One step forward: ER +lpsu

Thanks again @Thomas for your valuable and sage advice.

Yes, I could try that. I have 2 or 3 Cisco switches in the cellar and one them is a 2960 PD with SFP slots.

I even have the Sonore Optical Module I could play with (I didn’t send it back) .

Lots of options here, but not a lot of time to test them.
I’m writing this message while resting
 at the climbing gym :person_climbing:

You could also try the Cisco PD between your wall socket and streamer - which could be via PoE if your main Cisco is PoE enabled.

That audibly cut the noise floor in my system vs one Cisco. And in ElMarko’s.

If you get the chance to compare the Sonore module into ER via Ethernet - vs Cisco - vs the direct ER Optical you use now then I’d be interested in what you think.

Time is always an issue - especially when you reach a ‘pleasure hiatus’ point with the HiFi and do not want to risk inadvertently creating problems, especially when there are other things to be juggled with your time
I know it well! :bear:

DB.

Not sure I understand how that could bring an improvement.

With my current setup, I’m already completely isolated from the network.

Apart from not having a lot time for tweaking, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

When it sounds that good, the desire of upgrading or tweaking just isn’t there anymore.

The piano sounds so good! Attacks, decays
 and this floating and airy sound which reveals the recording venue. So enjoyable!

And I guess I’m getting used to this slightly leaner sound I’ve describe previously.

After the gym I listened to 2 tracks from those albums. What a delight!


I might try the following setups :

[Cisco]—(fiber)—[ORendu]—(Ethernet)—[ER]----(Ethernet)—[ND555]

[Cisco]—(fiber)—[Cisco]—(Ethernet)—[ER]----(Ethernet)—[ND555]

What I have now is much simpler:

[Cisco]—(fiber)—[ER]—(Ethernet)—[ND555]

Well, you said above that the ER did not make a clear downward SQ difference when you removed it - in your system.

You explained this, iirc, by saying that it seemed to ‘take away’ as much as it ‘added’ - or something to that effect.

Using PoE Ciscos seems to be definitely better than using one Cisco.

So it may be possible in theory that PoE Ciscos might equal or beat an ER in your system, is it not?

Certainly worth the 5 minutes it would take to plug it in (if your main Cisco can send PoE).

Not sure I said that :thinking:

I guess you’re oversimplifying my description :
–> One step forward: ER +lpsu

And I’d add @Darkebear’s description which mirrors exactly what I percieved.
–> One step forward: ER +lpsu

One good thing about the ER is the fiber, it cuts all electrical noise.

Powering the second Cisco through PoE doesn’t solve the noise problem.

Adding a second Cisco to the rack would take more than 5 minutes, my network cabinet is relatively crowded :rofl:

I might do some experiments, but for now I’m enjoying my system and don’t feel the need to make changes. It sounds lovely ! :blush:

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A very reasonable and rational response @Thomas, and I entirely agree with your valuable and sage words, unlike some chaps here, who would tend to react rather strongly if I do not go along with their views.

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I certainly agree with the kind words. Since the ER has almost universal improvement, if it were me, it would suggest that I have something else limiting or wrong with my system, and it might be worth finding that issue. I have no idea what to suggest.

I’m sorry, but it has not.
A few dozens of chaps (me included), on forums dedicated to audio gear, doesn’t make it “universal”.

Or
 there is nothing wrong at all.

There is nothing wrong about not hearing any difference, or deciding the delta isn’t significant enough to call it a difference.

And above all, there is nothing wrong about deciding the difference is not an improvement.

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Has anyone tried a Linear Power supply on their Nas? Got one of the latest Synology DS220+ and maxed the Ram to 6gb. Installed a SSD on it-it gives more detail but loss of low end compared to nas hdd.

The ps is 12v 5a

Just use normal BT router 5m Chord C stream- cisco 2960 catsnake into server. Chord epic to Moon Mind Ndac 555

I have not counted, but I do follow the Audiophile Style forum as well as the Naim one, and I don’t recall a few dozens that could not hear the difference, but it could be.

We have a saying “50 Million Frenchmen can’t be wrong”—I do realize that its not 50 million, but certainly several thousand.

When I encounter these kind of odds, I was always taught, and practiced that this suggests that a re-examination might be in order. Just a thought. There might be a free upgrade as a result.

Perhaps you should give a second read to my post. I wrote the exact opposite


If I recall correctly, French men are and have been “always” wrong since the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. :slight_smile:

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Perhaps my comments should have been directed to jsaudio. Sorry, I am 2 weeks out of heart surgery and am not be 100% yet.

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I am looking at other placement options regarding the EE switch such as directly connected to my router and then long run to the ND555.
Haven’t gotten around to doing it yet.

@anon56221831
I just had the time to catch a glimpse of your message.

I’m Swiss, living on the French side of the “Röstigraben”. Some would add : not the best side :joy:

Thanks for the compliment! Unfortunately, my English isn’t as good as I’d like it to be. It’s a rather complicated language, like French by the way. Both have an awful spelling and a grammar that is beyond the comprehension of someone like me. Apart from English and French, I manage to make myself understood in 3 other languages. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. In Switzerland, we have 4 official languages, and a lot of dialects.

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I rerouted by Catsnake to ER (4 port side) a few days back and sound went a bit more mellow. Not a bad mellow but more mellow than previously. Quite a lot actually. I just realised I used the port furthest away from the SFP port for the incoming connection this time. Switched back to port closest and the sound is much more Impactful now. Back to where it was previously
 sounds crazy BUT I have a friend here and they said not even close, VERY different. Volume needed turning down a bit also.

Would be interested if anyone else gets the same result. Maybe its the fact the port had less use and needs to ‘burn in’ who knows!

@Steve
My ER is connected to my main switch using its SFP port (in order to completely electrically isolate the ER from the rest of the network). So I can’t comment about differences between the ER’s RJ45 ports.

I wouldn’t bet on a “burn in” factor.

The differences you’re perceiving could well be related to thermal noise (operating temperature is above 50°C !!!).

The RJ45 ports closest to the SFP port are also the closest to the heatsink


Apart from electrical isolation, I chose to use the SFP port because of the position of the “moat” and the voltage regulator dedicated to the SFP port : they are less close to the heatsink then those dedicated to the RJ45 ports.

This could make a difference.

This is exactly what I perceived when removing the ER


The ER does the job at isolating, but it seems like its PCB design could be better.