Best audiophile switch

[Mike Lavigne]

I don’t think there is anything “wrong” with posting about product you use and enjoy.
I also don’t think that there is anything wrong with being “encouraged” by manufacturers for letting the word out, either.

happy customers do post about being happy.

I never question the integrity of ANY of your posts and I always find your viewpoints interesting and informative, and honest.

thanks. appreciated your perspectives to this point too.

The way you have responded to the recent spur of questions related to “accommodations” has been misleading at best and in the end I believe is not good for anyone.

not clear on where that is coming from. it's a touchy subject. i did call out the accuser, but i was the only one attacked for it. i was not the only one. you did too. maybe better to ignore it. debatable.

The cover up is way worse than the “crime” and to that I don’t think any has been committed.

why the 'wink-wink' then?

Keep on doing what your doing, all good.

i will.

 

[jeremya]

The magnitude of improvement from the tempus has had me wondering how Ethernet could have been doing so much harm. I posted this to another forum: “It reminds me more of what I heard when first adding a really good power conditioner. That device revealed to me that I had been oblivious as to how much harm my AC was doing to the music. The tempus has opened my eyes in the same way as to how much harm my network had been doing.” That came from realizing that benefits could clearly be heard in music stored locally on my Antipodes server. Makes me wonder if part of what’s happening is that noise is somehow being drawn out of my server. I doubt that’s the case but it is still just inexplicable to me that the tempus could be having such an impact. Even more astonishing to me is that it “should continue to improve day by day over the next 3-4 weeks” according to Rob at NA.

I saw similar remarks by @Marcin_gps over in this thread about the XACT N1 - https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...promise-network-switch-for-audiophiles.40739/ . Fascinating that quieting down the network interface will cause the server to shine all the more.

Makes a certain kind of sense. the PHY of the network is always active, even when very little seems to be going on at the server's impetus. That chip is doing all the things it does, and it's on the ground plane of the server. Every filter, rejection, ACK, and correction happening in the PHY is going to cause small perturbations on the ground plane, generate heat, etc., which ultimately turns into noise, smearing, and/or distortion... that's my suspicion anyway.

 

[Iamrael]

I am now thinking about trying a new switch as my SOtM has been in use for over four years now.
I just replaced my Finisar modules with DAC and am surprised with the uptick.
There were other variables that changed though such as using only one of the outputs from my JS-2 lpsu rather than both, but clearly there is more territory to navigate.

 

[Iamrael]

happy customers do post about it.

..and manufacturers, dealers, etc.encourage it too.

why the 'wink-wink' then?

this was actually a subtle reference to your own previous use of the term in past posts you’ve made on (somewhat) related subject matter.
That being said, my take on your response to the accusation was that of plausible deniability, and my point is that I don’t think that YOU wear that well.

 

[treitz3]

If you post an opinion once, that is one thing. Repeated posts and unfounded accusations posted repeatedly is considered abusive and unacceptable behavior. Please refrain from this line of accusations, unless you have irrefutable proof, as this is off topic and does not fit in with the forum goals of having a friendly place to where people share ideas without the bickering and angst that are prevalent on other forums.

Please consider this a formal warning.

Tom

 

[PYP]

I saw similar remarks by @Marcin_gps over in this thread about the XACT N1 - https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/why-we-built-the-xact-n1-–-a-no-compromise-network-switch-for-audiophiles.40739/ . Fascinating that quieting down the network interface will cause the server to shine all the more.

Makes a certain kind of sense. the PHY of the network is always active, even when very little seems to be going on at the server's impetus. That chip is doing all the things it does, and it's on the ground plane of the server. Every filter, rejection, ACK, and correction happening in the PHY is going to cause small perturbations on the ground plane, generate heat, etc., which ultimately turns into noise, smearing, and/or distortion... that's my suspicion anyway.

Regarding net activity. Recently, the sound in my setup took a step backwards. Couldn't figure it out since not much had changed. Power cycled the router. Better. Rebooted the streamer. Better. But still not what it was previously. Then I remembered my Mac security software (I'm belts and suspenders regarding the computer) had an update. The "NetBarrier" function was turned on. That accounted for a slight lag in Roon remote finding the Roon server. And the bad sound. Turning this function off solved the issue (virus check remained on). Everything (!) counts.

 

[NigelB]

..and manufacturers, dealers, etc.encourage it too.

Just for absolute clarity because you appear to be a little stuck here: I was as surprised as anyone to see Mike’s post. No prior comms with the manufacturer took place. I hope this reassures and comforts!

 

[OrigTweaker]

Regarding net activity… Everything (!) counts.

Absolutely. As part of my own experimentation since buying an EtherREGEN in 2019, I implemented the Diretta protocol (which quiets net activity) to good effect (2023) -but didn’t understand how much of a difference this $100 software could make until I separated Host from Target, and directly connected them with no other traffic, control signals or error correction.

There is a discussion about how to do this over at AS: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...r-roon-endpoint-with-diretta-on-raspberry-pi/

 

[kennyb123]

I am planning on doing much of the same thing when the ERv2 comes out. Both for the change in sound, and especially for the video aspect. It might actually prompt me to upgrade the TV. Looking forward to your observations.

With last night’s viewing, how the ER benefitted audio became more evident. A humble setup configured in 5.2.4 with ELAC Uni-fi speakers and Debut subs driven by a Marantz SR6015 receiver and yet it’s been taking on traits heard from more expensive audiophile gear. The ER brought improved clarity with better focus resulting in some sounds seeming more in the room with me. Holography was improved as well with images the speakers themselves further vanishing. (My observations thus far have all been with streaming using my TV as the source.)

 

[Republicoftexas69]

I don’t think there is anything “wrong” with posting about product you use and enjoy.
I also don’t think that there is anything wrong with being “encouraged” by manufacturers for letting the word out, either.
I never question the integrity of ANY of your posts and I always find your viewpoints interesting and informative, and honest.
The way you have responded to the recent spur of questions related to “accommodations” has been misleading at best and in the end I believe is not good for anyone.
The cover up is way worse than the “crime” and to that I don’t think any has been committed.
Keep on doing what your doing, all good.

What crime?

 

[agisthos]

Interested in your thoughts on the video quality Kenny. My OLED TV and audio streamer are connected to a Matrix SS-1 Pro switch, but so is the NAS which I stream all my video media content from.
The switch affects the video quality as well as audio.
How good is the ER and then the Tempus for video streaming?

 

[Iamrael]

What crime?

Please refer to post #1305.

 

[kennyb123]

How good is the ER and then the Tempus for video streaming?

In post 1286 above, I share impressions of the ER on video streaming. I am not going to try the to see how the tempus benefits the TV because I don’t think I can handle the truth. Haha. The AV system is separate from my main system with a much smaller budget dedicated to the AV system.

 

[agisthos]

In post 1286 above, I share impressions of the ER on video streaming. I am not going to try the to see how the tempus benefits the TV because I don’t think I can handle the truth. Haha. The AV system is separate from my main system with a much smaller budget dedicated to the AV system.

Yeah that’s the one I want to know how much better it can be!

 

[jasond]

Yeah that’s the one I want to know how much better it can be!

This is too hot to handle. Point of no return with the Tempus once connected to the video environment. I understand @kennyb123

 

[kennyb123]

This is too hot to handle. Point of no return with the Tempus once connected to the video environment. I understand @kennyb123

I’m still not even there yet sorting out how much the ER benefits the AV system. I’m doing the assessment by just doing my normal viewing. Last night I watched something from Disney+ app and both video and sound quality appeared better than the prior nights. Tough to believe that a different app could be the reason but that’s a downside in my approach. What I can say is that the expense of the ER stack made more sense last night.

Once things seem to settle as far as my understanding of the gains, I want to shift a few things around. I think I mentioned this but I really want to see what effect swapping the Farad for the iFi Elite has on my big rig. That I even noticed benefits of the Elite surprised me. On paper the Elite might even be the better supply for routers but one can never be certain.

It looks like I’m also going to get a chance to audition the new Uptone JS4. That should be interesting as reports so far have been very positive.

 

[jasond]

I think I mentioned this but I really want to see what effect swapping the Farad for the iFi Elite has on my big rig. That I even noticed benefits of the Elite surprised me. On paper the Elite might even be the better supply for routers but one can never be certain.

It looks like I’m also going to get a chance to audition the new Uptone JS4. That should be interesting as reports so far have been very positive.

The iFi Elite has an excellent price/performance ratio. Though if you would like to unleash the full potential of a switch/router etc go for a Farad Super6 or Network Acoustics Origin. Hopefully you get a chance to listen to them too. They are excellent.

 

[kennyb123]

Though if you would like to unleash the full potential of a switch/router etc go for a Farad Super6 or Network Acoustics Origin.

Funny the impact the tempus has had on me. Prior to it landing, I would have shrugged at the idea of powering a generic router with something like the Origin. I am now suspecting that the impact would be huge. Not sure though this would be my next move if I had the budget.

 

[Di-fi]

Absolutely. As part of my own experimentation since buying an EtherREGEN in 2019, I implemented the Diretta protocol (which quiets net activity) to good effect (2023) -but didn’t understand how much of a difference this $100 software could make until I separated Host from Target, and directly connected them with no other traffic, control signals or error correction.

There is a discussion about how to do this over at AS: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...r-roon-endpoint-with-diretta-on-raspberry-pi/

That’s a great point — reducing unnecessary traffic is really what this is about. With Diretta you remove host–target chatter, and with VLANs + a narrow subnet you reduce broadcast traffic from all the other devices (phones, TVs, etc.).

While many of us already isolate our audio gear physically with dedicated switches, cables and power there’s another layer of refinement: VLANs with a narrow subnet. In a conventional network (/24) up to 254 devices communicate on the same subnet, creating broadcast traffic that can interfere with audio. Using a small subnet (/28) limits the number of devices to 16, keeping the lane quiet and reducing network chatter, which can improve timing, clarity and overall SQ.

Fewer addresses = fewer broadcasts = less "noise." Marcin, founder of XACT, has encouraged this approach for his N1 switch (here), and in my understanding, Taiko Audio has probably been using VLANs in their Extreme router–switch setup since implementing their network.

For example, in an audio VLAN with a /28 subnet (28 bits for the network, 4 bits left for hosts), you have a maximum of 16 addresses (14 usable for devices). You could distribute them like this:

• Streamer → 192.168.10.2
• Switch → 192.168.10.3
• DAC → 192.168.10.4
• Controller / Tablet → 192.168.10.5

Other home and video devices remain on separate VLANs with their own subnets. This keeps audio traffic on a quiet lane, letting your setup perform at its best.

Note: you might need a little help and a (non-audiophile) router preferably with a good PSU that allows VLANs and custom subnetting.

 

[Di-fi]

NA Origin PSU – Something New?

Network Acoustics’ Origin PSU is here, marketed for “digital devices.” But haven’t all high-end PSUs mostly been used for network or streaming gear?

Originally conceived by NA to tackle noise from routers, the recent Origin Streaming Power Supply (5 V or 12 V) builds on their earlier Tempus PSU. Like the Tempus it’s hybrid, but now with a metal case instead of plastic and a much broader scope ; supporting switches, streamers, DACs, and optical converters.

Curious to see how Origin + Tempus performs and whether the benefits observed with routers fully carry over to switches.