2. digital
  3. 190266-11588

Repeater/extenders are evil!

As highly recommended by dCS, I had the Xfinity tech move the router/modem to near the DAC and Streamer. All he had to do was run the coax line around the outside of the house and connect it to an existing cable coax that was already there in the wall. It took about an hour and only cost me $70 for the service call.

Guess if you have no existing wall port, it would be fairly simple to drill and create one. Maybe in that case there would be a bit more cost.

But go for it!

For decades, I was a die hard analog guy. Previously, I only used my DAC for TV. Music was way digital sounding. Edgy, hard, disturbing. No more. 
It still does not sound more organic than analog, but I now find myself enjoying streaming and not listening much to my TT. I am finally enjoying the benefits of digital. Even though not perfect, the soul of the artists shine through.

If you are connecting by using an extender, get rid of it and hard wire directly to your modem/router.

mglik

Showing 3 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,591 posts
 

@curiousjim It is not your ears but it may be your neighborhood!! :)

A good Wifi signal can do justice to any music, but wifi signals do go bad. I’m lucky enough to live in a detached home with excellent wall to wall signal coverage and no channel conflicts with my neighbors.

When I lived in an apartment complex I was not so lucky and every channel on either band was swamped. Some of those problems were made worse because of the Xfinity routers which put out separate SID’s for their mobile service in addition to the one you paid for, so twice as many signals would be out per router.

I'm also lucky enough to have a dedicated Ethernet from my data closet to my TV and entertainment center as well as my work PC, and I absolutely use it. 

 

erik_squires
16,591 posts
 

@carlsbad2  Yes but it's a continuum:

 

Ethernet cable > Good Wifi > Bad Wifi > No Music

erik_squires
16,591 posts
 

They are not at all evil... but getting Wifi working well from point A to point B is sometimes a challenge. I always recommend the use of a free Wifi analyzer to make sure your router is on uncongested channels and your signal strength is good.

Of course, I also hard wire my critical gear like my work PC and TV and stereo to avoid any such issues, but not everyone can.

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