12/25/2023 0 Comments Audioswitcher reviewThis was the famous SOtM trifecta - a modded switch, a modded sMS-200 endpoint, and a tX-USBultra USB regenerator. Based on his enthusiastic report, I took the plunge and had my gear modified as well. An Audiophile Style forum member, whose ears I trust, posted about the improvements he heard after getting his chain modded by Korean manufacturer SOtM, to use their then-new sCLK-EX clock board. My first foray into the world of audiophile switches was almost three years ago. All I could conclude was that we were hearing some orthogonal phenomenon - unrelated to the actual digital function of the device - which was not yet understood. I did my own experiments using OS monitoring tools to look for errors, retransmissions, or any other indications of functional misbehavior, and found none. On the networking side, this includes switches, routers, and even Ethernet cables, which I admit I found very disconcerting. It was only when I actually took the plunge and started listening to gear that I realized the upstream chain could profoundly affect - both positively or negatively - the SQ of the system. Not that many years ago, I too scoffed at the notion that any part of the chain of digital components upstream of a DAC - not just switches - could have any impact on SQ. As long as the data arrives correctly - bit-perfectly - how could SQ be affected?Īs someone with both an academic and industry background in networking, I can sympathize with this skepticism. typically buffer the network data stream before further processing. As long as it does this without error, how could it affect SQ? After all, audio components that use Ethernet - servers, streamers, DACs, etc. “Show me the measurements.” At an even more fundamental level, their question is: “ How could it make a difference?” An Ethernet switch’s job is simply to link Ethernet devices together by relaying Ethernet frames between the devices connected to the switch. But first, some background.įor many, the very idea that an Ethernet switch can make a difference in sound quality (SQ) is anathema. UpTone claims it “.is capable of producing surprisingly audible sonic improvements in fine music systems.” In this review, I’ll evaluate this claim of sonic improvements, and pit the eR against a couple of competing “audiophile” switches. The UpTone Audio EtherREGEN (shortened to eR for the rest of this review) is a diminutive Ethernet switch with a bold value proposition. UpTone Audio EtherREGEN Review and Comparison
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