My advice would be to approach the whole Ethernet cable thing with caution. In much the same way as I would suggest using Naim gear with the mains leads and interconnects supplied in the box before trying expensive upgrade cables, I would try a properly certified and tested cable from a decent commercial cable supplier first. There are plenty of them, such as RS, Farnell or Cable Monkey. (Avoid the dodgy super-cheap suppliers on eBay though!)
Then, if you feel the need to experiment, you can start to assess any possible benefit of spending a lot more money on an audiophile cable. Even at the lower end of this scale, the likes of BJC and Catsnake are charging in the order of 10 times the price of a regular cable supplier, and in my books it’s hard to see where the value comes from there. Of course, in the context of a Naim system it’s not a lot of money, and I think that can cloud one’s judgment somewhat, especially when you see streaming cables priced at 100 times, or even 1000 times the price of the basic product that still works reliably.
In addition to all that, the way network cables react to their electrical environment will be different in every situation, and the findings of others cannot be taken as a reliable guide to what will work best for you. Add to that the fact that it’s extremely difficult to eliminate expectation bias from your assessment, and the whole thing becomes a bit of a minefield. Good luck!
Thank you Chris. You’re so right about expectation bias. I’ve had to digest a few expensive mistakes in the past caused by exactly that.
I picked up a 19 euro - 30ft Cat5 cable from Bax Music shop and just hooked it up. Playing radio in de background as annoying family members want to use the house too. I’m curious if I hear a difference worth exploring further in the coming days.
I bit OT but I’ve found little about writing modems on the forum. The modem is sort of the ‘first stop’ in your house but maybe their role is of little influence?
I’m not convinced that a modem would affect sound quality, although I wouldn’t like to say that with absolute certainty. I notice you use an Apple Time Capsule, which does have a reputation for generating electrical noise so it’s perhaps worth thinking about how well isolated your HiFi is from that. Certainly worth trying to keep some physical distance between the system and any such devices, and power them from a different wall socket, or better still, a different mains circuit altogether.
I have lasted 8 months with a ludicrously cheap Vonets wireless bridge attached to my Innuos Zenith. It’s a cheap nasty plastic thing with a very short run of cheap ethernet (15cm maybe) and two perpetually flashing lights. Consequently it’s far too close to both the Zenith and the 202. There is audible noise through the speakers including the sound of my using my iPad. The bridge is plugged into a block with the Chord Hugo TT2 when the latter clearly needs its own socket.
Suffice to say it has nevertheless given the whole family more satisfaction than the CDX2/XPS2 has done for several years.
Anyway, we have ruled out running 30m+ ethernet from the router upstairs to the Zenith for the time being as we have lots of other stuff going on. So, the plan is to purchase something like a TP-Link RE650 AC2600 Wi-Fi Range Extender; plug it in about 3m away from the two columns of boxes and then run 3m of ethernet under the carpet across the fireplace to the Innuos.
I am of the view this will offer a small improvement on the DAC side with a big drop in the noise floor on the ethernet side of things.
So,
1 - are these reasonable assumptions about the impact of an improved repeater/bridge and locating it away from the boxes?
2 - which 3m run of basic ethernet cable should be a starting point? Streamer and DAC connected with Chord Epic. Should I go for 5 or 6? Merits of flat cable?
You know what? … Almost a ‘blimey’ moment. I had such low expectations to the point of no expectations but this (Chord Epic Streaming Cable 1m) addition is a great icing on top of an already delicious cake.
I have no experience of wifi extenders but have always found wired connection better than wifi.
The only ‘basic’ streaming cable I have experienced and works well in my set up is the Designacanle Catsnake 6a with the floating shield. No guarantee it will work well in your set up though. It is rather thick but is compliant.
Flat streaming cables will obviously fit better under carpets but I have no experience of these.
Mike - why not get a bog standard patch lead of say 5m length and try the Vonets located away from your 202 for a start. There is something else I will suggest you try later but this noise is not right and worth spending some time eliminating it.
@james_n the Vonets won’t take a lead. Its short run of ethernet is hard wired in. Very cheap device and the proximity to the 202/Zenith is clearly the cause of the noise. I can hold it in mid air and instantly lose most of the noise.
Thus why I need something, I think, like the TP-Link so I can locate it well away from the stack; plug any old cable in and confirm that the noise has gone. If it does then there’s an instant gain but after a suitable pause I can then start to look at better quality cables.
A few days on with the cheap try-out Cat 5 cable it’s pretty clear. In my system, the ND5 XS2 sounds way better wired than wireless. And not by a small margin.
The very first impression was that it sounded a bit thin and cold but that lasted only a few minutes. A lot of the usual audio vocabulary applies. Tighter, more controlled, larger and more precise imaging, texture, better dynamics… I can stop. It sounds better in every aspect. My naive initial hope of just slipping the streamer in my Fraim, enter the wifi password and I’m done is out the window. D*mn…
So now I’m off into the woods for a few months figuring out and pulling cables, topology, probably slip in a switch etc. etc. The Ms. - quite experienced - already saw the weather forecast. “So you’re just buying this streamer-thing right?” along with that yeah sure look. AAaarrggghhh!!
Hi Mike , I’ve been using a BT WiFi extender for the last year or so and it works perfectly . Originally I connected it direct into my Streamer with a 2 metre Meicord ethernet cable but recently I’ve added an EE switch which was very beneficial . I now have a Blue Jeans cable into the switch and the Meicord into the streamer . I also have 2 Blue Jeans cables from the switch into my TV and Sky box .
Thanks @Pete.T that’s useful. I think I’m going to press the button on the TP-link with some cheap ethernet and see what happens. Assuming the wi-fi strength is good (and it should be) then it should be worth it for the drop in noise alone.
If it does as I hope then my next step is either non Naim amp or one of the two smaller Innuos boxes i.e. the rep locker of the ethernet switch.
I’m not sure what a Vonet is, but if it has short ethernet lead, you could always use a female to female coupler and add an extra length of cable to it.
Some progress in getting my network and cabling set up properly for streaming. I figured out the configuration that makes the most sense in my house.
There will an EE8 switch next to the ISPs modem/router at the switchboard. From the switch a 13 mtr/43 ft. run Cat7 cable straight into the streamer on the first floor. This will be in-wall using the pipe that currently carries a coax for the tuner (the tuner is gone). Two Apple Time Capsules for wifi on the 1st & 2nd floor will be on EE8 too using the Cat5 cables that are already there. All neat and tidy with no extra cables or boxes in the living room.
I’m 90% sure I’ll opt for the AQ Carbon CAT700 installation cable with Telegärtners.
I ordered the EE8 yesterday, together with an ifi Power X SMPS. There might be room for future upgrades here but I think this should be a decent starting point.
When my Naim boxes are out for service 2 or 3 weeks from now, I’ll install the cable and switch and hook things up. In the meantime I will slip the switch in somewhere to give it some burn in time before the final install.
