as I explained to you in the PM a few days ago, and Renderer is a CPU inside a dac which allows a dac to be on a network. as opposed to either a USB or SPDIF interface which most dacs use and require a server of some sort.
How is an Ethernet Renderer different from an Ethernet
Adapter? Can you show us a block diagram?
In the case of Microsoft, they have a spec and test for a Renderer that is separate from the Ethernet Adapter per se.
PC Mag has a "popular" definition of an Ethernet adapter. An Ethernet Adapter transfers data from another system via a cable to switch or to an Ethernet Adapter that does not need a switch. It does checksums, etc.so the problem of jitter induced by USB implementations, etc. does not arise. Accuphase and Linn have been using Ethernet for years. I believe Technics is now using a version in their new offerings, at least the high power amps have a (proprietary) Ethernet input.
One good point is that high end servers, etc. use separate Ethernet adapters from the ones built into the CPU mainboard, just as gamers and data scientist use a separate graphic processing unit (GPU), as a rule, rather than the GPU/CPU/Ethernet, etc. all in one solution used in desktops, laptops, etc. If I were building a system for audio (or other data processing
Do any audio companies use an NVidia GPU to perform the DAC conversion? These are fairly inexpensive and VERY powerful.
I think audio companies cheaped out or didn't understand the technology when they went to USB rather than Ethernet.I can see using USB for backup drives but I'd rather have these on a NAS unless you could connect them directly to your Music Storage unit with a crossover cable or with a unit that has an Ethernet adapter that obviates a crossover cable.
The main consideration, all other things being equal, for a SSD or an HDD for music in a NAS, a computer, or a music server that is network-attached, is that it uses a drive intended for READS rather than WRITES. The only NAS I have seen understanding this consideration is Melco. The audible and RFI etc. noise coming from Melco units is extremely low. I would put one in a rack along with my other digital and analog equipment. Read the reviews in HFN/RR on the Melco. It rocks. It has two E'net adapters at least one of which can take direct input without a switch or feed a device with an Ethernet adapter directly. And I believe it will feed USB cleanly into your legacy DAC.
Look up AES spec AES67 and Ravenna. That is what top quality recording studios use and it is NOT USB based! You can use it for DSD256. I'm not saying it is the right solution for folks who have legacy device built around USB. As far as making I2S do more than what it was originally created to do, engineers are always to be "innovative." I remember the "computer bus(s) wars of the 80s" - every week it seemed a new "Standard" would come out.
Steve from Empirical is correct having gone to Ethernet - I respect his engineering background - it takes a good engineer to say right, my baby is not the right tool for the job!
Just some thoughts.