Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat Ethernet switches

Hello again Gerard
I connect my Etherregen directly into the 818.3 using a short AQ Diamond cable. The impact to SQ is very noticeable. There is no doubt about less noise and much better clarity and detail, definitely not snake oil. I liked what I heard but whenever I switched back, even though the clarity was lowered, the music seemed to be more musical.
After listening for a couple of weeks, I actually became comfortable with the ER in my system. My conclusion is that I had been conditioned to the noise and needed to adjust my brain to less noise allowing for more detail.

Today I removed the ER and its power supply and replaced it with an ENO ag which is a non powered device. I have been listening all day. Network Acoustics recommends 100 hours of burn in for the Ag. I like it already, it is detailed as well as musical and is living up to all of the positive reviews. I have heard that it may sound even better with the ER feeding it but I am going to allow for more burn in before adding the ER into the mix.

I think they both are great products but thus far, the ENO is the clear winner.
UpTone and Network Acoustics are both knowledgeable and great to work with. They both offer 30 day returns so you can't go wrong.

Thanks David, interesting observations, did you use the same Ethernet cable or did you go with Network Acoustics offerings, I wonder if the powered or passive makes the difference.
Does the NA unit produce any heat at all, it seems the ReGen unit produces a lot of heat which I thought was never a good thing for the electronics or longevity.

I used my AQ Diamond rj45 cable to feed the ENO, I have not purchased a Network Accoustics rj45 cable for comparison. The ENO has a built in, high quality pigtail rj45 output which I plugged directly into my 818v3. I plan to replace the AQ Diamond with a good quality off the shelf rj45 cable and assess the differences (if any).

The ENO remains cool to the touch when in use however the ER Remains quite hot even when plugged in and not in use.

The ENO has been playing for about 20 hours with no drop outs. The ER had no dropouts as well. They both pass MQA with no problems, The ENO does sound especially good with MQA material.

Today I am anxious to do some very critical listening with the ENO in and out of the system. I will let you know how it is coming along later today. I am still skeptical about how a passive device that costs less than my .75 meter AQ Diamond cable can sound good without somehow harming the SQ. But in the end, it's how we personally feel about the sound that matters.

I would like to add my support for the ENO. I also have the Ag version, and the Ag cable, which adds even more to the sound quality. I have yet to find any drawbacks. Both ENO and cable can be bought as a package. It’s not cheap but I think it worth the money.

I have the Etherregen too, bought before the ENO/cable. In my experience the moat side of the switch used with the ENO is too much, but the latter sounds really good connected to the ‘normal’ side.

The ENO is burning in nicely, no problems to report. I did some critical listening today and found 0 problems. To my ears, everything it does for the SQ is absolutely positive and getting better. I'm still puzzled that it can do what it does but in the end I don't really care as long as it keeps doing it.

Clemburt, if you are not using the Moat side of the ER, you are not using the filtering just the switch circuitry. From my experience with it (and I used the Fiber input with an Optical Module as well as the standard ethernet input), it was a good switch but if I wasn't using the Filtering I would not want a switch that generated that much heat. That's just my opinion. I do have to thank you for helping me discover the ENO, your posts as well as others were very encouraging, it seems that everyone who tries the ENO loves it.
I am actually surprised that more Streamers have not tried it yet.

Tomorrow I will try the ER upstream in my network closet to feed the FMC connection to my Kit. Perhaps it will offer some benefits as a remote pre-filter for the ENO. Next I will try it locally feeding the ENO. Who knows, perhaps one of the combinations will offer even more improvement.

I should thank in turn Asa Post for his original recommendation. Glad you find it enhances your listening experience. What it does is remarkable for a passive filter invented and sold by a tiny company.

The logic of not using the moat side of the Etherregen is that I don’t need it; I would be happy to replace it with a cheaper switch. I did try a basic netgear one but it sounded much worse. I would be happy to recover some of the money but I don’t want to compromise the benefits brought by the ENO. I will keep an eye open for any recommendations that might fit the bill, but it’s not a priority for me at the moment. Currently the moat is used to feed my Apple TV and it brings some improvement in sound, but the heat it generates makes it a bit more difficult to locate.

While I slightly preferred the SOtM to the EtherRegen, it made an excellent optical isolator before the two SOtM's I was using at the time. Heat (and the additional cables) from this unit was the main thing that made me decide that three switches was overkill.

Today I placed my ER inline directly out of my Roon Server in my Network closet, the SQ was different but still good. Then I changed it to input directly into the ENO at my system end, and it sounds better. It seems that it is true, these "filters" do seem to perform best when closest to the streamer.

I am not sure if I like it better in or out of the mix yet. I agree with Clemburt, it may somehow be too much. I'll listen more at various volume levels and do the comparison. My preference, of course, is to install as few devices as needed, especially as Jeremy said, if they add additional cables and heat. The ENO seems to be burning in nicely and sounds great.

I have tried the EtherRegen in and out of my system in a variety of configurations. I have installed it before, after and without the ENO and although the EtherRegen does sound excellent, I am convinced that the ENO is best for my ears in my system. I know that many love the EtherRegen and I understand why, however my choice is to stick with only the ENO for now.

I found that the “A” side of the EtherRegen sounded better than the “B” side through my ENO into the Ultra DAC. The “B” side seemed to limit the upper range and over emphasized the lower midrange and upper base.

The “A” side with only the MUS through the ENO tone sounded right to me and it was musical and extended without sounding fat. It is an improvement over my Pakedge POE switch.

Interestingly my Roon Nucleus sounded better through the Pakedge switch and was worse through the “A” side and not bad at all through the “B” side. I suspect the MUS may not be compatible with the ER clock and perhaps a switch without a clock is better when using the network port and there may have been a different result if I was using USB port through the Nucleus or a separate streamer.

I am glad that so many have been enjoying the considerable benefits of the Network Acoustics ENO filter. I am now trying their interesting new "3 cable" USB silver cable. To confuse matters I am also trying the Innuos PhoenixNET.

I'll be interested in what you discover. David's recommendation has convinced me the ENO is a worthwhile investment, so I'd likely use it in combination with my PhoenixNet. That said, I have something I want to address of the headphone side of things first.