It is funny that these switches and cables only have effects on audio data. Or did they also affect your word and excel files.
Did an expensive switch makes the text in you word files punchier or the numbers in your excel files smoother? Can you confirm, that using such a great switch makes a big improvement to my bank account, if I use them for online banking?
I cannot believe that these effects are solely for files that includes audio data, there must be more positive effects 
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I would think the audio endpoint is the determining factor. How well is it designed to reject any electrical noise in its analog circuits?
Some research and home trialing should allow anyone to work that out and you can always just unplug the cable and listen for the drop in quality until the buffer runs out.
If your audio endpoint is lacking in design and quality, then perhaps these switches can help but maybe a better end point would be a wiser use of money as these things are not cheap.
Personally with my system, I donât have nagging droughts about the quality as I am astounded by it every day.
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Data transfer (like opening a file) is all about âbit-perfectâ, and usually with checksum and resends on error. But there is more to digital audio than being bit-perfect. For SPDIF (and to some extent) USB Audio there is jitter to consider, and all electrically connected devices transfer electronic noise between them. And for a DAC, electronic noise usually means the analog output is affected, leading to worse sound.
Then there is the issue of not creating electronic noise more than necessary, for example an ethernet receiver that receives faulty packs have to discard them and ask for new ones, which will create a small amount of extra noise.
A theoretically perfect DAC would solve all this, but sadly that DAC donât exists. So to improve the signals into the DAC stuff like USB tweaks or ethernet endpoints can be used, and even insert fiber into the chain to remove noise from upstream.
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Another thread riddled with subjectivist opinion and mention of that old saw jitter which is now well and truly only an issue in incompetent design.
I wonder, is video any clearer streaming to your AV unit / TV/ projector/ screen via these magical switches? It should be, after all, thereâs ostensibly less noise to interfere with the signal. It should look and sound better. Gobsmacked nobody has claimed this yet. Missed opportunity.
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Everything that has an analogue output will be affected by noise coming in unless 100% galvanic isolated. Thatâs true for DACs as well as for every other electronic device in the world.
Besides, lots of power conditioners out there that also target AV equipment (no idea if they work though, but not so far-fetched as you seem to think).
Coming from the man thatâs convinced the jitter boogeyman is very much alive and well Iâll just disregardâŚ
If youâre so worried about noise interference just get a network filter thatâs used with medical equipment regulating life and death matters. But then I suppose itâs audio, and the science isnât fully understood and we canât measure the stuff that matters
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I wish jitter wasnt a problem anymore, then me (and pretty much everyone) would use Toslink because it would sound best. Jitter (even on async USB audio) is a problem though, on many levels. But its less of a problem than a few years back.
But I am not going to be dragged into another meaningless âbits-are-bitsâ discussion. Those who believe that bit-perfect Audio is optimal and nothing else matters, can continue to do so.
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Youâre projecting, nowhere did I say bits are bits. If you think jitter is still an issue toss your DAC because itâs crap. I get the noise argument, but you donât need a ÂŁ1k switch to dispense with it.
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A switch wonât affect jitter, or at least not the jitter that we are talking about here. And most likely, ethernet cables and USB cables wonât affect jitter either (if they do, I for one donât know how). SPDIF cables though will produce jitter.
I mentioned jitter because its one of two things that can decrease sound quality for bit-perfect data, the other is electronic noise.
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Plenty of theorising here, most of it happy to use very pejorative language, but very little voices of experience⌠Maybe theyâre being put off by all the noiseâŚ
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Spoken like a true subjectivist. Itâs all about the music after all 
You like to mix things up! One is synchronous and jitter has a degree of relevance, and the other is asynchronous. In other words, the DAC controls the clock with one but not the other.
Not strictly true. Ethernet, which is the topic of this thread, is very good at (common) noise rejection by design. A well engineered DAC is designed to reject (expected) noise at the digital inputs. And the great thing is this can be measured.
Rather than buying into these unnecessary gadgets that typically introduce more noise and at best have no impact, invest in a good quality DAC (and that doesnât mean expensive.)
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Yup, can oâ worms is open, woodwork is crawling.
Ethernet cables as antennae? For real? Iâll try picking up some FM broadcasts on my PCâs then. Will let you all know if I succeed. Wouldnât hold my breath though.
Electrical noise? Sheesh⌠from a few milliamps over the ethernet cables? Besides, donât you need electricity in all your circuitry to generate the sound? Or how do you think your amp sends the sound to your speakers? Ehm⌠by sending a modulated electrical current to them.
Man, with my powerline connections I definitely must have the worst sounding system in the universe.
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You keep forgetting, your kit isnât good enough to resolve the noise.
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Measurable: No. If you can measure a difference itâs because something is very broken.
Subjectively: Sure why not. Go enjoy buying all the audiophile grade networking gear and enjoy the music that much more knowing youâve got the best.
Many have noted with such switches including the the Bonn N8 Silent Angel switch
Ya, just surprised none here have brought it into the evidence room.
See, I knew there was something. Thanks @evand for remiĚnding me not to spend money on really high end kit, so I wonât be bothered by all this electrical noise.
BTW people, no luck with FM recptions on my PCâs. Iâm starting to doubt this ethernet antennae story.
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Yes they do. Give different Switches and ethernet/USB cables a demo, and you will be surprised.
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and if your imagination alone isnât enough to get you there some weed, alcohol or both may come to your aid.
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