No, I don’t see that helping @Frankie67, or at the very least if it does, and it really shouldn’t theoretically, there are cheaper and easier ways to achieve the same thing. My suggestion would be to try one or two back-to-back externally clocked switches (like EtherREGENs but there are lots of options here) connected with ethernet cables with the shield lifted at one end.
I know Anup says this is all poppycock and we are all just imagining things, and I respect his opinions and have no wish to wake the sleeping bear, but in Paul Miller’s lab report which accompanied Andrew Everard’s review of the Melco S100 switch he found repeatable reductions in jitter from the switch between ~1 psec (worst case) and 5 sec (best case) and an uncorrelated noise reduction of 0.4dB measured at the analog output.
Remember these improvements were derived from inserting a switch into a packet network which is theoretically just a guaranteed delivery mechanism that the whole of the internet is built on and has nothing whatever to do with the time domain of digital to analog conversion.
However these are infinitesimal improvements, it is between you and your pocketbook to decide if they are worth the price of entry.
@Frankie67 I don’t see why a dedicated modem to the dCS, i don’t see the problem is the speed but the noise of the signal.
Like i already refer, i bought the dedicated switch from Nordost with the DC power supply and i use the Nordost Heimdall Ethernet cable from the router to the switch and then to the dCS. It was a big improvement.
The use of internet is not the problem of noise, its the AC power that supply the switch or the router. That’s a job for the Ethernet cables and a very good switch with power supply.
That’s very clear to me. In fact, I’ve already applied external PSU (Plixir) to the Vodafone modem, to the Nucleus Roon and to the ethernet switch. Next step is that my ethernet cable (Entreq, grounded) will run directly from the Vivaldi upsampler to the Vodafone modem (vs. current system where the ethernet cable starts from the Vodafone modem and passes throughout the apartment prior to exiting from a wall socket in the listening room/study and from that location goes to the upsampler).
Regarding noise, I am wondering whether a single dedicated modem with a fiber line for audio would help in terms of SQ (similar to a dedicated AC power line, which I already have and is optimized for audio). Are we sure that using the same modem used by all other members of the family (kids for youtube, wife for Netflix, etc. etc.) does not create noise? Thanks.
Regarding streaming…
There are many options…
Lumin U1, Rose 130, Metronome DSS2, Aries G2.2, Playback Designs Edelweiss or Nagra, Grimm MU1, Aurender, Innuos Statement…
So it depends on which GUI you like connection type, what music services are supported (upnp, qobuz, tidal, etc). I tested the Lumin (small transport model), older Aries, Aurender N10 and Innuos on my Rossini. (ah, the Nucleus via USB as well)
Today, I would choose the Lumin U1 as the frontend of choice- but again, that’s personal taste.
…forgot the Innuos Pulsar!
I suspect the ONT used to terminate the line (followed by the router after it) would be the weak point here.
TBH I’d be inclined to experiment with fibre inside the house to isolate your Hi-Fi from electrical noise on the rest of the network. You can do this quite inexpensively with a couple of decent SFP-enabled switches (Cisco is often recommended, although also see my comments above about Hi-Fi alternatives that I’ve used). FWIW, in my opinion, different SFP’s sound different.
Having tried a few different SFPs, I happen to be a fan of Finisar.
I tend to stick to single mode (as opposed to multimode) and the 10Gbps versions apparently have anti-jitter features. Whether these last two points make a difference, I don’t know, but I do know I prefer Finisar over brands I’ve tried.
Their recommendation of mConnect suggests Nagra is using ConversDigital’s Compute boards; I wonder why when StreamUnlimited is in their “backyard”. Also, what is “N-Link”, an ST Optical interface?
usually, they work with Andreas Koch of Playback Designs for some parts of their digital stuff. Playback Designs uses mConnect and has this special type of sing-mode connection as well.
Confirmed; Playback Design is using ConversDigital’s Compute board for their Ethernet streaming interface (mind you, the ST interface is not from ConversDigital, that’s PBD’s own. Presumably, the ST interfaces on Nagra’s system are likewise their own from legacy systems).
(Playback Design MPS8, with ConversDigital’s CDMCM-210, top right daughter board)
connection type, what music services are supported (upnp, qobuz, tidal, etc). I tested the Lumin (small transport model), older Aries, Aurender N10 and Innuos on my Rossini. (ah, the Nucleus via USB as well)
