best network switch configuration for audio

Ok now you're in my wheelhouse.  I learn a ton about audio from the membership here but IP networking is what I do.  I am in fact a network engineer with better than 25 years of industrial scale experience in corporate and government network environments.  This is where I earn my keep.  If I may toot my own horn a bit, I am an expert.

Let me first say yes to Cisco routing and switching.  I work with all of the major manufacturers, Cisco, Juniper, Dell, HP, Fortinet, Palo Alto and on and on.  They're all truly capable but the reason I like to steer people towards Cisco is that it's pervasive.  If you have an issue, someone smarter than you has likely been there and done that and published a nice document on how to conquer the issue.  The documentation available (for free) on-line cannot be beat.

Ok, that's out of the way.  I'd say the choice of the best switch depends entirely on what you want to accomplish.  The reason I say this is that on an increasingly complex basis, I've had to deal with what is called network convergence.  The main objective of a network is to transmit computer related data, your run of the mill internet/LAN traffic, web/email/file sharing etc.  Then phone traffic was added.  I'm sure you've seen and heard the term VoIP.  In more recent years, people have seen the transport value of adding services like DVR/AVR video security systems and even audio/visual services to the IP network.

So here's where I like "smart" managed switches like Cisco.  You can create "VLAN's" or virtual LAN to segment different network traffic systems.  For example you would create a data VLAN for your PC's, Mac's and Servers.  A VLAN for you telephone/voice/VoIP.  A VLAN for yes, you guessed it...  A/V.

What's good about a top-end managed switch like a Cisco Catalyst device is that you can manage your typical broadcast AND multicast network traffic.  Most unmanaged switches will pass anything but won't control network congestion.  With Cisco gear you can control broadcast and multicast traffic on a per-VLAN basis.  You can implement QoS (Quality of Service) queuing which basically lets you assign a priority to different traffic types.  For example you would want your voice or A/V traffic to have a higher priority or even a guaranteed bandwidth above and beyond your knuckle-head son's bit torrents (God only knows what he's pirating) traffic.  

In most cases you shouldn't really care about what you're doing on the network in the home in terms of streaming content as long as you have enough bandwidth.  Cable/broadband is generally pretty sufficient with the buffering built in to the services that are typically needed the most.  Unmanaged switches will generally pass multicast A/V traffic but with a nice managed switch, you can control broadcast and multicast storms on the network if you have a misconfigured device.  AppleTV makes extensive use of multicast and I've nearly been brought to tears on numerous occasions with a poorly configured multicast network and an AppleTV in an executive conference room.

I know, this is a whole lot of technical mumbo-jumbo about corporate networking but I can assure you that it's making its way to the home.  For voice, think of services like Vonage.  For DVR/IVR, look at the pro-sumer grade products like Synology or QNap.  AppleTV, Chromecast etc...  You get into some of the higher end controllers like Crestrons, the Control4 and AMX product lines and this stuff becomes critical.

I've done extensive work with the AMX SVSi products for A/V distribution and the networking is absolutely critical to performance.  Cisco networking solutions, bar none, do the best job of delivering HD quality over 1gig ethernet.  I've gotten to the point where I have HD video distribution through the house with these products on a small scale working in ways that really make the usefulness of IP networking fantastically utility in terms of A/V.  It's truly coming of age.

Use shielded cat-6.  Do your best to avoid using dumb switches anywhere.  If you must have separate switches in different locations, use "smart" or managed switches in each location.  Try to segment different systems in their own isolated vlans to avoid network congestion.  Use trunking (802.1Q) between your switches.  Only use PoE switches where you need it.  It can get noisy and hot.  

There is a line of compact Cisco switches that are absolutely ideal for this kind of A/V networking.  Check them out:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/campus-lan-switches-compact/index.html

They have models that provide PoE, can do VLAN segmentation and trunking, Routing, Broadcast and Multicast storm control, QoS and much more.  These guys offer the whole suite of enterprise level feature set of routing and switching in a small, fanless (no moving parts) chassis.  They are truly miraculous and there is no better option for a smart network switch in a full featured HiFi integrated system.

They can get hot so keep ventilation in mind.  There is a steep learning curve associated with Cisco networking.  QoS has a tendency to be an art form as much as it is technical, but it's the difference maker if you want to distribute a full HD stream to multiple screens from a single source.  

For my own system, my primary listening room is run by a Classe SSP-800 with a combo of Levinson powered L/C/R and (I've been informed they're considered vintage now) Acurus powered surrounds complimenting a beautiful Samsung 65".  We push source material from the main system to the other rooms with the AMX SVSi units and a share AppleTV library over Cisco networking.  These compact switches give me the network features to make it all work.  I won't lie, the remote end-points aren't always perfect but overall with enough tweaking and experimenting, I am one proud Papa!

Thanks for letting me bloviate!

Bloviate on, ulmerc. That was a great post - understandable, helpful info based on real life experience, not just conjecture. I'll be using some of this info for sure.  To clarify, though - when you say PoE switches can be noisy, do you mean sound noise or electrical noise?

Sorry it's been so long since I visited this one.  I've actually experienced both.  Not all AC power supplies are created equally.  I've consistency had the best results in A/V use cases when working with networking equipment by manufacturers who have a history of designing equipment with datacenters in mind.  The power may be redundant but it's often shared by hundreds or even thousands of other devices and it can get pretty foul. 

When it comes to network switching, I've been supremely disappointed by the offerings from reputable A/V manufacturers like Crestron, AMX and Control4.  To be perfectly candid, I have no idea why they bothered to make the attempt.  They're not really any better than off the shelf brands like Netgear and Linksys.  Fine for basic stuff but if you're getting into any of the interesting multicast applications that are creeping into the world of A/V, spend a few extra bucks on even a used enterprise grade switch. 

Most of the A/V applications will have good enough documentation that tells you what you need to configure to get everything working.  The big bonus with enterprise grade network switches come into play when you start working with QoS (Quality of Service) queuing to guarantee levels of bandwidth and priority to specific network traffic.  Without it I'm sure you can well imagine how bad your knucklehead son can affect your HD video or audio stream when he launches a 5GB bittorrent download.  With a little bit of tweaking you can throttle him down and make your HD streams bomb proof.

I thought switching would be dead simple until I read this thread. Actually, I’d like to keep it simple if I can.

My husband I and are elders now, and Audio is strictly my “game” so I don’t expect a lot of bit torrent interference, to put it mildly. The most that can happen is my husband might be watching TV with no Ethernet needed at the same time I am listening to music.

That said, do I really need a managed pro switch? Can I get by with a simple unmanaged switch from Netgear? My Netgear Nighhawk router will host only two Ethernet Cat6a cables. I just need one switch at my TV room where I want to split an Ethernet Cable to two sources, a Roku and a DVD player/network streamer. Will that lone consumer grade unmanaged switch compromise my high res audio quality? I’ve got mid to high quality stereo systems where audio quality definitely matters but I’m a long way from a $100k audio system.

I’m not kidding when I say my head feels full to bursting with a ton of new technical details related to adding high res streaming to my household. I really hope to minimize that brain bulge and avoid learning how to manage managed switches! But if I need to, I want to know I really do need to.

You do not need a managed switch.

Simple UN-managed and a unit with fewer ports.