Galvanic isolation from router to endpoint

Ethernet already has galvanic isolation. I’m repeating that because it seems it doesn’t matter how many people say this others don’t want to believe it. If you don’t want to believe it then you have 2 options:

  1. Fiber. This can be complicated and get expensive but swapping from wires to glass/plastic between router and endpoint is an option.
  2. Buy one of the many isolating devices from many different manufacturers out there. The problem with this is… since Ethernet already has galvanic isolation its near impossible for the claims of these devices to be tested. “More galvanic isolation” isn’t a thing. It either is or it isn’t (and ethernet is).

Now, I’m not saying you won’t hear a difference by using one of these devices… and isn’t it about the enjoyment of listening? No matter what we hear coming from the system, if it provides enjoyment it’s a good purchase. So, go forth and experiment. The Uptone etherRegen is popular. The Sonore opticalRendu is popular. The pink-faun you mention is popular. There are “audiophile grade” switches. The list is pretty endless. But again, “more galvanic isolation” isn’t a thing. But your belief that it sounds better is and that’s more important to your enjoyment of your system.

Edit: I want to add that the Allo USBridge Signature is an isolating device. It’s “30+ LDOs on board” and various isolated power rails are there to “isolate” the USB port from any noise or other nasties that would otherwise be carried onto the USB cable. Additionally it’s suggested, and Allo sells, to use a nice linear power supply with the device which further benefits these characteristics of the device. Some have even found running a ground wire, which Allo provides thumb lugs for on their power supplies, between the USBridge and PSU to be of benefit. Is it the best reviewed / tested device on the market? No, not from what I’ve read/watched (but I have nothing to compare it to). Is it a step up from most other, cheaper, solutions? Yes.

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ipeverywhere…Thnks for ur thoughts

Yep…Psykoacustic is a powerfull thing…in our mind…but…il try to live it here and thnks again

Thread closed.

according to Beekhuyzen, this ethernet filter is the best improvement: the network acoustics eno. Better then the Silent angel bonn and the Etherregen

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CCLFJgwf21o

This is handy! if you really want be sure to have isolation. Pretty much famous already in the hifi. It was a real upgrade for my system. Never know how it would work in others. But loads of positive sounds from it.

Cheap and doable for most people wallets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm1h-p1kXzY

Have fun and enjoy the music

If your DAC can be affected by the Ethernet connected to a USB endpoint like the Allo USBridge Signature, time to get a better DAC. There’s no technical reason for a DAC designed in the last several years to be affected audibly by upstream digital components.

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As I was rudely schooled by Mark_Brown in this thread:

Ethernet is galvanic isolated, without exception.

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If listening to music gets you “disturbed” (fatigued?) then I doubt Ethernet cables are going to help you. You need to get to basics. Try different loudspeakers, different room placement, maybe some room treatment–even just curtains or carpets. Even DAC’s and amplifiers are second order differences, cables third order–in my opinion, Ethernet cables and peripherals that actually function make no difference at all. If music doesn’t bring you joy there is something terribly wrong. No small order improvement is going to help.

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According to me, Mr. Beekhuyzen is just making money by product placement.
Dirk

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Imho, it is almost impossible to overstate just how important understanding the “sound” of your Room and putting in correct room treatments is to setting up a listening area.

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I’ve watched a few of Mr. Beekhuyzen’s videos, and came away dazed and confused. He seems to be right about some things, wrong about others, and incoherent about still a third group. I wonder if he’s reading a script someone else wrote?

Kind of reminds me of the ads Wilford Brimley used to do for oatmeal. I always wondered if he actually ate oatmeal, or if after he finished filming the ad, he went back to licking caviar off the back of a chorus girl and quaffing champagne to wash it down, while watching a horse race.

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He gets volunteerly gifts from his followers to keep his reviews independent.

Hmm, thats a business model i have seen before, also in the «believe» and «trust me» branch.

Well, that’s what happens when (i) one doesn’t believe in what one is saying; or (ii) one doesn’t have a clue about what one says. :smiley:

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for (ii) you must watch more of these movies and join the youtube channel. In the beginning some of these are very complex to understand, especially when you missed/ forgot basic background from previous videos. But when continuing watching these you will more and more understand the basic fundaments and you will quickly understand the new ones.

for (i) who believe sound quality is determined by the speakers and acoustics only, and ones and zeros are all the same, Enjoy your speakers.

Not sure why people are bringing up usb when he uses Ethernet. Never use usb going to a dac, always use Ethernet or i2s. Just like a few people pointed out, Ethernet cable is isolated but there are things you can do to make sure you are getting the best sound:

  1. Get a good cat7 or better cable with the better connections. I use audioquest top of the line but there are others.
  2. Once you buy the cable, have somebody hook it up to a fluke meter to make sure it’s built properly. Not sure if all cables are ‘signature’ tested at the factory, but we (not me but my fellow teammates in networking) used to build our own cables and you wouldn’t believe how many they had to reterminate.
  3. You could try using an Ethernet to fiber adopter, with a short run fiber cable, then go thru a fiber back to Ethernet adopter between the wall and your dac. You will need 2 good Ethernet cables then.

Why would i2s be better than USB?

How many reclockers can you get for Ethernet or i2s? How many cables can you buy that isolate the power and data using usb? How many for Ethernet or i2s? How many femto clocks for Ethernet or i2s?
Sure, there are audio switches that claim if it’s an improvement or not for your Ethernet network.

All inputs to a dac have differences: why don’t you use toslink? Coax?

Problem is the master clock: for USB, the clock is on the DAC, for I2S/Coax, it’s the wrong way round, the clock is at the source.

Toslink is limited up to 96 kHz/24, some claim it can go up to 192kHz, USB has virtually no limit as far as audio is concerned.

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See

which thanks to the all-seeing moderators combines several different discussions held at various times into one over-arching mega-thread. My conclusion after suffering through this is that there’s no real point to trying to use i2s, and I can ignore it.

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That would depend on the DAC. For example, with the Holo Audio May KTE DAC, I think USB sounds as good as, and possibly better than, I2S.

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