Sound quality: USB vs. Ethernet (LAN)

Nice choice! There are actually a number of reviews out there comparing the sound quality of Vodka vs. Diamond. They actually all agree on the noticeable improvements of the Diamond.
Especially also DBS provides some additional benefits too.
So Vodka is already an outstanding choice - but if you can afford it the Diamond is even better.

@James_Heckman - @Markus_Hubner

From switch to server and from switch to Linn DSM (1.5 meter + 0,75 meter) would cost me:

AQ Vodka : ā‚¬1.048
AQ Diamond: ā‚¬ 2.598

Vodka and Diamond are both CAT7.

This would be more than 10/25 times what I payed for some very good CAT6 cables - Blue Jeans Cable Bonded Pair Cat 6 Ethernet (UTP).

If there where an significant SQ improvement than I would give it a thought.

The same goes for the whole discussion about SSD.

ā€œThe PM893 has been tested at our facility at proven to be both very reliable and the best sounding we have used to date.ā€

from

That would be 3 times more what a good standard SSD cost.

I donā€™t mind spending ā‚¬$ on HIGH-END accessories but I need to be convinced that it is worth it.

Torben

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Absolutely mad prices for an Ethernet cable. I donā€™t know whatā€™s worse: that they exist, or that people are buying them.

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Well regarding the SSD I needed big size volumes and went with a Samsung 870 EVO. Though also a QVO is fine and @danny also recommended them here on the forum.

Ethernet cables is a challenging topic. As an IT experienced guy for ages I even didnā€™t think about comparing or listening to more sophisticated models. But that changed some time ago when I tried out a few different ones. I guess itā€™s good to know that not 0s and 1S are transferred within an Ethernet cable rather than different voltages. So that transmission is prone to EMI etc.
But to sum it up, the most important connection is the from switch to your LINN in your setup. So I would invest there the most. Just try a Vodka you can lend from one dealer and see for yourself what difference you here and if itā€™s worth it.
The better and more resolving your setup / components are the more it will make a difference.

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Iā€™ve often wondered why thatā€™s the case, i.e. the more expensive a system gets the more useless it gets at rejecting noise. Odd.

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Unfortunately thatā€™s not the case. Imagine a high-end setup with excellent components - and very bad power cables and Ethernet cables. This will actually avoid to exploit the full potential. But the more you use the potential thatā€™s within a setup you gain insights where room for improvement is.

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That sounds like a contradiction in terms, insofar as companies that can produce ā€œexcellent componentsā€ should also be able to provide adequate cabling to accompany them. If youā€™ve come across manufacturers who are supplying audio with gear with out-of-spec power and ethernet cables Iā€™d suggest you give them a miss as theyā€™re clearly not technically competent.

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Maybe, at least with a full system this is logic, also with a mini system. But with separates there are another kind of buyers. I bought a power amp, nad, around 2k, and in the box there was the cheap usual power cable. There are people who think that cables make no difference so why put in the box a cable that they do not want. And for the people that do upgrade the 3$ cable can stay in the box. I bought a 150$ power cable. Same with the DAC, it worked on USB power for 1 month and at the next pay check I bough a 9v power supply. And I liked that way, I cannot afford all the things at once, so I try to buy a big one a year and the rest in between. I do not know about the price ranges, but for my 2k a piece it works that way.
Ideally it would work the way you say

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But buying some good cables it not enough :slight_smile: You need a lot more :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

You need:

Pink Faun ā€“ LAN Galvanic Isolator

The Pink Faun LAN isolator provides galvanic isolation between the device that is connected to the network and the network itself. This without loss of speed. Even devices that play from an internal HDD and only use the network for operating and updating the firmware benefit from the RJ45 GALVANIC LAN isolator. Once the audio device has been assigned with an IP address and is active, the LAN isolator has a positive effect on the overall sound quality.

Only cost ā‚¬179

But it is not over:

DeLock Isolator

For isolation and protection. But that is cheap: ā‚¬17 - ā€œBig upgradeā€ (3:48) in this video. But he donā€™t tell why!

You probably need even more :slight_smile:

Torben

PS: The problem: What is waste ā‚¬$ and what gives a benefit/irmprovement? I donā€™t know

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Oh, I have been through that already :smiley:
So the DeLock Isolator (and there already people who did measure the signal causing worse values than bevore) will definitely make an audible difference, though you will experience that itā€™s not to advance.

There are others which do a better job as the mentioned Pink Faun. Though all these passive elements are limited. If you really would like to see what is possible and jump far ahead in this part of the journey get yourself an EtherRegen and a Sonore OpticalModule Deluxe 2. Then just put the Sonore OM in your network, connect it via fibre optics to the EtherRegen and from there one (get the best Ethernet cable you can get) is a connection to your streamer/DAC.
Instead of the Sonore you could start with a generic fibre media converter package all in one for $89,- which is at Sonore - opticalModule Deluxe

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This is very helpful, Markus. Thank you!
Jim Heckman

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I donā€™t understand what you mean by this. Any digital cable represents 0s and 1s with different voltages.

@Markus_Hubner - A setup like this?

Exactly!

@xxx Just to illustrate it makes it easier to imagine that it then is also prone to EMI and other interferences.

I saw your meraki and remembered the upgrades:
https://audiophool.nl/cisco-meraki-switch-basic-upgrade/

just as info, I did not tried or listened

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The voltages represent 0 and 1 but they are electrical currents. The conjecture is that the electrical currents influence the analog parts of the streamer. (Note: I am not endorsing this until I see evidence, just explaining the conjecture)

Of course, but they either represent a 0 or a 1 within certain accepted voltages or they donā€™t.

So, avoiding the whole EMI question, I donā€™t know what this means -

(Another oath to my Essence broken, as I swore I wouldnā€™t get into this) :laughing:

Itā€™s more complicated than that. Some modulation schemes (e.g. QAM) involve both amplitudes and phases to represent multi-bit code points.

So the mere presence of an Ethernet cable connected to the streamer affects the quality of the analog audio output, whether or not the audio source is the wired network, right? In that case, one could do a blind A/B by listening to a different source (e.g. USB or WiFi) while a second person plugs and unplugs the Ethernet cable.

This is true

Jitter, latency etc. are problems in all sorts of digital networks. Audio networks are just more sensible resp. its output is. There are many sources describing this - just the first link in google: https://www.aviom.com/library/Application-Notes/63_Managing-Jitter-Wander-and-Latency-in-Digital-Audio-Networks.pdf