Network Acoustics Muon Pro Review

[rhyno]

Learned a lot about how to get streaming right from this community, thought I’d return the favor of experience.

After a big insurance settlement on a stolen car, I decided to get into streaming, as my friend (similar setup but with MSB electronics) was getting excellent results using Qobuz into his Aurender W20se. bought the same streamer, and cannot express how disappointing the sound was from Qobuz. Garbage, useful for music discovery and as background music, but not critical active listening. Sure, streaming might be OK if you listen to certain genres (electronic, pop), but if your primary preference is for unamplified instruments (like piano sonatas, my fave), the limits of streaming become quickly apparent. Namely, a lack of air, dimensional space and dynamics. And all of these have one root: Noise.

IME any time noise is reduced, the musical presentation sounds more realistic. So, I went about to eradicate it from my streaming. Here’s a sampling of things I did and consider essential for proper streaming:

• Swapped all-in-one gateway for separate Arris Modem, EdgeRouter and Wifi boxes.
• Added Eastern Electric 8 switch (Ediscreation due in)
• Removed all SMPS power supplies from streaming playback (except modem) with UpTone Audio JC2 LPS
• Put WiFi on separate electrical circuit from stereo.

All in, this was about $2k in networking. And these changes, particularly the removal of the All-in-one, were very helpful in lowering the noise floor of the system. Removing all SMPS from the chain was additive and is definitely worth the added expense (even the removal of the ambitious SMPS sold with the EE8 was a positive step).

Finally, hit Network Acoustics up for their Muon Pro (filter+ cable) system, also ~$2k+. Rob was an absolute pleasure to deal with re: a lost package (bite me FedEx). Got the system in for trial, knowing that I could return it within 30 days. Needs about 120hours to come to fruition.

The Muon is a very effective tweak that can either be subtle, or powerful, depending on where you start (so start with the network upgrade). Your streaming will not sound different per se with the Muon; it does nothing to the tone. Bad streaming files are still bad. What the Muon does do is, like the network upgrades, make a marked reduction in your noise floor, which manifests itself as blacker background---not an artificial painted one mind you, but a removal of a pervasive electronic grey haze and a potent step towards achieving realism in streaming unamplified music. With the drop in the noise floor, music pops. Dynamics finally come through in streaming, and dynamism is the hardest thing for streaming to get right because of the inherent noise floor. The Muon takes it down several notches, with zero downside. Treble is are also more extended. Performances have air – between performers or between notes as the track dictates.

Interesting, took the Muon over my buddy’s (all-in-one gateway, Synergistic Research switch>> Aurender w20se>> MSB Digital Director>>MSB Dac & Amp); notably, his system pre-Muon had an impossibly low noise floor streaming Qobuz and excellent dynamics, despite the gateway w/ SMPS. Plugging the Muon in, it was a noticeable step backwards, with a loss of some air and detail. And this is puzzling as he has the Motorola all-in-one gateway with a SMPS too. Granted, he’s going into a better switch (Synergistic Research) that uses a Shunyata Omega QR-S powering it (note: power cord swapping on the switch was a massive change--so take note, power cords on the switch matter a lot). But it all begs the question: why did the Muon work so well with no downside in my rig and actually worsen things in his, given the compromises of an all-in-one gateway with a SMPS? I can only point to one thing: his system is also using the MSB Digital Director, which intercepts the digital output from the Aurender and connects to his MSB DAC via optical connectors. Converting a stream to optical at some point prior to the DAC seems to be a powerful and popular tweak; MSB, Playback Designs, Ediscreation FiberBox, etc all do this in one manner or another. My rig does not have that at present, and I’ve just no idea if the Muon will still be effective or warranted in systems that have optical conversions prior to the DAC. While the experiences in his rig may also be related to his better switch / power combo, I kinda doubt it: several members here are using the Muon with ambitious switches to great effect, and Network Acoustics recommends using a switch with the Muon as well…in fact, NA has its own switch due soon and is supposed to partner synergistically with the Muon. So, I’m thinking the only potential redundancy / overlap for the Muon is with optical-based tweaks, but I invite more experienced members to chime in.

Back in my rig, can I live without the Muon system? Absolutely. But would I want to? Most definitely Not. In my experience, if you’ve not upgraded your home network, start there. The Muon cannot remove all noise in the streaming path, but it will remove the last bit--approach the Muon accordingly. So if you’ve done the network upgrades and are considering a higher $ streamer, or if you question your streamer’s noise floor, I’d highly recommend the 30day trial of the Muon. The cumulative upgrades have taken my previously dogshit streaming Qobuz playback to the level of CD playback, and the Muon was an essential step in closing that gap. It’s been a worthwhile addition to my system (Ps: it pairs with the Valhalla AES like bacon & eggs).

 

[rhyno]

follow up:
my friend brought his SR Switch & SRX power cord over to my place (system in toggle).
when using my switch & JC2 power supply, Muon system was no question better vs a cheap ethernet cable or the SRX Galileo. (and yes, the ethernet cable from the switch to the Aurender makes a very large impact)

using his SR Switch + SRX power cord w/ Muon system, again a step back, sound was a bit closed in, lacked sparkle. the Muon system does not play well w/ SR products. no idea why.

in comparisons, using his full network (SR Switch + SRX Power cord + Galileo SRX Ethernet) was not a big change from my existing setup (EE Switch + JC2 LPS + Muon System). of course, they're not the same price either, speaks volumes to the value of the Muon system --and how good SR products are (their cables are freaking great)

i'll be getting in an Ediscreation SS Extreme in a few weeks, hopefully it plays nice with the Muon.

 

[rhyno]

2nd update: i've now upgraded my switch to the ediscreation SS extreme, a large improvement over the EE 8. And my DAC to the PD edelweiss. and still the muon filter improves the overall presentation (albeit to a smaller degree than before) with a lower noise floor and more musical (dare i say analog-like) presentation. .

that said, the magnitude of the changes has declined since i upgraded the switch.

as before: the muon filter strikes me as the last thing you do to upgrade your streaming (see original post for things to do before). and buying with a 30d money back is a sure no-risk scenario.

 

[PYP]

as before: the muon filter strikes me as the last thing you do to upgrade your streaming (see original post for things to do before). and buying with a 30d money back is a sure no-risk scenario.

sensible approach. Synergy always counts and in my setup the Muon pro filter feeding the Grimm streamer/DDC works very well. The Muon seems to be very neutral, meaning it does not push the listeners perspective toward the stage, for example, or emphasize particular frequencies. Very evenhanded.

Perhaps my use of an ISP provided modem/router/wifi all-in-one with cheap SMPS results in a more noticeable improvement, especially in tone/timbre.

 

[jasond]

No matter the system setup, I haven’t seen anyone that wouldn’t benefit from the Muon Pro system.
Also for example many dropped the Etherregen in favour of Muon Pro.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

As more testing is done the folks at Alpha and Hans have found the real factor is Filtering, Muon Pro, EE1, iFI filters all impact noise in the digital audio chain more so than clocks and switches. These isolators work.

 

[jasond]

As more testing is done the folks at Alpha and Hans have found the real factor is Filtering, Muon Pro, EE1, iFI filters all impact noise in the digital audio chain more so than clocks and switches. These isolators work.

True - it’s all about common mode noise and phase noise.

 

[Superdad]

As more testing is done the folks at Alpha and Hans have found the real factor is Filtering, Muon Pro, EE1, iFI filters all impact noise in the digital audio chain more so than clocks and switches. These isolators work.

True - it’s all about common mode noise and phase noise.

We’ll phase-noise is just jitter looked at in time domain.
Ultimately the reason any of any of this matters for SQ comes down to ground-plane noise induced on the master clock input pin of the DAC itself.

The big transformers in the passive Network Acoustics “filters” do filter high frequency common-mode leakage a bit better than the typical magnetics behind every RJ45 port on the planet (and variants of that is most all that is inside the various cheaper passive Ethernet “filters”), but they do almost nothing when it comes to CM leakage below about 300KHz. And the really low frequency stuff propagates easily under the traces of PCBs.

I recently posted the following on our forum over at AS. I’m in bed this week with my iPad and a painful back, so I hope you don’t mind me being lazy with just a copy/paste.

———-

Well Hans is always very kind and he tries to be clear. But what I did not understand--and tried to explore with him in my commentary--was why he is having trouble accepting two things as true at the same time. The sun can shine even while it rains outside!

That is, simply because he now hears and enjoys the reduction in common-mode noise brought by the big wound transformer coils of the passive Muon box, why does he now deny/denounce the benefit of improved clocking?

The major point is that:
BOTH common-mode noise (caused by the leakage currents that travel all around our systems--and even on Ethernet cables) AND the phase-noise/jitter that gets embedded in the single (from bad clocking, leakage, and the chips themselves as they operate) are sources of transmitted ground-plane noise.
That's exactly the reason that the measurements Hans showed--made by Jaap Veenstra (Alpha Audio magazine)--at the master clock input pin of the DAC (it was a cheap streamer/DAC) show modestly reduced phase-noise/jitter when the Muon transformer box was added.
It is a good test--with the very expensive Wavecrest SIA-4000C--and it would be nice for them to run the same with other Ethernet devices, including EtherREGEN. Then perhaps Hans would no longer disavow his past experience.

On 10/29/2023 at 5:45 AM, GoodEnough said:
Regarding the measurements in particular did it seem odd to you that a passive device could improve phase noise?

Not at all odd. See above. It is all about the pernicious propagation of ground-plane noise--which ultimately reaches the DAC. (This happens will all interfaces, be they USB, Ethernet, I2S, etc.) We have written about it in a variety of ways in our papers, discussing it as both clock phase-noise overlay and in other terms.
But a key mechanism, one we have only touched on a bit (in our Sine v. Square clock paper) and which deserves its own full treatise is the repeating back-and-forth conversion of AM>PM. (No, I am not talking about morning and afternoon.

)
It is amplitude modulation (noise of all sorts: common-mode, harmonics, leakage, etc.) that converts to phase modulation in the chips--and when the chip clocks back out its data, the jitter/phase-modulation that got embedded in that data then again causes amplitude modulation--in the form of ground-plane noise.

Of course we address the above in all sorts of ways with the EtherREGEN, with differential clocking and differential isolation being the most obvious and unique techniques used. But there are many deeply technical methods which go into @JohnSwenson's board layout--including 6-layer board, clock buffer placement, power networks, and highly critical small parts selection.
All that and more refinements coming with EtherREGEN Gen2...

 

[Republicoftexas69]

We’ll phase-noise is just jitter looked at in time domain.
Ultimately the reason any of any of this matters for SQ comes down to ground-plane noise induced on the master clock input pin of the DAC itself.

The big transformers in the passive Network Acoustics “filters” do filter high frequency common-mode leakage a bit better than the typical magnetics behind every RJ45 port on the planet (and variants of that is most all that is inside the various cheaper passive Ethernet “filters”), but they do almost nothing when it comes to CM leakage below about 300KHz. And the really low frequency stuff propagates easily under the traces of PCBs.

I recently posted the following on our forum over at AS. I’m in bed this week with my iPad and a painful back, so I hope you don’t mind me being lazy with just a copy/paste.

———-

Well Hans is always very kind and he tries to be clear. But what I did not understand--and tried to explore with him in my commentary--was why he is having trouble accepting two things as true at the same time. The sun can shine even while it rains outside!

That is, simply because he now hears and enjoys the reduction in common-mode noise brought by the big wound transformer coils of the passive Muon box, why does he now deny/denounce the benefit of improved clocking?

The major point is that:
BOTH common-mode noise (caused by the leakage currents that travel all around our systems--and even on Ethernet cables) AND the phase-noise/jitter that gets embedded in the single (from bad clocking, leakage, and the chips themselves as they operate) are sources of transmitted ground-plane noise.
That's exactly the reason that the measurements Hans showed--made by Jaap Veenstra (Alpha Audio magazine)--at the master clock input pin of the DAC (it was a cheap streamer/DAC) show modestly reduced phase-noise/jitter when the Muon transformer box was added.
It is a good test--with the very expensive Wavecrest SIA-4000C--and it would be nice for them to run the same with other Ethernet devices, including EtherREGEN. Then perhaps Hans would no longer disavow his past experience.

Not at all odd. See above. It is all about the pernicious propagation of ground-plane noise--which ultimately reaches the DAC. (This happens will all interfaces, be they USB, Ethernet, I2S, etc.) We have written about it in a variety of ways in our papers, discussing it as both clock phase-noise overlay and in other terms.
But a key mechanism, one we have only touched on a bit (in our Sine v. Square clock paper) and which deserves its own full treatise is the repeating back-and-forth conversion of AM>PM. (No, I am not talking about morning and afternoon.

)
It is amplitude modulation (noise of all sorts: common-mode, harmonics, leakage, etc.) that converts to phase modulation in the chips--and when the chip clocks back out its data, the jitter/phase-modulation that got embedded in that data then again causes amplitude modulation--in the form of ground-plane noise.

Of course we address the above in all sorts of ways with the EtherREGEN, with differential clocking and differential isolation being the most obvious and unique techniques used. But there are many deeply technical methods which go into @JohnSwenson's board layout--including 6-layer board, clock buffer placement, power networks, and highly critical small parts selection.
All that and more refinements coming with EtherREGEN Gen2...

EE1 is getting a test drive in my office system soon.

 

[Network Acoustics]

We’ll phase-noise is just jitter looked at in time domain.
Ultimately the reason any of any of this matters for SQ comes down to ground-plane noise induced on the master clock input pin of the DAC itself.

The big transformers in the passive Network Acoustics “filters” do filter high frequency common-mode leakage a bit better than the typical magnetics behind every RJ45 port on the planet (and variants of that is most all that is inside the various cheaper passive Ethernet “filters”), but they do almost nothing when it comes to CM leakage below about 300KHz. And the really low frequency stuff propagates easily under the traces of PCBs.

I recently posted the following on our forum over at AS. I’m in bed this week with my iPad and a painful back, so I hope you don’t mind me being lazy with just a copy/paste.

———-

Well Hans is always very kind and he tries to be clear. But what I did not understand--and tried to explore with him in my commentary--was why he is having trouble accepting two things as true at the same time. The sun can shine even while it rains outside!

That is, simply because he now hears and enjoys the reduction in common-mode noise brought by the big wound transformer coils of the passive Muon box, why does he now deny/denounce the benefit of improved clocking?

The major point is that:
BOTH common-mode noise (caused by the leakage currents that travel all around our systems--and even on Ethernet cables) AND the phase-noise/jitter that gets embedded in the single (from bad clocking, leakage, and the chips themselves as they operate) are sources of transmitted ground-plane noise.
That's exactly the reason that the measurements Hans showed--made by Jaap Veenstra (Alpha Audio magazine)--at the master clock input pin of the DAC (it was a cheap streamer/DAC) show modestly reduced phase-noise/jitter when the Muon transformer box was added.
It is a good test--with the very expensive Wavecrest SIA-4000C--and it would be nice for them to run the same with other Ethernet devices, including EtherREGEN. Then perhaps Hans would no longer disavow his past experience.

Not at all odd. See above. It is all about the pernicious propagation of ground-plane noise--which ultimately reaches the DAC. (This happens will all interfaces, be they USB, Ethernet, I2S, etc.) We have written about it in a variety of ways in our papers, discussing it as both clock phase-noise overlay and in other terms.
But a key mechanism, one we have only touched on a bit (in our Sine v. Square clock paper) and which deserves its own full treatise is the repeating back-and-forth conversion of AM>PM. (No, I am not talking about morning and afternoon.

)
It is amplitude modulation (noise of all sorts: common-mode, harmonics, leakage, etc.) that converts to phase modulation in the chips--and when the chip clocks back out its data, the jitter/phase-modulation that got embedded in that data then again causes amplitude modulation--in the form of ground-plane noise.

Of course we address the above in all sorts of ways with the EtherREGEN, with differential clocking and differential isolation being the most obvious and unique techniques used. But there are many deeply technical methods which go into @JohnSwenson's board layout--including 6-layer board, clock buffer placement, power networks, and highly critical small parts selection.
All that and more refinements coming with EtherREGEN Gen2...

Really interesting and informative post and we agree with what your saying, but just one point of clarification, which we thought might be useful for anyone who reads this thread. We developed completely new system for MUON Pro which does not involve the use chokes or transformers. We wish you all the best with your new launch. NA

 

[ssfas]

Really interesting and informative post and we agree with what your saying, but just one point of clarification, which we thought might be useful for anyone who reads this thread. We developed completely new system for MUON Pro which does not involve the use chokes or transformers. We wish you all the best with your new launch. NA

I was having a look at this because I've used passive filters over the years and they seem to be effective. They tend to be used for measurement/medical devices, like products from Emosystems. I also used Intona for usb filtering/isolation. I even had an AQ Dragonfly usb filter that I used in my office. The NA Eno just seems to contain a couple of transformers between the input and output connections. This seems to be a solved problem using transformers and common mode coils. I use a DeLock passive ethernet filter, which works that way, plenty of people seem to use them, it cost me about £25. I have fibre that goes into a switch with a good clock and linear power supply, the DeLock sits between the switch and my streamer. I've never bought a digital product without some idea (or a pretty good idea) of how it works, so I would be interested to know how the Muon device addresses noise rejection if not by the normal method.

 

[LarsV]

NA will will be launching ENO2 in March/April and this will be a big step up from the original ENO using our latest filtering technology, according to NA. Since the Muon Pro doesn't fit my budget right now, I am very happy to wait a few months for the new ENO2.

 

[ssfas]

Can someone explain to me what these network acoustics ethernet filters have that make them any different from any other ethernet filter? Ethernet filters have been around for decades, as far as I understand it, they generally use isolation transformers. This method is widely applied, for example Innuos put an isolation transformer on the ethernet port of their streamers. The only photograph I’ve seen of the inside of one of these network acoustics Eno units showed, lo and behold, a couple of transformers.

if the world needed a better ethernet filter, the medical fraternity would have invented one ages ago. I bought a medical grade isolation transformer product that has been on the market for at least nine years, because it is a current product and my unit was date stamped 2015. It cost me $60.

If whoever behind network acoustics has developed a new better type of filtering, They should patent it, stop wasting their time on the home audio market and sell it to the medical profession. They’d make a fortune.

I don’t apologise for being sceptical because I am.

 

[PYP]

Can someone explain to me what these network acoustics ethernet filters have that make them any different from any other ethernet filter? Ethernet filters have been around for decades, as far as I understand it, they generally use isolation transformers. This method is widely applied, for example Innuos put an isolation transformer on the ethernet port of their streamers. The only photograph I’ve seen of the inside of one of these network acoustics Eno units showed, lo and behold, a couple of transformers.

if the world needed a better ethernet filter, the medical fraternity would have invented one ages ago. I bought a medical grade isolation transformer product that has been on the market for at least nine years, because it is a current product and my unit was date stamped 2015. It cost me $60.

If whoever behind network acoustics has developed a new better type of filtering, They should patent it, stop wasting their time on the home audio market and sell it to the medical profession. They’d make a fortune.

I don’t apologise for being sceptical because I am.

being skeptical is good. Listening is better. Why not try the Muon Pro in your own setup? Money-back guarantee. If you do, I have two suggestions. Do not decide what you think until you have 200 hours on the MP (they suggest 130 hours or so, but that didn't work in my setup and other folks have said the same). If you believe that ethernet cables make a difference and have a one you like on hand, connect the MP to a RJ45 coupler and feed your streamer with your ethernet cable instead of the one attached to the MP (or, at least try that to compare the result).

I've tried a number of ethernet isolation methods (including optical) and prefer the passive MP. But, of course, we all have our own preferences and system. For me, a demo is always necessary before making a decision.

I am a fan of Shunyata Research's power products. They have a sister company, Clear Image Scientific, that produces power products for the medical market. It seems that CIS has its own unique products, factory and personnel. If that is the case, it tells you it isn't easy to produce for both the audiophile and medical markets.

 

[ssfas]

being skeptical is good. Listening is better. Why not try the Muon Pro in your own setup? Money-back guarantee. If you do, I have two suggestions. Do not decide what you think until you have 200 hours on the MP (they suggest 130 hours or so, but that didn't work in my setup and other folks have said the same). If you believe that ethernet cables make a difference and have a one you like on hand, connect the MP to a RJ45 coupler and feed your streamer with your ethernet cable instead of the one attached to the MP (or, at least try that to compare the result).

I've tried a number of ethernet isolation methods (including optical) and prefer the passive MP. But, of course, we all have our own preferences and system. For me, a demo is always necessary before making a decision.

I am a fan of Shunyata Research's power products. They have a sister company, Clear Image Scientific, that produces power products for the medical market. It seems that CIS has its own unique products, factory and personnel. If that is the case, it tells you it isn't easy to produce for both the audiophile and medical markets.

I've sent them an email, asked for a home loan unit. They are not far away.

I've used the same ethernet connection since 2015, fibre optic into a TPLink media converter powered by a SoTM 9v battery and Belden Blue Jeans CAT6a.

CIS only seems to have had one product, that looks like a Hydra. The website suggests the product is discontinued. I used to use Shunyata, had a Hydra Alpha A10 and a few cables, now use Puritan and Ultimate cables.

LAN isolation is pretty much the same over all applications. Click on item 3 on this link.

Network Isolator FAQs • EMO Systems GmbH

Frequently asked questions about network isolators, their use, technology, applicable standards and areas of application

emosystems.de

I use a product they make because it does not have the transient voltage suppression that these devices usually have, it's not really necessary in my type of set-up.

Network Isolator FAQs • EMO Systems GmbH

Frequently asked questions about network isolators, their use, technology, applicable standards and areas of application

emosystems.de

EMO systems make mains isolation transformers as well. These are popular in the UK, but over here people usually buy from a local company called Airlink, where they are specified as audio/balanced power supply.

Audio Power Supply Transofmers - Remove Power Line Noise | Airlink Transformers

Buy an audio amplifier power supply from Airlink Transformers. Reduce mains interference with true balanced 230V power. Browse the range and buy now.

airlinktransformers.com

 

[jasond]

I am like others for about 20 years into digital audio. So have been able to explore the impact of various elements like power supply, network setup, noise filtering etc over the years.
And skepticism is justified in today’s industry as so many copy-cats are out there or just claiming something without proper research.

Regarding Network Acoustics it’s exciting to see how they revamped, pioneered the segment of Ethernet filtering. From the very first prototype / product launch of the ENO a lot of further development went into their products. What I can summarize, and which goes along with the experiences my friends shared with me when lending them some of the NA products, is that these are go-to products. Meaning they just improve things without any drawbacks or the need for various other complex, technical adjustments etc.

So no matter your setup or how advanced it is, just give it a try and you will discover how things develop to the better.

 

[ssfas]

I am like others for about 20 years into digital audio. So have been able to explore the impact of various elements like power supply, network setup, noise filtering etc over the years.
And skepticism is justified in today’s industry as so many copy-cats are out there or just claiming something without proper research.

Regarding Network Acoustics it’s exciting to see how they revamped, pioneered the segment of Ethernet filtering. From the very first prototype / product launch of the ENO a lot of further development went into their products. What I can summarize, and which goes along with the experiences my friends shared with me when lending them some of the NA products, is that these are go-to products. Meaning they just improve things without any drawbacks or the need for various other complex, technical adjustments etc.

So no matter your setup or how advanced it is, just give it a try and you will discover how things develop to the better.

I emailed NA and Mr Trussell replied, saying:

The EMO EN-70e and similar are 'network isolators' fitted to expensive medical equipment for electrical safety purposes. They tend to use galvanic isolation via transformers, just passing the high frequency AC 'data signal', and blocking low frequencies and DC. This means that they also pass the high frequency noise that's mixed in with the data signal.

He does have a loan item, for personal reasons I will have to delay this for a while.

 

[keithc]

Just curious as this seems to be something I saw in some other threads: What is the difference if the NA filters are used backwards (output -> input) as opposed to its marked directionality?

I had intended to do ethernet >> PhoenixNET >> Eno >> streamer, but found that Roon cannot see my streamer once the Eno was in place. In speaking w/ Rob and online searches, the PhoenixNET's output voltage may be low enough that the Eno's small attenuation resulted in loss of signal. I upgraded to the Muon believing this would have fixed it, but same problem. However, tonight when I reversed the Muon's directionality (eg. ethernet > PhoenixNET > Muon's output > Muon streaming cable > streamer) then it was totally fine.

So the attenuation is also directional??

 

[luca.pelliccioli]

Hi everyone, hi Steven (I hope you're well, I haven't seen you on the PS forum for a while!). I often agree with you (see Puritan products) and hope you find a way to try the Muon Pro in your system soon.

I had the opportunity to test (Rob is always so kind and responsive) some NA products, such as the Muon2 USB cable which I also reviewed here on WTB and the Muon Pro filter.
After much experimentation I found that my favorite configuration is:
router > Muon Pro > PhoenixNET (short fixed cable at the end of the switch) > server/streamer

It is not the recommended configuration but the one I prefer most to the others.

I have never had any problems with the Muon Pro/PhoenixNET connection, always very stable and flawless. I only use the Sense app and not Roon.

 

[ssfas]

Hi everyone, hi Steven (I hope you're well, I haven't seen you on the PS forum for a while!). I often agree with you (see Puritan products) and hope you find a way to try the Muon Pro in your system soon.

I made some comments about Roger Waters who by general consent is a racist fascist f*** and I fell out with Elk, so I told him to cancel me from the PS Audio forum. A week or two later his label BMG got fed up with it all and dropped him. It must have been serious internally to drop Roger Waters. The head of licensing at BMG is a golfing pal and when I next see him (Saturday most likely) I shall thank him.

I will try the Muon. Richard has a loan unit. For personal reasons I cannot do it now.

Personally, I think the Puritan is a game-changing disruptive brand, because it just works really well and is done on a minimum cost base that makes lots of other smaller companies like Shunyata look a bit stupid.

There are some very high value brands mostly because of their production scale and lower costs. I bought the Luxman L-509X that compares favourably with products from the likes of Gryphon and Soulution that cost 2 or 3 times as much. I paid £7k for a new unit, reduced from £9k, whilst the Gryphon 120 is £15k once the phono module is added. The new L-509Z is £11k. It's a lot cheaper in Japan.

I'm off to Japan on holiday in May, I don't think the wife will appreciate me putting a new Luxman in the hand luggage (especially as we are coming back via Shanghai). Maybe I can squeeze in a new cartridge. I joined this forum as I have a Garrard build in the works and there is a relevant thread. I should have the parts soon (there are 6 different suppliers involved) and get it together in a month or so.