totally agree on the importance of clocking, also and particularly on the Etherregen. One other tweak worth mentioning: inserting an Acoustic Revive RLT-1 Ethernet terminator into the second RJ45 removed quite a bit of edginess from my Zenith MK3 to where now ethernet actually is at least on a par with ripped CDs and the resolution gain from higher resolution formats on Qobus is very audible
Questions about Ethernet Cabling
PLEASE READ: This is not a thread about the merits or demerits of audiophile-grade ethernet cables, or any cable for that matter. If you don’t believe in spending extra on expensive cables, I respect your opinion but please don’t turn this into a point of contention.
So before I ask my questions, let me describe how internet connectivity is setup in my house:
- [Home office/study] The modem (AT&T), router (Google Nest/Mesh), and switch ($25 TP-link basic switch) are located in the home office/study. I also have a second system in this room as well as other stuff connected through the switch. In other words, I can’t move the switch to another room.
- [Media room] The main audio system is located in the media room which is in the diagonally opposite side of the house (single story). This room has the ENO ethernet filter connected to the Innuous Zenith MK3 streamer, and so on.
[Long ethernet cable] A very long run of ethernet cable (CAT 6/over 100 foot) runs from the [Home office/study] router and terminates into the [Media room] ethernet jack/wall plate. This was done by the builder and it runs through the attic.
- [Media room] From the [Media room] ethernet wall plate, I then use another 6 foot ethernet cable (also CAT 6) that goes into an ENO filter and then on to the Innuos Zenith MK3 streamer.
So here are my questions:
1. Is it worth upgrading only the so-called last-mile ethernet cable, i.e. the one between the [Media room] ethernet wall plate and Eno filter while I continue using the long CAT 6 cable [Study >> Media room]? It is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to replace the long-run CAT 6 cable as it goes through the attic where several spots are not reachable without tearing down some sheetrock.
2. Is it worth adding a second audiophile-grade switch (e.g. uptone) in the media room while leaving the one in the study as is? Or is it better to upgrade the switch in the study first and place the cheaper switch in the media room? Or do I need to replace both switches (not prefered as it adds to the cost)?
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I wanted to provide a quick update ... I received the Supra Cat8 ethernet cable a couple of days ago, and tried a few different configurations. The best config that I settled on is something like this ... Media Room >> Wall jack >> Supra Cat 8 >> Cheap router (with ifi power supply) >> Network Acoustics ethernet cable >> Eno filter >> Network Acoustics ethernet cable (short) >> Zenith MK3 >> Silnote Epirus Elite Master USB cable >> Luxman DA-06 FWIW, the Supra Cat 8 is clearly better in my system compared to the generic Cat 6 I was using earlier. I know this is going to rile up some folks, but I hear what I hear. The changes are subtle but the Supra Cat 8 has clearly reduced the noise floor, and removed the tiny bit of digital harshness that existed before. Thanks @lalitk for the suggestion. But I must say the star of the show is Eno. I tried to remove it from the chain and it's one of those things that you don't know what you're missing until you remove it from the chain. It provides a blacker background and does a great job of getting digital a few steps closer to vinyl. I thought my system was pretty decent to begin with, but Eno + Supra Cat 8 + Innuos Zenith has really elevated the performance to new levels. I think I'm done for 2021 :) |
Great article in Absolute Sound about adding Fiber Optical connectivity to your system: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/how-to-optimize-digital-streaming-with-optical-fiber General suggestions I have implemented and found to improve system reproduction quality: Use fiber connections whenever possible. I have a fiber network backbone connectivity from my network cable modem through the rest of my system’s switches. This is an inexpensive upgrade which increases network performance and money better spent than on add-on products such as noise filters. Use high quality network switches such as a Cisco SG-350-28 or Catalyst 1000. These are managed switches and thus require some networking savvy to implement. I use the Cisco SG-350-28 28 port switches which can accommodate four fiber connections per switch as well as 24 RJ45 Ethernet connections. The Cisco Catalyst 1000 series which I have also used require more advanced Cisco knowledge and so unless you know what you are doing, the SG-350 web management interface is much better. Cost per switch is under $500 per unit. Using the management interface, you can see what is going on with the network and can show things such as high error rates which would be a key performance indicator. I have found that high quality cables such as Blue Jeans cable Cat 6 or 6a, which come with a sheet actually documenting their performance with an HP cable tester, to be more than adequate. An Ethernet connection in my experience from your switch to your DAC/Streamer is preferred to USB. If possible, connect mesh routers together with Ethernet cable or fiber backhaul runs for best performance.
I found that the Small Green Computer Fiber to Copper OPTICALMODULE DELUXE with their 7V LINEAR POWER SUPPLY works very well feeding my Mytek Manhattan II DAC. Focus on building a better network before trying to fine tune with add-on accessories and you MAY find that they are not required. |
I'm curious why connecting 'mesh routers together with ethernet cable' vs. the ethernet cable directly from my router in the study is going to provide improvements. Can you elaborate on this point if you don't mind? BTW, I use a Google Nest Wifi mesh system and tried it in my media room, but I didn't feel it provided any improvement, so I went back to regular ethernet the way it was. I agree with you about the benefits of fiber optics, but as I said earlier, given the over 200 foot distance and other reasons, it is not feasible to run a long fiber cable at the moment. But that is something I might consider down the line for sure. Also, I own an SGC opticalModule Deluxe that I'n using with my opticalRendu in my study. This setup used to be in the media room before I got the Innuos Zenith MK3 and Eno filter. Initially, I didn't feel that the Zenith + Eno combo was better than opticalRendu. But I kid you not, after putting over 50 hours on the Zenith, it has far surpassed the opticalRendu. My main system has never sounded this good.
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