[AussieMick]

I know what you are talking about, but I am little wary of stating anything definitively for a few days. What I did notice was slightly wider L-R than normal on the router side of my EtherRegen, and slightly narrower on the streamer side. With the Lan iSilencer at the streamer the soundstage is less wide (than without), but image placement is more defined and realistic. I'm inclined to say that a little depth was lost, but that also might be because of less emphasis on the midrange (sadly, where a lot the noise seems to live). I hope that improves and the top end settles a bit.

I think this width effect has something to do with low level noise in each channel is highlighted or sculpted in the system.

Some positive things that are definitely happening are increase in bass punch/slam with the Susvara and greater dynamics.

Thanks, good to know. I think I’ll need to buy two and see for myself.

 

[Jake2]

Possibly a little early to be tweaking the wee fellas already, but if you have the means, try this and let me know how you get on: using copper foil tape with conductive adhesive like is used to shield electric guitars, wrap one or more iSilencers, naturally leaving the ends exposed. Connect the foil to your grounding box of choice and et voila, their effect is magnified in some respects and changed a little. To my ear greater dynamics, bass more punchy, tighter, more precision and separation in soundstage which is more expansive. Midrange seems a little leaner, jury still out in that respect, but overall seems a more resolving and dynamic sound.

 

[shogo33]

I just plugged one these into my streamer. A caveat, I'm not actually running audio through it or my network most of the time, that comes from an SSD connected directly to my streamer. The idea is just to isolate the network input from ground loops, etc.

So far it is doing something, I hear less noise, greater dynamics, but also more brightness and a little scoop in the low midrange. I've noticed these things happen with a lot of noise reduction products. Not as dramatic as the Synergistic Research UEF Enhancers, for better and for worse (I found those, passive ferro-electric blocks that plug into the router, made things a bit sterile). It does remind me a little of the iFi USB products sound-wise.

I'm curious if the brightness will settle down over time, or if I will have better luck with it at on either side of the Etherregen switch.

Update: I tried the Lan iSilncer at both sides of my Etherregen as well. Between the switch and streamer (on the switch end), was not great. Between the switch and router actually produced the widest soundstage but least noise reduction.

At the streamer produced the most clarity, and lowest noise, but also seemed to lose a little in stereo width. Very strange. Looks like it is staying there until it settles into the system. Another product that is a bit of a mixed bag initially, but then when you remove it you hear all the grungy stuff it cleans up return.

I too encountered some brightness when i listened to it for the first two to three hours. When I tried my system the following day, I noticed it wasnt there anymore. Consider this as the burn in effect.

Similarly to you @IanB52 , i too run the EtherRegen before its connected to my TPLink M9 Deco (main mesh - access point). I also have an iFi ZenStream, and when i used the Lan iSilencer on it, it tightened up the sound and I experienced the same effect as you did.

IME - like you said, the best place for it was at the router before the EtherRegen. Widest depth and soundstage, midrange was smooth, warm, very little sibilance to vocals (my pet hate) apart from what was recorded in the song. What this has taught me is that its best to curb noise at the source, and that way everything else connected to the network benefits.

 

[IanB52]

I too encountered some brightness when i listened to it for the first two to three hours. When I tried my system the following day, I noticed it wasnt there anymore. Consider this as the burn in effect.

Similarly to you @IanB52 , i too run the EtherRegen before its connected to my TPLink M9 Deco (main mesh - access point). I also have an iFi ZenStream, and when i used the Lan iSilencer on it, it tightened up the sound and I experienced the same effect as you did.

IME - like you said, the best place for it was at the router before the EtherRegen. Widest depth and soundstage, midrange was smooth, warm, very little sibilance to vocals (my pet hate) apart from what was recorded in the song. What this has taught me is that its best to curb noise at the source, and that way everything else connected to the network benefits.

It's still a little brighter on my end, but when I try to remove it everything sounds kind of fuzzy and compressed now. Still, most pleasant farther up the chain.

This has actually got me thinking about a grounding box, because what this did to the tightness, dynamics, and bass response of the sound was very impressive, even though my audio isn't even passing through the iSilencer. Removing noise from the network connection/ground makes everything more punchy, which is not something I would have expected at all. Almost like network or ground noise/loops acts like capacitance and steals the impact. Crazy.

 

[Jake2]

It's still a little brighter on my end, but when I try to remove it everything sounds kind of fuzzy and compressed now. Still, most pleasant farther up the chain.

This has actually got me thinking about a grounding box, because what this did to the tightness, dynamics, and bass response of the sound was very impressive, even though my audio isn't even passing through the iSilencer. Removing noise from the network connection/ground makes everything more punchy, which is not something I would have expected at all. Almost like network or ground noise/loops acts like capacitance and steals the impact. Crazy.

There's a similar character of effect to signal grounding boxes in my experience having experimented with a few of them in different places in my chain in this year. The good thing is they are additive - both individually in different locations and to other ground noise preventative measures such as these ethernet filters - as there's so many damn potential sources of HF noise on the ground plane across a system (including of course the components themselves), it's almost whack-a-mole, ethernet being just one source of course. And then there's dedicated mains/chassis grounding via the likes of my Puritan Ground Master - another layer again. I'm a convert as you can tell.

 

[IanB52]

There's a similar character of effect to signal grounding boxes in my experience having experimented with a few of them in different places in my chain in this year. The good thing is they are additive - both individually in different locations and to other ground noise preventative measures such as these ethernet filters - as there's so many damn potential sources of HF noise on the ground plane across a system (including of course the components themselves), it's almost whack-a-mole, ethernet being just one source of course. And then there's dedicated mains/chassis grounding via the likes of my Puritan Ground Master - another layer again. I'm a convert as you can tell.

It makes perfect sense to me! It certainly took a long time for me to figure this out, though. I'm always looking for the key to getting a more analog sound, and I think this is particularly important one.

 

[SoftwireEngineer]

Folks, yesterday I connected the LAN iSilencer to my Zen streamer and things got smooth but vibrancy and dynamics seems to have gone. I tried only a few times but I might try it on the TPLink/Deco mesh end. I have and like ifi products as I read through their technical material and am convinced they are doing real technology. This behavior is something I did not expect. When I earlier connected the ifi usb regenerator (which I still use from the Zen streamer to my Chord 2Qute) dynamics and detail increased.

 

[Crgreen]

Folks, yesterday I connected the LAN iSilencer to my Zen streamer and things got smooth but vibrancy and dynamics seems to have gone. I tried only a few times but I might try it on the TPLink/Deco mesh end. I have and like ifi products as I read through their technical material and am convinced they are doing real technology. This behavior is something I did not expect. When I earlier connected the ifi usb regenerator (which I still use from the Zen streamer to my Chord 2Qute) dynamics and detail increased.

I’d give it a few days of continuous use and for your system (and possibly brain) to adjust. My experience with the almost all components, including digital and analogue cables (and the iSilencer) is that it can take time for burn-in and/or the system to settle down, possibly something to do with changes in impedance matching…but I’m no technician. Better still, wait for a week before making any final decision.

 

[shogo33]

Folks, yesterday I connected the LAN iSilencer to my Zen streamer and things got smooth but vibrancy and dynamics seems to have gone. I tried only a few times but I might try it on the TPLink/Deco mesh end. I have and like ifi products as I read through their technical material and am convinced they are doing real technology. This behavior is something I did not expect. When I earlier connected the ifi usb regenerator (which I still use from the Zen streamer to my Chord 2Qute) dynamics and detail increased.

I found that its best used up at the source end of the chain rather than at the end, in your case the ZenStream. I too didnt like the way the ZenStream sounded having the iSilencer used at the ethernet port of the ZenStream.

Areas which i found benefited with it is at the WAN port of the router, input port of the Mesh unit.

 

[SoftwireEngineer]

I’d give it a few days of continuous use and for your system (and possibly brain) to adjust. My experience with the almost all components, including digital and analogue cables (and the iSilencer) is that it can take time for burn-in and/or the system to settle down, possibly something to do with changes in impedance matching…but I’m no technician. Better still, wait for a week before making any final decision.

I only have two places I can use this. At the output of the Mesh endpoint and at the input of the Zen Stream. Both places it did not sound right. Looks like it is slowing networking traffic as I am pushing 352Khz form JRiver to the Zen. I have now connected it between the router and my son's computer for it to burn. Will check again after a few days. Maybe try with 44.1khz and see. But I feel upsampling brings out details in my old/bad recordings (from India)

 

[Jake2]

I only have two places I can use this. At the output of the Mesh endpoint and at the input of the Zen Stream. Both places it did not sound right. Looks like it is slowing networking traffic as I am pushing 352Khz form JRiver to the Zen. I have now connected it between the router and my son's computer for it to burn. Will check again after a few days. Maybe try with 44.1khz and see. But I feel upsampling brings out details in my old/bad recordings (from India)

For what it's worth my feedback above (positive, just most effective plugged into my LHY switch) is based on using PCM768 & DSD512.

 

[SoftwireEngineer]

For what it's worth my feedback above (positive, just most effective plugged into my LHY switch) is based on using PCM768 & DSD512.

I dont think the iSilencer is in the critical path in your case. The Mac could be buffering and pushing with all that help over USB to the Gustard. BTW, I am impressed with your completely tricked out system and I am also thinking of acquiring the Gustard and some Focal (originally Sopras but buckle under pressure to settle for the Kantas)

 

[Jake2]

I dont think the iSilencer is in the critical path in your case. The Mac could be buffering and pushing with all that help over USB to the Gustard. BTW, I am impressed with your completely tricked out system and I am also thinking of acquiring the Gustard and some Focal (originally Sopras but buckle under pressure to settle for the Kantas)

Cheers. I was considering the Kanta, but there was a tempting deal for the Sopra in a change of the NZ distributor close out sale… still massively blew my budget. Getting them has proved even more expensive in upgrades though, the beryllium tweeter ruthlessly revealing of digital glare, two months with a Topping E50 as a bridging measure was torture, gave me serious buyers remorse. Everything in my sig, apart from the LFD amp, was acquired since I got the Focals just under a year ago. It’s been a rewarding crash course, the sound and setup a world away from the technically good and elegantly simple but ultimately unsatisfying KEF LS50w actives I had for three years.

Re my chain/sig, I actually run direct ethernet from the LHY SW-8 to the R26, best sound I’ve achieved so far. The square bracketed stuff - USB chain incl DDCs and a Zen Stream I got before the R26 - I’m still occasionally experimenting with via cable upgrades etc which has closed the gap to the R26 LAN, but there’s still daylight between em. I need to sell a few unused things methinks, though will likely keep the U18 around.

EDIT - for clarity full network chain as it is today (will be adding FMCs and maybe a EtherRegen v2 in future) is:

Cable modem > Huawei wifi Router > Switch 1 (Netgear GS108E) > cat 5/6 UTP > iFi LAN iSilencer #1 > Switch 2 (LHY SW-8). Switch 2 is also connected to:
- iFi LAN iSilencer #2 > Cat 6 UTP > Mac Mini
- Cat 6 UTP > R26 LAN input

 

[AussieMick]

I dont think the iSilencer is in the critical path in your case. The Mac could be buffering and pushing with all that help over USB to the Gustard. BTW, I am impressed with your completely tricked out system and I am also thinking of acquiring the Gustard and some Focal (originally Sopras but buckle under pressure to settle for the Kantas)

I scored a wonderful deal on Kanta 2 about 16 months ago and leapt in. At the time I’d done lots of demos of Kanta 1 and 2, as well as Sopra 1 and 2. The luxurious sound from the Sopras blew me away, but the extra resolution available from the newer generation tweeter on the Kanta was also alluring. Would I change to the Sopra now? Yes, for that extra bit of luxury, but I’ve never felt that I’ve needed to “settle” for the Kanta 2. It’s paired with a single REL S510 in an 8m x 4.5m room and works really well. Driven by a Pass Labs integrated And fed by an Innuos/HMS/TT2 digital front end. And they’re a beautiful speaker, too! I really wanted the Gaulois Blue and black, but the deal was on an all black pair. They are stunning in the flesh.

 

[Jake2]

I scored a wonderful deal on Kanta 2 about 16 months ago and leapt in. At the time I’d done lots of demos of Kanta 1 and 2, as well as Sopra 1 and 2. The luxurious sound from the Sopras blew me away, but the extra resolution available from the newer generation tweeter on the Kanta was also alluring. Would I change to the Sopra now? Yes, for that extra bit of luxury, but I’ve never felt that I’ve needed to “settle” for the Kanta 2. It’s paired with a single REL S510 in an 8m x 4.5m room and works really well. Driven by a Pass Labs integrated And fed by an Innuos/HMS/TT2 digital front end. And they’re a beautiful speaker, too! I really wanted the Gaulois Blue and black, but the deal was on an all black pair. They are stunning in the flesh.

Lovely setup, I have some full range envy re the Kanta 2's, as I have a couple of KC62 subs but have yet to successfully integrate them with the Sopras - not that I've tried very hard as yet. Considering Marchand passive line level HP crossovers. I've heard from Netherlands Alpha Audio guys the Pass Int-25 pairs super well with the Sopras but anything Pass is cray-cray expensive here in NZ. Maybe one day. Still searching for the optimal amp combo tbh, my LFD is quality and silky smooth but not quite enough drive, while my just finished build of the latest gen Hypex Nilai class D power amp (which caused the Alpha guys jaws to drop vs their Pass reference in their recent speaker multi-test ) is impressive in many aspects may not be quite the right synergy. Still, it's barely a week old so must not jump to conclusions. Perhaps a tube pre...

Apologies a wee bit off topic.