Here I am avoiding any discussion about whether audiophile Ethernet is snake oil or whether switches add noise, etc., etc… There are many opinions. One thing I do know is that light is incorruptible. I just bought a 4 port fiber optic PCIe card on EBay for $20. They should be seen by the OS as a regular Ethernet card.
Haven’t got it yet and it’s just for tinkering. One plan would be to install card(s) on the Roon core machine, run fiber to the endpoints and convert back to Ethernet there. That way the fancy-schmancy Ethernet cable would be short and less expensive.
Just make sure the fiber to copper conversion doesn’t add more noise to the system than you’re trying to remove with the fiber to begin with. There’s ultra low noise transceivers out there. They also must be powered by ultra low noise supplies. But if done right, it’s impossible to improve upon it.
Those TPlink FMC supplies are so bad, I could hear an audible whine out of my speakers. And they say that Ethernet is galvaniclly isolated by design so it’s impossible for that to happen. BS. Those crappy little transformers built into the Ethernet jacks simply aren’t good enough to isolate everything.
I use these throughout my home network: http://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/1m-cat6a-professional-rj45-shielded-ethernet-cable-black.html.
I’m not sure if shielded Ethernet cables make any difference but my set up sounds pretty damn good to my ears and they were cheap. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying some “audiophile snakeoil” cables and if I felt they made a big enough difference I would spend the money (within reason).
Why should they though? You are never going to sanitise this hobby to the extent many would like because it appeals to the obsessive so fringe stuff like this will always be part of the narrative. Live and let live because I would rather have the sort of diversity that gives those companies a place than the alternatives.
Yeah, wondered about that. Probably the converters that have ultra low noise are more than I want to pay. For $20, I bought the PCIe card on a tinkering whim. .
All my heat producing equipment (computers, amps for the 7.1 system, etc.) is in the basement. To run Ethernet from core to endpoints would be 50 feet in one case and probably 250 total. I use cheap cable now and switches. That’s the attractiveness of core (with fiber optic PCIe card) -> fiber -> fiber/Ethernet converter -> audiophile Ethernet -> endpoint, and of Roon’s core/endpoint concept.
I thought about changing to fibre and maybe if I had longer runs (like you) I’d consider it a bit more but I’m happy with how my set up sounds.
I have a problem with DC hum on my power amp, it is intermittent but ridiculously loud when it’s there. It is always worse in the late evening. I purchased an Isotek Evo 3 Syncro which got rid of the hum but I didn’t like what it did to the sound of my system so I sold it and now put up with the humming. I’m really weary of spending more money on cables and the such when I really enjoy my system as it is.
Hum, interesting. I’ve got a hum in my new Little Dot MKIII headphone amp (ironically, my MKI is totally silent). I’ve heard they are susceptible to USB interference so I bought a ground loop isolator. That resulted in lessening the hum and in moving it from the right channel to the center of my head, i.e. both channels(?). I was thinking that the ground loop was removed and the hum I am now hearing is the lower noise floor from the cheap Chinese tubes. Was going to tube roll anyway, but maybe the hum is DC.
In my experience (and I have been doing Ethernet streaming for 10+ years to Sonos, Linn and lately to Roon endpoints, but just went back to Linn), if there are differences in Ethernet cables, I can’t hear them. Nor have I noticed much, if any, improvement from the various filters that are for sale.
Again, this is my experience and YMMV.
Speaking of which, having used both the sMS-200 and mRendu, I’d say that you’d get more bang for your buck if you sell the mRendu and buy a sMS-200. If your experience parallels mine, you’ll be able to cover the cost of the sMS-200 when you sell the mRendu.
On the server side it doesn’t matter how noisy it is because it’s upstream of the fiber. It only matters on the DAC side. The parts to do it right aren’t that expensive. However the units you find off the shelf aren’t designed for audio use. The best thing is for the manufacturer to build the fiber PHY into the unit, and do it right.
Yesterday my Brother was round and I played him Dyer Maker Led Zep.
He was dancing like a Loon remembering how he used this tune to psych up for his Uni exams 40 years ago to this.
Cat 5e cables to a switch and a bit of Cat 6 to my Bluesound Pulse 2.
He never asked about cables…
My Mum came round the other night, she told me to turn off the bl$$dy racket when a £20 DAB radio would suffice and go and do something useful with my life like being an aid worker.
Do what you want in life (as long as it’s not hurting anyone), spend what you want to spend and tinker how you want to tinker.
I recently replaced the stock Ethernet cable supplied with my Sonicorbiter SE with AQ Cinnamon. I think it sounds better. Also, I am interested in what I read about the Supra Cat8 cable, another not-break the bank cable.
