Post by Stratmangler on Jan 14, 2018 0:03:59 GMT
I have been running networked audio at home for a long time now, and will doubtless continue for the remainder of my life.
I don't have a CD player anywhere near my audio system.
Over the years I've heard lots of claims that things sound better if you use this network cable in preference to that cable, and it's something I've had a degree of scepticism about. Hyperbole is no stranger to audiophile circles.
Last year I purchased an appropriate length Cat6 patch lead, and hooked it up between my Squeezebox Touch and the network switch close by. And, bugger me, there was a slight improvement in sound quality - the bass gained a bit more depth.
What's more I could switch between the Cat6 cable and the Cat5e cable I used previously (as the player itself plays from buffer) and repeatedly hear the difference.
My son could track things too, and I tested him blind.
So one for the cable guys.
Beneficial, but not mind blowing and obvious. Something to be with rather than not.
I went and replaced the backbone of the home network with Cat6, and replaced the patch leads for Cat6 too, with no further improvement in sonics.
The next step literally blew me away.
I have used SBooster filters in conjunction with the down & dirty, cheap 'n' nasty SMPS PSUs for quite a while, and amassed a few SBoosters in that time.
I quite simply fitted an SBooster filter to the PSU for the nearest switch, and was blown away by what I heard.
The audible gains were not in the slightest bit subtle. And I’ve heard expensive upgrades that didn’t lift the bar to anything like the same degree.
The remainder of the system had SBooster filters fitted wherever possible, but I honestly couldn’t say that things improved further.
The one device that I couldn’t get to work with the SBooster filters was the router, because the plug and socket for the PSU connection is enormous compared to most bits of kit out there.
Eventually I bought an inline plug and socket of an appropriate size to match the SBooster filter, and broke into the PSU cable feeding the router.
Listening to familiar material was another one of those WTF moments, as things sounded better rhythmically, tonally, texturally – all in all another worthwhile move.
Now the router, local switch, and Squeezebox are all in close proximity to each other, so my reasoning behind why there are audible improvements is that the down & dirty, cheap 'n' nasty SMPS PSUs cause induced noise, which ultimately transmits through to the Squeezebox Touch, and has a very audible effect at the business end of the system.
The logical conclusion is that decently specced linear PSUs might just improve things, but it’s not an itch to scratch anytime soon, because that could easily come to a tidy sum.
It’s a maybe, if I can afford it sometime.
For now my most used source is my Squeezebox/DAC combo, for radio, Spotify and local library.
Vinyl records get played regularly too, but for day to day general usage it’s difficult to beat the convenience and general sound quality of my current digital front end.
I don't have a CD player anywhere near my audio system.
Over the years I've heard lots of claims that things sound better if you use this network cable in preference to that cable, and it's something I've had a degree of scepticism about. Hyperbole is no stranger to audiophile circles.
Last year I purchased an appropriate length Cat6 patch lead, and hooked it up between my Squeezebox Touch and the network switch close by. And, bugger me, there was a slight improvement in sound quality - the bass gained a bit more depth.
What's more I could switch between the Cat6 cable and the Cat5e cable I used previously (as the player itself plays from buffer) and repeatedly hear the difference.
My son could track things too, and I tested him blind.
So one for the cable guys.
Beneficial, but not mind blowing and obvious. Something to be with rather than not.
I went and replaced the backbone of the home network with Cat6, and replaced the patch leads for Cat6 too, with no further improvement in sonics.
The next step literally blew me away.
I have used SBooster filters in conjunction with the down & dirty, cheap 'n' nasty SMPS PSUs for quite a while, and amassed a few SBoosters in that time.
I quite simply fitted an SBooster filter to the PSU for the nearest switch, and was blown away by what I heard.
The audible gains were not in the slightest bit subtle. And I’ve heard expensive upgrades that didn’t lift the bar to anything like the same degree.
The remainder of the system had SBooster filters fitted wherever possible, but I honestly couldn’t say that things improved further.
The one device that I couldn’t get to work with the SBooster filters was the router, because the plug and socket for the PSU connection is enormous compared to most bits of kit out there.
Eventually I bought an inline plug and socket of an appropriate size to match the SBooster filter, and broke into the PSU cable feeding the router.
Listening to familiar material was another one of those WTF moments, as things sounded better rhythmically, tonally, texturally – all in all another worthwhile move.
Now the router, local switch, and Squeezebox are all in close proximity to each other, so my reasoning behind why there are audible improvements is that the down & dirty, cheap 'n' nasty SMPS PSUs cause induced noise, which ultimately transmits through to the Squeezebox Touch, and has a very audible effect at the business end of the system.
The logical conclusion is that decently specced linear PSUs might just improve things, but it’s not an itch to scratch anytime soon, because that could easily come to a tidy sum.
It’s a maybe, if I can afford it sometime.
For now my most used source is my Squeezebox/DAC combo, for radio, Spotify and local library.
Vinyl records get played regularly too, but for day to day general usage it’s difficult to beat the convenience and general sound quality of my current digital front end.
