IMHO, I would consult the manufacturer of your Ethernet connected gear. When I asked Andrew at Small Green Computer, who makes my Sonic Orbiter server and sold me the Sonore Ultra Rendu bridge, both of which connect via Ethernet, he recommended a $22 Trendnet Ethernet switch. I tend to trust manufacturers on issues like this, as they have the development experience and customer feedback that I don’t have. The Trendnet works fine and does no apparent harm to the sound, as far as I can tell. But since I haven’t compared it with an audiophile switch, don’t take my word for it. YMMV!
Do I really need an " Audio Grade Network Switch "?
I think it's been a quite controversial topic for years, like what's the difference between normal network switch and an audio grade network switch, the price difference is certainly obvious though...
Anyway, I've done some researches, most audio reviewers say that under this " new digital streaming era " that an network switch is a must for an audio system, which is understandable for me, I mean because if I wanna play TIDAL or Qobuz or Spotify, I gotta use network so I can stream these online services, so yeah I get that if the network quality is good enough, it can possibly level up the music performance.
But anyhow, I'm new to this area, so I don't like to spend big bucks on my first purchase hahaha... there's a very wide range of the prices though, the top one is Ansuz Power Switch I think, the inner circuit and design look pretty sharp, and surely over my budget lol
So I'm choosing between Bonn N8 and SW-8, these two both got good reviews, and the prices seem so darn much friendly to me as I'm looking for an entry level switch now, do any of you have any insights to share?
or should I just go for the higher level ones?
Best,