Did you hear any difference when you compared network cables?
There is no measurable let alone audible difference of properly transmitted data(!!!) packets that form an audio stream. Be it copper ethernet, fiber optics or WiFi. Holy Jeezes on a stick.
3 Likes
There are plenty of techniques for reducing and eliminating noise in DACs that don’t involve optical isolation. Do some research.
Optical isolation is the only efficient way to eliminate the electrical noise that is channeled with the DATA to the DAC.
2 Likes
I have an addiction to countering misinformation. It’s an unfortunate consequence of being a scientist.
Hans may have lots of listening experience, but he still doesn’t understand networking.
6 Likes
No, it’s not.
It has nothing to do with the DATA.
Power your DAC with a poor power supply instead of a LPS, and it won’t sound as good.
Why? Because the noise-floor is higher.
The same thing goes for the streamer that is connected to the DAC… Its electrical noise is channeled to the DAC with the DATA. And it’s the same for all the LAN.
The beauty of these cheap optical converters is that they eliminate completely all the electrical noise of the LAN. With them, the quality of the Ethernet cables in the LAN does not matter. And the noise level of the server, and the other devices does not matter as well.
Of course I didn’t. And I blind A/B/X tested it using a bonded network connection over 802.3 ad LAG.
If so, what else can eliminate the electrical noise?
No, they don’t. Because your fibre to ethernet module which has internal switching regulars can reintroduce noise when converting the data carried by fibre back to data on the copper going to your streamer.
It’s all moot though, because the noise doesn’t affect a competently designed DAC.
1 Like
You don’t need to eliminate noise, Only reduce it to below the threshold of hearing. You can’t eliminate noise anyway. Every single electronic component produces noise, even resistors.
2 Likes
Let me see some proper evidence of this with measurements.
The LPS vs SMPS argument is an audiophile myth that needs to die.
A well designed SMPS will trash a LPS all day every day. Why? Because the switching noise is so far out of the audio band that it can’t possibly compromise the sound. Not so, the 50/60Hz and 100/120Hz noise from a LPS.
Benchmark Media’s AHB2 power amplifier is the lowest noise and distortion audio amplifier on the planet, so they know a thing or two about the subject.
3 Likes
That’s why I said in an earlier post that it’s important to power with a LPS the converter that comes after the fiber optics cable.
1 Like
You are obviously messing between acoustic noise and ELECTRICAL NOISE.
You can’t hear the electrical noise. It only pollutes the DAC, and degrades the quality of the sound conversion to analog.
2 Likes
You’re missing the point. The media converters have internal switching regulators to achieve the different voltages for the internal circuitry.
No, I’m not. Get SINAD down to around -120dB and noise can’t be audible, no matter how loud you play it. At pain threshold, it’s still inaudible.
You’re arguing stuff here that you don’t understand.
4 Likes
It was clear that I was referring to the poor switching power supplies that come with our computers, switches, router, modem, printer… and whatever other devices on the LAN that spread high frequencies of electrical noise.
I was not referring to studio grade switching power supplies.
1 Like
How about this: Electrical noise can be reduced to a degree where its effects on the D/A conversion become inaudible. Does that work for you? Do we really need to spell it out this way?
Indeed, I don’t know to what SINGAD refers. English is not my mother’s tongue.
2 Likes