Uptone EtherRegen

This could be a helpful read for anyone looking for some clarifications/explanations about the etherregen device.

My understanding is that this is the "white paper" that the engineer/designer has published.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0660/6121/files/UpTone-J.Swenson_EtherREGEN_white_paper.pdf?v=1583429386

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.

...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 @mapman  --- this is not about "jitter reduction". It is about reducing leakage (both high-impedance and low-impedance) and reducing clock phase-noise. Read more carefully, it's all up there. Better yet, try it for yourself! Without trying, everything is just a theory

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?