…and keep us posted. Details about your switch and LPS and cables included
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In case you are not aware, for audio it is usually best to power ethernet switches with separate power supplies because many people have observed that noise can transmit from one switch to the next via the power supply and therefore bypass some of the isolation (ie. provided by transformers) in the switches.
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I know, you are right.
The DIY LPS is made up of 1 transformer with separated windings secondary.
A separate regulation circuit is used for each switch.
I have found that noise can transfer across the windings on a transformer so for my most critical listening I have separate transformers for each power supply.
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Yes, this is what usually happens if you have a regular router. My K50 was very responsive in this regard even though the router was powered by external LPS with expensive fuse and AC cable to lower the noise. All that up untill I got a Synergistic Research UEF Router… with it in chain the SQ actually worsens if I unplug the Ethernet cable. I don’t how it can possibly improve the sound but it does, I wrote to SR about this and they said they had the same observation. I still have to use my regular router for wifi, although no signal goes through it. I ran the cable to it from the SR router ( it sits in the hall ) and all it does is just wifi distribution.
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I’ve been reading about the synergistic research router and looks very interesting. I’m hesitant to audition it because I’ve had bad experiences with synergistic research products. I believe the ones I’ve tried are not as good as competing products and overpriced. That being said I’m very curious about the benefits you believe you are hearing. Can you provide a little more granularity around your experience with the sr router? Thanks
Sure. As to SR products, they may not work well with cables/accessories from other brand. For instance, my two favorite cable brands are SR and Black Cat ( before Chris passed away ). However, they are in conflict with each other. I can’t use them in the same setup. I am sure there are other examples of similar behavior. What I like about SR is that they cover pretty much everything and you build a perfect ecosystem: advanced acoustic treatments, power conditioners , electromagnetic devices, cables , fuses etc. The only things that didn’t impress me much were their isolation footers and I had bad luck with GCTs. With addition of each accessory or component it just gets better and better. My room “sounds” much bigger than it actually is. The width of the soundstage is uncanny. The correct application of this stuff is the key and it takes a lot of time. You look at their ECT page or read feedback on various forums and you see like a dozen of ECT things all over one device. Such a waste of money and questionable outcome , when you need just ONE piece strategically placed inside K50 on a server to greatly enhance resolution. I tried to put a second one on the player part and it was too much.
I bought their UEF Switch with upgraded PC and a Galileo Ethernet cable and have been using them for a while now. I put them in front of my home router for a couple of weeks to burn them in, then did my first listening test. The addition of a switch by itself seriously cleared the digital muck and made the sound not only clearer but more liquid as well. When I installed a Galileo Ethernet cable btw the switch and the K50 it brought drama to music. Sound became more emotionally involving and analog-like. Precisely what I wanted so I was happy with the pair. Recently they put out a UEF Server and I immediately jumped on it. I do both - stream from Qobuz and play files on the SSD in the K50. With the former I use Roon/Squeeze config, with the latter - Squeeze/Squeeze. I found WiFi to be detrimental to SQ and took my wifi router out of the listening room. An easy and free upgrade )). Both UEF Router ( it has no wifi ) and UEF Switch are in the rack. A cheap Ethernet cable goes out of the UEF Router to the regular WiFi Mikrotik router in the hall. Mikrotik has a custom external LPS with SR Purple fuse, power cable and a couple of minor tweaks. The audio signal DOES NOT go throught it. It’s only function is to distribute WiFi so I could control the K50. And then I did a small test. I hooked up the Mikrotik directly to my K50 and started playing local files on the SSD inside the Antipodes, then I unplugged the Ethernet cable in the middle of a track. The sound immediately improved. Even though no audio signal was going through Mikrotik , it still introduced a lot of noise just by being connected to the server despite the LPS and other tweaks. Then I connected the SR UEF router to Antipodes and ran a cable to Mikrotik in the hall to get Wifi. Resumed the playback of a file on the SSD, unplugged the Ethernet cable from the UEF Router to K50 and…SQ got worse ! Somehow that thing positively affects music reproduction even when it’s just connected to the server and I play local files. I contacted SR about this in disbelief and their words were : " Yeah, we had the same observation. Crazy , isn’t it? " .
Good advice. I have had success mixing them through. Their fuses are in all my components, and their Orange AC outlet feeds my system. All of these were worth the cost. Surprising to me the gain from their outlet cover. Nearly worth the cost.
I have a number of ECTs placed strategically. Subtle improvements but I got these used so at the price not a bad investment. Their Carbon Tuning discs are much better and while not the same bang for the buck as the items in my previous paragraph, still worthwhile.
I recently got to try a pair of their UEF Performance Enhancers that are meant to plug into networking devices. Barely an improvement from these, but I suspect these need the other SR networking components to help them out. I was surprised as it was easier to hear improvements from those Carbon Tuning Discs.
UEF Enhancers are no exception when it comes to their placement. To give you an idea, I have a Torus AVR 16 isolation transformer with 12 outlets. When I plugged an Enhancer in the first receptacle the sound actually got worse. When I moved it to the last one - there was an improvement. Same device, just different outlets. I use the Ethernet one in my TV and the picture is much more vivid. It did not work well though neither with my SR switch nor router…in my system…but my buddy has two of them in his switch and loves them. I liked the USB Enhancer in the K50 though. So, it’s all system dependent, there’s no universal recipe. If you already have ECT, I suggest you try them inside Antipodes unit. The change is not subtle.
Thanks for confirming. I tried one on the Direct Stream Ethernet output on my K30, figuring that it might help there. I can’t say that it did. I left one there and then placed the other on the A side of the EtherRegen. Hmm maybe. Then both on the EtherRegen. Hmm less than maybe.
I thought I saw a bit of improvement there, but it didn’t justify the price.
Well that’s interesting. How many of them got you that kind of change? An any advice on optimum placement?
Just one. I put it on the server part. I added a second one to the player later on and it was too much for me. There was like an aura around instruments. It sounded cool at first but not really natural so I removed it. I’ll go through my pictures, I may have one with it in place
As for Ethernet Enhancers - they didn’t work well in my setup. The USB ones are a different story. They came out later, so maybe there’s a slightly different technology there or it’s because they just work with different boards, I dunno… But I do like the USB Enhancers.
YMMV , of course.
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With the positive accolades of Network Acoustics Muon Pro, although by no means cheap for most, it will be interesting to see how the latest product from Stack Audio performs at a fraction of the cost of the Muon Pro.
Stack Audio media release:
The Stack Audio SmoothLAN is designed to remove crosstalk and interference from a network cable, eliminating a potential source for parasitic noise entering sensitive Hi-Fi via a music streamer. It uses discrete components in a shielded case with these benefits:
- Discrete components Strategically placed components on the PCB reduce crosstalk, allowing for wider spacing of high-speed traces
- Precision machined aluminium case 16 fully shielded pockets serve as barriers, isolating the electronic components from each other and external disturbances.
- EMI absorbing materials embedded inside the pockets further neutralize noise reflections from the components.
- Perfectly sealed enclosure using 20 screws to ensure there are no gaps between the shielded pockets that could amplify specific frequency range.
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