Summary executions aside, I’m disappointed to see much of the familiar mania dissipate from this thread of late. I thus feel it’s my civic duty to provide a fresh injection.
A few days ago I acquired a used Cisco 2960PD 8TT-L (external PSU), which now sits alongside my trusty Cisco 2960G. Both are blue models. Original Cisco connects to my router and a Mac Mini running Audirvarna and then feeds through to the 2960PD which in turn sends signal to my N272 (+ XPSDR / 250DR). Cables are basic Belkin Cat 6, with a Meicord Cat 6A as final connection into the streamer.
Really wasn’t expecting such a dramatic improvement, but that’s what I got. Simply more of all the good stuff: PRaT, detail, nuance. More expressive vocals in particular. Always hard to quantify such changes, but in terms of ‘smile factor’ I’d say it was at least the equivalent of my pair of Powerlines (at a fraction of the price). But where the Powerlines give a clear sense of ‘more music’, the twin Cisco setup really helps to make more sense of the music – of what the musicians are playing.
So count me in as an unequivocal addition to the list of believers in this particular form of switchcraft / sorcery. Obvious question now is where to find the next improvement. I noticed the 2960PD runs much cooler than the 2960G (which most days could fry an egg), and sure enough, the 2960PD sounds superior on a single switch comparison (but not as good as the two switches in series). Easy / cheap options from here would be to retire the ageing 2960G and, from the same seller, buy one of the following:
C3560-8PC-S (which can power the 2960PD via POE).
Another 2960PD (and then jump head first down the LPS rabbit hole).
That said, these Ciscos are cheap enough that I could try both. Any thoughts from our resident switcherati?
‘Terminated tonight’ wasn’t technically wrong, but it clearly has more than one meaning. 'Tis a tricky language…
A few years back a new travel agency appeared down the road from me (Thailand), calling itself ‘The Terminal Journey.’ I suggested to the owner that it perhaps wasn’t the best name for her business – and the name was duly changed a couple of weeks later.
A very good and deep review of the Etheregen switch, alone, with linear ps, mutec clock and comparing to the Sotm and Melco S100.
The reviewer found the Melco a bit better.
BTW, Dave
I have a PoE 2960 sending signal and power to a PD switch (that is not plugged in apart from the ethernet cable) and it does give a lower noise floor.
I have described this in detail inc model numbers etc in various emails above.
Seems there’s general agreement that a POE-powered switch lowers the noise floor. And that an external PS switch is less noisy than a switch with an internal PS.
Okay so far. But the Cisco switches I’ve seen that can supply POE all seem to have internal PSUs. So the question becomes:
Is Switch A (internal PS) + Switch B (POE) more or less noisy overall than Switch C1 (external PS) + Switch C2 (external PS).
If we’re playing switch poker here, what’s the Royal Flush?
Just to let you know that I bought a second-hand Cisco Catalyst WS 2960 8TCL, after reading all the threads about the “famous” switch here on the forum.
Honestly, I was unconvinced with the raported facts or benefits. To me, a switch is a switch. How can it influence the SQ? Audio Streaming is a numeric stream first. No?
But… Only donkeys who don’t change their minds…(I had the same surprise when I tested some coax).
I can say I m very happy with it. The SQ increased. It’s not night and day, but more “fine tuning” or “refined” if I can say that. Background noise back off = more silent, more details of the background scene are revealed now and are evident (but stay at their place : at the second plan and not in your face). More fluidity and more accurate vocal timbre.
It’s like I have put some DR in my system!
Surprising upgrade for a very low cost. Indeed, I only have a entry level streamer that runs with my Ndac/XPS! I can’t imagine the gap obtained with a high level streamer as an NDS or ND555…
It may not necassarily make anywhere near the same difference with other streamers, or in other people’s systems: At the ethernet data transfer stage it is not the data that is changing, but pick up of electrical (RF) noise which then enters the streamer (or separate renderer then into the DAC). Different network setups and different electromagnetic environents will result in different noise, and different switches and ethernet cables may influence the pickup, or filter it in some way, altering what ultimately gets to the rendering stage and to the DAC if not blocked there. And different DACs (or DAC stages of streamers) are more susceptible than others to modification of the output analogue signal caused by, most likely, modulation effects at some stage of the reconstruction process - some being immune or virtually so, others very susceptible. Then of course any ability to hear differences also may depend on the resolution of the rest of the audio system (including room), and variation in different people’s hearing. Add to that the fact that some people may prefer the sound arising from some types of modofication of the analogue signal while others may prefer the ‘clean’ sound, and the seemingly near infinite range of views expressed in this thread are hardly surprising!
(Of course, consideration of ethernet cables and switches can be avoided by not streaming across a network, but that is only possible one’s own stored music and playing in a single room…)
Reading the thread about switchs, I’ve understood they were working as filters and isolate the musical network from the rest of the home network as tabs, pc, TV and box.
Isolate from a numerical noise? Better isolated (galvanic isolated?) because each port was made like that, and each port are clocked managed.
Less jitter (lost informations or out of sync = less streamer work = better SQ.
It’s like you said in your last post.
Now I believe in the positive bring of a good or pro switch.
I was wondering myself what a real difference between a good pro switch like the Cisco and an audiophile switch like an etheregen. Fashion or real improvement?
Also read here, the fashion of cascading switches. Why ?
I do not see the interest.
,.I was obviously a little too quick to translate.
.
If you’re going to visit this thread,.think about this now in these Corona-times.
The SQ increased. It’s not night and day, but more “fine tuning” or “refined” if I can say that. Background noise back off = more silent, more details of the background scene are revealed now and are evident (but stay at their place : at the second plan and not in your face). More fluidity and more accurate vocal timbre.
