So about 2 months ago I bought a Cisco 2960 network switch and some CAT7 Ethernet cable to replace a cheap netgear switch and some old cat5 cable. I got it up and running and i was hugely disappointed - the degradation of the sound quality was stark. At first I thought it was because I’d turned all my equipment off for the first time in ages, however the sound was no better a couple of weeks later.
The network switch was brand new (the 2960 are now obsolete but I found one new and boxed) so I hoped that it would eventually burn in and things would settle down.
[Note: The Cisco 2960 is well known in audio circles for having a positive impact on sound quality as part of a network streaming set-up]
So about two weeks ago things started to change - the separation between instruments and soundstage started to expand. Everything became much more defined with greater dynamics and clarity, so much so that it was like I’d upgraded to a much more expensive DAC or introduced a master clock. The last few days things have sounded better than ever. It’s a huge difference, a transformation.
I just thought I’d share this with you as it really has been a journey, but one with a very positive outcome.