To further refine: if two tress fall, one after the other, and with the first one you had an ethernet filter in your pocket and the second one you did not and yet, they soundeded identical….well, then the filter makes no discernable difference.
Relationship between Ethernet Switch and SQ
This one will probably invite some withering mockery, but I will ask....
I only stream, and my streamer (Bryston BDP) is fed with an ethernet cable that runs back to my router. Literally back to my router; there are enough output jacks on the router that I have a long run to the streamer and no ethernet switch in the chain (or the house system for that matter). (There is an Eno filter right before the streamer).
I happen to OWN a nice LHY ethernet switch. I am assuming that there is no reason to use it in this configuration, that is, assuming there are noisier switches, and less noisy switches, there is still no net benefit of adding any switch to this chain. But maybe, just maybe, in the metaphysics of electrons that I do not understand, there is some reason why a nice switch prior to the streamer accomplishes something (in theory...I get that I can A/B test and try to fool myself whether I can hear a difference). For the first person with a correct answer, I will mail a nice $600 switch to the address you specify! (JK)
Showing 3 responses by ghasley
Everyone begins and ends this part of the audio journey differently. What is the baseline from which to compare? Is it a redbook cd vs a streamed version? We then must obsess over whether the recording is consistent between the two samples?
I experienced some streaming improvement when I inserted a Network Acoustics Rubicon switch and NA Muon filter in my system. At the time I utilized an Innuos Zenith MkIII. A number of dacs came and went but overall, I “believe” I heard an improvement. I replaced the Innuos with the Grimm MU1 and just assumed it was optimized. I then received the Muon Pro setup and pulled the Muon and I heard no difference….then I “believe” I heard addition by subtraction…in other words, I removed the Muon, Muon Pro and noted no improvement or degradation. Heresy? Perhaps. Is the MU1 addressing the same things as the Muon? Perhaps. Differences in ethernet cables? Well, I’m not hearing any differences and yet I “believe” I did in my Innuos setup. @fredrik222 is correct but sometimes he gets so frustrated with people that he may lose the audience.
No offense to anyone because we have to trust our own impressions but “hearing” one ethernet cable and then replacing it with a different cable and listening one week apart isn’t reasonable. I happen to “believe” that streamer quality and especially dac quality are where your opportunity for improvement resides. In my use case I am able to listen to an identical (to the extent I am able to validate) track streamed vs local file via AES into my dac vs the same tracks streamed over ethernet to my dac (as a Roon endpoint) vs a local file streamed over ethernet to my dac (once again, as a Roon endpoint). I do not hear a meaningful difference between the streamed vs local file over AES. Both are superior to streaming to my dac over ethernet be it a Qobuz track vs local file. Over ethernet, the local file is superior to the Qobuz stream.
What does all this mean? I believe the Grimm/Taiko types of server/streamers just clock better and use a superior interface (aes/ebu). YMMV but audiophile switches, cables and filters are system dependent…and in my current setup they are mostly redundant. Dont think that $5k in upstream ethernet filtration and gadgets are going to make a Gustard/Bluesound combo world class. They can be satisfying but for most people, buying a quality streamer and a quality dac will yield better results. |
Digital transmission (external to a chip) is typically an analog waveform which “simulates” the ones and zeros over a cable. Most believe it is either a one or a zero but the fact is the analog waveform is a voltage approximation (the better the approximation, the better the signal) can be affected by noise, cable length and the veracity of the signal transmission. Its critical to do your own research because there are parts of the chain where the signal tranmission is fragile and susceptible to external interference and the physics of analog signal transmission absolutely apply.
There are other parts of the chain where there is little to no effect. You need to understand which is which because so many argue one side can/can’t be affected/influenced by applying their knowledge and understanding of one side of the equation to the other side where they believe their logic should apply equally. It doesnt work that way. I’m not smart enough to explain, let alone understand, the intricacies but I am smart enough to understand when I clearly hear an improvement to discount the opinion of those who swear there can’t be.
Trust the science and trust your ears but most importantly, we must have a credible constant to compare against….and our memory and how we think something sounded is fallable in seconds. |