Interesting response on switches and ethernet cables

I cant do that as my gear doesn’t have wifi to try it

It’s simply not reasonable to state so categorically that things ‘will not make a difference’. It suggests that those who do hear a difference are muddle headed or simply liars’. I have heard very clear differences by changing ethernet cables, as have many others. Am I wrong? It’s just a daft thing to say.

It’s of course quite possible that DCS have done something that makes their steamers totally impervious to network hardware changes but that seems highly unlikely. It would be interesting for dunc to actually try it, rather than simply taking as an absolute truth what DCS might say.

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Not doubting your subjective experience, but there is no scientific evidence that suggest the use of different Ethernet cables changes the digital signal that is being transmitted.

There are many possible explanations for the perceived difference though, expectation bias being one of them.

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Dunc, to me it sound as you already “know” that switches may impact sound from your dcs streamer. The Malco switch did, even if not to your liking. Also you use a Melco server, my take on that is that it is a box doing the duties of storage, server and switch (even if it is only a one output one).

What i have tried, hasn’t made any difference in my system and my ears.
Also my 22 year old daughter couldn’t tell any difference, tried also through my headphones, again no difference i can pick out.
Maybe dCS have done something and not saying, but i am sure other manufacturers have had a dCS bit of kit in there workshops to have a nose about in

And there is scientific evidence that show it don’t?

Maybe, but people I know and respect said that they found that one cable was better than the one I had, whereas I found it a lot worse. That suggests to me that expectation bias was not in play. Who knows? This thread will simply be another that covers the same old ground, with nothing new to add and many ingrained prejudices on display.

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That is a logical fallacy called the Burden of Proof fallacy:

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/burden-of-proof

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Yes i use a melco N10 just for storage and use it to play my music to 4 different points around the house.
The main one being my rossini, that is connected to it from the dedicated player port, i dont want to use usb, as dCS state that the ethernet connection is better, so if i connect the rossini direct using my ethernet cable, i would then need to go usb from melco to rossini and have another ethernet cable to feed the melco, so i can operate it and download direct to it

I’m not sure, but is it not dcs (and you) who claim switches etc. does no difference?

Try a blind AB test - having wife or kids swapping the cables and see if you can notice a difference.

The idea is that you cannot prove a negative, for instance:

Bertrand declares that a teapot is, at this very moment, in orbit around the Sun between the Earth and Mars, and that because no one can prove him wrong, his claim is therefore a valid one.

The burden of proof lies with the party making a positive assertion, in this case that UTP cables or switches do make a difference in sound quality. That proof should be substantiated with measurable or verifiable data, so merely anecdotal evidence would not suffice.

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Assuming you connect it direct to the dcs you could move it to another room and se if it has any influence on the sound…

Hey, if it feels good, do it and enjoy it! I cancelled my Tidal and Qobuz subscriptions in favour of Spotify and I love it!

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Ok, I get your point and fully agree that there is no scientific evidence, just as there is non that a nac202 reproduce recorded music in an inferior way to say a nac552…

It’s already been established that with network cables there is no best so one person’s choice is always the correct cable for them. Kit and environmental factors come into play. Indeed my choice was different to HH’s but we are both correct. :slightly_smiling_face:

If all the choices are correct - then the conclusion should logically be that there is no difference in the underlying cable?

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That would be a different scenario. Preamps actively convert an input signal to an output signal, which is a lossy process, so there will be a difference between the two (regardless of which one is subjectively better). But in the case of network switches and cables, they only transport the same identical bits, there is no processing or alteration taking place, so the end result will also be identical.

If some people choose DCS and some Naim, neither is wrong. Both are right. So using your assertion, both are the same.

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I guess this is where we differ, based on my experience I have opened my mind that there is something more going on than transporting bits. (And bits do not really exist in a physical sense, it is an electrical representation of the concept bits that is transported).