Ethernet switches, LPS, and cables

One more thing: Do not use a managed switch with Roon, or any switch that features Flow Control that cannot be turned off.

Iā€™ll take a look at that link.

The DGS-1005 is not a managed switch. It does list: ā€œIEEE 802.3x Flow Controlā€

I donā€™t know if I can turn this on/off. Not sure how to go about doing that.

Does this make a difference in sound quality or mess with it? What switch fits your requirements?

Thanks!

The concern with flow control is that by searching this forum, youā€™ll find different users had dropouts with several switches with flow control, especially with managed switches. Regardless of spec, if your current switch does not cause dropouts then itā€™s fine for your setup.

Good to know. I havenā€™t had any problems in the 2 years whenever Iā€™ve used it. No dropouts.

The LPS-1 looks cool with the fast charge times but expensive. Then on top, you need something to power the LPS-1. At which point, you probably should invest in an Aqvox or the likes. This hobby is insane! No way I can discuss any of this with an average person or even an average audiophile and convince them with a straight face. ā€œNo, the router isnā€™t enough. Youā€™ll need a switch. Make it an audiophile one. Then youā€™ll need a linear power supply. And another linear power supply for that power supplyā€¦and donā€™t forget about the cables.ā€

If I hadnā€™t heard all these changes myself, Iā€™d think these people are all crazy.

For the time being, Iā€™ll stick with the same switch and pick up a LPS. No problem with speed at these distances with the Cat5e. Still donā€™t know if there is anything to be gained by other ones from a noise rejection standpoint.

I ordered the Teradak U9 a few days ago for the switch. Will update on when that gets here.

In the meantime, I got a bunch of free Cat6 patch cables from Belden (IBDN PS6+), Tripp Lite and others. They all say Cat6, but some have UTP on them, others donā€™t. Some say 500 Mhz on them. Their stiffness varies. None say 6a directly on them.

Anyways, Iā€™m using the Cat6 from Belden and they do sound easier on the ears than the 5e. Darker background. Might give Cat7 a try as well.

http://www.siemon.com/us/standards/Screened_and_Shielded_Guide_7_Antenna_Myth.asp

http://www.siemon.com/us/standards/Screened_and_Shielded_Guide_8_Ground_Loop_Myth.asp

Thoughts?

I have been using Cat 6A S/STP in the meantime for all the connections. They were around $5-10. Havenā€™t run into any obvious problems that I could detect. Whether it made a difference or not, I havenā€™t done major A/B testing. Initially, I did think as if the background was darker and sound overall preferable.

On the other hand, I did try a bunch of stuff with the router and switch combo in the same room and trying various combinations. Have a theory, but more on that later. Still waiting for the LPS to come.

Also, key part from this article: http://www.klinktbeter.be/index.php/specials/highend-switch

So a switch is a temporal RAM based buffer, and regenerates the packet from RAM. This is called store & forward.

This means the switch will technically ignore whatever cable is running between the switch and router (layer1 in the OSI model) as long as it can correctly receive the frame (which the network guys also name a packet). Inside the switch, the frame exists in layer2 of the OSI model and contains info about the higher layers, like IP addressing in layer3, but a standard switch ignores this and does not even know about IP addresses. This is your standard dumb unmanaged home switch that you can buy for 10 ~ 20 euro. When a frame leaves the switch, it will be sent out via an interface. In consumer gear, this will be electrical, but it can also be optical or even wireless.

The link between the switch and streamer transports frames that are electrically generated, for which the power is derived from the power supply provided with your switch. The host that is connected to your switch ignores any possible noise that is also present on the link, as long as it can decode the frame electrically. A well known example is wifi: even with high noise levels, or low signal to noise ratios, wifi will still work, but at a lower bandwith still capable of transporting FLAC audio.