An interesting "Linus" video on the "Audio Quality Ethernet"

Did I get the month wrong April ??

Funniest 20 minutes for a while , Netflix should recruit him :joy::joy::joy:

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Linus is one of the clickbaiter types that bug me on these types of YT channels. I used to follow the channel but get tired of him and the team these days jerking about.

Anyway of all the noise comments it not about the bits delivery - its about the EMI/RFI that these devices generate into the surrounding equipment that I think they are really targeting.

In the end if you can hear or think you hear a likable difference then go for it…I dont think there is any right or wrong here - each person can decide for themselves and believe what they want - just don’t deny others their point of views ether.

Remember it is a hobby we have here not some life or death end game.

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They claim this about other manufacturer’s switches:

“…putting some LAN isolating devices in series, as more LAN isolators you chain up, as more the sound goes into direction of mp3…”.

But it’s not the case with AQVOX!

“For our switches it makes sense to chain them up”.

Look here:

“Ich kann diesen Switch nur jedem ans Herz legen, der seine Streaming-Anlage ernsthaft aufwerten möchte”

“I highly recommend this switch to anyone who is serious about upgrading their streaming setup”

So much about reviews :frowning:

But is that really a thing we should be concerned about, given what we know about how ethernet works? Cat5e and Cat6 provide galvanic isolation so there’s no throughput of noise. It’s not my area of expertise, but a lot of very knowledgable people on this forum have stated quite categorically that this simply isn’t an issue.

As such …

Either EMI/RFI is a problem, or it’s not, but the answer to that question isn’t a matter of opinion or point of view. Either the Aqvox is solving a real problem, though I’ve yet to see any objective data to support this, or it’s an overpriced piece of audiophool nonsense.

You do understand that EMI and RFI are typically non wired i.e. airborne interference, so no amount of galvanic isolation will help you here.

How’s a switch going to help you here then?

The problem is reviewers have never reviewed anything that didn’t improve their systems beyond all expectations.

The only take away is that they must have really sh*tty systems without all the stuff they’ve reviewed.

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Sorry, but you are going to have to explain to me why, if that is true, that switches and cables and the like are advertised and accepted by those that use them as mitigating any EMI/RFI effects.

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@xxx - Do you have any review sites that you trust?

I have many sites - but not sure anymore who to trust :frowning:

The often aligned Audio Science Review and to a lesser extentent, because he doesn’t do many audio reviews, Archimago.

Also, any site that doesn’t take advertising. With the exception of the above two, that is probably none.

Who don’t I trust? Anyone that can’t explain in simple, quantifiable terms what makes a piece of equipment better than something else. Hans B. and TwitteringMachines are at the top of that list. Darko has gotten away from that nonsense. There was even a recent episode where he recommending using a TV as a streaming hub. This from a guy who, in the past, waxed poetic about an uber expensive USB cable.

The bottom line for me is that cables, routers and streamers as a way to improve one’s experience are a bunch of hooey.

Amps, speakers, (to a much lesser extent) DACs and room treatment are where one’s attention and money should be spent.

Just my very opinionated opinion. :slightly_smiling_face:

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There’s an interesting phenomenon going on, I think. Could it be that the hardware has gotten so good, and so cheap, that reviews are almost irrelevant?

Consumer Reports also reviews audio and video equipment: “Speakers are all about sound. That’s why our testing protocol places more emphasis on sound quality than any other single factor.” They pick the Edifier S1000MKII as the best wireless speaker. Also very big on Sonos soundbars.

Their top 5 headphones are all Grado, with the RS2X being top-of-the-line. But they don’t review headphone amps, so I guess you are supposed to plug them into your phone?

Maybe the thing that’s happening is that no one does the whole 60’s Playboy thing of chilling out with music and a babe any more. No one has CDs, records, tapes, etc. Home stereos are an artifact of the past, supplanted by home entertainment systems centered around a gigantic screen and all-digital AVR. Maybe this whole audiophile thing is just a nostalgic scream for the halcyon days of youth, demented old men refusing to yield to reality and listen to Spotify on their AirPods…

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I think you’re onto something there. If you include source quality, listening to Airpods + Spotify is arguably still a much better sonic quality than a 1930s recording on 1930s equipment. The gulf between a budget system and a cost-no-object system decreases yearly, discounting finishes/crafstmanship/aesthetics/taste.

As a current youth, I will slightly disagree with this:

Maybe the thing that’s happening is that no one does the whole 60’s Playboy thing of chilling out with music and a babe any more. No one has CDs, records, tapes, etc. Home stereos are an artifact of the past, supplanted by home entertainment systems centered around a gigantic screen and all-digital AVR.

Most of my friends own at least some records and varying quality turntables. Several of us own sound systems, too. We run the gambit from 5.1 surround, vintage, new and eclectic, to new and budget-focused. I host a little album club with friends that don’t have stereos and we get together and listen to records, discuss them, and hang out with good regularity during the colder months. I think this hobby is like any other hobby: someone usually has to introduce you to it. Music is a pretty central part of our lives, but a lot of this stuff is admittedly pretty expensive for equipment that does just one thing.

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Yeah, fair enough, I was mixing up my noise sources. But my previous point still stands, either there’s a problem that devices like the Aqvox solve, or there’s not. And, to date, I’ve yet to see any real evidence of the former.

Maybe that’s why they’re your friends. :laughing:

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If you look at the trouble the high end manufacturers go to shield internal components from EMI/RFI you will understand what is going on here…cheap gear just doesn’t do this that well. everything adds up.

go and google what noise is all about…its not about the bits so much these days its about the external effects noise can impose on the rest of the chain…

remember cables act like big antennae - its this that allows this interference to get into our systems… try running a phono input without a ground connection for example.

I don’t say that getting stupid expensive cables and switches is the way to go, but that there are manufactures that do some things much better than others. So the long and the short is often times when you pay peanuts - you do get monkeys.

I’ve said enough on this matter.

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Yes, there is nothing you can do to improve SQ with “better” networking equipment.

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When I want hifi advice, Linus is not who I think of as credible regardless of the topic.

Indeed… Is Your Cat 6 Cable a Dog? -- Blue Jeans Cable

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The only way you can judge this is to actually try it out in your system. If it doesnt make any difference, fine, yo dont have to worry. If it does make a difference, then you need to decide if it is worth the money. Thats the only way to find out, and any academic discussions regarding if it is possible or not does not lead anywhere. So: Try it out and decide, as with any other product. ( I was totally convinced it didnt had any impact, and the tried it myself and had to re-evaluate my position)