Changed my current TP Link Gigabit Ethernet switch bought a few months ago for a Cisco 2960G Gigabit 8 port which I bought off eBay recently from the USA. Refurbed and reset to factory spec, and 12 months warranty. Was pleased to see it looking like new and fast delivery from them.
So plugged it in, running as an unmanaged switch and plugged all the cables in. First of all the computer in the other room seems to be downloading quicker, or maybe thats me.
Most important is that it does sound better, not leagues different, just a bit more separation and clarity, better soundstage, same as when i put in the Belden Catsnake cable recently in place of my AQ Pearl.
This cannot be happening, it’s a switch box with 1’s and Zero’s going through it, but it’s not me thinking this it really is an improvement even in my modest streaming system of Innuos Zen mini Mk2 with Innuos LPSU into a Rega Mk1 Dac
Or rather many threads discussing peoples experience, whether subjective or objective, with reasons for any real observed effects expounded in some of the cable and switch threads:
Computers, switches homes are electrically noisy environments, and the network picks up the electrical noise end feeds it in together with the digital data. The digital data gets through unchanged, to be decoded to create the analogue audio signal. Unfortunately in the DAC the electrical noise (radio frequency) can cause modulation effects during the conversion process in the DAC, changing changing the analogue audio. I think it has also been observed that there can be adverse effects on the clock, creating audible timing issues. Different network cables and switches may pick up more or less RF, or may effectively filter out more or less RF, and anything connected to the network may have some effect in the same way. The effects may differ with different electrical environments in different people’s homes. DACs vary in their susceptibility, some it seems affected for more than others while the changes to the analogue audio may be different with different DACs. And the resultant changes to sound may be perceived by some people as an improvement, and others a deterioration, depending On the system and the listener’s preference (e.g. one noted change caused by ground plane modulation in a DAC is a perceived increase in ‘brightness’ - which can be negative to some people and positive to others). And finally of course the very audibility of any effects is likely to dependon the system through which the sound is replayed, including any room effects, and the listener’s ears…
Personally I keep it simple - my music does not stream across a network, going direct from store to renderer in the same box, and then a direct, non-networked, connection to a DAC with a major design emphasis on minimising the effects of RF.
The Cisco switch I bought has 1 gb capability on all ports as well as 10/100. Apparently it is the only one at 8 port that does. I am amazed at the condition of it, at least visually but it all works and as I say has 12 month warranty. Though not sure I would send it all the way back to America. So a happy man, the computer in the other room runs off another cat 8 cable run from the Cisco. This is directly connected to the sky router via a Metz cat 7 cable with decent telegrapher connectors. So it must be the Cisco switch that is passing the data through quicker but I have no idea why as I am not a network expert to say the least.
Seems I misunderstood, I thought “the computer in the other room” is not connected to the Cisco and you were saying that this one downloads faster then stuff connected to the Cisco
There have been many posts of why on this and the previous forum.
Essentially Ethernet is a clocked serial communication.
The more inconsistency in the clock in the serial line from the switch the more additional noise is sent to the other end of the Ethernet lead. Think of an FM transmitter, the greater the noise and variance on the clock, the greater the power in the frequency sidebands in the Ethernet clocking and these sidebands will couple into the receiving equipment.
Different switches will have different degrees of clock stability.
