I have an identical model and mine is pretty much noiseless.
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Iāve been enjoying this thread a lot! So how about some opinions 
I use a Synology 214play Nas. Itās plugged into a ZeroSurge unit not so much for sound quality but absolute surge and spike protection. I use AQ Vodka 1.5m to my Asus Wifi router. I stream on 5ghz band to my Auralic Aries G1 ( The G1 is 20 feet away. And I cannot run ethernet cable) Anyone have suggestions for improvements?? I might try Chord cable or AQ Diamondā¦
I have an older version, totally silent.
No: BJC uses solid wire Belden cables, while the DesignaCable uses a Belden stranded. Despite having a very tough and thick outer sheath as you would imagine for broadcast use, the latter is much more flexible.
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That sounds wrong (no pun intended). Is it new? Iām assuming that by āphysically loudā you are saying the ticking sound is audible from the box rather than over the speakers.
My factory ārefreshedā 2960 is completely silent.
Hmm. I have a 2960 - TCL (2010 build) and a 2960L-16PS (2017 build) and both completely silent. Maybe give it a knock and see if it goes away! 
I think this whole cable certification for the purposes we are using them is overwrought. I can see in pro IT installs when downtime would cost $ that an installer would want to cover his ass. But for a meter or so from a switch to a music streamer in a home environment? Give us a break.
Personally, Iād never pay over $100 for any cable, boutique or otherwise. But thatās me - if the Chord Music does it for you, then go for it. Iām sure it sounds great - of course Iād have to sell my speakers, DAC, streamer, and amp to afford one, in which case it would be very very silent and noise free.
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Yes physically only from box - it is a refurbished one. Very quiet continuous āputtingā and then an itermittant āraspingā sound - in a commercial server equipment room it would be āquietā but in a domestic room it is too loud.
In meantime while I decide on if to return Iām trying it nonetheless to get an idea of what it does, if anything.
DB.
Can you run optical fiber cable? Itās often easier to hide as the cable itself is quite thin. Otherwise not much to recommend beyond losing the wifi. I would think an expensive boutique cable between NAS and router is a waste imo, but itās youāre $ and your hearing. Those cables would be much more effective as the last leg to the streamer imo. You might get a bump by moving to a lower noise server such as a NUC or SonicTransporter with a linear power supply instead of the NAS.
itās a POE model. I think you are much more qualified to me to know how it works. Mine is not POE. @Simon-in-Suffolk knows very well all these models.
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Thats definitely not right DBā¦i would have a listen, see if it floats your boat and get a replacement or my money back.
No difference with the POE model (my 2960L-16PS is POE) other than it can be powered by another POE switch. Plug and play otherwise as long as itās been reset to factory default.
Itās quite possible that whatever problem is causing the components to generate the noise will be preventing the switch from performing optimally, so difficult to judgeā¦
It works fine - Iām evaluating SQ difference - it does indeed sound different to my 2940. Very provisional but the 2960 has a cleaner presentation. Iāll post more once Iāve evaluated it better.
As to physical nose from the box - if it is power supply then I need to return as it is a sign of eventual failing or just poor supply noise. Iād consider fixing it myself if it is a well-known fault that just needs a new component to replace the failing one - why Iām posting about it as there is a wealth of experience with this particular switch it seems here and someone may have appropriate direct knowledge.
ā¦for now it works and Iāll have a play with it in my system and then switch back to the 2940 and hear what the difference between them is - in my system.
DB.
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OK I stand corrected, 1700A is indeed a solid core, I looked at the wrong spec sheet
Hello, I also have your POE model, I bought it used in good condition but I noticed that it emits a slight hiss during its operation. For this, I am a precise and fussy type, I purchased the identical model but Gigabite which is extremely quiet. Trust us, no noise with the GB model.
Only the small 8 switch port versions are silent ā¦ the larger ones are designed to be housed in equipment rooms or data centres and have loud forced cooling.
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I also bought this cable just to have it available one day ā¦ I still have to use it ā¦ Now Iām waiting for Melco CAT. 7 for the Airport extreme ā¦
This tread runs faster than a [[Train]!] ā¦ I canāt read everything ā¦ 
Andrea, shouldnāt make any noise at allā¦ a hissing sound might suggest the SMPSU on its way out. They can be usually replaced.
My 8 port layer 3 PoE fast Ethernet catalyst switch is totally silent.
I go for Fast Ethernet as opposed to Gigabit because of the slightly reduced scope of creating serial line electrical noise. (As opposed to acoustic ā¦)
I thought so too, but in our old house I could only run Wi-Fi from my router to the streamer, so I tried a range of cables from bog-standard Cat 5e through to so-called āboutiqueā. I came to a decision based on listening (rather than spec sheets or certification) then brought my wife into things.
Now my wife (of 47 years) is wonderful in so many ways, but interest in Hi-Fi isnāt one of them - sheās only heard the difference in sound when I make a big change, e.g. speakers, the m-scaler. My NAS was in a position where I could remain unseen as I swapped cables between the NAS and the router while she listened. She heard differences between them all, but she declared āThe music sounds best with this oneā when I put the Chord Indigo streaming cable in. WHich was a relief, as that was my choice too.
The point of the above ramble was that it was one of those few occasions where I could blind test someone who didnāt do Hi-Fi, just music, and who I knew would only react if there was a notable shift.
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