Here is a simple tweak: get some Black Ravioli footers under your router and a VPI brick on top. Use a $100 Chinese LPS. If you feel rich, get an Acoustic Revive Ethernet filter on top.
Router for Audio Streaming
I have been streaming Pandora, Spotify and Qobuz through a wifi network streamer from a Netgear AC1750 R6400v2 router with no sound quality complaints.
Recently a router firmware update failed (a known issue with these) and as a result it is no longer accessible for administration. It still seems to perform ok and accepts new devices however the network settings are "frozen" and I am unable to view device IP addresses or traffic, neither via desktop browser nor via the Nighthawk app.
I will try a factory reset but have read that quite often this does not work in these situations, so I started investigating getting a new router to be able to pull the trigger quickly if needed.
I heard/read that routers can make a difference in sound quality, beyond just being able to keep up with streaming with no buffering. I'm wondering what router experience and recommendations folks have here for reliable audio streaming with superior sound quality at a reasonable price.
Thanks!
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- 149 posts total
In my understanding, a digital signal (defined by a stream of binary bits) can be distorted in one of two ways ("failure modes"): a) a "high bit" or "1" is read as a "low bit" or 0 or vice versa, and b) the timing of the bits is unsteady or fluctuating. In order to prevent failure mode a) the bit stream includes checksum bits which are verified and in case of error the packet is either corrected or rejected which causes buffering or a drop, not a distortion (amplitude, phase, harmonic) of the sound. The way to minimize failure mode b), which is also called jitter, is to use good clocks and power supplies. With careful setup of my wifi network I am not experiencing failure mode a). The reason for my original post was the potential to minimize failure mode b), the current extent of which I am not able to discern without hard comparison. I am open to practical and cost effective (not pie in the sky) suggestions that target potential jitter with an approach that I can understand. The battery concept proposed by @romanesq makes some sense in this regard. Please note that once we move to the DAC and analog stages it's a different story. Cheers! |
Thanks, @yoramguy1 as I think this is a well-accepted power supply issue where different hardware benefits in an audio system. With the 15v unit, I don’t even run it technically off the battery alone. I have it plugged in and the results are the same. Oddly, the combo router/modem cost me far less buying the used Motorola. But the benefits are definitely tangible and noticeable in my system. Previously, another Motorola connected to a Richard Gray Power Company RGPC 600 RM Pro Power Conditioner caught my attention with some improvement when I tried connecting it. But the router connected to an LPS-type battery is better in my system so I go that way first. |
- 149 posts total