I don’t think I was using mumbo jumbo and or trying to justify it,Simon. I was just stating that in my system and home, it makes a significant difference!
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indeed I don’t think you were either. I of course was commenting on your ‘as all things Hifi, devices like this can divide opinion’ observation
Yes but you seem to have only quoted me in part I also added that “…one must make up one’s own mind.”
Yep, I know, as I said, you should decide what sounds good to you and not try and justify it.
I am sorry I think there is a terrible risk that we might actually be agreeing with each other… we don’t have to contradict each other do we??... 
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No contradiction required, Simon 
I think we are both on the same side of the table on this one!
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Definite risk of a heated agreement!
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I take no issue with someone saying they like the subjective improvement to their system brought about by whatever thing they just bought - who am I to say it didn’t - nor do I care how much they spent on it.
I do very much take issue with products claiming improvements to technical, measurable phenomena, while hiding behind ambiguous, interpretable metaphors as “proof”; intentionally conflating analog with digital-domain principles; with poor implementations of well-understood electronic solutions; and wildly overcharging for extremely basic components and mediocre build quality
I also take issue with reviewers who do nothing to challenge this kind of nonsense.
I can’t say that these audiophile ethernet filters won’t make a subjectively positive improvement in your system, but when all of my complaints above are true, it’s really unlikely that the positive improvement is anything more than confirmation bias - which is an observable, measurable phenomena.
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„it’s really unlikely that the positive improvement is anything more than confirmation bias - which is an observable, measurable phenomena.”
To prove that, you will have, at a minimum least, to try an Ethernet filter in your own system.
If not, it’s just theoretical speculation based on IT Professional knowledge transferred to the audio domain.
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You assume I haven’t 
You got me then 
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Your observations / complaints are valid; however, we don’t believe that they don’t justify stating that the chance of actual improvement being “really unlikely” as there is good theoretical reason why they may give an improvement, just as there is good theoretical reason why they may be detrimental. Who knows what the chance is of each?, the probability factors are complex an incalculable.
However, we whole heartedly agree that they inappropriately hide behind the use of meaningless marketing speak to cover-up this inherent uncertainty, and that in some cases the prices charges do not reflect the nature of the product.
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Whilst I cannot disagree that there are an awful lot of products out there that do not justify their hype and stratospheric pricing, I can assure you that in my context this is certainly not the case. Now I am sure that some will argue that I haven’t set up my home network correctly for audio and I have no issue with that, I haven’t. The reason for that is that streaming is a secondary source in my system, with vinyl being my primary. None the less I do have occasion to use streaming as there is content that just isn’t available on , or badly transferred to, vinyl.
Now you talk about “confirmation bias”. Once again I assure you that this isn’t the case. I had a friend swapping the Muon Pro filter in and out of the system and using different streams. In every case I was able to discern when the Muon Pro was connected versus out of the system. Some might argue that the Muon Pro was just different and not necessarily better. Once again they haven’t heard this in the context of my system; the Muon Pro subjectively improved timing, instrumental timbre, clarity and soundstaging.
I admit I don’t know how this works, I am a biologist not a physicist and as a biologist I understand how our brains create a construct of the world around us and this can be tricked very easily. The subjective aural construct that my brain creates tells me that I prefer the sound with the Muon Pro connected rather than without it!
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I found a Baaske MI 1005 on Ebay for £40 so thought I would give it a go. Placed between router and switch it made a modest but useful improvement in clarity and smoothness with an apparent reduction in “hash” that I wasn’t previously aware of - about the same magnitude as going from standard to Powerline Lite mains lead.
Of course it may be confirmation bias but as objective reality is an illusion anyway, I don’t care and will be keeping it. If placebos work in healthcare then confirmation bias counts as a useful upgrade!
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How did you get on with this @Peder?
Hello 
…
I just got it today from Stack Audio,.so I’m going to give it a burn-in and then evaluate it.
I will also be sending it to two of my hifi friends for evaluation,.so it will be a while before I can share my/our opinion.
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Any feedback on your experiences yet?
Hi 
…
Stack Audio SmoothLAN
Plugged it in over a week ago and started the “burn-in” and evaluation.
First impression was,.OH, this is good.
SmoothLAN is connected closest to the streamer which is an InnuOs Zen mk3 in my headphone-system, this Zen mk3 forwards the signal to an InnuOs Phoenix USB reclocker, which in turn sends it on to a DAC.
I have disconnected my “hifi-switch” at the moment, so from the router a Neotech NEET-1008 Silver ethernet cable goes directly into this SmoothLAN, and further from SmoothLAN a short approx. 25cm included ethernet cable into the aforementioned Zen mk3 streamer.
An interesting first discovered…
This SmoothLAN transforms down from the router’s 1000Mbit to 100Mbit.
Which is the optimum for the best soundquality.
After first of the connection day
experience…
After all it was brand new,.and I was amazed at the effect this small, very well built SmoothLAN had on my system.
I thought,.do I need a dedicated “hifi switch” at all, I sat for two hours and played many of my well known reference tracks.
BUT,.on day two, when this SmoothLAN became “hotter” for a day, I felt that something was not quite right…
It “rubbed” in my musical vein.
Said and done:
I reversed the direction of the supplied short connection cable (see picture) between my SmoothLAN and the Streamer.
And 
,.there everything fell into place, there was a noticeable difference in musical presentation, where the level of detail also increased.
Everything was experienced…
YES,.thats that,there it sat.
I have known for a very long time the importance of having everything in the right direction for the best sound quality, yes for decades…
But I’m still as surprised every time,. AND,.this time in my system, the effect was very noticeable.
BUT,.we’re taking this day by day and not charging anything upfront so we’ll see where it lands in my system.
Will later also test the direction on the SmoothLAN itself,.but it must be more “burn-in” first.
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Part 2 SmoothLAN…
Have reversed direction on SmoothLAN now…
Something is different on a subtle level.
BUT,.it might just as well be that it needs to “settle in” in the new direction.
So I’ll let it sit for a few hours and we’ll see.
I think I hear more in the background, but at the same time I wonder if a little of the musicality was lost.
We will get the answer in a few hours.
On the other hand,.I am absolutely sure about the direction of the cable 
.
This is on a subtle level,.but still,many subtle differences together make a big change.
Now I have changed back
the direction to original position
for SmoothLAN…
Ridiculously big difference in
musical presentation.
It was heard at the first 20 seconds of the first song.
SO,.to sum up, you have a 50% chance of connecting in the right direction.
• SmoothLAN was installed in
right direction from the start.
• I installed the short supplied ethernet cable incorrectly in
direction from the start.
Now that everything is directional
optimized,.I can really recommend
this SmoothLAN from Stack Audio.
It costs in England £250,.which is a bargain considering how it delivers in my system.
AND…
Today,.a recent review of the mentioned Stack Audio SmoothLAN (the-ear.xxx) appeared
This review confirms my own impressions,.except that nothing is mentioned about the directions I take up in previous posts in the thread for best soundquality.
I would go so far as to say,.that this SmoothLAN is better than the much rewritten English Electric 8switch which costs more than twice as much.
Said EE8 switch,.which I have had myself.
These were some of my impressions of Stack Audio’s SmoothLAN.
Now I will soon get home a very interesting switch,.then this SmoothLAN will be evaluated together with this switch.
But that’s another story …
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Sounds like a winner. Thanks for the thorough review
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Hi …
Well,.in my system it definitely is.
AND,.at a ridiculously low price considering the quality of this product.
Now in a week or so I will try,.and evaluate this SmoothLAN together with a new really good switch…
Pura Ammonite Elite.
It will be really interesting.
There are,.among other things, two switches in one box.
The top line where you connect from the router is 1000Mbit.
The bottom line where you connect the streamer is 100Mbit.
It has OCXO-clock and five internal power supplies to name a few things.
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