…you shouldn’t marry him!
I think my husband might object.
Sorry, I should have been clearer that I was referring to the audio bitstream over S/PDIF or AES.
I have heard differences between different ethernet switches (with some DACs more than others), but I suspect that comes down to induced noise, not bit errors in the stream.
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No worries Ralf, you’re communicating effectively and pleasantly. 
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I know there is some enthusiasm for high end switches etc in the Audio community…
I believe I have the simplest and perhaps the most effective way of connecting my Bartok to the net.
Our ISP provides a fibre optic service with a Fibe Modem. So the modem is completely isolated from the outside world. The modem also has 4 Ethernet ports! So Cat5e from the back of the modem into the Bartok. The modem is also on an isolated line…
Don’t think it gets any simpler than that!
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Well, no argument there. What we measure may not matter, and what matters we might not know how to measure. But my counter has not been about measurements; it’s been about logical inquiry. Not being about measurements should free us to at least be able to speculate about the “why.” The right network switch might be solving a noise problem caused by a poor one. Likewise an unshielded Ethernet cable. If a cable matters in ripping, why? What is it about its construction that could be tested against other forms of construction, metal purity, insulation jacket, etc.? If the emperor’s new clothes are actually real, then another tailor can make more, improve on them, etc. Someone, certainly the maker, should care about the why so the good can be replicated/improved, and the bad further diminished.
Reflection in digital cables is a perfect example. We’ve learned that picking the right length of otherwise identical cables matters, and we now understand better the why. One can like all types of crème brûlée, but if one discovers a spectacular version at a new restaurant, don’t you ask, “how did you do this?” I do. If you truly believe that “everything matters”—I once had that exact sign on my desk—don’t you want to know what makes the difference, so you also can pursue it?
Instead of blindly following down every path and rabbit hole, responding to every single “try this,” I want to be able to pursue SQ improvements that realistically could make a sonic difference. Just as adding Pepto-Bismol to the recipe would definitely make a difference, it won’t be high on my list of candidates to try first, because I have good reason to doubt its ability to improve the recipe. Conversely, Stillpoints under a DAC—which I have—may not work for everyone, but there are explicable reasons why they may work for some. OTOH, a vendor who cannot or will not offer either reason or repeatable hypothesis or demonstration, is telling you “I like the style of your wallet.” If someone here says “I got great results with X product,” I might ask “tell me more about your system and setup,” and I am sure they would, leaving me more informed about whether to pursue that inquiry further.
Interestingly, your post about the Melco ripper and USB cables has convinced me I would be wasting my time. The Melco (which apparently has a pretty common Pioneer transport) apparently produces bit-identical files no matter what cable it uses. Just like the drives I already own. Since I have no need for its other features, you’ve helped me close the case on that product. And that’s a good thing for me; everyone else’s mileage may vary!
Saying that you hear the differences (as an audiophile, enjoy and pursue!), but that they may not be measurable (likely true), does not answer my questions of what might cause these differences. Ralf, you may be perfectly happy not having a clue why or how a Tellurium cable could affect USB ripping. But I like having some understanding. 
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No Prob Greg!!
So…talking about digital cables, normal people could put Usb and Melco in the same text, as you did, not very difficult. But, where you are the one and unique, it is because you managed to put crème brûlée and Pepto bismol in the same text talking digital cables…One day, if I come to California we must have a lunch somewhere 
Or dCS could organise a Community event somewhere, that would be fun meeting people conversing for years on this forum.
I just googled “Pepto bismol”…guess I take the creme brulee 
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Bring your boxing gloves 
I’m in!
One day, if I come to California we must have a lunch somewhere
We’ve got a lot of somewheres here; happy to treat!
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Nah! Appetite and thirst!
I will bring some digital cables and if you don’t behave well, we will attach you on your chair while eating crèmes brûlées with Greg 
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Aye aye cap’… I think we’ve sufficiently derailed this thread at the slightest provocation
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Well I actually do have a question having set everything up for a couple weeks now.
Initially, the tv coming through spdif3 had the video out of sync with the audio. I realized this was because the DAC had buffering turned on and was able to get the a/v synced up by adjusting it.
But now, the channel clicks very frequently like the stream is being interrupted. This does not happen for streaming, where no input is involved.
A (at least cursory) google didn’t pull up anything. Appreciate any pointers.
Hi Ben, I had the same issue with my Sony TV, and in the end the only fix for me was to purchase an Ifi SPDIF iPurifier2 which re clocks the signal. I’ll be honest, I’ve no idea why it should be needed but it worked - I’ve not had any dropouts/clicks since it was installed a year or so ago. And if I remove it, the clicks start again…
There may be other solutions of course but if you search the forum you’ll see others have experienced this issue with certain TVs.
Cheers, Mike.
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The reason is that the dCS DAC has been made to provide the finest audio performance. To achieve this the source feeding it also has to adhere to basic technical standards or the objective of that very expensive equipment becomes pointless.
In order that the optical input functions to the standards required for perfectionist audio the window of acceptance for the signal has to be co comparatively narrow. Of course dCS could change this but only to the detriment of what the DAC is intended for. Originally the poor performance ( in these terms) of the input related to LG TVs and your issue with a Sony set is new to me. However as Sony OLED TVs use LG panels it would not surprise me to find that other sub-assemblies are also supplied by OEM third parties.
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Very interesting - it’s a LG OLED TV so seems like this is a known issue with them.
iPurifier seems like the way to go…bit of an annoyance but no big deal. Music is priority #1, to Pete’s point.
Thanks!
ETA: In case it helps anyone else in the future, the issue only presents for me when another input (PS5) is plugged into the TV and being fed to the DAC. Just watching TV doesn’t seem to trigger it.
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I have an LG OLED TV and have no such issues.
However mine is six years old (a 65EF9500) and perhaps they’ve become sloppy with S/PDIF timing on newer models.
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What do you have set as the audio sync setting for that input?
I had an issue with my LG TV whereby (roughly) every two minutes I would get two audio dropouts (roughly) 5 seconds apart and setting the audio sync to “M” (master) rather than “A” (audio) fixed the problem for me - and yes, I am aware that solution is totally counter-intuitive! 
BR
Phil
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