thread on the first page appears to be very high end £thousands, and well thought through. It has instructions on how to build it but is not a basic set up. There are some other builds that are a bit more plug and play. I don't know much more than this. Cheers, Tim
 
My personal experience suggetss that switches make a difference , hence my investment in the Etherregen

There is alot that codul be improved in a NUC, including power suppy, swap discs for SSD, isolation, vibartion etc - and comercial or home bulit state that they tackle this.

I wonder how much more this adds to a good switch?

in my case, if I swapped ny Synology with spinning discs for a Melco with SSD - would there be a samilar upgarde to the Ethergen for Cisco?
Alternatively should I add an SSD and a LPS to the Synology?
 
I’ve personally not heard a difference between switches or network cables, power supplies on the other hand I am convinced can improve things. The switches I use have built in power supplies and not cheapo wall warts.

Similarly the main difference between a Melco/Innuos and QNAP/Synology I feel is the quality of the power supply attention to detail regarding shielding.

I plan to put the HiFi on a dedicated mains and have the Switches/Servers/NAS boxes in the Comms Cab on the domestic circuit but using UPS, otherwise I would be looking at decanting the NUC gubbins into a HDPlex case or buying a dedicated Server to sit in the rack and get a quality LPSU. I’ll also be running fibre to several room and will investigate using that, I saw some Hi Fi kit with Fibre Module capability when Googling the other day. I might take some time out and build a Melco type box, especially if lockdown extends beyond March.
 
In my case the power supply to the last switch certainly made an audible difference when replacing a wall wart with a Farad Super 3.

However I've not found the same to be true when using wireless access points instead of the wired network. I suspect any problems with wireless are more likely due to flawed design of the internals of the device, or in extreme cases a busy network environment.

For example, I had problems with an old iPad mini and a RPi 3, but newer devices like my Sony phone or M1 Mac mini sound not obviously different whether the WiFi is on or off, and whether playing local files or streaming them from the internet.

YMMV but the point is to try it yourself rather than taking it on authority.
 
I saw some Hi Fi kit with Fibre Module capability when Googling the other day.

Might be worth checking out fibre for big houses / long runs.

I tried fibre with the Edgerouter / Etherregen. It seemed to reduce one type of noise but add another. In the end I preferred copper.
 
Might be worth checking out fibre for big houses / long runs.

I tried fibre with the Edgerouter / Etherregen. It seemed to reduce one type of noise but add another. In the end I preferred copper.
It's for work too - I run an IT company and now gonna work from home 99% so want to be able to test all the networking kit we sell/deploy - R&D new kit at home. Bonus is it bleeds over into my HiFi hobby
 
You guys are all missing a trick by not experimenting with which flavour of Wifi "sounds better" . 802.11A/G/N/ac ...

Funny you say that. I am doing a WiFi access point shoot out this weekend, have a new WiFi 6 which is 1 better than the 5. ;-)
 


advertisement


Back
Top