Stack Audio-SmoothLAN Network Filter- WOW!

BTW, these ship from England, but I got to say it arrived quicker than getting things from California.

ozzy

My EQs were late arriving through no fault of Stack; held up by the UK Royal Mail, but Josh emailed to apologise.and to see what I thought of the EQs.

Very attentive; great customer service

@ozzy Thanks for the recommendation.  Just ordered one to give it a go.  Thanks

An Aussie Audiophile like the Smooth Lan as well. He has been big on Stack's Auva 100's and the EQ's.

Do you plug the Smooth LAN directly into your wall Ethernet port?

Then the EtherRegen into the Smooth Lan? Then your streamer into the EtherRegen? 

I need to have ATT put in an ethernet port into the wall at my equipment rack as there is none there now. My WiFi modem is upstairs for my desktop.

My house is old so I'll see if they can do fiber optic there. 

I'm still trying to figure out if I need an EtherRegen switcher! Thanks. 

Interesting…I’ve yet to find any filer that’s worthwhile but @ $280 bucks delivered, I might give this a try. I’m using Supra CAT8, modem to router and router to streamer… I would assume it would make sense to obtain a short run of supra and ditch the CAT7 cable that comes with the unit? 

Thanks for that Ozzy. Your feedback is always helpful.

For me & my streaming system, and after trying the SmoothLan (even tried 2 SmoothLans), ENO, EtherRegen, Muon, Muon Pro Streaming System & fiber from router to switch through a pair of Optical Modules Deluxe with a newly released Melco C1-D20 SFP+ Direct Attach Ethernet Cable...I found the optical configuration as described, along with Muon Pro & Muon Pro Streaming Cable between switch & Gold Note integrated to be the most satisfying combination.

I was wondering how the SmoothLan compared to the ENO; I have my ENO plus NA streaming cable, between LHY SW8 switch and my streamer. I don't suppose anyone has tried a direct comparison by any chance?

@ozzy 

Would you use this between a Roon server and modem or between the streamer and modem or both?

Reading more about this filter, I see as many positive as negative experiences. I will stick with my setup. Freedom ethernet cable > optical fiber > LHY SW10 > Freedom ethernet cable > streamer > eno III USB cable.> DDC >  BJC FE bonded HDMI cable > Dac. This streaming sound is just right for my ears in my house of stereo. It wasn't easy. The problem is each time you add something to the chain, you invariably have to change something else to make it sound just right. Been doing this for a while and adding a little filter does not make sense at this point. In a simpler setup, maybe.

It comes with a cat 8 cable. I think you insert it as close to the end as possible, thus reducing the noise. For me that is at the EtherRegen. It is simply Ethernet cable in ethernet cable out.

I agree that most of these gizmos have done very little, but this one does indeed work well.

And they have a 30 day return policy that I think includes return shipping.

ozzy

If this helps, I have my Apple TV coming out of my EthereRegen and streaming movies is fine. No worry there.

ozzy

I'm sure they will. Too bad though that you didn't even try it first.

ozzy

I haven't tried it yet, but iFi also just came out with a $300 "LAN iPurifier Pro." It does support Gig internet, which can be useful for 100Mbps+ video streams. I'll eventually compare it to my TP Link optical converter boxes. 

Recently, I did try two iFi LAN iSilencers in the stereo system, which I thought helped. I put one between the multi-gig switch and first converter, and the other between the second converter and streamer. And, on the theater system, I also liked the picture improvement that an iSilencer made with the Apple TV. 

Thanks, I have read a review on that unit, I wonder how much better it is than the iFi silencer unit. For I do own the iFi silencer and it works well but the Stack Audio unit performs multiple times better.

ozzy

Ozzy - Thanks for your share.  I have tried several filters Audioquest, Ifi, Pink Faun with little improvement.  With Stack’s return policy and your feedback why not try!

I inquired Stack Audio on what would be the recommended way to install the SmoothLan in my set-up which includes optical.  Below is Josh’s response.  I thought this might be helpful to others.
 

From customer feedback and our own tests, I would recommend the following:

1. Router

2. Ethernet cable

3. Fiber Media Converter

4. Optical cable

5. FMC

6. Ethernet cable

7. SmoothLAN

8. Music streamer

Placing the SmoothLAN between the last Ethernet cable and the music streamer ensures that any potential noise or interference introduced throughout the entire network path is filtered out just before the signal reaches your Hi-Fi system. This approach maximizes the effectiveness of the SmoothLAN's noise reduction and signal purification capabilities.

Hope that this helped!

I am not sure why there would be a problem. I am streaming 4K Movies with no problem,

ozzy

The only video streaming service that benefits from 100+ Mbps is Sony Bravia. All the big streaming services compress their 4k streams down to 15-25Mbps. 

My understanding is that uncompressed 4k blu ray rips require 80-120Mbps. So, unless you're ripping your own video content to stream locally, using kaleidescape, or Bravia, then 100Mpbs is sufficient for now. Here's to hoping that lossless video content becomes more common. 

I have the Stack product and I have it between switch and Aurender. I have not tried it anywhere else, but like Ozzy, it made a very nice improvement in my system. Everything I have tried from Stack has been excellent. Josh is a good guy and very nice to work with. I have been tempted to get a second one to go from switch to wall but so far I can’t see that there would be a lot more benefit than what I already am doing. Has anyone seen a big benefit to having 2 of these as described above?

backdoor,

noooooo, don't suggest daisy chaining them. I may just be tempted...

ozzy

maxwave, I wish you could have tried it.

ozzy

I just tried adding the iFi Silencer to the chain with the Stack Audio SmoothLan and it reduced the soundstage.

So, at this point the iFi has been banished to my video set up.

ozzy

The Muon Pro has great reviews but it’s 6x the price of the SmoothLAN. A different category and unfair comparison. I’m more interested in the sub $500 filter products and how they compare with each other. 

I guess there is no way to compare the 2 products.

I am very happy with the Stack Audio SmoothLan, and that is something for me to be satisfied with these types of gizmos...

ozzy

Yeah, it is a Finister, but I'm not sure of the model number I'll see if I can find it. It was a unit that came highly praised with the folks on the forums a few years back. It cost several hundred dollars used.

ozzy

There is no such thing as “performance degradation caused by external vibrations” in Ethernet unless your cable is simply broken and not soldered properly.

No offense, but HUH?

ozzy

How would vibration of a cable affect network stack?

mikhailark,

I’m still not getting your post. How does the vibration have anything to do with the SmoothLan? The Stack Audio footers are for equipment isolation, neither product is co-dependent.

ozzy

I've just ordered one; looking forward to seeing how it stacks up against the Network Acoustic ENO (no pun intended)

Great! I am interested in your comparison.

ozzy

I have noticed having a short ethernet cable coming out of the SmoothLan is better than having a long one. Regardless of the type of cable.

Ex: I tried the WW Platinum 8 1 meter and I found that a shorter ethernet cable of modest but good quality (cat 8) seems to sound more dynamic.

Very interesting....

ozzy

Hi @ozzy 

Very interesting reading, hearing your experience/endorsement of the SmoothLAN.  I'd love to try one, but I'm not sure how I can implement it in my setup.  My Cisco ethernet switch has a dedicated fibre output, which goes straight into my Lumin U2 fibre input, and I'm loathe to break that connection strategy.

Also, as others have mentioned, I'm leery of putting the SmoothLAN before my Cisco switch, given the 100Mbps data rate.  My switch also feeds my computer ethernet network (1Gbps copper), and I need high speed internet access for work.

Has anyone tried the SmoothLAN on a similarly configured system yet?

Best, JAMES.

James,

Thank you for your post.

Before the Cisco switch would be the best place. Perhaps contact Stack Audio to share your concerns. Personally, I think it will work great.

ozzy

Thanks @ozzy 

I reached out to Stack.  We'll see what they recommend.  I'm going to continue following this thread, for any further user experiences.  Many thanks.

Best, JAMES.

Hi all:

Here's the response from Josh at Stack:

Thank you for your questions regarding our SmoothLAN network filter!

Using the SmoothLAN in front of your Cisco switch could potentially create a data bottleneck for your other computer devices connected to the switch.

The SmoothLAN is designed to handle data speeds up to 100Mbps. This is significantly lower than the 1Gbps speed of your copper Ethernet connections and your 500Mbps internet connection. If you place the SmoothLAN in front of the Cisco switch, all data traffic—including that for your other computer devices—would be limited to the maximum speed the SmoothLAN can handle, which is 100Mbps.

2. Impact on Remote Work: Given that you require high-speed internet access for remote work, using the SmoothLAN in front of the switch would reduce your internet speed from 500Mbps to 100Mbps. This reduction would affect your ability to work efficiently, particularly for tasks that require high bandwidth.

 

3. Optimal Use: The SmoothLAN is specifically designed to improve the audio quality by reducing noise and interference for music streamers. It is most effective when used directly in the audio path, such as between the network input and your Hi-Fi system. Placing it in front of your switch would not optimize its intended purpose and would also degrade network performance for other devices.

 

To avoid a data bottleneck while still benefiting from the SmoothLAN for your Lumin U2 streamer, consider the following setup:

1. Dedicated Path for Audio: Connect the Cisco switch directly to your network and then use the optical fiber output port to feed your Lumin U2 streamer. This ensures that your audio streaming benefits from the fiber connection without being limited by the SmoothLAN’s 100Mbps speed.

2. Use SmoothLAN in Audio Path: Place the SmoothLAN in the Ethernet path leading to your Lumin U2 streamer if you have any copper Ethernet connections in your audio setup. This will help eliminate noise and interference without affecting the rest of your network.

By following this setup, you can maintain high-speed internet access for your other devices and still enjoy the benefits of the SmoothLAN for your Hi-Fi system.

Many Thanks,

Josh Stephenson

Well, thanks to Ozzy, my order is in!  Another damn tweak...

Hi @maxwave 

Thanks for your post.  In my setup, the Cisco switch has built-in fibre output, and the Lumin U2 has built-in fibre input, so I don't think I would add 2 convertors to the chain in order to use the SmoothLAN.

That said, today I upgraded from coax to fibre internet, and it seems that SQ on my system has improved.  Feels like there's more dynamic range, more body to the sound, and more musicality.

So, I'm really enjoying the upgrade bonus!

(SYSTEM:  Lumin U2 (via WireWorld Platinum Starlight 8 USB) to Benchmark DAC 3 HGC, to Benchmark HPA4 preamp (via Cardas Golden Ref XLR), to Benchmark AHB2 amplifier (via Neotech XLR), to ATC SCM40 passive towers (via Kimber Cable 8 bi-wire cables).

Power for amp is 20A dedicated line, with Cardas outlet, and Cardas Clear Beyond power cord.  I use and AQ Tornado HC cord to PS Audio Duet to power the source/preamp/streamer.

Best, JAMES.