Installed a new switch today

[Ermos (Erno)]

@T38.45

the bigger ones may have a fan

No fan, dead silent.

@Frankie67 Hi Franco, please note this is a managed switch, so you need to know how to set it up.

[Frankie67 (Franco Agopyan)]

Thanks Erno. I’m a lawyer and know nothing about tech. Is it very difficult to set it up?

[Ermos (Erno)]

It is not difficult, but please decide for yourself if you can manage it. Please have a look:

Installed a new switch today

Yes, with a managed switch you need to know how to configure it. If you have no clue, don’t get one. However, it is not rocket science. Just to give you an idea, here is the Easy Setup Guide of my new switch. Now you can decide if you can do this: Cisco_Catalyst_2960-L_Easy_Setup_Guide_20161105.pdf (2.6 MB)

[Frankie67 (Franco Agopyan)]

Thanks Erno

[TheFlash (Nigel of Reiki Audio)]

@Frankie67

How is the 2960 better than other switches? Looking to replace my non-audiophile switch at the top of my chain with a better product. Thanks.

When you say “at the top of my chain”, where do you mean? Router end?
You say later that you need more than 8 ports, so I presume so.

If by better you mean better for sound quality, I really wouldn’t waste any money by looking to improve sound quality using any switch at the router end of things, particularly with 8 or more devices (many of which are presumably non-audio) attached. When folk talk about using a switch for sound quality (noise-killing) purposes, they first and foremost mean a switch installed at the streamer end, just a 0.5m or 1m cable from the streamer; this is where it can kill any noise from devices connected at the router end or picked up by the ethernet cable and, if appropriately designed, also minimise noise reaching (or generated by) the switch circuitry.

At the streamer end, a switch rarely needs more than 2 ports (one in, one out), most I’ve seen needed here is 3.

The 2960 is probably the most highly regarded by audiphiles of the industrial/enterprise switches, but you need to install it in the right place. I understand that t’s a manageable switch, but doesn’t have to be managed! You can just plug and play and the default settings will work fine.

If you really did want to improve sound quality at the router end, I’d consider adding a switch (could be a 2960) hanging off your current switch and connected only to your streamer, in order to give a greater degree of separation of the audio playback chain from non-audio and potentially noisy devices. But you should give priority to installing such a switch just before your streamer for the biggest impact. You could do a lot worse than to buy two 2960’s and install one at each end, both dedicated to audio!

[Frankie67 (Franco Agopyan)]

I mean router ent since I already have an audiophile switch at the server end.

[TheFlash (Nigel of Reiki Audio)]

Thanks for clarifying. In that case I’m not sure what might be better than a couple of 2960s with one hanging off the other, with the audio cable hanging off the second along with the minimum number of (and quietest) other devices you can identify.

[Paul (Paul Soor)]

Beautiful.

[Lima]

If you are impress, try the Qnet with Qsource and a proper Ethernet cable and you will be blown away, even more if you also ground the system.