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Which company manufactures this Ethernet switch for the other?

I am looking to buy an "audiophile" switch to isolate my audio and video connections from the main switch in my home. One important consideration in my decision is cost;  another is that this AV Ethernet switch must have 8 ports to accommodate all my audio and video equipment. I have done as much research online as I can, with the result that I found two products that especially appealing: the English Electric 8Switch and the Silent Angel Bonn N8.

Studying their constructions, features, and components, these two Ethernet switches seem so similar that with the exception of one being 10mm higher than the other (their widths and depths are the same) that these two appear to be identical. 

Consequently, I am asking -- does anyone know whether Silent Angel OEMs this product from English Electric or vice versa? OR, is this just an extraordinary coincidence?

jmeyers

Showing 3 responses by cleeds

cleeds
6,115 posts
 

richardbrand

The Internet can indeed be used to deliver bit-perfect transmission using the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) stack ... However, streaming cannot afford the time to request retransmission of faulty packets. It does not use TCP and instead uses the UDP/IP (User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol) stack which prioritises delivery timing over accuracy ...

You are mistaken. The premium streaming services such as Qobuz and Tidal use TCP/IP protocol to deliver bit-perfect data to your streamer. Packets which fail in transmission are re-sent. My source for this information is David Solomon and his team at Qobuz.

Transmission of even hi-res audio does not require great internet speed. In the case of Qobuz, the delivery of the data is never throttled - so an entire song can be delivered bit-perfectly to your streamer’s cache in seconds, @richardbrand. The fact is that the term "streaming" is really a misnomer for those services. There is no "stream." There are just packets. But to be clear, not all services work that way, especially the video streaming services. Netflix, for example.

cleeds
6,115 posts
 
richardbrand

Ethernet can be made 100% reliable by detecting and retransmitting faulty or lost packets, but this is not what streaming does!

Any of the quality-oriented audio streaming services (Qobuz, Tidal) use TCP/IP. If you’re running ethernet from your router to your streamer, you’re getting a bit perfect signal straight from the server farm to you, @richardbrand.

cleeds
6,115 posts
 

ghdprentice

The better the streamer the less the network matters. Put all you can into the streamer unless you like playing with your network for fun.

I couldn't disagree more - spending a few bucks to set up a solid network is one of the best things I've done for my system. That included paying an electrician to snake an ethernet line direct from my computer room to my system rack which is on another floor of the house. That lets me keep the potentially noisy cable modem, router, and network switching well away from the audio gear. It is amazing how an experienced electrician (or first rate cable or alarm installer) can fish wire through walls and I think it's worth every penny. Plus it yields a neat 'n' tidy installation.

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