My set-up could hardly be much simpler. BT Smart Hub 2 with 'phone plugged directly into it. Hub connected to ONT box with a short (25cm I think) length of Melco ethernet cable. 75cm of Chord C Stream ethernet cable from Hub to EE8 switch. 3m of C Stream from switch to EE1 isolator. 75cm of C Stream from EE1 to Melco N100. TV, Apple box and Sony Blu ray player connected wirelessly to Hub, as is everything else in the house.
All installed up to and including the ONT box by Openreach. Thatās it.
I told youā¦shamazingā¦if you are using Roon ā¦your Nuc or Nucleus will give same improvement againā¦if not more by replacing psu!!! Well doneā¦!!! I have even done my routerā¦which was more subtleā¦but a small improvement.
in my experience it matters depending on where is a switch located, if itās the last device before the streamer the cable is important almost to the extent of the streamer power cable itself. If itās somewhere in the house isolating a server for instance, not so much.
Simpler maybe but can you imagine that a BT Smart Hub output would be less noisy and better timed than the well isolated, well filtered feed from the current set-up? In audio streaming, a network has 2 functionsā¦ā¦to move files from 1 location to another and to refine that stream by removing all types of digital noise. If extra complexity goes in the direction of better isolation, filtration, timing and an improved physical layer specification it should be entirely beneficial to the final sound
Interesting thread. I do much of my listening these days through a computer audio setup. There is a company that manufactures high end components for computer audio with high end prices to match. They have just released a Ā£3K power supply for their streamer. I will decline to name them. Their product range contains a few additional power supplies. I am always aware that Naim Audio knew the benfits of a good power supply way back when. I remember when I first added a pre-owned SNAPS to my NAC42 back in the 1980s. The difference in sound quality was very significant!
Well said and absolutely true in my experience. The Router/LAN is a very major source of noise. The introduction of an EE8 switch and EE1 isolator has made very worthwhile improvements.
This is not just about blacker backrounds - lowering the noise floor. It seems that in digital systems like this that ānoiseā actually destroys the music. It severely impacts on timing and makes listening to music far less engaging. Iām more convinced than ever that eliminating noise is absolutely of key importance.
Simon, do you mean the wiring to the house from outside? All professionally done by Openreach. Iām not sure how I would exercise any control over this or indeed to even ascertain the specs. I imagine that any tampering or unofficial āinspectionā would constitute a criminal offence.
Yes, the wiring from your consumer socketā¦ in the UK that will likely be the Openreach master socket, and then the ideally twisted pair cable from the network port on that socket to your broadband router.
If you have fibre, it will be different, you will have fibre to your optical NTE and then likely ethernet cable to the WAN port on your router.
Thanks for clarifying Simon. Yes itās exactly that. There is a short length of Melco ethernet cable connecting the NTE bos to the BT SH2. The BT Hub came with what looked to be some very cheap and nasty cable - hence the Melco.
Not sure if putting an EE8 switch or EE1 isolator before the BT Hub would be beneficial? It occurs to me that significant noise must be entering via the internet. This approach seems to be rarely mentioned. perhaps it would impact negatively on broadband performance?
Could I suggest that using WiFi to your streamer would be rather simpler ? And a 5G Modem/Router (I use a ZTE MC801A) would get rid of all the yards/miles of that Openreach cabling outside at a stroke.
Noā¦ leave that part well alone. If you have a full fibre supply, it shouldnāt have much common mode noise anyway. If itās a superfast broadband supply, then it wonāt be Ethernet anyway, and your switch wonāt work. So anything upto your EE ( as they are now called) Smarthub leave alone.
No noise comes from the internetā¦ not in this sense anywayā¦ so no need to fret on that one
Could you elaborate please on the 5G Modem/Router. This would presumably mean BT would no longer be our service provider and all 'phone / broadband service would be via wireless? Did this result in a significant improvement for you - and in what way?
