I didn’t realise it diesn’t have Wi-Fi for control purposes (and info lookup). If only used with its own music store, does the attached network only for control purposes or for Roon database links, affect the sound quality simply by being attached?
For people who only or mainly use their own stored music, a slight effect on the sound quality of online streaming services might not be worth the hassle and cost of playing about with all sorts of network things, given that there are other factors in transmission that may adversely affect ultimate sound quality whether or not transient.
Assuming one is focusing on the Innuos for the primary music system, then simplest to have one’s entire music collection in the device rather than accessing other storage on a network, and maximise sound quality that way, when the presence of a network can be used just Zafor backup or adding music - and for the people with more than one system, any change in sound quality streaming across the network to other devices might be less critical being secondary systems. (That of course might not be applicable to everyone.)
Otherwise, I know the Zenith has transformer isolation of ethernet, but I wonder if adding an optical isolator might obviate cable and switch effects?
To that you can add software updates, online metadata lookup, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, and so on. It’s the 21st century, even your fridge, boiler and lightning can be connected these days, and having a music server with no LAN and WAN connection is going to hobble it to some extent.
Intrigued, several 2960 devices have no power cord or power supply and are/can be remotely powered via Ethernet. I find these also sound very good, and I find no difference on the uplink quality providing the 48 volts… so I wonder if you are hearing something else that is not really related to the switch? Perhaps mains noise from your mains leads radiating or the effects of an Ethernet screen earth loop etc.
Clearly the latter will be affected by physical positioning with respect to any induced voltage, but is not really anything to do with the switch
Last night powered off the house ringmain it wasn’t so good, not that that was my normal way of connecting it. It was also above SuperCap DR which @Darkebear advises needs air above it.
This morning I did it properly and used a shelf above the Zenith temporarily and added it to the dedicated supply. Well it sounded really really good. So good that I am having to listen to the Zenith again.
I think I may keep the CDX2 to have some variety although it would not be quite the same as @Simon-in-Suffolk who likes the analogue qualities of the CDX2. So I need to try that way. I did enjoy my CDX2 so I am glad to find it can keep it’s head up high.
IB, I will report on Zenith without the network soon.
i can’t explain why it sounds best like that. Just i feel the sound is the most natural like that and don’t feel any loosing on other areas.
I found another thing in the cisco yesterday: the switch has 2X 4 imputs. I connected the ethernet cable from my nds to the imput where it is alone connected ( alone on the 4 imputs bay). The sound is a bit more involving now.
I don’t know what has happened but everything I play is perfect. There is a wonderful soundstage and all the sounds of my early Genesis albums (Trespass and Nursery Cryme) are so clear rather than sounding like a cacophony at times. The list goes on. Everything sounds natural.
It could be the Innuos burning in, or the Audiophilleo 2. Then the longer Ethernet cable getting the switch further away. The nDAC went to the bottom at the same level as the 555, and this moved it further away from the Zenith.
Anyone have an explanation? I have never heard anything so good on any system including the Naim factory demo.
The NDX2 would have the benefits of the Innuos streamer port, which in theory would be very beneficial compared with just a QNAP. It would be a comparison of nDAC against NDX2 for sound. I’d rather just listen to other systems and my own.
Sorry, but I’m still confused. The Zen Mini Mk3 appears to have a player in it, which suggests it has a DAC? Is the suggestion then that the pairing of Zen and Naim is simply to take advantage of a superior DAC (whether nDAC or NDX2)? Does that not then mean that for all the simplicity of Zen/Mini some of the functionality of the former is not needed once paired with something like an NDX2?
I’m thinking of the 2TB black Mk3 Zen Mini with LPS or 2TB Zen Mk and wondering how much the difference is and why either needs an NDX2.
Appreciate the latter point having read the thread but are you able to describe the difference between Mini 3 plus LPS and Zen and is purpose of an NDX2 therefore only for the use of the DAC?