$2,500 Ethernet Switch Isolates Audiophiles From their Cash

[davewantsmoore]

On 7/1/2023 at 9:13 PM, a.dent said:

Even with those compromised cables I have a totally silent background at full volume with the -120dB test track.

But you can't hear the tone, right?!

So that doesn't really tell you anything.

 

On 9/1/2023 at 7:24 PM, The Mad Scientist said:

The whole point of the test tone was to demonstrate to someone

It's a good test.

 

You will these sorts of tests in DA chip datasheets, etc.

[buddyev]

@March Audio jitter post moved to new thread

 

[Guest georgeDV]

On 25/10/2022 at 1:48 PM, Tweaky said:

 

It wasn't just the poor quality of bog standard Spotify that put me off streaming, I could easily throw money at the problem and get the gear you mention, or even higher level gear for that matter, change streaming services and get pretty good sound from it.

 

The quality of sound wasn't the deciding factor that has put me off streaming, it was a strange disconnection from the music I was listening to that I have never felt before, it's like everything has become elevator music, and consequently little enjoyment in hearing it.

 

I've tried to work out why I feel like this, and the only conclusion is that maybe I'm too wedded to the ritual of music playback via other means, and need that ritual to be emotionally receptive to music.

I suppose the best way I can describe how I feel about streaming is, it's sort of like if things come too easily to you , you can tend to not value them as much.

 

As for the often made statement of getting to hear a lot of music that you wouldn't have otherwise because of streaming, yes that is true, but a lot has been stuff that I could of happily have live without hearing as well, and have dismissed it quickly and gone to listen to something else.

 

And there, in a nutshell, sort of explains my problem with streaming.

I've become dismissive of so much music because it can be just thrown at you.

 

 

Hello
about streaming, for me to me. ..
I 've hade some accounts before, right now I don't have accounts for music.
I won't pay for listen 95% songs I don't like. I won't pay for songs already I have. Just a few songs sometimes I buy the iTunes track, sometimes I download it from youtube,  just a few songs, sometimes. And sometimes I open the WAV file to make it sound better. 
 

 

 

[andyr]

1 hour ago, georgeDV said:

 

And sometimes I open the WAV file to make it sound better. 

 

 

Can you explain how you "open a WAV file", George?

 

Thanks.

 

[Guest georgeDV]

8 hours ago, andyr said:

 

Can you explain how you "open a WAV file", George?

 

Thanks.

 

 

hello.
just as usual, same when import in Mac Garageband:
Open / .WAV  

 

 

[Niktech]

10 hours ago, andyr said:

 

Can you explain how you "open a WAV file", George?

 

Thanks.

 

And, what’s inside?

[bob_m_54]

16 hours ago, Niktech said:

And, what’s inside?

The toob is inside the wave man....

[Guest georgeDV]

19 hours ago, Niktech said:

And, what’s inside?

sometimes - "inside" not exactly like opening a box, : o  !
you find clippng, or a mess of low levels, even in original tracks purchased or imported from CDs. 

[Niktech]

7 hours ago, bob_m_54 said:

The toob is inside the wave man....

Gnarly, Dude!

[aussievintage]

4 hours ago, georgeDV said:

sometimes - "inside" not exactly like opening a box, : o  !
you find clippng, or a mess of low levels, even in original tracks purchased or imported from CDs. 

 

 

So how does opening it make it sound better, as you claimed?

Edited June 30, 2023 by aussievintage

[muon*]

I'd guess he is editing the file in a wave editor like Audacity.

[Guest georgeDV]

21 hours ago, aussievintage said:

 

So how does opening it make it sound better, as you claimed?

yes, there are some plugins and tools. - example I can "rescue" some high frequencies or apply a little touch of bass.
if original is really  a mess sometimes nothing to do. 

[aussievintage]

22 hours ago, georgeDV said:

yes, there are some plugins and tools. - example I can "rescue" some high frequencies or apply a little touch of bass.
if original is really  a mess sometimes nothing to do. 

 

 

 

Ah, so you are editing the file in all sorts of ways, not just opening it.

[Guest georgeDV]

18 hours ago, aussievintage said:

 

Ah, así que estás editando el archivo de muchas maneras, no solo abriéndolo.

: o !
not so much work or fixes. as flat as possible is better. 

[Keith_W]

I tried this experiment last night: 

 

- JRiver buffers the signal. Set memory playback to "Load entire file into memory". 

- Play music. JRiver will load the file into the buffer. 

- Pull the network cable. The music will keep playing until the end of the track. 

 

Now tell me again how the network cable and Etherregen and audiophile network switch and ANY ethernet tweak can possibly change the sound?

(EDIT) also my DAC, a Merging NADAC, has an internal buffer where all incoming audio is loaded into memory. I suspect the buffer is much smaller than my PC, perhaps a few seconds at most. The audio is then reclocked from the memory buffer and fed into the DAC chips. I haven't tried a cable pull with the NADAC yet, but I have no reason to doubt their claims. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Keith_W

[Addicted to music]

On 15/12/2023 at 3:39 PM, Keith_W said:

I tried this experiment last night: 

 

- JRiver buffers the signal. Set memory playback to "Load entire file into memory". 

- Play music. JRiver will load the file into the buffer. 

- Pull the network cable. The music will keep playing until the end of the track. 

 

Now tell me again how the network cable and Etherregen and audiophile network switch and ANY ethernet tweak can possibly change the sound?

(EDIT) also my DAC, a Merging NADAC, has an internal buffer where all incoming audio is loaded into memory. I suspect the buffer is much smaller than my PC, perhaps a few seconds at most. The audio is then reclocked from the memory buffer and fed into the DAC chips. I haven't tried a cable pull with the NADAC yet, but I have no reason to doubt their claims. 

 

when you're in the tech business and you've done the theory on digital electronics, into Digital 2H and 3H in diploma electronics, gone through  the transition of digitizing analog signals, digital transmission, processor coding and networking because it is your job requirement,  i've been banging on digital buffers in soft/hardware on these pages since these "audiophile Ethernet" began!   there isn't much that we don't know and can't measure!  I said this and i'll say it again, if i can download 30Gb via 100/20 FTTC connection through a wifi with a distance of 13m and it has to travel to another level in 15-20mins error free; not one error, there is no reason it can't do audio correctly.   You see it on these pages about " audiophile mantra on noise levels on ethernet, dirty psu etc etc  and how it effects SQ,  my take BS!  All the expensive take is really marketing at its best for a problem looking for a solution! If the hardware you use are working with in its limitations and specifications, its  extremely hard to corrupt the 2 state levels as there are steps taken to make it invincible in the transmission.  TCP/IP is bullet proof provided the hardware is within specs and operating correctly.   Notice on all these ethernet pages that everyone claiming improvements cant provide basic measurements on before and after is a dead giveaway.  

[The Mad Scientist]

I agree. There's no measured proof that "audiophile" network "enhancements" improve anything. It's all testiculation (waving one's arms around whilst talking b0ll0cks) and subjective claims of differences being heard. No one has proved any measured change in the audio signal due to ethernet switches, cables, filters regenerators etc.

Edited December 21, 2023 by The Mad Scientist
I'm having a really bad spelling day today.

[davewantsmoore]

11 hours ago, Addicted to music said:

not one error, there is no reason it can't do audio correctly

 

It is not about error ... it is about unwanted current flows affecting DAC (or amplifier) performance.

 

This is possible.

... but it is not going to be audible, unless something is going reasonably wrong, either in the amount of noise, or the design of the equipment.   High speed electronics, especially where high currents are involved (computers, and computery-like-things) are difficult ... and it seems like a lot of audio equipment are just not designed with attention to this sort of thinking (eg. they seem to use very wide bandwidths and no filtering).

 

IMVHO, less is more.

 

One of the things still holding me back from releasing products (among other things) is that there is still not yet a super duper neat way to put an ethernet connection on the speaker (ie. speaker has power socket and network).

 

[Keith_W]

4 hours ago, davewantsmoore said:

 

It is not about error ... it is about unwanted current flows affecting DAC (or amplifier) performance.

 

This is possible.

... but it is not going to be audible, unless something is going reasonably wrong, either in the amount of noise, or the design of the equipment.   High speed electronics, especially where high currents are involved (computers, and computery-like-things) are difficult ... and it seems like a lot of audio equipment are just not designed with attention to this sort of thinking (eg. they seem to use very wide bandwidths and no filtering).

 

IMVHO, less is more.

 

One of the things still holding me back from releasing products (among other things) is that there is still not yet a super duper neat way to put an ethernet connection on the speaker (ie. speaker has power socket and network).

 

 

Goodness, Dave! You surprise me! If you are worried about current flow from the computer to the DAC, just use wi-fi or TOSlink! 

[Addicted to music]

16 minutes ago, Keith_W said:

 

Goodness, Dave! You surprise me! If you are worried about current flow from the computer to the DAC, just use wi-fi or TOSlink! 

 

thnks Keith, i was never going to reply to a post where my initial reaction is "XXX!!!!!"       and youll know what those 3 letters are!  

[davewantsmoore]

2 hours ago, Keith_W said:

Goodness, Dave! You surprise me! If you are worried about current flow

This is how converters are corrupted by anything, whether the cause be "network" or something else.

I don't think it's that common.... but if it happens, then that's how.

 

2 hours ago, Keith_W said:

wi-fi

I do, not that it makes any difference on my equipment.

I use SPDIF (3-wire) between my audio player and my speakers.

 

 

[March Audio]

1 hour ago, davewantsmoore said:

This is how converters are corrupted by anything, whether the cause be "network" or something else.

I don't think it's that common.... but if it happens, then that's how.

Plenty of evidence demonstrates that it doesn't.