I find your data-point quite valuable. It doesn’t surprise me, as there is nothing about Ethernet that can cause audio jitter, distortion, or noise. On the other hand, I need to find some cash to afford your new speakers. Can I interest you in my artisanal, audiophile wi-fi cable?
You bring up a good point with the statement regarding that the “last meter” doesn’t count is fallacious. If it were true then folks who put water filters on their faucets are fooling themselves, too.
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Well I found it is not just the last meter that natters . I was running just a single Inakustik Referenz from router to my Ultrarendu. I finally got a short length Inakustik Referenz Ethernet for the router to SGC i5 running my Roon Core. This truly sounds like the icing on the cake for improving soundstage width, depth and imaging, bass and grainless mids and highs . A very noticeable drop in noise floor and also upping the realism and smoothness. Just beautiful realistic tone and timbre too. The digital chain is all now supported with external LPS tweaked to each units nominal voltage and reference level audiophile cables.
It was a transformational journey for sure but well worth it if you stream Qobuz and even Tidal has gained more respect. Yes Every digital cable matters. The noise that comes in is just as important as the 1s and 0s. My final digital cable chain involes two of the Inakustik Referenz Ethernet to Sonore Ultrarendu then Inakustik USB to Matrix2 SPDIF and WWPS7 HDMI to PS Audio DSD.
The question that remains is there more to be achieved? Uptone Ethernet Regen which would take another Inakustik ethernet. Or the Revolution Audio Labs HDMI or leave it alone. The last choice maybe the winner.
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I suggest you go the etherRegen route. It will be the best thing you can do to upgrade your streaming SQ. If you have never tried audiophile switch,you are in for a surprise with Uptones etherRegen.
I watched that Dutch’s guy’s video about the Ethernet Regen and if you need a switch it seems a well designed and effective unit. As every modem I’ve ever seen has at least 2 CAT sockets, I just dedicate one for audio and don’t switch it. If I needed a switch I’d go for the Etherregen.
Reading the Inakustik specification, Think it’s well established that 5e and 6 are best for audio, plenty of bandwidth, and if ethernet cables matter (and that is debated) the low impedance of twisted pairs is relevant. Inakustik mention this, but the reason why people use cables with Belden twisted pairs is that they use a patented technology in which they are bonded together. Obviously if you install the cable and just leave it alone the geometry is unlikely to change at all.
The was apparently some reason why the additional shield on CAT7 is not ideal, but I can’t remember.
So am am wondering whether the much cheaper
https://www.hifisound.de/en/Hifi-Accessories/Cable-Crafted/Inakustik-Exzellenz-CAT6-Network-Cable-0-5-mtr.html
may be just as effective. It uses the same 24AWG silver plated conductors.
That said, they are not that hugely expensive anyway.
I would add that, based on what I have read on the PSA forum, I use CAT6a unswitched for audio and CAT7 switched for video and wifi.
I can’t see goin with something not optimized for Audio if having to go through trouble getting from Germany. I have had lots of noise and not as good of sound with various CAT 5 and Belden CAT6A. The Certicable CAT7A is the best sounding low cost cord I have tried. Nothing period has the resolution, tone and timbre oof the Inakustik referenz. I will try streaming video and audio via the apple TV and see if it improves thesound versus WiFi. I doubt it never had enough speed in the past WiFi versus wired always run into stops in movies waiting for buffers to fill.
The Ether Regen is not for folks that need a switch. It is essentially a single I/O device, despite the fact that it comes in the form of a 1x4 device.
@Somppsa and @stevensegal i am curious if the etherregen improves.
I believe the switch to streamer is what the dutch guy said to use. Not sure it would buy much if I am then using ethernet to dump to Ultrarendu. It is interesting he moved his other audiophile switches elsewhere in network and still heard more improvement In his Audio streaming.
Does the uptone Etherregen offer a 30 day trial? I have found stuff with a trial has always managed to improve my listening. I do say the inakustik referenz ethernet cable did more for soundstage than any LPS or other cable. It also gave me the equivalent of being able to use less volumesince more ofthe music comes through. 1.5 watts is the equivalent of 10 watts since the soundstage improved so much. My preamp has a Neo 6 music selection and two channel gives as much as a wrap around effect with sound behind you if a live recording (capturing space / music hall around the mike) as the 6 channel and better bass using this inakustik cable feeding the roon core as well as the ultrarendu. The two way digital signal in and out of the Roon core was being robbed of fidelity with the lesser ethernet cables.
The only more expensive audiophile patch cable I used was Meicord, also from Germany. I bought three of them about 7 or 8 years ago. I still have one. Also use 24AWG (thicker than standard) and a cross to separate the 4 twisted pairs. Have the best connector I’ve seen on an ethernet cable and the most rigid outer sheath. They have always been built to CAT6 and then CAT6a specification.
Maybe the lack of any noise in my system even with cheap Belden cables is due to the lack of any unnecessary components or mains connections on the digital signal path.
Not a switch?
I haven’t watched Hans, just read the manual. Yes, it can be used as a switch, but I doubt most people would use it that way. I did not say it wasn’t a switch.
I use a very simple signal path that is all CAT6a and does not involve usb or trying to feed I2S (I don’t care how good or not a non-standard connection, I’m not interested), but I’ve just ordered a 4 x 2TB SSD QNAP TS-453 that would make a perfectly good Roon Core / server, it was a reasonable price of £1,500 and I suppose sticking a Regen between that and the streamer should pretty good. The QNAP and Regen including VAT is £2,550, about £600 more than Innuos. I assume USA prices would be relatively similar.
So if you need a fast SSD QNAP for other reasons, business, photo library etc., it would make sense.
My new QNAP is for busness only, so I won’t be using it for Roon or audio at all.
Curiously, when speaking to the business IT company from whom I bought the QNAP, they told me they are selling lots of them to Roon users.
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I can listen to my DSD via Euphony server to Matrix to I2S to DSD or Euphony Server to bridge2 via Ethernet. If I hookup an EtherRegen to my Euphony server, where would I plug the bridge2 into. Please don’t tell me your thoughts on the usefulness of the bridge2. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.
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Was using fibre optic, but have a parallel run of AudioQuest Pearl CAT7 for AV. Have just swapped them over. AQ supply their cable resellers with AQ plugs and fitting equipment, and it is then tested, which is one reason for buying it. The cable is 25m long, so was quite expensive (£240, about $300). It runs under the floor, down a wall behind a unit and then behind skirting. We managed to keep it away from power cables. So the signal path is 1m of BJC CAT6a from the modem to Innuos Roon server and 25m CAT7 to my streamer, with is an all-in-one unit, so no more cables until the speakers. If anything, the imaging sounds a little sharper than running the signal through fibre to ethernet media converters, even with battery power supply.
@aangen. You might as well get your order in for the EtherRegen. It looks like the perfrect car wash for you data before it goes into your very useful Bridge2.
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@badbeef. Seeking affirmation or correction. Am I wrong in thinking that the purpose of using the Ether Regen is essentially to clean up the signal and reduce the noise on the Ethernet line before you feed it into a renderer/dac? Ideally is the best spot for the Ether Regen to be as close as possible to the renderer/dac?
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Yes (that is - you are not wrong), and yes.
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Reading that I get the idea that the server should be on the B side, and the Dac should be fed from NOT Ethernet. But I can’t render MQA without using Ether. So I guess the DSD goes on the A side? Or in this instance, server on A side DSD Bridge 2 on B side?
***ck MQA