The Cinnamon has plastic connectors as far as I recall. As part of the Beta Group I’ve done countless updates using my Vodka cables, with their Telegartner metal plugs, and not once have they failed. There is an awful lot of twaddle written about these various cables. If it sounds ok that’s really all that matters. Test reports as long as your arm mean diddly squat. It’s just like speakers - you can’t tell how they sound by reading the spec sheet.
I agree there’s a lot of subjective comments made about cables but I figure the BJC cables are so inexpensive it wouldn’t hurt to do a test. I really do like the company’s design philosophy too. If it doesn’t make a difference I’ll have a couple extra patch cables for future use.
I’m referring to the metal around the plug end, btw.
Ah yes, I’d forgotten about that bit! In fact I’ve forgotten about the cables altogether. They just do their thing, and do it well.
for 50 GBP i strongly advise you to try. Most dealers don’t know nothing about switches or network. Try and return if not satisfied.
I work on the principle of, if that it works, don’t fiddle. Remember I have my home office, so I’m running 2 iMacs, and run 2 4K Apple TV’s and 2 Naim systems plus the phones and iPads on my home network and it all runs seamlessly. And with the Time Capsule having to stay for automated backups I’d be running switches off switches.
it’s not a question of working or not. I had a netgear switch before and all was working the same. It’s the sound which changes: with the cisco you will have more bass, body of instruments, drive , grip and involvement. Real improvement.
But the Asuzus is the new Cisco, what does one do…
the Anzus costs 2,4 k. The cisco, second hand, 40 or 50 GBP. ( 700 euros new). The netgear: 20 euros new.
What can you loose for 40 GBP?
Not a lot, cause I’m in New Zealand I did look online a while back for ones here, but got overwhelmed with model numbers and specs etc and bought power supplies instead
just 2960 8tcl.
i can’t say Tiberio. Have not heard it. HP or Ubiquiti are well made, but it doesn’t mean they will improve the sound. Maybe.
as you said, i can ignore reviews or your point of view. The most important is my experience and what i hear.
As I wrote earlier…
• "I installed a Cisco WS-C2960-8TC-L in a friends music-system this weekend that was.
He didn’t see what I did,.so when I started playing,he asked if I had also changed to a better source.
So great was the difference in soundquality this time,.in that music-system."
If you install your Cisco with “Attention To Detail”,.then you always get the effect that I described above.
I myself have been involved in helping and installing approximately 100 Cisco WS-C2960-8TC-L in various hifi-friends music-systems,.and always received the above described soundquality uplift.
On two occasions it became just a minor improvement,.but then it was something wrong with the SMPS.
When we made a recapp on the SMPS,.they also played well.
Another hifi-friend who is incredibly knowledgeable (he is also a member here),.has tested various rubber feet on his Cisco.
These little ones that you see on this picture above sounds best.
More expensive special-feet you get to try for yourselves,.but these little ones in rubber are great if we talk soundquality.
NO,.certainly not,if we are going to talk about the best soundquality.
All electronics are sensitive to internal vibrations,microphonic and how the product is placed.
Preferably place your switch (Cisco) in your hifi-rack with good cable-dressing,.and phase (Live) on the correct side of the connector (not for you in the UK).
Try also a better powercable in your Cisco,.in my experience a nice improvement of your soundquality.
• I am also surprised that TiberioMagadino does not hear any difference between different switches,.and also cables if I understand correctly.
Everyone I’ve met has heard a difference between switches and cables
I have a theory of why,.but I will come back to that.
This below as TiberioMagadino writes,.I absolutely do not understand.
"Of course folks may prefer cables that do not measure so well,"
My comment to this: I ignore how they possibly measure,.the important thing is how they sound.
/Peder🙂
Bravo Peder, I also lived your story and when I confided in my dealer Naim had taken me for a fool! Now even my dealer thinks like me and always changes ethernet and swicht cables … now he says that I was right and that I involved him … Now he is advising me to replace my cat. 5e cheap old 6/8 year old with a Melco cat. 7 which connects my airport extreme to the Telecom Italia modem. (in fact I use the wifi generated by apple x Muso and ND5xs2)
I dont think I know 100 people let alone 100 audiophiles that wanted a network switch, well done!
How does a switch improve SQ exactly, or is it that some add noise? It’s transferring binary data not an analog sound wave.
But it’s not… the Cisco Catalyst includes true Ethernet isolation by default by processing the data to stop unnecessary group data going to the streamer… these switches aimed at at the well healed audiophile appear not to do any of this… and so from a network data noise point of view are no better than a cheap off the shelf consumer switch.
Sure these audiophile devices address some of the low noise serial line matters that quality switches like the Catalysts do … but that is only relevant when data transfers … and with the new Naim streamers that is for a relatively short amount of tine… other than that these devices are acting as a specific rf load not dissimilar to different Ethernet cables.
I do suggest one is wary of the bling and marketing photographs. Effective components here tend to look rather ordinary and don’t need to be expensive.
I think, IIRC, that you’ve said the new streamers aren’t as sensitive to cables and switches?
Exactly… they are not by design hence my point. Coupled noise via Ethernet leads, usb leads, Audio interconnects, automation leads and mains leads will still potentially affect audio though.
When it comes to data processing the effects are not going to be that dissimilar to flac vs WAV processing. If you hear no difference here, you are unlikely in my opinion to hear much with unnecessary data processing. If you do hear a change, I would focus on ensuring uneccessary data processing, Some of this is rather technically involved, but a switch that correctly supports IGMP snooping is a good start… especially in a largish consumer network. The Cisco catalysts support IGMP snooping by default.