2960-8TC-L with internal PS.
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Ah, but what brand of sausages and are they optimised for audio?
It is vital we know these thingsā¦ā¦.
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With the Focal link theyād be saucissons.
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We could speculate, or some of us actually asked Naim on a visitā¦ and back then Netgear mini switches were in vogue.
As you say today they might well be using sausagesā¦ what with the new streamer network decoupling Iām sure it goes with a sizzle.
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Especially with the right sauce. 
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And an Uptone EtherREGEN working well here since November 2019!
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For those who have the Cisco switch, try to reset the switch, and you will be surprised at the SQ improvement, at least it is for me - Instrument separation is more clearly defined, drums, hi hats, saxophones, trumpets, cellos, etc. sound more real, music gets more engaging, groovy. Overall, I think it makes my music system sound at least 20%- 30% better musically.
To reset the switch, press and hold the Mode button. The switch LEDs begin blinking after about 3 seconds. Continue holding down the Mode button. The LEDs stop blinking after 7 more seconds, and then the switch reboots.
The switch now behaves like an unconfigured switch, and opionally you can re-configure it the way you want it to be.
Did you not have a ācleanā switch configuration when you first installed it ?
I did a reset and re-configured my switch a few years ago, but today I decided to do a reset for a different reason and I am surprised at the result.
Very strange. Do you look at the switch stats and see any issues ?
No, just a reset and that was it, and I was not bothered to look deeper, because clearly the reset makes things better for me.
The main reason why I did a reset because my network speed was unexpectedly slow, and my Linn Kilmax hiccupped at DSD128 for no apparent reason.
It might be worth looking at the stats just to see if anything is problematic on the ports youāre using, especially as you noted that network performance had dropped before you reset it.
That would be my next task with the upcoming Labor day long weekend here in the US. But the main highlight is that the music is clearly more lively, groovy and sparkling after the reset.
You may want to try the same, and it may make a difference or it may not for you.
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You might want to check you have the latest IOS firmware. It can make a difference in SQ as well. If the config is neutral but a reset changed aspects of its operation such that the resultant audio passed through from it was noticeably different, it does suggest something perhaps is not right somewhere.
BTW there is no noticeable difference on power cycles with my Cisco appliances from my perspectivesā¦ but to be fair I have almost entirely decoupled any network or switch variance from my audio now so there is no change in SQ.
however a reset for me would not be good as I have optimised the 2960 to perform its best for my audio system and playback, from port buffer prioritisation, tuning IGMP snooping, turning off spanning tree on the streamer port etc etc.
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Iām not sure if you have described somewhere how you have achieved that. If you have, could you please indicate where (ideally a link), or otherwise describe here, or maybe better still a fresh thread on the subject easily found by anyone searching in the future? Iām sure there will be interest in it
Straight forwardā¦ Naim current streamers have optimised digital outputs (when configured for digital out rather than analogue out) and use galvanic isolation.
Connect the DAC via SPDIF to that output. Use BNC to BNC, good quality 75 ohm coax and common mode filter ferrite choke around SPDIF lead. Keep reasonable separation between DAC and streamer digital front end.
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All in 1 box such as the Linn Klimax DS or MM+Audirvana/DAC also produces excellent SQ.
Hi Simon, are you talking about physical distance between the two boxes here? Mine (NDX2 &Dave) are on separate shelves on the rack, with quite a short coax cable. I ditched my DC1 because any remotely sensible cable dressing with that length was pretty much
impossible.
(Apologies for the thread drift)
Chris, I am indeed, sounds a good setup.
However I do use the full length of my DC1 to separate my loan DAVE and my NDX2, but that is because I have on separate stacks.
Thanks Simon, I have no intention of getting another rack just for the DAC! Iām using a 50cm coax cable as thatās the perfect length, and keeps the cable completely free from touching anything.