Without other/better methods of reducing noise, optical isn’t a bad way to go. But NA products can do a better job of this so I would skip the optical.
Network Acoustics - Tempus network switch
- Thread starter Jambo
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These kinds of posts puzzle me. Optical by specification and physics, is immune to all RFI/EMF. But you are saying if you keep things copper (or any conductive metal for that matter) and having noise rejection/filtering, is somehow better? I do not adhere to that one bit.
Nothing in the real world solves problems perfectly. There are always tradeoffs. And what matters with audio is how much noise enters our streamers.
The conversion from optical back to copper can and most certainly does inject noise back in. That’s why the choice of SFP, FMC and the power supply matter so much. So while fiber can offer a reduction of noise, it’s all for naught if the FMC feeding the streamer injects noise back in. And since the FMC’s power supply will always inject some level of RF/EMI, fiber can end up doing more harm than copper.
Even with a span of fiber, I still easily heard sound quality improvements from addressing things further upstream - like using a better power supply on my router. I can’t explain why but fiber seems easily willing to pass harm down to my system seemingly unabated. Heck even swapping out a generic FMC for a Sonore opticalModule on the upstream side improved sound quality and it wasn’t subtle. That shocked the heck out of me, as like you I believed fiber would be impervious to that. What I observed instead was that fiber allowed me to better hear upstream harm.
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I think it is best for you to write in to network acoustic for them to advise you since they are the manufacturer of the tempest network switch and have more insights on how they have implemented sfp.Is the Tempus the right choice if I plan to use it with fibre? I ask as I'll be getting the Esoteric N1 streamer/DAC soon and they are at pains pointing out the unit's SFP connection, implying it's the best way to use it over ethernet:
Now I currently have an Eno 2 filter with matching Eno 2 ethernet cables plugged into a modest LHY switch and am a fan of what Network Acoustics bring to the table but I'll admit I'm tempted by Melco/Dela as their switches seem built with SFP in mind and are often partnered with Esoteric at trade shows.
Also, I would plan to use it with the Melco C1 SPF+ direct attach network cable. My thinking would be router > LHY switch > Eno 2 > Tempus > Melco C1 SFP > Esoteric N1.
Network Acoustics seem to favor ethernet over fibre so would the Tempus be a waste and instead go with Melco/Dela?
Cheers.
If you have heard and liked the combination of esoteric with dela, I think you should go for that since it has been tested and proven.
I have not tested the tempest and neither used sfp or dac cable extensively to advise
I have tested the same whereby if I change the lan cable upstream of the fiberbox 2 extreme and changing power supply of my routers (also upstream of the fiberbox 2 extreme). It will affect the sound of my system.
It seems to me that fiber can reduce certain kind of interference in the signal path but there are certain noise that it can’t eliminate (i.e if the noise was already affected the signal before it is converted to optical, it will still remain there).
When N1 deliveries commence in Nov., I'm looking forward to user experiences with these alternatives. On the surface fiber certainly seems like the cleaner, more technically advanced solution.
The Tempus and the Xact N1 are two of the highest regarded switches around, and neither company is keen on fiber conversion. They both say use ethernet and filter it instead.
To me fiber would definitely benefit from quality power supplies feeding the optical conversion boxes, and quality power cables feeding those power supplies. If finances are finite, my assumption is pour that money into a higher grade of switch such as the Tempus.
To me fiber would definitely benefit from quality power supplies feeding the optical conversion boxes, and quality power cables feeding those power supplies. If finances are finite, my assumption is pour that money into a higher grade of switch such as the Tempus.
Got ya. I guess I misread your initial post because I mostly agree. It's what prompted me to try to rid my system of copper ethernet. Technically speaking, I am fortunate not to have a single FMC in my setup any longer. Which is why I bought this switch as the final optical to electrical conversion before entering my AV components. In my use case, I suppose it could be considered an FMC of sorts. My audio streamer accepts fiber directly, so it never gets converted within my LAN. This switch just kicks ass and my 2-channel digital audio far surpasses what I could have imagined.
Thanks for the feedback. It's tough really, obviously I want to get the best sound for my system (within a reasonable budget) but my ideal is a switch that reveals what's there with less in the way of the signal without altering the sound, or worse, smoothing things over and making the sound dull. The latter of which I've read some switches, ever pricey ones can be prone to.
An excellent description actually how the Tempus feels like. You can try it anyway for free to get an idea of its potential.
As many of us have a fiber feed from our internet supplier, don’t we already have a fiber converter?
How many have switched from a co-ax feed internet supplier to a fiber feed internet supplier?
Was one noticeably better than the other?
My whole home is wired for cat 6 and comes with it built inside the wall, hence the only point of conversion from light to electrical signal is at the Huawei optical network terminal which is powered by silent angel forester F2 LPS. This conversion is unavoidable as far as I am aware which I could be wrong as I am not networking expert.
The current view that is being shared is to reduce the number of conversions between light and electrical signal as much as possible and also the no. of devices that the lan signal has to go through. This is because inadvertently, each device will imprint something onto the signal that passes through the device.
So to avoid contaminating the signal, less devices are better to a certain extent.
I have been living with my new Tempus switch for a few weeks now and I can tell you one thing. It's not coming out of my system
Comparing my 2 different delivery streams:
1 Unifi Dream Machine Router>Ghent JSSG360 Cat 6>Sonore OM Deluxe/Farad Super 3>Cisco AOC SFP>ER/AD Project ClayX GIESEMANN/Uptone JS-4>Sablon 2020 LAN>Meitner MA3i
2 Unifi Dream Machine Router>Blue Jeans Cat6>Tempus>Sablon 2020 LAN>Meitner MA3i
Cold out of the box I was preferring the Tempus. But it was close. Only got better as it ran in. At 100 hours it was an easy decision. Hard to explain but it sounds more natural. What I really notice is it seems to go deeper into recordings. Soundstage is also a bit wider but the bigger emphasis is deeper/higher. At 300 hours it really seems to bloom. The larger soundstage appears to leave more room for instrument separation. Overall presentation is definitely smoother. I like to listen loud and do not like any harshness. None here. There is a naturalness to the presentation. A more liquid quality to voices and other instruments. And more realistic plucking of guitars. You just want to keep listening.
Going back to #1 I could notice it was a bit more strident/harsh (a bit). But noticeable. Not as natural. More top end. Not the same cohesion
Adding in the overall simplification of my system and it is a no brainer.
I did test out a Finisar FTLF1318P3BTL FMC to the Tempus and while it sounded very good, I still liked the copper feed better. Just more analog like.
I do have to test my Uptone JS-4 with the Tempus. It is a great sounding LPS. Even though NA strongly believes in their SMPS approach it will be an interesting test.
An now I just need that QSA Discovery Lan cable to arrive for the last mile to the Tempus........
Impressed enough with the NA equipment to be seriously considering the Muon Pro.
Comparing my 2 different delivery streams:
1 Unifi Dream Machine Router>Ghent JSSG360 Cat 6>Sonore OM Deluxe/Farad Super 3>Cisco AOC SFP>ER/AD Project ClayX GIESEMANN/Uptone JS-4>Sablon 2020 LAN>Meitner MA3i
2 Unifi Dream Machine Router>Blue Jeans Cat6>Tempus>Sablon 2020 LAN>Meitner MA3i
Cold out of the box I was preferring the Tempus. But it was close. Only got better as it ran in. At 100 hours it was an easy decision. Hard to explain but it sounds more natural. What I really notice is it seems to go deeper into recordings. Soundstage is also a bit wider but the bigger emphasis is deeper/higher. At 300 hours it really seems to bloom. The larger soundstage appears to leave more room for instrument separation. Overall presentation is definitely smoother. I like to listen loud and do not like any harshness. None here. There is a naturalness to the presentation. A more liquid quality to voices and other instruments. And more realistic plucking of guitars. You just want to keep listening.
Going back to #1 I could notice it was a bit more strident/harsh (a bit). But noticeable. Not as natural. More top end. Not the same cohesion
Adding in the overall simplification of my system and it is a no brainer.
I did test out a Finisar FTLF1318P3BTL FMC to the Tempus and while it sounded very good, I still liked the copper feed better. Just more analog like.
I do have to test my Uptone JS-4 with the Tempus. It is a great sounding LPS. Even though NA strongly believes in their SMPS approach it will be an interesting test.
An now I just need that QSA Discovery Lan cable to arrive for the last mile to the Tempus........
Impressed enough with the NA equipment to be seriously considering the Muon Pro.
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Great to hear you enjoy the Tempus as much as many do. Definitely try the Muon Pro which in addition to the Tempus is another performance level.
Will be interesting to hear your impressions with the JS-4. BTW you might also test with a different power cord or absorber / isolation which will further improve sound quality.
Hi Jason - Agree and thank you. Will do
I should add that mid-way through testing I did add Stillpoint Ultra Mini's to the 2 NA units (to even the comparison since the other equipment was isolated). But I do prefer the Symposium's (just need to buy more) and will compare.
I also have a QSA Discovery Power cord coming which will go on the Tempus PS
Ah might try the Symposiums too then.
And get prepared that the Tempus PSU is transforming every slight improvement in power cord into an even better performance. It’s really astonishing what I experienced and other users too when upgrading. When you are into QSA products you can also try replacing the default fuse which opens up another tweak
)
Did a quick 1 song comparison of the NA power supply & the Uptone JS-4 powering the Tempus (note: JS-4 had been powered down for a week and this swap was cold)
On the JS-4 the sound seemed a bit bigger. The soundstage was still wide but I did notice what I would call a stacking of the center focused instruments
With the NA power supply there was definitely more detail retrieval and better separation of instruments/voices
Both are great sounding supplies with the Tempus. And if I didn't know about the other I would be happy either way. But I would say in this limited test I preferred the NA PS on the Tempus
This certainly warrants more testing
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