I’ve been trying two different solutions which are broadly designed to reduce noise on a LAN; the theory being less noise in, more music out. Since acquiring my 552, it has really shown what the front end can do and I’ve sometimes noticed a little sibilance/digital hash around high frequencies which I wanted to try and address.
The two options I have tried are the Network Acoustics ENO system and the ADOT optical fibre kit.
I’m not particularly technically minded, so I don’t really understand what the ENO does, but it is basically a passive (it’s not powered) filter. I understand that passive filters tend to be a combination of chokes/ferrites which can tend to dull things down, but this one has many good reviews on Trustpilot, and it had a 30 day money back option, so I decided to give it a go.
The ADOT was brought to my attention by a newsletter sent to me by my dealer. A little further reading and a chat with him indicates that placing a run of optical fibre in your network just before audio equipment, isolates all the noise on the network before it. My understanding is that optical only carries a digital signal but is not subject to all the RFI etc that gets picked up by copper cable.
So it could be seen that both options attempt to do the same sort of thing, but go about it in a slightly different way.
The ENO’s most noticeable effects were that it was warmer and it brought the soundstage forward more - closer to my listening position. There was a little softening of higher frequencies and it definitely refined the digital hash. The presentation was a little richer and the mid range a little more detailed. I found voices and piano in particular sounded better - more realistic. The one downside for me is that my system already has quite a forward presentation and the ENO could make this a little overbearing on some recordings. Overall, the jury is out on this one. I like it, but it is expensive… I’ve got a another week to decide!
I like the ADOT fibre kit! To me, you get more bang for your buck - and that’s just before you plug it in! Initially, I had the MC01 (the basic kit) plus and MC accessory. This is basically two powered modules which you run an optical cable between. You plug your streamer into one module and then connect the other module to the internet/LAN. I found the results quite obvious - clearly my network is noisy! There is simply more of everything - clarity, detail etc and it has completely removed the digital hash/sibilance I had been experiencing on My NDS. For me, this one was a no brainer!
I find the ADOT seems to effect no changes in character to the sound like the ENO did, it just seems to offer a clearer picture [Cliche Alert]: it’s like a window has been cleaned (sorry but it’s the simplest way I can think to describe it).
Now, with thanks to @james_n , I have managed to run the fibre from one of the ADOT modules directly into my Cisco switch for an even better solution which negates the need for the MC Accessory and this shortens the signal path.
So the ADOT will be a keeper. Now to try the ENO between the ADOT and my Melco…
I’ve not seen either of these talked about much on here, so hope this might help anyone considering these in the context of a Naim system. I would be interested to hear any other experiences with either of these products.