Devialet Chat

It's a fully passive device so it doesn't need power. It's a cascaded 'filter - isolator - filter' if I understand correctly.

I'd like to have a peek inside to know what's inside this 390 euro box. It could in theory/worst case scenario be two simple ferrites and an of the shelf isolator like my EMO Systems EN70 HD or the Baaske MI 1005.

Google my friend the insides of the Etalon.

[attachment=1509]

Hadn't bothered to Google yet.

I found the same picture plus one of the backside here too: https://www.synthese-hifi.com/phpBB2/vie...25#p393513

I'll read that thread later, it's in French so I'll need Google Translate!

Based on what I read thus far I'm staying where I am now, so no Etalon for me. I remembered what Alex Crespi of Uptone and others have said: never do any passive filtering in the digital signal path which makes sense to me as it'll likely impact signal integrity of such a high bandwidth signal.

Also in the topic I linked to in the previous post two guys have compared the Etalon to a Audioquest Diamond RJ/E (preferring the Diamond). Of course I had to do with crappy translations of Google since my French is quite poor so I hope I didn't misunderstand but their descriptions reminded me of the effects of TotalDAC USB cable (a cable with a passive filter box) which like the Etalon also dulled the music/provides less bandwidth and thus sounds less lively. An effect that once was desirable in my system but no more since I've already eliminated any "digititus" I can recognize. The Diamond is also already a bit 'softer' in my system than the more lively Vodka making me actually miss the Vodka with certain recordings. (The Diamond is tonally more neutral and balanced though and does other things quite a bit better as well so overall I prefer it over the Vodka.)

Edit: Their report here: https://www.synthese-hifi.com/phpBB2/vie...10#p393153

got it. Testing later tonight or probably tomorrow

But is ethernet and USB compareable with each other like this that you point to in your post? I have seen that Melco uses isolation on their ethernet ports but perhaps that is made in another way than the Etalon? I have little nolage of this sort of products.

The effects they described just reminded me of the TotalDAC USB cable but that's not really relevant nor is the comparison with USB. The things they heard though are relevant in this case and not desirable for me.

Of course I would really need to listen to it in my own system to be sure, but for now I'm no longer interested in the Etalon.

Edit: the Melco's employ pulse transformers, nothing special as far as I can see. IMO Melco does some misleading marketing with their "light piped athernet ports" which suggests they employ some form of optical isolation but it just means the light of the LED's (that are outside of the connector) is led through a plastic "pipe" to the outside of the chassis. Isolation in ethernet is mandatory as it's part of the standard, it's present in any ethernet interface. (Even our Devialets! ). It provides galvanic isolation for DC and lower frequencies but it's not a brickwall filter, noise of higher frequencies still bleeds through.

(08-Oct-2016, 19:56)octaviars Wrote: [ -> ]I have seen that Melco uses isolation on their ethernet ports but perhaps that is made in another way than the Etalon? I have little nolage of this this sort of products.

I'm pretty sure there is no isolation on Melco ethernet ports over and above the galvanic isolation usually implemented on any NIC. It was a misunderstanding from a claim made early on and it seems to have stuck. Apologies if wrong but I'm fairly sure of this.

I believe you're right Rufus. You beat me to it and made your post while I added my comment on the Melco in an edit of my previous post.

(08-Oct-2016, 20:08)Rufus McDufus Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-Oct-2016, 19:56)octaviars Wrote: [ -> ]I have seen that Melco uses isolation on their ethernet ports but perhaps that is made in another way than the Etalon? I have little nolage of this this sort of products.

I'm pretty sure there is no isolation on Melco ethernet ports over and above the galvanic isolation usually implemented on any NIC. It was a misunderstanding from a claim made early on and it seems to have stuck. Apologies if wrong but I'm fairly sure of this.

A I see but then what more than these isolation
transformers is there in the Etalon? Some sort of filter? My questions is just related to what more a Etalon will bring to the party over the isolation already built in the ordinarie computer equipment?

Wrote this after Antoine edited his post.