QSA LANEDRI Series

Hi Steven,
Very glad yo see that there is a QSA Forum on WBF.
Congratulations!

QSA : My take on their expensive products

Threre has been another WBF thread on QSA fuses for some weeks already, but I still want to share with WBF brothers my personal audition/comparison experience. Disclaimer : I am NOT in anyway in the music/hifi industry in Hong Kong. I am only an audiophile and consumer. All WBF brothers who...

www.whatsbestforum.com

I think I wrote the first QSA review on WBF, back in 2012.

QSA : My take on their expensive products

Threre has been another WBF thread on QSA fuses for some weeks already, but I still want to share with WBF brothers my personal audition/comparison experience. Disclaimer : I am NOT in anyway in the music/hifi industry in Hong Kong. I am only an audiophile and consumer. All WBF brothers who...

www.whatsbestforum.com

May I ask you two questions?

Firstly, I notice on you website that QSA-Lanedri cables are being launched.

HOME | QSA LANEDRI

www.qsa-lanedri.com

May you tell us more about them?
What metals are employed and what special features do they have?

Secondly, several frds of mine in Hong Kong have bought QSA JitterPower.


Again, please tell the WBF members more about these series of accessories.

Many thanks!

Cheers,
CK

 

The Ultimatum Infinity Power cable – a sight to behold, and we confidently claim it to be the most impactful power cable on the planet. It has the transformative power to elevate any audio system to an unparalleled realm of musical joy. We stand behind our claim with a money-back guarantee.

 

For the last five or six days, I have had a QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity DC extension cable in the house. This is a demo that has been making the rounds here in the Pacific Northwest – thank you QSA Lanedri for providing this opportunity!

I’ve tried the DC extension cable in a few different configurations. I’ll list these in order of their greatest positive impact on my system.

Between power supply and router:

My router is the one approved by my ISP and it is a Greenwave C4000XG. I selected it because it is compatible with my internet service, not because of any special audiophile qualities. It accepts an ethernet input from an ONT that converts fiber to ethernet. I have a very long run (60 to 80 feet) of generic Cat 6 ethernet cable going from the router to a wall port in my living room, where I run more generic ethernet to an Uptone EtherRegen switch, and then a run of Sablon 2020 ethernet cable to my Taiko Extreme music server.

I normally power my router with an Uptone JS-2 power supply using good quality Uptone Audio DC cables. The QSA DC extension cable I have been using is terminated with a female 2.1mm terminaton on one end and a male 2.1mm termination on the other end. Because the JS-2 requires a 2.5mm input and the router requires the same 2.5mm input, I had to improvise with adapters and other DC cables. (I tried fitting the 2.1 terminations into the router and JS-2 and they would not work.)

The best sounding combination of cables and adapters looked like this:

JS-2 power supply (fed by a good quality Audience power cord but from non-dedicated circuits) > cheap 2.5 to 2.1 adapter > 12 inch run of high quality Zenwave Audio copper DC cable > QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity DC cable > cheap 2.1 to 2.5 adapter > Greenwave router

Bear in mind that I had already experienced a very positive improvement from powering the router with the JS-2 using a good quality Uptone Audio DC cable. The QSA cable improved on the already excellent sound in the following ways:

• A significant step up in clarity
• Beautifully pure timbres and vibrant tonal colors
• Greater delineation of microdynamics
• Excellent PRAT

Vocals are more expressive because small inflections and microdynamics reveal artistic intent that I was unable to hear before. Lyrics are more intelligible. Percussion is very precise and legible. On well recorded piano, you can hear small variations in the amount of pressure being applied to individual keys, revealing (again) more of the artist’s intent. Bass is fast, tight, clean, and easy to follow. I heard no downsides including a lack of fatigue after hours and hours of listening. Emotional connection is better. Subjectively, I would say that the QSA cable doubles the impact of the JS-2 power supply.

Am I surprised that a DC cable is having these easily heard and fairly dramatic impacts on a non-audiophile router? Yes and no. Yes because, not that long ago, who would have even thought a router could have a profound impact on sound, let alone a DC cable feeding a router? No because, beginning last Spring, I have read and heard enough positive feedback from veteran audiophiles, and ears that I trust, who have reached the same conclusions when using a QSA DC cable with a router. In addition, I have been using a JS-2 power supply with a different router in a different system (see post #422 in this thread) and the use of a QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation power cord on the JS-2 made a very positive impact. In fact, the impact of the QSA power cord on the router was greater than on a Sonore Optical Module.

I tried some other experiments. For example, I used the QSA DC cable with the cheap SMPS power supply that came with the router, eliminating the JS-2 from the equation. This sounded surprisingly good with various QSA attributes improving the sound: great clarity, transients, PRAT, bass, etc. Upon further listening, however, it became apparent that the combination of JS-2 and QSA DC cable was significantly better. Specifically, insertion of the JS-2 added tonal beauty, body, density, and refinement. On well-recorded piano and vocals (e.g., Patricia Barber’s “Higher”), the additional air surrounding the voice, the beautiful and delicate harmonics hanging in the air like you hear with a live piano, and the sheer realism of the voice all added up to magic. Subtract the JS-2 and the magic faded. So while the QSA DC cable will do amazing things even with an SMPS, a good quality power supply seems to help a lot.

Another experiment confirms the same basic idea that everything makes a difference. This time I substituted a cheap Amazon DC cable for the audiophile quality Zenwave DC cable that was part of the system described above. This time the sonic loss was not as great as when I substituted a cheap SMPS for the JS-2. But the loss could still be clearly heard: vocals were more realistic and were surrounded by more air with the better cable, and piano sounded richer and more beautiful.

Between power supply and Uptone EtherRegen:

I use an audiophile switch, an Uptone EtherRegen, between my router and my Taiko Extreme because it lets a little more detail through, adds some body, and just sounds a little more quiet and calm. Overall, it’s a fairly subtle improvement on most tracks but good value given the low cost of the EtherRegen. Of course a good power supply brings out more of the goodness and so I’ve been using a Farad Super 3 with the EtherRegen. I have been using the stock DC cable that Farad sells, so nothing fancy but decent quality.

I added the QSA DC extension cable to this setup so that the stock DC cable connected to the QSA cable which then connected directly to the EtherRegen. No adapters but still with the stock Farad DC cable in the chain.

I estimate that, as with the router, the addition of the QSA DC cable doubled the sonic improvement of the EtherRegen alone. I heard similar improvements: greater clarity; retrieval of low level details like decays and textures; vibrant colors and pure timbres; and seemingly darker backgrounds. Somehow this DC cable seems to be acting as a filter to reduce networking noise. Overall, the impact was not nearly as great as with the router simply because the router appears to be so vital to overall sound quality. If you were to only buy one QSA DC cable, I would suggest starting with your router.

Impact on video:

While others have described very significant impacts of the DC cable on their video systems, I saw and heard only modest improvements. I have achieved greater impact with an Audience power conditioner. I suspect part of the reason is that the AV system in my Seattle house is older and less responsive. I hope to try the DC cable in a better AV system in a different house and see what happens there.

In conclusion, the DC extension cable has had an outsize impact on my stereo system and has really increased my emotional connection with the music. At current prices, it is a stone cold bargain. And bear in mind that I achieved the greatest impact in my system using two cheap adapters and another run of DC cable. I imagine that a QSA DC cable terminated specifically for the components you already have would achieve even greater impact.

 

In conclusion, the DC extension cable has had an outsize impact on my stereo system and has really increased my emotional connection with the music. At current prices, it is a stone cold bargain. And bear in mind that I achieved the greatest impact in my system using two cheap adapters and another run of DC cable. I imagine that a QSA DC cable terminated specifically for the components you already have would achieve even greater impact.

Very well said and I agree wholeheartedly. I ended up purchasing two, one of which is in Jon’s hands now. The other arrived recently and immediately went in at my router. When the other cable makes it back from Jon, it will likely go between my Farad and EtherRegen.

While others have described very significant impacts of the DC cable on their video systems, I saw and heard only modest improvements.

The greatest video improvement came with the extension cable feeding my Nvidia Shield Pro. Having it at the router brings a modest video improvement while at the same time improving sound noticeably in my AV system.

 

For the last five or six days, I have had a QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity DC extension cable in the house. This is a demo that has been making the rounds here in the Pacific Northwest – thank you QSA Lanedri for providing this opportunity!

I’ve tried the DC extension cable in a few different configurations. I’ll list these in order of their greatest positive impact on my system.

Between power supply and router:

My router is the one approved by my ISP and it is a Greenwave C4000XG. I selected it because it is compatible with my internet service, not because of any special audiophile qualities. It accepts an ethernet input from an ONT that converts fiber to ethernet. I have a very long run (60 to 80 feet) of generic Cat 6 ethernet cable going from the router to a wall port in my living room, where I run more generic ethernet to an Uptone EtherRegen switch, and then a run of Sablon 2020 ethernet cable to my Taiko Extreme music server.

I normally power my router with an Uptone JS-2 power supply using good quality Uptone Audio DC cables. The QSA DC extension cable I have been using is terminated with a female 2.1mm terminaton on one end and a male 2.1mm termination on the other end. Because the JS-2 requires a 2.5mm input and the router requires the same 2.5mm input, I had to improvise with adapters and other DC cables. (I tried fitting the 2.1 terminations into the router and JS-2 and they would not work.)

The best sounding combination of cables and adapters looked like this:

JS-2 power supply (fed by a good quality Audience power cord but from non-dedicated circuits) > cheap 2.5 to 2.1 adapter > 12 inch run of high quality Zenwave Audio copper DC cable > QSA Lanedri Gamma Infinity DC cable > cheap 2.1 to 2.5 adapter > Greenwave router

Bear in mind that I had already experienced a very positive improvement from powering the router with the JS-2 using a good quality Uptone Audio DC cable. The QSA cable improved on the already excellent sound in the following ways:

• A significant step up in clarity
• Beautifully pure timbres and vibrant tonal colors
• Greater delineation of microdynamics
• Excellent PRAT

Vocals are more expressive because small inflections and microdynamics reveal artistic intent that I was unable to hear before. Lyrics are more intelligible. Percussion is very precise and legible. On well recorded piano, you can hear small variations in the amount of pressure being applied to individual keys, revealing (again) more of the artist’s intent. Bass is fast, tight, clean, and easy to follow. I heard no downsides including a lack of fatigue after hours and hours of listening. Emotional connection is better. Subjectively, I would say that the QSA cable doubles the impact of the JS-2 power supply.

Am I surprised that a DC cable is having these easily heard and fairly dramatic impacts on a non-audiophile router? Yes and no. Yes because, not that long ago, who would have even thought a router could have a profound impact on sound, let alone a DC cable feeding a router? No because, beginning last Spring, I have read and heard enough positive feedback from veteran audiophiles, and ears that I trust, who have reached the same conclusions when using a QSA DC cable with a router. In addition, I have been using a JS-2 power supply with a different router in a different system (see post #422 in this thread) and the use of a QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation power cord on the JS-2 made a very positive impact. In fact, the impact of the QSA power cord on the router was greater than on a Sonore Optical Module.

I tried some other experiments. For example, I used the QSA DC cable with the cheap SMPS power supply that came with the router, eliminating the JS-2 from the equation. This sounded surprisingly good with various QSA attributes improving the sound: great clarity, transients, PRAT, bass, etc. Upon further listening, however, it became apparent that the combination of JS-2 and QSA DC cable was significantly better. Specifically, insertion of the JS-2 added tonal beauty, body, density, and refinement. On well-recorded piano and vocals (e.g., Patricia Barber’s “Higher”), the additional air surrounding the voice, the beautiful and delicate harmonics hanging in the air like you hear with a live piano, and the sheer realism of the voice all added up to magic. Subtract the JS-2 and the magic faded. So while the QSA DC cable will do amazing things even with an SMPS, a good quality power supply seems to help a lot.

Another experiment confirms the same basic idea that everything makes a difference. This time I substituted a cheap Amazon DC cable for the audiophile quality Zenwave DC cable that was part of the system described above. This time the sonic loss was not as great as when I substituted a cheap SMPS for the JS-2. But the loss could still be clearly heard: vocals were more realistic and were surrounded by more air with the better cable, and piano sounded richer and more beautiful.

Between power supply and Uptone EtherRegen:

I use an audiophile switch, an Uptone EtherRegen, between my router and my Taiko Extreme because it lets a little more detail through, adds some body, and just sounds a little more quiet and calm. Overall, it’s a fairly subtle improvement on most tracks but good value given the low cost of the EtherRegen. Of course a good power supply brings out more of the goodness and so I’ve been using a Farad Super 3 with the EtherRegen. I have been using the stock DC cable that Farad sells, so nothing fancy but decent quality.

I added the QSA DC extension cable to this setup so that the stock DC cable connected to the QSA cable which then connected directly to the EtherRegen. No adapters but still with the stock Farad DC cable in the chain.

I estimate that, as with the router, the addition of the QSA DC cable doubled the sonic improvement of the EtherRegen alone. I heard similar improvements: greater clarity; retrieval of low level details like decays and textures; vibrant colors and pure timbres; and seemingly darker backgrounds. Somehow this DC cable seems to be acting as a filter to reduce networking noise. Overall, the impact was not nearly as great as with the router simply because the router appears to be so vital to overall sound quality. If you were to only buy one QSA DC cable, I would suggest starting with your router.

Impact on video:

While others have described very significant impacts of the DC cable on their video systems, I saw and heard only modest improvements. I have achieved greater impact with an Audience power conditioner. I suspect part of the reason is that the AV system in my Seattle house is older and less responsive. I hope to try the DC cable in a better AV system in a different house and see what happens there.

In conclusion, the DC extension cable has had an outsize impact on my stereo system and has really increased my emotional connection with the music. At current prices, it is a stone cold bargain. And bear in mind that I achieved the greatest impact in my system using two cheap adapters and another run of DC cable. I imagine that a QSA DC cable terminated specifically for the components you already have would achieve even greater impact.

Thank you for your valuable feedback. Your detailed analysis of the improvements in various configurations provides valuable insights.

I'm thrilled to see how QSA Lanedri cables bring joy to users, which aligns perfectly with our brand's mission. Our goal in creating the QSA Lanedri brand was to elevate the music experience and share that joy with enthusiasts like you.

Your observations highlight some key points about the impact of our cables:

• "Revealing the Hidden Potential": This is not just a slogan; it reflects the reality. QSA Lanedri cables unlock the untapped potential in every audio setup, taking it to unparalleled heights.
• Trade-Off-Free Improvements: Our cables enhance various aspects of audio, including transparency, clarity, detail, note definition, density, and soundstage. These improvements in specific sound characteristics may vary depending on the nuances of each audio setup. However, what remains consistent is that these improvements come without any trade-offs. This consistent lack of trade-offs is a hallmark of QSA Lanedri cables, ensuring that listeners can enhance their audio experience without sacrificing any aspect of sound quality.
• Diminishing Returns? Not with QSA Lanedri: Contrary to the conventional wisdom of diminishing returns, QSA Lanedri cables continue to deliver remarkable enhancements throughout the audio chain, offering countless "Wow" moments along the way.

Your feedback reinforces our commitment to redefining the high-end audio market and bringing unparalleled music experiences to our community of passionate music aficionados. Thank you for being a part of the QSA Lanedri journey.

 

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We're excited to announce an amazing opportunity for all our WBF forum members to win free QSA Lanedri cables! Are you passionate about high-quality audio and want to take your sound system to the next level? This competition is tailor-made for you.

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• Browse through the user feedback posts on our WBF QSA Lanedri page and pick the one that resonates most with your audio aspirations.
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• Prize 1: Your choice of a QSA Lanedri cable for posting on the WBF QSA Lanedri forum page.
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Share your genuine experiences and insights.
Encourage fellow members to like your post.
The three participants with the most likes on their posts will win!

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• Gamma Infinity AC power cable,
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I use an audiophile switch, an Uptone EtherRegen, between my router and my Taiko Extreme because it lets a little more detail through, adds some body, and just sounds a little more quiet and calm. Overall, it’s a fairly subtle improvement on most tracks but good value given the low cost of the EtherRegen.

Have you considered running fibre from your router to the Ether Regen? With so much generic ethernet leading to the ER I'd speculate it is somewhat flooded with noise which possible reduces its effectiveness.

I suggest consider what can be done to minimise noise at each device and connection/cable from the ISP to the Extreme, and that noise is from power outlets, AC and DC power cords, ethernet cables and the general surrounding environment.

Of course, It accept if your are satisfied these things wont make a difference due to your or other people's experience with the Extreme.

I estimate that, as with the router, the addition of the QSA DC cable doubled the sonic improvement of the EtherRegen alone.

Hmm, not meaning to sound critical here but I guess what you are saying is that the DC cable doubles the value of the ER even if in your case the ER provides "a little more quiet and calm" ... and "overall, it’s a fairly subtle improvement".

I have ERs and in my system they provide as much benefit as similarly priced ethernet cables.

the router appears to be so vital to overall sound quality.

It is a critical weak link in my experience, particularly if it is a busy router. I use Mikrotik CRS 305 configured as router which is 10G/SFP+ which is a screaming bargain for what it does for audio. Feed it good power and use it to isolate from your network using fibre and you leverage that benefit quite a lot.

 

Depending on the playback software, music can be fully buffered in the streamer prior to playback. Euphony does this for me. The entire playlist can be fully buffered.

This means you can see the effect of the network on the music by disconnecting the LAN cable from the streamer during playback. Playback should continue if the music is fully buffered. Only controls are disabled until the LAN cable is reattached.

If the sound improves considerably your network needs work. If not you’re mostly there.

There is a finite amount of improvements to be had on network adjustments especially when the music is fully buffered effectively making the streamer a disconnected CD player. It’s easy to forget this and end up chasing an imaginary target.

In my case, the difference I heard with and without a LAN cable attached to my Pink Faun streamer was small, much smaller than say switching to a QSAL QR or QI power chord or their UI speaker cables. I’d much prefer focusing on this rather than complex network adjustments.

 

when the music is fully buffered effectively making the streamer a disconnected CD player.

Like the PS Audio Memory Player.

But even buffered music can be spoilt if the streamer is connected to the network.

My streamer is in Devialet Pro which I connect to via wifi which is better than fancy wired connections I tried. So it is isolated from the wired network, but still I can distinguish every tweak and change to every link and device enroute back to the mandatory the national broadband fibre network termination.

Maybe Pink Faun has been able to make its streamer almost immune to wired network noise.

 

Like the PS Audio Memory Player.

But even buffered music can be spoilt if the streamer is connected to the network.

My streamer is in Devialet Pro which I connect to via wifi which is better than fancy wired connections I tried. So it is isolated from the wired network, but still I can distinguish every tweak and change to every link and device enroute back to the mandatory the national broadband fibre network termination.

Maybe Pink Faun has been able to make its streamer almost immune to wired network noise.

I think it’s also the playback software that’s key. Pink Faun’s Euphony playback software has an option to switch off the streamer’s network connection and disable the LAN card during playback. That along with a wire disconnect allows one to check the effect of the network on the sound.

The best sound of a network is no network.

 

The best sound of a network is no network.

Sorry, I dint mean to labour this off topic issue, however just to clarify, I have no network connected by wire to the Devialet (streamer) and can still detect changes in the upstream network, despite it also having fibre. My guess is noise (maybe phase noise) is getting into my Antipodes EX server (wired connection but isolated by fibre) and interfering with what shoukd be happening if things were perfect.

Really, I was just making a suggestion to @alwayslearning and want to add I enjoyed reading his post. I have no doubt good DC cables provide benefits, but possibly even greater if the network it is powering is more optimal

 

Yeah, I agreed with you that everything seems to matter in digital!

I’m burning in a GI DC for my router despite my feeling it’s mostly optimized already. My guess is that last bit of quality will come from the power side. Also have a custom GI DC on the way with Jaeger to 2.1 barrel connection to externally power my USB card. I’m hoping for a good sound bump here as it’s rumored the custom DC can sound like an Ultimatum.

Oh btw, to clarify the recent changes on Anas’ website, there are now 2 versions of the DC cable - GR and GI. Both have standard extension (one female, one male) 2.1 barrel heads and are 0.9m long. Not 1.8m as stated in an earlier version of the website.

These heads can be modified to other types FREE OF CHARGE. In the past this was a paid extra in a custom form, no longer now.

And this latest summary supersedes the expire offer of the introductory $1000, 0.9m GI DC.

@QSA-LANEDRI , Anas after your clarifications to me by emails, it might be good to update your website too?

 

Have you considered running fibre from your router to the Ether Regen? With so much generic ethernet leading to the ER I'd speculate it is somewhat flooded with noise which possible reduces its effectiveness.

Hmm, not meaning to sound critical here but I guess what you are saying is that the DC cable doubles the value of the ER even if in your case the ER provides "a little more quiet and calm" ... and "overall, it’s a fairly subtle improvement".

Hi @dbastin -- I appreciate your thoughts. I've thought about running fiber rather than ethernet for my very long (60-80 feet) run through the house. In fact, I have a system at another house with another long run where I do use fiber and convert it at each end with a Sonore Optical Module.

There are a few reasons I won't do that in the system I describe above. One is the sheer hassle of running anything through my century-old house. This run starts in the back of the house with my router, goes through lathe and plaster walls, then through an unfinished and difficult-to-work-in attic, then back down through lathe and plaster walls to a port near my stereo. That was done ten years ago or so by professional installers and was somewhat costly.

The second, and probably more important, reason is that the plan is to eventually replace the EtherRegen with a Taiko Switch and NIC. Taiko's recommended setup is to run ethernet into the Switch (from the router) and then run an SFP DAC cable from router to Extreme. Why? Because an ethernet connection uses way less power than dual SFP fiber modules. A single SFP fiber module uses more power than the entire Switch design. More power = a lot more noise in the Taiko design. This is all explained in the Switch and Network Card summary in the Downloads section of the Taiko website. The Switch itself is a serious noise reducer/isolator on its own according to multiple user reports.

Eventually I might also upgrade to a Taiko Router, which creates its own sub-LAN for audio only and contains a number of other groundbreaking noise-reduction advancements not available in off the shelf routers. Of course you pay a price for all this innovation.

With regard to the impact of the QSA DC cable on the EtherRegen, you are correct that it is not an earthshaking change. The insertion of a Farad-powered EtherRegen made a nice and musically significant improvement, but it is still fairly modest. I consider it good value given the relatively low prices of the ER and Farad. The QSA cable probably doubles that level of improvement (to my ears) but it is not nearly as significant as the improvement with the DC cable on the router. That change is a no-brainer.

 

Yeah, I agreed with you that everything seems to matter in digital!

I’m burning in a GI DC for my router despite my feeling it’s mostly optimized already. My guess is that last bit of quality will come from the power side. Also have a custom GI DC on the way with Jaeger to 2.1 barrel connection to externally power my USB card. I’m hoping for a good sound bump here as it’s rumored the custom DC can sound like an Ultimatum.

Oh btw, to clarify the recent changes on Anas’ website, there are now 2 versions of the DC cable - GR and GI. Both have standard extension (one female, one male) 2.1 barrel heads and are 0.9m long. Not 1.8m as stated in an earlier version of the website.

These heads can be modified to other types FREE OF CHARGE. In the past this was a paid extra in a custom form, no longer now.

And this latest summary supersedes the expire offer of the introductory $1000, 0.9m GI DC.

@QSA-LANEDRI , Anas after your clarifications to me by emails, it might be good to update your website too?

The Gamma DC power cable, like our other cables, is offered in both the Revelation and Infinity Lines. Buyers have the flexibility to select the source and destination connectors that best suit their equipment (Oyaide DC-2.1, DC-2.5, XLR, GX12, GX16, Jaeger, etc.).

 

This afternoon @jeremya and I visited the home of @alwayslearning to hear his excellent system. The last time I heard it, he had yet to swap in any QSA Lanedri products.

Transparency had increased significantly since my prior visit. It was quite astonishing as transparency had always been a strength of his system. Same for tonality and believability and yet these qualities had improved significantly since my last visit. I wondered how it could get any better.

It didn’t take long to have that question answered as Jeremy brought his Gamma Infinity ethernet cable with him. The improvement from this was profound. The entire space opened up and everything became more natural and more believable.

Oh but we didn’t stop there as I brought over a Gamma Infinity DC extension cable. This went in between the EtherRegen and Farad supply. This was in addition to another DC extension that remained in the router the entire time. @QSA-LANEDRI has claimed that there is no diminishing returns with these products. What we heard backed up his claim. The song Rimshot from Erykah Badu - a fantastic live track - was increasingly revealed with each of these steps. The voices became progressively more present in the room. I wouldn’t have described the sound as artificial the first time it was played but with each step it was clear that something contributing to a slight artificial sound had been lessened. What amazed me most about this particular track was the soundstage progression. Initially the soundstage had boundaries. Swapping in the ethernet cable expanded the boundaries. Swapping in that extension cable caused the boundaries to seemingly vanish while placing me in the same venue as the performers. I think I literally gasped out loud upon observing this. We also listened to a few tracks from one of my favorite albums, the Roy Haynes Trio. Heft increased with each step. Drums gained more of a wallop.

It was a fun afternoon and I got to hear some great music that was unfamiliar to me. The QSA Lanedri products are fun to swap in because they make such an obvious improvement with no downside whatsoever.

 

This afternoon @jeremya and I visited the home of @alwayslearning to hear his excellent system. The last time I heard it, he had yet to swap in any QSA Lanedri products...

It was a fun afternoon and I got to hear some great music that was unfamiliar to me. The QSA Lanedri products are fun to swap in because they make such an obvious improvement with no downside whatsoever.

And how! I had grown so accustomed to the benefits of the Gamma Infinity cable that I had all but forgotten what music sounds like without it. @alwayslearning has graced my home before with QSA cabling in tow (a pair of the Speaker Cables and an RCA cable) and they worked similar magic in my system that still has me coveting those speaker cables... but flipping the script and putting my Infinity ethernet in his system caused me to appreciate its virtues in a profound way.


@alwayslearning ’s system, taken by @jeremya. Used with permission.

Much like @kennyb123, I was initially very impressed with the clarity of @alwayslearning 's system before we made any changes. I've always been enamored with what he's carefully curated over the years, and every year it gets significantly better (usually in response to us all wondering if it *can* get any better). It's safe to say his system (and @kennyb123 's, actually) have always been "desert island systems" for me in their own right (each has their charms). I've been blessed to be a friend of theirs for many years now, and doubly blessed to "glean amongst their sheaves" for nearly as long, buying 'hand me down' parts from each of them to elevate my own system. Suffice it to say that it was quite shocking (and ear-opening) to be able to bring something to @alwayslearning 's house that had provided more than a subtle improvement to its overall presentation.

From the very first second that we plugged in the Gamma Infinity Ethernet, the soundstage widened and deepened, the drums and bass gained more force, body, and heft, the chimes had more shimmer, and voices sounded more natural and more holographic. We were all stunned. We re-visited a Patricia Barber track and her voice and the piano sounded more natural and coherent (the piano already sounded stunning, but we'd made some remarks about the mix creating and odd 'back and forth' at some places in the track which had curiously diminished with the Infinity Ethernet).

We swapped in the Gamma Infinity DC extension @kennyb123 brought along and repeated the same dance. The "wow"-fest continued. As Ken said above, the walls just disappeared. It was as if we'd been teleported into the venue and we were in the crowd, music all around us, people cheering and clapping not just in front, but alongside us. Instruments sounded clearer, more separate, and more natural. There was also a bit of added ease with a concomitant increase in clarity. Some of the brightness, sheen, or harshness of certain sections just receded, leaving only natural timbre and tonality.

Of course, we started the day with comments like, "Wow, can it get better than this?" And we ended the day echoing that refrain, salted heavily with disbelief and bewilderment. I concur with @kennyb123 's findings: big improvement, no downside. Crazy.

 

Thank you for your comments, @kennyb123 and @jeremya. It really was a fun afternoon and educational. Maybe the track that wowed me the most was North Dakota from Lyle Lovett's 1992 Joshua Judges Ruth album. That tune has been a favorite and a test track for over a decade. With all of the QSA cables in play as described above, I can't emphasize enough just how massive the soundstage had become and how beautiful and nuanced the duet between Lovett and Rickie Lee Jones was in this tune. A profound transformation over the tune I thought I knew so well.

 

Some of the brightness, sheen, or harshness of certain sections just receded, leaving only natural timbre and tonality.

This is a great point. We had talked a bit when I first arrived about maybe the extension cable adding a bit of brightness. Before we started swapping the additional items in, I had declared that there was no evidence of additional brightness from what I recalled of hearing the system prior to the QSA-L products being added. But what was interesting was that swapping in more QSA-L products actually did exactly what Jeremy mentioned in the above quote.

 

Taiko's recommended setup is to run ethernet into the Switch (from the router) and then run an SFP DAC cable from router to Extreme. Why? Because an ethernet connection uses way less power than dual SFP fiber modules. A single SFP fiber module uses more power than the entire Switch design. More power = a lot more noise in the Taiko design. This is all explained in the Switch and Network Card summary in the Downloads section of the Taiko website.

Bear in mind I suspect Taiko is talking only about the SFP v RJ45 noise, and no the cable going into the RJ45. I wonder if 60 feet of wired ethernet cable will shunt more noise in than a SFP makes.

If it could be achieved without breaking the bank (or house) I suspect the better solution would be ...

router > fibre > OM > top grade ethernet cable > Taiko Switch > and so on.
or
router > wifi > Wifi Access point > top grade ethernet cable > Taiko Switch > and so on.

it is not nearly as significant as the improvement with the DC cable on the router. That change is a no-brainer.

That is very promising to hear. In your case perhaps it is so significant because the router is not powered via a dedicated AC supply or power conditioner. For example, I have my router in the hifi rack powered via dedicated AC, a power conditioner and decent LPS, all grounded with a very good grounding system ... but basic DC cables from audio manufacturers.

 

That is very promising to hear. In your case perhaps it is so significant because the router is not powered via a dedicated AC supply or power conditioner. For example, I have my router in the hifi rack powered via dedicated AC, a power conditioner and decent LPS, all grounded with a very good grounding system ... but basic DC cables from audio manufacturers.

In our own lab, we power the switch using the Sean Jacobs DC4AR6 LPS, powered with the Sound Application TT-7 PGI which is connected to a dedicated power circuit using the Ultimatum Infinity Power cable.

With the introduction of the Gamma Infinity DC cable, with the GX-16 as the source connector and Oyaide DC-2.1 as the destination connector, into the mix to power the switch, we experienced a huge enhancement. The background became notably darker. There was improved separation, a more expansive soundstage, notes with more density, and an overall lifelike quality that left us in awe. That was an unexpected 'wow' moment, despite all the improvements we already had in place.

The enhancements delivered by QSA Lanedri cables are notably more pronounced when integrated into a dedicated setup, as they unveil an abundance of untapped potential. Experiencing this impact is jaw-dropping as it's astonishing to realize that all this remarkable quality is emanating from the same system. It's akin to a full system upgrade.

 

The enhancements delivered by QSA Lanedri cables are notably more pronounced when integrated into a dedicated setup, as they unveil an abundance of untapped potential

Oh dear, I think what you saying is that with a non-dedicated and cruddy power source the DC cable will probably deliver about its worst performance ... which makes my speculation about the furthest from the reality you described.

It is puzzling why the DC cable made such a significant difference powering the router compared to when it powered the EtherRegen much closer to the audio equipment.

On a similar topic, why is the QSA ethernet cable 3m rather than shorter like 1m? Does more metres improve the sound outcome (because ethernet cable conductors are so tiny)?